Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Chief Justice David Maraga has urged Kenyans to reject any proposed constitutional amendments through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) that may erode the independence of the Judiciary. Speaking at the Supreme Court in Nairobi on Friday during the release of the State of the Judiciary and Administration of Justice Annual Report 2019/2020, the CJ stated any changes that threaten the independence of the third arm of government should be rejected forthwith. He seemed to be referring to the contested BBI proposal on creation of an independent office of the Judiciary Ombudsman, whose holder shall be appointed by the President. “We…

Police in Nairobi on Thursday night gunned down three robbery with violence suspects at Kwa Mbao area in Kariobangi. According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspects were killed after a shootout with a team of detectives. One suspect managed to escape. The four, DCI said, had been captured on camera committing various robberies in the past. “Two months ago, a University student lost his life in the hands of the gangsters within Buruburu, ” DCI said in a tweet on Friday. In one of the CCTV footages shared by the DCI, thugs can be seen committing violent…

Learning at Kiamaina Secondary School in Bahati Constituency, Nakuru county, has been suspended for 14 days after four students tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Kahawa Tungu understands that the decision to close down the learning institution was informed by the fact that it is a day school and students cannot possibly be isolated within the facility. Some of the schools that have reported Covid-19 cases in the country in the recent past including Bahati Girls which is also located in Nakuru County did not suspend learning but allowed students to be isolated within the learning institutions. According…

The Standard Group PLC has issued an apology following a fake story aired by one of its radio stations, Spice FM. Spice FM had on Tuesday, November 24, during “The Situation Room” morning show aired a discussion that four Class Eight pupils had succumbed to Covid-19 at an unnamed school in Kisumu County. Radio presenter Erick Latif reported that a parent identified as Donald had shared his heartbreaking experience after his 12-year-old son died of Covid-19 along with his three cube mates. “Boy goes back to school in Kisumu … is a very active child… footballer…developed a slight cold and…

Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko risks losing his job after the County’s ward representatives tabled an impeachment motion against him on Thursday. While moving the notice of impeachment, Minority Leader Michael Ogada said 86 out of 122 members had appended signatures in support of the motion. This surpasses the threshold of 42 signatures required to initiate the process of impeaching the governor. The MCAs want the governor kicked out of office on grounds of among others gross violation of the Constitution, graft and abuse of office. The lawmaker argued that the governor has been in and out of courtrooms on…

10 more patients have succumbed to the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19), raising the number of fatalities recorded in Kenya so far to 1,427. At the same time, 780 more people have tested positive for the virus, from a sample size of 6,158 tested in the last 24 hours, bringing to 80,102 the number of confirmed positive cases in the country. “The cumulative tests are now 861,561. From the cases, 754 are Kenyans while 26 are foreigners, ” the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Thursday. 552 more patients have also recovered from the respiratory disease, 468 from the…

A section of ward representatives of the Nairobi County Assembly has claimed that there is a fresh plot to impeach Governor Mike Sonko over his refusal to assent to the bill on Ksh37.5 billion 2020-21 budget. Last month, Sonko sent the bill back to the assembly saying ‘illegal’ amendments had been made to the budget. Led by Roysambu Ward Representative Peter Warutere, the MCAs allied to the county boss now claim that an ouster plot was the top agenda of two meetings involving the leadership of the county assembly held on Monday and Tuesday at Capitol Hill. Warutere claimed that…

Yesterday, Deputy President William Ruto set tongues wagging after skipping the launch of the signature collection for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) proposals on the amendment of the 2010 Constitution. To a section of Kenyans, Ruto’s move was an act of defiance to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake partner Raila Odinga’s push to amend the constitution through a referendum. However, according to his handlers, the second in command skipped the event held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) because he was not invited. A photo shared on social media showed that organisers of the event expected Ruto to…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has criticized the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti over a recent move to reopen 2007-2008 Post Election Violence (PEV) cases. In his address on Wednesday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the Head of State noted that the process amounted to “reopening of old wounds”. The President said he won’t allow that to happen. “Wale ambao wanajaribu kuchimbua makaburi, nilisoma kwa gazeti juzi. Wasifikiri wanacheza, mimi siwezi kukubaliana na mambo kama hayo. Tumetoka huko na mambo haya tumezika katika kaburi ya sahau,” he said. “You must always think before you do something. Sisi hatutaki vita…

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday differed sharply with a section of Kenyans opposed to some of the constitutional amendment proposals contained in the recently unveiled Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report. Speaking during the launch of the BBI Referendum Bill at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Odinga said a Prime Minister nominated by President and approved by Parliament won’t give Kenya an imperial presidency as claimed. “There have been prophets of doom…you’re all very intelligent people, read through those lines and tell us where we’re creating an imperial presidency, ” he said. “We are victims…

Kenya Meteorological Department has warned of heavy downpour expected in many parts of the country late this week. In a weather advisory, the department said heavy rainfall of more than 30 millimetres (mm) in 24hrs is expected over the North Eastern parts of the country on Thursday, November 26. “The heavy rainfall is expected to intensify to more than 40mm in North Eastern and spread to the South Eastern, Coastal regions, Western and Central highlands including Nairobi area on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th respectively,” the advisory issued on Tuesday reads. “The heavy rainfall is expected to continue on Sunday…

Immediate former Kilifi South Member of Parliament Mustafa Iddi has died at the age of 50 years. According to his family, the chairman of Coast Water Works Development Agency passed away on Wednesday morning at the Premier Hospital in Mombasa. Omar Kuta, a cousin to Iddi said the former lawmaker was rushed to hospital after developing breathing complications in what he described as an asthma attack. “Mustafa is asthmatic and this time he got a serious attack and was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately he died around 3am,” said Kuta. The family is expected to lay him to rest…

Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa is in hot soup after a Nairobi court ordered for his immediate arrest to serve a six-month jail term over failure to pay Ksh1.8 million debt. The lawmaker owes the money to lawyer Alfred Ndambiri who represented him in an election petition filed against him by former Kimilili MP Suleiman Murunga in 2017. He had been ordered by Milimani Court’s Senior Resident Magistrate D.M Kivuti to pay the legal fee by Tuesday or serve six months in jail. The MP, however, failed to appear in court today. Read: Court Bars Police From Arresting MP…

The Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti has been forced to issue a clarification after criticism over a move to reopen investigations into 2007-2008 Post Election Violence (PEV) cases. In a statement on Tuesday, the DCI boss dismissed claims that his office had decided to revisit closed cases. He clarified that DCI will not reopen closed cases but focus on newly reported complaints. “The DCI has recently received complaints of fear and apprehension by members of the public who feel that their lives and property are in imminent danger owing to threats. Whenever the DCI receives such complaints from a…

Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi has hit out at the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti for reopening the 2007-2008 Post Election Violence (PEV) cases claiming it’s a plot to fix Deputy President William Ruto. Speaking to members of the press on Tuesday morning, the controversial MP claimed that the DCI boss is being used by cartels to stop Ruto’s 2022 presidential bid by reviving the cases. Kinoti had on Monday revealed that the state launched a fresh probe into the violence that left at least 1,200 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced after the victims alleged receiving new…