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Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and Mombasa are among the major towns that the weatherman warns will experience heavy rainfall between Thursday, October 10 and Monday, October 14.

In an advisory shared with the public on Thursday, the Kenya Meteorological Department (MET) said the heavy downpour will be accompanied by strong winds.

Nyeri, Meru, Kakamega, Kisii, Machakos and Taita Taveta will also be affected in the said-period.

Other counties that will experience the extreme weather patterns include: Vihiga, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Trans-Nzoia, Bungoma, Bomet, Uasin Gishu, Kericho, Nyamira, Siaya, Migori, Homa Bay and Busia.

Narok, Laikipia, Baringo, Murang’a, Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Kirinyaga, Kiambu and Nyandarua will also experience heavy rainfall.

Besides Mombasa, other affected counties in the Coast region include Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River and Lamu.

Wajir, Garissa and Mandera counties in the North-Eastern region will also be hit by heavy rains.

Makueni, Turkana, Marsabit and Samburu are the other counties that will experience heavy downpour between Thursday, October 10 and Monday.

MET advises the residents of the listed areas to be vigilant, and, at the same time, look out for potential flashfloods.

“Flood waters may suddenly appear even in places where it has not rained heavily and can be deeper and faster than they look. Residents are advised to avoid driving through, or walking in, moving water or open fields and not to shelter under trees and near grilled windows to minimise exposure to lighting strikes,” said MET.

“People in landslide-prone areas should be on high alert. The heavy rains and moderate to strong winds may result in storm surges along the coast; hence fishermen and all in the Marine industry should be on high alert,” said the weatherman.

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The widow of the late Dutch tycoon, Sarah Wairimu-Cohen, has been freed on Ksh4 million bond after spending 44 days in detention.

Wairimu has been freed on Sh2m cash bail and ordered not to set foot on any properties associated with murdered husband.

Justice Jessie Lessit said Friday that the prosecution failed to prove that Sarah is a flight risk.

The judge also dismissed the prosecution’s argument that Wairimu acted in contempt when she said, at Cohen’s burial on September 24, that she knew her late husband’s killers and that their days were numbered.

Wairimu is accused, alongside two other suspects, of killing Cohen, who went missing on July 19, and found dead in an underground water tank in his Kitisuru home on September 13.

The prosecution expressed their disappointment at Sarah’s release from custody.

“We are praying to be allowed to seek legal redress at the Court of Appeal,” said the prosecution after Wairimu was freed.

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Kenyans on twitter have emitted mixed reactions after a plane operated by Silverstone Air crashed at the Nairobi game park near Wilson Airport shortly after take-off on Friday with an unknown number of passengers.

The plane was headed to Lamu via Mombasa.

A communications representative from Silverstone said that one of the plane’s engines failed, resulting in the accident.

The Kenya Red Cross has tweeted, saying the plane “developed a technical glitch while taking off”.

But Kenyans are not buying any of the explanations.

A renown blogger Lord Abraham Mutai now says that flying silverstone is like agreeing to commit suicide.

He says the company is openly mismanaged with the most poorly maintained fleet

Last year, another renown blogger Robert Alai put the Air company on spot over its operations. The blogger had intimated that the mess on Silverstone air would soon cost lives.

In the same last year, there was a scare at Wilson Airport after one of the engines of the Silverstone Air flight from Diani failed after take off.

According to passengers on the flight from Ukunda, the plane developed mechanical problems immediately after take off and the passengers were told that one of the engines had failed so they were told to prepare for any eventualities.

Alai has once again revisited his last years’s tweet which had put Silverstone under harsh criticism.

Alai had said that no matter how many times they advertise, Skyward and Silverstone were a complete risk.

He argued that Kenya shouldn’t be having planes which are used for cargo at night and converted to accommodate passengers during the day.

One of their plane had crashed in Utawala because of overloading.

“October 2018 tweet on Skyward and Silverstone. Exactly one year later, it happened. Apart from the risk to passengers on board, the smuggling of contraband into the country through Wilson is crazy!!! One day they will smuggle worse things,” reads Alai’s tweet.

