Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

Donald Trump is poised to recognise a former British protectorate as an official country, according to a former UK defence secretary who lobbied the president-elect. Sir Gavin Williamson told The Independent he has held talks with Trump’s team about the official recognition of Somaliland, which holds a crucial strategic position on the Red Sea. He said he was confident Mr Trump would take up the issue once he assumes office in January. The former Tory cabinet minister has been the leading advocate for official recognition of the ex-British protectorate, which has in effect been independent from Somalia since 1991. It…

One of the officials sacked from Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) board declined a new appointment in protest. Hussein Tene Debasso, who was sacked by President William Ruto as the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) board chairperson, declined a new appointment at the National Youth Service (NYS). Debasso did not give reasons for declining a new appointment as a member of the board of the National Youth Service. “I Hussein Tene Debasso, immediate chairman, Kenya National Trading Corporation, wish to thankfully acknowledge my appointment as member of the Board, National Youth Service vide Gazette Notice of 15th October 2024,” he…

At least six people were Tuesday November 19 night killed in a fire incident in sprawling Kitui Village, Pumwani area, Nairobi. Police said at least ten others, mostly men are nursing burn wounds in hospitals after the incident. The cause of the fire is yet to be established. More than 50 houses were flattened in the incident. Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said they are investigating the tragedy. “We have teams on the ground to pursue the matter. Those are many people to die in such an incident. They are all men,” he said. According to the Kenya Red Cross,…

Donald Trump has named Mehmet Oz, a doctor and former television host, to run the powerful agency that oversees the healthcare of millions of Americans. “There may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again, ” Trump said in a statement announcing his pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Oz trained as a surgeon before finding fame on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the early 2000s, later hosting his own TV programme. He has been criticised by experts for promoting what they called was bad health advice about weight…

Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently in federal custody awaiting trial on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. His arrest in New York came amid a series of civil suits alleging sexual assault and physical violence, some going back to the 1990s. More than two dozen people have filed lawsuits against the rapper, accusing him of using his influence in the entertainment industry to do everything from drugging, assaulting and raping people. The latest batch of lawsuits include allegations from two men who were underage at the time of the alleged sexual assaults. Both described being hopeful that Mr…

Veteran Uganda Opposition leader Kizza Besigye was kidnapped from Nairobi on Saturday November 16 as he attended an event he had invited to. He was later traced to a military detention center in Kampala, Uganda. This puts Kenya on focus over the incident as those behind it were either Kenyan officials or were aided to do so. It comes months after 36 other activists were abducted in Kisumu and taken to Kampala where they are facing serious charges. The executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Winnie Byanyima on Wednesday asked Uganda’s military to release her…

Google has said it would harm consumers and businesses if it is forced to sell Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) will propose the measure to a judge on Wednesday, Bloomberg has reported. Judge Amit Mehta ruled Google operates an online search monopoly in August, and has been considering what remedies or penalties to impose. The DOJ has not commented on the report – but Google has made clear it is a proposal it opposes. “The DOJ continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case,”…

The General-Secretary of the Communist Party Marxist – Kenya (CPM) Booker Omole has delved into his first international foray as General Secretary, just a day after being elected to the coveted position. Omole, who is in Niamey, Niger, for the convention dubbed “Conference in Solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel”, addressed his first international audience, taking with him a message of Pan-Africanism, resistance to imperialism, denouncement of neo-colonialism and also a call for the strengthening of revolutionary forces across the world. Booker, who has steadfastly maintained his allegiance to the African people’s struggles, starting with his own home country,…

It is the end of the road for a Mombasa-based woman involved in trafficking narcotics after the Director of Public Prosecutions detailed to court overwhelming evidence of her dealing in prohibited drugs worth Sh275 million. Fatuma Ahmed Ali was slapped with a 40-year in prison and a fine of Sh825, 642,000 in a judgement by Principal Magistrate Martin Rabera and delivered by Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo. The accused, who was jointly charged with her late husband, notorious drug baron Swaleh Yusuf Ahmed, alias Kandereni, was convicted for trafficking heroin worth Sh275 million. The Prosecution led by Senior Prosecution Counsel…

The National Assembly Committee on Finance and National Planning has kicked off the process of freeing boda boda operators from the jaws of predatory digital lenders. This is after three key Bills that are seeking to amend existing laws governing digital lending were subjected to public participation to incorporate views of stakeholders from across the country. The proposals seeking to free the operators are contained in three crucial Bills; The Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024, The Tax Procedures (Amendment) Bill 2024 and Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The Bills were arrived at after boda boda operators petitioned the National Assembly…

Residents of Woodley Estate are in distress after their homes were demolished Tuesday .  This comes after the residents, through their association, failed to prevent the demolition of their houses. A total of 43 houses, including that of veteran broadcaster Sammy Lui lost their homes in the exercise on Tuesday morning. The residents opposed the move, arguing that they were not involved in the decision-making process before the demolition was carried out. The Nairobi County Government plans to build modern housing in the area. Woodley Estate, located along Joseph Kang’ethe Road in Nairobi has been at the center of controversy…

Equity Group amplified Africa’s private sector climate financing and sustainability priorities at the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.  Along with industry leaders, policymakers, development financiers, private sector business leaders and civil society, Equity reiterated its commitment to climate financing and facilitating the clean energy transition in Kenya and across Africa. Equity Group Director for Sustainability, Oscar Njuguna, engaged in a high-level panel discussion together with representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Italian Ministry for Environment and Energy Security, Inter-American Development Bank, and the Kenyan Ministry of Energy & Petroleum. The panel explored Africa’s…

India’s competition watchdog directed WhatsApp to refrain from sharing user data for advertising purposes with other applications owned by Meta for a period of five years and fined the U.S. tech giant $25.4 million (about Sh3 billion) on Monday over antitrust violations related to the messaging application’s 2021 privacy policy. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp’s privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash. “Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies… for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp service shall not be…

United States ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety Monday announced his resignation, effective from January  2025, in line with the standard transition after a change in the US presidential administration.  This came days after that of Kenya Meg Whitman also resigned. Brigety, appointed under outgoing President Joe Biden, will step down shortly before Donald Trump’s inauguration, following the Republican Party’s decisive victory in the 5 November election. The Republicans also won a majority in the US House of Representatives and Trump’s second administration is expected to implement significant policy shifts that could reshape US foreign relations. One anticipated focus is…

A gun holder shot and wounded himself as he argued with a security guard at the Hilton Hotel barrier, Nairobi. Police said Robert Kiptoo is a licensed gun holder. Kiptoo had on November 17 at about 8 pm approached a barrier outside the Hilton Hotel along City Hall Way demanding to use it to enter the premises. The guard at the barrier informed him the area was for exit only and directed him to use the right direction on Mama Ngina Street. According to police, Kiptoo demanded the barrier to be opened and stepped out of his black Toyota Prado…