A case challenging Mandera county projects tenders has been withdrawn. Abdullahi Mohammed Ahamed and two others withdrew the case yesterday. They entered into an agreement with the county to add six projects to the 224 that had been advertised last year. In the consent before High Court judge Mumbi Ngugi at Milimani, Nairobi, the county secretary and government agreed to increase the projects to 230 in the current financial year.
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Mandera tenders suit settled out of court
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NTSA's report on accidents
SIXTY two people died in road accidents between January 1 and 5, the National Transport and Safety Authority has said. Twenty-eight victims were passengers, 18 were pedestrians and six were drivers, say daily statistics posted on the authority’s website yesterday.
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Kivutha shuffles Makueni team
MAKUENI Governor Kivutha Kibwana yesterday shuffled his cabinet. Molly Kamene was sacked as Roads executive. Kibwana appointed Andrew Mulwa as Water executive. In a statement released yesterday, Jacobus Kiilu was appointed new Agriculture executive.
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Developer, locals in Nakuru plot dispute
Security officers defied a Nakuru government directive and blocked a heavily-travelled corridor leading to Lake Naivasha. Riot police camped at the plot, where residents had come to forcefully open the new gate. A private developer got a court order restricting the public from the plot leading to Karagita public beach. Hired staff under guard put up an entry gate at Moi South Lake. More than 500 fish traders have been left jobless since the corridor was closed. On Tuesday, Nakuru county assembly majority leader Samuel Waithuki visited the scene. He termed the closure illegal and ordered the...
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Wanga faces removal for uproar in House
Homa Bay women’s representative Gladys Wanga is the first MP to get skewered over the parliamentary uproar on December 18. The ODM MP may also be the only one to be punished, among dozens of misbehaving lawmakers. She sprinkled water on Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso. Dozens of male MPs threw punches, shouted, tore each other’s clothes and generally turned the House into a circus. Jubilee MPs want to discipline Wanga, saying her conduct does not befit an officer of her status. She could lose her seat in the Parliamentary Service Commission, and possibly her seat in Parliament. Chaos erupted...
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Crime still on the rise, says Wetang'ula
BUNGOMA Senator Moses Wetang’ula has criticised the government for failing to deal with insecurity. “People continue to be killed when there is a government in place, this is unacceptable,” Wetang’ula said in Saboti, Trans Nzoia county on Sunday. He was reacting to recent attack in Mengo in Trans Nzoia and killings in various parts of the country in the past two weeks. “It is unfortunate that the security of our country is in problems when the national budget for the intelligence department is Sh23 billion,” Wetang’ula said. He said security officers are obsessed with fighting Busaa brewing...
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NLC to name State House land-grabbers
THE National Land Commission is set to name individuals and companies behind the grabbing of land belonging to seven State House across the country. The NLC is expected to revoke title deeds and allotment letters issued to powerful individuals and companies involved in the scam. Detectives seconded to the commission have been probing grabbed plots belonging to State House and Lodges in Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kakamega, Mtito Andei and Kitale. The investigations have involved correspondents from members of the public, sifting through land records, historical maps and county officials...
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Suspect in Ruai gun attack dies
A robbery suspect shot and injured during the Monday night attack has succumbed to injuries. Police had hoped to interview him for more information on the attack where a resident was shot dead. Julius Nthiwa, 42, died at the Kenyatta National Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment alongside the wife of deceased, Alex Kiambati and their house help, who were also shot and injured in the incident. Nthiwa was allegedly shot by his accomplice during the attack. A senior police officer said Nthiwa would have helped them resolve the riddle of Kiambati's killing. Kiambati was attacked by two man...
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Neno Sacco vehicles suspended over accident
CLOSE to 500 public transport vehicles belonging Neno Sacco have been suspended following an accident that claimed lives of 10 people in Meru on January 1. National Transport and Safety Authority director general Francis Meja said the agency investigated the cause of the accident and affirmed that the vehicle did not comply with traffic regulations. “We have independently and thoroughly conducted investigation into possible cause of the accident. There was non-compliance and negligence on the sacco side,” he said. Meja was speaking to the Star on the phone yesterday. He said the authority has...
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Ruling on Riley case against judiciary set for January 23
THE Judiciary has allegedly paid Sh216 million to a security firm. According to a tender award document, guards from Riley Services Ltd were being paid and an extra amount charged for hand-held metal detectors and underbelly vehicle search mirrors. But the new tender, which was awarded to Lavington Security services Ltd, shows that the judiciary is paying half the price for the same services. Riley had been notified on December 17 that it was not successful in the tender for provision of security services. The company filed a review with Public Procurement and Administrative Review board...
