- Long accused of not voting in elections,the Kenyan middle and upper class proved pundits wrong by turning out in large numbers to cast their vote.The middle-class suburbs of Langata,Milimani and Hurlingham were adorned with long ques of voters.In the elite upper-class suburbs of Karen and Kitisuru,it was the same. They were not on Twitter and Facebook huffing and puffing about the heat or the unnecessary delays or the dust.In Karen,the parking lots in most Polling Stations were full of top range cars from Mercedes Benz to Range-rover Sport. The upperclass had a nice time.Their drivers came by to give them chilled bottled water and freshly squeezed juice to make the wait a-little bit…

- The Kenyan General Elections are still underway as I write this update a few minutes after casting my vote at the Kenya Medical Training College in Karen,Nairobi.Long queues and the heat are the hallmarks of this election. The Hiccups While at the que, there were cases of the Biometric Voter Kits(BVK) failing to work which meant that the Polling officials had to resort to manual ways of finding the voter details.At Polling Station L in Karen,the failure of one of the BVK has led to lots of delays since it is taking much longer -approximately 10-15 minutes for one voter to be processed.This is against the initial approximates of 5-7 minutes that had been given by the Independent Elec…

- Kenyan Internal Security Minister Prof.George Saitoti and his deputy Orwa Ojode died on sunday at 9am when their helicopter hit the ground and went into flames in Ngong,Nairobi. The police have launched investigations as to what might have caused the accident.The ministers were among the six on board the Europter AS 350 helicopter to perish in the tragic crash. "Tragedy has struck the country and I bring the the condelences of President Kibaki to the families.It is a dark day.'' The Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said. Prof. Saitoti was Kenya's longest serving Vice President under former President Moi's tenure.He was also a respected mathematician and econ…

- Donors have reached their limits when it comes to the African continent.They are now suffering from donor fatigue.As they ache from the malaise,they throw whatever they can to the hunger victims or something for healthcare or whatever other emergency.Mr. Alfred Polo,the Managing Trustee of Alfred Polo Foundation in Kenya last monday pushed for sustainable development in order to change Africa. 'Africans must learn to take care of themselves.There is an over dependency on donor aid .We must work hard to be self reliant through sustainable development solutions so that we can get out of this circle of under development.' He said. While giving out school kits to children of S…

- According to the BBC 23 people have died in twin explosions in the Ugandan capital-Kampala.The explosions hit a Rugby club and a restaurant as patrons were watching the world Cup final match between Spain and The Netherlands. At the restaurant,it is believed that 13 people died there while others were seriously injured from the explosions.10 more people died at the Rugby club. Inspector General of Police Kal Kayihura told AFP that the bombs were targeting World Cup crowds.He also told AP that Al-Shabab Militants of Somali could be responsible for the twin explosions. Somali militant Groups like the Hizbul-Islam had banned the world Cup in Somalia-No one was to watch any match.T…

- The Kenyan Police and Prison warders on Wednesday got a pay increment of 28% for junior staff and 25% for senior staff.According to the new scheme given by the Minister for Internal Security George Saitoti, a new police constable and prison warder will earn the equivalent of Euro 340(Ksh 34,000 Including allowances) a month.Previously they earned Euro 181(Ksh 18,155) per month. According to the scheme,the lowest paid police officer will in three years earn double what they are earning right now.The first installment will be paid out at end of this month and will mark a journey towards the ultimate salary in three years time.This comes in the wake of high inflation rates and rising cost…

- Rape cases are on the rise in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.This is where Rwandan Hutu militias have taken as their theatre to stage attacks against civilians according to Irin News(Project of the UN). Kilungutwe,Mwenga and Kalama areas are affected.The attackers raped and set on fire villages in those areas.The attacks are seen by the villagers as a warning by the rebels, who are advocating for a non-military solution.463 cases of rape have been reported in between April and June 2010 which is more than half the number that was reported in the year 2008. Irin News further explains that, the rise in rape cases coincided with the deployment of Congolese troops in…

