Author: Mercy Auma

Kenya’s largest telecommunications company Safaricom has announced that MPesa services will be unavailable starting tonight at 11:59 pm until 5:00 am over planned maintenance. In a statement on Thursday afternoon, the company said that during the period all M-Pesa services including airtime purchase shall be temporarily unavailable. This will be the second time the maintenance is being carried this month as a similar one happened on July 2. In June, the scheduled maintenances took place on 17, 25 and 29 in a span of 30 days. Apparently, the regular maintenance are meant to upgrade security levels to ensure that customer data…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed chiefs to register all pregnant school girls across the country so that they can be able to access pre and post-natal care. According to Nation, this was confirmed by Education Chief Administrative Secretary Zack Kinuthia adding that the Head of State directed the National Crime Research Centre to come up with a report regarding the high cases of child abuse in the country. “All the chiefs and their assistants have been directed to register all the pregnant schoolgirls and ensure they do not fail to access maternal healthcare,” Kinuthia said. Read: Uhuru Orders Probe On Increasing…

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has confirmed the largest number of COVID-19 cases after 447 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours, tally now stands at 8,975. Speaking during the daily COVID-19 briefings while in Mombasa County, the CS announced that 3,803 samples were tested. Out of the new cases, 280 are men while 167 are women with the youngest being a 1-year-old infant while the oldest is an 88-year-old. Read: COVID-19 – Former Harambee Stars Skipper Musa Otieno Discharged From Hospital Kagwe reiterated the measures to protect infants due to the increased cases and called upon parents to…

Presidential escort officers have been banned from chewing miraa and muguka effective from July 6, 2020. Through a notice by the Head of the Presidential Escort unit, George Kirera, the ban has been linked to health risks posed to some of the officers. “Please be informed that it has been noted with high level of concern by this office that chewing miraa and muguka is posing a lot of health risk to our personnel and their families,” reads the notice in part. It further adds, “With effect from July 6, 1400 hrs, no Prescort personnel or civilian residing within the camps will be…

The County Government of Migori has allocated Sh4.1 million for the purchase of coffins for the financial year 2020/21. The move has ignited outrage among netizens who have castigated the county leadership for misuse of funds instead of prioritizing the needs of the people who elected them. According to the County’s Budget and Appropriation Committee, the allocation of Sh4.1 million would aid in making funeral arrangements for locals who lose loved ones amid disasters such as the current Coronavirus pandemic. The Sh4.1 million is distributed as follows; Sh3.6 million given to the Department of Public Service Management for purchase of…

Eight leaders from the Mt Kenya region reportedly held a four-hour meeting in support of the appointment of Amos Kimunya as the new National Assembly Majority Leader. Star reports that the meeting was held at the Panafric Hotel with the agenda on the table detailing support for President Uhuru Kenyatta and Kimunya. The leaders included: Governors Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), Ndiritu Muriithi (Laikipia), Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), Amos Kimunya (National Assembly Majority Leader), Peter Kenneth (former Gatanga MP), Senator Charles Kibiru (Kirinyaga), Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki and speaker Justin Muturi. Addressing journalists after the meeting, the leaders stated that they had…

Monica Wambui is set to lose her Sh50 million Dennis Pritt property located near State House after a ruling by Justice Grace Nzioka. According to the Standard, Wambui claims to have sold the property while in poor mental health. However, the judge’s ruling indicates that she did not prove to be mentally indisposed during the period during which the property exchanged hands. Apparently, the details of the sale of the property were concluded on January 13, 2009, although Wambui on several occasions is said to have rejected the money citing mental incapacity. The judge thus directed that the property be…

The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) has announced a two-day water outage in several estates following scheduled maintenance and treatment of Water plant. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, the company announced that the Ngethu Water Treatment Plant will be shut down from Thursday, 9th July 2020 at 6.00 AM to Friday 10th July 2020, 6.00 PM. “NCWSC would like to inform its esteemed customers that there will be a shutdown of the Ngethu Water Treatment Plant from Thursday, 9th July 2020 at 6.00 AM to Friday 10th July 2020, 6.00 PM,” read the Tweet. Read: Nairobi…

Churchill comedian Joseph Musyoki Kivindu alias Kasee was on Sunday, June 29, 2020 found dead on the roadside in Kinoo, Kiambu County. Speculations surrounding his death indicated that the funnyman was struggling with alcoholism after relapsing in recent years. Following his death, social media was thrown into a frenzy with comedians casting blame on factors they believed led the young man six feet under as well as raising concerns on the worrying trend. New details, however, indicate that Kasee died of poisoning after an autopsy on his body was conducted. According to the Chairman of Comedians in Kenya Society, Ken…

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has indicated that one out of every 10 Kenyans is suffering from a common mental disorder. Addressing the media during the daily COVID-19 briefings at Afya House, the CS reiterated the concerns raised by the government concerning depression and gender-based violence. “Since the pandemic, a good number of people have checked in hospitals with mental related cases. Among them is depression… New cases in family and gender-based violence have also been on the rise,” said the CS. According to the CS, before COVID-19, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the formulation of a task force with the…

Rugby players Frank Wanyama and Alex Obala have been released on Sh300,000 bail each after the High court ordered for a retrial of their case. On June 30, 2020, the High Court quashed Wanyama and Olaba’s 15-year custodial sentence and ordered a retrial for the former rugby players who had been convicted for gang rape. In the fresh ruling, Justice Ngenye Macharia directed that the case be heard afresh at a lower court after the High Court found out that the existing records do not show whether one of the witnesses in the case was sworn or not. The judge…

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has announced that schools will reopen in January 2021. According to the CS, there will be no Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations this year as they have all been pushed to 2021. “In consultation with the Ministry of Health, we have agreed schools to reopen when daily Covid-19 cases reduce consistently for 14 days. Social and physical distancing is the most critical factor in ensuring the safety of learners,” the CS said. The CS further added, “Inter-county movement of students will cause severe challenges with high…

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s bodyguard, Sergeant Joel Kieti was reportedly attacked by armed men, abducted and valuables stolen. Reports by a local blog indicate that the incident took place in the wee hours of Sunday, July 5, 2020 evening while he was heading home from work. Apparently, police records allude that after the former Vice President was escorted home, the bodyguard was dropped to a refreshment joint by the driver where he linked up with some friends for a few drinks. Upon finishing the drinks, Kieti is said to have walked towards the stage to board a matatu when…

The Ministry of Health has confirmed 181 new COVID-19 cases bringing the tally to 8,067 after 2,131 samples were tested within the last 24 hours. Four more patients have succumbed to the deadly virus bringing the number of fatalities to 164. Ideally, 127 more have been discharged from hospitals bringing the tally for recoveries to 2,414. Through a statement on Monday, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe indicated that cumulative tests now stand at 191,394. Of the new cases, 179 are Kenyans while 2 are foreigners with 123 being male while 58 are female. The youngest of the cases is four-month-old infant…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed concerns over the worrying trends of increased Gender-Based Violence cases and teenage pregnancies in the country. Speaking during the State of the Nation address at Harambee House today, the Head of state-directed the National Crime Research Centre to probe such related cases and prepare an advisory within 30 days as well as initiate an immediate prosecution of all violators. “Exercise civil responsibility and bring these unfortunate incidences to an end. If the family ins under attack, the state is under attack. If the family is weak, the nation is weak,” he said. Further, he directed…