Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Kenyan workers stuck in Beirut, Lebanon, have called on the government to facilitate their repatriation. In an emotional video shared by human rights activist Boniface Mwangi, the female workers narrated that they had been kicked out of their places of work without pay and can’t afford to purchase air tickets home. Citing financial constraints, the women said they are homeless and can’t afford daily meals. They begged Kenyan authorities to sponsor their return home. According to one of the women, other nations have evacuated their nationals affected by the layoffs apparently occasioned by the global coronavirus pandemic. Read: 700 Kenyans…

Months After successfully kicking out Governor Ferdinand Waititu, members of the Kiambu County Assembly (MCAs) have now turned up the heat on Speaker Stephen Ndicho with an impending ouster. The ward representatives are seeking to impeach Ndicho over alleged incompetence, violation of the Constitution, denial of information to the public and failure to uphold public service values. As of Sunday, August 9, 70 out of 92 MCAs had reportedly appended their signatures on an impeachment motion to send Ndicho home. Only 33 members are required to pass the motion. The MCAs claim that the speaker has failed to prioritise their…

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Sunday tactically evaded a question regarding a viral video of his son partying despite government restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus. In the video, Kahu “Kahu$h” Mutahi, a hip hop artiste, is captured in the company of his friends having a good time in what looks like a party in total disregard of the Covid-19 measures — they didn’t have their masks on and didn’t adhere to social distancing directive. As the camera person pans, bottles of alcohol can be seen as the group continues singing. https://twitter.com/OneJacobKelly/status/1292187145172647936?s=20 Reports indicate that the undated…

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has revealed that masks obtained from China to help in the fight against coronavirus recently failed quality checks. Speaking in Kisumu County during the daily Covid-19 briefing, the CS stated that the masks that failed the tests were analyzed by the Kenya Bureau Of Standards (KEBS). Kagwe noted locally made Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) were of high quality compared to some of the imported protective gear. He encouraged Kenyans to embrace locally manufactured PPES. Sub-standard PPES increase risk of exposure especially for frontline health workers Kenya imported PPES from China to aid in the fight…

Police on Saturday arrested five suspects found in possession of two elephant tusks weighing 18 kilograms in Kajiado county. The five including a deputy headteacher at a local primary school identified as Nelson Wuantai Njiraini were nabbed by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Others are Samson Ntinga, Francis Lakati Ngarua, Dickson Kirinkol and Emmanuel Kantet Swankei. According to the DCI, the five had gone to the town looking for a potential buyer when they were arrested. They were using a Toyota Probox bearing registration number KCB 980D and a motorbike when the…

A few days ago, photos of a man with an uncanny resemblance to President Uhuru Kenyatta sent social media into a frenzy with a section of Kenyans saying they were old photos of the head of state. To set the record straight, the man had an interview with a local vernacular TV station, Inooro TV, on Saturday. He identified himself as Michael Njogo Gitonga,  a resident of Umoja. The father of three stated that many people mistake him for the president and often hides his face with a face mask as residents are quick to demand handouts. In Umoja where…

Google has honoured Kenyan female activist Mekatilili Wa Menza with a doodle on its homepage. A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on the tech giant’s homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. Regarded as one of the earliest freedom fighters, Mekatilili led the Giriama people in a rebellion against the British Colonial Administration in the early 90s, a time when women’s power was limited within her society Menza traveled from village to village spreading messages of opposition, performing the ecstatic native dance of kifudu to draw large crowds and then unleashing…

Deputy President William Ruto has said that the revenue sharing formula proposals by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and his Meru counterpart Franklin Mithika Linturi will help the country achieve a win-win outcome. Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, an ardent supporter of the DP, said on Friday that Linturi and Sakaja had agreed to merge their proposals in a bid to seek broad-based support for a win-win revenue sharing matrix. In a tweet on Friday evening, the DP acknowledged that the consensus between the two leaders will help end the revenue stalemate. “The emerging consensus on the revenue formula(Sakaja/Linturi) where populous…

Former Changamwe Member of Parliament Ramadhan Kajembe is dead. Reports indicate that Kajembe passed on at Pandya Hospital where he was receiving treatment. The ex-lawmaker’s death comes two weeks after his first wife Aziza succumbed to Covid-19 related complications. He was not able to attend his wife’s burial as he had been placed on supplementary oxygen. Read Also: 674 COVID-19 Patients Recover, 14 Others Die As Virus Cases Total 25,138 Some of his close relatives had been admitted at the same facility over a week ago, after the wife passed on. The former MP, who served for three terms, lost…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has revoked the appointment of  Bernard Muteti as Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC) board chair. In several government changes announced on Friday, the head of state replaced Muteti with John Ngumi. Ngumi’s term ends in May 2022. ICDC is a State Corporation established in 1954 to promote the economic development of Kenya through supporting the establishment and growth of industrial and commercial enterprises. At the same time, President Kenyatta appointed Rita Okuthe to chair the Kenya Pipeline Company board. The President has also appointed KANU Secretary General Nick Salat to chair the Agricultural Development Corporation board.…

Former Citizen TV political reporter and anchor Jacque Maribe is set to make a comeback with a new show dubbed “The Hot Seat” after a long break. In a social media post, Maribe stated that the weekly political show will premiere at 8pm on Sunday 9, 2020 on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. In a short video, Maribe noted that the past year has not been easy for her since she resigned from the Royal Media Services-owned station adding that it’s time to pick herself up and continue doing what she loved. “She’s back…after a sabbatical from your screens…And she’s bringing…

On Wednesday, Members of Parliament approved a Ksh100,000 monthly pension for former parliamentarians who served between 1984 and 2001, a move that irked a section of Kenyans who continue to decry an already strained economy. Unmoved by the outcry from the general public, the MPs want to further amend the Parliamentary Pension’s Act to ensure they will continue enjoying full medical cover even after they are voted out of office. The MPs argue that most ex-legislators are suffering under the heavy cost of medical expenses and there is need to ensure they are covered. If the proposal is adopted the…

The Digital Service Tax (DST) will come into effect on January 1, 2021, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced. The digital tax set at 1.5 per cent of the gross transaction value is targeting revenues from technology firms and individuals who market or sell their products or services online. https://twitter.com/KRACorporate/status/1291283060231745536?s=20 The taxman has already set up a special unit that will be tasked with tracking revenues from digital businesses. The new unit is expected to facilitate tax payment from the previously unmanaged sector, as part of measures to boost revenue collection in the depressed economy. “We intend to use…

Former State House Director of Digital Communications Dennis Itumbi has let the cat out of the bag, sharing little known details on his frustrations working in the Presidential Strategic Communications Unit (PSCU). In a series of posts shared on his Facebook account, Itumbi sought to debunk what he termed as “lies that have been told for far too long”. The blogger and four of his PSCU colleagues were fired in March this year after the Public Service Commission (PSC) declared their positions redundant. Others sent home include James Kinyua (Events and Branding), Erick Ng’eno (Speechwriting and Research), David Nzioka and…

After months of what has been viewed by the world as a relaxed approach to the coronavirus pandemic, Tanzania has now reviewed its advisory on international travel to accommodate stringent measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus in the country. In the latest advisory dated August 5, the government expressed concerns over the risk of imported cases. Tanzanian authorities, however, maintained that the country continues to record a “decreasing trend of admitted Covid-19 cases” even after reopening of schools. Some of the new measures announced yesterday that apply to international travelers whether foreigners or returning residents include mandatory…