Kenya Insights

Author: Kenya Insights Team

  • Photos: Buruburu Drunk Heads To Be Counted In Cell

    Photos: Buruburu Drunk Heads To Be Counted In Cell

    Police in Nairobi’s Buburu area have decided to follow what Interior CS Matiangi had previously warned rather threatened to do and yester evening, the conducted a raid in One of the most popular drinking hubs in Eastlands, Tents Bar.

    According to an eyewitness, Police arrested more than 20 Kenyans who can’t go a day without liquor or just not into this year’s census mood because of, who knows what, they couldn’t be availed to give their side of the story.

    Personally, I think the process might not hit the expected target even if the Police and the State have already started criminalizing it. So far we are on day 2 of the week-long process and nobody seems to rather have already been counted. Have you been counted yet?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • A Lady In Uganda Has The Perfect Way To Beat Traffic That Could Ease Up Nairobi

    A Lady In Uganda Has The Perfect Way To Beat Traffic That Could Ease Up Nairobi

    Amanda Ngabirano, a Lecturer for Urban & Regional Planning at Makerere University in Uganda had a meeting at Golf Course Hotel along Yusuf Lule road in Kampala, Uganda from 8 am to 12 noon on Friday, She also had to be in Wandegeya at 12:30 for another meeting. With the weekend kicking off she explains how traffic was tight with absolutely no movement. “I hesitated to drive there given Friday traffic madness..so I rode my bicycle.” She says, “I arrived on time in Wandegeya.”

    A lady dressed for corporate office, her bag slung across the shoulder, riding a bicycle on Kampala’s crowded and bumpy streets that many consider death traps is some site. This is not the first time Amanda has rode her bicycle to a meeting or work. Over the years If you live in Kampala you should’ve noticed her.

     

    Her profile reads “Ugandan married mother of two. Professional and passionate urban planner.”  Amanda believes there should be more bicycles on the streets cruising safely alongside cars and motorcycles. “You have to start seeing bicycles on the streets, she says, “and that is my fight.” This has seen Amanda making it into a global film dubbed, “Cyclologic,” a short film about changing the world one bicycle at a time.

    Cycologic believes that cycling can not only strengthen the role of women in society and create debate, but also be beneficial economically for individuals and society as well as play a crucial role in the climate threat the world faces, went to work. It also seeks to inspire and also help people engage in bicycle talks. It also challenges leaders to be concerned that people who ride have not been taken care of in cities that do not have segregated lanes for them.

    The short film is however not short of inspiration.  Amanda Ngabirano’s tireless journey to make Uganda more bicycle-friendly has sparked conversations on the popular social media site Twitter.

    Kenya could learn a thing or two after Nairobi was shortlisted as the worlds second worst city due to traffic jams after India in 2017. Nairobians spend an average of 62.44 minutes in traffic.

    Biking is a great way to stay active and reduce carbon footprint. Some cities are actively encouraging this green mode of transportation and I think Nairobi should too. In Copenhagen, the most bike-friendly city in the world, Children are taught to ride before they’re even old enough to go to school. Thanks to bicycle-friendly measures taken by the city, nearly half of all citizens in the city commute to work by bike, and 35 percent of all people who work in Copenhagen—those who live in the suburbs included—commute on their bicycles.

    What seems to be lacking in Kenya is the leadership’s commitment to transform the country faster. An ideal Kenyan urban transport mix should at least comprise of both motorized and non-motorized modes of transport that are strategically designed to cater for everyone. The bicycle, when compared to other modes of transport, presents several advantages to both cyclists and society at large: it is a low-cost transport option, it is environment-friendly, and improves the health and productivity of the users.

    The county government should not approve construction of any roads without cycling lanes. Put cycling at the center of urban planning!

  • Google Has Warned that Kenya Risks International Trade Wars With Digital Tax Proposal

    Google Has Warned that Kenya Risks International Trade Wars With Digital Tax Proposal

    American technology giant Google has warned that Kenya will risk trade wars with other countries should it impose the proposed tax on digital transactions.

    Google East Africa Public Policy and Government Relations Lead Michael Murungi said yesterday the proposal defies international tax policies whereby such companies pay the bulk of their corporate taxes in the countries where the product and services are created rather than consumed. “The risk with this is as we see happening in France after its decision to impose a unilateral tax on international firms on digital platforms ,” he said.

    France began to tax big multinational tech companies, defying US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he might impose tariffs on  imported French wine.

