Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

One of the world’s biggest drug lords, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, has been arrested by US federal agents in El Paso, Texas. Zambada, 76, founded the criminal organisation with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently jailed in the US. Arrested with Zambada on Thursday was Guzman’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, said the US justice department. In February, Zambada was charged by US prosecutors with a conspiracy to make and distribute fentanyl, a drug more powerful than heroin that has been blamed for the US opioid crisis. In a written statement on Thursday evening, US…

OpenAI is venturing into a territory long dominated by Google with the selective launch of SearchGPT, an artificial intelligence-powered search engine with real-time access to information from the internet. The move, announced on Thursday, also places the AI giant in competition with its largest backer Microsoft’s (MSFT.O), opens new tab. Bing search and emerging services such as Perplexity — a search-focused AI chatbot firm backed by Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab founder Jeff Bezos and semiconductor giant Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab. Shares of Google’s parent company Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab ended 3% lower on Thursday after OpenAI’s announcement.…

‘Monster’ fires may have destroyed half of historic Canadian town. Huge, fast-moving wildfires have destroyed up to half of the historic Canadian town of Jasper, officials say, and the blazes are still out of control as firefighters try to save as many buildings as possible. Entire streets of the main town in western Canada’s Jasper National Park have been levelled by the fire, with video showing smouldering rubble where homes once stood and the charred remains of cars. While no deaths have been reported, some 20,000 tourists and 5,000 residents have fled the mountainous area in Alberta province, which has…

Activist Boniface Mwangi was arrested and detained at the Nairobi Central Police Station following his arrest at the Central Business District (CBD) on Thursday afternoon. Mwangi was among those picked up by police during a march to honour victims of the ongoing anti-government protests. Haki Africa’s Hussein Khalid was also briefly arrested while taking part in a peaceful protest to commemorate lives of those lost in protests Thursday at the Kenyatta Market in Nairobi. Reports suggest Khalid was released. Separately, Shadrack Kiprono, popularly known on social media as as Shad Khalif, was also arrested at Java Kimathi Street. All three…

President William Ruto Thursday nominated acting Inspector General of police Douglas Kanja as the next police boss.  If approved by Parliament, Kanja who is the immediate former Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police will succeed former IG Japhet Koome who resigned on July 12. “In accordance with Article 245 (2) of the Constitution, His Excellency the President has, nominated Douglas Kanja Kirocho for appointment as the Inspector-General of the National Police Service,” said Ruto in a statement. Ruto also appointed two new Deputies for police. Eliud Lagat who is the immediate former commandant of General Service Unit was named the…

At least three Chinese nationals were killed in a grisly road at Duka Moja along Oliotoktok-Emali road in Kajiado.  The three, two males and a female, were part of a group of six tourists that was from Amboseli National Park to Nairobi when the accident occurred on Thursday July 25 morning. They are said to have succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at Kilome Nursing and Maternity Hospital in Emali where they had been rushed to. Preliminary investigations, police say, indicate that the rear left wheel of the Toyota Landcruiser in which they were travelling in detached itself from the…

National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has diverted several flights originally scheduled to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Mombasa and Kilimanjaro due to poor visibility caused by adverse weather conditions. In a statement, KQ advised passengers to expect delays in departures and arrivals in Nairobi, while assuring that all necessary measures were being taken to ensure their well-being. “We wish to inform our customers that we have this morning, diverted to Mombasa and Kilimanjaro, some of our flights that were scheduled to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This is due to poor visibility caused by adverse weather…

Rescue officials in Taiwan are searching for a cargo ship with nine crew members that has sunk off its southern coast.  The Tanzania-flagged freighter had been off the southern port city of Kaohsiung when Taiwan was struck by Typhoon Gaemi. The storm has also brought relentless rain to the Philippines, where a tanker carrying close to 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel has capsized. Sixteen crew members of the Philippine-flagged MT Terra Nova have been rescued while one remains missing, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said. Typhoon Gaemi, which made landfall on Taiwan’s east coast on Wednesday, has killed three people…

Police are investigating circumstances under which two officers covering the Tuesday, July 23 anti-government protests were shot and wounded at Githurai 44 area, Nairobi. The two officers are attached to Githurai 44 Police Post and Githurai Kimbo police station. They are said to have been shot and wounded in the legs by a gunman who was in the rioting group. The officers reported they were within Githurai 44 Uncle Sam area along Kamiti Road when they were shot by an unknown person armed with a pistol. Both officers were rushed to St. Francis Community Hospital at Kasarani for treatment. A…

US President Joe Biden has told Americans in a televised address that it’s time to “pass the torch to a new generation” as he sought to explain the historic decision to end his faltering re-election campaign.  Mr Biden, 81, said he withdrew his candidacy and endorsed US Vice-President Kamala Harris to unite their fellow Democrats and the country. The White House speech marked his first public appearance since he exited the race on 21 July, paving the way for Ms Harris to run for the party’s nomination. The Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, meanwhile, said at a rally that Ms…

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu told US lawmakers “our enemies are your enemies” in a landmark speech to Congress intended to rally support for the war in Gaza, but marked by protests inside and outside the Capitol. “When we fight Iran, we’re fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America,” Mr Netanyahu said. “Our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory,” he added. The Israeli leader received a raucous reception from mostly Republican politicians as he delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress, his fourth. But growing political divisions over…

Police are investigating the cause of death of a man whose body was found lying on the roadside along Mombasa Road in Nairobi. The man who was identified as Sizzler Oduor Ojwang had a visible head injury when the body was discovered on Wednesday July 24 morning. Pedestrians told police they had stumbled on the body lying on the roadside at about 11.45 am. It is not clear if the man was killed in the ongoing anti-government protests. Police said they moved the body to the mortuary pending autopsy and other investigations. More than 50 people have been killed in…

At least five people were Wednesday July 24 injured in a blast at a food kiosk in Mandera Town.  Officials said the blast happened when an Improvised Explosive Device went off at the Heritage Restaurant. Officials said they believe the incident was set up by al Shabaab terrorists or their remnants operating in the area. The explosion may have also been set up by locals who are extremists and hiding behind al shabaab terrorists, officials said. “It missed the target. It could have caused more deaths,” said an official on the ground. This is the latest such incident to happen…

At least 23 senior military officers were Wednesday July 24 promoted in changes announced by the Department of Defense headquarters.  This follows a Defence Council meeting chaired by Prime Cabinet Secretary and acting Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Defence Musalia Mudavadi. The meeting briefed president William Ruto who upheld the recommendations and made various promotions, postings and appointments. In the changes Maj Gen Stephen James Mutuku was appointed the deputy commandant National Defence College. In the Kenya Army, the council promoted Col Edward Nyamao to Brigadier and named him appointed Chief of Compensation and Welfare (DHQ) while Col Collins Otieno was…

Dozens of journalists joined marches in Kenya on Wednesday in protest at what they see as heavy-handed government tactics to stifle media freedoms, including police attacks on journalists during the demonstrations that have rocked the country for the past five weeks. The journalists — many wearing white — held placards reading “Journalists lives matter”, “Shoot not the messenger” and “End the brutality” as they staged rallies across several towns and cities. The protests were organised in the wake of attacks on journalists covering the anti-government demonstrations, among other grievances. Launched last month by the young Gen-Z Kenyan over tax increases,…