Former Starehe MP Maina Kamanda finally clears the air about Handshake.
The Jubilee’s nominated MP has said that President Uhuru’s impeachment plans were underway.
With all the talk now resurfacing of what the handshake did, is doing or not doing lays unanswered questions.
If The handshake was the only thing that saved President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was planning the impeachment.
President Uhuru could have been impeached if it were not for his 'handshake' with opposition leader Raila Odinga – Nominated MP Maina Kamanda pic.twitter.com/JYiqPM1T1y
Was that the only thing that the Handshake was all about?
How exactly did the handshake save Uhuru’s regime?
So many people, some who had believed in change by revolution in order to reclaim Kenya, were made to look like a confused society.
The handshake portrayed our political carelessness. Self love political agendas. Political hopelessness. It left many Kenyans puzzled because it is a ‘Political magic.’
Handshake still looks like a shallow thought-out political cheat game.
The Government of Kenya is still spending our taxes in running the same loosely thought out political cheat game.
Handshake was an idea to create a political auction. The masterminds failed in setting up the right time before its launching.
A rushed idea that is now being dangled around the people to make it viable.
There’s still increased corruption. There’s a political calm down because the handshake slowed everything down. The handshake has made political demonstrations uncouth.
There’s still over borrowing. There’s still political rivalry. There’s still tribe orientation in our current political set up.
A recent report by WHO has revealed that Kenyan men are yet to reach the global usage of condoms which stands at 40 condoms per man yearly.
Our local health records shows that Kenyan men only use not more than 14 condoms per year.In the country, records show only 14 condoms are used by one man per year.
Currently released report on HIV situation in Kenya revealed that only 44 per cent of Kenyan men reported using condoms during their last coitus. This was labelled as high-risk.
On the other hand, only 40 per cent of Kenyan ladies reported using a condom at their last coitus. Which was considered high-risk.
Mother to Child transmission (MTCT) cases has increased gradually. The research shows that 11.5 per cent mother’s inffected their children.
Cases of pregnant Mothers living at risk of HIV has also gone high. That’s according to the medical reports and recent studies.
The report also revealed the condom distribution crisis. The more distributed brands were of low standards and qualities.
Records shows more than 182.3 million condoms were distributed in the Kenya in the past 3 years.
However, governments medical research says there is a very low usage of condoms.
In the country, there are 1,493,400 people living with HIV. With the majority almost breaking to AIDS stage.
Kenyan women prevalence is at 6.2 per cent while Kenyan men stand at 3.5 per cent.
Medical Centers and reports have advised and recommended that men should be encouraged to use condoms and other contraceptives.
Kenyan Filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu blasts the Start news paper over a fake article against her film ‘Rafiki’.
Rafiki is a love story of two teenage girls who develop a romance that’s opposed by their families and community.
Wanuri, has expressed her disgrace through her twitter account calling out the Star Newspaper site.
Wanuri Kahiu tweets against The Stars fake news
Rafiki, was banned in Kenya by government watchdog KFCB. The film classification board had alleged that the movie’s depiction of homosexuality runs contrary to the laws and the culture of Kenya.
Wanuri has said that Kenyans showed her love and watched her movie despite the ban.
Wanuri’s Response about the fake article
Wanuri says during the seven days the film was screened in Kenya, some people opened up to her.
“Many people came to me and told me they saw themselves in the movie because they had lived in denial for so long,” she said while on a TV interview.
Wanuri has thanked Kenyan viewers and subscribers who believe in her fights to express what affects the audience without following regulations from the authorities.
The director and Rafiki film creator also called off the Star for creating fake quotes of her from unknown interviews. She said she won’t accept any interviews with the Star newspaper after faking her up and tagging her on unverified quotes.
While Rafiki remains banned, Wanuri Kahiu says the movie is still getting abundant views and love from the local audience.
Away from our custom foods; Chinese presence in Africa has introduced alien food culture in this continent.
From eating dogs, crabs, snakes, and some people say they trap and fry houseflies.
Chinese have managed to flood Africa’s markets with their processed foods and powdered drinks.
With other governments banning majority of Chinese products. There has been an increase in Chinese genetically modified foods. These neo colonialists have developed a new trick to flood our markets.
Recently, a video went viral on social media where crocodiles were being sold in Nigeria’s local markets.
Not only Nigeria, but Zambia has crabs and snakes being auctioned live and dead on the markets.
In Kenya, Chinese are making good use of the famous Lubao market-based which locals sell live dogs.
Local entrepreneurs are happily venturing into these business but language barriers and one sided customers is their biggest set back.
The Nigerian authorities have since cleared the crocodile markets and asked the Chinese visitors to buy wild meat from authorised vendors.
What’s your views about the Chinese wild appetite. Would you like to test their wild tastes?
The society has lost it all again. From depression, to suicide and now life threatening competitions.
Job hunting stress and stress from joblessness has drived our current generation to doing crazy things.
A 28-year-old man died on Monday morning after consuming excessive alcohol in a drinking competition at Mukosi village in Kimilili! Constituency, Bungoma County.
The deceased and other locals converged at an illicit drinking den in their area on Sunday night. They embarked on a drinking spree that would later turn to a deadly and tragic scene.
They are said to have agreed to take part in Chang’aa drinking competition.
The battle was to gallop five-litre bottle full of chang’aa and the winner was to walk away with Ksh.1,000 only.
The 28-year-old winner of the chang’aa drinking competition collapsed immediately after he was declared the owner of ksh 1000.
Some of the revellers opted to take him home to sleep with assumptions that he had passed out, while others fled the scene.
He was confirmed dead on Monday morning with his body being moved to Kiminini Funeral Home in Trans Nzoia County.
Police have since launched a crackdown to nab those involved in the sale of the illicit brew and the other involved parties who set up the tragic competition.
Another case of child defilement at the Lakeside beaches has been reported. The culprit, John Ouma alias Salim was detained by officers from Gingo Police Station while trying to escape after reportedly defiling a high school girl on Friday night. Mr. Ouma a 45 year old non-professional fisherman at Kabwao beach is said to have lured the 16-year-old girl to the neighboring Gingo beach where he repeatedly defiled her.