    “France is now in the midst of a trade dispute with the US Treasury because of that tax which was seen as targeting Google and other multinational firms based in the US,” he told the House Finance committee.

    He spoke in Nairobi when he presented the firm’s memorandum on the Finance Bill, 2019 to the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning. “If we pass this law as it is proposed, it will mean that we will be asked to pay a rate of tax that is equivalent to the current income tax rate which is at 33 per cent. If every country does that, we are going to have a run to the bottom,” said Murungi.

    Executive Director Content Development and Intellectual Property Trust Alex Gakuru said that the tax would criminalize the use of the Internet and erode gains made in the country.

    “There is no universal consensus on what is a digital marketplace. Now here we are passing an Act creating VAT and also income tax on a digital marketplace,” said Gakuru

    The Government had proposed a law through the Finance Bill 2019 that will see online business slapped with an income tax. The ICT ministry said it was the final stages of developing a framework that would be used to tax the foreign services. The proposed policy framework would ensure that foreign advertisements that air in the Kenyan market were subjected to taxation

  • What You Need To Know About The Upcoming iPhone Pro

    What You Need To Know About The Upcoming iPhone Pro

    According to a Bloomberg Report Apple is planning to release a bevy of new products including three new iPhone models in September. Apple Inc. plans to unveil three new iPhones next month, including two new “Pro” models and a successor to the iPhone XR, The “Pro” models are meant to replace the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

    Over the last few months rumors and concept renders of the upcoming iPhone 11 have floated the internet with no real confirmation from Apple, however according to new reports here’s some details on what to expect in the the so-called iPhone Pro.

    The first thing that will stand out on the new Pro iPhones will be a new camera system on the back with a third sensor for capturing ultra-wide-angle photos and videos which is a first for Apple. The new triple-lens sensors will reportedly capture three images simultaneously and use new artificial intelligence software to automatically correct the combined photo.

     

    A render of the alleged triple-lens design

    iPhones are widely known for their dependable cameras with most digital creators making short skits using the phones camera from vine days. well, the new Pro will have significantly upgraded video recording capabilities, getting them closer to professional video cameras. Apple has developed a feature that allow users to retouch, apply effects, alter colors, re-frame and crop video as it is being recorded live on the device.

    Earlier this year Samsung Electronics Co. rolled out Wireless PowerShare for its Galaxy handsets. Basically, this means the newest galaxy handsets can charge up almost any other smartphone or other devices that support the Qi wireless charging standard. Apple seem to have jumped on the bandwagon and according to the report a reverse wireless charging system that users can power-up their latest AirPods in the optional wireless-charging case by leaving it on the back of the new Pro phones is in the works.

    All the new models are expected to include a new multi-angle Face ID sensor, enabling users to unlock their device even if it’s laying flat on a table.Apple is said to be bringing faster A13 processors to each of the three iPhones, which is likely to power improved computer vision and augmented reality capabilities.

    Apple has dramatically enhanced water resistance for the new models, which could allow them to be submerged under water far longer than the current iPhones.

    The new models will  also have new OLED displays that lack the pressure-sensitive 3D Touch technology. Apple is replacing this with Haptic Touch, which essentially mirrors 3D Touch’s functionality with a long press, as it did with the iPhone XR last year.

    Unfortunately the new Pro iPhones will still not be able to support the fifth generation cellular network technology 5G. Outside of a new matte-colored finish, the Pro phones will also look broadly similar to last year’s models.

    Aside from iPhones, the company is also likely to release refreshed iPads and MacBook Pros in the fall. It’s also working on updated versions of AirPods and the HomePod smart speaker.

    We still don’t know when Apple will officially announce its new iPhones, but a detail-laden report like this is a good sign that won’t be too far off.

  • Video: A Cargo Ship Almost Collides With A Mombasa-Likoni Ferry

    Video: A Cargo Ship Almost Collides With A Mombasa-Likoni Ferry

    Just like that, thousands of people were saved yesterday by what people call as ‘God’s Power’ after a Mombasa-Likoni ferry misses a head-on collision with a cargo ship. This would have been the worst maritime accident ever to happen in Kenya while on camera.

    Some of Kenyans who use the ferry blamed Kenya Ferry Services for embezzling money meant for the servicing of the old ferries leaving 300K passengers “in the hands of God”.

