A two-day Swahili symposium closed in Kisii on Tuesday with a call for increased funding towards the development and promotion of the language. Authors, teachers and Professors meeting at Kisii University said Kiswahili plays a critical role in national unity, regional integration, and cultural identity. They, however, expressed concern that despite Kiswahili being a national and official language, it continues to receive less attention in policy formulation and funding compared to other sectors. Vice-Chancellor Nathan Ogechi, also senior linguistic don said Kiswahili is not just a language—it is a symbol of our unity and heritage. “The government must prioritize its…
Author: Magati Obebo
US based Kenyan politician Tuesday asked the youth to shun hooliganism and acts of vandalism during demonstrations. Festus Gichaba who is also angling for the Bomachoge Chache parliamentary seat said destroying infrastructure and looting businesses rolls back gains the country has made over the decades. “Violent demonstrations are not captured in the constitution and I think it is good that our youth be made to know so,” stated Gichaba. Plunder and vandalism not only undermine the legitimacy of protests but also lead to unnecessary losses, he added. Gichaba was speaking in Nyamasege area, Ogembo in Bomachoge Chache during a burial…
Coffin makers and funeral supply traders in Kisii town were by late Monday counting losses after rowdy Saba Saba protesters looted their shops. They spoke of vandalized coffins during the violent anti-government demonstrations. The protests are called to mark the historic agitation for multipartism in the country in the 1990’s. In Kisii, they quickly turned chaotic Monday sparking street battles between rowdy youth and the police. At least six protesters suffered arrow injuries as pro-government goons squared it out with the protesters at Mashauri area. Coffin makers also joined traders who are counting losses as the demos spilled from street…
Ten Nyamira County Assembly Ward Representatives were Wednesday suspended from the House for absenteeism. The disciplinary measure against the ten appeared to mark a fresh twist to violent wrangles that had been dogging assembly since the Impeachment of speaker Enock Okero. New speaker Thaddeus Nyabaro accused the faction of flouting the law by skipping at least eight consecutive plenary sessions. Rigoma MCA, Nyambega Gisesa, also the United Progressive Party chair and Governor Amos Nyaribo ally was among those affected. He is deemed to be the leader of the band of colleagues supportive of the impeached speaker. Also affected is Joel…
At least four more protesters were injured with arrow injuries as Saba Saba protests turned chaotic in Kisii drawing in some pro -government goons into the streets. Emergency officials said at least one person sustained a life threatening abdominal injury. Three others suffered injuries to their limbs, marking a fresh violent turn to the growing demos which set off early Wednesday. One of victims had two arrows stuck to his hand. The four victims added into the figure of two others initially injured in the morning hours along Mashauri area in the County capital. As more violence engulfed the town,…
At least two protesters suffered arrow injuries as pro-Saba Saba demonstrators squared it out Monday morning with arrow wielding goons in Kisii. One victim was reportedly a bystander. Witnesses said an arrow pierced through his hand as he watched from a distance. The second was injured in the leg. He said he was by his side when he was hit. There was, however, no confirmation from the authorities as the protests surged in the streets. The injured were rushed to hospital for emergency treatment. By 12 noon there were still pitched battles between the goons, police and the protesters on…
Tension has gripped a village in Nyacheki, Bobasi in Kisii County after an irate mob lynched a man suspected of killing his wife and allegedly feasting on her flesh in a chilling case that has left residents in shock. According to local authorities, the suspect only identified as Ogoro had also been feeding his two children of the flesh. A villager also said he often prepared meat for them when they visited him and scarcely suspected he was cooking the remains of his wife. Ogoro is suspected to had also slaughtered his first wife before later remarrying. He was mentally…
Kisii County Assembly Speaker Philip Nyanumba has been ordered out of a contested parcel of land in Kisii Municipality after the conclusion of land grabbing ligation that had been running in the High Court since 2014. A High Court judge sitting in Milimani, Nairobi consequently invalidated the land title deed he had floated to assert credibility of ownership. The ruling Thursday handed victory to John Nyaanga, the litigant who has been a long-time occupant and intended beneficiary of the land through the National Housing Corporation (NHC). The court objected to the copy of the title deed Nyanumba had adduced before…
Kisii Governor Simba Arati Thursday pledged quick reconstruction of the green grocery market recently razed by a fierce fire, leaving dozens of traders clutching on losses. During a visit to the site, Arati said the market would be restored in few days to come. Those affected by the Sunday night inferno would also be supported financially to restart their enterprises, he said. Arati, however condemned the suspected arson and called for investigations into its cause arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators. “This market has been the lifeline of many families who feed, cloth and educate their young ones from here.”…
A vocal United Democratic Alliance (UDA) politician Samuel Apoko Monday called on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to issue a public apology over recent controversial remarks interpret some as a “kill order” against demonstrators. Apoko, who served as Kiogoro Ward Rep during the 2017–2022 term, described Murkomen’s utterances as reckless. The sentiments, he said, could be misinterpreted by security forces as a green light to use excessive force on protesters. “We urge the leaders to choose their words carefully, especially in times of national tension. What CS Murkomen said is unacceptable and must be retracted. He owes Kenyans an apology,”…
Each year, thousands of young girls in Kenya go through Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) leaving them with lifelong physical and psychological scars. This practice is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15. Girls in the rural areas especially in Africa bear the brunt, many largely unable to confront parents when forced into the knife’s way. US based scholar Dr Douglas Mochama Obwoge says FGM is built on atavistic practices that should be stopped. In Kenya, North Eastern and Gusii regions have since been flagged as key hotspots. Obwoge says it gets more tragic with claims that…
Kisii Deputy Governor Elijah Obebo had difficulty time Thursday convincing a livid electorate in Bobasi that their government was working. Efforts to cite a list of what Governor Simba Arati has done in his two years in office was met with murmurs of disapproval. Obebo had stood up after former Kisii Governor James Ongwae lashed out on Arati telling him to own up to his failures. He said Arati was good at rhetoric and blame games and had been sanitising himself by dragging Ongwae’s name to every of his failures. Two and half years in office, stated Ongwae leaves no…
There were pitched battles for the better part of Wednesday in Kisii Town as Gen Z demonstrators faced off police officers in riot gear street to street. The town had woken up to a chaotic start with pockets of protesters lighting up tyres at the restive Capital Roundabout. By 11 am, the protests had gathered pace drawing in more youth and even high school students out on half term recess. Vehicular traffic in and out of town was halted as the demonstrators blocked roads with barricades and stones. Outside the Kenya News Agency offices, a middle class a restaurant was…
It began with the recent raid on a village in Borabu, Nyamira County, by cattle rustlers keen on driving away animals from the kraals at night. That was early November, 2024. Today, it is an all-out sporadic night attack giving hundreds of dwellers in the vast constituency sleepless nights. Locals say the suspected thieves cross the communal borders to cause havoc. Some animals have been traced by vigilantes into forested areas in the neighbouring Bomet County and Narok County. Area Member of Parliament Patrick Osero now says the intensity of the raids was quickly spiraling out- like a fire in…
Two Gusii politicians Thursday said the abductions and killings of Kenyans by intolerant state officials is severely denting Kenya’s international image. Nyamira Senatorial hopeful, also Nairobi based lawyer, Morara Apiemi and Nyaribari Chache politician James Kenani separately weighed in asking the government to act “swiftly and decisively to safeguard the freedom of expression and ensure that all citizens”, including dissenting voices, are protected under the law. “The murder and intimidation of bloggers is not only unconstitutional but a shameful stain on our conscience and democracy,” said Apiemi. “The world is watching, and these actions are portraying Kenya as a country…