The Area Assistant County Commissioner Abdimalik Abdullahi said the suspect was caught red handed on the heinous act. He tried to escape after but was later arrested.
Salim was rescued from the blood thirst mob that was ready to lynch him. Assistant commissioner said the Police come for his rescue after a tip from the public.
The victim was taken to the Suba South sub-county hospital for medical examination before she was allowed to go home in company of her parents.
The suspect is currently being detained at Gingo Police Station waiting to be charged.
Cases of child abuse, rape and sodomy have really increased on the lakeside. Humanitarian activists have called upon the police to keep the beaches safe and healthy from child molesters and abusers.
Civil and sex education has also been proposed to the groups of fishermen alongside the Lakeside. Through their leaders, they have promised to work in hand with the activists and the police to make sure the beaches are safe.
Barca has done it again. This time around in a world class performance from this seasons La Liga championship.
In January, Barca’s advantage was five points, February six, March seven and April eight.
Some then hoped there could be a race when they drew 4-4 at Villarreal but a few days later they hammered Atletico and that was the genesis of their race to victory.
Even if Barcelona had collapsed, Real Madrid were too far behind to capitalize while Atletico, fragile away from home, have never looked capable of the winning the run.
Barcelona may yet prove they are the best team in Europe in the UEFA competitions when they met UK’s Liverpool in the semifinals.
That aside, Barca are indisputably the best in Spain after they wrapped up their fourth La Liga title in five years on Saturday.
Barca are now nine points clear of Atletico Madrid with three games left to play. While Real Madrid gaze set to finish runners up in consecutive seasons behind the titleholders by double numerals in terms of points.
The shortcomings of Real, who now own the pathetic record of winning the La liga only once in seven years, are put down unembellished by the table but a smaller margin compliments Atletico too.
Here’s the video, In Spanish language, of Barcelona’s 1-0 against Levante that secured them the Trophy.
Deputy President Dr. William Ruto has finally met Gideon Moi face to face.
The two political rival kingpins have been exchanging words over the the past few months.
DP Ruto has severally accused Gideon Moi of barring him from visiting the ailing retired President Mzee Moi.
Gideon Moi on his defense,has been accusing DP Ruto and his handlers of running disrespectful mouths against the family and trying to politically blackmail Senator Moi’s plans.
The two finally shook hands at the late Jonathan Moi’s final send off.
Other leaders present at the funeral service held at Kabarak University include; Musalia Mudavadi, Sen. Moses Wetangula, and Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka amongest other family friends.
The Kenyan Government risks an auction of key public institutions such as KBC and JKIA if it fails to meet its debt repayment commitments.
Kenya’s current public debt has exceeded the mark set by the Public Finance Management Act. The act allows every government to borrow only up to 50 percent to the GDP ratio.
Kenyan Parliament has now raised red flag over the bloating public debt induced by hefty borrowing. Emgwen MP Alex Kosgey has proposed the amendment of the law to regulate government borrowing. He termed the current debt standing at Ksh. 5.6 trillion as extreme.
Currently, President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga had a trip to Beijing, China. Government handlers had hinted that the trip aimed at securing another possible loan of up to Ksh.368 billion that had been meant to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Kisumu.
However, President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday countersigned two project delivery agreements amounting to Ksh.226 billion through a concessional financing and Public Private Partnership (PPP).
But there is a proposal before National Assembly’s Budget Committee that wants government borrowing permanently capped at Ksh.6 trillion.
Speaking before the committee, Sigowet Soin MP Mr. Koros said that Kenyans should not allow a state whereby the Treasury or the Presidency or anyone to just decide they want to borrow this much yet mwanachi is already over-strained by the current public debt.
According to Treasury, as at December last year, the public debt stood at a outrageous Ksh.5.3 trillion, with that amount expected to hit a record high Ksh.6.3 trillion by this year.
With China being the top lender, the Kenyan taxpayers are sweating to repay the Chinese government Ksh.637 billion with interests accumulated.
Kenya owes Japan and France a staggering Ksh.166 billion, with that amount even higher when all the interests are accumulated. This even as Germany, Italy, Belgium, USA and Finland are all training their eyes on Kenyan taxpayers to pay back their Ksh.63 billion.
Already, the government has listed three non-performing loans including Ksh.7.9 billion by the State Broadcaster KBC, Tana & Athi Rivers Development Authority’s Ksh.1.2 billion loan as well as the East African Portland Cement that has a loan of Ksh.1.5 billion.
These institutions now stand at a risk of facing auction should the government fail pay back the various debts.
Police: ‘Picture arises of S&B systematically bribing gov’t officials with tens of millions of dollars for years’
February 2016, Nairobi, ostensibly just another day at the office. Dan Shaham, manager of the Kenya branch of SBI Infrastructure, a member of the Shikun & Binui construction group, summoned accountant Shai Skaf to his office.
Unusually, the blinds were closed, and on the desk was a file bound in red that Skaf hadn’t seen before.
Shaham locked the door, praised Skaf for his work, implied that he had a bright future with SBI and told him it was time for him to “join the family”. Then he gave Skaf a top-secret mission: Compare the figures in the red file with other data, which he had to take home, not show the family, and keep under lock and key.
The red file contained double books. In short order, Skaf realized he was looking at documentation of bribes to officials in east Africa, he claimed in his lawsuit against the company in 2017.
Two days after that, Skaf says, he told his boss he wouldn’t cooperate, and was advised that he’s a spineless sissy. “When in Africa, be African. They all give and take bribes,” Shaham yelled at him, according to Skaf, and reportedly also said, “Why do you think profitability here runs at 40% and in Nigeria, 65% and in Israel, 4%?”
Skaf claims to have confided in CPA Ruby Lazarov of the accounting firm of BDO Haft, SBI’s auditor, visiting the Nairobi branch. To his shock, says Skaf, Lazarov reportedly said that he’d known of these things for years and it’s the norm in S&B’s activity. According to Skaf, Lazarov specifically mentioned Nigeria, Uganda, Guatemala and in the past, the Ivory Coast, but added that the volumes of graft in Kenya were relatively minor.
