Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi can now breathe easy after the High Court in Nakuru ordered that he be released on Ksh500,000 cash bail, a bond of Ksh1 million or a surety of a similar amount. The MP had appealed a ruling by a lower court to detain him for seven more days on Wednesday in hate speech and incitement case. In a ruling delivered on Friday afternoon, Justice Joel Ngugi barred the MP from holding a public rally until hate speech probe against him is complete. In his ruling, the judge said the fact that the MP is…

Former Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama has vowed to oppose the push to amend the constitution through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). Muthama was speaking at his Mua home where he was meeting leaders opposed to the BBI constitutional reforms. According to the seasoned politician, some leaders are trying to get to power through the back door using BBI. Terming the proposals to expand the Executive as a selfish, the vocal Deputy President William Ruto’s ally vowed to lead anti-BBI rallies in the country. Muthama urged members of the public to reject any attempt by their leaders to create positions for…

A Nairobi court has pushed sentencing of three Westgate mall attack terror suspects to October 5. The three, Liban Abdullahi, Hussein Mustafa and Mohammed Ahmed Abdi, were arraigned on Friday for sentencing but Milimani Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi, said the judgement was not ready because of voluminous files and that he needs more time. Earlier, the trial judge had put the suspects on their defence. Abdi told the court that he needs an extra blanket, arguing that the cells are freezing cold. On the other hand, Abdullahi complained of the diet at Kamiti Maximum Prison. He said that the porridge served…

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced a new date for by-elections that were postponed in April this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a gazette notice dated September 16, the commission stated that By-Elections for Member of the National Assembly for Msambweni Constituency and County Assembly Ward Members for Kahawa Wendani, Kisumu North, Dabaso, Wundanyi/ Mbale and Lake View Wards will be held on December 15, 2020. Wafula Chebukati, the commission chairman, had postponed the polls indefinitely saying the pandemic posed unprecedented challenges that disrupted the operations of the electoral body. Wafula noted that the ban…

A 12-member Senate committee formed to broker a deal on the contentious third basis revenue sharing formula has proposed a formula that will see all counties gain. The committee co-chaired by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and his Bungoma counterpart Moses Wetangula announced a breakthrough during today’s meeting after weeks of deliberations. In the new formula, which the members say will benefit all counties, takes into account eight parameters; Basic share (20 per cent), Population (18 per cent), Health (17 per cent), Poverty Level (14 per cent), Agriculture (10 per cent), Roads (eight per cent), Land (eight per cent) and Urban…

A 12-member committee formed to broker a deal on the contentious third basis revenue sharing formula has finally reached a consensus, Speaker Keneth Lusaka said on Thursday. The committee is expected to table a report for debate and voting later today. “Finally, there is white smoke. We are happy that it has come earlier than expected,” Lusaka told Nation. Kahawa Tungu has learnt that the proposed formula takes into account eight parameters; Basic share (20 per cent), Population (18 per cent), Health (17 per cent), Poverty Level (14 per cent), Agriculture (10 per cent), Roads (eight per cent), Land (eight…

At least 219 inmates escaped from a prison in Moroto, northeastern Uganda, bringing the local town to a standstill as authorities attempted to track them down, local media reported on Thursday. The media reports indicate that the inmates took off their distinctive yellow uniforms and fled naked into the hills to avoid detection at about 4:30 pm on Wednesday. The prisoners are said to have grabbed guns from prison warders before they escaped and ran towards Mt Moroto. Uganda Prisons Commissioner General Johnson Byabashaija told the press that the escapees overpowered the warders before accessing the armory that had about…

Yesterday, the Council of Governors led by its chair Wycliffe Oparanya said counties would shut down from today over lack of funds. In a statement, the Kakamega county boss told all governors to issue notice suspending all non-essential services and send all county workers on a two-week leave. Oparanya also said that from Thursday health facilities will not admit any new patients. He said they will only provide minimal outpatient services. The declaration irked Senators who warned governors against following Oparanya’s directive. Accusing Oparanya of incompetence a majority of senators who rose to speak during yesterday’s heated Senate session argued…

An inquest into the death of former Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo has ruled out foul play into his sudden demise seven years ago. In a ruling dated Tuesday, September 15, Senior resident Magistrate B Bartoo ordered closure of the matter saying there is no evidence of any cover-up. “It is indeed sad that we lost a dedicated servant to the republic in the manner as it may. I have evaluated all the evidence presented to court through this inquest and I am in agreement with the state that there is no evidence pointing to any person(s) having a hand in…

As a section of Kenyans continues to question what happened after the Huduma Namba registration exercise that was conducted last year, the government has revealed that plans are underway to roll out the second phase of mass registration. Speaking during a debriefing session with a Parliamentary committee on Wednesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Karanja Kibicho said the second phase will commence “soon”. On when millions of Kenyans who registered during the first phase of mass registration exercise that ended in May last year will obtain their electronic cards, the PS said the government will start issuing them before the end of…

Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi will spend seven more days in police custody pending the conclusion of investigations into incitement and hate speech allegations before police can charge him. The MP, who has been locked up at Central Police Station for the past three days, appeared virtually before Nakuru Chief Magistrate Josephat Kalu with his lawyers putting up a spirited defence to have him released on bail. The prosecution had sought to have the MP detained for 14 days to allow the police to conclude investigations. The state counsel said they intend to charge Sudi with five counts including…

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake partner Raila Odinga’s push to amend the constitution through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) is now facing fresh challenges after activists moved to the Supreme Court to challenge it. The petitioners are economist David Ndii, Jerotich Seii, James Ngondi, Wanjiku Gikonyo and Ikal Angelei. They are represented by lawyer Nelson Havi who is also the President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK). They want the case certified urgent and heard by an uneven number of judges not less than three appointed by Chief Justice David Maraga. The petitioners want the court to declare…

The U.S. military’s Africa Command is seeking permission to carry out armed drone strikes in some parts of Kenya as part of efforts to fight terrorism in the region, the New York Times reports. According to the American newspaper, several American officials confirmed that the military is seeking authority to expand drone strikes targeting Al Shabaab militants in some parts of Eastern Kenya. The draft rules, according to the international media, will have to be approved by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and then President Trump. The push for the extended authorities follows an Al Shabaab attack in January this…

Traders who have been running businesses at the Nairobi Railways Club on Wednesday morning woke up to demolished structures. Kahawa Tungu understands that the premises were demolished last night as the government moved to repossess the land to pave way for the Nairobi Expressway Road. On Wednesday morning, police officers manning the area only allowed hotel workers into the premises. In photos seen by this writer, among those affected by the demolition are persons owning yards that were selling cars. Prior to the demolitions Pharis Ngotho, the acting CEO for Kenya Railways, had given those occupying the premises eight hours…

Wambui Kamiru Collymore, the widow of the late Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore, has told off the Kenyan media over what she termed as intrusion into her private life. Wambui was reacting to a story published on the Standard Newspaper with the title “Inside Bob Collymore’s Last Will” on Tuesday. In the story, the daily revealed that the late Safaricom boss left all the wealth he had acquired in Kenya to her and appointed State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita as trustee in the absence of the widow. But in a series of tweets, Wambui told off the…