Kilifi Set For A 10 Billion Talent University Donation From USA

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July 11, 2023

Kilifi County is set to reap big with the expected construction of Sh10 billion state-of-the-art Talent University.

The construction of the institution of higher learning will be done by investors from the World Talent Federation based in the United States of America (US) on a vast land near Mariakani town in Kaloleni sub-county.

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro who spoke after a meeting with the investors in his office lauded the project, terming it a game changer with immense benefits to the communities with different talents in Kilifi County.

“One of our promises during our campaign was to tap into the diversity of talents among our people and today we have investors who have decided to tap into this sector through the construction of this university,” the Governor said.

He said that due to the magnitude of the project that will come with massive job opportunities from its construction to its completion and thereafter, the investors settled at the Mariakani land owned by Ngala Tsagwa because of its proximity to various amenities.

“We have agreed as a county to get them 300-acre land which we are discussing with the family owning it. The university will not only focus on those who finished their fourth form but on any individual with talents who will get an opportunity to learn in that institution,” he said.

The Governor said the investors had already set aside Sh10 billion with all the plans ready for takeoff.

“Once the discussion is over, then we shall inform the people of Kilifi on how job opportunities shall be created,” he added.

The Governor said that they focused on Kaloleni because of several amenities like the availability of land and the heavy power lines from KETRACO that pass through the lad towards the Lamu port, and also the nearer the palace is to the Nairobi highway and the SGR.

“But all talents in Kilifi shall be tapped and not necessarily for Kaloleni people,” he said.

The team of investors was led by Prof Humphrey Obura and Vice President of the World Talent Federation Vice-President Dr Peter Smith.
Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was also present during the courtesy call to the Governor.

Resemblance to Cambridge University in the United Kingdom (UK), the Talent ‘only’ University will sit on a 300-acre land in Mariakani completely with an airstrip and five-star hotels, and according to the plan, it is going to be a city within the University.

Prof Obura who is also the secretary general of the WTF said the university is going to be the first of its kind in Africa where those selected will not only be pegged on academy qualification but also through their work experience and existing career development programs.

“The talent-only university is going to be constructed through a donation from the World Talent Federation that has donated Sh10 billion and the facility will also include an airstrip and a five-star hotel,” he said.

Prof Obura said they had come to meet the governor to facilitate the process of acquiring the land for the massive investment and how the county boss together with other leaders can work together in community sensitization and public participation in regards to the project.

“In Kilifi and Kenya in general, there are people endowed with academic qualifications but they have good talents in certain areas. Others have work experience that stretches more than ten years and above. These are the people that this institution will absorb too so that they can get their degrees and pursue their further studies,” he said.

Whereas other institutions of higher learning look for certain qualifications in secondary schools, the Talent University he said will have intake for even school dropouts who may have been occasioned by poverty but have talents in certain fields.

“Parents, children who performed well in their previous schools but could not be enrolled in universities will get a chance. Even if they were class eight dropouts or secondary dropouts if they have certain talents or work experience, which is what will be used to admit them to the institution for their degrees. Because of that system of learning, some of the degrees that usually take about three years will end up reduced to even a year,” he said.
Dr Smith said they were ready to start the project since it is the hope of every African to get education which is a great pillar for their success.
“Getting education is a prudent issue in Africa and that is why we saw the opportunity. It is because of this plan that we decided to invest in Kilifi in this project,” he said.

Mr Sonko said he saw the opportunity was fit for Kilifi and especially in Mariakani because of the availability of land. He further said that the project is going to offer job opportunities to the youth, men and women from the region.

“There is a lot of joblessness among the youths in Kilifi. So with this project coming onboard now, it is going to change the narrative since we shall have many youths getting employed in this facility once it is completed,” he said.

“It Will Not Happen” – President Ruto Warns Raila On Tomorrow’s Protests

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

President William Ruto has warned the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition about the planned demonstrations on Wednesday, emphasising that the government will not tolerate any form of violent protests like those seen previously.

Ruto was speaking while officiating the issuance of title deeds in Embakasi on Tuesday.

Ruto assured Kenyans that his administration would protect all citizens and that, despite the planned protests, Wednesday would be a normal working day.

“No child is born in Kenya for Maandamano or kazi ya kutupa mawe. I want to reassure you that there will be peace tomorrow. Kila Mkenya ajipange aende kazini …kila mtu na hustle yake,” he stated.

