Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

University students will continue to stay at home after efforts to resolve the ongoing university lecturers’ strike faltered on Tuesday. A meeting convened by the National Assembly Committee on Education was called off after the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) failed to provide documents proving that the government is ready to invest Sh4.3 billion to facilitate the reopening of universities and bring students back to class. The committee was forced to summon three Cabinet Secretaries to address the issue. A move by some universities to force the lecturers to resume classes was rescinded hours later. According to Committee Chairman…

A woman who was resting under a tree died after it fell on her in Namukuse sub-location, Kalokol, Turkana County. Mary Ekeno, 32 was with her five-year-old child resting under a tree near Lake Turkana when the incident happened on November 9, police and witnesses said. The two were resting under a Mkoma tree in their compound when the said tree suddenly and accidentally fell as a result of strong winds from the lake. The tree trapped the woman killing her on the spot while the child sustained serious injuries. Members of the public responded and rescued the child and…

A 21-year-old man believed to have murdered his employer on Sunday, November 10 at Njathaini area of Kasarani, Nairobi is among three arrested. According to police, the suspect, Victor Ambeyi, was smoked out of his hideout at Valley area of Kinoo in Kiambu County over the murder of Catherine Waceke Kimotho, 78. Her body was found in a septic tank. In the incident reported at Njathaini Police Station, the deceased’s body was discovered sprawled at her homestead, and the suspect, a casual labourer at the home, missing. After committing the crime, the suspect attempted to cover it up by wrapping…

Digital lenders are committing serious data privacy violations, mostly to recover defaulted loans, contrary to the Data Protection Act. Investigations reveal that the lenders also employ agents on commission basis and instruct them to harass and even abuse the borrowers for them to pay the loans. In one of the cases, Justice Joe Omido Mkutu on November 8, upheld an award of Sh900,000 issued by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) against a Credit Watch Investment Limited (CWIL) for violating the right to privacy of three people listed by a defaulter as emergency contacts. The ruling comes barely…

President-Elect Donald Trump has tapped Tesla chief Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, “working in conjunction with” former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, tasking the two with driving “large scale structural reform” through the department, which is not yet recognized as an official government agency. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement. The announcement of Ramaswamy and particularly Musk, who leads companies with existing, lucrative government contracts, raises immediate questions about potential conflicts…

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” in some of the harshest public criticism of the country by a Saudi official since the start of the war.  Speaking at a summit of Muslim and Arab leaders the prince also criticised Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Iran. Israel has vehemently denied that its forces are committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In a sign of improving ties between rivals Riyadh and Tehran, Prince Mohammed also warned Israel against launching attacks on Iranian soil. Saudi’s de facto leader was joined by other leaders present in…

Oil giant Shell has won a landmark case in the Dutch courts, overturning an earlier ruling requiring it to cut its carbon emissions by 45%. The Hague court of appeal said it could not establish that Shell had a “social standard of care” to reduce its emissions by 45% or any other amount, even though it agreed the company had an obligation to citizens to limit emissions. Three years ago, a court in The Hague backed a case by Friends of the Earth and 17,000 Dutch citizens requiring Shell to reduce its CO2 emissions significantly, in line with the Paris…

Two Chinese linked companies are under probe over claims of tax evasion involving importation of cigarettes.  They are said to have imported dozens of cartons of cigarettes and avoided paying taxes. Both the Kenya Revenue Authority and Directorate of Criminal Investigations are investigating how Shapo Trading Limited and Yulees Blooms Company imported for sale the cigarettes in Kenya without an Electronic Tax Register (ETR). Officials said they are working on intelligence reports that the Chinese companies brought cigarettes into Kenya without paying taxes and the packets of cigarettes do not have excise duty stamps on them. “The teams are searching…

President William Ruto on Tuesday, November 12, nominated Ahmed Issack Hassan as the chairperson of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority(IPOA) in several fresh key state appointments to government agencies. In the announcement, the Head of State noted that Hassan was qualified for the position due to his wealth of experience in the legal field and having chaired the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). “The nominee is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with 30 years’ experience as a legal practitioner and consultant in various countries including Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Namibia, and Afghanistan,” he stated. “Mr. Hassan…

The Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Tuesday refuted reports that detectives tried to prevent former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from attending church on Sunday. On Sunday, the former DP and his allies attended a church service at Priesthood Fellowship Church in Kahawa West in Nairobi. This was followed by claims police had tried to stop him from attending the event. DCI boss Amin Mohamed said claims by the Daily Nation that the detective used an unmarked Subaru vehicle were false. The report was published on Monday. Amin said the Directorate operates within the confines of the law and does not…

Businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime was sworn in as Haiti’s new prime minister on Monday as a gun attack on a passenger jet at the capital’s airport underscored the utter breakdown in law and order in the Caribbean country. Fils-Aime replaced outgoing premier Garry Conille, who was appointed in May but became embroiled in a power struggle with the unelected transitional council tasked with stabilising the crisis-wracked nation. “We have a transition with lots of work to do: the first essential job, which is a condition for success, is restoring security,” Fils-Aime said in his first remarks. He said he was…

A brother-in-law to former President Uhuru Kenyatta died by suicide at his house in Nairobi’s Karen, Nairobi. The Kenyatta family has been in mourning following the death of Uhuru’s brother-in-law William Gakuo. Gakuo, who died at 48, is the younger brother of the former First Lady Margaret Kenyatta. He died on Wednesday November 6 at his house in Karen. Police said Gakuo died by suicide. His wife, Sheila, reported that Gakuo was found hanging from the corridor leading to his bedroom and that he had a suicide note next to him. The matter is pending under probe. According to a…

Nigeria’s Afrobeats stars are assured of a comeback at next year’s Grammy Awards, after winning a clean sweep of nominations for “Best African Musical Performance”. February’s ceremony will mark only the second time the category has been awarded, and this year’s debut saw Nigerian talent pushed aside by South Africa’s Tyla. But all five tracks in the running next year are from Nigeria or performed with Nigerian artists, guaranteeing revenge. This week’s nominations were for “Higher” by Burna Boy, “Love Me JeJe” by Tems, “MMS” by Asake and Wizkid and “Tomorrow” by Yemi Alade. The fifth song on the list…

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., has been offered the role of national security adviser in the next Trump administration. Waltz has been one of President-elect Trump’s most visible surrogates during the 2024 campaign, spearheading military outreach and helping with the Veterans For Trump coalition. The Florida congressman is the first retired Green Beret to serve in Congress and had previous administration experience as a policy adviser to former Defense Secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. The Wall Street Journal first reported Waltz being offered the role. Elevating a House lawmaker to the administration could complicate Republicans’ ability to govern the chamber,…

Donald Trump is expected to tap U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources said on Monday, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat once the Republican president-elect takes office in January. Rubio was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state, and he has in years past advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to America’s geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba. Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s…