Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

Three nominated Jubilee MCAs in Nairobi suspended over disloyalty can now breathe easy after the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal overturned the decision. MCAs Ann Thumbi, Silvia Museiya and Millicent Jagero were suspended in November last year after the party found them guilty of undermining its leadership. The three had been summoned for being disloyal to the party by constantly going against its position on a number of issues including one on the Nairobi County Budget Estimates for FY 2020-21. “The charged members are suspended from Jubilee Party for three months in accordance with Article 13.4.1(a) as read together with regulations…

A secondary school principal in Machakos County has been arrested for posting a KCSE Mathematics paper II on her WhatsApp status hours before the kick-off time. Betta Mutuku, the principal of ABC Kiseveni Secondary School, was picked from the school on Tuesday morning for questioning by a team of police officers led by Machakos DCIO Rhodah Kanyi. Reports indicate that the principal shared the Mathematics paper on WhatsApp on Monday evening for the candidates to study overnight ahead of sitting for the actual exam on Tuesday. The principal, according to the DCIO, said she didn’t know who posted the Maths…

Healthcare insurer, AAR, has announced intentions to wind up its business in Tanzania citing financial difficulties. In a memo seen by this writer to employees, AAR Healthcare (Tanzania) Ltd acting Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Rowell said the company’s board of directors had resolved to initiate a creditors’ voluntary wind-up process as the insurer was unlikely to meet its obligation to stakeholders. The AAR boss noted that the company’s parent, AAR Health Care Holdings Limited, as a major creditor to the Company, is no longer willing to support the financial requirements of the company hence the decision to exit the market.…

Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula and his brother Tim Wanyonyi who is the Member of Parliament for Westlands Constituency are mourning the death of their stepmother. Mama Faustina Wetangula passed away on Sunday evening. The cause of her death is, however, yet to be disclosed. Mama Faustina was the mother of Tony Waswa who succumbed to COVID-19 in May 2020. Waswa served as Wanyonyi’s aide for many years. Read: Wetangula Loses Brother Admitted At Aga Khan Hospital With A Fever Some of the leaders who have sent their condolences to the bereaved family include Senate Minority Leader James Orengo and Makueni…

Swabir Mohamed, a security guard at Ajab Mills Factory in Shimanzi, Mombasa, has been arrested after a disturbing video of him torturing a suspected offender went viral. In the video, Mohamed was filmed flogging the man and torturing him using a burning mosquito net as a group of people watched from a distance. The victim, whose hands were tied and neck secured on an electricity pole using a rope, wailed in despair as he begged for mercy. https://twitter.com/DCI_Kenya/status/1378720821896699904?s=20 Mohamed was arrested on Monday morning, a day after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) ordered him to surrender to authorities or…

A total of 71 tablets stolen from a primary school at Teso in Busia, Kenya, have been recovered in Uganda. The tablets were recovered last Thursday and a Ugandan suspect who was carrying them on a motorbike arrested by authorities as he crossed unofficial border crossing. Police identified the suspect as Evans Wanda aged 24. Upon recovery, the Ugandan authorities contacted their Kenyan counterparts who identified the Government of Kenya branded tablets. The devices intended for the Digital Literacy Programme were stolen from Moding Primary School on March 31. A guard at the school reported the incident to local authorities…

A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer died last night after a squabble with his wife at Kahawa Wendani in Kiambu’s Ruiru sub-county. The wife, Violet Asale aged 27, is said to have attacked the military man using her teeth, killing him. “The 37-yr-old officer, a Private at the Gilgil KDF Camp, died in his house at Kahawa Wendani in Kiambu’s Ruiru sub-county, when his wife’s jaws cast her teeth through his thumb, chest and shoulder,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement on Sunday. “A tiff over an unestablished matter had raptured into a major ding-dong at…

