Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

Israel’s cabinet on Friday approved a 2025 national budget, a wartime financial package that far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said supported the country’s ongoing wars and encouraged economic growth. For more than a year, Israel has been locked in a war with Hamas in Gaza, and since September it has been fighting the Lebanese group Hezbollah in Lebanon. “The main objective of the 2025 budget is to maintain the security of the state and achieve victory on all fronts while safeguarding the resilience of the Israeli economy,” Smotrich said. The budget, totalling about 607.4 billion shekels, includes a nine billion…

Rescuers on Friday raised the death toll in Spain’s worst floods for a generation to 205 as the government deployed more troops in an increasingly desperate search for survivors. The floods that have tossed vehicles, collapsed bridges and covered towns with mud since Tuesday are the European country’s deadliest such disaster in decades. The organisation coordinating emergency services in the hardest-hit eastern Valencia region said 202 people had been confirmed dead there. Officials in neighbouring Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia in the south had already announced a combined three deaths in their regions. Rescuers equipped with drones and sniffer dogs waded…

The government has proposed to restore some of the tax measures it scrapped from the controversial Finance Bill 2024 that was repealed following public uproar.  Through the Ministry of Treasury, the tax measures will be consolidated into three new bills that will be tabled before Parliament: Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Tax Procedures (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and Public Finance Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Unlike in the past where the government tabled the bills without much fanfare, this time round the Treasury has posted a two-page explainer on the local dailies to provide a detailed account of the new proposals. This…

A drug trafficking-related shooting in the western French city of Poitiers escalated into a brawl on Thursday night involving up to 600 people, French authorities say.  Five people were seriously injured in a drive-by shooting at a restaurant in the city, including a 15-year-old boy who was left in critical condition after being shot in the head, police sources told the AFP news agency. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the incident as an alarming sign of drug-related violence escalating in the country. It follows a shooting in the north-western city of Rennes last week which killed a five-year-old boy. “These…

Pan African asset finance solutions provider Watuhas scored a milestone by selling more than one million mobile devices in the Kenyan market. Through its Watu Simu subsidiary and in partnership with device manufacturers such as Samsung Mobile, the firm achieved a rare feat by financing the purchase of smartphone devices for its millionth customer at the end of October. Speaking when he confirmed the milestone, Watu Simu’s Head of Growth, Kevin Michuki, said the firm had successfully retained its millionth customer just 23 months after entering the mobile devices asset finance market. He said the firm is actively working to…

Voters in Botswana have rejected the country’s long-serving governing party in a result that marks a political earthquake in the diamond-rich southern African nation. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) – in power since independence in 1966 – has won only one parliamentary seat as of early Friday morning. It looks set to be replaced by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). President Mokgweetsi Masisi has conceded, saying that it was clear his party had lost Wednesday’s general election “massively”. Despite overseeing a dramatic change in Botswana, recent poor economic growth and high unemployment dented the BDP’s popularity. “I will respectfully…

Professor Kithure Kindiki has officially taken the oath as Kenya’s third Deputy President under the new Constitution. His swearing-in took place on Friday after the removal of orders that had postponed the ceremony for nearly two weeks. “I, Kithure Kindiki, do swear that I will always truly and diligently serve the people of Kenya and the Republic of Kenya in the office of the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, that I will diligently discharge my duties and perform my functions in the said office to the best of my judgment, that I will at all times when so…

Detectives are investigating the discovery of a badly mutilated female body near Langata Cemetery in Nairobi. The body was dropped at the scene by unknown people on Thursday October 31 morning. Police said the body contained human bones and seemed to have been boiled and the meat removed. The motive behind the same is yet to be known. No arrest has been made and the body is yet to be identified. The incident left many locals shocked as the police moved the parts to the mortuary for preservation and identification. The incident will raise more fears that women are being…

Two suspects in the murder of Wells Fargo HR manager Willis Onyango were brothers. They include a slain suspect and one in custody, detectives revealed. Police said the slain suspect George Oduor Okoth and Victor Okoth Ouma are brothers. Oduor is the older one and introduced Ouma to crime, police said. Ouma was also a boxer as his brother and were well known in Khwisero and Gem which are neighbours. The team has established Oduor and his gang abducted Ayieko on the road and took him to a house in the area where they held him for days demanding money…

Immediate former interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki got extra security on Friday ahead of his planned swearing-in as the Deputy President. As the interior CS, he has been enjoying the security of about 12 police officers. His fortune changed when he got more police from the Presidential Guard, which protects the president and his family. Up to 50 more officers were dispatched to beef up security at his homes in Nairobi and Tharaka Nithi, officials said. He is scheduled to also take over the official residence in Karen. This is after Rigathi Gachagua was impeached as the DP. Kindiki…

This Black Friday, Xiaomi Kenya is unleashing a wave of unbeatable deals on its latest smartphones. With exclusive discounts, flash sales, and limited-time brand day offers, Xiaomi is making it easier than ever for Kenyans to access cutting-edge technology at prices you won’t find any other time of year. Each deal brings Xiaomi’s signature innovation and quality, making this the perfect chance for anyone looking to upgrade their tech game. From the budget-friendly Redmi A3X to the high-performance Redmi Note Series. Xiaomi’s Black Friday lineup covers every need and budget. Plus, each device comes with Xiaomi’s industry-leading 24+1 months warranty,…

US rapper Young Thug was released from jail Thursday evening after pleading guilty to gang, drug and gun charges, in a dramatic twist that ended the longest criminal trial in Georgia history. The 33-year-old Grammy winner, born Jeffery Lamar Williams, has spent more than 900 days behind bars since his arrest on racketeering and gang-related charges. In May 2022, prosecutors alleged the rap label he founded was a front for an organised crime syndicate responsible for “75 to 80% of violent crime” in Atlanta. He was sentenced on Thursday to time served and 15 years of probation, and jail records…

The Ministry of Education announced that the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams shall proceed as planned despite Friday November 1 being declared a public holiday. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos, in a notice issued on Thursday, said the late declaration of Friday as a national holiday to mark the swearing-in of Prof. Kithure Kindiki as Deputy President would not interfere with the schedule for Form Four candidates sitting for their KCSE exams. Ogamba directed all stakeholders involved in conducting the KCSE examinations to report to their duties as usual to ensure a seamless exercise. “The Ministry of…

An M-Pesa agent was trailed and robbed of her Sh200,000 in Suneka town, Kisii County. The victim reported that she was heading to her residence on October 29 at night when she was attacked and was robbed of her handbag containing the money and an Mpesa machine. She had taken a ride on a bodaboda when the incident happened. Police said they had established that two men emerged from the darkness while armed with unknown crude weapons and hit her on the back of her head causing their motorcycle to slide to the ground. The gang then grabbed the bag…

The Ministry of Interior has declared Friday, November 1, 2024, a public holiday for the swearing-in of Deputy President-designate Prof. Kithure Kindiki. Acting Interior CS Musalia Mudavadi announced the holiday in a gazette notice, stating, “It is notified for the general information of the public that the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Public Holidays Act, and sections 3 (b) and 12 (3) of the Assumption of Office of President Act, declares Friday, the 1st November, 2024, to be a public holiday.” The swearing-in will be held at…