YETU BLOG | Kenya

Is Huddah Monroe ‘Team Zari’ Or ‘Team Diamond?

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:09:00 +0000

There is a lot of debate as to who’s side Huddah Monroe is on when it comes to Tanzanian artist Diamond Platinumz and his baby mama Zari Hassan.

Earlier this week Huddah ridiculed Zari over the revelation of Diamond Platinumz’s affair with music video vixen Hamisa Mobetto and the siring of her son in the process.

According to Huddah, it was not a shock to hear that Diamond had cheated on Zari when she too had also had fling with the Tanzanian artist while he was with Zari.

However, Huddah seems to have changed sides after she took to Instagram bashing Diamond and calling him a p**sy for putting his baby mama through such an ordeal.

“But Diamond Platnumz should know that a KING LION without a heart for others is called a P**SY! That was too much betrayal. Women need to chill. Don’t advertise your man. Keep it low! low!,” she said in her post.

Based on her post its safe to assume that she is most likely “Team Zari”!

Man Claims Supreme Court Registrar’s Report On Presidential Elections Was ‘Doctored’

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:05:00 +0000

citizen by the name Mr. Rashid Mohammed through his lawyer Mr. Kioko Kilukumi have written to the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) against the conduct of the registrar of the supreme court Esther Nyaiyaki.

He said that the judgement of the Supreme Court heavily relied on the report of the registrar especially the majority judgement. However dissenting judge Njoki Ndung’u went through the forms and found that all forms were in order with regards to serial numbers stamps and signatures.

The letter says that it is an inevitable conclusion that the report by the supreme court registrar was either ‘doctored’ or the forms which she based her report on were ‘doctored’.

He said that there is prima facie evidence that there was an offense to subvert the course of justice among other criminal offenses.

The letter is addressed to the EACC as the registrar is a state officer. The letter has been copied to the Director of public prosecution, the inspector general and the director of criminal investigations.

Former Governor Lands New Job At The State House

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:02:00 +0000

Former Nakuru Governor, Kinuthia Mbugua

After losing in the August 8 elections former Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua has managed to land a job at the State House.

During the general elections Mbugua lost to the current Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui.

According to reports, the former governor will be handling President Uhuru Kenyatta’s diary.

Mbugua landed the job after promising the Head of State that he would step down for Kinyanjui after failing to secure the party nominations prior to the August 8 elections.

The new role comes with heavy responsibility but given the experience Mbugua has it will help him in carrying out his new role.

“I’m serving the government and the people of Kenya in a new role,” Mbugua said.

Former Nakuru deputy governor Joseph Rutto confirmed that he was indeed aware of the appointment but had not gotten the full details from Mbugua.

This comes days after President Kenyatta invited northern Kenya leaders to the State House in Nairobi with Mbugua being among the leaders present.

TV Host Lilian Muli Schooled by Raphael Wanjala on Polygamy and “Additional Families”

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 20:58:00 +0000

Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala was on Citizen TV to talk to Lilian Muli about the recent calls by MPs for their other wives and girlfriends to be covered under the scheme of service.

In the show, Lilian Muli called the second wives “additional families” while the constitution clearly recognised polygamy and no wife is called additional in law. The Marriage Act 2014 is clear on what is called a marriage in Kenya.

So the problem is that the constitutional allows for polygamy and the qualification for being an MP does not include one having only one wife and a limit of 4 children.

The scheme of service for MPs covers only one wife and a limit of 4 children. The scheme of service seems to be unconstitutional since the limit discriminates other wives who are still married under the constitution while it also limits the cover of children to 4 while even a single woman can have 10 children.

Lilian Muli was lost for words when the MP asked her how many husbands she has. When she answered that she has one, he told her to her face that she might have one during the day while sleeping with other men outside the relationship. Being a divorce, Raphael added, it’s possible for Lilian to sample other men while married to one.

MP Wanjala clearly told Lilian Muli that most men who claim to be loyal to one wife are having secret relationships outside the official marriages. He gave examples of men who die throughout the country then other women come to claim their share of inheritance.

Lilian Muli with her new catch

The late Ole Ntimama and Mutula Kilonzo are some of the most prominent men who died recently and other women came to claim that they were married to them or children they sired claimed them.

In closing, Wanjala told Lilian Muli that if the limit was one, Kenyatta’s 4th wife gave birth to the current President of Kenya and Obama senior’s 3rd wife gave birth to the 44th president of the US.

Lilian Muli divorced Moses Njuguna Kanene and is now in a relationship with Jared Nevaton. The relationship might not be at a good place as Muli is now struggling to remove evidence of their relationship online. Seems like this is the second failed relationship of Lilian Muli.

