Author: Salma Khamis

Thirteen workers are missing following a collapse at a construction site for the Shenzhen-Jiangmen railway in southern China, local authorities confirmed on Thursday. The incident occurred around 11 p.m. local time on Wednesday when the ground beneath a section of the railway project in Shenzhen’s Bao’an District suddenly gave way, according to a statement from the district’s emergency management bureau. Search and rescue efforts were underway as of Thursday morning, with officials investigating the cause of the collapse. Authorities have evacuated residents living near the site as a precaution. In support of rescue operations, major expressways close to the construction…

Members of Parliament are urging the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services to review and republish its new charges and levies, citing concerns over the affordability of services such as acquiring national identity cards and birth certificates. MPs criticized the proposed increases, particularly the new fees for applying for or replacing identity cards, which they described as unjustifiable. “There is no proper justification for increasing the fees for applying for new identity cards or replacing the document.  The department should lower the fees to encourage more Kenyans to apply,” said Samuel Chepkong’a, chairperson of the Delegated Legislation Committee. During a…

New details have emerged on the 21-year-old student at the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi who died by suicide. Benedict Mberesero jumped to his death from the roof top of an apartment he had been staying for the last two years. He was staying at the Qwetu Hostels Abardare Heights before he jumped to his death on Wednesday December 4 morning at about 4.30 am. Mberesero stayed alone in his room. Police were called to the hostels and informed there was a body that had fallen off to the ground floor. The body was found next to…

Members of the National Assembly on Wednesday approved the nomination of Abdi Ahmed Mohamud as the new Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Chief Executive Officer. If appointed by President William Ruto, Mohamud, who is currently serving as the Deputy CEO of the anti-graft body, will take over the mantle from Twalib Mbarak whose tenure comes to an end in January. A career detective and an advocate of the High Court, Mohamud has over 19 years of experience in the anti-graft body, overseeing the investigation of high profile corruption cases in the country. He is a trained police officer. During his…

Nicknamed NNN, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has made history by being elected as Namibia’s first female president. The 72-year-old won more than 57% of the vote, with her closest rival, Panduleni Itula, getting 26%, according to the electoral commission. It is just the latest episode in a life packed with striking events – Nandi-Ndaitwah has fought against occupying powers, fled into exile and established herself as one of the most prominent women in Namibian politics. However, Itula has rejected her victory. He said the election was “deeply flawed”, following logistical problems and a three-day extension to polling in some parts of the…

At least 79 people have died from an unknown disease that is causing flu-like symptoms in south-western Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry says. The health ministry says the majority of people who have died are between the ages of 15 and 18. More than 300 people have been infected with patients exhibiting symptoms like fever, headaches, runny noses and coughs, breathing difficulties and anaemia. Response teams have been sent to Kwango Province, specifically the Panzi health zone, where the disease is most common, to manage cases and investigate the nature of the disease. Cephorien Manzanza, a civil…

Savannah Clinker Limited has withdrawn its competing offer to take over Bamburi Cement with the approval of the Capital Markets Authority (CMA). The board, in a statement on Wednesday, said the withdrawal has been occasioned by the public arrest of the Chairman and main shareholder of Savannah Clinker, Benson Ndeta. “The withdrawal of the competing offer has been occasioned by the recent well-publicised arrest and indictment of the chairman and main shareholder of Savanna, which has led to the financier of the competing offer seeking additional due diligence, coupled with the decline by the CMA of a request made on…

Police in Garissa have intercepted 88 bags of suspected contraband sugar being transported along the Modika-Modogashe road, following a high-speed chase involving two vehicles. The operation, carried out by the Border Police Patrol team, took place late at night when the officers, on a routine mobile patrol, spotted two suspicious Toyota Probox vehicles near the Nuno area. Upon signaling the vehicles to stop for inspection, the drivers attempted to flee, accelerating in a bid to escape. However, the vehicles were eventually immobilized, and a search revealed the contraband. The police discovered 88 bags of sugar, each weighing 25kg and branded…

Twelve individuals were arrested and 121 kilograms of bhang, valued at approximately sh 1.5 million, were seized in a police operation in Athi River, Machakos County. The suspects, consisting of ten men and two women of middle age, were apprehended at Kisumu Ndogo village, located within Athi River Township, on Tuesday afternoon at 3:50 PM. Philis Muthoni, the police commander for Athi River South sub-county, stated that the operation followed a tip-off from members of the public who had observed drug dealing and smoking in the Kisumu Ndogo area. Acting on this information, officers from the Athi River police station,…

The competitive race for the acquisition of Kenya’s Bamburi Cement PLC has taken a dramatic turn as Tanzania’s Amsons Group issued an update on its bid, following the arrest and subsequent release of Savannah Clinker CEO, Benson Ndeta. Amsons Group announced on December 4, 2024, that its bid to acquire Bamburi Cement from Holcim, which began in July 2024, has gained all the necessary regulatory approvals. The move comes just days after Ndeta, a rival in the acquisition battle, was arrested on November 28, 2024, in Valley Arcade, Nairobi. He was questioned at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and…