Thieves steal $5 million gold toilet from Britain’s Blenheim Palace

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September 16, 2019

103604494 — People Are Paying To Take A Dump In This 18-Carat Gold Toilet | REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) – Burglars have stolen a fully-functional 18-carat gold toilet from Britain’s Blenheim Palace, where it had been installed as an art exhibit, police said on Saturday.

The toilet, valued at more than $5 million, was part of an exhibition of work by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan which opened two days ago at the stately home 60 miles west of London, a major tourist attraction.

The toilet, named “America”, was previously on display in a cubicle at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, where more than 100,000 visitors were able to use it.

Thieves with at least two vehicles broke into the palace, the birthplace of World War Two leader Winston Churchill, and removed the toilet some time before 5 a.m. (0400 GMT), Thames Valley Police said.

“Due to the toilet being plumbed in to the building, this has caused significant damage and flooding,” Detective Inspector Jess Milne added in a public statement.

Police said they had arrested one 66-year-old man in connection with the theft, but had not recovered the artwork.

Blenheim Palace said it was saddened by the loss of the “precious” artwork, which it said and that the rest of the exhibition would reopen on Sunday.

Cde Mugabe Is An Icon Of Africa’s Liberation Struggle, says President Kenyatta

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 15, 2019

mugabe-depouille-110919 — Tony Karumba, AFP | The casket of late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe arrives at Harare airport on September 11, 2019

President Uhuru Kenyatta eulogized fallen Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe as an icon of Africa’s liberation struggle and an elder statesman who relentlessly championed for African dignity.

The President said the founding father of independent Zimbabwe will forever be remembered for his contribution to the liberation of many African nations which benefitted from the veteran liberator’s material and tactical support in the 80’s and 90’s.

“The late Comrade Mugabe was an embodiment of the Pan-African spirit, offering immeasurable assistance and solidarity to many other African countries in their struggles to end colonial rule and apartheid,” the President said.

President Kenyatta spoke at Rufaro National Sports Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he joined other world and regional leaders, and thousands of Zimbabweans at the state funeral service of former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe who died aged 95 at a Singapore hospital last week.

He said former President Mugabe was always mindful of African interests and never shied away from pushing for the ownership and prudent utilization of African resources for the benefit of its people.

“The late President Mugabe has left an indelible mark in the history of Zimbabwe and the African continent at large, through his political astuteness and zeal for the political and economic liberation of Africa,” the Kenyan leader said.

The President who was accompanied by Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said throughout his lifetime Cde Mugabe kept on challenging Africa to stand tall and find its place and voice among the community of nations.

“As an African leader and intellectual giant, he was firm and steadfast regarding Africa’s quest to address the challenges facing the continent. He was unwavering in his insistence that Africa’s problems demanded African solutions,” he said.

President Kenyatta challenged African leaders to stand firm and champion the continent’s interests in honour of its independent heroes saying this is the only way to give a befitting tribute to departed African statesmen.

“The onus is now on us to keep the hope alive and deliver on the dream of a truly free and prosperous Africa,” the President said adding that despite being shunned by some for his fervent belief in the African cause, Mugabe maintained close working relationships with his continental counterparts.

In honour of the late Mugabe, the President called on the continent’s leaders to guard against negative influences and manipulation that erode common values and aspirations for socioeconomic emancipation and prosperity.

“As African leaders, we should continue to champion African interests as an enduring tribute to the late Comrade Mugabe and other departed icons of the African political and economic liberation struggle,” the President said.

Other African leaders who spoke at the sombre funeral service included the host President Emerson Mnangagwa, Theodore Obiang Nguema (Equatorial Guinea) and Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa) as well as former presidents Jerry Rawlings and Sam Nujoma of Ghana and Namibia respectively.

President Mnangagwa described the late Mugabe as a revolutionary leader, a patriot and a nationalist who believed in Pan-Africanism that put empowerment of the people ahead of all other partisan interests.

“Today Southern Africa mourns the sad loss of a frontliner, today Africa weeps, grieving over the loss of a true pan-African. Our motherland is in tears, our region is in grief and our continent is in sorrow, above all a family is stricken and in deep sorrow,” President Mnangagwa mourned his predecessor.

He pointed out that the late founding father of Zimbabwe was a great scholar, a thinker, a teacher and above all a true African who inspired the continent by speaking for the oppressed.

President Ramaphosa who apologised for the recent spate of xenophobic attacks in his country said the flare-ups were not good for the unity of Africa.

The South African leader assured that his government was taking proactive measures to ensure that all people continue to live together in an environment of sustainable peace and harmony.

As part of the state send-off ceremonies, the fallen former Head of State was accorded a 21-gun salute and a military flypast as part of the full presidential military salute.

Born in 1924, the late Mugabe who started out as a trained teacher and rose through the liberation struggle to earn his country independence in 1980 and thereafter led Zimbabwe for 37 years as founding president and father of the nation until 2017 will be remembered by many for his fiery and passionate speeches, and witty anecdotes.