At some point unidentified parties began threatening his life, Skaf says – and in August 2016, he was beaten to within an inch of his life and threatened with a knife. The frightened accountant went back to Israel the next day. Lazarov was arrested in late February 2018 in connection with the alleged corruption.
Most of S&B’s projects in Africa are governmental. Following an amendment of Israeli law that came into force in 2010, bribing foreign officials is just as illegal as bribing Israeli ones.
Skaf claims Lazarov counseled him to look the other way and said it wasn’t a practice peculiar to East Africa but a “familiar, deeply-rooted practice backed by the company’s internal auditor, board audit committee, the company’s legal department and even reaching Ofer Kotler,” S&B’s former CEO.
Kotler led the company from 2007 to 2015 and, with Lazarov, was also detained, as was S&B’s internal auditor, Abraham Admoni, and the CEO of S&B Switzerland, Rony Paluch. Ravit Barniv, who chaired S&B from 2007 to 2012, was questioned and sent to house arrest. Skaf claims to have warned Admoni and Paluch about graft, in vain.
It seems at this stage to be one of the most egregious corruption cases involving a publicly-traded Israeli company. If not for the media swirl surrounding Netanyahu, the S&B case would probably have made front pages, especially as the company is controlled by billionaire Shari Arison, who also controls Bank Hapoalim.
Shari Arison at the President’s conference in 2011.
Police suspect that eight people, current and former executives at S&B, were involved in, or knew about, methodical bribery of government officials in several African countries to get infrastructure projects.
“I’m not surprised it reached the levels of Barniv and Kotler,” said an equity analyst who knows the company. “Solel Boneh Overseas (Engineering Services) is the most substantial, profitable company in the S&B group. Profitability in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, is phenomenal. For years when asked, company managers would explain that Africa involves higher risk, but obviously that can’t explain the huge profits. The issue of ties in government always floated there in the background. The 2016 financial statement relates that infrastructure activity in Nigeria stopped because of a change in government, and the new government was halting payments to contractors. Somebody who knows the company joked that it was simply taking time to obtain the private bank account numbers of the new rulers.”
Solel Boneh began working in Africa in the 1960s, a time when Israeli companies were starting to work on the continent with the encouragement of the Israeli government. Then Solel Boneh was controlled by the Histadrut labor federation.
In the last 20 years, SBI projects in Africa have usually been sponsored by the World Bank and various UN bodies. The contract is made with the state but the international institutions are the ones that in practice transfer the money from the government to the company. At least part of the current affair, it seems, stems from the World Bank’s discomfort with S&B’s behavior. That is implied in a statement S&B made to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange when the affair broke out. It reported that the World Bank was probing S&B’s projects in Kenya.
After Skaf’s lawsuit arrived, S&B and its Swiss subsidiary, through attorney Pini Rubin of Gornitzky & Co., which is close to Shari Arison, tapped the European Institute of Certified Public Accountants to conduct an internal investigation.
Strange as it may sound, S&B wants to shake off the Israeli connection to the affair, and as far as the parent company is concerned, it shouldn’t have been investigated by the authorities in Israel, despite the anti-graft law. That version suggests that if there was corruption, it is a Kenyan-Swiss affair and the people involved are not Israeli residents, but former Israelis.
“It’s a separate company with a separate board, most of which is Swiss,” says a source near S&B.
“There are Israeli names but they aren’t actually Israelis, they’ve been living abroad for years. The company in Switzerland is materially a foreign company. It operates in Africa and its management and control aren’t in Israel. It doesn’t matter if its profits ultimately reach Israel. What, could a company that receives the profits upstream be a partner in crime, if, heaven forbid, any was committed?”
Clearly, Israeli authorities think otherwise. On February 20, Amit Michles, the detentions judge presiding in Rishon Letzion, referred to the World Bank probe (from confidential information for his eyes only) was known. The police representative at the hearing told the court that the affair concerns the years 2008 to 2012 but now there is new evidence regarding the present.
Two days later at a remand hearing for additional suspects, the police representative said, “A miserable picture arises of S&B systematically bribing government officials with tens of millions of dollars for years, and more, around the world, all to increase its profits. In some cases S&B defrauded banking institutions affiliated with the UN, institutions established for noble purposes such as developing infrastructure in developing countries. If the suspicions turn out to be true, the damage caused to the State of Israel’s image will be hard to estimate.”
‘The bastards changed the rules’
All the suspects vehemently deny the allegations. But some may yet argue that, as Shaham allegedly told Skaf, “that’s how things have always worked in Africa.” Indeed, at a remand extension hearing of Yehuda Elimelech, who managed Solel Boneh Overseas until 2011, his lawyer hinted that until 2010, there had been a certain culture to S&B’s operations in Africa. When the graft law was enacted in 2010, Yehuda asked for a legal opinion about it out of a genuine desire to instill the new norms, she said. Michles answered that the evidence does not support that claim.
Many Israeli companies operate in the third world and traditionally the government ignored the culture of corruption there. But that’s been changing; note the charges against mining magnate Beny Steinmetz regarding alleged graft in Guinea.
“This is a case of ‘the bastards changed the rules,’” says an executive in infrastructure who knows S&B. “Once, bribery was the standard, the norm. But now these countries want to be part of the normal world, and the international institutions, the UN and World Bank, are keeping closer watch.”
We tried talking with past and present directors at S&B, and the few who would talk, off record, claimed to have known nothing about graft in Africa.
Shari Arison’s public-relations machine paints S&B as a company that does operate for profit but has green and ethical values. The fact is that most of the company’s profits stem from the third world. S&B’s EBITDA for 2016 totaled 606 million shekels, of which Africa contributed 65%.
Market sources suspect the affair could hurt the company, especially given the high proportion of its profit stemming from Africa, which implies that it will have to change strategy. The company’s stock has fallen over 20% since the story broke out, reducing its market cap to 2.6 billion shekels. It could fall more if only because of the uncertainty, says an equity analyst. He doesn’t see the company quitting Africa, noting that it has projects in process; but it will have to rethink its strategy for the third world in general.
