Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Former Vice President Moody Awori has been appointed member of the Lake Region Economic Bloc’s Covid-19 Inter-County Advisory and Resource Mobilization Committee. The Lake Region Economic Bloc is made up of 14 counties including Kakamega, Kisumu, Bungoma, Homa Bay, Busia, Bomet, Siaya, Nyamira, Migori, Kisii and Vihiga. The 91-year-old was among 21 people selected to join the committee by the block’s chairperson Wycliffe Oparanya. The committee is chaired by Khama Rogo who is the lead health specialist at World Bank and head of World Bank Group’s Health in Africa Initiative. Other members are; former Auditor General Edward Ouko, Sportsman Eliud…

Travellers from 130 countries entering Kenya are now exempted from quarantine. In the updated list released on Wednesday by the government, passengers from the U.S. (except California, Florida and Texas), Russia, Turkey, Poland, Cuba and Australia will not be required to go into quarantine upon landing in Kenya. Other countries exempted from the measure aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus disease include France, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Canada, China and Russia. In Africa, the government will exempt people from Angola, Botswana, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Lesotho, Libya, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Tunisia,…

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha now says only President Uhuru Kenyatta will decide when to reopen schools that have remained closed for months over the coronavirus fears. The CS reiterated that learning institutions will only reopen when adequate preparations have been put in place to ensure full compliance with the guidelines on COVID-19. The tough-talking CS, however, noted that even if such preparations shall have been put in place, the decision and the responsibility to reopen the over 100,000 schools in the country solely lies with the head of state. “More than 100,000 schools remain closed across the country, but…

Journalists were on Wednesday morning barred from covering the grilling of Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai regarding the recent arrest of Senators amid the county revenue sharing impasse. The Senate Committee meeting is said to have started at 10am with the CS and the IG arriving minutes before the meeting kicked off. Journalists who had arrived in Parliament were ordered out by the chairman of the National Security Committee Yusuf Haji. “What are you doing here. I don’t remember inviting you here. Go back we will call you back later,” the Garissa Senator…

Edward Mwaniki Kabachia, a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detective, based at Kisauni, Mombasa, has been arrested over alleged fraud. According to the DCI, the Police Constable obtained a substantial amount of money from a woman by falsely pretending that he was capable of securing her two relatives jobs at the Kenya Prisons department in 2017. “His arrest follows conclusion of an inquiry by DCI Likoni where it was recommended that the officer be charged with the offence of obtaining money by false pretences contrary to Sec 313 of the Penal Code,” said DCI. The officer is set to be…

Deputy President William Ruto has condemned the arrest of senators amid the county revenue sharing formula impasse. In a hard-hitting message on Tuesday, Ruto stated that abuse of police, intimidation and blackmail of leaders by top government officials should stop. The second in command said that a 12-member committee formed yesterday by the Senate to help in solving the problem at hand is a big stride in achieving a win-win formula that will not hurt any county. “The bipartisan Senate Committee to build WIN-WIN consensus is great wisdom and leadership.The abuse of police&criminal justice to bully citizens,threaten and intimidate leaders…

Robert Ouko’s brother Eston Barack Mbaja is dead. Mbaja’s brother, Maurice Seda, told K24TV, that the deceased passed away on Monday aged 79 while receiving treatment at a United States of America (USA) hospital. “His wife and children, who live with him in the US, took him to hospital last week after he suffered a stroke, sadly, my brother succumbed to the stroke yesterday, ” said Seda. Plans are underway to have his body flown to Kenya for burial. “He will be laid to rest in Nyahera, Kisumu West Sub-County, ” he added. Mbaja is survived by a wife and…

Kenyan journalist Yassin Juma, who is detained in neighbouring country, Ethiopia, now says that his health is deteriorating by the day having tested positive for Covid-19 a few days ago. Yassin Juma, whose real name is Collins Juma Osemo, has been in detention for over 47 days and efforts by Kenyan authorities to secure his release have not been successful despite an Ethiopian court directing police to free him on bail. Juma was arrested by the Ethiopian military while covering protests that erupted in Ethiopia’s Oromia region following the death of musician Hachalu Hundessa. Reports indicate that Juma was arrested…

Kakamega Senators Cleophas Malala has been released after spending the night in police custody. Reports indicate that the vocal senator was freed unconditionally. Earlier, chaos was witnessed in Mumias town, Kakamega County as youth protested the arrest of the senator. They lit bonfires on roads and were seen chanting “no Malala, no peace”. Malala was among three senators who were arrested as the Senate debated on the revenue sharing formula for the 9th time on Monday. The lawmaker was arrested at his Kitengela home and transported to his home county. Police said that he was to be charged with engaging…

Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has accused Speaker Keneth Lusaka of playing dirty tricks in a deliberate attempt to frustrate bid to pass county revenue sharing formula on Monday. Lusaka had earlier announced that the Senate will convene on Monday to debate on the revenue allocation formula amid deep divisions in the House. Taking to Twitter on Friday afternoon, Murkomen accused the speaker of being biased in the revenue debate. The former majority leader claimed that the speaker is busy lobbying senators to support an adjournment motion set to be moved by minority leader James Orengo. “Speaker Lusaka has convened…

The Ministry of Health has confirmed 580 new cases of the novel coronavirus disease from 5,458 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 29,334. Of the new cases, 530 are Kenyans and 50 foreigners. 336 are male and 244 female. Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mercy Mwangangi said age-wise, the youngest is a one-year-old infant while the oldest is 92 years old. 198 more patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country so far to 15,298. On a sad note, Dr Mwangangi…

Kenyans who rely on petroleum products for their day to day activities will from midnight dig deeper into their pockets after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) announced an increment in fuel prices in the August review. In the review, Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene prices increase by Ksh3.47, Ksh2.76 and Ksh18.20 per litre respectively. Following the increment, a litre of petrol in Nairobi will from Saturday, August 15, retail at Ksh103.95, diesel Ksh94.63 and that of Kerosene at Ksh83.65 per litre. Last month, Super Petrol retailed at Ksh100.48 per litre, diesel at Ksh91.87 and Kerosene at Ksh65.45 in…

Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala is among Senators who reportedly had their bank accounts frozen over their stand on the ongoing county revenue sharing debate. “Yes (my accounts have been frozen), but I have decided to remain silent on the matter though I remain firm on my decision to save Kenya,” the Senator told the Star in an interview. Meru Senator Mithika Linturi is also among senators said to have woken up to frozen bank accounts for allegedly opposing the population-driven sharing formula fronted by the President Uhuru Kenyatta government. Linturi had moved an amendment to Nairobi counterpart Johnson Sakaja’s proposal…

Kenyan journalist Yassin Juma, who is detained in neighbouring country Ethiopia, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19). His lawyer Kedir Bullo confirmed on Thursday that samples taken from the former NTV journalist showed that he had contracted the virus. Ethiopian authorities have been holding Juma despite a court ordering his release on bail last Wednesday. Juma was arrested early July by the Ethiopian military while covering protests that erupted in Ethiopia’s Oromia region following the death of musician Hachalu Hundessa. Read: Ethiopian Court Orders Release Of Kenyan Journalist Yassin Juma The musician who was perceived as an…

650 more people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease in the last 24 hours raising the number of infections confirmed in the country to 28,754, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mercy Mwangangi said the ministry managed to test 6,768 samples since the last update on Wednesday. 633 of the new cases are Kenyans and the other 17 are foreigners. Of the new cases, 391 are male and 259 are female. The youngest patient is a 1-year-old baby and the oldest is aged 97. In terms of distribution of the new cases in…