- According to the UN News Centre, Wilfried Lemke, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace arrived in South Africa on Tuesday ahead of the world cup finals.Mr.Lenke,is going to attend the Football for Hope festival in the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg. According to the UN; 'Football for Hope is the joint initiative of the world football governing body, FIFA, and streetfootballworld that represents football’s commitment to social development. Recognising the power of sport, and football in particular, to be a powerful tool to promote ideals of development and peace.' It further states that; ' Football for Hope ai…

Over 4.5 million people in the drought hit Niger are facing hunger and might die without food aid. According to the World Food Program it is doubling up its efforts in providing food assistance to the affected people. - A statement from the WFP said a government of Niger survey had shown high malnutrition rates among children and that the global acute malnutrition rate for the whole country had reached 16.7 percent for children under five years old. Anything above 15% is normally considered an emergency and WFP is already providing 2.3 million people with food. The new emergency operation is targeting more children especially between the ages of 6 and 23 months old in order to boost their…

- Sudan,Chad ,Sudan and Zimbabwe are topping the Failed States Index(FSI) 2010 released by The Fund for Peace.It is worth mentioning that seven out of the top 10 failed states are from Africa.177 countries are covered in the index. FSI grouped the countries into four categories namely;Alert(In red),Warning(In orange),Moderate(yellow) and Sustainable(Green).22 out of the 37 countries in the Alert(In red) category are from Africa.These include countries that are still in conflict or post-conflict like Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC),Sierra Leone and Kenya. The Failed States Index(FSI) focuses on the indicators of risk divided into three categories;Social,Economic and Political.Under s…

- Kenyans are still in shock with the gluttony of the Members of Parliaments(MPs) after they voted unanimously to increase their pay perks to be the best in the world yet the constituents they represent wallow in poverty Treasury on Wednesday culled the pay increase the MPs had given themselves saying it had no money to accommodate that.If given,they would have been among the best paid legislatures in the world.At the same time,the tax payer would have had to shoulder more burden in order to meet the pay increase. In rejecting the pay increase the Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said, that the figures for this financial year do not include any additional allocations to the Kenyan Pa…

- East African citizens coming to work in Kenya will no longer be required to pay for work permits.The Immigration Minister for Kenya has decided to exempt the residents of those countries from paying for the work permits. This comes after the introduction of the East African Community that saw the creation of the East African parliament and the introduction of the East African Passport that allow the citizens of the member states to use one passport to travel in those regions without need for visas. The President of Kenya directed the Minister for Immigration in Kenya, Otieno Kajwang to waive the fees on Wednesday at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) where he launche…

A power blackout in Kenya on Sunday evening left almost all major towns and cities in Kenya in total darkness. Most affected were Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret among others. - The blackout that started at 6.30pm left many city dwellers stranded and others had to head home early. The blackout affected night businesses especially at drinking bars and restaurants. Similar incident happened 25th May 2008 and it took the engineers and the technical team of Kenya Power and Lighting Corporation (KPLC) five hours to have the electricity back. “I have to pick my children from my sister's place - and take them home - how can we walk in the dark?” asked John Onyango. …

- Fomerr UN Secretary General Koffi Anan will be in Kenya as from Sunday according to a statement from the African Union Panel of Eminent African Personalities During his visit he will meet President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga over lunch and also to check on the progress made on the agreements made during the formation of the coalition government. On Wednesday, Mr Ocampo also he was coming to Kenya next week to meet President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga over the crucial issue of trying the suspects whose names he has. Koffi Anan is the one who presented the envelope containing the named of the Post Election Violence Suspects to the Chief Prosecutor at the…

The head of Kenya's anti-corruption commission Justice Aaron Ringera and his deputy Fatima Sichale have all resigned. "The time of the director of KACC and his deputy to exit stage had come. We have played our role to fight corruption for the last five years." Ringera told reporters in the capital, Nairobi. - Dr Smokin Wanjala -one of the Assistant Directors had resigned earlier bowing down to pressure from parliament-civil society and concerned citizens. Justice Ringera earned over $ 350,000 per year to fight graft but failed miserably(An amount equivalent to what the President of Kenya earns)-During his tenure-huge scandals like the Anglo Leasing scandal-whose architects …

