OMARI: Ruto ‘Misled’ On Chebukati Murder Plot Bombshell

By

-

January 18, 2023

President William Ruto’s statements about the suspected plan to kill outgoing IEBC head Wafula Chebukati are political.

City lawyer Danstan Omari said the comment should have been made at a political gathering.

“The President got it right, but the message was not to be done the way he did it. It could have been done at a political rally in Kamukunji or elsewhere,” he said on National Television.

Omari said Kenyan politicians should focus on cutting the cost of living.

On Tuesday, Ruto said that there was a plot to kidnap, torture, and kill Chebukati at the Bomas of Kenya.

Ruto claimed the conspiracy was hatched by a political syndicate in charge of the presidential succession as the ultimate move to impose their favored candidate on Kenyans.

Ruto stated that Chebukati’s assassination would open the way for the people’s will to be overturned.

EACC Chairperson Archbishop Wabukala Term Ends

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

The tenure of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) chairperson Archbishop (Emeritus) Dr. Eliud Wabukala came to a close Tuesday after a six-year stint at the helm of the anti-graft body.

In a statement, the EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak commended the outgoing chairman for providing focused and steady leadership since taking over from his predecessor Philip Kinisu in 2017.

“On behalf of the Commissioners, Executive Management, and Staff of EACC, I thank the outgoing Chairperson for the focused and steady leadership that he has provided to the Commission in the last six (6) years,” said CEO Twalib Mbarak.

He described Wabukala as a committed statesman who served well and ensured the commission delivered its mandate of fighting corruption and serving justice to Kenyans.

Mbarak singled out his contribution to bringing new strategic and policy direction to the agency, which has guided the commission to succeed in tackling explosive corruption-related cases.

“During his tenure, he was instrumental in shaping the strategic and policy direction of the Commission which has resulted into significant milestones in the fight against corruption and promotion of ethics in the country,” Mbarak added.

The commission also hailed Wabukala for leaving a stable and reliable independent body that has earned the trust of Kenyans in the fight against corruption, asset recovery, and conducting fruitful and thorough investigations as well as engaging in public engagement.

The commission for the last 6 years has made significant improvements in discharging its duties by initiating various strategies including incorporating religious and political leaders into the fight against graft, hence promoting good governance in the country.

The Archbishop Wabukala was appointed as the Commission Chairperson vide Gazette Notice No. 398 of 18th January 2017 pursuant to the provisions of Article 250 (2) (c) of the Constitution of Kenya as read with Sections 7 and 10(5) of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2011.

Natembeya Pledges To Work With The National Government

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

Trans Nzoia County Governor George Natembeya has pledged to closely work with the National Government in order to fast track the county’s economic growth and development for benefit of locals.

Governor Natembeya made the pronouncement in an early morning radio talk show in one of the local FM stations on Wednesday.

Natembeya informed the public the national government had launched several infrastructural projects in the County, hence the need for the two levels of government to work as a unit.

“With election politics behind us and to ensure Trans Nzoia County receive maximum benefit from the national government, I have appealed to elected leaders to put aside individual political party affiliation,” said the former Rift Valley Regional Commissioner.

“I only have one agenda, that’s developing my county and ensuring that the living standards of our people are up scaled. For that reason, I am ready to work hand in hand with the national government and other leaders. I want to see that we change the story of Trans Nzoia, for the better,” he added.

With the Head of State Dr. William Ruto set to be in the County this Friday, Natembeya disclosed his administration had planned to table before him a number of development issues to be addressed by the national government.

The County boss identified construction of roads, the squatters’ problem and issuance of land title deeds as some of the issues his government pleads for urgent help to address.

On health services, the governor revealed he had already initiated talks with the national government aimed at seeing the newly commissioned Kitale County Referral Hospital fully installed with medical equipment, drugs and non-pharmaceutical

According to the County boss, the referral facility requires medical equipment worth Sh. 2 billion, an amount he noted was beyond the county’s ability.

He further revealed his administration was in talks with the national government to have public university, which will majorly focus on agriculture tailed courses, established in the County.

Natembeya envisaged the presence of such kind of higher learning institution would not only help boost the county’s status in terms of higher education, but more importantly create more economic opportunities agriculture sector.

With the county endowed with two water towers, Mount. Elgon and Cherangany Hills, the Governor promised to seek the President’s support to enable the locals benefit from clean piped water as well as adequate water for irrigation activities.

With construction of the Suam One Stop Border Post almost complete, Natembeya hailed the African Development Bank and national government funded project, which he observed will boost cross-border trade between Kenya and Southern Sudan.

“I will request the President for allocation of more land for what will be known as Suam town,” he remarked.

Putin Says Has ‘No Doubt’ Russia Will Win In Ukraine

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he had “no doubt” Moscow would emerge victorious in Ukraine, despite military setbacks in the nearly year-long offensive.

Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February last year, and in September announced a military mobilisation to prop up Moscow’s forces in the pro-Western country.