The Arison Group commented: “As published, S&B is fully cooperating with the investigation and hopes it ends soon on a positive note, as the company has zero tolerance for improper conduct. The group does and will operate to instill high standards of values in everything it does and in every area of its investments. We hope the group’s 27,000 workers and managers in Israel and around the world will continue to work with added value for the economy, society and the environment.”
S&B commented that the claims arise from a lawsuit by one former worker of a foreign group company operating partly in Africa and following that, the company itself contacted European enforcement agencies (where the company resides) and is conducting its own investigation. It added that its companies have always operated by a strict ethical code based on leading international standards and has no tolerance for improper conduct. The company said it could not comment on the claims raised by the police and in the article because of the investigation in process.
Ormat Technologies
Immediately prior to their work at Ormat, several senior Ormat executives and directors worked at Shikun & Binui, a leading Israeli construction company. Shikun & Binui was recently charged by Israeli prosecutors with bribing officials in what are now two of Ormat’s key markets, Kenya and Guatemala.
Ormat’s General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, along with an Ormat director, are under pre-indictment in Israel. This is a formal stage of prosecution just prior to indictment. Ormat has apparently chosen not to disclose that the two are currently in the midst of a criminal prosecution. Both still serve in senior oversight roles at Ormat.
Ormat CEO Doron Blachar’s immediate prior work experience was serving as CFO at Shikun & Binui. The CEO during Blachar’s entire tenure at Shikun & Binui was arrested in 2018 over the above referenced bribery allegations. It is unclear whether Blachar faces eventual risk of indictment as well.
Controversial businessman David Mapili aka Mapili David Mapili is among three people arrested in connection to Sh 88.8M Fraud in Nairobi Kenya.
He was arrested alongside George Ochieng’ Onyango, Mercy Wahiga Wanjiku, and Jackson Kiharo Mwondi for defrauding a Nairobi businessman of millions of shillings in a scheme involving the award of fake government tenders the facts they knew to be false.
The four were on Monday arraigned at a Kiambu Court where they were charged with the offence.
According to the court papers, the accused persons falsely obtained Sh88.8 million from businessman Idris Ahmed Buro.
The DCI believes that the accused person, David Mapili, and his accomplice are part of a cartel that operates within government offices and uses fake letters and Local Purchase Orders to award inexistent tenders to victims.
It is alleged that the four had given Buro three fake tenders amounting to Sh230 million. One of the tenders required him to deliver Panolin Hydraulic Lubricant to the government printer for Sh74.5 million.
Also in the other two contracts, the fraudsters asked him to supply 797 laptops to the ICT ministry for Sh125.9 million and software for Sh28.7 million.
Buro said one of the suspects posed as the acting head of procurement at the Ministry of ICT during the award of the tender. “I would even meet him at the ministry’s offices on either the 9th or 10th floor,” he said.
The businessman says he imported the computers from China and delivered them to the ICT ministry, but was asked to take them to a store in Hurlingham.
Police say they have impounded expensive cars believed to have been acquired using the money received from Buro.
The vehicles include a Ford Ranger double cabin and a brand-new V8 Land Cruiser.
October 2015, Kenya’s show biz industry had one outstanding wedding, in one of the most fancied romance stories, the son of Kisii tied noted with the daughter of Kamba. It’s still clear in our photographic memories how the two went on honeymoon in Dubai and toured the world. They painted a perfect couple goal.
Six months down the line, things took different turn and with one child, the couple separated. Different theories flew around including a supposed affair with Mombasa Governor which was fueled with Betty being seen with a Porsche registered under the governors name.
Poster of Okari bring a guest minister.
Okari went into a deep depression and out of the public eye, we’re told he even contemplated suicide at one point. The weight of the separation must have weighed down on him or maybe he was undergoing other issues but one thing due a fact is he was going through a phase.
While Betty went on with her life as nothing happened, Okari took a whole steps back and repositioned his life. Stories from the NTV newsroom gossiped that the presenter got more introverted and part of his therapy was reading and so many books he read.
Okari kept on with his investigative pieces on NTV and it was only until the recent migration from NMG that he got back on prime time news as anchor. Behind the scenes, Okari metamorphosed into not only inspirational speaker but a graceful preacher.
It is just one amazing story in my view, every situation happens for a reason. If his TV career fails or be decides to quit it all together, he can join the lucrative religious industry and become an instant millionaires to afford cars that he couldn’t previously.
Betty on the other hand changed too, she left KTN and opened a beauty parlor and became a slay queen.
Yesterday Kenyans were disgusted to see our mother Philomena Mwilu being arraigned in court over frivolous charges, even when the real criminals are just moonlighting across 5-Star hotels in Kenya.
This comes under the back-drop of last year’s incident, where her driver was shot dead, by elements believed to be working with the Jubilee regime last year, something which indicates that she’s a marked woman.
The response to this persecution has been overwhelming with top lawyers lining up in the defence of the Deputy Chief Justice, with prominent critics like David Ndii and Miguna Miguna casting aspersions on the character and professional impropriety of the DPP.
That this case had been purposely “leaked” to Githeri Media Nation Media Group, shows that it was being manipulated from Statehouse, because the notorious media house editorial policy is drawn up from there.
The DPP and the DCI need to figure out of they are working for President Uhuru Kenyatta or the Constitution of Kenya. Uhuru can be a very petty and vindictive character who reacts on the slightest impulse, and his input to such important offices can be catastrophic. We remember vividly his threat to the Judiciary when he yelled publicly under the influence of alcohol that “we shall revisit”.
We cannot have someone who is as emotional and irrational as Uhuru, tainting the independent offices of the DPP and DCI.
I also remember when Mike Sonko was setting up Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, he expressly said that Uhuru is controlling/manipulating arrests. What nonsense is this?
DCJ Mwilu when she appeared in court while flanked with a team of 32 senior lawyers led by SC Orengo, Khaminwa, Kalonzo amongst others.
