Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Uganda’s Minister of Transport General Edward Katumba Wamala is out of danger after an attempt on his life on Tuesday morning that left his daughter and driver dead. In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, the former Defence Forces Chief confirmed that he underwent surgery on Tuesday evening to save his life. Wamala said the doctors managed to remove one of the bullets lodged in his body. “However, because of how the other bullet affected my arteries, it was not removed, and the doctors will advise on the way forward,” he said in a Twitter thread adding that “my injuries…

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday faulted the Judiciary over a recent unfavourable ruling that stopped ‘BBI reggae’. In his address during the 58th Madaraka Day celebrations at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu, the Head of State said the High Court didn’t consider the burden of choice while declaring the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) process unconstitutional on May 13. The five-judge bench of the High Court comprising of Justices Joel Ngugi, George Odunga, Jairus Ngaah, Chacha Mwita, and Teresia Matheka had ruled that a popular initiative can only be initiated by the people and not the President, a ruling that…

Ugandan Transport Minister General Katumba Wamala survived an assassination attempt that left his daughter and driver dead on Tuesday morning, the army has confirmed. Uknown assailants sprayed the former army chief’s car with bullets, killing the daughter who was in the vehicles with him and the driver. The attack happened near Wamala’s home in a suburb of Kampala, the Ugandan capital, military spokeswoman Brigadier Flavia Byekwaso told Reuters. https://twitter.com/DailyMonitor/status/1399624192492978176?s=20 Wamala sustained injuries in his shoulders during the attack. Read: Covid-19 Variant from India Confirmed in Uganda Media reports indicate that Wamala’s attackers were four in number and were on a…

A Kenyan woman has attracted global attention after her creative project of recycling plastic waste into building bricks went viral. Nzambi Matee, the founder of Gjenge Makers factory, says the bricks are stronger than concrete. “Our product is almost five to seven times stronger than concrete,” she told Reuters in February. In a recent interview with American broadcaster CBS, the young entrepreneur revealed that her main motivation to venture into the project was to deal with pollution of the environment. Based in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, Matee obtains the plastic materials mainly from Dandora dumpsite. Dandora is Nairobi’s main dumping ground.…

The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) has extended the closure of a section of Uhuru Highway at Nyayo Stadium roundabout to pave way for the ongoing construction of the Nairobi Expressway. In a notice issued on Monday, KeNHA Director General Eng. Peter Mundinia said the road closure for the Nairobi-bound traffic at the roundabout has been extended from Monday, May 31, 2021, at 9.00am to Wednesday, June 2 at 4.00pm. This, Mundinia said, is to allow sufficient time for the contractor to complete installation of culverts. “The contractor encountered a rock during the implementation of works thus delaying the initial…

Three suspects were on Monday arraigned and charged with theft of murder investigation files belonging to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). The three,  Nobert Ouko Opeyo, Bernard Ochieng Okello and David Bahati Okunda, appeared before Milimani senior resident magistrate David Ndungi The suspects were also charged with an alternative count of handling stolen goods. The charge sheet presented in court indicated that three committed the offense on May 29 at the IPOA head office. They denied all the charges. The prosecution urged the court to deny the suspects bail saying the stolen files have put witnesses at risk as…

The Nairobi County Government retirees can now breathe easy after City Hall allocated funds to clear their terminal benefits. The money is part of the Sh175 million allocated in the roll-out of early voluntary retirement for the county’s aged staff. It is part of the second supplementary budget approved by the Nairobi County Assembly last week. City Hall owes its retired staff Sh173 million in terminal benefits. This is according to Nairobi County Medium Term Debt Strategy Paper for the financial year ending June 30, 2022. The implementation of the early retirement scheme targeting staffers aged 50 and above will…

