Author: Mercy Auma

The State has repossessed 3,000-acre land in Ruai along Kangundo road that is reported to have been grabbed by powerful politicians in government. 1,600-acre of the land has long been linked to Deputy President William Ruto and is one of the two parcels taken back by the government in a bid to expand the main sewerage plant. This was confirmed in a joint statement by the Lands and Physical Planning Principal Secretary Nicholas Muraguri, and his Water, Sanitation and Irrigation counterpart Joseph Irungu. “The government today embarked on an operation to repossess over 3,000 acres of the Dandora Estate Waste Sewerage Treatment…

The Standard Media Group is now using new tactics aimed at going against the court order barring the company from slashing employee salaries amid COVID-19 menace in the country. On April 17, 2020, the Employment and Labour Relations Court barred the Media Group from slashing employees’ salaries following a  petition that was filed at the Milimani Law Courts by the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ). In the petition, the union cited that it was not consulted by the media house hence terming the move unfair and a violation of the journalists’ rights. Reports reaching Kahawa Tungu indicate that the media…

Kenyans will have to wait much longer before the tax reductions that were announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 25, 2020 take effect. Uhuru announced 100 percent tax relief for people earning a monthly gross pay of up to Ksh24,000 with also a reduction of the income tax, Paye As You Earn (PAYE) rate from its maximum of 30 to 25 percent. Consequently, the reductions will not take effect in April as Kenyans will have to wait longer for the bill to become a law. Read: Relief For Kenyans As Gov’t Reduces PAYE Tax According to a KRA representative who…

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has cautioned the escapees who were captured leaving a quarantine facility at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) urging them to surrender themselves to the relevant authorities. In videos that were circulated online, the escapees were captured jumping over the wall and fleeing from the facility. While addressing the media for the daily COVID-19 briefings, Kagwe issued a stern warning and called upon the escapees to surrender and check themselves back into quarantine facilities failure to which they will face dire consequences. Read: COVID-19 Cases In Kenya Rise To 303 As 7 More People Test Positive…

Java House has slashed employees’ April salaries by up to 40 percent amid coronavirus pandemic. In a letter addressed to the employees, the company cited the effects of  COVID-19 affecting businesses thus terming them unfavorable. According to reports reaching Kahawa Tungu, several employees had taken loans before the COVID-19 menace through the Company’s controlled Java Sacco where deductions are made monthly. Read: Java Waiters Formulate Way Of Stealing From Unsuspecting Customers The employees are calling upon the management to suspend the payment of loans as the new salary reductions have left them with barely anything to survive on. For instance, one…

Veteran Journalist and author Ken Walibora’s death came as a shock to the nation after his body was found at the Kenyatta Hospital Mortuary days after he had been reported missing. Initially, it was reported that he had died in a road accident after a vehicle ran him down along Landhies road. However, a new twist into his death was unearthed following the discovery by Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor who stated that there was an injury on his right hand caused by a sharp trauma. Oduor stated that the stab wounds would have been an indication of him trying to…

Health workers will now receive free airtime and bundles from Safaricom says Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi. Speaking during the daily COVID-19 briefings at Afya House, the Heath CAS applauded organizations that are standing in solidarity with healthcare workers and medics at the frontline of the fight against COVID-19. “Safaricom will be supporting health care workers and it’s in the process of rolling out a free communication package. This package will include three months of internet bundles and airtime for our healthcare workers and will form part of the comprehensive care package for our workers,” Mwangangi said. Read: KDF Choppers With Special…

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), as a sign of standing in solidarity with medical workers, has flown military choppers with banners bearing a special message. The messages displayed on the banners were “God Bless Medics” while the other one was “Stay At Home.” The messages were aimed to encourage the medics who are on the front line in the fight against COVID-19 in the country, as well as to call upon Kenyans to stay home and curb the spread of the virus. Taking to their Twitter page, they shared the videos with the caption.”From one soldier to another! We Salute…

Fear has engulfed Tanzanian parliament with MPs calling for the suspension of house sessions after one of their colleagues tested positive for COVID-19. According to reports by Tanzanian media, the Deputy Tulia Ackson without naming the politician confirmed the incident adding that the MP had traveled to the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, the country’s epicenter of infections. The parliament sessions are reported to have started about three weeks ago, where precautionary measures including allowing fewer MPs in the house, reduced discussion hours and video conferencing were initiated. Read: Tanzania’s Ministry of Health Calls for National Prayers to Defeat Coronavirus Some…

Over 3500 teachers and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) staff have been yanked off the payroll for failing to declare their wealth within the stipulated time by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). According to the provisions by the Public Officer’s Ethics Act (2013), all public officers are expected to submit the details of their income, assets and liabilities with the stipulated period Consequently, the TSC had set December 31, 2019, as the deadline where it required all its staff to declare their wealth for the 2017/2019 financial years. Read: TSC Boss Nancy Macharia Teams With Scammer Jayesh Saini In Teacher’s Health Insurance…

Jubilee’s Party Nominated MP David Ole Sankok has called upon the Party leader President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto to hold an emergency meeting after his colleagues were teargassed outside the party’s headquarters. According to Sankok, a meeting should be convened as soon as possible for the Jubilee party and its members to discuss urgent matters that are threatening to tear the party apart. “My party leader and my deputy leader we really need to meet as a Parliamentary group meeting of Jubilee. A delegates conference meeting is needed for the party, we have not had it for…

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has confirmed 11 new cases of COVID-19 in the country, the number now stands at 281. The CS who was speaking outside Kenyatta National Hospital Administrative wing for the daily COVID-19 briefings indicated that out of the 11 new cases, 7 are from Mombasa’s Bondeni area while 4 are from Ruaka, Nairobi. Three of the infections from Mombasa are the contacts of the herbalist who succumbed to the virus a week ago. According to the CS, the new cases are of people aged between 11 and 80 years with six males and five females. Also,…

39 women of Somali origin are among 70 people who have been forced into mandatory quarantine for flouting government directives on social distancing. According to police authorities, the 39 women were arrested at a wedding celebration in Eastlands following a tip off from the neighbors. At the time the police officers are reported to have stormed the place, the party is said to have been in full effect despite government warning against holding parties amid COVID-19 menace in the country. Further, in another account of events, 31 people were arrested in Kayole after they were found congregating in drinking dens.…

Ethic music group has released a new song dubbed Soko that has sparked uproar across all social media platforms. The Gengetone group is not new to this, as it thrives on controversies going by the lyrics of their songs. This most recent one has however rubbed Ezekiel Mutua, the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) CEO the wrong way, prompting him to call upon the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to arrest the producers of the songs. The lyrics detail normalization of the rape culture and pedophilia which according to majority of Kenyans will do more harm to the younger children…

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has confirmed the first case of Coronavirus in Homa Bay County, stating that the driver masqueraded as a funeral attendee. In his daily COVID-19 press briefing, the CS stated that he received a call from Homa Bay Governor, Cyprian Awiti who stated that the driver among other passengers had travelled from Nairobi, with an empty coffin pretending to be attending a funeral. “The governor of Homa Bay informed me this morning of a group of people who traveled from Nairobi in a private vehicle pretending that they were attending a funeral dully equipped with an…