Catch the full discussion below;

Senior IEBC Official Retires Ahead Of October Repeat Polls

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 07:24:00 +0000

A top Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) official has offered to retire from the commission a day after the detailed Supreme Court judgement on Wednesday.

Praxedes Tororey, Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs has been one of the officials that the Raila Odinga led camp has been pushing for her removal from office.

The Supreme Court found the commission culpable of bungling the August 8 presidential election.

The electoral body will conduct another election withing 60 days as is stipulated in the Constitution.

DJ Kaytrixx Clashes With Joe Muchiri Over Tero Mdee

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:21:00 +0000

DJ Kaytrixx’s spat With Joey Muchiri Over Tero Mdee.

Following the return of music artist Nancy Namtero Mdee aka Tero Mdee came her gospel song Taa ya miguu yangu.

Nancy shocked many Kenyans when she decided to quit her KTN job and marry prophet Hebron Kisamo.

In a response Capital FM presenter Joey Muchiri took to Instagram to comment on the gospel song and marriage to her husband.

“Man…one Namtero Mdee aka Tero. Niggaz had mad crushes on her when she was on straight up on KTN straight from Tanzania, I used to watch that show on mute then one day she woke up & left us upweke coz of some Pastor (mans not hot). Sasa anamfanya aimbe nini hizi anyway hawa ma pastor na pornographers should be in the same category wakora wadinyaji wakuu majambass halisi. Sasa Tero ali decide kuimba gospel inakaa pastor anampea kigongi mpaka speaking in tongues ika fanyika literally he stole from us a national treasure as U can see from the other pictures nakua pastor niki zeeka kabisa Consolation,” wrote Joe Muchiri.

Almost immediately DJ Kaytrixx jumped to the defense of Tero by rubbishing Joe Muchiri’s ill-mannered comments despite the fact that the Capital FM presenter barely knew Tero at all.

“I don’t agree with this post. It’s not right to say things about someone who you don’t know about. She was looking for something that no one could provide. A woman doesn’t want to keep looking over her shoulder as her partner is out partying with other women. Women want stability and for sure she got it in the “pastor” who is also a man just like you and me (lazima alijitetea and he convinced the lady). Now you can say all you like but the woman is happy (even visibly), the man is taking care of her and it is right in God’s eyes. Question; If she was your wife and she told you she wanted to shoot a gospel video would you agree? If she asked you to leave the women and stay faithful to her would you do it or would you be creepin around?? He he, don’t set a standard you can’t keep, when you point one finger at someone, 4 point back at you cc @yulzke,” DJ Kaytrixx responded to Joe Muchiri.

Former Bomachage Borabu Mp, Joel Onyancha Passes On

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:19:00 +0000

Former Bomachage Borabu Mp, Joel Onyancha passed on on Wednesday evening at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi.

Onyancha reportedly suffered a stroke before taking his last breath.

”He was watching the Supreme Court proceedings before being rushed to the hospital by family members,” his brother, Evans Onyancha told the Nation.

The deceased had in the August 8 polls vied for the Mp seat but lost to Zadock Ogutu.

Embakasi East Mp, Babu Owino Risks Losing His Seat

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:17:00 +0000

Embakasi East Mp, Paul Ongili otherwise known as Babu Owino risks losing his seat after failing to respond to a petition challenging his win within the timelines as required by law.

The former student leader at the University of Nairobi was supposed to respond to Francis Mureithi’s petition within 7 days which lapsed on 15 September.

Mureithi has named the Mp, Nicholas Buttuk who was the returning officer and the IEBC as first, second and third respondents respectively.

The Jubilee candidate, Mureithi wants the court to order that Babu has conceded to the petition.

“It is now over 12 days from the service of the petition upon Mr Owino and since then no steps have been taken. Therefore the only inference to make is that he has conceded to the petition. No known excuse is available to him for non-compliance,” Mureithi’s lawyer Ham Lagat, told Nairobi News.

Kimilili MP ,Didmus Barasa Wants Raila’s Passport Withheld

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:16:00 +0000

Kimilili Mp Didmus Barasa who is allied to the Jubilee Party has said that he will put a motion in parliament for Raila Odinga not to leave the country.

He avers that the NASA candidates plan is to flee the country after causing chaos. He says that the oppositions plan is to unleash chaos if their demands to postpone elections do not come into fruition and insists that he wants Raila Odinga in the country during the chaos.