“Nataka niwaambie mapema na mchana; they protested on Friday and 6 Kenyans died. Do you want more demonstrations tomorrow so that more Kenyans lose their lives? No it will not happen.”

President Ruto added: “It is not right for a few people to think they can disorganize the republic to sabotage and cause mayhem and destruction of property. There is no type of politics that leads to loss of lives; that is anarchy and we will not allow it. I will not allow any other Kenyan to lose their life so that another person can satisfy his political ambition that is not going to happen.”

The president accused the opposition of attempting to sabotage his leadership, claiming that the leaders were only jealous of his plan to address the country’s unemployment and thus did not want him to succeed.

According to the president, his plans to revitalise the country’s economy and create millions of jobs pose a threat to opposition leaders because there will be no more youth to join protest crusades.

“Hawa jamaa wa maandamano wamekasirika na mimi ati mimi nataka nichukue vijana wengi zaidi niwapeleke kazini watakosa watu wa maandamano na kutupa mawe,” he stated.

“Please give the Kenyan people and the Kenyan youth a break. The plan we have of a million jobs for the young people in our housing program, digital, agro-processing, value addition and manufacturing program, you cannot sabotage. I will not allow you to sabotage because you have done it for so many years…this year you cannot succeed.”

President Ruto: Azimio Is Mad At Me Because I Want To Give Youths Jobs

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

President William Ruto has responded to Azimio’s planned protests by saying they are angry at him because he wants to create jobs for the youth.

Ruto was speaking while officiating the issuance of title deeds in Embakasi on Tuesday.

“Hawa majamaa wa maandamano wamekasirika na mimi. Ati mimi nataka nichukue vijana wengi waende kazini watakosa watu wa ya kufanya maandamano na kutupa mawe, kwani kuna kijana amezaliwa Kenya hii kufanya maandamano na kutupa mawe?” Ruto asked.

He also urged the opposition to stop protesting, claiming that their actions would sabotage his economic development plan.

“The plan we have for a million jobs for the young people in our country through the housing, digital and value addition programme, you (Azimio) will not sabotage,” Ruto said.

“I will not allow you to sabotage that plan because you have done it for so many years. This is not the year you’re going to succeed.”

This comes after Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition, promised to lead his supporters in another anti-government protest on Wednesday.

Protests are expected to take place across the country, as Raila has already dispatched key members of the Azimio coalition to lead grassroots demonstrations.

During last Friday’s Saba Saba protests, six people were allegedly shot dead by police in Kisii, Migori, and Kisumu, with over 100 people arrested and several others injured.

Police Raid Crime Ring Selling Painted Avocados In Murang’a

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

Police officers from Murang’a County on Tuesday, July 11 arrested traders from Kaharati market for selling painted avocados to unsuspecting buyers.

The swift action was taken in response to a video clip that surfaced online, featuring a dissatisfied buyer who had recently purchased the deceivingly altered fruits from the busy market.

“We can not continue like this, we have to come up with a way forward. I understand you seeking to make ends meet, but you need to conduct honest business that does not put the consumer at risk,” one of the officers stated.

The trick is to cleverly paint unripe or rotten avocados purple in order to fool the normally busy buyer into thinking they are in excellent condition and will be ripe soon.

Since most buyers do not leave their cars to inspect the products they are purchasing, it is simple to sell them corrupted avocados sparkling in purple under the hot Murang’a sun.

The Hass avocado, a small-sized avocado with dark green, bumpy skin, is the most commonly used type of avocado in the area.

An elderly man is paraded in front of the police and members of the public in a video shared by a popular Instagram gossip channel, as an official in a suit claims he’s the man behind the avocado-painting racket.

“Tunataka Wakenya waone ule ambaye anahuskika kwa hiyo maneno. Na sio avocado tu, pia kuna ndizi ambayo rangi yake inaonyesha yameiva, kumbe yamedungwa sindano na kemikali,” a police officer told a gathered crowd.

The officers urged the traders, to be honest and to avoid soiling the bustling market’s reputation.

Furthermore, he lamented that some of the traders were stealing the fruits from other people’s farms and painting them to avoid getting caught.

‘Meta Loses More’: Zuckerberg Takes Threads Fight To EU

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

US tech titan Mark Zuckerberg has plunged into a high-stakes game of brinkmanship with the European Union by withholding his new Threads app from users in Europe, but analysts say he will struggle to win the fight.