Police in Homa Bay are holding 20 people who were arrested on Saturday night in a local bar for flouting Covid-19 protocols. Homa Bay Sub-county Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Jude Wasonga told members of the press that those arrested include bar operators who allowed a live band to play at the bar despite the county’s COVID-19 Emergency Response team banning live band in the region. Wasonga said the bar has since been closed and its licence revoked. Those arrested were booked Homa Bay Police station pending their arraignment on Tuesday. Wasonga warned bar operators against flouting rules put in place…

Former State House Comptroller Abraham Kiptanui is dead. According to his family, Kiptanui passed away at the Nairobi Hospital on Sunday morning. He had been receiving treatment at the facility for several weeks. “He passed away peacefully in the presence of his family at the Nairobi Hospital following a long illness bravely borne,” the family said in a statement. “Funeral arrangements shall be announced at a later date. The family requests prayers and time to grieve during this challenging time.” Kiptanui served in the powerful position of State House Comptroller during President Daniel Moi’s tenure until his retirement in 1996.…

Residents of Ragana village in Migori County have protested the death of a local primary school teacher in police custody. Henry Wanga Aura, who had been arrested and locked up in Ragana Police Station on Friday night, was found dead on Saturday morning under unclear circumstances. According to Wanga’s mother, the deceased was arrested after an altercation with his wife. “He had a scuffle with his wife. I was in my house and only heard his wife shouting. Nobody was willing to share what had ensued so I took it as a normal family difference,” the mother told members of…

A total of 190 people were on Thursday arrested in various places within Nairobi County for flouting Covid-19 protocols. According to Nairobi Regional Commissioner James Kianda, some of the individuals were arrested in pubs while others had not worn their masks as required. The rule-breakers were, however, freed on police bond pending their arraignment in court on Tuesday. The police boss has appealed to city residents who will be spending their Easter weekend at various parks within the Capital to observe Covid-19 protocols. The protocols issued by the Ministry of Health include washing of hands with soap and water or…

A section of the busy Thika Road will be closed on Sunday, April 4, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has announced. In a notice issued on Friday, KeNHA said the service lane at the Ruiru Toll Station next to St. Teresas of Avila Catholic Church will be temporarily closed for planned works. KeNHA urged all motorists to exercise caution and patience while driving through the road section. https://twitter.com/KeNHAKenya/status/1377869373730349056?s=20 Read: Traffic On Thika Road Cleared After KeNHA Allowed Use Of Service Lanes A service lane runs parallel to an expressway or interstate highway. It provides access to the property bordering…

A statement from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party indicating that Raila Odinga is among three members who will battle it out for the 2022 presidential ticket was a prank, the Party Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna has clarified. In a statement issued on Friday morning, Sifuna said yesterday being April Fools Day the party’s communication team saw it as a perfect moment to pull some legs. “Politics can be serious business. Politics is serious business every day of the calendar. Except April 1st. We took the liberty of joining in the day’s pranks with our communication yesterday knowing well our friends…

The Central Bank of Kenya has given banks a green light to start charging customers for transactions above Sh100 using their own mobile money wallets. In a statement sent out to newsrooms on Thursday, the regulator said the charges will target transactions linked to a customer’s bank account and savings and credit cooperative (SACCO) account such as purchasing electricity tokens, airtime, cash transfers and other payments. The financial institutions have not been charging customers for any cash transfers between their mobile money wallets and SACCO accounts since December 17, 2020, in a deal reached between CBK and Payment Service Providers.…

Justice Patrick Jeremy Otieno, who in January this year threw the Judiciary into disarray after issuing orders restraining Justice Mwilu from occupying her office and discharging her duties as acting Chief Justice, has recused himself from acting in the abuse of office case against the latter. The Meru High Court Judge announced on Wednesday that he had stepped down from hearing the matter after Justice Mwilu’s lawyers alleged that he had mismanaged the case seeking the removal of their client from office. The lawyers include Julie Soweto and the Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi. Justice Otieno referred the…