Weekend Vibes Ke

With the KRU Elections done and dusted, a new dawn sets on the Kenya Rugby Union under the stewardship of Sasha Mutai, who assumes the Chairmanship of the Kenya Rugby Union Board. As the Rugby fraternity, we participated in the elections through our various club delegates who voted in the new team. This is what we want from them. It will be important to build on our national team and qualify for the RWC for both men and women teams. This has been an elusive dream for our nation but we can learn and craft our way to the worldwide setpiece event in 2027 having missed out on three world cups following heartbreaking losses to Madagascar 2014, Namibia 2018, and Namibia 2022. We want our sport to go pro. This can only be achieved by bringing corporates on-board. If we invest in our facilities amd personnel, rugby will be the number one sport in Kenya. We have the capacity to achieve this. Age grade rugby systems must be defined and proper coaching to be done to ensure that the ta...

Carlos Spencer, a former Blues superstar and fan favorite, has returned to his roots as the coach of the Blues women's backs for Super Rugby Aupiki 2023. Spencer, who played 99 times in nine seasons with the club and was a member of the original Blues team in 1996, expressed his "beyond stokedness" to be reunited with the Blues whanau. He has extensive playing and coaching experience, the latter of which includes several stints in South Africa and more recent stops with the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and New Orleans Gold in Major League Rugby in America. “When I was playing, I always liked to bring a bit of innovation and ‘out-the-box’ thinking to the table, Now as a coach I want to encourage and help grow those same traits in our nib Blues wahine.” said Spencer. Spencer stated that it has been enjoyable to observe the influence of the Previous Rugby World Cup and predicted that Super Rugby Aupiki will profit from the Black Ferns' World Cup triumph. “You’ve seen the r...

  Kabras Sugar vs Catholic University– 3pm ASK Kakamega Referee:Noreen Liyosi  Assistant: Norbert Bonyi & Alumasa Bonfotra  Menengai Oilers vs Mean Machine – 4pm ASK Nakuru Referee: Beril Akinyi  Assistant:Brain Kipkoech & Dominic Mutinda  (2pm ESS Referee):Daniel Chabata  KCB vs Kenya Harlequins – 3pm Ruaraka Grounds Referee: Victor Oduor  Assistant:Innocent Kimathi & Brian Nyakundi  (1pm ESS Referee): Brian Nyabeki  Strathmore University vs Masinde Muliro University -3pm Madaraka Grounds Referee: Duncan Kioko  Assistant:Enoch Amadi & TBC  Mwamba vs Homeboyz-3pm RFUEA Grounds Referee: Linus Kinuthia @Linus Kinuthia  Assistant: Samuel Kioko & TBC  BlakBlad vs Top Fry Nakuru -3pm KU Grounds Referee: Emmanuel Marete  Assistant:Brian Ndungu & David Karanja  CHAMPIONSHIP Impala va Zetech University -3pm Impala Grounds Referee: Vincent Muiruiri  Nondescripts vs Daystar University -3pm Race...

Samuel Kirubi, a longtime managing director of Equity Bank Uganda, has been appointed by Equity Group as its Group Chief Operating Officer (GCOO). Prior to joining Equity Bank in 2001, Mr. Kirubi worked as Equity Bank South Sudan's chief operations officer from 2009 to 2001. Before being transferred to Equity Bank's Uganda subsidiary in the same role in 2015, he was first promoted to the post of funding managing director of Equity Bank South Sudan. Third-most profitable Equity subsidiary after Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he guided the subsidiary from being in the red to becoming the fifth-most profitable bank in Uganda (DRC). Anthony Kituka, the current Executive Director, has been named the new Managing Director of Equity Bank Uganda. The lender stated in a statement that Mr. Kirubi will be in charge of improving the bank's ability to carry out its strategy by coordinating people, systems, processes, commercial activity, and business risk with customers...

