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A receptionist at the National Hospital Insurance Fund bought eight houses worth Sh160 million between 2013 and 2017 at an upmarket estate in Athi River. He also owns a chain of car and carpet-cleaning businesses across Nairobi valued at Sh50 million. They are managed by his wife whom he married at a lavish wedding held at Safari Park at a cost of ...

British lawyer Khawar Qureshi yesterday said he has what it takes to have Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu convicted. Qureshi was on Wednesday hired by DPP Noordin Haji to lead the prosecution in Mwilu's corruption case. Quresh said he has the experience and insights required to handle the high-profile matter. Yesterday, the Queen's Counsel arr...

Dating older men has become the cool thing among many young career women and college girls. Two of them shared their experience with the Star of six years with male 'sponsors'. The phenomenon itself has long existed before this generation, but the term 'sponsor' was introduced recently to refer to older men who date young women and give them money.

Motorists and passengers were on Saturday caught up in a traffic snarl up between Mlolongo and Kyumbi towns along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.The heavy traffic was caused by hundreds of participants who turned up for the Cerebral Palsy Awareness Walk 2018.The walk was organized by Doors of Hope NGO to mark the World Cerebral Palsy Day celebrated on...

Heavy traffic built up on Thika Superhighway on Tuesday on both sides of the stretch between Githurai and Kasarani.Protesting residents barricaded the road using bonfires amid reports they were unhappy about slow police response to an accident.A witness said a matatu lost control and plunged into a dam by the roadside on Monday night but police fai...

Five NCPB officials, an assistant chief, and a trader have been arrested by EACC sleuths probing the loss of Sh5.6 billion at the cereals board. The seven are set to be charged in court on Tuesday.Investigative agencies are probing the loss of Sh5.6 billion in questionable payments for maize delivered to the National Cereals and Produce Board.They ...

Kenya has in the past two months been treated to the spectacle of women with two husbands. Polyandry, like polygamy, is the marital or social relationship in which a woman is married and may cohabit with more than one man in the same house. 

Deputy President William Ruto should seek the blessings of opposition leader Raila Odinga if he ever wants to be the President, ODM has said. “Raila will decide when he retires from politics. As things stand now, he is still the force that dictates the political agenda in this country,” former Embakasi South MP Irshad Sumra said. The politicians sp...

Former Nairobi governor Evans Kidero has been picked up by EACC officers for interrogation over a corruption case he is facing. Kidero was picked at his Muthaiga home after detectives raided on Thursday morning.

A farm owned by Deputy President William Ruto's family is being investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission over its supply of maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board. On October 17, the EACC wrote to the Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund stating that 62 firms or entities were “of particular interest to EACC enquiries”. One of...

ODM leader Raila Odinga's daughter Rosemary has said she is adjusting to her new life after losing her sight. Making her first appearance on Tuesday at the Raila Odinga Educational Centre, Rosemary said she will continue with her initiatives which include implementing projects in Kibera. She donated 60 sewing machines to the institution, which will...

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, is said to have left her personal assistant in tears with her demands, it has been claimed. After working with the royal for just six months, Melissa Toubati handed in her notice because it had gotten 'too much' for the 39-year-old, it is claimed.

Vera Sidika and Otile Brown have been playing their East African fans. It turns out that before the two split, they were running pure publicity stunts.According to an article posted yesterday by Tanzania’s Dizzim, a close friend to Otile said the Deja Vu hitmaker wrote Vera Sidika’s song Nalia, a song the socialite has made her debut with.

Embattled NHIF chief executive Geoffrey Mwangi and the acting finance director Wilbert Kurgat have been sent on compulsory leave pending the court's decision on their case. In a statement, NHIF board chairperson Hannah Muriithi said the two have been replaced in the interim by Nicodemus Odongo and Bernard Njenga respectively. Muriithi said the deci...

While some Central Kenya leaders are accusing President Uhuru Kenyatta of neglecting development in his own backyard — some of their constituents are blaming lawmakers themselves for failing to do their job. There is mixed reaction in the region over the meeting MPs held on Monday in Naivasha, and claims that the region has been taken for granted n...

Two activists have filed a constitutional petition seeking to declare that the next General Election should be held in August 2021 and not 2022.Okiya Omtatah and Wycliffe Gisebe say that holding the elections in 2022 will be unconstitutional as the term of the current elected leaders will have exceed the “fifth” year term limit.The two argue that t...

King of the jungle or not, one sheepish lion got more than he bargained for after a proud lioness gave him a good telling off following a mating session. Photographs show the lioness roaring at her male counterpart who looks shocked by her displeasure. The dramatic images, captured by Shayne McGuire during a visit to the Massai Mara in Kenya, show ...

A parliamentary team has recommended that Treasury should comply with a court ruling and allocate political parties 0.3 per cent.The amount is equivalent to Sh5 billion of the current national audited accounts.The National Assembly Special Funds Committee in its report tabled in the House notes that critical operations of the parties have stalled d...

Two university students drowned in River Yala while taking selfies in Bondo, Siaya County on Saturday evening. The two, Derrick Auka a third-year student at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology and Shallete Atieno of Bondo Technical Training Institute, were on a scenic tour of the area before the incident occurred. Area chief...