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Mombasa bound Silverstone Air plane has crashed earlier Friday morning from its takeoff at Wilson Airport, Nairobi.

The plane that was heading to Lamu via Mombasa geared off the runway and crushed metres from the airport.

Several passengers were rushed to various city hospitals after sustaining injuries in the 9 am incident.

The aircraft was heading to Lamu, according to airport officials.

A communications representative from Silverstone says that one of the plane’s engines failed, resulting in the accident.

The Kenya Red Cross has tweeted, saying the plane “developed a technical glitch while taking off”.

Rescue operations are underway.

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A West Pokot preacher has been arrested for forcing children to abandon school for his church where they worship while naked.

Samwel Kalwari who calls himself Eliya, claims he was directed by God to abandon his job and start “serving him.”

Samwel Kalwari who is now calling himself Eliya alleges that he was asked by God to abandon his job and start serving him.

Kalwari is a nurse by profession but does not allow his followers to seek medical treatment in hospital.

He was arrested at Ywaleteke location.

His wife, Penina Lomatum, said the husband left home in January  2017 for his work station.

Lomatum said the man used to return home during the weekends to visit his children but never made such a trip after January 2017 when he allegedly married a second wife.

“When we got married, I told him I cannot attend his church and he allowed me to worship in my previous church. I have just come to realise that he has a new name Eliya. I was not aware of that,” Lomatum said.

She asked the government to investigate the church and ascertain whether it is registered.

“I have heard that he doesn’t use salt and sugar and he cannot use new notes. I heard that he was arrested and decided to come and visit him today,” she said.  

Lomatum asked the government to hasten investigations so that Kalwari can go back to his job and help their young children.

“I have no job and used to depend on him to support the family,” the wife said.

Kipkomo subcounty commandant Mohamed Kofa said Kalwari was arrested alongside parents of the affected children.

“We have arrested the pastor together with the parents of children who had abandoned school and we are carrying out investigations to get more information concerning the church. We want to know what they do while worshiping naked in the hills,” Kofa said.

Kofa asked chiefs to ensure all school-going children were in school and parents who fail to ensure their children are in school be arrested.

“Parents who fail to take their children to school should be arrested and prosecuted since it’s the constitutional mandate to ensure their children go to school,” he said.

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Deputy President Dr William Ruto on Thursday night jetted out of the country to cheer and support Eliud Kipchoge ahead of his historical INEOS 1:59 challenge.

According to former statehouse employee who currently works in DP Ruto’s office , the DP left the country to Vienna where he event will be held on Saturday morning.

The move by the DP to jet out of the country in support of Kipchoge has seen Kenyans on twitter hilarious react.

Over the weekends, the DP is used to criss-crossing the country launching various projects, holding harambes in churches and attending funeral services.

Kenyans now say that the DP went to Vienna to avoid a burial ceremony at his ally Boni Khalwale’s home.

The former Kakamega senator lost his wife Adelaide Khalwale and the burial is scheduled for this Saturday.

Here are some of the reactions.

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We thought it is over, but it seems not yet done! Former Harambee Stars footballer McDonald Mariga’s Kibra parliamentary candidature has continued to spark debate not only on social media, but also from activists.

Activist Boniface Mwangi who was appearing on KTN News’ point blank show on Wednesday night has accused president Uhuru Kenyatta and and his deputy Dr William Ruto of playing around with the lives of Kibra people.

The activist says the president and his deputy were wrong to impose Mariga to the people of Kibra.

Mwangi says the two leaders do not mean any good to Kibra people by imposing to them a person who cannot communicate, cannot legislate, cannot lead and has no papers.

He says Mariga cannot not even get employed at Brookside company as a cleaner, since papers are needed for any job at the company.

He further accused Mariga of faking his age and not being able to vote after all.

According to the human rights activist, President Kenyatta would have given Mariga a job at K24 as a football pundit instead of forcing him to Kibra people.

