Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

President Uhuru Kenyatta has extended the night curfew ahead of resumption of learning activities from Monday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has announced. In an Executive Order, the President extended the 10pm-4am curfew to March 12. In addition, the ban on political gatherings/meetings has been extended for 60 days. “That all forms of public events and gatherings which may act as ‘super spreader’ events for Covid-19, including political and roadside gatherings/meetings, shall remain suspended for the next 60 days, with the exception of funerals /burials and weddings, which shall only be conducted with prior approval and with the number of…

Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), has declared interest in the 2022 race to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta. Dr Kituyi made the declaration on Saturday in Bungoma. The 65-year-old now joins a list of other prominent leaders in the country eyeing the top seat including Deputy President William Ruto, Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader Musalia Mudavadi, Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is, however, yet to make his intentions official. Dr Kituyi, once a powerful minister in President Mwai Kibaki’s government, said…

Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura has defended his move to join Tanga Tanga group of politicians allied to Deputy President William Ruto. The Senator, who is on record accusing the DP of sabotaging President Uhuru Kenyatta’s development agenda, recently joined him and his allies in Msambweni in Kwale County during the homecoming ceremony of new area Member of Parliament Feisal Badar, where he announced his support for the second in command’s 2022 presidential ambitions. Speaking to a local publication, the lawmaker explained his change of heart saying it’s all about political survival. According to Mwaura, he made the decision after listening…

A truck driver who reported theft of 324 bags of coffee en route to Mombasa from Kampala is in custody as the key suspect in the thievery, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on Saturday. According to the DCI, preliminary investigations by detectives poked holes in the narrative reported to the police by the driver identified as Samuel Kihiu Wangari, hours after the alleged theft took place. Kihiu had reported how he, on December 31, had stopped at Nakuru county’s Kikopey area for supper after parking and locking the Benz lorry nearby. He told the police that on getting…

Five children died on the New Year’s eve after falling into a 20-foot septic tank filled with water in Githurai village of Ruiru, Kiambu County. Reports indicate that the children, all aged between five and seven years, were playing within the compound of an abandoned construction site when a shrub caved in leading to their death. Two of the children succumbed to breathing complications while being rushed to hospital. Ruiru Sub County police commander Phineas Lingera confirmed the tragedy saying the five children drowned in the water under the shrub. “The five children were playing on top of an abandoned…

Three people were on Thursday night arrested after they were nabbed transporting uncustomed alcoholic drinks worth millions of shillings along Katutu-Kitui road. The three, who include two dealers and a truck driver, were arrested after a lorry ferrying the goods was intercepted by a multi-agency team, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on Friday morning. According to the DCI, the alcoholic drinks were destined to various wines and spirits shops across the country. “More recoveries were made at the wholesale and retail shops of the two dealers; Gladys Ndanu Mukei and Dickson Wanyoike-the owners of Spikes Wines & Spirits and…

The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) has criticized the government for ending tax relief measures that cushioned salaried workers following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli said it is insensitive of the government to introduce punitive tax measures at a time when many workers have lost jobs due to adverse effects of the pandemic and are pondering on how to take their children to school on January 4 when schools reopen. “….prices of household goods will go up considering that VAT) will return to 16% from 14%; the corporate income tax will…

Three more patients have succumbed to the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the last 24 hours, raising the number of fatalities recorded in the country to 1,670. In a statement to newsrooms on Thursday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said 207 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 from 4,988 samples tested in the same period. The number of confirmed positive cases in the country now stands at 96,458. The total number of tests conducted so far stands at 1,046,667. From the new cases, 190 are Kenyans while 17 are foreigners and 130 are males while 77 are females. The…

Thirdway Alliance Kenya (TAK) has unveiled its deputy party leader Angela Mwikali as Miguna Miguna’s running mate in the Nairobi gubernatorial by-election scheduled for February 18, 2021. In a statement on Thursday, the party’s national chairman Miruru Waweru said TAK is confident that the two, given a chance to lead, will transform Nairobi into a world-class city “an opportunity missed in the last eight years”. “These two candidates by the Thirdway Alliance of Kenya — Dr Miguna Miguna and Dr Angela Mwikali — reflect the soul and character of the people of Nairobi and the entire country. They are the…

Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has called on station commanders to ensure cells are not overcrowded even as they enforce the law amid the Covid-19 pandemic. As Kenyans engage in merrymaking during this festive season, there have been concerns that the ministry of health’s social distancing directive is not being adhered to in police cells for those Kenyans who find themselves on the wrong side of the law. In his New Year message, the IG directed the station commanders to ensure members of the public are protected from Covid-19 while in the cells. Noting that the police have equally been…

Amos Nyaribo, the new Nyamira boss has sent home all members of the County Executive Committee a day after assuming office. Nyaribo was sworn in on Tuesday to replace the late Governor John Nyagarama who died on December 18 aged 74. This writer understands that on the governor’s first day in office which was on Wednesday, Nyaribo sacked all the Nyamira County’s 10 CECs and asked them to handover immediately. Read: Amos Nyaribo Sworn In As Nyamira County’s Second Governor CECs are appointees of a governor and Nyaribo’s move didn’t come as a surprise as it’s within his rights to…

Two more patients have succumbed to the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the last 24 hours, raising the number of fatalities recorded in the country to 1,667. In a statement to newsrooms on Wednesday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said 112 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 from 3,327 samples tested in the same period. The number of confirmed positive cases in the country now stands at 96,251. The total number of tests conducted so far stands at 1,041,679. From the new cases, 98 are Kenyans while 14 are foreigners and 69 are males while 43 are females. The…

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has issued an apology after a backlash online following a tweet referring to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga’s pet project, Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), as a “Burning Bridges Initiative”. In a statement shared on its social media pages on Wednesday afternoon, the commission termed the blunder as a typographical error which was made inadvertently. “The error does NOT any in way reflect the position of the Commission or its staff, ” said IEBC. “The Commission sincerely apologizes to all its stakeholders and the General Public.” Read: Biased? IEBC’s “Burning Bridges…

Kenya’s electoral body is on the spot following a tweet posted on its page which termed President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga’s pet project, Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), as a “Burning Bridges Initiative”. Hawk-eyed netizens were quick to spot the “error” sparking a debate on social media with some accusing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of bias. Others, however, felt that it was just a typo dismissing, claims that the statement was deliberate. In the tweet that has since been deleted, IEBC was notifying members of the public that the verification exercise of the recently submitted…

Police Constable Edgar Mokamba has been arrested over the suspected murder of his civilian companion on Tuesday evening in Westlands, Nairobi. According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mokamba who is attached to Gigiri’s Nyari Police Patrol Base had been deployed as a station guard. He was armed with an AK47 rifle. “….he was joined by his regular fiend who frequents at the patrol base located in Nairobi’s Westlands area,” the DCI said in a tweet on Wednesday morning. Hours later, DCI said, a blast of shots was heard where the officer-in-charge of the base rushed to the scene…