Netizens fire back at Kriss Darlin after remarks on Jahmby Koikai’s death

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June 5, 2024

Reggae deejay Kriss Darlin found himself on the receiving end over an insensitive statement following the death of media personality Njambi Koikai.

Following news of Njambi’s passing, Kriss hit out at people mourning her death accusing them of not standing with her when she needed help.

He mentioned that people were quick to post photos with her yet they could not even donate blood when she asked for help.

“It’s now time to post pictures with the departed but when she asked and needed blood donations and help nobody posted pictures,” Kriss wrote on Instagram.

However, this statement did not sit well with a lot of people who lashed out at Kriss including comedian Njugush who insinuated that Kriss and Njambi were not in good times.

blessednjugush: But Kris you should be the last to speak, you know what you put her through.

anyikowoko: Jahmby doesn’t deserve this weird comment. A lot of people and friends posted about the blood request and have in other instances. There are people who also help or have helped don’t post. Let’s just celebrate her and be positive. That’s what she would appreciate.

xclusivedeejay: Sasa mnagate keep how people will mourn? Ahh surely, people support in different ways sio kila mtu lazima atoe damu. There are people who would pray for her, maybe send her an encouraging message. I’m sure this sounded smart when typing but it’s not.

hillas_hillary: Disappointed you can even reason like that. For the last 17 years she has battled the disease wewe peke yako ndio ulimsupport ama unasema nini? So we can’t mourn regardless? Mourning is personal and a lot of people were championing for her always. To others she was a motivation, an entertainer and many more.

deejay_hertical: My good brother this is uncalled for. When she asked for blood many of us who had the love shared her concerns, and I’m sure there are those who donated. But even if it’s not blood some of us prayed for her. Prayers are everything. And when a person dies you can’t avoid good friends and people who knew her to post her pictures. Even you and me God forbid people will post us. It shows love we had for her. Who can prevent death?

Rihanna announces launch of haircare product line Fenty Hair

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John Mutiso

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June 5, 2024

American singer and businesswoman Robyn Rihanna Fenty is making major business moves after she revealed her haircare product line on Tuesday.

Rihanna, the founder of Fenty Beauty, Skin and Fragrance, will this month launch the latest expansion of the beauty brand that made her a billionaire.

Taking to her social media accounts, the Don’t Stop the Music megastar shared that a new family is moving in, making reference to Fenty Hair.

“It is time to finally have the hair experience you’ve been waiting for. You know how much switching my hair up matters to me,” she wrote.

“I have had almost every texture, colour, and length, from weaves to braids to natural, so I am launching a flexible line of products for not only every hair want, but every single product is designed to strengthen and repair all types of hair, which is what we truly need.

The 36-year-old singer launched Fenty Beauty in partnership with the French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH in 2017.

The African personal care and cosmetics sector was said to be worth billions of rands and would grow even bigger.

According to reports, in 2021 she was owning an estimated 50% of the company.

The cosmetics brand then launched the skincare line Fenty Skin in 2020 and the perfume brand Fenty Fragrance a year later.

She was inspired to create Fenty Beauty & Fenty Skin after years of experimenting with the best of the best in beauty and still seeing a void in the industry for products that performed across all skin types and tones.

Rihanna’s brands have largely targeted more diverse audiences and women of color, in addition to some products for men.

In 2022, she officially launched her brand in South Africa and eight other African countries, including Botswana, Kenya, and Nigeria.

Rihanna also owns 28% of the popular lingerie company Savage x Fenty.

Former NITA Boss Paul Kosgei Charged Over Tender Scam, Freed With Ksh.3M Bond

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Cyrus Kimanga

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June 5, 2024

The Former National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) Director General Paul Kipsang Kosgei has been charged with abuse of office in a tender scam case, two days after his successor was charged with a similar offence.

Kosgei was arraigned at the Milimani Anti-Corruption court, where he faced charges of conferring a benefit of Ksh.5.3 to Xponics Limited by authorizing payments to the company in respect of the tender for the supply, delivery, installation, commissioning, training, service, maintenance and repair of sewing and training machines.