Mwangi’s statement comes a day after ODM party members raised concerns over what they claimed as Jubilee party’s plans to rig the upcoming November 7 by-elections.

The Raila Odinga-led party had to meet IEBC officials on Wednesday morning demanding the updated Kibra register of voters, where it was agreed that the register will be available next week.

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Taita-Taveta County governor Granton Samboja has been impeached.

This is after thirty Taita-Taveta Members of County Assembly (MCAs) voted in favour of Governor Samboja’s impeachment.

The MCAs have accused Governor Samboja of gross misconduct.

According to a local daily, three MCAs were absent during the heated afternoon session which preferred ouster of the county chief. 

Recently, Governor Samboja said he would petition the president to have the county government dissolved.Several political leaders have joined the mediation efforts to settle the disputes but none has yielded fruits.

The ward reps unanimously voted in favour of a special motion moved by Rong’e MCA Harris Keke after a four-hour debate.

Samboja was impeached on seven grounds, including gross misconduct, misleading the county assembly and misrepresentation of facts to the public with an aim of inciting the public against the county Assembly.

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In line with the customer service this week, one of the fastest growing betting firms in Kenya, Odibets.com has announced free bet offers to their customers.

This declaration was made by Odibets country marketing manager Aggrey Sayi on Tuesday as the CSW takes effect in most corporate organizations.

For every 5 bets worth 50 bob, each punter will automatically receive Ksh 50 from Odibets as bonus.

“As we celebrate customer service week, we want to appreciate our customers by giving them consistent free bets to win BIG” said Mr. Sayi, Odibets.com country marketing manager reiterating the company’s commitment to give the best betting experience and commitment to sports development in the country.

However, these aren’t the only betting offers on the sports betting company which has been producing millionaires. Attractive betting odds are a big influencer for many customers who pick Odibets as their betting platform of choice.

According to Alex Odari, a painter from Vihiga who won 404,735 twice two days ago with a stake of 49 bob on 11 teams- including the Odibets win boost. He already paid 70,000 as tithe to his church and plans to open a paint shop in Nairobi from his balance.

Another winner, Joseph Karenju from Nyeri who used to bet with another betting company that wasn’t cleared by BCLB and won over 445,041/= thrice on the same day as Odari. He likes to stake small to increase his margins on multibets. He avoided the Manchester curse to win big.

While betting is an enjoyable pass-time and enjoyable, Aggrey advises punters to bet responsibly. He also reiterated the company’s commitment to kit 35000 sports teams around the country as it seeks to promote sporting activities. Visit odibets here and view their blog here.

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Nairobi ward representatives clashed on Wednesday morning hours after embattled County Assembly Speaker, Beatrice Elachi, made a dramatic return to office.

Elachi had been out of office for 13 months following her controversial ouster by the city MCAs.

A section of the MCAs, affiliated to Jubilee Party, on Wednesday protested against her come-back, claiming she is a “biased” Speaker, who is currently inclined towards the ODM wing in the post-handshake deal.

Police were forced to hurl teargas at the MCAs as they clashed bitterly at City Hall over Elachi.

Videos circulating on social media show window panes at Elachi’s office broken and the room evidently in a messy state.

In one of the short video clips, a shirtless male MCA seats on the floor as Elachi tries to calm him down.

In another video clip, Elachi is seen rinsing her eyes with water to relieve herself of the teargas effect.

On Wednesday, Elachi made the comeback in a manner eerily similar to the way she was ejected from the office when drama erupted inside City Hall on the afternoon of September 10.

Vowing to play rough, Elachi held a press conference inside her office where she proceeded to demand respect from the Jubilee Party.

For her protection, the Speaker brought an entourage of eight people who cheered her on shouting “Ingwe”.

“In Nairobi County, we have a good relationship with member but the leadership intimidates and manipulates members and the governor. This manipulation, they did it to Kidero…the cartels are all over. I want to thank the members for yesterday. You can’t use the floor of the House to insult women. When you abuse the prime minister, you are abusing Mama Ida,” said Elachi.

