The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) of the National Assembly has teamed up with the Electoral Law and Governance Institute for Africa (ELGIA) to work on comprehensive electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections. The committee, chaired by Tharaka MP George Gitonga Murugara, recently held a workshop organised by ELGIA to discuss key electoral legislations, establish a road map, and set timelines for the completion of electoral reforms. The workshop also explored the possibility of multi-sectoral participation to enhance inclusivity in the reform’s agenda. At the meeting, Murugara, expressed gratitude to ELGIA for organising the timely workshop. He…
Author: Silas Apollo
Kenya currently has approximately 200,000 documented migrant workers in Saudi Arabia with at least 151,000 working as domestic workers. A total of 283 deaths have been reported among Kenyan migrant workers in the Gulf States over the last three years, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. This is according to Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore. Bore, in a statement to Parliament said that at least 185 Kenyan migrant workers lost their lives in Saudi Arabia, 45 in the UAE, and 53 in Qatar. The causes of death, the CS said, varied from illness…
The current situation in Kenya offers the chance for a rebirth of a strong opposition that the masses can get behind in keeping the government in check By Silas Apollo The opposition Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance has, for a while, been leading protests and demonstrations against the President William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza administration. The demonstrations began in March this year and were announced by ODM leader Raila Odinga to pressure the government to act on several demands tabled by the opposition, including a reduction in the high cost of living and the reversal of punitive taxes imposed on…
A Parliamentary Committee has raised the alarm over revelations that the State Department on Lands and Physical Planning has historical pending bills amounting to Sh18.236 billion. The National Assembly’s Committee on Lands made the discovery during a meeting with the principal secretary for the State Department on Lands and Physical Planning Nixon Korir regarding budget implementation and monitoring for the 2022/23 financial year. The committee chaired by North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko had summoned Korir to shed light on the financial performance by vote and programme from the lands department. MPs had also sought audience with the department on receipts,…
Most parts of the country including Nairobi are set to experience much warmer temperatures this week, according to the latest weather forecast report by the Kenya Meteorological Department. The Met department, in its seven-day forecast report for the period between August 8 to August 14, 2023, says that most regions in the country are likely to experience sunny intervals during most days. This will be a break from the chilly and cold mornings that have been the norm for most Kenyans for the better part of this month and in July. The department says that for regions in the highlands east…
Safaricom’s founding chief executive officer Michael Joseph has resigned from the board of the company. The Safaricom board, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said that Joseph had resigned to pursue and focus on other ventures in his life including continuing his current role as chairman of the Kenya Airways. Joseph served as the director at the board of Safaricom Plc. He resigned effective August 1, 2023, according to the statement released by Safaricom company secretary Kathryne Maundu. “The board announces the resignation of Michael Joseph as a director in the board of Safaricom PLC, with effect from August 1,…
By Silas Apollo Kenyans may soon have the option of buying affordable electricity if joint investigations launched by the two Houses of Parliament on the runway cost of electricity in the country bear much fruit. Both the Senate and the National Assembly have launched independent investigations into the high cost of power, blamed for causing pain to most families and businesses nationwide. The cost of electricity has been high for a better part of this year, especially after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority approved new tariffs on power. The tariffs, proposed by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company, increased…
The government has announced plans to lift the moratorium on mineral mining that has been in place since 2019. This is according to the cabinet secretary for Mining and Blue Economy Salim Mvurya, who says that the decision is to help revamp the mining sector. The moratorium – which was imposed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2019, was meant to streamline the sector, by prohibiting licensing of new explorations and prospecting activities. But the CS, in a statement, said that regulations had already been put in place to help restructure the sector, paving way for the suspension of the…
The government has in the last one year generated about Sh17 billion from the printing and issuance of passports locally and globally. This is according to data from the department of immigration which says that the funds were also generated from the issuance of e-citizen services. Immigration and Citizen Services principal secretary Julius Bitok said that the money was earned over an extended period of about 12 months. The PS was speaking while appearing before the National Assembly’s Regional Integration Committee to respond to concerns over the delay in the printing and issuance of at least 88,000 pending passports. Bitok…
Trade unionists, workers’ unions and religious groups from across the country have called for the revocation of purchase agreements signed between Kenya Power and the Independent Power Producers to tame the country’s high electricity cost. Speaking during a session held by the National Assembly’s departmental committee on energy, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions, the Law Society of Kenya, Kenya Medical Association, the Union of Kenya Civil Servants and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education said the current purchasing agreements were punitive to Kenyans. The unions argued that the high cost of power had become a burden to many…