  • Uber Prices To Go Up

    Uber Prices To Go Up

    Starting on Monday, regular Uber users will see a significant hike in fares the company has revealed, citing high operating costs. The fare will go up by an average of about 26 percent for the UberX taxis and 13 percent for ChapChap users which is Uber’s version of a budget option. This is a major win for the drivers who have been pushing for the fare increase.

    The digital taxi operators came to the decision to increase fares after the drivers complained they were barely making profits with increased fuel and vehicle maintenance costs. In a notice to its partners, Uber said it will increase ChapChap and UberX rates in the latest price review that will see driver earnings rise significantly. “From Monday, 26 August 2019, Uber will be introducing changes to Uber ChapChap and UberX. These changes have been informed by your continued feedback and many months of thorough reviews on the growth and sustainability of your earnings opportunity,” said Uber in a notice sent to drivers and partners on Tuesday.

    Riders requesting UberX will pay Sh 11 more per kilometer to Sh 38 and a shilling extra per minute charge, with those requesting the ChapChap option paying Sh 22, which is Sh 4 higher per kilometer and an addition Sh 8 extra per kilometre after the trip exceeds 11 kilometers.

    The fare hike by Uber comes just weeks after its biggest rival, Bolt (Formerly Taxify), removed the budget fares option known as Bolt Go, effectively raising charges for its users.

  • Jumia Fires Nigerian Employees Involved In Ksh7.6 Bn Sales Fraud

    Jumia Fires Nigerian Employees Involved In Ksh7.6 Bn Sales Fraud

    The Loss-making Berlin-based company Jumia, has fired some of its employees in Nigeria and suspended a number from other African countries in a move to curb improper sales practices on the online marketing platform.

    Speaking to media, Jumia’s Technologies AG  stated that they had identified dubious transactions that accounted for approximately 4 percent loss of Jumia’s sales in the first quarter of 2019.

    According to the online company, independent sales agents under its “J-Force” sales platform in Africa worked with employees and sellers to make undeserved gains from commissions and seller fees.

    This is coming at a time that Africa’s biggest e-commerce business company had announced KSh7.6 billion loss in the second quarter of 2019. Jumia revealed that improper orders which were placed and subsequently canceled inflated its order volume.

    Jumia reports that it has adjusted its Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) to account for the fraudulent transactions as well as suspended employees involved pending investigations. The improper orders inflated the retailer’s GMV by around Ksh1.82 billion between the last quarter of 2018 and the first two quarters of 2019.

    Jumia has been hit by a massive fall in its stock price due to the increased fraudulent activities being masterminded by and ministered by Jumia insiders all over Africa. Jumia’s losses increased by 60% from KSh4.8 billion in the first half of 2018 to KSh7.6 billion in the first half of this year.

  • Nakuru Governor Defends Tabitha Karanja Saying Keroche Has Helped The County’s Economy

    Nakuru Governor Defends Tabitha Karanja Saying Keroche Has Helped The County’s Economy

    The Nakuru County Governor Lee Kinyanjui and the KNCCI has comeout in defence of Keroche CEO Tabitha Karanja following her arrest orders over Sh14 billion tax fraud.

    The governor claims the DCI and DPP offices are frustrating upcoming entrepreneurs who are helping the county governments economy.

    Tabitha Karanja and her husband Joseph Muigai spent the night at their office in Naivasha as DCI and KRA offices waited outside to arrest them.

    Karanja claims the attacks are sponsored by her fierce competitors after launching KB Lager. “Courtesy demands that the DCI or KRA officers summons us over the tax allegations but this has not been done and we see the hand of our competitor in this,” she said

    Karanja and her husband have denied all allegations that led to DPP Noordin Haji issuing orders to arrest the couple on Wednesday for failing to remit tax running into Sh14 billion from 2015.

    Kinyanjui says there is unsettlement in the county as the company is a major investors adding should the case not be settled amicably hundreds of residents may become jobless. “While there may be tax matters that require redress, it would be an act of utmost betrayal to Kenyans who have built their businesses over the years to be reduced to fugitives,” he said.

    “The country should not criminalize local investors at the expense of multinational companies and we are wondering what happened to the ideology of buy Kenya build Kenya?” Lakeview MCA Karanja Mburu supported Kinyanjuis sentiments.

  • This Is How To Ensure Your Phone Battery Lasts Longer

    This Is How To Ensure Your Phone Battery Lasts Longer

    The battery life on a smartphone is key to heavy users when buying a new gadget, however, as batteries age, they gradually lose their ability to hold charge. There are a few ways you can get more onscreen time by minimizing battery drainage, I compiled a list of some of them down below.

