A 60-year-old man Thursday gave an emotional testimony before Tononoka Children’s court on how he lost nearly his entire family to the Shakahola massacre orchestrated by Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie of the Good News International Church. Titus Ngonjo Gandi told Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir that his wife, Esther Birya Masha, lured their two sons Harry and Isaack Ngala into Mackenzie’s cult. Both joined the sect with their wives and children, abandoning education, formal employment, and family responsibilities in the process. Gandi narrated that his first-born son Harry, his wife, and their five children all perished in the forest. His second…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Guyanese President Irfaan Ali claimed a second five-year term in office, even as official final results from Monday’s general election are yet to be published. Ali’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP) secured at least 242,000 votes in the poll, claiming majorities in eight of the 10 districts in the South American country, according to Reuters news agency. We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), a new political party founded just three months ago, came in second with around 109,000 votes. Ali, 45, campaigned on a pledge to use the country’s vast oil reserves, discovered in 2019, to improve infrastructure and reduce poverty, while…
Dozens of people died in Nigeria’s northern Niger state after a boat carrying about 100 people sank in a river. The reportedly overloaded boat, carrying passengers including children, capsized when it struck a submerged tree stump near the Gausawa community in Borgu Local Government Area, officials said. The state’s emergency agency said 29 people had died and more than 50 others were rescued, with search operations continuing. A local official told the Reuters news agency that the death toll had risen to 60. The incident reportedly occurred around 11:30 on Tuesday morning on the Malale River, after the boat had…
A US federal court has told Google to pay $425m (£316.3m) for breaching users’ privacy by collecting data from millions of users even after they had turned off a tracking feature in their Google accounts. The verdict comes after a group of users brought the case claiming Google accessed users’ mobile devices to collect, save and use their data, in violation of privacy assurances in its Web & App Activity setting. They had been seeking more than $31bn in damages. “This decision misunderstands how our products work, and we will appeal it. Our privacy tools give people control over their…
Florida is aiming to become the first US state to cancel all of its vaccine mandates, many of which require children to get jabs against diseases like polio in order to attend public schools. The state’s top health official, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, likened the mandates to “slavery”, in announcing the plans on Wednesday. “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in your body?” he said. “I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God.” Florida officials did not give a timeline or details on ending the mandates. Several may only be…
President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is willing to fight to achieve all its objectives if Ukraine does not agree to a deal. He made the remarks in China after attending a huge military parade seen as a challenge to Donald Trump and the US-dominated world order. The US president has tried to persuade Putin to end the war, but the Russian leader, while praising Trump’s “sincere desire”, has so far refused. Visiting Kyiv, UK Defence Secretary John Healey told the BBC Trump had brought Putin to the table, but had not ruled out putting more pressure on him. Countries…
South African authorities say “extreme poverty and a severe lack of affordable housing” were major factors in a deadly Johannesburg building fire two years ago. In August 2023, 77 people died and many more were injured after a fire gutted the Usindiso building in Marshalltown, where many poor people were living. The tragedy shocked the nation and highlighted the deep housing inequalities in Africa’s wealthiest city – inequalities the authorities promised to address. The report, the final one to be released, has not been made public but the Gauteng provincial government, which commissioned it, shared some key findings. One person…
A woman dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty to selling the drugs that ultimately killed Friends actor Matthew Perry. Jasveen Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty to five charges in Los Angeles on Wednesday, including one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death or bodily injury. The American-British dual-national originally faced nine criminal counts. Federal prosecutors called her Los Angeles home a “drug-selling emporium” and found dozens of vials of ketamine during a raid. Perry was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home in October 2023, with an examination finding his death was caused by the acute effects of…
A section of ODM Members of Parliament from Nairobi welcomed the move by Nairobi Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) to drop the intended plan to impeach Governor Johnson Sakaja, saying the decision will safeguard the stability of the capital city. Led by their Nairobi County Chairman George Aladwa, MPs Beatrice Elachi (Dagoretti North), Felix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalas (Lang’ata), Peter Orero (Kibra) and Woman Rep Esther Passaris, the legislators said the decision by MCAs to abandon the ouster motion was a bold step that put the interests of Nairobi residents ahead of politics. Elachi who read the statement…
Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika was Thursday grilled by the Senate Public Accounts Committee over alleged financial misappropriation and stalled county projects. These included a Sh1 million toilet that has remained incomplete for three years. The committee is calling on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate over Sh22 million paid to various law firms without supporting documents. Kihika was on the spot with the Senate committee putting her to task over alleged misuse of billions of shillings, including stalled projects worth Sh7.8 billion. The projects had been flagged by the Auditor General, who said that the county failed to…
Shipping containers have become a big part of how modern businesses run. They’re not just a box for moving items. They’re also a cheap way to store things and even act as building blocks for makeshift sheds or pop-up shops. Picking the right container is a move that can shape how smoothly a company operates, how much it spends, and even how well it competes. The same box can perform functions in retail, construction, logistics or manufacturing – doing everything from holding material on a building site to being a mobile inventory hub. Conexwest shipping container sale rental and modifications…
Day trading has never once stopped evolving. The way traders operate today looks nothing like the image of traders pacing and shouting from years ago, or even the solo retail trading of the early 2000s. Over the years, technology, accessibility, and trading psychology have transformed the industry. One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is the move away from purely trading personal accounts toward forming partnerships with prop trading firms. This evolution has allowed traders to thrive in a competitive and volatile market. Let’s unpack the journey. The Early Trading Days When online trading first became widely accessible, independence was…
Sequoia Capital-backed Klarna said on Tuesday it was aiming for a U.S. listing valuing the fintech at up to $14 billion moving closer to its long-awaited market debut, as investor interest in high-growth tech stocks revives after a years-long dry spell. Companies that postponed going public are returning to test investor interest, supported by steadier markets and improving confidence. Several tech listings, including neo-bank Chime (CHYM.O), opens new tab and stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL.N), opens new tab, have attracted solid demand, signaling a cautious revival in activity. The buy now, pay later lender and some of its investors plan to…
Burkina Faso’s parliament has passed a law banning homosexuality with offenders facing two to five years in prison, the state broadcaster reported late Monday. The amended family code was approved by the parliament on Monday in an unanimous vote that puts the code into effect more than a year after it was approved by the military government of Capt. Ibrahim Traore. Burkina Faso joins the list of more than half of Africa’s 54 countries that have laws banning homosexuality with the penalties ranging from several years in prison to the death penalty. The laws, though criticized abroad, enjoy popularity in…
The Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga announced plans to transform the Authority into a premier service entity, expand digital servic es, and finalize restructuring efforts aimed at a more focused and efficient revenue mobilization strategy. Speaking during the 30 years celebration event held today at Times Tower, Nairobi, the Wattanga said that since its establishment in 1995, the Authority has registered a remarkable journey of growth, innovation, and resilience. He said that since 1995, the Authority has seen exponential growth in revenue collection. From an annual collection of Sh122.066 billion in the mid-90s, KRA surpassed the Sh1 trillion…