A senior official at the National Treasury risks losing his assets worth millions after the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) flagged them as having been acquired illegally. Charles Muia Mutiso, deputy director in charge of external resources at the Treasury, EACC says, failed to satisfactorily explain their source. The assets include a lavish car and prime parcels of land worth Sh46.44 million. The Star reports that the anti-graft body wants Mutiso compelled to surrender the assets to the state. In court documents, the commission argues that Mutiso acquired the assets through corrupt and illicit means. “The commission established that there…

The Senate’s Health Committee is probing Mbagathi Hospital over allegations that a patient lost one of her kidneys while seeking treatment at the facility two years ago. Ivine Kinagu aged 22 told The Standard last month that she went to Mbagathi Hospital in July 2019 to seek treatment and was diagnosed with abdominal pains with the doctor recommending surgery after several tests. She later developed post-surgery complications and returned to the same facility, where a scan revealed that one of her kidneys was missing. “When I went to Mbagathi, I was diagnosed with stomach problems and was told I will…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has revoked the appointment of lawyer Dorothy Jemator to the selection panel that is recruiting four Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission commissioners. Jemator had been nominated to represent the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) in the selection panel. In a gazette notice dated May 27, the Head of State replaced Jemator with Morris Kimuli. Jemator’s nomination and the appointment had been opposed by a section of LSK members. She had been nominated by a faction of the LSK governing council led by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mercy Wambua to represent the organisation in the seven-member selection panel.…

The High Court has declared the appointment of 128 Kenyans including senior politicians to various state parastatals in 2018 unconstitutional. In a ruling delivered on Thursday, a three-judge bench quashed all gazette notices issued in relation to the designations. The judges ruled that there was no transparency and fair competition in the appointments, dealing President Uhuru Kenyatta — the appointing authority — a huge blow. Individuals who were appointed to various government parastatals during the period include former Chief of Defense Force Julius Karangi, former Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi and Margaret Saitoti. Other Kenyans affected are Linus Gitahi (Non-Executive Chairperson,…

The ruling Jubilee party has rubbished reports doing rounds on social media that the party Vice Chairperson David Murathe has resigned. In a press statement issued on Wednesday night, Jubilee Director of Communications Albert Memusi clarified that Murathe is still the party’s VC and continues to discharge his duties. “We would like to clarify that such reports are false. Hon. David Murathe remains our able Vice Chair and continues to carry out his duties in that capacity, working diligently to fulfill his mandate as provided for in the Party Constitution,” the statement reads. “We urge members of the public to…

Former KTN presenter Robert Soi is dead. Soi was a Sports anchor and editor with the Standard Media Group-owned TV station in the early 2000s before moving to China Global Television Network (CGTN). Sources close to Kahawa Tungu intimated that Soi passed away at the Nairobi Hospital on Wednesday, May 26 after a long illness. He had spent one week in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Soi was reportedly involved in an accident months ago and sustained serious head injuries. After receiving treatment, he later developed a blood clot in his head, prompting his admission at the Nairobi Hospital on…

Peter Mwangi Njenga alias Ole Sankale, the prime suspect in the murder of National Lands Commission (NLC) Deputy Director of Communications Jennifer Wambua, is not fit to stand trial a Machakos Court was told on Wednesday. Appearing before the Machakos High Court, the prosecution said a mental assessment conducted on the suspect revealed that he is mentally ill. Sankale is, however, scheduled to undergo a second mental assessment test on June 24, his lawyer Dorine Mwau confirmed. Consequently, Sankale didn’t take plea. Justice David Kemei ordered that the matter be mentioned on June 22 after the review. The suspect will…

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a man who has been defrauding members of the public by posing as a dealer in high-end mobile phones and associated products. According to the DCI, the man identified as Ochokol Victor Maina alias ‘Badman Anchor’ has been running several Instagram pages including Bakcell Apple store and Netsol Apple store where he poses as a genuine dealer. Maina was tracked down and arrested on Tuesday after victims who had been defrauded hundreds of thousands filed numerous complaints with the DCI. “The suspect, who poses as a genuine trader dealing in…