Despite a number of military defeats, victory was “guaranteed, I have no doubt about it,” Putin told workers at a factory in Russia’s second city Saint Petersburg.

“The unity and solidarity of the Russian people, the courage and heroism of our fighters and, of course, the work of the military-industrial sector” will secure victory, he added.

Putin also praised the Russian defence industry as he spoke at the plant, which is part of Russian missile manufacturer Almaz-Antey.

“We have something to rely upon and this cannot but inspire that victory will be ours,” he said.

Putin was visiting his native Saint Petersburg to mark the 80th anniversary of Soviet forces breaking the siege of Leningrad as the city was known at the time.

His comments came a week after he replaced Russia’s top commander in Ukraine, a move that followed a string of defeats on the battlefield in Ukraine last year.

There is some concern in Russia over how long Moscow’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine has gone on for, with the offensive’s anniversary approaching.

Putin once again defended his goals in Ukraine, where he initially sent troops to “de-Nazify” the pro-Western country.

“We are absolutely justified in saying that we are fighting neo-Nazism,” he said.

Jeremiah Kioni: Raila Won The Elections With 8.1 Million

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition has come out yet again to claim that Raila Odinga, its presidential candidate in the August 9, 2022, General Election, won the race ahead of his then competitor and now president, William Ruto.

This time, citing a report released by an alleged IEBC whistleblower, Azimio claimed that Raila won the election with 8,170,355 votes to Ruto’s 5,919,973 votes.

Speaking on Wednesday in Nairobi, Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni stated that the aforementioned report proved beyond doubt that Odinga was the winner of the August 2022 race for State House.

“59 percent of the constituencies examined showed results that cannot be verified with absolute certainty but again, in the same document, what has been verified so far shows that Raila won the elections with 8,170,355 votes representing 57.53 of the votes cast. Ruto got 5,915,973 votes representing 41.66 pc of the votes cast,” Kioni said.

According to Kioni, the report alleges that some IEBC officials tampered with voting results from 144 constituencies in order to give Ruto an advantage in the race.

“What we have seen in one of the pages is that at one point, 144 constituencies had their results verified and often at times those results are far from the results announced by IEBC,” said Kioni.

He also claimed that the majority of the alleged electoral malpractices were done within the Mt Kenya region which has a notably large voter basket.

Kioni added that once party leader Odinga returns from South Africa, where he is hosting a series of meetings in his capacity as the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa, the Azimio coalition will issue a comprehensive report on the findings, allegedly compiled by NGO Vanguard Africa.

“As I said, the whistleblower is not hiding his identity. This is a study that has been done by a group known as Vanguard Africa, an NGO that partners with pro-democracy leaders across Africa,” said Kioni.

“You can reach him @smith-jeffreyt. That document is available. As I said a comprehensive statement will be issued by our party leader and I ask that you take time to go through the findings before then.”

From his LinkedIn profile, Jeffrey Smith describes his organization as a nonprofit organization that supports free and fair election campaigns and pro-democracy leaders across the African continent.

Smith’s profile further indicates that he is a veteran human rights campaigner, writer, and consultant who has advised several presidents and pro-democracy opposition leaders from over a dozen African countries.

Kajiado: Court To Begin Recounting Of Governor Votes From 23rd Feb

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

The Kajiado Court will begin the process of counting governorship votes at 16 centres from 23rd to 27th February at the IEBC Central Office in Kajiado.

Presiding Judge Janet Mulwa today held a meeting with lawyers for the parties where they agreed on how the exercise would be conducted.

Deputy Registrar Jane Kamau will preside over the exercise, with each side represented by four representatives.

Similarly, the IEBC has been asked to transport the boxes that will be recounted from Loitokitok and Ngong on Friday, in collaboration with representatives from all parties…

The Court ordered a recount of votes at 16 polling stations, including tampering with voting materials, as well as a re-examination of the results on Forms 37B and 37C from the Kajaido West and South Constituencies, last week.

Pastor Dorcas Rigathi Pledges To Organize Mass Weddings For Police Officers

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

The Spouse of Deputy President H.E Pastor Dorcas Rigathi and the Inspector General of the National Police Service, NPS have agreed to partner in offering rehabilitation for police officers in their line of duty.

Speaking after a meeting with the IG in his office this morning, Pastor Dorcas said her office is committed to offering the service to police officers involved in drugs and substance abuse.

“We have envisioned a service that we want to dignify. We may not give money but we will offer our support because we love them,” she said.

“Under the programme we will offer spiritual nourishment and balanced service,” she added.

The Second Lady also emphasized that her office will organize mass weddings for the police, in conjunction with the police service, to encourage strong and stable families and the growth of family values and, consequently, reduce cases of stress and depression in the service.

“The clergy will also help conduct mass marriages for those who are unable to meet the huge ceremony cost,” she reiterated.

She expressed concerns over the rising cases of mental issues not just among police officers but among Kenyans.

“Whether you are Christian, Muslim or Hindu, rich or poor, the problem of mental health is real. Every one of us has been touched,” she said.