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Warrant of arrrest for court staffer
A Nairobi court yesterday issued a warrant of arrest for an executive officer at Milimani law courts. The officer has been accused of asking for a Sh2,000 bribe from a woman to retrieve her succession case court file. Senior principal magistrate Peter Ndwiga issued the arrest warrant against Michael Asudi after he failed to appear in court for plea taking. The warrant was issued following an application by senior state counsel Daniel Karuri, who said Asudi was released on a Sh50,00 bond but failed to appear in court. The magistrate directed that the case be mentioned on January 21 for further...
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Man says girl, 14, is his wife
A man yesterday pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl. However, Habil Obiero told the Mombasa court that the girl in question is his wife. He said they are legally married. Obiero allegedly committed the offence between July and December 2014 in Jomvu. He told the court that the girl lived with her grandmother and they were in a relationship. Obiero said he asked for the girl’s hand in marriage from her grandmother. He asked the court to let the girl say if she is his wife or not. The case will be mentioned on January 12.
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Brothers face land fraud suit
TWO businessmen were yesterday charged with obtaining money by false pretence. Christopher Angwenyi and Dennis Omuga allegedly obtained Sh120,000 from Peter Njongoro by pretending that they will sell him a plot. The two brothers allegedly committed the offence on December 31 at Ruai in Njiru. They were also charged with forging a Waswa Investment Company share certificate and selling it to Njongoro. The two allegedly met Njongoro and convinced him that they owned a plot and were willing to sell it to him at Sh220,000. They were released on a cash bail of Sh50,000 or bond of Sh100,000 each...
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Three deny assault case
THREE women were yesterday charged with assaulting a 38 year-old-man in Nairobi. They beat him up on suspicion that he had stolen their neighbour’s mobile phone. Hellen Cheruto, Evelyn Auma and and Mary Bii allegedly attacked John Odhiambo on December 15 in Kasarani. They were also accused of destroying his fried fish worth Sh4,000. They allegedly poured the fish in a sewerage trench. The three denied the charges and were set free on bail of Sh5,000 each. The hearing begins on April 9.
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Ediot will threaten witnesses – lawyer
STATE lawyers want a man accused of killing his wife in Buru Buru estate last month to remain in custody until key witnesses have testified. Lawyer Catherine Mwaniki told Nairobi judge Luka Kimaru that there is a high possibility that Ediot Odhiambo will make prosecution witnesses fearful if he is released on bail. Mwaniki said Odhiambo’s sister-in-law, Diana Irungu, a student at Kenyatta University, will feel threatened if he is not in custody. Irungu, in her statement, says she saw Odhiambo step on Linda Wanjiku, drag her several times, kick her in the stomach and shoot her from behind. “I...
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Corridors of Power
A reporter from the Star newspaper was shocked yesterday when he was blocked from attending a press conference at the home of Cord leader Raila Odinga in Karen, Nairobi. A policeman manning the gate informed the reporter that he had firm instructions not to allow anyone from the Star newspaper into the press conference. “Let me do my job. I am under instructions that you stay out. Please allow other people to get in. You go out,” he said. Some family members were angered by a story published by the Star saying three licensed rifles, one licensed pistol and close to 2,000 bullets were found in...
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School heads transferred
Several secondary school heads in Bungoma county have been transferred to improve performance in national examinations, education officials have said. County acting Teachers Service Commission director Benard Kasiwai said some head teachers had overstayed, compromising education standards. Speaking in his office yesterday, Kasiwai said the transfers are standard changes to boost performance. However, the transfers were called politically motivated by Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers county secretary Augustine Luketelo and chairman Denson Barasa.
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Magu pastor out on bail
A woman pastor arrested in the Magu family’s mysterious deaths in Muthaiga was released on Sh2 million bail yesterday. Ann Wambui denied aiding lawyer Paul Magu’s suicide in Makongeni, Thika, between November 23 and 26 last year. Wambui has been in custody for 39 days. Kiambu chief magistrate John Onyiego ordered Wambui to report to the CID headquarters every Friday for two months. The case will be mentioned on January 21. Magu allegedly killed his wife Lydia Wangui and children Allen, Ryan and Tiffany in November, then committed suicide.
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Fire razes 350 houses
Three hundred and fifty houses were razed in Kibish, Turkana county, on Tuesday night. This led to more than 5,000 homeless people spending the night in the cold. Kibish deputy county commissioner Eric Wanyonyi said the cause of the fire has not been established. “We have arrested one woman in connection with the incident but investigations are still ongoing,” he said. Wanyonyi said residents shot in the air to scare away bandits who wanted to take advantage of the fire to steal livestock. Kibish MCA Jacob Nakua asked the state and well-wishers to assist the affected residents.
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Hawkers call for talks
THE Association of Informal Traders in Nakuru yesterday urged dialogue with the county over eviction of traders from the central business district. The association’s Johnson Ndimu said the new site allocated to hawkers is too small and cannot accommodate all of them. “We need to find a lasting solution to the congestion problem without victimisation,” he said. The county government this week evicted hawkers from the town centre and ordered them to move to alternative sites, including the newly opened Wakulima Market.
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