    Using your phone’s battery saver

    The first one which is a pretty basic one is to make use of the battery saver which is already provided on the phone.  It is an easy-to-use feature that restricts your phone’s capabilities in order to extract the most possible battery life.

    On iPhone, it’s called low power mode.

    Decreasing the brightness

    It’s no secret that dimming the display on your smartphone is going to prolong the battery life. If you’re a power user, lowering the brightness setting can get you a good two hours of extra battery life

    Dark mode

    Google recently confirmed that dark mode saves you power on android, same as on Ios night mode apps can prolong battery life on smartphones with OLED screens. This is because the individual pixels have to do less work on dark areas of the screen, and they use practically no juice at all when displaying true black. Most apps have dark mode options, you might want to consider turning them on.

    Updating your phones software

    Keeping your phones software upto date may seem like a lot of work, In a few cases people have accused updates of slowing down their smartphones. Updates have a lot of advantages with one of them being getting the most battery life possible.  You can see if you need to update your phone by navigating to the Settings – system -system updates depending on your smartphone.

    Limit background battery use

    The more apps there are on your phone, the more power your phone uses to keep them running in the background. In most smartphones you should have a page dedicated to battery usage, typically found by navigating to the battery section of your Settings app. Many apps run and refresh in the background while you’re using different software. You can choose to allow specific apps to do this, set it so all apps can do this, or prevent specific apps from doing this. If a particular app is using a lot of battery life, you could also choose to uninstall it completely.

    If you’re desperate to save your phone’s battery life, turn on airplane mode, then manually re-activate Wi-Fi and connect to a wireless network. In general, connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi uses less battery power than with cellular networks

    In some cases, too much ofnotifications from apps like WhatsApp can drain your battery life. If you have a very active group chat, for example, or if you subscribe to a lot of feeds, then you should consider turning off the sound and vibration for these apps.

    Turn your location services off

    Some apps like Google Maps require you to turn on location services to display your surroundings and give you directions. But location services chip away at your battery life very quickly and you should turn it on only for as long as you need to.

  • Video: Google Rolls Out Google Go On Android

    Video: Google Rolls Out Google Go On Android

    World’s leading tech giant Google has launched its Google Go services to all Android users worldwide. The service was only being offered to Android Go users in select countries.

    Google calls it lightweight and at just a little more than 7MB, it truly is a tiny little helper.

    Google Go was first released in 2017, is essentially a compact, but powered-up, search engine. It was Initially designed for people less familiar with navigating the internet, its small size and stripped-back features are useful for phones with less storage and data or for people living in areas with a dodgy internet connection. According to Google, the app will save up to 40 percent of device data.

    It also has all the features of the Google Lens, with real-time translating, voice-activated searching as well as making Google read the text out loud.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2brcDqKTHI&t=4s

    Google Go was initially being marketed only in countries with spotty connection but Google has now released it worldwide. Considering how inconsistent the internet can even be in Australia, we’re here for it.

    “We know that people everywhere can sometimes struggle with spotty connections, phone storage, and reading or translating text,” Google’s blog read.

    Google Go: A lighter, faster way to search https://youtu.be/zJrswiLvGc4 via @YouTube

  • Facebook To Replace News Algorithms With Professional Journalists

    Facebook To Replace News Algorithms With Professional Journalists

    Facebook Inc will now rely on professional journalists that the company plans to hire instead of relying solely on algorithms to deliver trending news n what the company terms as a positive step to shake up the media industry.

    On Tuesday, the social media giant said that it would build a small team of journalists to select the top national news of the day to ensure they’re highlighting the right stories.

    According to Facebook, stories will appear in a section called the “news tab,” which the media giant has separated from the traditional news feed that displays updates and content from users’ friends and relatives.

    “In theory, I see this as a really positive development. It is something quite promising,” Danna Young, a communications professor at the University of Delaware, told media.

    Facebook’s journalists will be curating stories from news sites and won’t be editing headlines or writing content, the California-based company has less to change according to experts even though Facebook has consistently said it does not want to be considered a media organization that makes major editorial decisions.

     

    “It’s not transformative because it’s not going to change necessarily the behavior of individuals who are referencing stories on their feeds. That’s where the power comes from  individuals you know and trust putting their tacit stamp of approval on stories by sharing them,” Danna Young said

    News Tab will be Facebook’s first news feature using human moderators since it shut down its hapless  “trending topics” section last year after they were accused of suppressing stories about conservative issues.

