Three Tanzanian fishermen who were rescued by a cargo ship after getting stranded at sea for 3days and two nights, arrived safely at the port of Mombasa last evening.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Hafith Abdalla, 17, Musa Silima, 18 and Silimani Zidini, from Tanagani area in Pemba survived without food or water after their dugout canoe that was on a fishing expedition, capsized following a heavy storm.

“Their hopes to return to their families with a handsome catch were turned into a nightmare, as the three spent over 55-hours in the high seas playing hide and seek games with sharks and other deadly sea creatures to save their lives,” the DCI said.

The three had set sail for the high seas early Saturday morning at around 4 am, on a non-motorized canoe.

But mid-through their voyage, their canoe came under a torrential storm accompanied by strong tidal waves that swept it off, tossing the fishermen into the raging waters.

“Miraculously, the trio fought through the storm and strong winds spawned by a surge of the northeast monsoon and managed to get hold of the vessel, which they floated on the water once again and hopped aboard,” the DCI added.

But with their paddles gone with the tides, the fishermen lost control over the canoe and with the shore being tens of nautical miles away, they resigned to their fate drifting deep into the sea by wind and tide.

“All this while, sharks crisscrossed daringly inches from the canoe as if marking time for the slightest provocation, before tearing the ill-fated vessel apart and devouring the terrified occupants in a single bite! But the fishermen knew better. They remained calm and clung on to hope for survival.”

Luckily on Monday evening, the captain of a bulk ship MV Ince Atlantic spotted the canoe with stranded occupants within the Kenyan territorial waters. The Captain reported to the Kenya Ports Authority control tower and was advised to assist the three and disembark them in Mombasa.

“The ship’s crew members rescued the panic-stricken trio and gave them food, water, clothing and a place to sleep before ferrying them up to the outer Port limits of the Mombasa port yesterday,” the DCI further narrated.

The Tanzanian consular was immediately notified and after interviewing the three, he established that they were Tanzanian nationals.

Plans are currently underway to ensure that they are repatriated back home and reunited with their families.

Following the ongoing crackdown on counterfeit products in the market dubbed ‘Operation Uchumi,’ detectives have escalated the crackdown to suspects manufacturing fake counterfeited Kenya Revenue Authority stamps and arrested six suspects.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Peter Mburu, James Kigera, Frankline M’Mburia, Mary Wanjiku, Titus Ndegwa and Jane Muthoni were rounded up yesterday in different parts of the city and counterfeit stamps including those from Tanzania Revenue Authority and Uganda Revenue Authority recovered.

“One of the suspects Titus Ndegwa who was arrested at his residence in Thindigua was found to be a civilian firearm holder whose firearm a Glock pistol, loaded with 9 rounds of ammunition was confiscated,” the DCI noted.

The suspects are currently in custody at Muthaiga Police Station being processed for arraignment.

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) unearthed a syndicate of major suppliers of the banned plastic bags in various parts of the country including Nairobi.

According to the agency, this was done through one of the suspects who was arrested in possession of the bags inside a mini-supermarket.

The suspect then volunteered to take the officers to the supplier in exchange of his freedom.

The supplier goes by the name Akley Bakers.

“Our environmental inspectors backed by the local police and NEMA’s police laid a dragnet for the suspect,” Nema said.

However, the suspect got wind of the plan from sympathetic neighbours where she is believed to have a major store.

Some of her accomplices were arrested as the officers are in pursuit of the supplier who remains at large.

According to a new report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the average number of sexual partners among Kenyan men is 7.4.

The report, dubbed the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, found out that the average number of sexual partners among Kenyan women is 2.3.

In the report detailing trends in sexual behaviour among Kenyans, 35 percent of men reported having sex in the last 12 months with a person who was neither their wife nor living with them compared to 19 percent of women. 

“A higher proportion of men (15%) than women (4%) reported having two or more sexual partners in the 12 months prior to the survey. Of those with more than one partner in the last 12 months, 24% of women and 45% of men reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse,” the report said.

Demographically, wealthier, educated women and those living in cities were more likely to have had more than two sexual partners in the previous year.

In terms of age, the 20-24 demographic had the highest percentage (5.8 percent) of sexual partners, followed by 15-29, 30-39, and women in their forties (2.4 percent).

The same was true for men, with wealthier, more educated men reporting more sexual partners than their poorer counterparts.

In terms of age, men between the ages of 20 and 29 had the highest percentage (21.5 percent) of sexual partners, followed by men in their thirties (17 percent), forties (13 percent), and teenagers aged 15 to 19. (5.3 percent).

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has approved Iteuzi Wa Chale as the Junior Secondary School Fasihi book.

The book, authored by renowned Kiswahili and linguistics teacher Dr. Assumpta Matei, will be available at Text Book Centre and other leading stores.

“Headteachers, parents and learners can access copies from all leading bookshops across the country following the KICD approval,” said the book publisher One Planet Limited in a statement.

The book is one of the telenovela releases for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) rolled out at the Junior Secondary School (JSS) examination.

KICD had earlier published a list of approved course books to be used in Junior Secondary Schools.

The agency detailed student and teacher’s books to be used for the Grade Seven class once learning resumes on January 23.