According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly committed the said offence between January 31 and March 29, 2019 while he was still the managing director at NITA.

The former MD pleaded not guilty to the charge before Principal Magistrate Zipporah Gichana and was granted a Ksh.3 million bond with an alternative cash bail of Ksh 1 million.

Cash-strapped Copia Suspends Operations In Six Kenyan Towns

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John Mutiso

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June 5, 2024

Copia Global, a Kenyan B2C e-commerce platform that allows retailers to shop and restock essential goods using a mobile app or USSD, has stopped taking orders from Central and Eastern Kenya one week after cashflow challenges forced it to go into administration.

The new administrators have cut back on Copia’s markets to preserve cash as it seeks new investors. The six affected markets are Naivasha, Machakos, Meru, Embu, Kericho, and Eldoret.

The staff working in the depots that serve the affected markets have been sent on leave. On May 16, the company said it would lay off over 1,000 workers. The company has 900 permanent employees and 200 casuals on its payroll.

Anne Mwihaki, Copia’s director of human resources, told employees via email that the company would inform “all external stakeholders, including agents, customers and transporters.”

In a separate email, Makenzi Muthusi, one of the administrators appointed by Copia, assured employees that the firm had funds to cover May salaries but delayed the disbursement because they “were unable to complete the administrative tasks relating to the bank accounts.”

Copia Kenya appointed Muthusi and Julius Ngonga of KPMG, an audit and advisory firm, to help turn around operations and raise fresh capital for the Kenyan unit.

“As a follow-up to our previous communication on the administration process, as a reminder, the objectives of the administration are to maintain the company as a going concern, and the administrators continue to work with management to raise capital from new investors for the Kenya business,” Mwihaki said.

Copia, once a darling of venture capitalists–including US’s DFC and GoodWell Investments–received $123 million in funding but failed to turn on profit. The company sought to turn informal rural kiosks into a multi-billion digital retail platform linking customers directly to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturers to lower product costs.

At its peak, Copia had 1,800 staff and over 50,000 agents spread across Kenya’s Western, Nyanza, Central, and Eastern regions. In 2022, the firm opened a hub in Uganda but closed after a year, stopping its pan-African expansion ambitions.

Azimio Anti-Govt Protests: DPP withdraws criminal case against Babu Owino, 6 co-accused

By

Cyrus Kimanga

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June 5, 2024

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino alias Paul Ongili was on Monday freed of charges of conspiracy to commit chaos or subversive activities.

Babu was freed alongside self-styled ghetto president Calvin Gaucho with five others.

Milimani chief magistrate Lucas Onyina withdrew the case after the DPP through its prosecution counsel James Gachoka told court that they intended to have the case withdrawn.

” The DPP having gone through the charges and a decision by a High Court judge who nullified section 77(1) of the Constitution under which the accused persons were charged with as unconstitutional “, Gachoka told court.

Gachoka told chief magistrate Onyina that the DPP could not continue with the trial of the seven since it is unlawful.

Defence lawyers led by Danstan Omari told court that the charges were political and the prosecution’s application to withdraw signifies that it was political.

“The dpp pressed charges against the accused persons knowing it was political, we are happy that they have applied withdaw knowing the charges are flimsy”, Dancun Okatch said.

The magistrate allowed the application by the ODPP to withdraw the case saying the section under which they were charged was declared unconstitutional by a High Court in Nakuru.

“Having taken note by both the prosecution and the defence lawyers, I therefore allow the termination of the card under section 87A in lieu of the fact that the section under which the seven were charged is unconstitutional by a higher jurisdiction”,magistrate ruled.

The matter was marked as closed.

Babu and the six others were in 2023 charged with conspiracy to commit subversive activities by planning and participating in demonstrations.

Babu, Gaucho were charged alongside Tom Ondongo Ong’udi, Michael Otieno Omondi, Pascal Ouma, Kevin Wambo and Willys Owino Baraka.

President Ruto Formally Invites South Korea’s President for the Officially Opening of KENYA-AIST

By

Vanessa Kariuki

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June 5, 2024

President William Ruto, on the sidlines of the Korea-Africa Summit invited South Korea’s President Yoo, to Kenya during the official opening of Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KENYA-AIST) which is nearing completion.