Another joint effort will be prayers at the national altar to seek divine intervention for the thousands of police officers who serve the country selflessly and wholeheartedly.

Pastor Rigathi stated that ensuring a dignified National Police Service and strong families is high on her agenda. During the annual memorials for fallen soldiers, she says her office will work with the police. The military lost 57 soldiers last year.

The IG promised to support the programmes as well as the partnership in national altar prayers.

The IG was accompanied by Rosemary Kuraru, Director Human Capital Department and Dr.Resila Onyango, Spokesperson.

CS Murkomen Meets Kisii, Nyamira Leaders, Discusses Matters Of Infrastructure

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

The Cabinet Secretary of Roads and Transport Kipchumba Murkomen on Wednesday held a meeting with leaders from Kisii and Nyamira Counties to discuss matters of Infrastructure.

According to the CS, they shall make sure that all the stalled projects are completed soon.

“We agreed to work together with county governments and the MPs to ensure that we provide proper oversight, enhance accountability, avoid duplication and ensure that the people get value for Money invested by the government,” the CS said.

Education CS Hon. Ezekiel Machogu, Gov. Simba Arati, Senators, Members of the National Assembly, and other representatives of county government were in attendance.

Microsoft Reportedly Laying Off Thousands Of Staff This Week

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

Microsoft is reportedly planning to announce the slashing of thousands of roles at the company this week, joining the wave of mass layoffs at tech giants including Amazon, Meta, and Twitter.

About five percent of Microsoft’s existing workforce may be laid off, which could mean over 10,000 jobs cut at the company. according to Sky News.

Bloomberg also reported that a large number of layoffs announced in Microsoft’s engineering divisions on Wednesday, “significantly larger” than the one percent cut to its workforce the company underwent last year.

In an interview with CNBC earlier this year, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella said the tech industry should brace itself for two more years of struggle before seeing growth again.

Mr Nadella said Microsoft wasn’t “immune to the global changes,” including “real recession” in several parts of the world.

The current challenges faced by the tech industry are caused by the “cool down” of the demand that was previously spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

“We did have a lot of acceleration during the pandemic, and there’s some amount of normalisation of that demand. And on top of it, there is a real recession in some parts of the world,” the Microsoft chief added.

It remains unclear how many positions at the company from different parts of the world, including the UK, are likely to be affected in the looming layoffs.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

As of June 30 last year, the company had about 221,000 full-time employees, including 122,000 in the US and 99,000 in other parts of the world.

The looming mass layoff also comes a week ahead of Microsoft’s planned quarterly earnings report that would inform the company’s investors more on its financial performance.

The tech giant’s shares have dropped nearly a quarter in the past year and changed very little at $240.35 at close time in New York on Tuesday.

The layoff also comes following job cuts at several tech giants, including Amazon which cut over 18,000 jobs earlier this month citing an “uncertain economy”.

Amazon’s announcement came after massive layoffs at other Big Tech companies including Twitter, Facebook parent company Meta and other Silicon Valley firms.

Earlier this month, Salesforce and Vimeo also announced they were laying off employees.

Entering 2023, Salesforce said it is cutting about 10 percent of its workforce – representing about 8,000 jobs – and closing some of its offices, while Vimeo said it would reduce staff numbers by 11 percent.

More than 180,000 employees in over 1,100 tech companies have been laid off since 2022, according to the website layoffs.fyi, which tracks job cuts in the industry.

From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.

TECNO Brings Flagship Phantom X2 Series To The Kenyan Market

By

John Mutiso

-

January 18, 2023

After much anticipation, TECNO has officially launched the Phantom X2 series in the country. The lineup is the company’s top-of-the-line flagship devices and has flagship-grade specs and features.

Dimensity 9000 5G(4nm) chipset paired with 8GB RAM and 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM power the regular and the Pro version. Phantom X2 runs on Android 12 and HiOS 12 with the likelihood of upgrading to Android 13 later this year just like the Camon 19 Pro 5G.

There’s a MemFusion feature that adds up to 5GB of virtual RAM. Mali G710 MC10 GPU is present for both. Both the regular and Pro have 256GB of UFS 3.1 onboard storage.

The Phantom X2 series has a slightly curved 6.8″ Super AMOLED display(1080 x 2400 pixels) rocking a 120Hz refresh rate in a 20:9 aspect ratio. Gorilla Glass Victus is present for protection. The display features P3 wide colour gamut.

The display is interrupted with a centre punch-hole cutout that houses the 32MP selfie camera.

We have a triple set up in the centre that includes a 64MP main. The Pro version has a retractable 50MP portrait lens(65mm f/1.5 aperture) with a ring around it. It also functions as a telephoto lens with 2.5x zoom.

The Pro opts for a 50MP main with an additional 13MP ultra-wide lens that also functions as a macro lens.

the Phantom X2 sports an RGBW lens to capture up to 60% more light plus a glass lens to increase light going into it by 30%.

Both have OIS support.