Two employees of the fake doctor Mugo wa Wairimu were on Thursday charged with operating a pharmacy and laboratory without a license. Victor Kamunya alias Doctor Victor and Risper Ogony were also charged with operating a lab without a license from Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board.

Betting firm SportPesa plans to list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange in the first quarter of next year. This may see it rank among 10 biggest companies on the exchange if the Initial Public Offer (IPO) goes on as planned.

The Privatisation Commission has approved sale of 26 state-owned corporations to raise funds to support the budget. 

President Uhuru Kenyatta has banned the importation of fish from China. Uhuru said the Chinese fish was strangling the local market. He spoke on Tuesday at the Strathmore University during the 2018 SMEs conference. "I have been told about the imported fish from China. It is not possible that we import Chinese fish when our local traders are here," ...

Two witnesses have defended a lawyer accused of forging a will of prime land in Karen and Upper Hill in Nairobi.Businesswoman Agnes Kagure and Thomas Mutaha have accused lawyer Spencer Elm of fraud.Kagure claims she bought the disputed land in Karen from the original owner, Roger Bryan Robson for Sh100 million in 2011, but Spencer was planning to t...

The arrest and prosecution of three top athletics officials over the Sh55 million Rio Olympics scandal came as a surprise to the suspects. They believed the matter had been sorted in December 2016. Former DPP Keriako Tobiko had directed then DCI Muhoro Ndegwa to arrest and prosecute former Sports CS Hassan Wario and PS Richard Ekai over the scandal...

Matatu operators have called off the nationwide strike which saw many Kenyans walk to work on Monday. Federation of Public Transport Operators chairperson Edwin Mukabana, on behalf of the operators, apologised to commuters for the incovenience."We are sending our apology to passengers. We will be back on the road. We are sorry that vehicles had bee...

Hundreds of commuters were stranded in various Nairobi routes on Monday after police stepped up the crackdown on non-compliant matatus. The operation, which kicked off on Sunday, saw many operators keep off the roads in fear of arrest.  A senior traffic officer at the Buru Buru police divisional headquarters told the Star they are targetting vehicl...

Attorney General Paul Kihara has allowed Queen's Counsel Khawar Qureshi to practice as an advocate in Kenya but should only focus on Deputy Chief Justice  Philomena Mwilu graft case.In a notice on Thursday, Kihara said Qureshi's authority to practice is only limited to the above matter and connected proceedings arising.Qureshi is also required to m...

Former NTV political reporter Richard Chacha and three others have gone to court seeking damages for a 2012 accident that left two of them paralysed. Chacha, Emmanuel Tallam, Faith Kaimuri, and Ephantus Mwangi have named Linus Kaikai as the respondent. They want him held responsible for negligence being the owner of the vehicle in the accident case...

Listen, I am happy you are having a baby, really I am. But let us get one thing clear, it’s your baby, not ours! When did all this madness start?In my day, which was not too long ago for your information, one of the ladies would volunteer to bake a cake. We had to eat cake. Another would make snacks, and it would all be washed down with tea. The ve...

Wananchi Group, owner of pay and internet TV firm Zuku, plans to exit the Kenyan market after almost two decades of business. The firm, according to Bloomberg, has contracted a US sales consultant Lazard Limited to work on a potential sale plan as top investors with combined shareholding of 85 per cent look to exit the firm currently embroiled in a...

One person was killed and two others injured on Tuesday morning in an accident on Waiyaki Way.The deceased was hit by a taxi driver while trying to cross the road.The taxi driver tried to avoid hitting the pedestrian when he lost control of the car and ended up rolling into a ditch.Read: 9 injured in Morning crash on Waiyaki Way (Photos)The driver ...

County governments are still blowing billions of shillings on dubious projects that deny the public much-needed services. The Auditor General’s report on 2016-17 expenditures by county executives reveals widespread financial anomalies, unsustainable projects and imprudent ventures. It also reveals a litany of dead projects and suspect procurement n...

Mombasa governor Hassan Joho's family is back in the export and import business, eight months after the Handshake. The company placed a banner on the SGR container reading, “Autoports Freight Terminal Limited - your navigator in the logistics world - supporting the SGR." KPA ordered the closing of Portside and Autoports freight terminals in 2016 am...

Migori governor Okoth Obado is on the spot for the third week running after it emerged yesterday that detectives are pursuing what is believed to be suspicious transfers of county funds to his children abroad. The Star has also established that asset recovery agencies have frozen the bank accounts of Obado's wife, Hellen Adhiambo Odie, five busines...

Migori Governor Okoth Obado is set to spend another night in remand at the Industrial Area Prison pending the ruling of his bond application on Tuesday. The governor, when he appeared before Justice Jessie Lessit on Monday, denied killing Rongo university student Sharon Otieno.

DPP Noordin Haji has appointed Queen's Counsel Khawar Qureshi to lead the prosecution of high profile corruption cases.Qureshi has taught commercial law at Cambridge University and public international law at King's College London.He was appointed a visiting professor in commercial law at the University of London in 2006 and a deputy High Court jud...

Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Joe sang has opted not to seek a second term as the board launched investigations into the oil company loss.The company lost 11.646 million litres — 5.956 million in spillage and 5.69 million to pilferage between March 2017 and May 2018 in nine separate incidences."The board received and accepted Sang's lett...

Kenya has welcomed investigations into the possible professional misconduct of former ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in handling the 2007 post-election violence cases.Suspects in the collapsed cases accused Ocampo and his officers of coaching witnesses to make up evidence against them on the violence that left 1,300 Kenyans dead.There have been ...

The US has deported 104 Kenyans between 2017 and early 2018.The data is contained in the latest update of America's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detainees and dated December 2017.

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has suspended the ban on matatus from entering the CBD with immediate effect.“I have noted with deep concern the plight of city residents as a result of the ban, and hereby announce that the full implementation of this directive has been suspended with immediate effect,” Sonko said in a statement on Tuesday.He said this ...

On the eve of Jamhuri Day in December, 2012, the Supreme Court delivered an advisory opinion sought by then Attorney General Githu Muigai in which the majority opined that “legislative measures for giving effect to the one-third-to-two-thirds gender principle, under Article 81(b) of the Constitution and in relation to the National Assembly and Sena...

Jonathan Moi, a son of former President Daniel arap Moi, has suffered a major setback after he lost a legal battle involving 1,000 acres of public land he sold to the National Social Security Fund 24 years ago.  On May 16, 1994, Ankhan Holdings Limited, a company associated with Jonathan, sold land said to be part of Ngong Forest to NSSF and pocket...

Opposition leader Raila Odinga will receive an honorary degree from the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University for his immense contribution to Africa. The university said in an advert placed in the MyGov pages on Tuesday that Raila will receive the honorary degree on December 14, 2018 in recognition of his immense contribution to the society. The univer...

A 68-year-old father of nine scored 232 marks in the KCPE exam. Gabre Lemita, a grandfather of 12, sat the exam as a private candidate in Marsabit at the Moyale Township Adult Centre. He looks forward to going to secondary school and is optimistic of proceeding to college to pursue his dream of an education. The best pupil in Marsabit got 430 marks...

Migori governor Okoth Obado has been arrested. Obado was arrested in a Nairobi hotel and moved to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters for interrogation. 

Stranded, running and struggling for 'over costly' matatus. This is what Kenyans countrywide went through after operators withdrew their services on Monday over the enforcement of Michuki rules. The crackdown left thousands of PSV commuters exposed to crews taking advantage of the crisis to hike fares.

Police sought 15 days to detain Migori governor Okoth Obado for further investigations into the illegal gun possession case.   The governor was on Thursday arraigned at the Kibera law court before Chief Magistrate Joyce Gandani. This was a day after he was arrested for allegedly keeping eight guns, some unlicenced, in his house. 

Four KCSE candidates have been deregistered by the examination council and discontinued from sitting the exam on charges of cheating. Education CS Amina Mohamed said the candidates were caught with "foreign material and documentation" in examination rooms ahead of Mathematics Paper 2. Three cases were reported in Garissa while the other was reporte...

A receptionist at the National Hospital Insurance Fund bought eight houses worth Sh160 million between 2013 and 2017 at an upmarket estate in Athi River. He also owns a chain of car and carpet-cleaning businesses across Nairobi valued at Sh50 million. They are managed by his wife whom he married at a lavish wedding held at Safari Park at a cost of ...

The Privatisation Commission has approved sale of 26 state-owned corporations to raise funds to support the budget. 

Migori governor Okoth Obado is on the spot for the third week running after it emerged yesterday that detectives are pursuing what is believed to be suspicious transfers of county funds to his children abroad. The Star has also established that asset recovery agencies have frozen the bank accounts of Obado's wife, Hellen Adhiambo Odie, five busines...

President Uhuru Kenyatta has banned the importation of fish from China. Uhuru said the Chinese fish was strangling the local market. He spoke on Tuesday at the Strathmore University during the 2018 SMEs conference. "I have been told about the imported fish from China. It is not possible that we import Chinese fish when our local traders are here," ...

Embu’s top KCPE student Telvin Gichuki says he was inspired by Opposition chief Raila Odinga and would like to become a civil engineer just like the Nasa leader. The 13-year-old former student of Tenri Primary School in Embu town scored 434 marks out of 500. Gichuki on Monday told reporters he would like to study civil engineering at the university...

Listen, I am happy you are having a baby, really I am. But let us get one thing clear, it’s your baby, not ours! When did all this madness start?In my day, which was not too long ago for your information, one of the ladies would volunteer to bake a cake. We had to eat cake. Another would make snacks, and it would all be washed down with tea. The ve...

As Chinese influence continues to grow rapidly in Zambia, the state-owned Times of Zambia newspaper has come up with an ingenious way of increasing their revenue - by publishing today's lead story in Mandarin. The article quotes President Edgar Lungu as saying Zambia "will not look east or west - we will look forward and go with whoever wants to go...