DPP cannot purport to arrest the Deputy Chief Justice, as Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru cat-walks free, as she writes intimidating letters to the EACC, as if they report to her. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) the most corrupt institution in Kenya, cannot purport to be pursuing Philomena Mwilu over peanuts, yet sham “investors” like Vimal Shah and Somali businessmen are evading taxes in the billions.
If you want goodwill, go for known villains. Don’t lump fictitious charges on soft-targets who are victims of the political alignments in the country. It is Kenya’s taxes which are funding these offices, not Brookside Dairies or Heritage Hotels money.
We won’t clap for you when petty thieves of 900,000 Kshs are arrested by your office, when known thieves are walking scot free. The DPP cannot commit his scarce resources to chase for petty thieves of scams below 10 Million and expect public goodwill.
People must now justify their continued stay in office. When you commit over 10 officers to hunt down 6 suspects who embezzled 900,000, does that even make economic sense? Can you spend such expensive man-hours chasing for peanuts? DPP and DCI you need to get your act together.
The people who have “eaten” Kenyans money are well-known. They have built flats, malls, stashed the money abroad and hidden it in their houses. You should be giving us the progress of the recovery of these assets first, and not chasing petty thieves of 900,000. We won’t allow our resources to be wasted in pursuit of petty offenders.
Tell us how far you’ve reached in repossession of Evans Kidero’s assets. Tell us which Governor is going to be successfully tried and convicted. Nab the MP’s who were bribed to endorse a sugar report. Go for the people who brought down Chase Bank and Imperial Bank Limited. We want to see blood of the upper-echelon of corruption.
We are being told that Deputy President William Ruto’s PA Farouk Kibet is being arrested on Friday. That one will be a welcomed image because he represents the face of corruption and impunity. But now when you chase a motherly-figure like Philomena Mwilu, you’re eroding all the gains you’ve made so far. We want Alpha-Females who walk as if they own Kenya, to be apprehended.
My only advise to the DPP and the DCI is to choose your battles wisely. If you needed to shake the Judiciary, you could’ve started with the judge Tonui who took a 200 million bribe from Evans Kidero.
Secondly, those independent office-holders should desist from being used by the petty and emotional clowns working at Statehouse. We are in this current mess because Uhuru consciously allowed corruption to thrive, yet now he’s acting as if he doesn’t know where it came from. Selective-amnesia.
If Uhuru wants to clean up the mess he created, he must do so within the confines of the constitution and not under the influence of his political-biases and petty emotions. Kenyans have no time for his tantrums and petty emotions. His cheap theatrics should be restricted to White House, where he unleashed his fake St. Mary’s British accent.
Kamene Goro is all the way on a downspiral, one a darling of the TV when she debuted on Ebru as an anchor, the cool, sassy Kamene is gone, like Sean Carter said, good girl gone bad the city is filled with them, that line fits like nonsense on this case.
Now a radio presenter on NRG Radio which is curving out a niche as one of the biggest urban radio stations, Kamene has come out of her shell and gone plainly ratchet.
Kamene during her TV days, decent and composed before somebody let the dogs out.
She has a breakfast show that goes along with our boy Kibe(Big up Kibe by the way, only real nigga in these streets). If you’ve listened to the show then you should spare a minute for it, like the rest of many, highly sexual but it’s a relief from the same old Maina stale show with his shambas in ukambani.
Anyway, back to the story at hand, the voluptuous presenter is not who you used to, for those only knowing her on radio. She’s as ratchet as a mother@$*(saying it like Kibe would). Have you seen her Instagram page? She makes your favorite socialites look like amateurs.
Talking Of ratchetness, in a recent show with Kibe and rapper Prezzo involving a drinking the game, the 26-year-old Kamene, after several shots, was asked by the two men to reveal how many guys she has been with under the sheets.
Kamene And Kibe At NRG Radio.
“And please, don’t judge me,” said the curvy presenter in the video before answering.
“We are not here to judge you, we are just here to get the facts and fictions,” Prezzo retorted.
“My body count…Body count is the number of people I have slept with my whole life. My body count currently stands as we speak at 27. Twenty seven d****,” she said.
You don’t go on radio saying such kind of shit, your head gotta be out of normalcy. She’s now a hardened street chic. But I have a feeling much of it has to do with the stations policies. You know sex sells, coz most of you after reading this article will head to her IG page and probably listen to the station so I suppose they have to keep it dirty to get all you perverts on board.
Bonus photo of Kamene.
But how sustainable is this strategy? We’ve had more controversial shows come and die just like the sexual act itself. But you know what whey say, whatever works for you, NRG keep at it and by the way I’m waiting for my cheque over this free publicity. I wonder how longer we’ll have to wait to get celebrities with more than big booty to sell to the youths.
If there are students from a school who act as if God created them specifically on the 8th day, it is ex-students of Mang’u High School. The act as if they’re such hot-shots, who have created life-changing inventions and tout their school as if it’s some Ivy-League institution or something. If hit the scene, they’re always huddled together in groups, pretending to engage in revolutionary discourse.
And being that many were taught how to manage other people’s assets and not create, Mang’u alumni have filled various top-level positions in the country. They’re your typical pilots, doctors, managers and the likes.
But one salient trait amongst them is arrogance. They feel like they’re 1st class citizens, simply because they attended some glorified public school for 4 years. One would think it’s a franchise of some global center of excellence where students start assembling computers by the age of 8 like Japanese kids.
But no. Mang’u is just an over-rated manifestation of 8-4-4, where students were drilled by their teachers that they are “better” than anyone else, and so they develop a tendency of looking down on “others” because their heads are pumped with such unfortunate indoctrination.
Selfishness is a character flaw. And if there are any selfish characters, it’s Mang’u alumni. We profile 4. John Muhoho, Ronald Karauri, Allan “Stylez” Muigai and Justus Muiruri Kirigua.
The arrogance of these four is legendary. They walk as if they own the patent to some genius, community-impacting invention. But last and most-important, they cannot hook brothers up. The most they can do is buy you alcohol and engage in small-talk. They only reserve their time for members of the opposite gender.