Threads, billed as the killer of Twitter, a platform that has tumbled into chaos under the leadership of mercurial tycoon Elon Musk, has added more than 100 million users in its first week in app stores.

But Zuckerberg’s firm Meta said it could not be released in Europe because of “regulatory uncertainty” around the Digital Markets Act, an antitrust regulation that will not come into force until next year.

“The reason they gave made me laugh,” said Diego Naranjo, head of policy at campaign group European Digital Rights.

“The regulation is not uncertain, it’s very certain, it’s just that Meta doesn’t like it.”

His theory is that Meta will give Threads to the rest of the world and Europeans will become so vexed at missing out that they will pressure the EU to water down the DMA.

Naranjo, for one, thinks the ploy will fail.

But either way, the rest of the big tech platforms will be glued to their screens as this fight could shape the future regulatory landscape in Europe for all of them.

– ‘Fatal’ blow –

Meta and the rest are already regularly in trouble with EU regulators over their data gathering and retention policies.

They struggle to keep to the terms of Europe’s mammoth five-year-old data privacy regulation (GDPR).

When the DMA was announced, their reaction was muted as it seemed to be about business and competition, a simpler topic for them though not without pitfalls.

The DMA bans the biggest tech firms from favouring their own platforms, particularly problematic for the latest launch as Threads and Instagram accounts are linked.

But the DMA’s Article 5.2 contained a bombshell: the firms will be banned from transferring user data across platforms unless they get consent.

Berin Szoka, president of the pro-business US think tank TechFreedom, said the DMA’s rules would require Meta to ask for the consent of someone’s Instagram contacts before their data could be transferred to Threads.

“In practice, this could prove fatal to Threads’ rollout,” he said, as the network effect would be dead on arrival.

“I don’t really see a good way out here for Meta.”

Naranjo has little sympathy for Meta, saying the European embargo was just a “political push” by the firm against the EU.

“We will see who loses more,” he said. “My guess is that Meta will lose more from not having 450 million potential customers on their network.”

– ‘Question of time’ –

The European Consumer Group (BEUC) said the Threads issue showed the DMA doing exactly what it is supposed to do.

“The DMA does not stand in the way of new products or innovation,” said the group’s competition specialist Vanessa Turner.

“It creates an environment for innovation from more competitors and at the same time protects consumers.”

Meta has left the door open for a Threads launch in Europe and few expect it to maintain its embargo indefinitely.

European law expert Alexandre de Streel said big tech firms would probably be hammering out compliance issues with the EU over the coming months.

“I think it’s more a question of time to understand the scope of the legislation and have a dialogue with the commission,” he said.

But Szoka suggested the EU might be about to get a dose of unintended consequences.

“It would be particularly sad if DMA shields Twitter from competition,” he said.

Meta, he argued, had committed to making Threads compatible with its competitors, adding: “That’s something Twitter has only talked about.”

End Of FIFA Ban Rekindles Zimbabwe’s World Cup Hopes

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

Zimbabwe on Tuesday welcomed the lifting of FIFA’s ban on the country’s football association which has rekindled their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

FIFA barred Zimbabwe from participating in international football in February 2022 over government interference in the running of the sport.

FIFA lifted the ban on Monday, only two days before the draw for the African qualifiers for the next World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry described the end of the 18-month suspension as “exciting” and “incredible” at a press conference in Harare.

“Our athletes deserve that chance to get back there to live their dream. And they’re going to do that,” Coventry said.

Last year’s ban followed a decision by the African country’s Sports and Recreation Commission to suspend the board of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) citing various charges including graft, fraud and sexual abuse of female referees.

On Monday, FIFA, the global football’s governing body, directed for the appointment of a “normalisation committee” to run ZIFA until the election of a new board.

“I hope that we all take this opportunity with both hands and we run full speed ahead at ensuring that Zimbabwe becomes a global phenomenon in the world of soccer,” said Coventry.

Cry-a-thon: Nigerian Man Attempts To Break Guinness World Record For The Longest Crying Marathon By An Individual (Video)

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

A Nigerian man is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the Longest Crying Marathon by any Individual.

In the viral video, the man who could be seen weeping has done 2 hours out of the one hundred hours he plans to cry for.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CujAM64ANM5/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Gov’t Announces Jobs For Nurses, Midwives In Saudi Arabia

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has announced vacancies for qualified Kenyan nurses and midwives to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The collaboration between the Kenyan and Saudi Arabian governments aims to enhance safe and productive labor migration between the two countries, providing opportunities for Kenyans to work in various sectors in Saudi Arabia.

