A covert police operation in Diani, Kwale County led to the arrest of three suspects involved in a counterfeiting ring that has been flooding Mombasa and nearby areas with fake cash. The suspects, Fadhili Lawrence, Atemba Lawrence, and Electrine Okwako, were apprehended after police followed forensic leads to a secret hideout in Diani, where the illegal trade was reported to thrive. Inside, detectives found Sh1.7 million in counterfeit money. The fake Sh1,000 notes were hidden in a laptop bag with a white ribbon labelled “CBK 1000,” a misleading detail meant to suggest authenticity. Preliminary investigations show that the three suspects…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
A Nairobi-based journalist, Amos Maina, died after consuming a suspected poisonous drink at Ngaini Pub along Mirema Drive in Roysambu. Police said they are investigating the incident. Amos Harun Maina was a journalist for the Standard Group Plc. He was married to Regina Wanjiru, and they had two children. According to police and family accounts, Amos left his home on Sunday November 16 at around 4 pm to visit the popular entertainment joint, where he was known to be a regular patron. His wife, Regina Maina, said she received a distress call informing her that Amos had suddenly become unresponsive…
British playwright Tom Stoppard, a playful, probing dramatist who won an Academy Award for the screenplay for 1998’s “Shakespeare In Love,” has died. He was 88. In a statement Saturday, United Agents said Stoppard died “peacefully” at his home in Dorset in southern England, surrounded by his family. “He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language,” they said. ”“It was an honor to work with Tom and to know him.” The Czech-born Stoppard was often hailed as the…
Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Geoffrey Ruku took a swipe at opposition leader Rigathi Gachagua following the Mbeere North parliamentary by-election loss, saying the outcome signalled a rejection of divisive politics. Speaking at Suneka Catholic Parish in Bonchari, Kisii County, during a community fellowship under the Catholic MPs’ Spiritual Support Initiative, Ruku said the vote sent a clear message that Kenyans were no longer embracing leaders who rely on regional division and self-proclaimed political titles. “Gachagua has been chest-thumping and installing himself as the Mt Kenya kingpin, but the people have spoken loudly. His…
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday said this week’s coup in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau was a sham and demanded its disrupted election be allowed to continue, adding to a chorus of regional anger over the latest power grab. Despite the criticism, the junta appeared to be taking steps to consolidate power, announcing on Friday the appointment of Ilidio Vieira Te as prime minister and minister of finance. The coup reflects a continued pattern of instability in Guinea-Bissau, a major cocaine transport hub with a long history of military interventions in politics. Guinea-Bissau military officers installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional…
Pope Leo XIV has visited Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque – widely known as the Blue Mosque – in his first visit to a Muslim place of worship since he took up the papacy in May. The Pontiff was seen bowing as he entered the building, but it is reported he did not pray at the mosque, as his two predecessors had done. The Vatican said in a statement Leo undertook the tour “in a spirit of reflection and listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer”. The Pope is on…
Imagine this scenario: It is 2:00 AM. The house is quiet, and you are sitting at your desk, a pen hovering over a worn-out notebook. You have just written the most poignant, heartbreaking, or perhaps triumphant four stanzas of your life. The words are perfect. The rhythm on the page is flawless. In your head, you can almost hear the swelling crescendo of violins or the gritty thump of a bass guitar. But then, reality sets in. You put the pen down. The music stops playing in your mind because, in the real world, you do not know how to…
Everyone dreams of taking multiple vacations a year, right? No one wants to be stuck at home or work for weeks on end. This is a quick way to burnout. In fact, even those who do take time off admit to working. Breathe reported that 74% of 18 to 24-year-olds confessed to working “sometimes or often on holiday.” But planning more than one trip in the same year is a quick way to become overwhelmed, especially if you are not organized. Unfortunately, not all people are planning professionals After all, there are reasons why one person in each group is…
The Nigerian government says jihadist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (Iswap) are behind the recent wave of abductions in north-western and central Nigeria, but this has been disputed by analysts who tell the BBC they were committed by criminal gangs locally known as “bandits”. This is the first time the government has stated who it believes is responsible for the kidnappings but it has not revealed any evidence to back its claims. Kidnap for ransom has become big business in parts of Nigeria in recent years – with the culprits ranging from kidnap gangs, jihadists…
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has married his partner Jodie Haydon, becoming the country’s first leader to marry while in office. The pair tied the knot in the capital, Canberra, on Saturday afternoon local time – the day after the final sitting of the parliamentary year. “We are absolutely delighted to share our love and commitment to spending our future lives together, in front of our family and closest friends,” Albanese said in a brief statement. The couple became engaged on Valentine’s Day last year. The Labor leader’s proposal and the wedding reception both took place at his official residence,…
Airbus requested immediate modifications to thousands of aircraft after discovering that intense radiation from the sun could corrupt data crucial to flight controls. About 6,000 planes are thought to be affected, about half the European aerospace giant’s global fleet, but it is understood most will be able to undergo a simple software update. The issue affects the A320 – its best selling aircraft – but also models from the same design fleet, including the A318, A319 and the A321. Airbus said the problem was discovered following a recent “incident” in the US involving an A320 family aircraft and apologised for…
Zambia’s parliament has declared vacant the seat held by the daughter of the late ex-President Edgar Lungu, because of her continued absence in the wake of his death. Until her dismissal, Tasila Lungu had been the MP for Chawama constituency in the capital, Lusaka, representing the opposition Patriotic Front. In a message to her voters, she hinted she may try and challenge the decision saying: “Where there is a will there is a way”. Her father died in June at the age of 68 in South Africa, where he was seeking medical treatment. This sparked a bitter legal row with…
A Tunisian court has handed jail terms to dozens of opposition leaders, lawyers and businessmen accused of attempting to overthrow the nation’s president. Forty people including opposition leader Jawahar Ben Mbarek were handed sentences ranging from four to 45 years over the alleged conspiracy to oust President Kais Saied. Twenty of those charged have fled abroad and were sentenced in absentia, while others have been held in detention since 2023. Human rights groups have criticised the trial as politically motivated, characterising the prosecutions as an escalation of Saied’s crackdown on dissent since he suspended Tunisia’s parliament in 2021 and began…
The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma has resigned as an MP following allegations that she tricked 17 men to fight for Russia as mercenaries in Ukraine. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who became a member of parliament for the main opposition party uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) last year, has said in an affidavit that she thought the men were going to Russia for “lawful” training. MK says it was her decision to resign as she wants to focus her efforts on ensuring the return of those trapped in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region. The brother of one of the men, who has…
At least 128 people are now known to have died in a devastating fire that engulfed multiple high-rise buildings in Hong Kong. Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation works the blocks had been undergoing before the fire. Three others were detained earlier on manslaughter charges. The cause of the fire remains unclear, though officials said that polystyrene and protective netting placed on the outside of the windows facilitated its spread. A further 79 people were injured in the blaze – the city’s deadliest in more than 70 years. Dozens remain missing. Police went into…