Mr. Didmus Barasa said that the opposition is scared and has resorted to inciting their supporters to take to the street and cause mayhem.

He said this after NASA made it clear that they will be no election if the ir demands regarding changing the printing firm, and the removal of senior IEBC staff including CEO Ezra Chiloba.

French Firm, O.T Morpho Does Not Have A Contract With IEBC To Conduct October Polls

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:14:00 +0000

France based IT firm, O.T Morpho has said that it still does not have a contract with the IEBC to provide IT assistance in readiness for the repeat elections slated for October 17.

Speaking to BBC, the firm’s Chief Operating Officer Fredric Beylier said the commission was yet to ask the firm for the cost of fresh polls.

”We don’t have contract with them (IEBC) for the next election yet,” the COO said.

“If we had the contract by now, and assuming that the Supreme Court does not recommend any technical change in its ruling, we’d need up to the end of October to reconfigure our systems for the repeat elections.”

NASA has alleged that the firm aided in rigging the August 8 election in favour of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Raila Odinga on Sunday accused the firm together with Safran of receiving bribes hence bungling the polls.

O.T Morpho has denied the claims, adding that there was no algorithm introduced into its systems maintaining a linear gap between Odinga and Kenyatta.

“We have conducted two audits which both confirmed no piracy or intrusion into our systems during the August 8 polls. No suspicious activity or hacking has been identified,”he said.

The firm plans to sue for libel.

Activists Seek to Be Enjoined In Ngunjiri Wambugu’s Petition

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:12:00 +0000

Seasoned Activists Makau Mutua and Maina Kiai have sought to be enjoined in Ngunjiri Wambugu’s petition claiming that they should be accorded an opportunity to clean their names as the had been painted in bad light.

The legislator claimed that the the activist masterminded a change of regime. In the petition Wambugu claims that the Chief Justice partnered with unscrupulous members of the civil society to try and bring political change through Judicial radicalization

The activists had earlier applied to the JSC to have the petition by Wambugu withdrawn claiming it was in contravention to the constitutional right of fair hearing.

Makau Mutua and Maina Kiai have been ardent critics of the government.

Ngunjiri Wambugu has verbally declared withdrawal of the petition but is yet to formalize the new position with the JSC.

Bees attack protesters, police outside court

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:48:00 +0000

Two people were yesterday rushed to hospital after a swarm of bees attacked protesters, journalists and police officers outside the Supreme Court.

Drama ensued when police lobbed teargas cannisters at protesters charging toward the court premises where Judges of the Supreme Court were releasing reasoned ruling that annulled the presidential election results.

But no sooner had the teargas been lobbed than the swarm of insects, provoked by the teargas fumes descended on everyone in the vicinity. Protesters, journalists and the police had to flee to safety in the commotion as the insects attacked them.

The bees overwhelmed a beggar, who was caught in the confusion, and lost consciousness but medics from the St Johns Ambulance administered First Aid and revived her. Journalists and protesters who attempted to rescue the woman quickly gave up after they were also stung and forced to scamper for safety.

A broadcast journalist, who is allergic to bee stings, also lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital. Normalcy returned and the protesters, mostly from the National Super Alliance (Nasa), continued chanting in support of the Supreme Court judges.

Earlier, the police, fearing a clash, had lobbed teargas at a small group of Jubilee supporters in a bid to create a buffer zone between them and Nasa supporters.

I’d no role in Ruto ICC woes, Karua tells court

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:48:00 +0000

Narc Kenya Party leader Martha Karua yesterday denied before the High Court claims by Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria that she procured false witnesses to fix Deputy President William Ruto before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

She also denied meeting any ICC officials who came to Kenya to investigate the 2007/08 post-election violence. Karua was testifying in a case she has sued Kuria for defamation over remarks he made at a political rally linking her to witness soliciting to fix the Deputy President at the ICC.

Kuria had sensationally claimed during a prayer rally in Mt Elgon in 2015 that he and other PNU leaders fabricated evidence against Ruto in the aftermath of the violence following the disputed 2007 presidential election results.

“Despite demanding apology from the legislator, he continued making the same malicious statements against me which were widely published locally and internationally,” Karua said through her lawyer Gitobu Imanyara before Justice Joseph Sergon. She said the statements have damaged her reputation globally. The case will be mentioned on September 29.

I’ll win in October 17 election, says Raila

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:47:00 +0000

National Super Alliance (Nasa) presidential candidate Raila Odinga last evening insisted his journey to Canaan had began in earnest with the Supreme Court majority ruling.

Exuding confidence of winning the repeat poll on October 17, Raila however maintained that they will only participate in the poll if all the orders by the court are adhered to.