    Facebook, however, says that the Articles that have not been deemed as top news stories will still be collated using algorithms based on the user’s history, such as pages they follow, publications they subscribe to and news they have already interacted with.

    “Our goal with the news tab is to provide a personalized, highly relevant experience for people,” Facebook head of news partnerships Campbell Brown told media.

    The comes at a time when Facebook has embarked on a series of initiatives to boost journalism, with traditional media organizations accusing it of benefitting financially from their hard work.

    Internet platforms are dominating the internet advertising space making it difficult for established news organizations to transition what were very profitable print advertisements online. Facebook announced in January that it will invest $300 million over three years to support journalism, particularly local news organizations.

    It has also funded fact-checking projects around the world, including Africa Check that has incorporated Kiswahili and other 13 African languages in a move to curb the spread of fake news.

    According to Facebook insiders, the company will pay some publishers to license news content for the tab but Mathew Ingram, who writes about digital media for the Columbia Journalism Review, doesn’t expect that to trickle down to hard-up organizations that need it the most.

    “The companies they are going to choose are ones already doing well I assume. It might give them a little extra cash but I don’t see it driving a huge amount of traffic,” Mathew Ingram said

    Print journalism in the US is in free-fall as social media overtakes newspapers as the main news source for Americans.

    “The death of local news has such destructive effects for democrac.sty. It’s a complex issue that Facebook alone cannot fix,” said Young.

    “Facebook is not a journalism company and so before working for Facebook I would want to see their commitment to ethical, robust journalism,” Said the 30-year-old Stephen Groves, who recently earned a master’s in journalism at New York University

    When Buzzfeed cut 200 jobs in January, 29-year-old Emily Tamkin was let go from a position she had held for just a few months.

    “I’m personally not cheered by the fact that Facebook is swooping in and hiring journalists. If that’s the silver lining then we have a very big cloud here,” Ms. Tamkin said

  • Tala Gets Sh11Bn More

    Tala Gets Sh11Bn More

    Leading mobile lending company Tala on Wednesday announced a Sh11 billion investment to support the company launch a bunch of new products and grow its operations across the world.

    The five-year-old startup is being financed by RPS Ventures, with GGV Capital and previous investors IVP, Revolution Growth, Lowercase Capital, Data Collective VC, ThomVest Ventures and PayPal Ventures also participating in a new financing round.

    Tala general manger in East Africa Ivan Mbowa said the new round of funding will enable online micro-lender to reach more customers.

    Tala approves loans within minutes and disburses the money to customers via mobile payment platforms. The startup has lent over $1 billion to more than 4 million customers to date up from $300 million to 1.3 million customers the previous year claims Shivani Siroya the founder of the app.

    This means the company can offer more loans than ever to Kenyans while charging 5-15% interest and fees in a startup meant to deliver financial access, choice and control to undeserved people. The company also forwards negative credit history and rankings to the local credit bureaus when the loan is defaulted.

    The company boasts over 2.5 million customers in Kenya. “Kenya is at the heart of Tala’s operations around the world. Kenya was our first home, and today it remains our largest office and customer base. We are thankful every day for the loyalty and trust of our Kenyan customers,” Mr Mbowa said.

    Just recently a study conducted by The Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) survey, which has the backing of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) shows that about 20% of Kenyans are loan defaulters. One in every five Kenyans has a loan which they have not paid, the study concluded. The most affected being unemployed and low income employed youths, farmers and the elderly.

    With the added Funds mobile-based digital lender Tala which has gained wide popularity in recent years and advanced billions of shillings to the private borrowers, the household debt burden will only skyrocket.

    The study also revealed about 6.5 million Kenyans are digital borrowers with 31 percent taking the cash to try their luck in sports betting and gambling.

     

  • Ronaldo Paid Off His Rape Accuser With ShSh38M

    Ronaldo Paid Off His Rape Accuser With ShSh38M

    The legal team of Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted for the first time that the Juventus start paid a woman who accused him of rape €375,000 ( ksh 38million) to settle the allegations made against him in 2009.

    Kathryn Mayorga filed a lawsuit in a state court last year in an effort to have the settlement invalidated on condition that Ronaldo and his legal team took advantage of her fragile emotional state, having accused him of sexually assaulting her after they met on a night out in Las Vegas.