- Stephen Kimani Maruge -the oldest student in Kenya who died 10 days ago was buried Monday in Arashi Farm in Nakuru North District. He will be remembered for his interest in education and enrolling at the age of 84 thereby entering in the Guinness World Book of Records. Stephen joined Kapkenduiywo Primary School when free primary education was introduced and captured the peoples attention in the process.He travelled to the United States of America in the process-something that looked like a dream before. His biggest desire was to be able to read the bible.And he did.He died in his sleep at Cheshire Home in Nairobi where he had been staying after being displaced during the Post Ele…

Kenya has begun the match awaited census smoothly. Traffic chaos preceded the beginning of the census. Traffic jams made reaching home early very difficult. Everyone was departing the city centre headed home after 5pm for the census. - The result was a huge traffic snarl that affected most roads in the capital-Nairobi. Along Heile Selasie and Ngong Road; passengers were so tired that they were falling asleep. By 7.30pm-a long Ngong Road, the traffic was still on. 'This bus has not moved for close to 30 minutes-at this rate-i will never make it.' said a passenger-Peter Kariuki. In Western Province, a huge mix up occurred after materials meant for Kakamega North, Butere and Kak…

Kenya is to organize a census in which the population of that country is to hit the 40 million mark according to estimates, although the Kenya National bureau of Statistics puts the estimate at 35.7 million. - The census begins Monday night though President Kibaki declared Tuesday a public holiday as the exercise goes on till August the 31st when it comes to an official close. “The time has now come for us all to be counted. The program is on schedule. All the districts have received the materials,” Kibaki said during the 4pm television and radio address from State House Nairobi. He urged Kenyans to stay indoors and avoid lots of movement to allow the process take place eff…

- Muslims in Kenya will begin fasting on Saturday if the moon is sighted Friday.The moon sighting committee urged Muslim faithful to remain united as fasting begins and goes on for the next 29 days. “Muslims are advised to resolve their habits and try to maintain them in the long run. People should strive to gain more virtues and do away with habits like smoking and chewing of miraa,” said the secretary-general of Kenya Assembly of Ulamaas and Imams,Sheikh Badru Khamis. The Muslim faithful during this period of fasting-Ramadhan will not engage in activities like having sex ,eating food or taking water from morning to evening.

Six students have been infected with the swine flu in the Nyanza Province sections of Gusii in Kenya. A team of experts have been dispatched to the area to do thorough screening. The infected are now receiving treatment at the referral hospital in Nairobi-Kenyatta National Hospital. - AfricaNews reporter said the infected students had just come back from Mombasa city after attending the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Music Festival. Thomas Nyang’au the District Public Health Officer has suspended all tuition in nearby schools and church gatherings for at least 10 days. The Public Health Minister told parliament earlier that six out of nine samples taken from a school in Keiyo D…

A Belgian firm - Semlex Europe SA/Compulynx Ltd - has won a tender to finance, design and create the new driving license of Kenya, which would outdoor by close of the year. Their mandate lasts for five years - AfricaNews reporter said the new driving license is meant to replace the current red one which is bulky and out of date. The new license is in the form of a plastic card and comes with an identity number and history of the offenses of the holder. The Minister for Transport Chirau Ali Mwakwere said the new driving license will be issued by the end of the year with the same price. He said the police will be given a special hand held gadget - a card reader - that will enable them to g…

Two million Kenyan children are out of school due to hunger according to a report by a local non-governmental organization - Elimu Yetu Coalition. The report titled 'Taking Stock, Counting Gains and Mapping the Road to 2015' said the worst affected areas are the slums, arid and semi-arid areas. - The report revealed that the number of children who are out of schools at the moment has risen from 1.5 million to 2 million as the famine continues to bite. AfricaNews reporter said the latest report is a big blow to the free primary education program that was initiated in 2002 when President Mwai Kibaki assumed power. Most school feeding programs have stopped because the government an…

- Desperate time calls for desperate measures and these cows and goats are just doing that in Kajiado.They went to the bins.In search of food.But the cow went the extra mile to eat even the hair extension.