“Our journey to Canaan was sabotaged but we are definitely headed to our destination, keep the hope alive. To our supporters, we shall reach our destination, we shall overcome all the hurdles on our way,” Raila told journalists outside the court soon after the judgment.

Participate in poll Raila re-asserted the earlier stand by Nasa that they will not participate in the election until the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) rectifies the mistakes pointed out by the Supreme Court.

It is only through this, Raila said, that Kenyans will be assured that the votes they cast count. Some of the measures that Nasa wants carried out, Raila stated, include ensuring that Safran Morpho and Al Ghurair are not contracted to supply the ballot papers and electronic materials for the poll.

He said the judgment was a clear indication that the era of election autocracy was coming to and end in the country. Siaya Senator James Orengo, who was Nasa’s lead counsel added that the Supreme Court had clearly said IEBC must conduct elections as defined by law, otherwise the results will still be nullified.

“In our view, for all intent and purpose, IEBC is a crime scene that should be preserved for investigations. This is not the end of the matter,” Orengo told journalists.

Court should have ‘considered sovereign will of people’

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:45:00 +0000

Dissenting judges Jackton Ojwang and Njoki Ndung’u yesterday held that the Supreme Court should have taken into consideration the sovereign will of the people to elect their leaders before nullifying President Uhuru Kenyatta’s win in the August 8 General Election.

In his dissenting ruling, Justice Ojwang noted that the petitioners, Ntional Super Alliance (Nasa)’s presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka, mainly relied on transmission of results as opposed to the physical issue of voting, casting of ballots and counting to challenge the outcome.

He disagreed with the majority judges’ position that an election is not an event but a process, saying what was paramount was whether or not people freely exercised their will at the ballot.

According to Justice Ojwang, Raila made broad and vague claims with regard to transmission of results which the court, as the trustee of the people’s sovereign power, should not have relied upon to void Uhuru’s win. In his view, a numerical assessment was required since it’s the foundation for any election.

Earlier, Chief Justice David Maraga and Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu had held that elections are not just about numbers but involve processes that must be credible.

“IEBC’s contumacious disobedience of this order in critical areas leaves us with no option but to accept the petitioner’s claims that the IEBC IT system was infiltrated and the data therein interfered with or IEBC officials interfered with the data or simply refused to accept that it had bungled the whole transmission system and was unable to verify the data,” she said.

On her part, Lady Justice Ndung’u noted that the election was conducted in accordance with the Court of Appeal ruling in the Maina Kiai case that results declared at the constituency level were final and not subject to alteration at the National Tallying Centre.

She added that the Kiai decision was made after the poll body had already set up the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (Kiems) but, nevertheless, it worked to comply with it.

In her finding, she said the Supreme Court should have ordered for a recount of the votes cast instead of ordering for a fresh election, since the ballots, which are the primary election materials, are still secure and not subject to manipulation.

Lady Justice Ndung’u said the electronic results transmission was only but a complement of manual results transmission. She noted that the Constitution and the law provides for party agents, the media and observers to be present at the polling station and constituency tallying centres to verify results. In addition, the judge noted that observers, who are obliged by international instrument to be neutral, gave the election a clean bill of health.

At least 200 die in Mexico earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:45:00 +0000

A strong earthquake has struck central Mexico, killing more than 200 people and toppling dozens of buildings in the capital, Mexico City. President Enrique Peña Nieto said more than 20 children had died and 30 were missing after a school collapsed.

The 7.1 magnitude quake also caused major damage in neighbouring states. The tremor struck shortly after many people had taken part in an earthquake drill, exactly 32 years after a quake killed thousands in Mexico City.

The country is prone to earthquakes and earlier this month an 8.1 magnitude tremor in the south left at least 90 people dead. Though it struck a similar region, Tuesday’s earthquake does not appear to be connected with the quake on September 7, which was more than 30 times more energetic, the BBC’s Jonathan Amos writes.

The epicentre of the latest quake was near Atencingo in Puebla state, about 120km from Mexico City, with a depth of 51km, the US Geological Survey said. The prolonged tremor hit at 13:14 local time (18:14 GMT) and sent thousands of residents into the streets.

President Peña Nieto said more than 20 children and two adults had been found dead at the collapsed Enrique Rébsamen elementary school in Mexico City’s southern Coapa district. He said another 30 children and eight adults were missing.

Elsewhere, 15 people were killed when a church near Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano collapsed during Mass, Puebla’s governor is quoted by Reuters as saying. The volcano itself had a small eruption as a result of the tremor.

