Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Police have been given two days to conclude investigations regarding the arrest of an Uasin Gishu county resident accused of being behind a fake Facebook post claiming Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i is in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) battling Covid-19. Isaac Kibet was on Monday arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi and charged with publishing the social media claiming CS Matiang’i had contracted Covid-19. The police had requested the court to allow them detain the suspect for 14 more days to conclude investigations in the cybercrime case. The magistrate declined to grant the request which was opposed by the…

ODM leader Raila Odinga has drummed up support for the county revenue sharing formula as proposed by the  Commission for Revenue Allocation (CRA). In a hard-hitting statement on Monday, the former Prime Minister called on Senators to end stand-off witnessed in the past few days and allow the implementation of the population driven sharing formula. Odinga faulted the Senate for failing to agree on its own amendments on CRA’s recommendations. The standoff had threatened Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s pet project, Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). Odinga called on the Senators to adopt the CRA’s recommendations for five years and forward…

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to address the nation at 3pm today after a meeting with governors. The ongoing virtual summit is meant to assess the impact of easing the Covid-19 containment measures even as Kenya continues to record a spike in cases. The Head of State, while announcing phased reopening of the economy on July 6, lifted the orders on cessation of movement in Nairobi, Mombasa and Mandera counties but warned against laxity in the observance of the safety rules. Movement in and out of hotspots like Nairobi has largely contributed to the rise of infections in other regions…

County bosses have ruled out lockdown demand among proposals they intend to present to President Uhuru Kenyatta in today’s meeting meant to review measures put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease. The governors had threatened to seek lockdown of counties over a spike in cases being witnessed in the country since President Kenyatta eased restrictions early this month. Reports indicate that the governors concluded there would be no need to restrict the movement of people, especially into and out of Nairobi. In an interview with the Star, Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said they…

Five major international airlines have confirmed that they will resume flights in and out of the country following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s move to reopen the economy early this month. The airlines, as revealed by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala on Sunday, are Qatar Airways, Emirates, British Airways, KLM and Air France. International flights will officially begin on August 1, but Balala said Emirates will offer a repatriation flight on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, from Nairobi to Dubai. The flight will depart at around 4:15pm. British Airways will resume flights on August 1. The airline will operate four flights weekly on…

Former State House operative Dennis Itumbi has accused officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) of attempting to implicate him in false reports that Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi had contracted Covid-19 and admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). In a tweet on Sunday afternoon, the blogger claimed that DCI detectives are forcing the two young men arrested in Eldoret yesterday for allegedly authoring the Facebook post to link him in the case. “Listen DCI if you want me, call or summon me and I will appear, spending an entire day trying to force a young guy from…

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has dismissed claims by Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka over a pact with Raila Odinga to support his 2022 presidential ambitions. Musyoka told Sunday Nation, in an interview, that even though the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition is dead, he had signed an agreement with the former Prime Minister on how they will approach the 2022 elections. However, In a hard-hitting statement on Sunday, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said that the party owes Kalonzo nothing. “The Orange Democratic Movement is shocked by claims made by Hon. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka that there exists a secret…

As Kenya continues to record a spike in the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, the government is in the process of procuring at least 100,000 body bags in preparation for the worst-case scenario, Kahawa Tungu has learnt. This comes at a time Covid-19 deaths continue to rise sharply with the government projecting even more deaths in the coming months as Kenya heads to its peak. The Ministry of Health has already placed the order with the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), a state corporation responsible for procuring medical supplies. In its specifications, the Mutahi Kagwe-led ministry stated that the bags must…

Two police officers have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of two people at Soko Ng’ombe in Garissa County on Saturday. The two men were killed and a woman injured after police fired in the air to disperse a crowd protesting the arrest of a murder suspect. In a statement on Sunday, while confirming the arrests, the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai directed the Director Internal Affairs Unit (IAU), Mohammed Amin, to immediately carry out investigations into the incident. The IG also directed the Office of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to carry out forensic analysis…

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested two people suspected of authoring a Facebook post claiming Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i is in the  Intensive Care Unit (ICU) battling Covid-19. According to the DCI, the two, 33-year-old Isaac Kibet Yego — a freelance journalist — and 19-year-old Emanuel Kimutai Kosgei were arrested yesterday at Ngeria in Eldoret by Special Service Unit (SSU) and Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau(CRIB) officers. During the operation, police confiscated a laptop and two mobile phones linked to the publication of the social media post from the suspects. The suspects are being interrogated…

The number of novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the country rose to 16,268 on Friday after 667 more people tested positive in the last 24 hours Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mercy Mwangangi said that the cases were found in 5,075 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The 667 new patients include 657 Kenyans and 10 foreigners. In terms of gender, 393 are males and 274 females. Age-wise, the youngest is a 1-month-old infant, while the oldest is 67 years. The infections are spread across various counties as follows; Nairobi (387), Kiambu (40), Mombasa (26), Machakos (47), Kajiado…

The family and friends of the late Kibra Member of Parliament Ken Okoth will today, Friday, July 24, hold a memorial service to mark one year anniversary since his death. In a tweet on Friday, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party said the event will take place at the Guadalupe Catholic Church at Adams area in Nairobi from 3pm. “It is one year since he went to be with the Lord. Today, the family of the late Ken Okoth, former MP for Kibra constituency has organized a memorial service to remember his life and time at the Guadalupe Catholic Church at…

Justice John Onyiego has withdrawn from handling a petition challenging Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s Ksh357 million graft case. In the case, the embattled county boss had sought the recusal of Onyigo, Mumbi Ngugi and Justice Grace Ngenye Macharia from the case citing bias. Justice Onyiego on Thursday directed the file be placed before the principal judge Ngugi for further directions after consultation with Chief Justice David Maraga. The judge ruled that to demand his recusal and that of Mumbi, being the only judges mandated to hear anti-corruption related matters in the High Court, was an act of forum shopping —…

Popular Ranalo’s (K’Osewe) restaurant Upper Hill branch has been put up for sale over rent arrears. In a public notice, Bensure Auctioneers stated that they have been directed by the landlord to sell by auction all the items in the restaurant on Thursday, July, 30 from 10am at Foresight Storage Yard near Kamaki’s-Ruiru-Ruai bypass. The sale, according to the auctioneers, will include deep freezers big size, coolers, double chips cookers, microwaves, office chairs, electrical warmers, fridges and computers. Other equipment that will go under the hammer include file cabinets, office tables, cooking gas cylinders, charcoal burners, thermostats, water softeners, cash…

Benjamin Kilonzo and his Form Two son, who have been living in a thicket in Kangundo, Machakos County, after being kicked out of their rented house three months ago over arrears, can now smile after well-wishers moved in to lend them a helping hand on Thursday. Kahawa Tungu understands the family got a new house, with its rent paid by a local man of the cloth, Reverend Lazarus Musyoka. Maurice Oloo, a local clergyman, donated Ksh15,000 in house shopping to support the two. They also received clothes from other local well-wishers after we publicized their plight on this blog. In…