CS Murkomen: Nairobi Expressway Damages To Cost Over Ksh.700M

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July 13, 2023

Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen has stated that the damages at the Mlolongo Expressway Toll Station could exceed Ksh.706.7 million ($5 million).

This comes after rowdy protesters uprooted fences, barricaded, and vandalised the road during anti-government protests on Wednesday, disrupting traffic on the route.

CS Murkomen, speaking during a road inspection on Thursday, stated that, in addition to the damage to the Expressway, three railway stations and other key infrastructures were destroyed as protesters targeted tradeable items.

“There are 3 railway stations that were damaged during yesterday’s demos. We witnessed pre-planned attacks on key infrastructure. They came with equipment to cut copper wires. They targeted materials that they could sell,’ he said.

“The damage could be over $5 million on the expressway not adding the damage to the railway stations.”

According to Murkomen, an ongoing investigation has already resulted in the arrest of more than 50 people, with more expected to be apprehended as intelligence agencies use CCTV footage to identify the suspects.

“Fortunately most of them were captured on camera, we have the footage, the police have arrested not less than 50 people in relation to the acts that happened here yesterday but we had almost 2,000 people operating from here,” he said.

“We will do everything humanly possible to ensure that each criminal who was here yesterday is going to be brought to justice.”

The Transport Minister also stated that all those found culpable will bear the cost of the damages and will reimburse the exchequer for the amount paid.

“We will make sure that all those who organised this targeted attack are going to personally pay. They will carry the liability for every damage that was caused and for every penny that will be paid from the exchequer they will be asked to indemnify the people of Kenya,” he said.

“We will do so by making sure that we arrest and charge everyone who was involved, we will also carry out a civil suit to make sure that all the organisers are held accountable.”

Murkomen condemned the violence seen during the protests and warned those planning another protest that they would face no mercy from the law, adding that such behaviour would not be tolerated in the future.

“This is not a civilized way to deal with a political issue. We know that there was no political statement being made yesterday but just an act of terrorism to instill fear in Kenyans,” he said.

“The President and the Cabinet will do anything possible to make sure that this behaviour is brought to an end. And even those who planned to repeat this act will meet the full force of the law.”

Meanwhile, all toll station services have been temporarily suspended.

CS Kindiki: 312 People Arrested Over Vandalism During Anti-Gov’t Protests

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John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has revealed that 312 people who directly or indirectly planned, orchestrated, or financed yesterday’s violent protests and acts of lawlessness, including a Member of Parliament, have been arrested.

Speaking during the official opening of Kiserian Police Station and Olosurutia Sub-Location offices in Kajiado, Kindiki said that the suspects will be charged with various criminal offences.

According to Kindiki, the search for more culprits is still ongoing.

“Violent protests that lead to deaths, injury of civilians and security officers, disruption of daily businesses, destruction of private and public property, and looting are acts of lawlessness that can neither be accepted nor tolerated,” he said.

“There is no relationship between lowering the cost of living and destruction of critical infrastructure built using public funds. That is hooliganism, lawlessness, and a recipe for anarchy,” he added.

Kindiki then directed security officers to enforce the law firmly and decisively and deal with all criminals, including economic saboteurs, looters, and vandals, who are destroying private and private property.

Governor Mutula Jnr Urges IPOA To Probe Shooting Of Boy In Emali

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John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo JR has condemned the killing of an 18-year-old boy Brian Muendo during Wednesday’s anti-government demonstrations in Emali town.

Consequently, Mutula has called upon the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to conduct thorough investigations into the killing of an innocent teenager who was unarmed.

He further accused the police of using excessive force against innocent Kenyans who were not armed adding that the young man was shot immediately after he stepped out of his house.

“I am disturbed by the shooting incident of unarmed bystander, Brian Muendo, 18, during demonstrations at Poster Estate, Emali town. The bright soul was due to join Kenyatta University,” said Mutula in a press release on Wednesday night.

“Following these acts of police using excessive force against Kenyans, I call upon the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to promptly investigate the culpable officers and bring those responsible to account,” Kilonzo said.

Governor Kilonzo further expressed his condolences to the family and loved ones of Muendo and wished quick recovery to those injured during the demonstrations.

The demonstrations also paralysed transport along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway as motorists were not able to pass through Emali town most of the day. They had to look for an alternative road in neighbouring Kajiado County before rejoining the highway.

It should be observed that demonstrations here in Makueni have never been violent as witnessed Wednesday where the police engaged protestors in running battles until 8 pm. Earlier in the day a police vehicle was set ablaze by demonstrators at Emali town.

During the demonstrations, six police officers were injured and three arrests made according to the Makueni County Commissioner Kaburu Kaimba.

CS Murkomen Lifts Suspension Of PSVs On Nairobi Expressway

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John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced the suspension of orders that blocked Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) from using the Nairobi Expressway.

In a statement on Thursday, July 13, CS Murkomen stated that the lifting of the suspension will have an impact on the economy and ensure effective mobility across Nairobi.