About two million people in the capital were left without electricity and phone lines were down. Officials warned residents not to smoke on the streets as gas mains could have been ruptured. Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission later said that 70 per cent of the electricity supply which had gone down had been restored.

In a televised address, the president said an emergency had been declared for the affected areas and the military had been drafted in to help with the response.

He also urged residents whose properties were structurally sound to remain in their homes where possible to allow emergency services and those helping with rescue efforts to clear the streets. Across Mexico City, teams of rescue workers and volunteers clawed through the rubble with picks, shovels and their bare hands. — BBC

Rangers throw away two-goal lead to draw with Sharks

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:43:00 +0000

Twelve-time SportPesa Premier League winners AFC Leopards eased relegation fears by moving nine points clear of the dreaded chop zone following a comfortable 2-0 victory over Thika United at Thika sub-county stadium yesterday.

The victory was sparked by much-maligned forward Alexis Kitenge whose well taken opener after 23 minutes went some way to pacify his critics. Thika’s inexperience worked against them as they failed to mark Leopards’ aerially gifted players.

Midfielder Duncan Otieno floated a corner beyond everyone gathered at Thika’s goalmouth only for Robinson Kamura to meet the ball and float it back to find Kitenge unmarked. The Ugandan then picked his spot before powering his header past Alan Owiny for Ingwe’s first. Ingwe barraged Thika for a second goal but Nicholas Muyoti’s side went to the break hoping for a better second half.

Leopards’ will, however, strengthened and they bossed the match with Thika playing to catch them on the break. Hopes of Thika salvaging a point were dashed when defender Chris Oruchum turned the ball in his own net while attempting to clear.

In Mombasa, defending champions Tusker thumped hosts Bandari 3-0 in a rain-soaked Mbaraki grounds with goals from Allan Wanga, Humphrey Mieno and Michael Khamati.

Tusker consequently moved to fifth on the log with 39 points, 12 shy of league leaders Gor Mahia. The victory, third on the trot following earlier triumph over Mathare United and Zoo Kericho, resuscitated coach George Nsimbe’s hopes of retaining the title with nine fixtures left. “We are still in the race and simple mathematics puts us just four victories away.

We have come through a rough patch and hopefully we shall keep our winning run in the league. We just need to focus on our matches one at a time and collect maximum points and we will get what we want,” said Nsimbe.

Early pace setters Posta Rangers gave away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Kariobangi Sharks at Kasarani Stadium. Posta, winless in their last seven fixtures started well, punishing Sharks with two first-half goals before throwing it all away.

Veteran Joseph Nyaga scored his brace for Rangers when Sharks custodian John Oyemba fluffed a clearance under pressure John Nairuka. Rangers goalkeeper Martin Musalia then goofed while attempting to clear a long tame-looking pass and Masoud Juma pounced to pull one back for Sharks before completing the comeback with another well taken finish in the 80th minute.

Kenya Ports Authority win two KECOSO trophies

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:42:00 +0000

Kenya Ports Authority are on course to defending their crown in the Kenya Communication Sports Organisation (KECOSO) games after clinching two titles in Kisumu yesterday.

Football champions KPA (Bandari) hammered Kenya Airports Authority 7-0 to retain their crown while their swimming counterparts claimed the men’s disability diadem.

Youngster John Oginga, grabbed a hat-trick, scoring the first, third and sixth goals with former Sofapaka attacking midfielder Antony Kimani scoring twice before Ndemi Reagan and Jude Otieno wrapped up the show to hand Bandari a deserved title for yet another year running.

At Agha Khan Social Hall, KPA swum to victory in the men’s disabled category, winning all events to emerge champions. In basketball, KPA will have both their men’s and women’s teams in contention to be crowned 2017champions should they emerge victorious in today’s finals.

KPA women’s (holders) are favourites to defend their title as they come up against MOSCA in the finals slated at Kenyatta Sports Ground, Kisumu from 11am today. KPA beat MOSC 51-37 in the preliminaries on Tuesday and hope that lightning will strike twice and see them crowned today.

“The girls are ready considering they are going for the Zone Five FIBA Africa Club Championships in Kampala very soon. We have been working on our strengths and trying to improve on our weakness,” said KPA women’s coach Anthony Ojukwu.

He added: “Being the favourites, we don’t underrate our opponents as the underdog can cause the biggest upset.” KPA men will be cautious to avoid last year’s repeat of losing in the finals as they face Kenya Airports Authority, after beating MOSCA 68-49 in the preliminaries yesterday.