- Families in the Kibera slum in Nairobi are getting by during this time of famine by planting their own vegetables in gunnysacks. The families realised that instead of buying the vegetables they can plant their own and save a lot of money.Three pieces of spinach or sukuma wiki(push the week) go for ksh 10 and if one has a huge family then it is almost impossible to feed them if one has no money. The families manage to harvest enough for themselves and sell the rest. ‘I have six of these bags-and they have helped me a lot since they don’t need space-that’s why they are behind here.’ Says Mary Anyango ‘Right now I can concentrate on buying flour for…

Kenya is now facing the brunt of the Swine flu with 70 reported cases countrywide with the most affected being the capital Nairobi. - "Despite an increase in the number of cases, I would like to appeal to Kenyans not to panic since my ministry has strengthened surveillance at airports and even at the grassroots following the latest upsurge of new cases," the countrys' Public Health Minister Beth Mugo said. Nairobi has so far recorded 40 cases of H1N1 virus followed by Kisumu (18), Rift Valley (10), Garissa (2) and Nyeri (1). Mugo assured Kenyans that her ministry is doing all it can both at the entry points and even in communities.She also urged people who have the sympt…

- The tortoise was in the middle of the road-The car was just about to run over it when we saw it and made noise for the driver to stop-a baby tortoise in the middle of the dusty road trying to make its way across. I manage to help it across but not after it excreted some discharge on my clothes-probably a defensive mechanism when it feels threatened. I helped it across the road but then on closer scrutiny realised that it's shell had cracks-probably from a fatal run over before.For a baby tortoise-that must have been a nasty run in. Illtareto in Kajiado district is a wildlife area frequented by the antelopes who stray from the nearby parks looking for pasture.The tortoise is a…

Danson Mungatana, Member of Parliament for Garsen in Kenya has resigned from the cabinet as an assistant minister for medical services on Tuesday. His resignation comes less than 24 hours after Former Justice Minister Martha Karua also resigned citing impediments in execution of her ministerial duties. - Mungatana made it clear that his decision to resign was due to issues regarding reforms and the grand coalition government. “I would like to thank President Kibaki for having appointed me to serve as assistant minister for medical services. However, the development of Monday where the chair of Narc-Kenya resigned her position as justice minister, makes it difficult for me as secreta…

Kenyan government officials have been kidnapped by a Somali militia group in Mandera, North Eastern part of Kenya. The group intends to have them face trial according to a source. They claimed the Kenyans crossed the border to Somalia without permission. Mandera town is on the border with Somalia. - The town in the past has been a transit route for lots of refugees from Somalia. The five officials were attending a primary school tournament in the town when they were abducted in Bula Hawo town which is next to Mandera where they were shopping. “From the investigations that are still going on, we established they are education officials,” said Ahmed Mohamed Barkuus; the gover…

Oscar Foundation Executive Director Kamau King'ara and Programmes Co-ordinator Paul Oulu have been shot dead. The killing took place around 7.30pm on State House Road. The two were among the people that met UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Killings Philip Alston during his ten day visit. - University of Nairobi students who heard the gunshots were scared of coming too close to the scene in fear of being killed as the killers sped off. University of Nairobi hostels are located on State House Road which also houses the residence of the President of Kenya-State House. This comes as chaos took centre stage characterised by a demonstration by the outlawed Mungiki Sect. They were pr…

The Kenya police chief and attorney general must be sacked for alleged extrajudicial killings after election polls in Kenya, Professor Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings recommended. He said: "Kenyan police are a law unto themselves. They kill often, with impunity." - His remarks came after a 10-day visit to the east African country and when a video emerged of an officer saying the police commissioner had ordered the killing of suspects. The government rejected the report's findings and said it appeared to have been issued in bad faith. Alston probed claims of arbitrary killings amid violence after the December 2007 polls, after which he said on…

The former UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan has given Kenya two months to set up a local tribunal to try the perpetrators of the post election violence in 2007/2008. Two attempts to set up a tribunal have been thwarted so far. The first time only 52 members of parliament were in the chamber-hence lack of quorum. - The second time the constitution amendment bill was defeated thus beckoning for The Hague. In a press release on Tuesday the Prime Minister-Raila Odinga said Annan will hold on a bit longer with the names to give them time to work out the issues that led to the defeat. “Prime Minister Raila Odinga told Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma that he had discussed w…