Let’s take for instance Allan “DJ Stylez” Muigai. His greatest legacy is shafting young and upcoming DJ’s in the ass. Back when he had the most successful DJ unit in Nairobi, he employed the likes of KayTrixx, Mista T, Mista Dru, and etc. But he would never pay them their salaries. Even today, DJ Stylez is still screwing young folks over, by stealing their ideas or not paying service providers. Such a disgraceful idiot!
Justus Muiruri Kirigua is trending for all the wrong reasons. Another Mang’u alumni whose arrogance stretches from here to China, “Justo” as he’s popularly known in social-circles, runs his father’s Pewin Cabs Limited. He’s basically a Cerelac baby, who is just about to get into the biggest beef in his life.
Despite bribing journalists to include him in the sham “Top 40 under 40” list, Justus was paid a whopping Kshs. 96 Million by the Ministry of Sports, money that was meant to help change the lives of sportsmen and women in the country. Without honor or shame, he masquerades
as if he’s a rocket-scientist, talking a big game in the newspapers, yet he is just a thief who thinks highly of himself.
John Muhoho is the guy always flossing on Instagram with Uhuru’s chopper. Despite controlling his uncle’s campaign kitty, close associates describe him as the most useless piece of shit this side of the Sahara, who can only buy you alcohol but can’t swing you a deal. He’s one of those people who think they know everything and are better than the rest, thus he doesn’t have any friends of his lack of modesty and respect.
Uhuru’s Nephew John Muhoho. These arrogant Mangu Alumnus only helps women, and is very selfish. Despite his proximity to Uhuru, he hasn’t done anything life-changing to society, save for flossing on Instagram with his uncle’s chopper.
Quite unlike his own uncle who whether real or fake, tries to mingle with people from all walks of life.
Then ofcourse we have Ronald Karauri. Even his own high-school fraternity concedes that he hasn’t helped anyone since he got into the big money-league. Karauri suffers from a cocktail of complexes and imagines that since he made an app which has turned the youth of Kenya into betting addicts, he is some sort of latter-day Jehovah Wanyonyi.
These 4 Cerelac babies live for the Gram, showing off their jet-set lifestyles and trying to bag as many chics as possible. They still live in the cannibalistic mindset of the 90’s whereby they think that competition and having a “by any means necessary” approach to progress, is the future of business in Kenya.
And while I concede that not all Mang’u alumni are arrogant pricks like the four I’ve mentioned, there must be some historical perspective that readers can relate with. Mang’u people seem not to be familiar with something called the bro-code. These are salty nigger’s who laugh at the misfortune of their peers. They gossip a lot and only hook up women with deals or any other type of help.
It is this greed and selfishness which mutates into the primitive-acquisition that we have witnessed with the four. Because of the cheap-thrills they get when they impress girls and get “likes” on Instagram, they’re forced to do even crazier stuff so as to gain a step-ahead.
That’s why DJ Stylez will screw guys their money left right and center. That’s why Karauri will derive joy from converting poor kids into betting addicts. That’s why Justus Kirigua will create more fictitious paper-work to bag tenders to supply air at the Ministry of Sports. That’s why John Muhoho will only help women like Jacquie Maribe.
The rat-race has taken these simple minds captive, and they all want to “win” at any cost.
They suffer from another affliction. Because Mang’u was a national school located near Nairobi, they saw themselves as a British Curriculum school, but probably when they interact with now the real people who attended IGCSE schools, they feel inadequate and have to resort to such desperate acts of ripping guys or the system off, in-order to bridge the psychological-gap. It’s some form of narcissism.
These are all mentally disturbed characters. And the sooner other men shun them, the better.
In less than three months, Kenya’s premier media organisation, Nation Media Group (NMG), has lost close to 80 per cent of its key journalists and columnists to its rivals.
Such a mass exodus of professionals from one entity is unprecedented in the history of the Kenya’s media. So what is happening at the Nation Centre?
For a media house that is known for its rather cold-hearted poaching of good journalists from other media houses, the shoe is now on the other foot as the media giant appears to falter, with its star journalists scrambling out as if the house were on fire.
Gloom hangs in the air at the converged newsroom on the third floor of Kimathi Street’s most famous address, as both journalists and managers wonder who would be the next to walk out of thegrand “House the Aga Khan build” in the early 1990s as a testament to the NMG’s dominance of the regional media business.
While NTV, the media company’s TV station, has haemorrhaged all its familiar faces – Linus Kaikai, Jamila Mohammed, Victoria Rubadiri, Larry Madowo, Pamela Asigi among many others – the newspapers have lost not only their best news journalists, but also their most outstanding columnists.
Already, the effect of the departure of the media group’s best men and woman is being felt, with the quality of news falling further behind the competition.
The group’s newspapers have now become infamous for a low-brow, unethical form of journalism derided by teachers of journalism as “vendetta journalism”.
The editing standards have slumped, with embarrassing typos sticking out of editorial pages everyday like sore thumbs, to use a cliché.
So what has happened to the once revered media house?
Journalists are unequivocal: Nation’s editorial management has fallen in the wrong hands with intolerance, partiality, corruption and selfish interests taking precedence over the duty to inform.
Tom Mshindi.
Self-serving editors (fingers are being pointed at two senior ones) have captured the media group and woe unto the journalist that dare cross their path.
Unable to stand the unethical and unprofessional behaviour of the two condescending men, referred to as “the two musketeers”, conscientious journalists are walking out in droves.
Those that would not conform to the whims of these two men are being pushed out under the guise of restructuring, which at the Nation is euphemism for victimisation.
Insiders are clear that the retrenchments are used by managers to victimise employees they hate or who would not entertain unethical and unprofessional instructions from compromised editors.
The shenanigans at the Nation is evidence that the biggest threat to media freedom in Kenya today is not the state or the corporate world, but senior editorial managers who have sold the soul of the media to the highest bidder.
Every journalist now knows that some editors, especially those of the publicly listed media houses, have captured their respective media and are using their influence for personal gain, mainly by supporting the political elite of the day in exchange for material favours.