    The Juventus forward denied the allegations and no criminal charges have been filed after Las Vegas prosecutors decided they cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Ronaldo’s lawyers have claimed that the pair had consensual sex on June 2009, and have accused Ms. Mayorga of attempting to extort the Portuguese footballer. Ms. Mayorga’s legal team refiled the lawsuit in federal court asking for the same invalidation, which seeks monetary damages of at least Ksh 16M (£165,000).

    Ronaldo’s lawyers on Friday stated that the court should acknowledge the €375,000 payment that was made to Ms. Mayorga, they said the payment was to maintain the confidentiality of their dispute. Ronaldo is arguing that Nevada’s statutes of limitations and the signed confidentiality agreement should annul her claims and that she failed to present sufficient evidence on the claim that she lacked the mental capacity to agree to the terms regarding her emotional state in the weeks after the alleged incident.

    Ronaldo had, earlier this month, lost a bid for dismissal or complete secrecy. Lawyer Larissa Drohobyczer, representing Ms Mayorga, said she was satisfied with US District Judge Jennifer Dorsey’s ruling in Las Vegas on 2 August.

    The media efforts to get a response from Peter Christiansen the lawyer representing the Juventus and Portugal player were fruitless after the lawyer declined to comment.

    “The cat is already out of the bag about Mayorga’s allegations” and the settlement.  I’m not satisfied that Ronaldo’s interest in holding Mayorga to her agreement is enough to justify sealing the entire record in this case. The documents themselves and direct quotes from any of them will remain sealed,” Judge Dorsey said

     

     

  • Cancer Alert: KEBS Okays 23 Tonnes Of Rotten Ginger From Vietnam To The Market

    Cancer Alert: KEBS Okays 23 Tonnes Of Rotten Ginger From Vietnam To The Market

    The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) is on the spot yet again after more than 23 tonnes of ginger oil imported from Vietnam was released despite a warning from the Port Health services questioning its safety.

    The analysis, dated August 14, states the goods imported by Fairoil EPZ Limited was not just dirty but also ‘moist, mouldy, was rotting and emitting a pungent smell upon a physical examination.’ Further examination by the Government Chemist revealed the ginger contained 14 per cent moisture – two per cent higher than what can be tolerated by law and medical science.

    The ginger, imported into the country by Fairoils EPZ Limited in Nairobi was meant for extraction of oil, with sources now indicating that it has been released and cleared by KEBS to the company.

    The ginger arrived at the Mombasa port in a container and was checked by the health officials on August 8. The next day, samples were extracted and taken for testing at the Government Chemist, whose results were received on August 14.

    Port Health Officials ordered the container to be held from the owners as its content had been condemned and recommended for destruction.

    “The said ginger had failed to comply with the standards and thereby condemned and recommended the same for destruction,” J. Kombo, the Public Health Officer at the Kilindini port wrote in the letter given to Mombasa Island Cargo Terminal (MIST) managers.

    It appears KEBS may have ignored the claims and warnings and signed a letter to release the container to the company in a suspect fraudulent manner risking and subjecting millions of Kenyans to possible cancer attacks in the process.

    In a statement the Kebs manager for port operations, said the port’s public health had no jurisdiction to intervene on raw material imported by EPZs.

     

  • Billionaire Humphrey Kariuki Says He’s Confident He’ll Prove Innocence Blames His Haters For His Predicaments

    Billionaire Humphrey Kariuki Says He’s Confident He’ll Prove Innocence Blames His Haters For His Predicaments

    Many have been asking themselves who is this businessman that has apparently conducted business in Kenya for ages without paying Tax all through and where were KRA officials?  Businessman Humphrey Kariuki has finally spoken out over Sh41 billion tax evasion charges he is defending himself in the court of law.

    In a statement on Tuesday, he said Kariuki stated that he is a law-abiding citizen who hasn’t been involved in any criminal activity.

    “I am a patriotic and law-abiding citizen… The truth, law, and evidence are wholly behind me. I shall defend myself adequately and openly for the general public to know the truth,” Kariuki said.

    Kariuki says dark forces are behind his arrests as he states that he complied with DCI George Kinoti’s orders in February requiring to appear at the headquarters for questioning over tax evasion and forgery.

    Kariuki said he is not involved in the management and day to day running of African Spirits which is at the center of tax evasion claims, as well as allegations of possession of uncustomed ethanol and counterfeit stamps.

    On his defense, Kariuki states that any allegation linking him to malpractices at the firm is in bad faith.