The UN Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization have condemned the recent murder of a Kenyan Journalist on Friday. The body of Kenyan Journalist Francis Nyaruri was found in the western region after his disappearance two weeks earlier. According to UNESCO his body had be beheaded. - He wrote for the Weekly Citizen under the alias Mon'gare Mokua focusing on corruption cases. “I condemn the murder of Francis Nyaruri,I trust that this crime will be investigated and that its culprits will be brought to trial, not just for the sake of Francis Nyaruri but the sake of democracy and good governance.”Said Koïchiro Matsuura, UNESCO’s Director-General. “Jou…

Africa still has the lowest internet access in the world according to a study commissioned by Ernst&Young. The study was dubbed "Africa Connected: Telecommunication growth story." - The report noted that many people in Africa are living in rural areas, where there is no access to the internet due to cost among others. It said that the penetration rate in Africa is at 5.4%. This AfricaNews reporter said it is a source of worry in this digital age. “Hopefully all this will be a thing of the past as the fibre optic cable finds it route around Africa,” our reporter added. The study said: “Most countries in the eastern region of the continent are completely depe…

Nyayo national stadium in Kenya has been changed to Coca Cola national stadium after the multi-national company won the naming rights to the stadium. The deal worth USD 1.5 million will see the beverage company do branding, marketing and naming rights to the whole stadium for the next three years. - The deal was signed between Sports Stadia Management Board (SSMB) and the Coca Cola Company. SSMB is the government agency in charge of all sporting facilities in the country. Coca Cola money will be used in refurbishing the stadium and the rest will go to the kitty of SSMB. “It is a good way of raising revenue and also raising the profile of the facility,” said the Assistant Direc…

An MP in Kenya, Ababu Namwamba, has alleged that the First lady Lucy Kibaki was involved in the ongoing maize scandal. He produced documents that claimed she is one of the directors of Gingalili (1968) Ltd, an entity that bought maize from the National Cereals and Produce Board on October 22nd 2008. - “The chair will verify their authenticity at a later moment and communicate to this House.” The Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim said. The Presidential Press Service has since issued a rebuttal. It made it clear that the First Lady has never traded in Maize. "The First Lady has never engaged in any acts that may compromise the public good and has the options of seeking redress…

A week of mourning has been declared in the east Africa country of Kenya as fire consumes over 100 citizens in two separate incidents. The exact figures of the dead varies in different quarters - the BBC put the number at over 100, Reuters 131 while AfricaNews reporter quoted a Red Cross source as 90. - At least 25 people were killed in a fire at a mega store – Nakumatt - in Nairobi, and more than 100 died when a petrol tanker exploded near the town of Molo off the Rift Valley province. The Kenya government declared that flags will fly at half mast and all official functions have been postponed to mark "a national disaster. President Mwai Kibaki, who is out of the country atte…

At least 50 people are feared dead a few kilometres from Molo Town in Rift Valley Province of Kenya after a petrol tanker exploded around 7.25pm on Saturday. People who rushed to the scene to siphon spilling fuel were consumed to death as the flames flared. Over 100 sustained various degrees of injury. - The Molo Deputy Police Boss, Daniel Kamanza, confirmed to the media that he had counted at least 50 charred bodies from the explosion. Some police personnel who went to the scene to ensure law and order also sustained injuries. Firefighters from the nearest Fire Brigade in Nakuru town arrived late. Just last Wednesday, Nairobi’s super store – Nakumatt – was caught in wil…

Thirty-nine people are reported missing and a man is dead following the recent wild fire outbreak at Nakumatt - one of Kenya's mega stores in the capital Nairobi. Red Cross officials said the dead person died from his injuries after jumping from an upstairs window on Wednesday to escape the flames. - It took several hours for firefighters to bring the inferno under control as many were trapped in their offices. Smoke could still be seen high in the skies barely 48 hours of the incident. “It was really horrible but we managed to come out the next day,” a journalist with the Daily Nation that operates in the same vicinity told AfricaNews. Emergency teams were counsellin…