A staunch Catholic, a powerful orator and a political maverick, the late Mugabe leaves behind a widow, Mrs Grace Mugabe and three children-Bona, Robert Jnr and Chatunga Bellermine.

The fate of the Dutch Tycoon, Tob Cohen

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 15, 2019

1.The Dutch Tycoon Tob Cohen married Sarah Wairimu Kamotho in 2017, they didn’t have any kids.Since then she has assaulted him severally. 2.On February 2019, she pushed him down the stairs and hurt his head badly. 3.Tired of the domestic violence, Cohen moved to court and filed a divorce.While the divorce hearing proceeded, Sarah and Cohen slept in separate rooms and were not talking to each other. 4.Impersonating Cohen, Sarah Wairimu forged 3 letters and sent them to Cohen’s lawyer, outlining how he would love to share the wealth with the wife. 5.Cohen disowned the content of the letters. During all this time, Wairimu was constantly threatening and assaulting Cohen. Cohen shared this information with friends, Family members and the lawyer. 6.On the fateful day, she tortured the husband, probably forcing him to surrender all the documents and reveal all the secrets of his investments. 7.Then she killed him, rubbed his body with multiple layers of clothes and dumped the it in a septic tank.(In a sewage) 8.She covered the concrete lid.Then covered the septic tank with branches and leaves.To conceal it.Then she went quiet as if nothing happened 9.When the news about missing Cohen started trending, she coached the workers..who went ahead to give false accounts. 10.It is Cohen’s family that reported the missing. It took the efforts of the dutch embassy and Dutch police to have Wairimu questioned, detained, arrested taken to court and remanded. 11.One worker recanted his statement and gave a true account of everything.Which finally lead to the recovery of the body.!!

Relief for Kerosene users, diesel prices up

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 15, 2019

The price of kerosene has dropped by Ksh.3.31 a litre, but the cost of diesel and super petrol has again gone up, weighed down by a new tax regime introduced in July and the extra 8% value added tax that was levied on petroleum products in the 2018/2019 budget.

A litre of diesel will cost Ksh.2.44 more, while super petrol goes up by 28 cents in the new maximum retail petroleum pump prices released today by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) for the period 15^th September to 14^th September 2019.

Consequently, a litre of diesel will retail at a maximum price of Ksh.103.04 in Nairobi and Ksh.100.44 in Mombasa for the next 30 days. A litre of super petrol will go for Ksh.112.82 in Nairobi, Ksh.110.19 in Mombasa.

The industry regulator attributes the significant rise in the price of diesel – used in factories and heavy duty vehicles and therefore likely to have a knock-on effect on inflation – to a 4.38% increase in the average landed cost of the commodity amid a 0.13% depreciation in the U.S. Dollar/Kenya shilling exchange rate.

The two unfavourable cost build up factors would likely have had a minimal effect on diesel prices at the pump, given that the cost of crude oil fell 5.82% during the period, but this advantage was more than wiped out by the new inflation – adjusted excise duty slapped on petroleum products in July.

However consumers of kerosene – often poor households where it is widely used for lighting and cooking purposes – can breathe a collective sigh of relief after maximum retail prices were adjusted downwards to Ksh.100.64 in Nairobi and Ksh.98.03 in Mombasa.

CBK intensifies sensitization campaign ahead of Sept 30 recall deadline for old Ksh.1000 notes

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 13, 2019

With hardly 17 days to go before the expiry of the deadline set for a complete recall of old Ksh.1000 banknotes from the economy, the Central Bank of Kenya is intensifying its nationwide sensitization campaign to ensure the success of the demonetization drive.

From roadshows, radio and TV talk shows, massive advertising campaigns both on traditional and new media, CBK is leaving nothing to chance as it targets to mop out some 217 million pieces of the old Ksh.1000 notes ahead of the September 30^th deadline, after which they will become worthless pieces of paper.

But, the campaign does not end there. In an unprecedented move, many individuals this week received a short text message from an unusual sender – CBK – upon withdrawing cash in excess of Ksh.1000 from their mobile money service providers. The message from CBK read;

“Noti za kitambo za Ksh.1000 hazitumiki baada ya Sept 30. Zibadilishe sasa! (old Ksh.1000 notes will be worthless after Sept 30. Exchange them now)”

Through its twitter feed, @CBKKenya, the custodian of monetary policy and issuer of currency on Wednesday also appealed to Kenyans to remind senior citizens who may be holding on to the old banknotes in various home savings boxes, unaware that they would become worthless upon the expiry of the September 30^th deadline, to trade them for the new ones.

“Someone sent us this picture (a ward of several Ksh 1000 notes retrieved from a purse), which she took after she visited her mother. Our mothers and grandmothers are epic savers. They may have some money around their homes. Please check on them and remind them of the deadline of September 30 for exchanging the older Ksh 1000 notes”, CBK tweeted.