“KCAA shocked us in the preliminaries but being in the finals, we have no room for mistakes. It’s again a do-or-die tie as we seek to reclaim our title,” said KPA men’s coach Sammy Kiki. KPA will also be chasing two more trophies in the game of pool and volleyball.

James hits first Bundesliga goal as Bayern go top

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:41:00 +0000

James Rodriguez scored his first Bundesliga goal on Tuesday to help Bayern Munich top the table for the first time this season following a 3-0 win at Schalke 04.

The Colombian was involved in all three goals after winning the penalty which Robert Lewandowski converted for the opening goal before his deft chip saw Arturo Vidal fire home. After five games, the victory in Gelsenkirchen put defending champions Bayern top for the first time, but Borussia Dortmund can regain the lead if they win at Hamburg on Wednesday.

The away win was a boost for Bayern who confirmed Tuesday that goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer had undergone another operation on his left foot and is out until January. “That wasn’t so easy, but at the end we managed to dominate,” said Neuer’s replacement Sven Ulreich, who now finds himself as Bayern’s first-choice goalkeeper after wanting to quit in the summer.

“Of course it’s a tough situation for the team and Manuel, but we hope he’ll be back soon.” Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti rotated the squad with James on the right wing as one of six changes from the side which beat Mainz 4-0 on Saturday. James won a penalty on 23 minutes when the video assistant referee confirmed his cross had been knocked away by the hand of Schalke defender Naldo.

Lewandowski dispatched the penalty for his sixth goal in five games. James, who signed a two-year loan deal from Real Madrid in July, then fired home on 29 minutes when Corentin Tolisso’s pass found him with acres of space in the area.

It was a sublime chip over the Schalke defence from James which was then drilled home by Vidal on 75 minutes. The win left Bayern two points clear at the summit while Augsburg are up to third, with 10 points, after their shock 1-0 home win against RB Leipzig. -AFP

A day’s tour of Naivasha flower farm

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:40:00 +0000

Many people from Nairobi and Nakuru often duck to Naivasha to get out of the hustle and bustle of the cities or to enjoy the quiet countryside and interesting wildlife. But while at it, how many ever visited a flower farm?

I was privileged to visit the Oserian Flower Farm near Lake Naivasha to learn about horticulture and the history of the owners, the Zwager family. Geoff Mayes, the manager of Kiangazi and Chui lodges took me round this historic flower farm where I was shown diverse varieties of flowers as well as the elaborate growing, harvesting and packing processes.

Depending on your interest, one can either book a one-hour or three-hour visit. From watching creation of a new breed of flowers to mass production, to going to the packhouse to see how staff conduct quality assurance, this is a unique learning experience. Oserian is the biggest flower farm in the world and Africa’s largest rose producer.

The sheer expanse of the flower fields in a riot of colours and the heavenly scent will leave you spell bound. The farm, then a cattle ranch with 16 employees, was purchased in 1969 by the late Hans Zwager.

Given his enterprising appetite, Zwager, born in Netherlands, transformed the place into a premier flower farm that not only exports produce to Holland but also to the entire European Union.

He later developed geothermal energy production at Oserian, which now supplies power to the entire farm. Geothermal heat is also employed to control diseases in the rose houses, reducing the need for fungicides.

According to Geoff, instead of employing pesticides, this environmentally conscious flower uses predator dudus (insects). After this educative tour, I returned to an appetising lunch outside Kiangazi House .

Unlimited tenders alert

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:39:00 +0000

Tendering opportunities are published in newspapers almost on daily basis, but which one is right for you? Catherine Njiru talks to Ali Omar, founder Tenders Unlimited, an app that organises opportunities across East Africa on one platform

When 35-year-old Ali Omar was growing up in Kajiado county, few of the outlying areas in his home region were connected to good roads. The few that were under construction took forever to complete and once done, the jobs were shoddy and only managed to survive a few months before spotting manholes. “We thought maybe the jobs were not given to the right contractors and tried to figure out the reason.

We discovered that lack of easy access to information on opportunities was a major factor,” Omar says. Back then, a marketplace or a platform where one would find tenders at the click of a button was unavailable locally.

Revolution

This is not the case today. Interestingly, it is not a coincidence that the soft-spoken IT guru, together with a team of eight like-minded individuals, has a hand in the online procurement revolution.

Seven years down the line, Tenders Unlimited, which deals in among other things, bid consultancy has built the most comprehensive tendering opportunities platform in the region, capturing and organising more than 250,000 tenders from Kenya and East Africa, and registering more than 15,000 verified suppliers and service providers.

