Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Politicians are in the rush minute push to amend the law to allow them use nicknames on the ballot as the 2022 polls draw closer. In a Bill re-introduced in the Senate, Nyeri Senator Ephraim Maina wants the Election Act amended to allow the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to include a candidate’s popular name on the ballot. “The purpose of this Bill is to amend the Elections Act, No.24 of 2011 to allow a candidate to be presented to the electorate on party primary or election ballot papers in the way in which the candidate has chosen to…

Police in Sotik, Bomet County, are holding two young men suspected of defiling a 16-year-old school-going girl after locking her up at a local lodging. Linus Nyakundi, 19 and Danface Makori, 22, were arrested after a tip-off from a member of the public. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on Tuesday that the suspects were spotted in the company of the minor in Sotik’s Tembwo trading centre before booking themselves at Sudan Lodging. The concerned member of the public reported to the area assistant chief who escalated the matter to the police. “To ascertain the information, the assistant chief…

ODM leader Raila Odinga has promised the youth at least four cabinet positions if he wins the presidency in 2022. Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with a group of youth from the Mount Kenya region in Nairobi, Odinga said he has the interests of the youth at heart. The former Prime Minister further noted that his government will prioritize youth empowerment as part of efforts to deal with unemployment and other challenges the youth are facing. Read: Ruto Hits Back After Raila Questions Source Of Money He Dishes Out To Youth Programs [Video] “When I was the prime minister,…

Petroleum Cabinet Secretary John Munyes has been fined Sh500,000 by a National Assembly committee for snubbing its summons. Munyes had been summoned to appear before the Committee on Finance to explain the recent hike in fuel prices. He, however, wrote a letter to the committee chaired by Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga indicating that he was in South Sudan for official duties. While fining the minister, Wanga said the committee’s report will also show that Munyes has been uncooperative. Read: Energy CS Keter Declines to Appear Before Senate in Fuel Prices Probe Fuel prices hit a historic high in…

The United Nation’s migration agency has recalled its Ethiopia head Maureen Achieng’ over recent comments on the Tigray crisis. The agency cited the International Organization for Migration (IOM) chief’s “unauthorised interviews” in which she complained of being sidelined by UN bosses she accused of being sympathetic to Tigrayan rebels. In multiple recordings that surfaced online last week, the Kenyan national, while giving an interview to author Jeff Pearce, tore into her colleagues who “descended on” Addis Ababa after the war erupted last November and sidelined officials on the ground. Pearce has published multiple articles defending the government’s conduct of the…

Two young men aged 24 years were on Sunday night arrested in Moyale town, Marsabit County, after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) cracked a motorbike theft syndicate believed to be behind the increased disappearance of boda bodas in various parts of the country. Isaack Hassan and Mohammed Ibrahim, DCI said, were arrested as they planned to escape the police dragnet. Over 350 motorcycle logbooks, assorted sales agreements, motorcycle number plates and assorted delivery notes were recovered at a house in the town, belonging to the mastermind of the syndicate, Hassan. Read: Man Arrested After Fatally Stabbing Friend…

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) failed to meet its target in week one of the ongoing Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR). This was revealed on Monday, October 11 by IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati. In a statement to newsrooms, Chebukati said the commission managed to register 202,518 new voters in the last seven days against a 1.5 million target. Counties that the recorded the lowest percentage of targets in week one include: Mombasa 4,486 against a target of 190,237, Nairobi 16,151 (732,568), Kirinyaga 2,376 (113,784), Embu 2,102 (100,887), Laikipia 1,664(80,231), Murang’a 3,259 (191,545), Kitui 2,324 (154,341), Nyandarua 1,495 (106,652),…

Three people were killed and another injured on Sunday after suspected bandits raided a home at Ndindika Village, Ngarua division in Laikipia County. In a statement, National Police Service Spokesperson Bruno Isohi Shioso said the incident occurred at 4pm. Three suspected Pokot bandits are said to have staged a daring attack at the home of Michael Kananu and made away with 32 heads of cattle and 2 sheep. While driving the stolen cattle towards Laikipia Nature Conservancy, the bandits shot indiscriminately at the four people who were fishing at Mbogoini Dam at the time. Multi-agency security teams running an operation in…

Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria has distanced himself from a plot by a section of ‘hustler nation’ colleagues to impeach Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i. 92 MPs allied to Deputy President William appended their signatures on the notice of impeachment motion against the CS tabled in parliament on Thursday by Nyali lawmaker Mohammed Ali. But Kuria now says the motion is bound to fail. In a Facebook post on Monday, the MP said the motion would have made sense a year ago and not now when the country is focused on next year’s August elections. “9 months and…

Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetang’ula has asked members to ignore calls for a National Delegates Conference by Tongaren Member of Parliament Eseli Simiyu. In what is seen as an escalation of wrangles in the party, Simiyu had published a notice in the local dailies calling for an NDC on November 6. But addressing members of the press at his Kanduyi home in Bungoma on Sunday, Wetang’ula said Simiyu does not have the mandate to transact any business on behalf of the ‘Simba’ outfit. Wetang’ula said Eseli lost the position of Secretary-General after an attempt to oust him in May…

Senior officials from the county government of Kisumu are the latest victims of a gang of women notorious for spiking drinks in entertainment joints in Nyali, Mombasa. The three include officials at the physical planning department in Kisumu and a Member of County Assembly (MCA). According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the victims were found unconscious on Saturday morning at Shikara apartments where they had booked themselves for a working holiday. Also found with the men was one of the beauties who apparently passed out after she unknowingly took a drink that she had laced with a stupefying…

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has vowed to tighten the noose on unscrupulous businessmen in the health sector after the agency nabbed drugs worth Sh2 million being sneaked into the country through Uganda and Tanzania borders. The drugs smuggled through Namanga, Loitoktok, Busia and Malaba were seized on Friday. The board’s senior inspector of drugs Julius Kalua said the drugs were being ferried using Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) and personal cars. He noted that the drugs that included antibiotics, analgesics (painkillers), cough syrups and diagnostic devices are not registered in Kenya. Also, those who were ferrying the consignment did…

A 32-year-old man has been arrested for impersonating a judicial officer to defraud members of the public in Nakuru. Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) pounced on Victor Kiprono Ng’eno on Saturday, August 9, following complaints lodged against him last year. County Criminal Investigations Officer Anthony Sunguti said the suspect often posed as a Nakuru Law Courts magistrate to con residents. During the Saturday operation, detectives seized a cache of suspected fake employment letters from JSC. The suspect is alleged to have fraudulently obtained Sh1.6 million from one Samuel Soi on diverse dates between March 15, 2018, and…

Kenya won’t recognise a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the maritime case with Somalia, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau has disclosed. The ruling on the ongoing case is expected on Tuesday next week. Addressing journalists in Nairobi on Friday, PS Kamau said the Kenyan government won’t abide by the findings and declarations by the court. The PS argued that the court lacks jurisdiction to determine the matter. According to Kamau, the court has shown open bias in the matter hence unsuitable to resolve the conflict. The PS was flanked by his Defence counterpart Ibrahim Mohamed,…

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has introduced a Swahili version of its online briefs that have become popular over the recent past. The briefs shared on the DCI’s Facebook and Twitter pages communicate the agency’s efforts in the fight against crime in the country. The florid and Shakespearean style of writing adopted by the George Kinoti-led directorate can be attributed to the success of the agency’s communication to members of the public. To even reach more people, DCI announced on Thursday night the introduction of pieces written in the local Swahili language. Kinoti noted that the launch was also…