    I’m reading Statement by Humphrey Kariuki 19.08 on @Scribd #ReadMore https://www.scribd.com/document/422609164/Statement-by-Humphrey-Kariuki-19-08

    According to Kariuki, jealous and malicious people in government and other business competitors are out to tarnish his name because he has multiple business interests across the globe, which he says make him be away from Kenya for almost half of every year.

    His defense lawyers told media that Kariuki is a typical Kenyan entrepreneur who has made a significant contribution to the Kenyan economy through his widespread sets of businesses he has invested in as well as employment creation.

    The lawyer was talking after his client Kariuki, was on Monday rearrested after being freed on bail. He had earlier been granted Sh11 million bail with an alternative bond of Sh22 million over tax evasion charges.

    Personally, I think Humphrey Kariuki made a deal that hurt someone who dines with deep State operatives or a fellow who is in the high links with the Arms of government and is, are, currently using the deep connection and state entities to bring the tycoon to his knees. If indeed KRA let Humphrey Kariuki conduct his normal business for all those years without paying taxes then, the problem is not Kariuki, the biggest problem is at Times Towers where the taxman sits. Why is KRA keen and punishing poor Kenyans and turning a blind eye on these tycoons? How can an individual run a multibillion business empire in Kenya without the taxman having the required tax return details and documents? Who is playing who in this Humphrey Kariuki tax evasion case?
  • Men Are Trash: Kenyan Women Narrates The Mess Men Have Taken Them Through

    Men Are Trash: Kenyan Women Narrates The Mess Men Have Taken Them Through

    Gabriela Cattuzzo, a woman video game streamer in Brazil, has been dropped by a sponsor for tweeting “men are trash” after she was sexually harassed.

    It started with a tweet of Cattuzzo’s on June 21 that has since been deleted. According to the gaming news site Kotaku, Cattuzzo tweeted a photo of herself on a mechanical bull to which a male user replied, “you can ride me if you want.”

    And the same wave has gained viral momentum and is now trending worldwide with Facebook users pushing it even further.

    Kenyan women took to Facebook to share out their grievances and reasons as to why they believe all men are trash. Here is how ladies are, rather have decided that the Male version of Humans are trash even if they all were given birth by rather developed in wombs of women

    Image

    Image

    Image

  • PHOTOS: Wasafi Tightens Their Security With Mean Looking Huge Bodyguards

    PHOTOS: Wasafi Tightens Their Security With Mean Looking Huge Bodyguards

    Diamond Platinumz recording label Wasafi Classic Boyz popularly branded as WCB has tightened their security amid speculations of things breaking loose in East Africa’s leading music producing label.

    WCB has been losing its artists with Happy Birthday hit singer Harmonize being recent to leave to form his own label Konde Gang.

    Diamond is the only one who knows what’s happening but as per the view of things,  Mbagala hitmaker and WCB boss is rather has invested heavily in whatever that is coming and as for now, Nobody knows what it is

    In my own opinion, Diamond security looks like, that of the biggest narcotics cartel from scripted TV series. They have faces and bodies build ready to die protecting their clients. I mean, from another angle, this is, rather already is the best supper protected recording label in Africa, and they have good music too. But is these all necessary?

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

  • Apple TV+ Streaming Services To Be Launched In November

    Apple TV+ Streaming Services To Be Launched In November

    Earlier in March this year, Apple announced its plans to launch a streaming service called Apple TV+. And, according to a report by Bloomberg, the streaming services will be launch in November and will have a monthly fee of $9.99.

    According to the report, Apple will also roll out a one-month free trial. Initially, Apple had announced 14 shows during the Apple TV+ unveil; it will launch some of them on day one, and add more shows from that roster later.

    A report published by US-based media stated that World tech giant Apple company has already spent over $6 billion to produce its original shows.

    Here’s a fresh new trailer for one of Apple‘s upcoming shows, ‘The Morning Show,’ a drama series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell:

    https://youtu.be/eA7D4_qU9jo

    Apple‘s innovations come, rather always get rolled out at a higher if you compare it to the base plan of its competitors. Take, for instance,  Amazon Prime Video offers its streaming for $8.99 per month if you pay for an annual subscription, while Netflix’s basic standard definition plan starts at $9 per month.

    Dinsey’s upcoming service will launch at $6.99 per month, and if you pay $13 per month, it’ll throw in ESPN+ and Hulu subscriptions too. The streaming market is heating up, and Apple will have to invest heavily in original content and licensing to lure viewers away from its competition. Another thing the company could do is bundle all its online services and serve them up for cheap to keep customers locked in – Apple Music, iCloud, and Apple TV+, the upcoming Apple Arcade, and Apple News+. Apple Prime anyone?

