Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

President William Ruto on Tuesday presided over the 60th Jamhuri Day celebrations at the Uhuru Gardens. Here is his full address: I am delighted to have the privilege of leading the people of our nation in celebrating the important milestone in our journey to national independence. Sixty years ago, on a day like this, Kenya took its final step of the freedom struggle to become a sovereign Republic. According to the vision of our forefathers who fought for this country’s freedom, independence was intended to bestow on us the gifts of political as well as economic self-determination. This anniversary gives…

President William Ruto on Tuesday announced his government has decided to abolish visa requirements for all global visitors beginning January 2024. He said the abolishment lies on the backdrop of embracing globalisation and opening the borders to spur the socio-economic development of the country. “Beginning January 2024, Kenya will be a visa-free country. It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya,” said Ruto. He said this during the 60th Jamhuri Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi. He further stated that…

President William Ruto on Tuesday presided over the second trooping of the colour ceremony for the new 25 Mechanised Infantry Battalion (25MIB). The event took place at Uhuru Gardens where Jamhuri Day colorful event was held. 25 MIB is part of Kenya Army’s 8th Mechanised Infantry Brigade. It was the second such event for him since he became the Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. Officials said this is a significant transition for the Eight Infantry Brigade as the 25 MIB will now be enhanced with more support including mechanized capabilities like the use of Armoured Infantry fighting vehicles. The…

King Charles III has penned a message to President William Ruto and the people of Kenya as the country celebrates 60 years of independence. In a statement shared by the British High Commission, King Charles commended Kenya for attaining 60 years of self-rule. “Dear Mr. President, I would like to send my heartfelt congratulations to Your Excellency and the people of the Republic of Kenya on Jamhuri Day, which is particularly significant this year as you mark sixty years since Independence,” King Charles III expressed. The monarch also emphasized the lasting friendship and close partnership between the United Kingdom and…

Four Kenyan police officers who had been arrested and detained by Tanzania authorities were released after a week-long ordeal. The four had been attacked and seriously wounded by a mob in an incident at an island run by Tanzanian authorities on Lake Victoria, police said. The incident happened near Remba Island that is run by Kenya. It is not clear what sparked the incident that led to the mob attack and subsequent arrest by the Tanzania authorities. They were accused of illegally crossing the border. Remba Island is in Suba North, Homa Bay County. The incident has once again raised…

There was a tragedy at a roadblock in Busia County when a female police officer was killed by a fleeing car. The car defied orders to stop at the roadblock along the Malaba-Kanduyi road, Busia County. Police said they are searching for the car following the fatal incident on Monday morning. Teso North sub-county police commander Joseph Matiku said the driver of the vehicle suspected to be carrying contraband goods from the Malaba border defied orders by police officers to stop at the Koteko roadblock near Kocholya market. The driver then knocked down one police officer before speeding off towards…

Motorists will soon be forced to dig deeper into their pockets for services from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) if proposals to increase its service charges are implemented. NTSA is proposing an increase of up to 900 percent for services to fund its budget deficit amounting to over Sh2.3 billion. In draft proposals by the NTSA, that are being subjected to stakeholder engagement, the road service licenses for public service vehicles will change with between 98 percent to 100 percent as a road license for a PSV with between six and eight passengers will move from Sh2,700 to…

Double Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum highlighted Kenyans honoured at the revamped World Athletics awards gala on Monday evening in Monaco, France. Unlike in the previous editions where one winner was crowned in the men’s and women’s categories, World Athletics adopted a new format where winners were categorized according to their disciplines- track, field events and out-of-stadia events. Kipyegon claimed the Female Athlete of the Year track events with Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia being crowned the best female athlete in out-of-stadia events as Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela was named the best female athlete…

A police officer was Monday killed by a gang that attacked a rescue team that had busted an FGM rite in Elgeyo Marakwet County in an operation in Embobut forest. His G3 rifle with 40 bullets is missing after being stolen by the attackers, police said. The incident sparked outrage amid a planned operation in the area to get those behind the practice and the murder of corporal Mushote Boma of Chesoi police station. The gang suspected to comprise bandits was protecting the circumcisers attending the banned rite in Embobut forest. Six girls who had already been circumcised were rescued…

Anti-Terror Police Unit commandos were sent to Loresho, Nairobi to rescue several ambassadors trapped inside a restaurant. The envoys had been trapped inside the Qaribu Inn Hotel after residents barricaded the facility’s entrance protesting against what they described as consistent noise pollution from there. Police said Monday ATPU is not involved in the probe of the drama but responded there after being alerted by some of those trapped. “They were on a rescue mission following an alert sent out,” said an officer who asked not to be named. The revelers included envoys and gave a report to suggest they were…

Tanzanian authorities are investigating social media users accused of spreading false information about Vice-President Philip Mpango’s health. Mr Mpango resurfaced on Sunday after being absent from public view for over a month, sparking relief and ending widespread rumours he had died. Information Minister Nape Nnauye has ordered investigations into those who spread the speculation. Mr Mpango says he was hurt by the false rumours circulating on social media. The vice-president was last seen in public on 31 October while representing President Samia Suluhu Hassan during a virtual meeting of leaders from the Southern African Development Community. His absence had sparked…

Energy CS Davis Chirchir has explained the cause of the Sunday night nationwide blackout. Addressing the media on Monday, the CS said the blackout that lasted a few hours was caused by an overload in the Kisumu- Muhorono line. According to the CS, the overload forced the system to shut down. Further, Chirchir said, the line is supposed to carry 80MW but was carrying 149MW at the time of the blackout. “We know where the problem is and we are addressing those challenges (lack of investment in the network for a long time). It’s bound to happen again, but we will…

ChatGPT might not be a cure-all for answers to medical questions, a new study suggests. Researchers at Long Island University posed 39 medication-related queries to the free version of the artificial intelligence chatbot, all of which were real questions from the university’s College of Pharmacy drug information service. The software’s answers were then compared with responses written and reviewed by trained pharmacists. The study found that ChatGPT provided accurate responses to only about 10 of the questions, or about a quarter of the total. For the other 29 prompts, the answers were incomplete or inaccurate, or they did not address…

Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen claims there could be sabotage in the failure of generators to help in the power supply at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and other facilities. A similar situation was reported in Mombasa and Eldoret airports leaving many stranded for long. Murkomen said he has made a formal request to the National Police Service (NPS) to investigate what he terms as ‘possible acts of sabotage and cover up’. This follows Sunday’s nationwide power outage. The blackout, the third of its kind in three months, affected key infrastructures including JKIA where the backup generators failed…

Police at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport detained two foreigners as they tried to flee the country to avoid ongoing investigations facing them. The police were acting on tips when they detained the two on Saturday night, officials said. Police and Kenya Revenue Authority officials arrested Chinese national Lu Jun, 34 for the offences of tax evasion. He was getting ready to fly out of the country to China when he was intercepted. Jun runs a number of businesses in the city and had been served with tax notices before he tried to leave. Officials said he would be arraigned…