Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

A former OpenAI researcher known for whistleblowing the blockbuster artificial intelligence company facing a swell of lawsuits over its business model died by suicide, authorities confirmed this week. Suchir Balaji, 26, was found dead inside his Buchanan Street apartment on November 26, San Francisco police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said. Police had been called to the Lower Haight residence at about 1 p.m. that day, after receiving a call asking officers to check on his well-being, a police spokesperson said. The medical examiner’s office determined the manner of death to be suicide and police officials this week said…

President William Ruto Friday asked the Public Service Commission to harmonise the salaries of Kenyan scientists to be at par with their regional colleagues. He said the departure of local scientists to foreign countries due to poor remuneration should not continue. He directed Head of Public Service Felix Koskei to work with the PSC and sort out the pay disparity. “We are not paying our scientists as we should. Many of them are under the public service, and there is a need to relook their terms of service and salaries,” he said. “I will get the Head of Public Service…

The government will modernise the National Police Service at a cost of Sh28 billion over the next two years, President William Ruto has said. Ruto said the government will seek the views of police officers on the their preferred uniform. The ambitious modernisation programme will include new equipment and weapons, digitisation of police operations as well as constructing new housing units for police officers. “I want to commit that I intend to see the process of modernisation to completion in the next two years so that we can have the equipment, vehicles and ammunition necessary to protect our country,” he…

Four suspected gold scammers arrested on Wednesday, December 11 were Friday arraigned at Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi.  They were charged with several counts of conspiracy to defraud and forgery. The four are implicated in a USD100,000 scam. In the case investigated by the DCI Operation Support Unit, Susan Wanjeri Kogi, Elvis Muga Ouma, Nazlin Karim Rahimbux and Hubbard Kanyago Ndong’o are accused of conspiring to defraud a Niger businessman the said amount, while purporting to be customs officials based in the capital. Upon arraignment the four pleaded not guilty and were granted Sh500,000 bond with the alternative of a cash…

Three more men have accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of rape and sexual assault in a batch of new lawsuits alleging the rapper drugged and assaulted them. The complaints, filed separately in New York Supreme Court on Thursday, involve incidents that allegedly occurred between 2019-22. Two of the plaintiffs allege they went to parties with Mr Combs, where he “personally offered” them alcoholic drinks which made them unconscious, before they say he raped them. The rapper’s lawyers dismissed the lawsuits calling them “full of lies”. He remains in custody at a Brooklyn jail. “We will prove them false and seek sanctions…

President Emmanuel Macron has named centrist leader François Bayrou as France’s next prime minister, in a bid to end months of political turmoil. Bayrou, a 73-year-old mayor from the south-west who leads the MoDem party, said everyone realised the difficulty of the task ahead: “I think reconciliation is necessary.” He is seen by Macron’s entourage as a potential consensus candidate and his task will be to avoid the fate of his predecessor. Ex-Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier lasted just three months and was ousted by MPs nine days ago. Macron is half-way through his second term as president and Bayrou will…

The disappearance of two men along the Narok-Mai Mahiu Highway has caused panic in Bomet and Narok Counties.  Also in panic according to police are the cyber-criminal underworld. Kiplangat Maritim alias Elvis Chepkosa and Dominic Kipng’eno Lang’at alias Hillary Muge are missing since December 5. They were traveling in the company of a woman to Bomet from Nairobi when the incident happened. On December 5, 2024 Chepkosa and Dominic are said to have disappeared in the Mutarakwa area along the Mai Mahiu-Narok highway after a Toyota Prado they were in was shot at the tires and the occupants of the…

A man who abducted himself, inflicted cuts on his body before demanding Sh100,000 ransom from his sister to secure his ‘release’ was ‘rescued’ by detectives.  The operation was conducted Friday December 13 morning within Kitengela township, Kajiado County. This was after he hid for hours in a lodging while demanding a ransom from his family. Nobert Mulwo, 25, was freed from the bounds of a rope fastened on his legs and arms and a bloody bandage that kept his mouth shut, a calculated move staged to influence the family to act fast and send the ransom. Acting on a report…

The government will fast-track applications for dual citizenship for Kenyans who were forced to renounce their citizenship before the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution. Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the new policy is designed to facilitate Kenyans’ use of constitutional provisions acknowledging dual nationality while strengthening connections between Kenyans abroad and their homeland. “By fast-tracking dual citizenship applications, we are enabling Kenyans abroad to reclaim their identity and contribute to the economic development of our nation,” he said. Regaining Kenyan citizenship is also expected to encourage Kenyans who migrated abroad and acquired other nationalities to invest more in their…

Detectives are investigating murder in an incident where a man was attacked and killed by his wife and son in Kaptembwo area, Nakuru County. The deceased identified as Matoke Maina, 50 is believed to have been attacked and poured with a sulphuric acid, police said. He succumbed to the injuries while being attended to, police said. Police said they arrested the woman and her son for questioning over the incident that happened on Wednesday December 11 evening. A team of police that visited the scene said they recovered a container with some chemical believed to be the acid used in…

Anti- Narcotics Unit detectives based at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport arrested a woman and recovered 2000 grams of Cannabis Sativa.  While working with Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) staff who screened her luggage revealing the presence of suspicious items therein, the detectives intercepted the 27 year old suspected drug trafficker who was to travel to Doha- Qatar on Wednesday December 11. Upon interrogation, Quinter Achieng Matengo was escorted to Anti Narcotics Unit (ANU) offices where a search of her luggage revealed that she had concealed the drugs inside maize flour packets- not knowing that hawk eyed detectives would nip her…

A 75-year-old man was trampled to death by an elephant in Hombe forest, Mathira, Nyeri County. Police said Kibaki Muriuki was herding his sheep within Hombe forest on Wednesday December 11 when he was attacked by a rogue elephant. He sustained injuries on both legs, a waist, and a cut on the forehead and died on the spot. The animal escaped the scene. The body was moved to Karatina Hospital morgue for postmortem examination. Kenya Wildlife Service personnel were informed and necessary actions were taken to ensure the safety of more herders in the area. Locals said the animals were…

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé on Thursday visited the Multinational Security Support (MSS) troops at their camp to Kenya’s 61st year of independence from British colonial rule. To the team on the ground, the visit was a morale booster and had shown there is general political support for the mission. The PM was recently inaugurated in changes announced by a council managing politics of the Caribbean nation. A statement said Fils-Aimé was received by the mission commander Godfrey Otunge – the MSS Force Commander; Normil Rameau, Director General of the Haitian National Police (HNP) and Colonel Kevron Henry, the…

President William Ruto Thursday urged Kenyans to be cautious of disinformation aimed at sabotaging development, undermining democracy and destabilising the country in pursuit of sectarian political interests. He pointed out that much of the opposition against the government stems from inaccurate representation and outright disinformation. He called on critics to stop misleading the public and instead engage in discussions based on fact and the truth. “We are at the stage in social development when digital technologies have immense capacity to amplify disinformation, magnify fake news and distort facts beyond all recognition,” he said. He went on: “If we give in…

US President Joe Biden has issued presidential pardons to 39 Americans convicted of non-violent crimes, and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 other people. The White House described it as the most acts of presidential clemency issued in a single day. It has not given the names of the people involved. The US Constitution decrees that a president has the broad “power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment”. Earlier this month, Biden issued a controversial pardon to his son Hunter, which continued a recent trend of presidents pardoning people close…