Former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu has been ordered to pay a Sh53.5 million fine or spend 12 years in jail after he was found guilty of corruption related charges. The former governor was on Thursday ordered to pay the amount after he was convicted of graft in relation to a Sh588 million road tender. He had been convicted alongside his wife Sudan Wangari, who was also ordered to pay Sh500,000 or spend one year behind bars. All the convicts, who included three other co-accused, were also barred from holding any public office for ten years. The governor and his co-accused were convicted…
Author: Silas Apollo
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday arrested Bomet governor Hillary Barchok over allegations of theft of public funds and conflict of interest. Governor Barchok was arrested during a morning raid on his residence in Bomet by EACC detectives which said that it is investigating alleged corruption in his administration. Prof Barchok is the first governor in President William Ruto’s Rift Valley backyard to be arrested by the EACC since the August 2022 general elections. “The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission confirms today that the commission conducted a successful operation targeting Bomet governor Hillary Barchok, eight county officials and two contractors…
Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has suffered a major blow after the High Court upheld a decision made by the Senate last year to suspend her from participating in Parliamentary activities. The nominated senator, who was suspended by the House in September last year for a period of six months, had been accused of gross misconduct. And in a ruling issued by High Court judge Lawrence Mugambi, the court on Thursday agreed with the decision of the House, arguing that the senator failed to defend herself against the allegation when asked to do so. This is after senator Orwoba, failed to…
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza and release hostages following 15 months of war. This is according to mediators Qatar and the United States of America, which on Thursday said that the agreement is expected to come into effect on Sunday as long as it is approved by the Israeli cabinet. Israel had on Thursday morning delayed a cabinet vote on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, blaming Hamas for reneging on parts of the agreement. “Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an…
The February announcement by ODM leader Raila Odinga that he is interested in the position of chairperson of the African Union Commission has opened up debate on what a successful run would mean, especially for local and regional politics. Mr Odinga is seeking to succeed the outgoing AU Commission chairman, Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, and his announcement has ignited talk over possible political realignments at the national stage, not to mention succession politics within his party, ODM, and the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, which also has Mr Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) and Ms Martha Karua (Narc-Kenya) as co-principals…
Parliament is set to conduct approval hearings for three nominees proposed by President Wiliam Ruto for cabinet secretary positions next week on Tuesday. The nominees include Mutahi Kagwe, a former Health Cabinet Secretary under retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been nominated to head the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. Others are former Kiambu governor William Kabogo who has been designated for the ministry of information, communications and the digital economy and former Nakuru governor Lee Kinyanjui who has been proposed to lead the ministry of investments, trade, and industry. Kagwe is expected to appear before the Committee on…
The government has been urged to review and reduce taxes on food and other basic commodities and invest in agriculture to enable Kenyans to access and adopt healthier eating habits. Research done on the eating habits of various families across the country shows that many households are opting for unhealthier meals due to a number of factors, including high food prices amidst low incomes, exposing many to lifestyle diseases and other illnesses. The study by consultancy group Wasafiri shows that analyses done over two years in the counties of Nairobi, Bungoma, and West Pokot counties revealed growing cases of poor…
A majority of Kenyans still do not have confidence in major public institutions in the country, with a recent survey indicating that more than a third of Kenyans believed that many of these institutions were corrupt and lacked transparency. This is according to a recently released poll by Infotrak, which conducted a survey of the perception of the public on the performance of public institutions, and particularly the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and other electoral processes in Kenya. According to the survey released on December 16, 2024, public skepticism towards the IEBC was at an all-time high, with 54%…
ODM leader Raila Odinga is set to face his two main rivals for the African Union Commission chairperson position in a debate scheduled for Friday. Mr Odinga will face Anil Gayan (Mauritius), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf (Djibouti) and Richard Randriamandrato (Madagascar). The Africa Leadership Debate, or Mjadala Afrika to be held on Friday December 13, 2024, will run from 1900 to 2100hrs East Africa Time. It will be held at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The event seeks to provide candidates with an opportunity to outline their vision of how they would lead the transformation of Africa.…
Senior counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has turned down overtures by the Judiciary to address concerns of corruption in courts involving a number of judges. Mr Abdullahi, in a post on his X account, declined an invite by Chief Justice Martha Koome, asking him to cooperate with the Judicial Service Commission to address the corruption allegations in court. The lawyer, instead, said that he would only accept the invite, if investigations into the allegations of graft also touch on judges of the Supreme Court and the CJ. “I will not cooperate!!! I will only cooperate if the investigation also touches on the…