“In light of this, I wish to announce that the Government has lifted the suspension of PSVs from using Nairobi Expressway effective immediately. I believe that this will have a direct and positive impact on the country’s economy, create more jobs, and ensure effective mobility across the city,” he stated.

Murkomen noted that the decision is in line with the Government’s focus on making Kenya a global leader in the provision of transport and logistics a key driver of sustainable economic development.

The government through the then Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia banned matatus from using the road on July 6 2022 over isolated safety incidents and road carnage.

However, CS Murkomen now says that the Moja Expressway Company, which operates the road, has engaged Matatu stakeholders to create awareness on proper road usage and safety.

“The exercise has proved successful with PSV s taking the necessary steps to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy and adhere to set rules and regulations,” Murkomen added.

This comes even as Moja Expressway announced that sections of the Nairobi Expressway will be unavailable following the violent demonstrations that saw some structures destroyed on the road.

“Services on a section of the Nairobi Expressway are temporarily halted at Mlolongo, Syokimau and SGR Toll stations due to the demonstrations that occurred on Wednesday, 12th July 2023,” the company said.

Sifuna: Azimio To Hold 3-Day Anti-Gov’t Protests From Next Week

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John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has hinted at the opposition coalition stepping up its anti-government protests from next week.

Speaking at Citizen TV, Sifuna said that the tri-weekly protests will take place from Monday to Wednesday and will end only when President William Ruto agrees to review the contentious Finance Act 2023.

“From next week, three days straight of maandamano, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday until William Ruto understands the people are suffering and repeals this law the same way that he imposed it upon them,” he said.

According to Sifuna, the government should listen to the demands of many Kenyans before they take the matter into their own hands.

“It’s better off when known people like Sifuna, Raila, Osotsi (Vihiga Senator), leading these demonstrations. The day Kenyans take this matter upon themselves there will be nobody to call on the table,” he said.

He also chastised the government for previously declaring that Azimio leaders would be arrested, claiming that they will not give up their fight against the government and are willing to be apprehended for the same reason.

“Nobody is going to threaten us. There is nothing these people (Kenya Kwanza) have not said. There is nothing they can scare us with. If it is arrest we are ready to be arrested,” noted Sifuna.

“They are all in agreement that we should arrest Raila. What the problem is that there is no one with the b*** in Kenya Kwanza to actually arrest Raila. You have said this thing for over a year now you know where Raila lives I can take you to his house today,” he added.

“We want to tell Kenya Kwanza, walk the talk. Kenyans are angry and not at us but at the government because they do not want to listen.”

Sifuna explained the motivation behind the weekly protests, saying that the Azimio coalition had adopted a new strategy of ‘shifts’ to allow more people to join the mass action.

“We have received communication from some Kenyans who are saying that we scheduled maandamano on a day they were unable to attend. We are introducing shifts so that if you’re free on Monday, join us and allow others to demonstrate on Tuesday and the same applies for Wednesday every week.”

“The end game is that we have used all the language we know, tried persuasion, and mediation by committing ourselves to dialogue with the government but they refused to listen. They introduced a bill which the majority of Kenyans opposed but they went ahead and passed it. Therefore, what we are saying is that until you listen to the people, we will soldier on,” he asserted.

CEO Fires 90 Percent of Support Staff, Saying AI Outperforms Them

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John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Suumit Shah, a 31-year-old CEO of an e-commerce platform called Dukaan based in India, is getting torn to shreds online for firing 90 percent of the company’s customer support staff after arguing that an AI chatbot had outperformed them.

It was an unusually callous announcement that clearly didn’t sit well with plenty of netizens, as Insider reports.

“We had to layoff [sic] 90 percent of our support team because of this AI chatbot,” he tweeted. “Tough? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.”

In a lengthy Twitter thread laden with screenshots from action movies such as “iRobot” and “Limitless,” Shah argued that response times plummeted from over two hours to less than two minutes thanks to the AI chatbot.

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But not everybody is buying the CEO’s excuse for laying off dozens of employees, allegedly cutting his customer support budget to just $100 a month.

“Make no mistake,” one Twitter user wrote. “The support team was laid off here because business is failing and funding is dry. Not because of AI.”

Others pointed out the quality of Dukaan’s customer service plummeted as well.

“It wasn’t answering as I needed it to,” another user wrote. “I tried tweaking my questions several ways because I know it was a bot. It just didn’t reply properly. It left me frustrated and ultimately didn’t bother renewing my premium plan.”

“I’m terrified of the future where we will never speak to a human again in customer support which means we will never get a problem solved you’ll just be passed around between bots,” one Redditor wrote.

No Regrets

Shah, however, told Insider that he had no choice — though he did say he regretted posting about the layoffs on social media.

“Over time, everybody will start doing this,” he said. “It’s not just us. Maybe I’m just too straightforward to have put it on Twitter.”

And of course, he’s not entirely wrong. Plenty of tech companies have announced layoffs while also making huge investments in AI tech, Insider pointed out.

The prognosis is pretty grim as well, with researchers warning that plenty more jobs will be taken away from humans and given to bots in the near future.

But gloating about laying off most of your customer support staff on Twitter isn’t just inhumane. It also shows how little tech CEOs like Shah actually care about the people that work for them.