The Speaker said that she will crackdown on illegal foreign travel by ward representatives, and urged embassies not to allow MCAs to travel outside the country if their documents don’t have her signature.

“Do not allow any member of the Nairobi County Assembly to travel outside the country without the signature of the Speaker, because that is what they are using to intimidate the members,” said Elachi.

The Speaker accused the Nairobi County Assembly leadership of intimidation, manipulation and lack of respect for her office.

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Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party on Wednesday morning held a meeting with Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission at Anniversary Towers over the upcoming Kibra constituency by-elections.

The meeting followed concerns raised by the Raila Odinga-led party over Kibra voters register where ODM had claimed that Jubilee party had manipulated the register to rig the polls.

During the meeting, the two came to a conclusion that the register which ODM was demanding will be available for the public on 18th October 2019.

They also agreed that in this elections,there will be no transmission of results as it has been a norm in most polls . The commission said that the whole process will be done manually.

IEBC agreed to use the 2017 voter register in the November 7 by-election after a two-hour meeting with ODM leaders in Nairobi.

The commission’s chairman Wafula Chebukati said that all poll officials who participate in Kibra by-elections will be shared with the political parties through the officer of the registrar of parties and if there are any issues those concerns will be raised by the parties.


De La Rue will print ballot papers.

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After 13 months in the cold, embattled Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi made a dramatic return to her office on Wednesday morning.

Elachi made the comeback in a manner eerily similar to the way she was ejected from the office when drama erupted inside City Hall on the afternoon of September 10.

Vowing to play rough, Elachi held a press conference inside her office where she proceeded to demand respect from the Jubilee Party.

For her protection, the Speaker brought an entourage of eight people who cheered her on shouting “Ingwe”.

“In Nairobi County, we have a good relationship with member but the leadership intimidates and manipulates members and the governor. This manipulation, they did it to Kidero…the cartels are all over. I want to thank the members for yesterday. You can’t use the floor of the House to insult women. When you abuse the prime minister, you are abusing Mama Ida,” said Elachi.

The Speaker said that she will crackdown on illegal foreign travel by ward representatives, and urged embassies not to allow MCAs to travel outside the country if their documents don’t have her signature.

“Do not allow any member of the Nairobi County Assembly to travel outside the country without the signature of the Speaker, because that is what they are using to intimidate the members,” said Elachi.

The Speaker accused the Nairobi County Assembly leadership of intimidation, manipulation and lack of respect for her office.

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Ugandan Police and military on Tuesday night pitched camp at Musician and opposition politician Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine’s home in yet another move to put him under house arrest.

According to Bobi Wine, police surrounded his home and private property, One Love Beach Busabala from 11:00 pm on Tuesday.

The People Power leader says the police have intentions of putting him under house arrest and block his planned Independence Day Concert, which is 156th concert in Uganda so far.

Bobi Wine has accused the Yoweri Museveni-led government for denying him right to sing and perform in his own country.

“Since 11:00pm, police & military surrounded my home & my private property, One Love Beach Busabala, in yet another move to place me under house arrest & block our Independence Day music concert. 156th concert so far! For singing truth to power, I can’t perform in my own country,” reads Bobi Wine’s post on twitter.

The inspector general of police Martins Okoth Ochola had earlier on canceled the Kyadondo East MP’s music concert.

Ochola in his letter dated October 2, but released on Tuesday to Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP), said Kyagulanyi did not consider the preparatory plans for medical care, traffic control, crowd control and security. 

“The serves to inform you that the notice to the inspector general of police has remarkably deficiencies, which do not guarantee lawfulness, safety, security for the public and organisers,” reads Ochola’s letter by AIGP Asuman Mugenyi. 

Kampala Metropolitan police spokesman, Patrick Onyango, quoting Ochola’s letter said police in Kampala won’t be in position to provide adequate security since police officers will be at the independence celebrations in Sironko and other authorized venues. 

Kyagulanyi had scheduled a music show dubbed ‘Osobola’ at his One Love Beach in Busabala in Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality in Wakiso district. 

