Author: Silas Apollo

President William Ruto has defended his plans to build affordable housing in the country as part of the government’s commitment towards addressing the challenges of urbanization. The Head of State, while speaking to delegates during the official opening of the UN-Habitat conference in Nairobi, said that many cities around the world, including in Kenya, were experiencing an influx of residents, despite limited resources to support the growing population. The President argued that the result of this growth, had been many urban areas becoming centres of inequality, sometimes pitting the poor against the rich while also pushing those at the bottom of…

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Kenyans, including in public service, have strongly opposed the government’s new tax proposals that seek to boost revenue collection and cut public borrowing. Kenyans submitting their views on the disputed Finance Revenue Bill, 2023, have been challenged to provide alternative revenue sources for the government to help deal with the revenue shortfalls in the country. The National Assembly’s Committee on Finance and National Planning asked those appearing before the Committee to present their grievances over proposals in the Bill to also give alternatives to the country’s financial constraints. Kenyans and other stakeholders from various sectors in the country have been…

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The country’s current budget estimate is Sh3.6 trillion, which comprises Sh2.2 trillion allocated to the national government, Sh986.1 billion for the Consolidated Fund Services, and Sh385 billion for the counties Legislators have commenced the process of assessing the national budget for the 2023/24 Financial Year as the House begins scrutinizing proposed programs and projects from various state departments and agencies.  This process aligns with the provisions of Article 221 of the Constitution of Kenya, which mandates the submission of budget estimates to the National Assembly. The recently tabled budget estimates, consisting of revenue and expenditure projections for the national government,…

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Surgical soundtrack Surgical teams now have a new tool to help them improve accuracy and efficiency in the operating room with Lifesaving Radio, the world’s first artificial-intelligence-powered healthcare radio station. The new technology from NextMed Health, features over 30 hours of music clinically suited for peak surgical performance. Surgical teams can receive custom-curated operating room playlists and personalized shout-outs and commentary from DJ AI Angus simply by entering their names, hospital/facility, and procedure at LifesavingRadio.com and then signing into their Spotify Premium account. Recent clinical research found that listening to music from world-renowned rock band AC/DC can help surgical teams…

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The demand for affordable rental properties in satellite towns has impacted the overall returns, with apartments recording average rental returns of 3.4 % over the quarter and 9 % annually. Satellite towns around Nairobi and in other parts of the country are becoming the preferred destinations for most Kenyans, with rental and property prices increasing in the last four months of 2023. This is according to a report by real estate firm HassConsult which shows that in the first quarter of 2023, rental income for most property owners in estates outside of Nairobi and other urban areas experienced a sharp…

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The United Kingdom has announced at least Sh995.4 million (£5.8 million) in funding to Kenya to help in humanitarian activities in the next financial year. The UK Minister of Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell said on Wednesday that the donation is part of the Sh24.5 billion (£143 million) set aside for different countries in the East African region. Mitchell is expected to formally make the announcement at the UN Horn of Africa conference co-hosted by the UK, Qatar, the US, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). According to the UK, the funding will, among others, support citizens…

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The government, through the state department of Devolution, may have lost about Sh250 million meant for the construction of a conference centre in Kisumu. A report by the office of the Auditor-General shows that the department could not account for the funds, following the stalling of construction works last year. According to the report for the financial year ended June 30, 2022, the department had set aside about Sh250 million for the construction of the AFRICITIES Convention Centre in Kisumu. However, despite the allocation, works for the construction of the facility reportedly stopped, with no explanation given on how much…

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The government intends to build at least 200 housing units per constituency in the 2023/24 financial year, under the affordable housing project. Housing principal secretary Charles Hinga, says that plan for the construction of the houses had already been put in place with the building of the first housing units set to begin in June, 2023. The PS, who spoke during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Roads, Transport and Housing, said the construction of the units are set to be completed in about a year’s time. The housing project is part of the commitment by the Kenya Kwanza administration…

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By Silas Apollo The remittance inflows to the country from Kenyans living in the diaspora has increased significantly over the past decade reaching a record of USD 4.028 billion in 2022. According to Treasury Cabinet secretary Njuguna Ndung’u, in the last ten years, the country has witnessed a significant increase in cash remittances from those living outside the country. Speaking while appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers, Prof Ndung’u added that the United States of America remains the largest source of remittances into Kenya, accounting for 58 percent. Remittances have been cited as an…

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