But his involvement in the business began by chance as Mr Omar recalls. It all started in 2007, when the Maseno University IT Managment graduate decided to quit his day job for the uncharted waters of self-employment. At the time, like all first-time businessmen, an anxious Omar recalled he had a fuzzy vision of what awaited him.

“When we started out,we wanted to deal with small businesses and maybe medium enterprises.That’s when we thought about advertising our services to bigger corporations. Later we decided to offer consultancy services because we realised the expertise had not spread out in the region. So we went in and put the moblie alert service,” he says.

Armed with his wide knowledge in IT, an able team, some savings and time, they dipped their feet in the ocean to make the business what it has since grown to be. With time, the new innovative model garnered huge interest with various players seeking for the firm’s services. “Back then, business opportunities were advertised on international platforms.

It was expensive for local businesses to access the opportunities meant for them and that’s why we decided to launch this platform to fill the gap that existed.That’s how we got ourselves in procurement,” recalls Omar.

An IT fan and lover of technology, Omar believed technology could help us solve problems, so he used what he knew to create the solution. “After connecting opportunities to business-people, we decided to take it to the next level and connect the members amongst themselves, peers and partners and that’s where the ‘connecting businesses’ comes in,” he says.

“We connect opportunities to opportunity seekers in business and now we’ve begun partnering with financial service providers who help finance these businesses,” Omar says.

Returns

Tenders Unlimited, like any other business, has employed services that remit returns for the team. “We have a mobile subscription service, where you get customised alerts for Sh600 a month, for individual business accounts and Sh2,000 for corporate accounts.

Then there’s a tender post service for larger entities looking to advertise opportunities to the many suppliers registered on the platform that goes for Sh10,000 per advert,” Omar says.

All registered suppliers on Tenders Unlimited automatically feature in the suppliers’ directory once they update their business profile page. The directory helps suppliers and service providers generate direct leads from the platform, tools to contact and engage suppliers directly are provided.

The directory is designed to promote and expose the registered suppliers and help them get direct business from interested entities and companies looking for goods and services. One of the reasons businesses applying for tenders fail during the preliminary stage of evaluation is lack of knowledge on how to appropriately bid for tendering opportunities.

Tenders Unlimited links bid consultancy services to businesses to a team of procurement professionals ready to assist and guide. “We take suppliers through the whole process adequately and charge them between Sh3,000 and Sh15,000 depending on the expertise needed,” Omar says.

Going forward

However, the journey has not been without challenges. “Technology is playing a big role in making life easier and changing how business is done, so we have to keep up with its demands. We have a growing number of registered members, we have to make sure we meet their expectations and continuously keeping peace with tech,” he says.

Going forward, Tenders Unlimited is looking to organise all-African business opportunities in their platform. “We are believers in our continent, its people and potential. Our vision is to organise business opportunities in Africa.

We want to make business opportunities accessible and conveniently available to entrepreneurs and businesses wherever they may be. We believe entrepreneurs and SMEs are the drivers of our economies and require all the support they can get,” Omar says.

Politics hurting tourism sector, says CS Balala

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:38:00 +0000

Tourism Cabinet secretary Najib Balala says marketing the country as a top tourism destination has been made difficult by rising political temperatures in the country. He said the recent Supreme Court ruling that nullified presidential elections impacted negatively on the tourism sector.

“Given the political situation we are in, it is not easy to market the country as a tourism haven because visitors think the country is still undergoing elections,” said Balala.

Many of the tourists who visited the country according to Balala are Americans (particularly the Masai Mara) but the numbers have since dropped after the US government issued travel advisories to its citizens during last month’s elections.

“Recent demonstrations in some parts of the country after the August 8 polls scared away some visitors, but we are optimistic the sector will stabilising quickly,” he said. The CS made the remarks during a Radio Interview at Pilipili FM Radio in Mombasa on Monday evening.

He said the national government, through the Tourism ministry, had set aside Sh1.7 billion for tourism marketing but the situation has since been hit by the unstable political season.

Balala, who was last week elected to chair the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Commission for Africa for a term of two years, said he would use the position to market Kenya worldwide.

According to Kenya Association of Hotel keepers and Caterers’ (KAHC) Coast branch executive officer, Sam Ikwaye, hotel occupancy at the Coast averages at 50 per cent but hopes are high the sector is set for an improvement.

“We did very well up to the August 8 polls date. Malindi and North Coast at large is still recovering but other parts of South Coast we are recording 50 to 60 per cent bookings. The sector is promising,” said Ikwaye.

