Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

Reports released by the Controller of Budget have revealed that President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto spent over Sh1.02 billion within the last year ending in June. According to reports, the funds went towards local and foreign trips. Last year the two only spent Sh769.9 million thus bringing many to question the vast increase in expenditure. However, reports have also revealed that the increase in spending came prior to the August 8 presidential elections which was eventually nullified by the Supreme Court. Read: State House Demands Raila, Kalonzo Seek Clearance Before Leaving The Country National Super Alliance (NASA) had…

Kenya retail chain Tuskys Supermarket is set for a major upgrade after the company expressed interest in targeting a new market. This follows the announcement of a new lease deal at the New Muthaiga Mall to expand its Thigiri Chap Chap Convenience store. “Targeting an upmarket clientele, the new store to be relaunched before the end of this month will feature an expanded selection of imported and local premium fast moving consumer good (FMCG) products,” Tuskys said in a statement. Read: Tuskys Inches Closer To A Possible Merger With Nakumatt According to the company,the store will soon have a variety of…

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government has received a major boost after eight Jubilee party governors pledged Sh100 million each to help fund a railway project. This pledge followed a consultative meeting which took place at the Maiyan Resort in Nanyuki County. According to Kenya Railways Managing, Director Atanas Maina, plans are underway to upgrade the 240-kilometre line from Nairobi to Nanyuki. “Currently, the railway is what we call the 50-pund-load type, which is only capable of carrying three light locomotives. We intend to upgrade it to 80-pound load so that a single train can carry 1,400 tonnes of goods,” the director…

As the prolonged political period starts to wind up the Standard Group has anticipated a drop in profits by the end of the year. According to the Group’s Board, political tension had a big effect on the economy thus playing a big part in what the company predicts will be a 25 per cent drop in profits. “The Board of Directors anticipates that the financial results for the year ended 31st December 2017 will be materially affected by the prevailing adverse market conditions in the second half of the year compared to the same period in the year 2016,” a…

The directive by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to downgrade its medical cover has been suspended. This follows a recent announcement by the insurance fund that members would only be given access to four outpatient visits within the course of 12 months. According to reports, Health Secretary Cleopa Mailu has suspended the decision by NHIF with immediate effect. “This is until further consultations are held between the NHIF board and other stakeholders. Meanwhile patients should continue with the services as it has been the case before. A full statement will be issued soon,”  Mailu said. Read: Why Did Moi High School…

Kenya’s supermarket sector continues to draw interest of investors seeking long term investments. According to financial advisory firm StratLink this comes as a result of a rise in household income over the last five years. “Despite the present headwinds, we still believe the retail segment of Kenya’s economy offers great promise for long-term investors,” StratLink analysts said. StratLink also highlighted the important of repaying suppliers saying failure to do so signifies a lapse corporate governance standards. Supermarket such as Massmart of South Africa, Walmart of the US and French-owned Carrefour are a few examples of retailers that have been attracted to Kenya because of…

Kenyans across the country are in shock as they struggle to send and receive WhatsApp messages Friday morning. A large portion of the companies 1.3 billion users across the globe were also affected by the temporary blackout which took place shortly after 11 am EAT. Many users took to several social media platforms to report the problem. https://twitter.com/EdwinGichuru01/status/926381173265326080 Read: Whatsapp Has Just Unveiled a Host of Cool New Features The company is yet to release a statement on their various social media accounts. According to reports the outage lasted roughly 30 to 45 minutes in various parts of the globe. Website…

Starting January, 2018 the Government of Kenya will be initiating a ban on the importation of digital television decoders. The Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) issued a statement regarding the ban on importing  terrestrial and cable television decoders. “The importation into Kenya of cable or satellite receivers/decoders that do not comply with the said digital video broadcasting, second generation terrestrial or satellite specifications shall not be permitted from January 1, 2018,” the statement said. Along with this comes the introduction of new decoders which will be equipped with internet connectivity through an ethernet port. Read: iWayAfrica Kenya Set To Expand After Deal With…

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s ‘Operation Ng’arisha Jiji’ has reached its 30th day with the campaign working to make ‘Nairobi the cleanest city in Africa.’ According to reports, Sonko’s Rescue Team has been dispatched to various constituencies outside Nairobi’s CBD with the aim of completing the project within the governors first 100 days in office. On Wednesday, the team was sent to clean Burma market in Kamukunji constituency. “My mission as Governor is to completely transform and restore our city’s once glorious image.” “The cleaning campaign which includes; unblocking sewers, removal of campaign posters, clearing mounds of garbage, responsible garbage disposal, e.t.c will continue…

The initial stages for the Sh1.5 billion expansion of the Malindi Airport are underway and local residents have received compensation from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA). According to reports, residents of Kwa Chocha South have been paid Sh300 million following their removal from the land. Malindi Airport Manager Walter Agong is hoping to finalize compensation before the end of the year. “We have compensated the first batch of people at a cost of Sh300 million, people are in the process of vacating, by the end of December we shall be done with the compensation which will have cost Sh420 million,’’ he…

Plans are underway to upgrade Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from diesel-power to electric by 2021. According to Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, the government plans to invest Sh65 billion in the project. “We were not sure of electric power supply, that is why we started with diesel but provided a provision to upgrade it later to electric by 2021,” he said. The announcement follows the launch of inter-county train services between Mombasa and Nairobi which took place on Wednesday. Read: Madaraka Express Set For Inter-County Services Starting November “Since its launch five months ago, the Madaraka Express has endeavored to lower…

A recent annual county report released on Tuesday has revealed that Nairobi’s City Hall has fallen short of its intended revenue target for 2016-2017. According to the report, the county only managed to collect Sh23.7 billion in revenue compared to its projected revenue collection of Sh34.7 billion. As a result the Sh11 billion difference has delayed several projects planned to take place all across Nairobi. Read: Governor Sonko Breathes Fire After County Cash Officers Failed To Bank Revenue On Time Governor Mike Sonko has maintained his stance on meeting the 2017-2018 revenue projection and nominees are currently being vetted by the…

The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has expanded health care services for all of its beneficiaries. Members will now be able to receive outpatient services from over 2,000 facilities accredited by the company. “I have come across several complains where a beneficiary traveled and became ill and he/she cannot be treated because they did not choose the nearby facilities,” NHIF chief executive Geoffrey Mwangi said. As a result patients will no longer have to seek outpatient services from specific health care facilities registered with the fund. The initiative which begins this month will help customers seeking treatment access various hospitals…

Mobile phone company Airtel has reported a Sh9.5 billion profit across from 15 operations in Africa. The use of Airtel data and Airtel Money saw revenues for the the mobile phone company reach Sh83.8 million in the quarter which ended in September. The company also saw an increase in customer base during this years quarter with over  81.9 million registered customers. During the same quarter last year the company recorded a 78.1 million customer base. Read: Airtel Kenya Removes Transfer Fees on its Mobile Money Services As a result, Airtel’s data customers now account for 21.7 million (26.5 percent) of the customer base…

Tanzanian authorities are under pressure after reports emerged that they sold cattle belonging to Kenyan Maasai. According to the reports, over 1,300 cattle had been auctioned for around Sh90 million over fear that they livestock would spread diseases. Tanzanian authorities insist that they are working to prevent outbreaks from animals. However, local veterinarians have questioned the move citing the wildebeest migration that takes place every year. “When it comes to cattle, they rush to claim there will be diseases, yet we have millions of other animals that feed on plants like the wildebeests that cross from Kenya to Tanzania and…