 President William Ruto has announced that Kenyans tapping from the financial inclusion fund, popularly known as the Hustlers Fund, will obtain the funds through an online platform. Addressing the Kenya Kwanza PG on Wednesday, Ruto disclosed that there will be no committees regulating the disbursement process to allow a seamless process ahead of its expected first phase launch on November 30, 2022. "The product is going to be seamless, you will not need any committee, you do not need to know anybody and the product will be online just like M-Pesa,...I know some of you had made arrangements to form a committee for disbursing Hustler funds. Sorry I will disappoint you there will be no Hustler Fund committee," said President Ruto. The Head of State went on to note that he has already launched talks with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and service providers to enroll the programme online. "We are working with our MNOs and technology providers and all the mobile operator...

The Court of Appeal has granted the Sirisia MP John Waluke a Sh10 million cash bail until his appeal against the 67-year jail term he was given for a Sh297 million fraud is heard and decided. Even though Waluke claimed the government owed him Sh300 million as a result of a 2004 maize supply contract that authorities allege was fraudulent. A three-judge bench that included Justices Asike Makhandia, Grace Ngenye, and Sankale ole Kantai decided the MP's imprisonment might result in the loss of his parliamentary seat and call for a by-election. "Once [Waluke] does not attend eight consecutive sittings, then he will automatically lose his seat. On that ground, we find the application for bail has merit and is allowed,” said Judge Ngenye, who read the ruling. The judges also offered him the chance to post a bail in the amount of Sh20 million. The bail conditions are the same as those that the High Court had set. “Assuming he is heard on appeal and he succeeds, he will not be able t...

President William Ruto was disobeyed by Kenya Kwanza MPs last night when they chose to reject two of his top picks for the five party-backed candidates for the regional assembly, even though Azimio leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka won with significant margins. Kenya Kwanza chose Hassan Omar, a former Mombasa senator, former MP David Sankok, former Nandi woman representative Zipporah Kering, former senator Falhadha Iman Dekow, and former URP secretary-general Fred Muteti as their preferred lineup in a meeting presided over by President Ruto on Wednesday in State House.  Mt. Kenya MPs felt that at least one of their own deserved a place in the regional parliament and were unhappy with the final five candidates chosen at State House. The President publicly endorsing the five, according to some MPs in the Kenya Kwanza camp, was also inappropriate since it upset the coalition. “Within the coalition, they should have known the favourite candidate; endorsing the five in public mea...

The High Court has directed that Tony Gachoka, a journalist, deposit Sh500,000 as security in an election suit in which he is contesting the deletion of his name from the list of individuals the Narc Party intended to nominate for the National Assembly. The decision was made after it was found that the petition was an election dispute covered by the Elections Act's (Parliamentary and County Elections Petition Rules) deadline of six months. Justice Erick Ogolla has since been chosen by Chief Justice Martha Koome to hear and decide Mr. Gachoka's case. After the Charity Ngilu-led National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) neglected to include Mr. Gachoka on its list of candidates for the National Assembly's seat representing people with disabilities, hence Mr. Gachoka filed a lawsuit. He claims that as a person with a disability, the party affiliated with the Azimio la Umoja Coalition had promised to place him at the top of its nomination list. However, his name was absent from the lis...

Sepp Blatter, a former head of Fifa, said that awarding Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup was a "mistake." Blatter, 86, presided over the body that controls world football when Qatar was chosen to host the competition in 2010. The Gulf state has been under fire for its stance on same-sex relationships, human rights record, and handling of migrant labor. Blatter asserted that he was "right" at the time when he said the tournament "should not go" to Qatar in 2022. Blatter claimed that Qatar is "too little of a country" to host the World Cup and that "football and the World Cup are too enormous for it" in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger. From November 20 through December 18, the World Cup in Qatar is taking place. It is the first time in the competition's 92-year existence that it has taken place in the Middle East and during the Northern Hemisphere's winter. The Fifa executive committee voted 14-8 to ...