Mozambique Ex-Minister Extradited To US To Face Debt Scandal Charges

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John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Mozambique’s former finance minister, Manuel Chang, was extradited to the United States from South Africa on Wednesday to face charges for his alleged role in a $2 billion debt scandal, the South African justice ministry said.

Chang, who has denied wrongdoing, had been detained in South Africa since 2018, when he was arrested at the request of the United States on charges including money laundering and conspiracy to commit fraud.

Mozambique subsequently also requested his extradition, and the two countries fought over possession of Chang via both the courts and diplomatic channels. South Africa’s constitutional court denied Mozambique leave to appeal in a final decision in May.

“The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services confirms that the Republic of South Africa’s law enforcement agencies successfully surrendered Mr Manuel Chang to the United States of America on July 12, 2023,” a ministry statement said.

Chang is scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in Brooklyn on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT), according to the judge’s calendar.

The U.S. charges relate to loans obtained from Credit Suisse and Russia’s VTB Bank (VTBR.MM) that were guaranteed by the Mozambique government and signed off by Chang during his 2005-2015 term as finance minister.

Hundreds of millions of dollars of the money went missing and the projects the loans were ostensibly for never delivered on their promises. U.S. authorities say the borrowing was fraudulent and the projects, spanning tuna fishing, shipyard development and maritime security, a front for an elaborate bribery and kickback scheme.

When the full extent of the borrowing was revealed in 2016, it prompted donors including the International Monetary Fund to cut off support to Mozambique and triggered a currency collapse and debt default.

Reporting by Wendell Roelf and Nellie Peyton Additional reporting by Luc Cohen in New York Editing by Angus MacSwan and Matthew Lewis.

Crazy Kennar Opens Up After Social Media Sabbatical

By

John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Crazy Kennar has broken his silence after hinting on social media that he was battling depression. The comedian wrote ‘Depression is real’

Over a month later, Kennar has broken his silence, appreciating the friends, family and fans that had been there for him when he took a sabbatical leave from content creation.

“My dream has always been to put a smile on as many faces as possible. Each day when I wake up, I always embark on a mission to touch a soul through comedy. I always endeavor to ensure that all my online content has a positive impact on anyone who is on the verge of falling into depression.”

He added that over time, he had received many messages from people going through different challenges.

“These people have no one to talk to, in fact, from their testimonies, they have no hope in sight. I have since realized that I can’t reach out to these brothers and sisters alone.

I need you, people. I desire a family that believes in the well being of the person next to them. Every time I make you smile, share it with a person you feel could be having a problem and just let them know they will be alright.”

He concluded by asking his followers to be their brother’s keeper. “For the rest of this month, I will be out to put a smile on your faces each day as I tag you along to walk with me in this journey.”

Three Toll Stations To Remain Closed After Wednesday Demos

By

John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Motorists will not access services at a section of the Nairobi Expressway following the violent demonstrations that saw some structures destroyed on the road.

Moja Expressway, a company managing the Nairobi Expressway said the services will remain unavailable indefinitely.

“Services on a section of the Nairobi Expressway are temporarily halted at Mlolongo, Syokimau and SGR Toll stations due to the demonstrations that occurred on Wednesday, 12th July 2023,” the company said.

The closure of the toll stations is to allow for the repair of the vandalised infrastructure before operations resume.

Kenyans using the route have been asked to use alternative exit and entry points in compliance with the closure of the toll stations.

“For your safety, we urge all motorists plying the Westlands-Mlolongo route to exit from JKIA and Mlolongo-Westlands bound motorists to safely join the Nairobi Expressway from JKIA Toll station.”

The Wednesday protests saw properties of unknown value destroyed.

Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen has warned that all those involved in the destruction will be held liable.

Murkomen said his ministry has liaised with the DCI to have all those involved arrested and face the law.

“Going forward, organisers of demonstrations must guarantee that their supporters will not repeat such acts of lawlessness failure to which they will be held personally responsible for losses incurred through theft, vandalism, and the destruction of public infrastructure and property,” he said.

Mavoko MP Patrick Makau Arrested Over Mlolongo Chaos

By

John Mutiso

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July 13, 2023

Mavoko Member of Parliament Patrick Makau was arrested on Thursday, July 13, over his alleged involvement in Wednesday’s protests.

Reports show that the lawmaker was arrested in the wee hours of Thursday, July 13, 2023, after police raided his home in Karen, Nairobi at around 4 am.

He was later escorted to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)’s offices in Kiambu.

Makau’s arrest is in connection with demonstrations that led to the massive destruction of the Nairobi Expressway at the Mlolongo toll station during the anti-government protests called by the opposition to picket against the high cost of living.

The toll station was among three that were closed temporarily to avoid further damage.

This comes amid a warning by Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Kithure Kindiki who vowed to arrest and punish the leaders, organisers and financiers of Wednesday’s demonstrations.

“This culture of impunity will stop,” Kindiki warned. “All those who took part, directly or indirectly, in today’s well-orchestrated violation of public safety and security of our nation shall be punished,” he said.

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