The EACC has embarked on the use of Bible study to boost the commission's fight against corruption. The commission, chaired by retired Anglican Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, launched the Bible Study Guide together with the Inter-Religious Sector on Wednesday.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has employed 45 people in the last two weeks at the Presidential Delivery Unit in a bid to build his legacy. The contracts of the current team hired in 2015 have expired, but the government has not officially communicated if it will reassign the officials.

Wananchi Group, owner of pay and internet TV firm Zuku, plans to exit the Kenyan market after almost two decades of business. The firm, according to Bloomberg, has contracted a US sales consultant Lazard Limited to work on a potential sale plan as top investors with combined shareholding of 85 per cent look to exit the firm currently embroiled in a...

As world leaders and conservationists descended on London last week for the Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Conference, the burning question in their minds was: How can trade in ivory, especially in Asian countries be contained? The fear is that Africa’s elephants could go the way of dinosaurs. Some 20,000 jumbos are killed each year — 55 every single...

A farm owned by Deputy President William Ruto's family is being investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission over its supply of maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board. On October 17, the EACC wrote to the Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund stating that 62 firms or entities were “of particular interest to EACC enquiries”. One of...

Citizen TV celebrity anchor Jacque Maribe may not be charged but might become a prosecution witness against her fiance, Joseph Irungu, alias Jowie. This is because she has recanted her earlier statement to police explaining how Irungu was shot. Irungu is the prime suspect in the murder of businesswoman Monica Nyawira in Kilimani. He denies wrongdoi...

Would you like to get the latest headline news from Kenya and around the world directly to your WhatsApp inbox?  Join the Star WhatsApp Group by following these simple steps.  We will send you one or two of the most important news stories of the day. 1. Click on the on this link or the WhatsApp button below on your phone to create a new contact

Five senators have been cleared to fly to Tokyo, Japan for a 14-day trip to watch the Women’s World Volleyball Championships which starts tomorrow. The five are Irungu Kang’ata (Murang’a), Christopher Lagat (Bomet) and nominated colleagues Beatrice Kwamboka, Victor Prengei and Christine Zawadi. They will each pocket not less than Sh1.2 million in p...

At least 17.4 million Kenyans are living below Sh92.4 per day, latest World Bank data on poverty rates shows. This is below the International Poverty Line set at Sh191.33 per person per day, using 2011 Purchasing Power Parity conversion factors. Neighbouring Tanzania has 20.7 million of its population living below Sh54.98, while 17.3 million Uganda...

A South Sudanese surgeon, who has spent two decades helping the sick and injured in the war-torn east African nation, was on Tuesday announced the winner of a UN prize for treating tens of thousands of people forced to flee violence and persecution.Evan Atar Adaha - a 52-year-old doctor who runs the only hospital in northeastern Maban county - was ...

Kenya Airways is planning direct flights to Somalia’s capital Mogadishu; days after regional rival Ethiopian Airline said it will resume flights to the destination from November 2. Ethiopian Airlines suspended its operations in Somalia following the outbreak of hostilities between the two countries in the late 1970s. Speaking to the Star on phone, ...

Deputy President William Ruto has said no one will be spared, not even his friends and relatives, in the fight against corruption. He said the combat against theft of public resources will be thorough and relentless, adding that his office will lead the fight.Ruto said the government is keen on winning the war as it seeks to elevate Kenya into an u...

Three rebel Jubilee MPs now want DP William Ruto and his allies investigated over the maize and fertilizer scandals in the country.Alfred Keter of Nandi Hills, Joshua Kuttuny (Cheranganyi) and Sila Tiren of Moiben said Ruto is squarely to blame for problems facing maize farmers.They accused the DP of giving farmers false promises and asking them to...

I like to view myself as a bumptious journalist. For in a war of ideas, journalists move from being mere observers to participants in any society.  I have always believed that nothing matters most in the business   than the pursuit of truth for it is at the heart of good journalism. 

President Uhuru Kenyatta has on several occasions said he wants his legacy to be that of winning the war on graft.However, the reality on the ground seems to be different if the audit of expenditure committed by his office is anything to go by. A report by the Auditor General revealed that the President's office cannot satisfactorily account for ov...

President Uhuru Kenyatta joined other world leaders Monday during the launch of a global partnership through which the UN seeks to get every young person into quality education, training or employment by 2030.The new initiative, a partnership between the United Nations Youth Strategy 2030 and Generation Unlimited, aims at catalysing pro-youth actio...

Absentee West Pokot deputy governor Nicholas Atudonyang’s long professional sojourn in the United States has sparked off protests.Students have given him a week to show up and work or resign from the post.Atudonyang practices in Texas. However, he is also supposed to be the county Health executive although he is hardly ever in Kenya. Atudonyang spe...

The Standard Gauge Railway has not been useful in reducing transport cost for manufacturers as it was expected, a new study by Overseas Development Institute shows.The report titled ‘How to grow manufacturing and create jobs in a digital economy: 10 policy priorities for Kenya’ attributes the less impact of the SGR to an increase in delays for clea...

The government chemist has established that flasks with asbestos pellets can cause cancer. The agency said flasks are widely used in the country. "Inhaling fibres of asbestos material is toxic and can lead to cancer of the abdomen and asbestosis (cancer of the pleura)," a report signed by S. G. Njoroge, on behalf of the government chemist, says. Th...