 After a government audit uncovered significant irregularities, at least five top managers of the struggling Metropolitan National Sacco Ltd resigned to make room for further investigations. The departures occurred a few days after the sacco's board was dismissed and a temporary committee installed last week as a result of dismal investigation results commissioned by Commissioner of Co-operatives David Obonyo in April. According to sources, the caretaker committee would replace the managers with temporary office holders while stepping up its preparations for in-depth investigations into the earlier findings, which revealed irregularities like fictitious dividend payments, financial book manipulation, and erroneous lending. Some of the unethical practices that were revealed include Sh49 million in shady M-Pesa transfers by a single teller at the sacco's Nakuru branch and an overstatement of the institution's prime lending facility by more than Sh7 billion due to alleged disb...

A former Member of County Assembly (MCA) who falsified academic credentials was sentenced to four years in prison. The Kiamwangi MCA For forging his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate, Robert Kibe Githongo was given a sentence of four years in prison or an Sh500,000 fine.  At the Milimani Anti-Corruption court, Senior Principal Magistrate Hon Peter Ooko condemned Githongo to his first offense of violating Section 347(a) of the Penal Code, with the possibility of paying a Sh500,000 fine. “Githongo was charged with making a false document namely KSCE S/No .625123 purporting it to be a genuine certificate issued by Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC). For this count, the convict is to serve two years in jail or default pay a fine of Sh250,000,” the court documents read in part. The former lawmaker was also accused of uttering a fraudulent document in violation of Penal Code section 353, which carries a comparable penalties. According to the charge sheet...

In place of Bruno Shioso, who was elevated to Commandant of the National Police Training Campus in Kiganjo, Dr. Resila Atieno Onyango has been named the National Police Service spokeswoman. After 2014's Zipporah Mboroki, Resila is the second woman to hold the role of Police Service spokesman. Resila, a Senior Superintendent, held the position of Deputy Director of Planning at the Office of the Inspector General of Police before to being promoted. In 2021, she earned her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. She had previously worked for Interpol's regional office for East Africa as a criminal intelligence officer. In the most recent shifts announced by the interim Inspector General of Police Noor Gabow, her predecessor Shioso has taken the place of the newly appointed Police IG Japheth Koome. Philip Ndolo, who served as the college's deputy commandant, has since been transferred back to the Nairobi Police Headquarters. Manaseh Musyoka, the Cent...

  If a promise made by the recently sworn-in Public Service CS, Aisha Jumwa, is fulfilled, government employees would be laughing all the way to the bank at the end of January 2023 Jumwa made a promise to raise all federal officials' pay within 100 days of taking office on Monday, October 31. She claimed that her decision was motivated by the general sense of demoralization prevalent throughout government agencies. The CS highlighted that many of the workers battled with basic needs like paying school fees and rent on their present pay by drawing an analogy to her own experiences growing up in a poor household. The CS further committed during her tour to extending Huduma Centers' operating hours, noting that the service was essential to many Kenyans. If implemented successfully, Huduma Centers' doors would be open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm as opposed to the nine-hour working day that currently runs from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Employees would be hired to work in shifts. Jumwa was...

  President William Ruto appears to have restored punctuality at state events.During the previous regime of the former head of State President Uhuru Kenyatta, delays were rampant and members of the Fourth Estate were often kept waiting longer. On several occasions, events such as press conferences would start up to one and a half hours late. This touched off a running joke on Twitter where, whenever State House announced an event, users would wonder whether it was GMT or “State House time”.Now, President Ruto seems to be changing the culture at the State House, after a few months in office. For instance, the press invitation from the State House on Thursday indicated that the swearing-in ceremony of the cabinet Secretaries would start at 11am. The event started about 10 minutes earlier. According to sources, the president was also present for a Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group meeting at State House, which started at 7am on the dot as announced. That is not all, last Thursday durin...

Governor Mwangaza has been engaged in a tough war with Members of County Assembly since assuming office, hitting a crescendo last week when MCAs walked out as she delivered her inaugural speech.  Police were forced to lob teargas canisters as supporters of Ms Mwangaza and the MCAs hurled stones at each other. So bad is the row that Meru legislators have offered to mediate between the county boss and ward representatives even as each side hardens its stance.  On Sunday, Meru MCAs woke up to find their WhatsApp group, “Meru County MCAs 2022” disbanded. This, they say, was the only link between them and governor Mwangaza. Governor Mwangaza, who was the founder and administrator of the group, removed all the MCAs and disbanded it as the tiff with the county legislators escalated.

  Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi left Kenyans scratching their heads after not holding up the Bible while taking the oath of office during the swearing-in ceremony of Cabinet members at State House on Thursday. As it is customary in taking oaths, though optional to denomination, one is needed to lift up the Bible or the Quran as a sign of pledging allegiance to the constitution and serving with diligence. Mudavadi however did not follow suit, bringing questions to the fore on why he averted the traditional "lift of the Holy book". Mudavadi is of the Quaker denomination, which believes that each individual can experience God without needing a priest or the Bible.  The chief CS has in the past self-confessed to be part of the Quaker faith, which he has professed to use as a guide in administering his role in government. "Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Togetherness & Equality are strong Quaker values that I believe can hold us together individually & collec...

  A petition has been filed at the Meru County Assembly by a resident to impeach Governor Kawira Mwangaza over alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office.Constitutional activist Salesio Thuranira, popularly known as Omtatah, for his litigation on public interest matters, delivered the petition to the Clerk of the Assembly on Thursday afternoon. Meru assembly clerk Jacob Kirari said the petition is being studied by the legal team to establish if it meets threshold. In the petition Mr Thuranira is urging the Assembly to initiate the impeachment process arguing that there are sufficient grounds for removal of Governor Mwangaza from office. Ms Mwangaza has been locked in a standoff with members of the Meru County Assembly over allocation of ward development fund and bursary kitty under the new administration. Mr Thuranira cites the appointment of a Mr Francis Mungai as the Meru County Revenue Board general manager which he says was done against the revenue board act. He als...

The National Assembly has approved President William Ruto’s 24 Cabinet Secretary nominees, paving way for their appointment to the top Executive offices in charge of developing and implementing policy and government programmes.. The House rejected the National Assembly Committee on Appointments move to declare Tourism and Wildlife CS nominee Peninah Malonza as unsuitable for the role. The committee, which is chaired by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, had declared Ms Malonza unsuitable, saying the former Kitui deputy governor did not show a grasp of the issues in the docket. " The nominee did not demonstrate knowledge on topical, administrative and technical issues touching on the ministry. She lacked the requisite abilities and professional experience to be approved for appointment to the office of Cabinet Secretary,” the committee said on Ms Malonza. But MPs had from Tuesday ganged up against the report, castigating the committee for what they said was unfairly targeting Ms Malonza. ...

  The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has announced vacancies with up to Ksh153,000 salary.  In a notice issued by the Commission, the job vacancies range from senior officers in supply chain management, Human Resource Support Staff, clerks, secretaries, and Corporate Communications Assistants. Interested persons are advised to apply before Wednesday, November 9, 2022. Persons with disabilities, marginalized and minority groups who meet the job specifications are also encouraged to apply. According to the 2017 circular from the Ministry of Public Service, the job groups within the Commission fall under Job Group R and consist of a salary range from Ksh115,290 to Ksh153,170.  How to Access Details of the Positions. Interested candidates should log into SRC's official website www.src.go.ke   Go to the Work With Us tab and click the Careers tab. Under the Careers section, click and download the document titled 'Advertisement of Vacant positions.' How to Apply...

Aston Villa have today announced the appointment of Unai Emery as the club’s new Head Coach. This follows the sacking of ex Liverpool Captain, Steven Gerrard.  Unai, formerly with Villarreal, led the yellow submarine to Europa League success by defeating England Giants, Manchester United, in the final in 2021, and as well as getting them to the semi-finals of last season's Champions League. Unai is a highly experienced top level coach having managed over 900 games. He has also previously managed in the Premier League during a spell with Arsenal, leading the Gunners to a Europa League final. He also enjoyed success while at Sevilla and at Paris Saint Germain, where he won three successive Europa League titles between 2013 and 2016 with Sevilla before going on to lift a Ligue 1 championship in France as well as two French Cups, two French League Cups and two Trophée des Champions. Unai will take over from November 1st after his work permit formalities are completed.