He said several other hotels, which had closed for renovations in Malindi and Watamu, remain in operation and are anticipate a promising business growth. “We have expectations arrivals will increase at North Coast hotels of Watamu and Malindi which mostly depend on Italians,” said Ikwaye.

Freight traffic up as maize arrives at Mombasa Port

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:37:00 +0000

Container traffic through Mombasa continues to grow with the port handing 288,505 tonnes of cargo at an average of 41,215 tonnes per day. Kenya Ports Authority’s records indicate that bulk maize was the leading import commodity registering 59,499 tonnes followed by 42,240 tonnes of bagged cement and 37,934 tonnes of bulk wheat.

Motorcar-carriers discharged a total of 1157 Units of motorcars and 130 trucks. Other general cargoes handled in fairly large quantities included 32,410 tonnes of bulk coal, 31,050 tonnes of bulk sugar,10,471 tonnes of bagged sugar, 5,698 tonnes of bulk fertiliser and 28,210 tonnes of steel, information released yesterday by authority’s corporate communication department stated in part.

It further stated, deliveries of general cargo out of the port by road recorded 201,931 tonnes while the off-take by conveyor belt registered 77,689 tonnes.

At the same time, empty containers at the port of Mombasa recorded 7,079 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) out of the 19,171 TEU total yard population in the week ended September 13.

There were 6,254 TEUs ready for collection by consignees, 3,227 TEUs awaiting pickup order and 1,258 full exports (nominated/un-nominated). The yard which recorded 21,093 TEUs in the previous week was also holding 528 TEUs for transhipments and another 825 TEUs at the Customs Warehouse.

Credit dips by 1.5pc in two years

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:36:00 +0000

Increased short-term rates, government domestic borrowing and interest rate capping have led to sluggish private sector credit growth in the last two years. According to the Britam Asset Managers report, private sector credit contracted by 1.5 per cent in the first seven months of the year from 5.1 per cent last year.

The report dubbed “demystifying private sector credit slowdown” is a case study in Kenya and Uganda. Britam Asset Managers chief executive Kenneth Kaniu said this was the first incidence of contraction in the last seven years, adding that the decline has been replicated in Uganda. Review Act “Banks have become more averse to lending since the enactment of the interest rate caps.

We call for the repeal and review of the same,” said Kaniu. He said the increased short-term rates have led to depressed private credit growth as banks allocate more to government.

“Banks also are preferring to invest in treasury bonds and bills instead of offering credit to the private sector,” he added. Kaniu said this would be addressed if banks are allowed to offer credit on market-based regime and risk.

“The direct link between the Central Bank Rate (CBR) and lending rates has also impeded setting of monetary policy due to the ramifications of any change in CBR to loan pricing,” added Kaniu.

According to investment analyst Peris Ngatho, access to credit in the real economic sectors remains disproportionately skewed. “Most sectors of the real economy have disproportionate access to credit, with real estate and trade’s share of the total credit almost double their relative contribution to the real economy,” said Ngatho.

Fifty-five per cent of Kenya’s loans, she said, are concentrated in manufacturing, trade, real estate and transport but agriculture, the biggest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product, remains relatively starved of credit.

The report pointed several risks which remain and could further slow down private sector credit growth. Political risk over the outcome of elections has also affected business output in the country.

Ministry refutes power line fine claims

noreply@blogger.com (Yetu Blog) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:35:00 +0000

The Energy ministry has refuted claims that Kenya Power paid in excess of Sh1 billion billed by the developers of Lake Turkana Wind Power Project for failure to distribute electricity due to lack of a transmission line.

According to the Principal secretary, Joseph Njoroge, the stalemate was resolved after discussions between Energy ministry officials and the wind farm managers.

“We have agreed that the billing will not commence until the project is ready to operate by May next year. No payment has been made yet,” said Njoroge. Earlier, it was said the government could be incurring Sh700 million monthly.

The Sh70 billion Lake Turkana Wind Power Project is the largest in Africa comprising 365 wind turbines with a capacity of 310 megawatts. Delays in construction of Sh20 billion 428km high-voltage line is said to hamper distribution of power.

The line runs from the northern town of Marsabit to Suswa substation, the country’s main interchange for power coming from different sources. “Currently, the project is not producing power. Since there is no power transmission, the same cannot be stored.

Power is a real time product that is used immediately after production,” said Njoroge who was speaking on the sidelines of an off-grid power forum.

The transmission line was approved in August 2014 and the government agreed to pay the owners of the wind project a monthly compensation of Sh700 million should there be delays in injecting power to the grid after January 2017.