It is common knowledge that quite a number have joined the league of “tenderpreneurs” – people who use influence to secure government tenders for which they are overpaid.
For instance, everyone at NMG knows that at least two editors have benefited immensely from government tenders over the last one year, making them join the ranks of the rich. According to a journalist who spoke with The Nairobi Law Monthly, the Editor-in-Chief holds controlling shares in 360 Degrees Media Consulting, together with MKU founder Simon Gicharu, which, along with Oxygene PR, are said to have been the local partners of Cambridge Analytica.
Simon Gicharu.
Through them, Cambridge Analytica developed online media campaigns that portrayed Raila Odinga as a blood-thirsty individual who is also sympathetic to Al Shabaab and having no development agenda. On the other hand, Uhuru was portrayed as being tough on terrorism, and being good for the economy. The said editor has since won lucrative government tenders in the communication sector.
These shenanigans have attracted the eye of NMG’s majority shareholder, the Aga Khan, who, a couple of weeks ago deployed a special team from Aiglemont Estate, France, to probe activities in Nairobi.
Aiglemont Estate is the global headquarters of His Highness The Aga Khan and it is the seat of the Board of Directors that oversees his businesses around the world.
As a businessman, the Agha Khan is gravely concerned about the company’s performance and has reportedly been asking very tough questions.
It is not clear what the special team has recommended but it is widely expected that senior heads will roll. As an indication of things to come, one of the group’s more honest editors, Eric Obino, who had been elbowed out for refusing to toe the line of the “musketeers” was recently reinstated.
The mess created in the editorial department of NMG has, naturally, negatively affected the company’s books, with financial results for last year showing a huge drop in earnings.
The media house recorded an embarrassing 20 per cent drop in profit before taxation last year, earning a disappointing Ksh1.95 billion, from Ksh2.46 billion in 2016. Consequently, the share value has tumbled from about Sh300 to about Sh100 today.
Despite last year being an election year, which is usually a good season for media, both advertising and circulation dropped. Advertising revenue dipped by more than 40 per cent while there was an almost 50 percent drop in circulation.
Reports indicate that the circulation of the Daily Nation has dropped from a high of 180,000 copies per day to about 90,000. Saturday Nation’s sales have nosedived from more than 260,000 copies to about 150,00 while the Sunday Nation which used to hitmore than 320,000,is now at about 180,000.
The media group is reaping what it has been sowing for a while now. Kenyan consumers of media are a fairly sophisticated lot who have no time for a sloppy, dishonest news media. Consequently, they have taken their eyeballs and their money elsewhere.
While the departure of the star TV journalists led by Kaikai dealt a huge blow to NTV, the departure of the columnist undermined the daily and weekly newspapers’ claim to leadership as an opinion shapers.
The eight leading columnists resigned two months ago, citing lack of editorial independence and undue censoring of their articles by especially the two notorious editors. By resigning, the columnists Maina Kiai, George Kegoro, Muthoni Wanyeki, Gabriel Dolan, and Rasna Warah, Gabrielle Lynch, Nic Cheeseman, and Kwamchetsi Makokha gave NMG the contempt card.
Some have already relocated to the Standard, Nation’s main competitor, whose fortunes have soared since the appointment of Joe Odindo, one Kenya’s best editors, as editorial boss. Their readers have followed suit.
“We are aware that the singular privilege to contribute comes with the tacit compact to promote and protect intellectual freedom, freedom of expression and freedom of information, which anchor freedom of the media,” they said as they departed.
At one time, there were rumours that President Uhuru Kenyatta was planning to buy the majority stake from the Aga Khan and that some NMG managers had been briefed to deliberately bring down the publicly listed company so that the president could buy it on the cheap. However, the NMG management later clarified that the Aga Khan did not plan to sell his shares.
Kenya’s democracy is evidently on the decline and the media have contributed immensely to this lamentable state of affairs. As the institution placed in the unique position to safeguard democracy, media’s performance over the last few months has been very disappointing.
Like fake preachers, media (or individuals within it) have abused the trust people have in them to promote either their selfish interests, or the interests of people in power. While NMG stands out because of its position and reach, the others are not innocent either.
Details have emerged on how a murky deal masterminded by a Nairobi businessman could make the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) lose prime land.
Mr Peter Muthoka, the man at the centre of the CMC Motors saga, secured Sh510 million in April 2010 from Standard Chartered Bank using the land as security without disclosing the terms of the financing facility to KAA.
At the time, KAA had no information on the loan period or repayment terms. As a result, the State corporation risks losing the land within the cargo terminal area at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Land lease
Through his company, Transglobal Cargo Centre, Muthoka secured the loan on the basis of a 60-year lease granted on the land KAA owns.
Documents in our possession reveal Transglobal now wishes to borrow an additional Sh350 million using the same land as security, and is seeking consent from KAA.
The deal has effectively exposed KAA to the possibility of losing the land in case Transglobal cannot repay the loan. Alternatively, KAA would have to take over the loan to save the land because it was kept in the dark on the nature of risk assumed by Transglobal was concerned.
“The charge documents do not disclose the terms of the financing of the facility and therefore the Authority has no information on the loan period, repayment terms, conditions for drawdown,” states a letter by KAA lawyers addressed to Joy Nyaga, KAA acting company secretary.
Moreover, the letter seems to question how KAA agreed to the long-term lease on the land with limited options to terminate it. According to the lease agreement that commenced on October 1, 2008, Transglobal was granted the land for an initial period of 20 years and automatic extension for another 20 years “without the requirement for the tenant (Transglobal) to express any intention to have the initial term extended.”
Lack of response
The agreement further states KAA shall grant Transglobal a further 20 years meaning the lease can extend to 60 years at the option of Transglobal.
Calls to Peter Muthoka’s cellphone went unanswered. Besides, KAA agreed into the long-term concession without taking into account that Transglobal could fall into financial difficulties and be liquidated or restructured.
“The authority has no right to veto the transfer of shares in Transglobal to third parties. For 60 years, the power of decision making over the part of the Authority’s land has been handed over to persons who are not under the Authority’s control,” states the letter.