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Beatrice Elachi is back in office as Nairobi County Assembly Speaker following a court order that reinstated her after impeachment.

In a short video circulated to newsrooms by the County Government’s Director of Communications Elkana Jacob, Elachi is heard telling Governor Mike Sonko that she is back and ready to receive him at the airport when he arrives from France.

She did not have kind words for MCAs who kicked her out of office in dramatic scenes that went viral on social media in September last year.

Elachi had stayed away from office following acrimony from a section of County Assembly members who were opposed to her reinstatement, but she walked in on Wednesday and assumed her responsibility.

Ngara MCA Chege Mwaura, who has been acting in the position, however, insists he is still in charge.

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Suggestions have repeatedly been made for Mariam Kighenda’s husband, John Wambua, to use witchcraft to appease ancestors as an alternative way to help in retrieval of his wife and daughter’s bodies.

But Wambua has rejected the suggestions, saying his wife was a staunch Christian and and that he will stick to their faith.

“I am a staunch Christian and my wife was also a staunch Christian, so we cannot go that way,” said Wambua.

Hopes of recovering bodies of Kighenda and her daughter, Amanda Mutheu, who drowned at the Likoni Ferry channel a week ago continued to dim even as multi-agency teams led by Kenya Navy deployed more sophisticated underwater equipment to help in the search.

Signs of despair were palpable on family members as well as government officials involved in the operation despite divers from South Africa joining the retrieval mission.

The media was kept at bay from the scene after the military condoned off the search area.

However, family spokesman Luka Mbati said they have high hopes the bodies will be found following deployment of more experts and advanced equipment.

“We are still hopeful that bodies will be found and they will be given to us for burial. This is all we pray for so as to have closure,” said Mbati.

South African divers hired by the family spent the day deploying their in the search zone.

The family has been holding prayers at the Mbaraki Wharf.

This comes even as unconfirmed reports indicated on Tuesday that government was contemplating calling off the exercise officially by Wednesday.

Those familiar with such underwater operations said chances of recovering the bodies intact by now could be almost zero.

“Human body can only stay intact in the ocean for three days, beyond that it swells and decomposes,” said Abubakar Ali, a diver.

As the search entered day nine on Tuesday, the operation still appeared slow.

Around six motorboats patrolled the waters, occasionally immersing robotic cameras in almost the same way they had done since the start of the search operation on Monday last week.

For the better part of Tuesday, the search operation commander Lawrence Gituma and Kenya Ferry Service Chaiman Dan Mwazo, who since Monday were left to handle official communication, said they were not ready to address the media.

And opposition leader Raila Odinga’s order to have dredging works nearby stopped has been ignored.

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Wafula Chebukati-led Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been forced to issue status of Kibra constituency register of voters.

This follows claims by Raila Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement party that the commission is secretly planning with Jubilee party to rig the upcoming Kibra by-elections.

But IEBC through a press release on Tuesday evening says that following the death of Hon Ken Okoth and subsequent receipt of the writ from the Speaker of the National Assembly, and in line with Section 5 (1) (b) of the Elections Act, the Commission suspended Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) in Kibra Constituency.

ODM through its MPs on Tuesday claimed that the commission has been registering voters in favor of Jubilee candidate McDonald Mariga.

The Raila-led party has vowed to conduct demonstrations at Anniversary Towers to push IEBC to avail the updated Kibra register of voters.

But IEBC notes further that it embarked on the process of facilitating the voters registered during CVR to participate in the upcoming by election immediately after receiving the notice of vacancy from the Speaker of the National Assembly.

According to the commission, the process entails uploading of CVR data to the biometric voter registration (BVR) server, performing duplication process, production of the preliminary register, quality assurance and inspection of the preliminary register of voters, approval by the Commission, certification and distribution to the Constituency.

The commission notes that the Number of registered Voters as at 2017 is 118,276.

Number of voters registered by CVR and Uploaded is 333.

Number of Transfers into the Constituency is 44.

Number of transfers within the constituency is 22.

Number deleted is one.

Name updates (change of voters biographic details) stands at one.

See the full press release below.

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