Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

Officials at the US central bank have left interest rates at a 23-year high, and said rate cuts are coming – but not yet. The decision from the Federal Reserve again kept the target range for its benchmark rate, which helps set borrowing costs for mortgages, credit cards and other loans, at 5.25%-5.5%. That is sharply higher than two years ago, when the Fed started raising rates to fight inflation. Investors expect rate cuts this year. But exactly when the bank will start to reverse course is being closely watched, especially as a slew of central banks in other countries,…

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has postponed the burial of one of his workers who was killed by his fighter bull. In a statement, the legislator said the funeral of Kizito Moi was cancelled due to “wild, baseless, and false claims by some pseudo politicians in Kakamega”. “…I’ve today been forced to indefinitely postpone the burial of my trusted fighter bull caretaker,” he said. Khalwale also stated that a team of detectives visited the scene of incident for a fact-finding mission. “Meanwhile, today, I hosted a team of DCI detectives at my Malinya Home for a thorough fact-finding mission over the…

Detectives are hunting down a group of askaris from Machakos County who raided Wednesday an ongoing court session to arrest a Member of County Assembly. The group raided and caused commotion in the court as they sought to arrest Boniface Maeke the MCA Kalama ward. Maeke had gone to the Machakos court in solidarity with Douglas Musyoka, his Masii/Vyulya counterpart who was arrested on Tuesday on accusations that his homestead in Machakos was not built per county government regulations. Maeke was singled out from his colleagues outside the court where he was forcefully arrested and whisked by over six men…

Those offering short-term accommodations have a week to register them with the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA).  This is after three Principal Secretaries issued new directives targeting the sector. They said in light of the recent disturbing murder incidents in short-term accommodations, prioritizing and enforcing existing regulations is a critical step in addressing and mitigating these concerning occurrences. The PSs Raymond Omollo, Anne Wang’ombe, Beatrice Inyangala and John Ololtuaa said that crackdown starts next week. The PS’ said starting from February 5, 2024, National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs), in collaboration with the TRA, will commence stringent inspections of all registered properties.…

The National Assembly has filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court over the housing levy. Last week, the Court of Appeal declared the levy imposed on salaried Kenyans, unconstitutional. The appellate court dismissed the State’s applications seeking a stay of execution for the judgment that found the Housing Levy to be unconstitutional. The judges; Lydia Achode, John Mativo and Mwaniki Gachoka, said that if they affirm the constitutional invalidity of the challenged laws, then some far-reaching decisions that will have been undertaken may not be reversed. Read: Win for Salaried Kenyans as Court of Appeal Declares Housing Levy Unconstitutional…

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki Wednesday declared cult leader Paul Mackenzie’s Good News International Ministries an organized criminal group.  This means authorities can use any means to investigate and take action on any of the members of the church. This is after the church was linked to the death of more than 429 people in Shakahola, Kilifi County. “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 22 (1) of the Prevention of Organized Crimes Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares Good News International Ministries to be an organized criminal group for the purposes of the Act,”…

A man who is wanted in the US for the murder of his girlfriend will remain in custody for 30 days pending investigations. Kevin Kang’ethe was on Wednesday arraigned in Nairobi following his arrest in Westlands on Monday. The fugitive is wanted in the US for the murder of Margaret Mbitu. He is said to have killed her in Boston sometime between October 30 and November 4, 2023. While detaining Kevin Kinyanjui Kangethe, senior principal magistrate Zainab Abdul noted that there was no objection to the prosecution application and the seriousness of the offence. “Since there is no objection from…

Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were jailed for 14 years, the second sentence handed to Pakistan’s former prime minister in two days. The two sentences come just a week before the South Asian country is due to hold an election in which he is barred from standing. Khan, who was ousted as PM by his opponents in 2022, is already serving a three-year jail term for corruption. He has said the numerous cases against him are politically motivated. Wednesday’s court case revolved around accusations over state gifts that he and his wife received while in office, while Tuesday’s…

Ballistic examiners are analyzing an AK47 rifle that was recovered by police in Kisumu days after a Ugandan police officer based at Central Police Station, Tororo was violently robbed by a gang. The rifle serial number UG POL 861314 09446 was recovered by Kasagam police officers who were on patrol duties at Nyalenda ward. This was after they intercepted a suspicious Toyota Axio on January 27 whose five occupants immediately flang the doors open and scampered for safety, abandoning the vehicle. A search therein led to the recovery of four mobile phones and the stolen police rifle, police said. https://twitter.com/DCI_Kenya/status/1752615558976016396…

Detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have arrested a man who allegedly demanded a Sh1.5 million on behalf of an unnamed Principal Secretary. Mark Kipruto Kuto, who claimed to be the alleged Principal Secretary’s Personal Assistant, sought a bribe in order for the government official to assist the complainant secure a job as Chief Executive Officer of the South Nyanza Sugar Company. The suspect is a relative of a member of the First Family. He was arrested as he waited to pick the loot in the city. According to EACC Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi, the complainant reported the matter…

Microsoft sales accelerated in the final months of 2023, lifted by demand for its artificial intelligence tools. The company said revenue in September to December rose 18% year-on-year to more than $60bn. The update came as Microsoft became the world’s most valuable listed company, its market value soaring past Apple this month to more than $3tn (£2.4tn). Chief executive Satya Nadella said Microsoft is applying AI “at scale”. As the company provided a quarterly update to investors, the results confirm Microsoft as one of the leading companies as tech firms race to profit from an anticipated next wave of growth…

Detectives in Kipkelion, Kericho County are holding a man who allegedly beat his son to death for drinking too much and refusing to return to university to resume his studies. According to police, the suspect assaulted his son who was a fourth-year student at Karatina University, for imbibing alcohol instead of returning to the institution which was reopened early this month. Locals said the man arrived home and found the boy drunk, which infuriated him prompting a confrontation. He allegedly confronted his son seeking to know why he was yet to report back to the university yet he had sold…

Kenya is going to push ahead with plans to lead a U.N.-approved security mission to Haiti, despite a court in Nairobi last week blocking the deployment, President William Ruto told Reuters on Tuesday. The international force is aimed at tackling rampant gang violence in the Caribbean nation, which killed nearly 5,000 people last year, and is due to be initially financed by the United States. The mission was thrown into doubt after the Kenyan court ruled that it would be unconstitutional to deploy officers abroad unless there was a “reciprocal arrangement” in place with the host government. Ruto said Haiti…

Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai is against the procurement of an 18-carat gold-plated mace and vaults by the Nairobi county. The county has invited bids for a mace that the head, neck, crest, shaft, and tail will all be gold-plated. The state-of-the-art vault will have nine separate lockable compartments and will weigh at least 500 kg. According to tender documents seen by Kahawa Tungu, the vault will be constructed with heavy-duty steel and lined up with fire-resistant materials that can withstand 1,000-degree centigrade temperatures for up to four hours. On the other hand, the mace will weigh between 10kg and to…

A Tanzanian national was Tuesday sentenced to 45 years in prison for being in possession of narcotics while travelling in Mombasa. Maimuna Jumanne Amir was apprehended at the Moi International Airport back in March 2021, carrying 5,389 grams of heroin worth Sh16,167,000, officials said. Amir had concealed the drug haul in a black bag. Mombasa Law Courts Principal Magistrate Martin Rabera sentenced her to 35 years in prison for drug trafficking, with an additional 10 years for being in possession of drugs. The 10-year sentence however carries an alternative fine of Sh48 million. The accused was fined Sh48,501,000 (three times the…