“I take this opportunity to invite Your Excellency to join us during the opening ceremony. We are confident that this institution will be a prominent showcase of Africa-Korea scientific and technological collaboration,” he added.

KENYA-AIST is a postgraduate-only state institution that was founded in 2021 and is modelled after the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

The university’s founding was intended to address the scarcity of highly qualified engineers that the nation and the region would require in order to propel Kenya towards industrialization by 2030.

President Ruto expressed gratitude to President Yoo for helping to establish the institution, which will be strategically significant to the country because innovation, science, and technology are seen as key drivers of Kenya’s rapid modernization and transition to a middle-income status.

Kenya, South Korea Sign KSh.63 Billion Concessional Development Funding

By

Vanessa Kariuki

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June 5, 2024

A KSh63 billion concessional development funding agreement was signed by South Korea and Kenya on the margins of the Korea-Africa Summit. The agreement includes KSh30 billion for the Konza Digital Media City Project.

The project in Konza Technopolis, according to President William Ruto, will strengthen Kenya’s digital ecosystem.

This is part of a larger government initiative to increase possibilities for the youth of Kenya to participate in the digital and creative economies.

Ruto further praised Korea for its support of Konza Technopolis under the Economic Innovation Partnership Programme.

Among the ongoing joint projects between Kenya and Korea, he included the creation of Bus Rapid Transit Line 5, the Nairobi ITS, the dualing of the 78km Machakos Junction-Emali Road, water supply and sanitation for the Konza Technopolis, and the Vaccine Production Project.

President Ruto also mentioned Kenya’s keen interest on enhancing trade relations with Korea to attain balanced trade between the two friendly nations.

“Although the balance of trade currently favours Korea, we have an opportunity to work together to reduce this imbalance,” he stated.

He went over additional areas of collaboration that Kenya and Korea are exploring, such as manufacturing, green industrialization, and maritime development, and mentioned that through technical alliances, infrastructural development, and capacity building, Kenya seeks Korea’s assistance in growing the semi-conductor industry.

“Kenya aspires to be a manufacturing and technology leader on the African continent. We invite Korean expertise to help meet our energy demands, including expanding our renewable power mix to incorporate nuclear energy,” he said.

President Yoon pledged, on his part, to improve Kenyan-Korean relations for the sake of both countries’ populations.

According to him, Korea is prepared to assist Kenya in achieving its ambitious transformation goal in the areas of technology, infrastructure development, and water and dam projects.

State sets up campaign secretariat to help Raila clinch AU bid

By

John Mutiso

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June 5, 2024

The Kenyan government has established a campaign secretariat to help political leader Raila Odinga in cementing his bid for chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).

Speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Nairobi, Cabinet Secretary (CS) Musalia Mudavadi stated that they had a consultation discussion with Mr. Odinga and his team to discuss the levels of readiness for the AU’s plum job.

While exuding confidence in Odinga’s ability to win the seat, Mudavadi stated that the government will fully back the nation’s candidate and will provide all the support needed.

“We have no doubt that the candidate will pursue excellence in line with the continent’s collective aspirations of the Africa we want in 2063 as framed in the AUC development framework,” he said.

To demonstrate his commitment, Mudavadi stated that Odinga’s candidacy campaigns will now be driven by the state, and the newly formed secretariat will work closely with Mr. Odinga’s consulting team.

“It will prepare all the briefs for use by the candidate, develop campaign materials including digital presence, and prepare for the public debate to be broadcast live for African citizens,” said Mudavadi.

“The team is firming up preparatory and application documents together with requisite translations of the resume into 6 languages; Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, French, English, and Kiswahili.”

He stated that submission preparations will be completed by the end of June, ahead of the regional submission deadline of August 6, 20204.

Public debates will be held six months before the election.

Mr. Odinga, for his part, hailed the government’s offer and stated that he is eager to collaborate closely with the appropriate teams to help him achieve his monumental goal.

“With committed and proper coordination between my team and the government, we should be able to clinch the seat. We agreed that synergy is going to be critical as we embark on the next steps that include the submission of my application,” said Odinga.