“Interested individuals must meet certain eligibility criteria, including being a Kenyan citizen, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Sciences or Midwifery, and being registered and licensed by the Nursing Council of Kenya.”

According to the labour ministry, successful candidates will be offered a one-year contract, renewable annually, with a minimum salary of 4700 SAR/month which translates to KES 176,843 per month.

The vacancies announced are a result of the recent visit led by Labour CS Florence Bore to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This comes as a retrieve to thousands of Kenyan nurses looking for employment. In the past, Kenya has had bilateral agreements with different countries regarding health workforce collaboration.

In 2021, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta signed a bilateral agreement with the UK to send approximately 20,000 nurses in a span of three years. The first batch left the country a year ago.

Njugush Responds To Jua Cali’s ‘Not Funny At All’ Comment

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

Comedian and content creator Timothy Kimani aka Njugush has responded to remarks by musician Jua Cali who said that the comedian should stick to producing skits instead of doing stand-up comedy.

Speaking moments after returning from his comedy tour in Australia, Njugush said he was grateful for everyone who had supported his comedy special, from the first installment of ‘Through Thick & Thin (TTNT) 1’.

Responding to Jua Cali’s remarks, Njugush said he was unbothered because art is subjective and everyone is entitled to their own sentiments.

“Unajua alisema ni boy wangu, but we have only met once. But it’s fine, it is his own sentiment and everyone has their own opinion. His opinion does not prevent me from telling Kenyans to watch TTNT 1 to 4,” Njugush stated.

However, Njugush questioned how come, Jua Cali concluded that the comedian was not funny years after he had already ventured into stand-up comedy.

The content creator said that he had also faced similar critics in his career but managed to prove them wrong by surpassing their expectations.

“TTNT 1, 2, 3 & 4 sold out. The UK was sold out, Australia was sold out. Do you know how hard it is to sell out a show outside Kenya?” Njugush posed.

“When we started Real House helps of Kawangware show, they said it would not go far but the show became a hit. When I left TV and became a content creator they asked why an actor would start doing skits,” he added.

Njugush highlighted the success of digital content creators who are now getting endorsements from corporate entities.

Njugush also thanked his army of fans that defended him and made Jua Cali apologize for his remarks.

“Seeing guys coming out…. I didn’t have to talk. This is the first time I am speaking about the situation. I had been on a flight the whole time. I had a layover and stayed at the business lounge but that’s beside the point.

“The point is that people see what you are doing,” he said, adding that he was grateful for the support of fans and industry players as well.

Raila: 1.2 Million Signatures Collected So Far ‘To Oust Ruto’

By

John Mutiso

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July 11, 2023

Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition, said on Tuesday that the signature collection drive he launched last Friday to remove President William Ruto has so far collected over 1.2 million stamps.

He spoke in Nairobi at the launch of a digital signature collection platform to supplement his ambitious plan, which he claims will result in the withdrawal of delegated powers and a referendum to impeach President Ruto.

“We thank the 1.2 million people who have signed so far,” Odinga told a press conference after unveiling the portal dubbed ‘Tumechoka’.

According to Raila, the digital platform will run alongside the physical signature collection and complement the other avenues the opposition has taken to air their grievances, including civil disobedience, a tax boycott, and defiance.

“Kenya Kwanza has questioned where we will take the signatures and the legality of the exercise. We don’t expect them to understand; they don’t understand the people’s power as of now, but with time they will do,” he said.

The opposition leader accused President Ruto of “deliberate attempts to make life unbearable for the majority of Kenyans,” and said the weekly anti-government protests, which began last week, would continue across the country.

“Kamukunji will not be confined to Nairobi. It will be everywhere Kenyans gather in the name of justice,” he said.

Odinga cited Article 1, clauses One and Two of the Constitution in announcing the start of the signature drive on Friday at the Kamukunji grounds in Nairobi.

However, the Constitution states that a president can only be removed by Parliament and on two grounds: impeachment or incapacity.

In the case of impeachment, a legislator moves a motion for impeachment on three grounds, with the support of at least one-third of all MPs.

They include a gross violation of a provision of the Constitution or any other law, compelling evidence that the President committed a crime under national or international law, or gross misconduct.

In the event of incapacity, the head of state will be unable to perform their duties due to either mental or physical incapacity.

– ‘Fatal’ blow –

– ‘Question of time’ –

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