In its last official update issued late last month, the Central Bank had indicated that only 100 million, out of the 217 million Ksh.1000 old notes in circulation, had been retired.

Wangechi’s art make World History in New York

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 13, 2019

BY FAITH MUTETE – Ms. Wangechi Mutu has put Kenya on the map as her art has which include four majestic sculptures were unveiled at the metropolitan museum of art in New York.

She is a visual artist who is primarily known for her painting sculpture , film and performance work for over 20 years. The sculptures named The NewOnes will free us to consist of 4 bronze sculptures titled ‘The
Seated 1,2,3,,4 – 2019 and they will be exhibited until January 12, 2020.

In Mets website, they praised MS Mutu saying that her unique pieces engage in a critique of gender and racial politics that is shown by it being poetic and fantastic.

The installation in the museum is part of a series of contemporary commissions where it invites artists to create new pieces of art.

Price of Rebellion: Banks reject signatures from new KNUT Boss

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 13, 2019

HESBON-OTIENO-KNUT-CENTRE — Hezborn Otieno KNUT || PHOTO COURTESY

Operations at the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) face paralysis after banks refuse to recognize signatures of new KNUT officials.

This has made them unable to conduct any financial businesses from their accounts in various commercial banks.

In a letter addressed to the staff of the union, the treasurer, Mr. John Matiang’i lamented;

“As your national treasurer, I understand the predicaments and agony we are all going through financially. It’s now getting to three months and all of us have not been paid [together] with our staff,” said Mr. Matiang’i.

The banks however are acting according to the law, which upheld Dr. Wilson Sossion’s injunction against his sacking.

The stalemate between Sossion and his deputy, Hezborn Otieno alongside the rest of the officials, isnt expected to end soon, and as they await the ruling on the appeal filed by KNUT in September 24th.

Body of Missing Billionaire Tob Cohen found dumped in a manhole

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 13, 2019

EEWgD58X4AAMGI5 — Billionaire Tob Cohen and his entranged wife || PHOTO COURTESY

Kenya Police have identified the body of the missing Tob Cohen, who was found dead in a septic tank at his home in Kitisuru, Nairobi.

The tours and travels billionaire had before his disappearance, been pursuing a divorce case from his wife, Sarah Wairimu Kamotho, a case that is still ongoing in court.

Uzalendo News reports had indicated that Ms. Kamotho told the court that his enstranged husband flew to Thailand, saying ”He needed space”. She is currently undergoing a mental assessment to ascertain if she was indeed fit for trial.

Joint security forces are investigating the cause of death. More to follow.

Terror suspect to serve 10year jail term for threatening a witness in the case

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 13, 2019

DSC_0499-Recovered — Terror suspected to serve 10year jail term for threatening a witnessin the case | PRUDENCE WANZA

BY PRUDENCE WANZA – A Terror suspect will serve 10 years jail term for threatening a witness in a case where he was accused of carrying out a terror attack.

Sar Guracha Haro was charged with terror-related charges together with his son where they faced 10 counts of placing explosives in two commuter buses at Homeland area on Thika road, resulting in the death of three passengers on 4th May 2014.

The two were however acquitted of terrorism charges but the father Sar Guracha Haro was found guilty of threatening a witness in the case so as not to testify against his son.

Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi, while sentencing Mr. Guracha said if threatening witnesses is not taken seriously laws will be broken and people will then commit a crime with the comfort that one will testify and hence escape punishment.

Mr. Guracha was handed a sentence of 14 years but since he has spent 4 years in custody while the case was ongoing, he will thus serve 10 years in prison.

High court rules in favour of Rastafarian student who was sent home Olympic High School

By

Dan Ojumah

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September 13, 2019

BY PRUDENCE WANZA – High court has ruled in favour of a Rastafarian student who was sent home from Olympic high school in January.

The court in it’s ruling said that the student’s rights to education and the freedom of religion were violated.

Justice Chacha Mwita has ruled that Rastafarianism is a religion just like any other and its followers should be treated as the rest.

“The rule that she cuts her hair is intrusive to her religion and not justifiable in a Democratic country'”said Justice Chacha Mwita.

Mwita also states that the rights to education and freedom of religion supersedes school regulations.

He added that the school rules have been applied in a manner to deny her to receive education which then violates her right to education.

Judge Mwita made this judgement in a case in which a minor was chased away from Olympic High School on 10th January for having dreadlocks.

The child’s father had sued the schools board of Governors for sending home the girl. According to him all his family members are Rastafarians and they are forbidden from cutting their hair in the religion.

Olympic High School argued that their status as a public institution meant that she was supposed to be admitted strictly in to the rules and regulations of the institution

The school told the court that when the girl was being admitted the parents said she was a Muslim but when she was given her uniform the hijab fell off and they realized she had dreadlocks.

However judge Mwita stated that the fact that she keeps rastas should not have been the basis to chase her from school adding that school rules should not appear to be superior to the constitution.