Transglobal Cargo, which is licensed by KAA to provide cargo handling services at JKIA, procured the loan in 2010 ostensibly to construct a cargo handling facility at the airport on a build, operate, transfer (BOT) arrangement. Although naturally at the expiry of the lease KAA would inherit the new building, this is not a guarantee.
“The Authority does not appear to have rights to acquire the fixtures, plant and equipment, which form the core of the cargo handling business,” states the letter by Albert Mumma and Company Advocates, commissioned by KAA to investigate the transaction.
STORY UPDATED
A parliamentary committee has resolved to summon the Treasury secretary, the National Land Commission and a commercial bank to explain how an airport land title was used by a private firm to secure a loan of Sh510 million.
The Public Investment Committee (PIC) said Standard Chartered Bank will be required to appear before it to provide the legal authority it used to extend the loan to Transglobal Cargo Centre Limited.
Kenya Airports Authority managing director Jonny Anderson.
PIC grilled the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) managing director Jonny Anderson over the lease agreement that it entered with Transglobal Cargo for use of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport land.
This is after Auditor-General Edward Ouko said in an audit of KAA that the logistics company, associated with billionaire businessman Peter Muthoka, secured the charge on airport land for a Sh510 million loan from the Standard Chartered Bank.
“We will summon the CS Treasury, NLC and Standard Chartered bank to know how Transglobal secured an I.R number which it used to secure the loan without the authority of the Treasury. We also want to know how the original lease of 20 years was extended to 40 years and latter 60 years,” PIC chairman Abdulswamad Nassir said.
He said the committee wants to establish from NLC whether the I.R number had been used to acquire a title deed for the leased airport land.
PIC put Mr Anderson to task to name the persons who authorised the use of the lease to secure the bank loan and those behind the extension of the lease period from the original 20 years.
“I am not in a position to respond if the extension of the lease was approved by the board or not. But we can provide the name of the managing director and members of the tender committee who approved the 20 year lease to Transglobal,” Katherine Kisila, the KAA company secretary told MPs.
Transglobal Cargo Centre signed the 20-year lease agreement with Transglobal to operate freight services at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
The widely reported HIV prevalence rates in the Nyanza region have been overstated, according to new data presented at an international conference in the United States.
Findings from a study conducted by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Kenya (CDC-Kenya) indicate that HIV prevalence in Nyanza is significantly lower than previous national estimates.
While national figures have long placed Nyanza’s HIV prevalence at 16.1%—the highest in Kenya—new research puts the figure at 12.6%. Similarly, Homa Bay County, previously reported as having a prevalence rate of 26.6%, is now estimated at 19.9%.
The study, which began in 2011, was carried out by a team of researchers from Kemri, CDC-Kenya, the National Aids Control Council, the National Aids & STI Control Programme, and the University of Amsterdam. It was presented by CDC-Kenya Director Kevin de Cock at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston.
Led by Peter W. Young of CDC-Kenya, the study compared national estimates with data collected directly from the field.
The findings suggest that past national estimates may have overstated the region’s HIV burden, potentially influencing policy and funding decisions.
These revised figures could lead to adjustments in Kenya’s HIV/AIDS intervention strategies, ensuring that resources are allocated more accurately to affected populations. The conference, which has brought together global experts on HIV/AIDS, concludes today.
Former President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi on Thursday told the court that Equity Bank chief executive James Mwangi was conned out of Sh300 million in believing that he was selling him a contested prime parcel of land in Nairobi.
Mr Mwangi through his company Muthaiga Luxury Homes Ltd bought the property through Andrew Sunkuli and Samson Omwanza Ombati Advocate.
Mr Moi, through his advocate Fred Ngatia, said Mr Sunkuli and the lawyer are strangers to him and that he did not authorise the two to sell the property.
Mr Moi said upon learning of the alleged sale of the land, he made inquiries regarding Muthaiga Luxury Homes Ltd’s claim of purchase, and established that Samson Omwanza Ombati Advocate was questioned by Directorate of Criminal Investigations due to the complaint filed by the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa).
The 30- acre property in Nairobi, initially owned by Mr Moi, is claimed by Equity Bank boss, the USIU-A and US-based businessman George Kiongera.
The former President reckons he sold the prime piece of land in upmarket Muthaiga North Estate for Sh500 million to Mr Kiongera in June and has never dealt with DPS International.
Mr Ngatia says in court papers that upon being requested to furnish evidence of the instructions from the former President to himself, to act as Mr Moi’s advocate, Samson Omwanza Ombati was unable to present the instructions.
“This was for the reason that Mr Moi had never authorised the said person to act on his behalf in any sale of the property,” Mr Ngatia argues in the court papers.
Mr Ngatia said the money paid by Mr Mwangi’s Muthaiga Luxury Homes Ltd, to Omwanza Ombati was consumed by the advocate.
“Accordingly, Mr Moi did not receive any consideration for the purported disposal,” Mr Ngatia argued.
Billionaire Mwangi claimed he paid Mr Moi Sh300 million for the land in 2012.
Mr Moi said in court papers that at no point did Muthaiga Luxury Homes Ltd hold any discussions with him for the purchase of the said parcel of land, adding, “It is inconceivable that a transaction could have been agreed upon without any consensus by the contracting parties”.
The former Head of State explained that the sale of the land to Muthaiga Luxury Homes Ltd appears to have been a well-orchestrated scheme by Samson Omwanza Ombati Advocate and Mr Sunkuli to divest him of his property.
“Mr Moi to date retains the original certificate of title for the suit property which therefore means the documents used to register a transfer in favour of Muthaiga Luxury Homes Ltd were forgeries,” lawyer Ngatia.
Mr Ngatia said the alleged letter of instruction held by Samson Omwanza Ombati and Andrew Sunkuli is dated December 15, 2012, seven months after the fraudulent sale was concluded.
Mr Moi is seeking an order directed at the chief land registrar to nullify the transfer allegedly made by him to Muthaiga Luxury Homes Ltd, dated April 12, 2012 and registered on May 2, 2012.
