Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

The National Assembly’s Committee on Communication, Information, and Innovation chaired by Dagoreti’s John Kiarie grilled the Director-General of the Communications Authority (CA), David Mugonyi, over a new initiative aimed at enhancing the integrity and tax compliance of mobile devices in Kenya. The Committee demanded clarity on the proposed system’s implications for privacy, data protection, and its enforcement mechanisms, especially given concerns about personal data potentially falling into the wrong hands. Kiarie had concerns regarding Kenya’s existing privacy laws and their sufficiency in protecting citizens’ data. “The issue isn’t with registering IMEIs. What exactly are we allowing KRA to access on…

A judge set a date for hearing in a contempt of court case against two Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) clerics. The clerics are Secretary General Rev Robert Waihenya and the Church’s Moderator Thegu Mutahi. Lady Justice Tabitha Wamalwa set November 26 as the next hearing date. The case had been set for October 31 but the court session had held virtually making it technically unviable to have a video played as part of the evidence against the two top clerics. The two have been accused of defying lawful court orders restraining them from installing a church elder David…

The National Police Service (NPS) has recorded 57 abduction cases since the youth-led demonstrations began on June 18, 2024, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said Thursday. The IG said out of the 57 cases, 22 have since been found alive, 29 are still missing and six were found dead. “Police don’t abduct or kidnap, we detain and keep inside stations whereby investigations commence. Those found to meet the threshold of being taken to the court are arraigned while those who don’t are set free,” Kanja said. Despite acknowledging that the anti-Finance Bill protests were intended to be peaceful, he…

A High Court has upheld the government’s decision to lift the decade-long ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), rejecting a petition that claimed the authorization of GMO cultivation and importation violated the law. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) challenged the 2022 decision, arguing that the move posed health and environmental risks and lacked the necessary regulatory oversight, including Environmental Impact Assessments. However, Justice Oscar Angote found that the regulatory bodies, including the National Biosafety Authority and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, had sufficient frameworks to oversee GMO usage, concluding that no evidence showed risks to human health…

Safaricom PLC has posted a 27.1 per cent growth in net earnings for the first six months of the year, with the Group service revenue growing 14 per cent to hit a half year high of Sh181.4 billion. According to the financial results unveiled Thursday morning, the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) listed firm’s comprehensive net profit for the period was Sh36.7 billion. The Kenyan unit however, recorded a net profit of Sh47.5 billion, translating to a 14.1 per cent growth. The group’s net earnings could have been more but was hampered by currency devaluation in Ethiopia that saw net earnings…

Detectives are investigating an incident in which a 29-year-old female barber died by suicide at her residence in Nyeri County. The body of Milicent Nyambura was discovered hanging from the roof of her residence in Kiandere area after suicide. She was working as a barber at Githakwa Township, police and locals said. Police officers visited the scene and established that the deceased hanged herself and the body was positively identified. The body was moved to the Nyeri Referral Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy. The motive of the incident was not immediately known, police said adding they are investigating it. Cases of…

A 45-year-old woman died after jumping from the nineteenth floor of the View Park Towers in Nairobi. The police said they are investigating suicide in the Wednesday evening tragedy. The detectives said Charity Muthoni Mutoi had visited the building on Wednesday November 6 evening and took tea with a friend before she excused herself. According to police, she later climbed to the nineteenth floor where she jumped off to her death. Guards who rushed to the scene found she had left her shoes, jacket and mobile phone on the nineteenth floor before she jumped off. The motive is yet to…

Defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has urged her supporters to accept Donald Trump’s White House victory, while telling them to “never give up” fighting for their ideals. At a concession speech in Washington DC, the US vice-president acknowledged “the outcome of this election is not what we wanted”, but insisted there must be a peaceful transfer of power. Harris, who cancelled a victory speech that had been planned at the same venue one night earlier, also told the crowd not to despair. Trump has won enough key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin, to secure the presidency, with…

Donald Trump’s return to the White House might also prove to be a win for one of his most visible supporters: Elon Musk. The world’s richest man spent election night in Florida with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort as returns came in. “The people of America gave @realDonaldTrump a crystal clear mandate for change tonight,” Mr Musk wrote on the social media platform X as Trump’s victory began to appear all but certain. And at his victory speech at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Trump spent several minutes praising Mr Musk and recounting the successful landing of a rocket manufactured…

A woman who has accused Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor of raping her has told a court he choked her three times and she thought she was going to die.  Nikita Hand has taken civil action against Mr McGregor and another man, seeking damages for an alleged sex attack in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. Mr McGregor denies the allegations and his lawyers told an earlier hearing that Ms Hand is attempting extortion. In 2020, Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to criminally prosecute either man due to a lack of evidence and no reasonable prospect of…

Australia’s government says it will introduce world-first legislation to ban children under 16 from social media.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the proposed laws, to be tabled in parliament next week, were aimed at mitigating the “harm” social media was inflicting on Australian children. “This one is for the mums and dads… They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back,” he said. While many of the details are yet to be debated, the government said the ban will not apply to young people…

Spanish police have made a record cocaine seizure after finding 13 metric tons of the drug hidden in a shipment of bananas in a container from Ecuador in the southern port of Algeciras. The amount, discovered on October 14. breaks the previous record in Spain when 9.4 tons of cocaine were found in 2023, also in Algeciras, the fourth biggest container port in Europe. “It is obvious that these 13 tons of cocaine were not only bound for the Spanish market. The Spanish market cannot handle so many drugs all at once. This drug was intended to be distributed throughout…

The man behind the murder of a woman whose boiled bones were found dumped at the Langata cemetery, Nairobi is believed to have used a chemical in the mission. Police say they are yet to establish the kind of chemical Hashim Dagane Muhumed used in boing the body of Deka Abdinoor Gorone on October 31, 2024 before disposing it off. Detectives have recovered a handbag and shoes believed to of a the woman. The team also recovered a panga believed to have been used in the murder of the victim. The investigators are interrogating the prime suspect in the murder…

A lawyer was Wednesday arrested following a probe into a complaint made by an American national on a fake tender diddle that saw his companies lose over Sh182 million to a ring of scammers in Nairobi.  Detectives from the Operations Support Unit arrested the key suspect within the precincts of Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi in a dramatic chase. Michael Otieno Owano, an advocate and supposed face of Owano Michael & Co. Advocates was arrested after a session he had attended at court for the mention of another criminal case in which he is the accused person. The facts preceding his…

Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Charles Kahariri visited Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers deployed under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in Sector Two.  This was his visit to the area and ahead of planned changes in the mission. During his visit, Gen Kahariri met with troops stationed at Dhobley and Kismayu, commending their commitment to fostering peace, security, and stability in Somalia. He praised the troops for their professionalism, integrity, and discipline, which have been critical in achieving mission success and promoting regional stability. The CDF highlighted the significance of their efforts in restoring peace…