“On my own, I am making all efforts to tap into my experience, relationships and understanding of the continent to win the support of as many nations as I can.”

Odinga added that he has received heartwarming affirmations from “senior government officials” willing to join his journey to the AUC chairperson seat.

CS Mudavadi added that deliberate efforts by President William Ruto to lobby for support from other African states have borne fruit and “so far our candidature has been positively received”.

Odinga will have to take the ring against Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Youssouf and Somalia’s former deputy prime minister and current member of the Federal Parliament Fawzia Yusuf.

If Odinga clinches the job he will serve from 2025 to 2028.

The seat is set to fall vacant next year as its current occupant, Chad’s Moussa Faki, is set to finish his second term.

Faki was first appointed in 2017 and won a second term in 2021.

Antonio Conte Named New Napoli Coach

By

John Mutiso

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June 5, 2024

Former Chelsea and Tottenham coach Antonio Conte was hired by Napoli on Wednesday as the deposed Serie A champions try to bounce back from their disastrous league title defence.

“Welcome Antonio,” the club’s president and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis wrote on X, formerly Twitter, accompanied by a photograph of Conte signing his contract.

Conte, who has also coached Juventus and Inter Milan, has signed a three-year deal which according to Italian media is worth eight million euros ($8.7 million) per season.

He is the fifth Napoli coach of the last year in a chaotic period for the club which in the 2022-2023 season won their first Serie A title since 1990, when Diego Maradona was still strutting his stuff.

But the coach who won the title, Luciano Spalletti, left last summer and southern Italy’s biggest club went through three managers on their way to a dismal 10th-place finish this season.

Napoli ended the season 41 points behind new champions Inter as Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona all failed to live up to Spalletti’s historic title win.

Spalletti is now in charge of the Italian national team.

Conte has been charged with taking Napoli back up the table, and has a pedigree which will give fans hope of a quick turnaround in fortunes.

The 54-year-old has won four Serie A titles, three with Juve and one with Inter in 2021, and was also a Premier League winner with Chelsea in 2017.

Conte will almost certainly have to do without star striker Victor Osimhen, who is a target for some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

However Napoli’s other key forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is under contract until 2027 and Conte has reportedly demanded that the Georgia winger not be sold despite reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

Narok County Bans Private Cars In Maasai Mara Game Drives

By

John Mutiso

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June 5, 2024

Tourists visiting Maasai Mara Game Reserve will no longer use private vehicles for game drives.

This follows a directive by the Narok county government in efforts to control the flow of tourists into the world-famous park to protect its ecosystem.

On Monday, the county government banned the use of private vehicles for game drives within the Maasai Mara game reserve to control traffic ahead of the wildebeest migration set to kick off in June 2024.

In a letter dated June 3, 2024, and signed by Chief Park Administrator Alex Nabaala, the county government says the directive is in line with the Maasai Mara Management plan that was endorsed last year.

“The vehicles that will be used during game drives are safari trucks, safari Land Cruisers, and safari vans only and no private vehicles will be allowed into the reserve,” said Nabaala in the letter copied to all the gates section commanders and all airstrip commanders.

In a press release on Wednesday morning, Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu affirmed that private cars will no longer be used inside the park due to noise pollution and unauthorised gatherings.

“…there is littering of the park, noise pollution, unauthorised gathering ( kupiga sherehe and partying),” the County said the vices contravenes protocols in the reserve.

According to the Governor, private car users have been displaying blatant misconduct inside the park flouting park regulations and endangering their lives.

“There are numerous reports of misconduct by the drivers and the occupants of the private vehicles displaying blatant disregard for reserve regulations” noted Ntutu.

Narok County further accused private car users of taking off road navigations for their own pleasure, later necessitating rescue operations that run into the night.

“Sanctioned vehicles will be accompanied by proficient guides extensively trained in reserve protocols to ensure safety and compliance.”

Majority of the private car users into the park have been using the option to cut cost and maximise parties in the wild.

All the private cars will now have to be parked outside the Sekenani gate as adventurers will be forced to pay more to acquire the authorised cruisers into the park as well as an extra cost to the tour guides.