Kenya has in the past two months been treated to the spectacle of women with two husbands. Polyandry, like polygamy, is the marital or social relationship in which a woman is married and may cohabit with more than one man in the same house. 

A court in the UAE jailed a woman for three months for looking through her husband's phone without him knowing. The woman's husband filed a lawsuit against her, accusing her of violating his privacy, and she was put on trial. A court in Ras Al Khaimah - the northernmost emirate of the United Arab Emirates and known for its Arabian Gulf beaches - fo...

Mombasa governor Hassan Joho's family is back in the export and import business, eight months after the Handshake. The company placed a banner on the SGR container reading, “Autoports Freight Terminal Limited - your navigator in the logistics world - supporting the SGR." KPA ordered the closing of Portside and Autoports freight terminals in 2016 am...

Isuzu East Africa yesterday suffered a blow after City Hall banned its two-high capacity buses from city routes over design concerns.The county government yesterday said the buses do not meet the specifications set out by the Ministry of Transport and the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.“We will not allow them on our roads because if ...

In Kenya, appointment to public office through a political process is a poisoned chalice. Rarely do you get into office and leave happily. Many who genuinely wanted to serve the people of Kenya have wrecked their careers because of the intrigues that visited them soon after they signed below the dotted line to accept the appointment.

A committee on Monday allowed Kenya to withdraw from the illegal ivory trade monitoring process, sparking outrage from conservators. The decision was reached by the Standing Committee to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES). Tanzania, Uganda, Thailand, and Philippines have also been exempted fr...

Last year, amid election tensions, Kenya had the highest inflation in five years of eight per cent. This coincided with its highest suicide rate of 421 in every 100,000 people. This year, increased taxation by a government burdened with debt has further raised the cost of living. And as times get harder, more suicides are being reported. With less ...

President Uhuru Kenyatta and CBK Governor Patrick Njoroge have unveiled the new generation coins that begin to circulate today. Uhuru on Tuesday unveiled the new currency as stipulated under the 2010 Constitution.    The currency becomes legal tender today with the issuance of new coins as it has now been gazetted.

Auditor General Edward Ouko has revealed massive theft and plunder at the Nairobi county amounting to billions of shilling in unaccounted funds. The 2016-17 report was tabled yesterday by Senate Majority leader Kipchumba Murkomen. Ouko pointed to a porous revenue collection system at City Hall, where only 22 per cent of the revenue collected made i...

Fresh, Independent, Different

ODM leader Raila Odinga's daughter Rosemary has said she is adjusting to her new life after losing her sight. Making her first appearance on Tuesday at the Raila Odinga Educational Centre, Rosemary said she will continue with her initiatives which include implementing projects in Kibera. She donated 60 sewing machines to the institution, which will...

Environmental management and Water Resources authorities have given a developer of a residential property in Nyayo Highrise, Nairobi 14 days' demolition notice. The National Environment Management Authority and WRA, in a notice to the Edermann Property on Friday, said the building sits on Nairobi Dam's riparian reserve. The developer has also been ...

Rozinah Mwakideu, the former wife of Pastor Robert Burale, has confirmed that they broke up because he was deep in debt and a liar. “I would receive calls now and then from people and police saying Robert had unsettled debts,” she told Massawe on Radio Jambo. Unbeknown to her, most of Robert’s income was going towards settling debts.

Usually, when people get into trouble and know their phones and laptops will be seized by the police, the first instinct is to delete everything.Some people will tell you that you are safe wiping your phone or laptop and deleting all its content. This is however not the case as demonstrated by cybersecurity experts over the last couple of years.Wit...

The anti-graft agency estimates that beleaguered Migori governor Okoth Obado’s rural home is worth more than Sh100 million. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission says in court papers that the palatial home is a symbol of the vast amount of wealth the second-term county chief has amassed.

Industrialist Vimal Shah has recommended that MCAs should not be paid and instead volunteer their services.Speaking yesterday at the on-going Senate Speaker’s roundtable at Leisure Lodge, Kwale county, Shah said those who want to serve as members of the county assembly should be offering their experiences or expertise for free.

With good reason, Africa is excited over the prospects of sharing in the multi-trillion maritime industry, with the continent’s Agenda 2063 envisioning the blue economy as a foremost contributor to transformation and growth. The United Nations has described Africa’s oceans, lakes and rivers as the “new frontier of the African renaissance”.

Kenya has been listed as one of the three of African countries with a wide network of ivory trafficking rings.A study published in the journal Science Advances says a DNA sampling technique on elephant tusks exposed the rings.The study was led by Samuel Wasser , a director of the University of Washington Center for Conservation Biology.

On the eve of Jamhuri Day in December, 2012, the Supreme Court delivered an advisory opinion sought by then Attorney General Githu Muigai in which the majority opined that “legislative measures for giving effect to the one-third-to-two-thirds gender principle, under Article 81(b) of the Constitution and in relation to the National Assembly and Sena...