  • How A Cop Was Robbed Of Sh450,000 Hoping For Sex

    How A Cop Was Robbed Of Sh450,000 Hoping For Sex

    Arthur Gakuya, a policeman attached to vigilance house ‘ironically’ was allegedly robbed off his ATM cards and forced to give out the PIN numbers at gunpoint after a night of pleasure turned sour.

    The unfortunate incident took place after the policeman visited Jambo grill for a meal after a drive to Juja to overlook the construction of his house. Gakuya met Peninah Afandi and Everlyne Asendi at the place and immediately formed a mutually beneficial relationship with the ladies in hopes of taking one or both of them home.

    The policeman ordered them drinks then proceeded to take a cab to the Nairobi CBD to the Eureka club on Tom Mboya Street where they continued to intoxicate. Gakuya then took the shot, he asked for a threesome and they agreed, according to the ladies during the case hearing on Monday in the Milimani law court before chief magistrate Martha Mutuku.

    Since Gakuya who was lit with excitement had not planned for these expenses he had run out of  cash. He excused himself took a cab(called by Afandi) to the ATM and withdrew a sh 10,000 lump-sum to cover the night, this would be the only amount leaving his bank account to cover the whole night, or so he thought.

    After returning to the bar he met Afandi, Asendi and another man who forced him to get in the cab with them,  a gun was pointed at him and he was ordered to surrender the Sh10,000, he was also stripped off his ATM cards and ordered to disclose the PIN numbers.

    The well orchestrated plan by the group was now in motion. They sent Afandi for a test run to a nearby ATM to authenticate the PINS given then proceeded to drug and dump Gakuya in Kileleshwa.

    Afandi and Asendi withdrew Sh60,000 from his two bank accounts. They went to a supermarket in Donholm area where they bought high-end household electronics and expensive bedding. They paid Sh384,000 using Gakuya’s ATM card.

    Everlyne Asendi confessed everything in a statement to the DCI, including hiring a lorry to ferry the items to their homes, and even how they shared the money.

    Detectives have confiscated all the items suspected to be proceeds of crime, from the women’s homes in Kayole and Umoja and recovered CCTV footage at the ATM booths and supermarket.

    The two women were charged on Monday with administering stupefying drugs to Gakuya with intent to commit a felony — stealing from him and stealing his Sh384, 000.

    Afandi and Asendi are charged with administering stupefying drugs to Gakuya in order to steal. They are also charged with stealing Sh60,000 from him. The grand total was about Sh454,000. The Taxi driver Patrick Kihara Munyinyi was also charged with theft.

    The trial of the trio starts on  September 25.

    The police are yet to identify a fourth man who was the accomplice because he was not identified from CCTV footage at ATMs or a supermarket where the women went shopping.

  • EACC Investigating 27 Firms Including One Linked To Joho Over The 900-Acre Railways Land Allocation

    EACC Investigating 27 Firms Including One Linked To Joho Over The 900-Acre Railways Land Allocation

    The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has launched investigations after about 900 Acres of land in Machakos County was allocated to a long list of private firms.

    The land which is located in Athi River  was supposed to be used  to supplement the capacity of the Inland Container Depot. Kenya Railways took over the land from the East Africa Portland Company after it made huge losses due to mismanagement and political interference.

    The process used to lease the land to the firms for 45 years is suspect after reports emerged there was no transparency in how they were chosen.

    EACC is now investing the process which was used by KRC to choose the list of 27 firms including one linked to the Mombasa county Governor Hassan Joho. The KRC 10-member board have since been summoned to integrity centre.

    Autoport Freight Terminal Ltd which was allocated 50 acres is closely linked to Joho, During his public spat with President Uhuru Kenyatta leading up to the 2017 polls, the logistics company was a major casualty, with the taxman suspending its operating licence.

    Another company is Grain Bulk Handlers Ltd (GBHL) and Buzeki Enterprises whose director is Uasin Gishu politician and businessman Kiprop Bundotich. The company received 50 acres.

    Some other notable companies include Prime Bridge Group Ltd, Aya Traders Company Ltd, Company Freight Systems Ltd and MIT Logistics Ltd which were allocated 40 acres each.

    There are claims some firms were exempted from any fee because they pumped tens of millions to build a state-of-the-art logistics facility.