A storm is brewing in Deputy President William Ruto's Rift Valley stronghold following what his allies call a calculated strategy to purge the community's top technocrats from government. The fury came just a day after Kenya Pipeline Managing Director Joe Sang resigned in what some described as a 'polite' sacking by the State.

The anti-graft agency has extended the corruption probe against beleaguered Migori governor Okoth Obado and his alleged proxies beyond Kenyan borders. In documents seen by the Star, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission says that months to last polls, Obado and his children travelled to Australia carrying Sh4.5 million. In Australia, Obado laun...

At least a third of MPs lack bachelor's degrees. Details that have been made public show a peculiar mad dash for post-secondary qualifications between 2012 and 2017. This means that up to 116 MPs have either a diploma or a certificate. The academic qualifications of the 349 members of the National Assembly published on Parliament’s official website...

Kenyans continue to feel the pinch of tax increase after signing into law of the new finance bill. Prices of commodities have skyrocketed while income remains stagnant. Some are even losing source of income due to layoffs as businesses restructure to survive tough economic times.

We're often warned over the importance of drinking plenty of water a day, but it turns out there is such thing as too much.Problems caused by dehydration are widely known, but experts have cautioned that over-hydration can also lead to serious health impacts and even death.The average adult requires between 3-4 litres of water a day but kidneys can...

Absentee West Pokot deputy governor Nicholas Atudonyang’s long professional sojourn in the United States has sparked off protests.Students have given him a week to show up and work or resign from the post.Atudonyang practices in Texas. However, he is also supposed to be the county Health executive although he is hardly ever in Kenya. Atudonyang spe...

Embu’s top KCPE student Telvin Gichuki says he was inspired by Opposition chief Raila Odinga and would like to become a civil engineer just like the Nasa leader. The 13-year-old former student of Tenri Primary School in Embu town scored 434 marks out of 500. Gichuki on Monday told reporters he would like to study civil engineering at the university...

Industrialist Vimal Shah has recommended that MCAs should not be paid and instead volunteer their services.Speaking yesterday at the on-going Senate Speaker’s roundtable at Leisure Lodge, Kwale county, Shah said those who want to serve as members of the county assembly should be offering their experiences or expertise for free.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has banned the importation of fish from China. Uhuru said the Chinese fish was strangling the local market. He spoke on Tuesday at the Strathmore University during the 2018 SMEs conference. "I have been told about the imported fish from China. It is not possible that we import Chinese fish when our local traders are here," ...

As Chinese influence continues to grow rapidly in Zambia, the state-owned Times of Zambia newspaper has come up with an ingenious way of increasing their revenue - by publishing today's lead story in Mandarin. The article quotes President Edgar Lungu as saying Zambia "will not look east or west - we will look forward and go with whoever wants to go...

Dear Moha, I hope you have been better since we last talked three weeks ago . I decided to pen you an open letter today because I have seen promos on social media concerning an expose #DuniaGunia you intend to make public. Not only am I doing this as a friend but also as someone you have mentored ..have summoned many times and guided whenever I mad...

President Uhuru Kenyatta joined other world leaders Monday during the launch of a global partnership through which the UN seeks to get every young person into quality education, training or employment by 2030.The new initiative, a partnership between the United Nations Youth Strategy 2030 and Generation Unlimited, aims at catalysing pro-youth actio...

President Uhuru Kenyatta has on several occasions said he wants his legacy to be that of winning the war on graft.However, the reality on the ground seems to be different if the audit of expenditure committed by his office is anything to go by. A report by the Auditor General revealed that the President's office cannot satisfactorily account for ov...

Detectives are still detaining Citizen TV journalist Jacque Maribe over the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani. A source privy to the investigations said Maribe was arrested on Saturday after investigators recovered some documents, among them a wallet and a handbag believed to belong to Monica at Jacque’s house in Royal Park, Lang’ata. More peop...

A receptionist at the National Hospital Insurance Fund bought eight houses worth Sh160 million between 2013 and 2017 at an upmarket estate in Athi River. He also owns a chain of car and carpet-cleaning businesses across Nairobi valued at Sh50 million. They are managed by his wife whom he married at a lavish wedding held at Safari Park at a cost of ...

Migori governor Okoth Obado is on the spot for the third week running after it emerged yesterday that detectives are pursuing what is believed to be suspicious transfers of county funds to his children abroad. The Star has also established that asset recovery agencies have frozen the bank accounts of Obado's wife, Hellen Adhiambo Odie, five busines...

A farm owned by Deputy President William Ruto's family is being investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission over its supply of maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board. On October 17, the EACC wrote to the Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund stating that 62 firms or entities were “of particular interest to EACC enquiries”. One of...

The anti-graft agency has extended the corruption probe against beleaguered Migori governor Okoth Obado and his alleged proxies beyond Kenyan borders. In documents seen by the Star, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission says that months to last polls, Obado and his children travelled to Australia carrying Sh4.5 million. In Australia, Obado laun...

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has confirmed that October 10 is a public holiday. However, he did not make a pronouncement in the manner in which the day will be marked or celebrated by Kenyans.  Moi Day was removed from the list of national holidays following the promulgation of the Constitution in August 2010. A court ruling in Novembe...

A court in the UAE jailed a woman for three months for looking through her husband's phone without him knowing. The woman's husband filed a lawsuit against her, accusing her of violating his privacy, and she was put on trial. A court in Ras Al Khaimah - the northernmost emirate of the United Arab Emirates and known for its Arabian Gulf beaches - fo...

Migori MCAs have kicked off moves towards impeaching embattled governor Okoth Obado, who was charged with Sharon’s murder in Nairobi on Monday. By 6pm yesterday 23 of the 60 members of the county assembly had signed the petition to remove Obado on grounds of integrity. They say he has disgraced himself and his position has become untenable. But the...

The anti-graft agency estimates that beleaguered Migori governor Okoth Obado’s rural home is worth more than Sh100 million. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission says in court papers that the palatial home is a symbol of the vast amount of wealth the second-term county chief has amassed.

Listen, I am happy you are having a baby, really I am. But let us get one thing clear, it’s your baby, not ours! When did all this madness start?In my day, which was not too long ago for your information, one of the ladies would volunteer to bake a cake. We had to eat cake. Another would make snacks, and it would all be washed down with tea. The ve...

A suspect in the murder of a woman who was found dead in a Kilimani apartment last Thursday has been arrested. Joe Irungu was questioned at the Kilimani police station over the killing of 29-year-old Monica Kimani. The woman's lifeless body was found in a bathtub at her house by relatives who went to check on her on Friday. A senior police officer ...

Kibra MP Kenneth Okoth plans to introduce a Marijuana Control Bill, 2018 with a view to decriminalising the growth and use of bhang.He revealed this in a letter to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi on Friday.The lawmaker said amnesty measures should be instituted for the removal of criminal records against citizens with prior convictions of m...

Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri yesterday said he is ready to resign if his dignity is rubbished over the maize scandal.Responding to MPs at Parliament Buildings, Kiunjuri said he will not accept to be intimidated because he is a family man.Kiunjuri told the National Assembly’s Agriculture committee his dignity matters to him more than being a Cabin...

Environmental management and Water Resources authorities have given a developer of a residential property in Nyayo Highrise, Nairobi 14 days' demolition notice. The National Environment Management Authority and WRA, in a notice to the Edermann Property on Friday, said the building sits on Nairobi Dam's riparian reserve. The developer has also been ...

ODM leader Raila Odinga has allegedly blocked Miguna Miguna on Twitter denying him audience on his social media account. Miguna revealed the development on Saturday morning terming it as a cowardly move. He said Raila's move will not cloud the planned release of his new book "TREASON: The Case Against Tyrants and Renegades". "It's going to be an ex...

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i has said foreigners should apply for work permits from their home countries before seeking work in Kenya. The Interior CS also warned that Kenya will not issue work permits to foreigners for jobs which Kenyans are skilled in. "We will also not issue or renew thousands of permits to those people pursuing courses such as ac...

Deputy President William Ruto has said no one will be spared, not even his friends and relatives, in the fight against corruption. He said the combat against theft of public resources will be thorough and relentless, adding that his office will lead the fight.Ruto said the government is keen on winning the war as it seeks to elevate Kenya into an u...

Seven universities cannot account for huge sums of money, Auditor General General Edward Ouko says in a report highlighting widespread financial mismanagement. In his 2016-17 report, Ouko flagged many suspicious transactions. He cited missing crucial transaction records, unexplained expenditures, violation of procurement regulations, unsurrendered ...

Attorney General Paul Kihara has allowed Queen's Counsel Khawar Qureshi to practice as an advocate in Kenya but should only focus on Deputy Chief Justice  Philomena Mwilu graft case.In a notice on Thursday, Kihara said Qureshi's authority to practice is only limited to the above matter and connected proceedings arising.Qureshi is also required to m...

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has been banned from ever stepping in Uganda. In a letter from the Ugandan minister of internal affairs Haji Abubakar to Kenya's CS foreign Affairs Monica Juma, Babu is accused of undermining President Yoweri Museveni's government. “Our attention is drawn to the joint subversive activities of Robert Kyaglanyi popularly k...

Citizen TV celebrity anchor Jacque Maribe may not be charged but might become a prosecution witness against her fiance, Joseph Irungu, alias Jowie. This is because she has recanted her earlier statement to police explaining how Irungu was shot. Irungu is the prime suspect in the murder of businesswoman Monica Nyawira in Kilimani. He denies wrongdoi...

The Foreign Affairs ministry has promised to conduct conclusive investigations into the shooting of a Kenyan priest based in Cameroon.Father Cosmas Ondari was allegedly shot dead by Cameroonian soldiers outside his church in Mfame. The defence forces have denied responsibility in the shooting saying the clergyman was gunned down by assailants. 

Police in Eldoret have seized a lorry ferrying fish allegedly from China and arrested several suspects.The lorry was being offloaded at a garage located near Action area along the Eldoret-Iten road.Uasin Gishu governor Jackson Mandago said he spotted the lorry on Friday evening on his way home and after he confronted its owners, he found them offlo...

I like to view myself as a bumptious journalist. For in a war of ideas, journalists move from being mere observers to participants in any society.  I have always believed that nothing matters most in the business   than the pursuit of truth for it is at the heart of good journalism. 

Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi has cautioned church leaders against accepting looted money from politician in the name of harambees.Mudavadi on Saturday said it’s high time for all church leaders to start emulating true principles founded on biblical values.He said the church has lost its foundation in leading people to God and rat...

The Standard Gauge Railway has not been useful in reducing transport cost for manufacturers as it was expected, a new study by Overseas Development Institute shows.The report titled ‘How to grow manufacturing and create jobs in a digital economy: 10 policy priorities for Kenya’ attributes the less impact of the SGR to an increase in delays for clea...

Jamaican reggae star Tarrus Riley has shared the inspiration behind his most famous song, Just the way you are.The reggae star, who is in the country, said the song is about giving confidence to women because that is what they need.

Five senators have been cleared to fly to Tokyo, Japan for a 14-day trip to watch the Women’s World Volleyball Championships which starts tomorrow. The five are Irungu Kang’ata (Murang’a), Christopher Lagat (Bomet) and nominated colleagues Beatrice Kwamboka, Victor Prengei and Christine Zawadi. They will each pocket not less than Sh1.2 million in p...

Three rebel Jubilee MPs now want DP William Ruto and his allies investigated over the maize and fertilizer scandals in the country.Alfred Keter of Nandi Hills, Joshua Kuttuny (Cheranganyi) and Sila Tiren of Moiben said Ruto is squarely to blame for problems facing maize farmers.They accused the DP of giving farmers false promises and asking them to...

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission yesterday formally sacked CEO Ezra Chiloba who has been on suspension since April. Chiloba had been indicted by the commission’s internal audit report which revealed taxpayers could have lost millions in flawed procurement of goods and services for the 2017 General Election.

A 68-year-old father of nine scored 232 marks in the KCPE exam. Gabre Lemita, a grandfather of 12, sat the exam as a private candidate in Marsabit at the Moyale Township Adult Centre. He looks forward to going to secondary school and is optimistic of proceeding to college to pursue his dream of an education. The best pupil in Marsabit got 430 marks...

Former Kakamega senator Bonny Khalwale has declared his support for DP William Ruto but fell short of saying he had quit Ford Kenya. He said he made the decision after realising it will not be possible for any other candidate to defeat Ruto in 2022. "I have long experience in Kenya's politics and I know it's not possible to defeat a government cand...

ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi wants the Kenya Revenue Authority to audit politicians donating millions of shillings to churches. The Nasa principal wants the taxman to establish the source of the money and if the people involved are meeting their tax obligations. Speaking yesterday when he attended a service at Ruaka PCEA, Kiambu county, Mudavadi sai...

At a time when regimes are determined like never before to confiscate the truth and clamp down on social media usage, journalism has to be accurate and infested with irrefutable facts that are tested and explained with all evidence checked out and verified. Any smart news consumer irrespective of political affiliation should be able to understand t...

Stolen Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) materials worth over Sh1 million were on Saturday found at the home of Naromoru MCA Martin Matu.The DCI has summoned the ward representative to report to the Railways DCIO on Monday. The politician faces the charge of stealing several rolls of Geogrid - material used to enforce concrete.

At least 17.4 million Kenyans are living below Sh92.4 per day, latest World Bank data on poverty rates shows. This is below the International Poverty Line set at Sh191.33 per person per day, using 2011 Purchasing Power Parity conversion factors. Neighbouring Tanzania has 20.7 million of its population living below Sh54.98, while 17.3 million Uganda...

President Uhuru Kenyatta has employed 45 people in the last two weeks at the Presidential Delivery Unit in a bid to build his legacy. The contracts of the current team hired in 2015 have expired, but the government has not officially communicated if it will reassign the officials.

It is not in doubt that Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji is fresh blood, somewhat.A lawyer by training, Haji appears incorruptible and my guess is he is a devout Muslim who puts Allah first. Such adherents abhor anything along the lines of haram (evil).

The decomposing body of the missing daughter of Githongo Law Courts magistrate Caroline Kemei has been found at Gitoro Forest in Imenti North, Meru county. The body of 9-year-old Marrybelle Kapolon, who was kidnapped on September 6, was discovered on Sunday night. The incident occurred as the girl was heading home from Consolata Primary School alon...

Education CS Amina Mohamed has appointed Julia Ojiambo as the chairperson of the University of Nairobi council.In a gazette notice dated September 6, the CS further appointed Wanjiku Muchemi, Flora Maghanga, Jocelyn Rarieya, Hassan Mohamud, and Isaac Kiprop as members.The lot will serve in the top varsity organ for a three-year period, ending the o...

In Kenya, appointment to public office through a political process is a poisoned chalice. Rarely do you get into office and leave happily. Many who genuinely wanted to serve the people of Kenya have wrecked their careers because of the intrigues that visited them soon after they signed below the dotted line to accept the appointment.

Baringo Senator Gideon Moi has said he will support the call for a referendum as it will bring down the cost of living."The new governance came with a cost which Kenyans seem ready to review having tasted and felt how it is," Gideon said in a statement to newsrooms.He said the constitution acknowledges the people as supreme and therefore have a rig...