Cheersway is a formal company with a registered capital of 10 million pounds in the UK. It is a company certified by national government agencies.
Cheersway's charity plans a warm landscape in society.
Cheersway's charity plans a warm landscape in society.
Public outcry over the government’s move to raise electricity prices
Kenyans have opposed the government’s move to raise electricity prices, with many taking to social media to vent their anger, even as some vowed to switch to alternative power sources such as solar to avoid the growing costs.“This is not right. Something is very wrong about this decision and it will cost our country dearly,’ added another user.
The higher prices will not only hit domestic consumers but also commercial and industrial customers such as manufacturers who had opposed the prices increase, arguing that it would sharply increase their operational costs.
The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) had argued that the new tariffs would see the cost of electricity for manufacturers increase by between Sh3.5 and Sh5 per unit, translating to a 38 per cent cost increase, depending on their respective tariff and consumption levels.
“Manufacturers have over time raised concerns over the high cost of electricity in the country, which impacts on the overall cost of production,” argued KAM during a stakeholder engagement process before the new tariffs were approved.
“It is impossible for the country to be competitive as an investment destination and therefore industrialise in the absence of affordable, reliable, quality, and sustainable electricity for the manufacturing industry,” said the lobby.
The higher power costs come at a time inflation has once again gathered fresh steam, climbing to 9.2 per cent in February, coming after it slowed for three consecutive months to hit nine per cent iThe energy regulator on Friday raised base power tariffs by up to 63 per cent in the first tariff review since July 2018 at a time consumers are reeling from a high cost of living amid increased costs of food, fuel, cooking gas, transport and other commodities and services.
“It is time for solar. How can I import a complete solar unit?” posed one user on Twitter.n January.The newly-approved tariffs will see Kenya Power net Sh177 billion in revenues in the current 2022/2023 financial year—some Sh18 billion lower compared to the Sh195 billion the utility firm had targeted in its application to Epra.The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed that high prices of basic food commodities such as maize flour, cooking oil, rice, beans and wheat contributed greatly to the high inflation.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority(Epra) on Friday raised the base power prices to Sh12.22 per unit from Sh10 for those consuming below 30 units further marking a 22.2 per cent jump, putting pressure on consumers.
It also increased the base prices for those using between 30-100 units from Sh10 to Sh16.3, an equivalent of 63 per cent effective April while those consuming more than 100 units of electricity will now pay Sh20.97 per unit up from Sh15.8 currently, which is an equivalent of a 32per cent jump.
The new tariffs are slightly lower than what Kenya Power had submitted for review and approval in October. Kenya Power’s request would have seen electricity prices rise by up to 73 peBased on the new tariffs, Kenya Power will net Sh184.9 billion, Sh189.6 billion, and Sh193.7 billion in revenues for the financial years 2023/23,2024/25, and 2025/26 respectively.
This also comes at a time some 11 independent power producers (IPPs) have been summoned by Members of Parliament as investigations into contracts signed by the firms to supply electricity to Kenya Power begin.The lawmakers want the 11 firms to explain how much they are selling electricity to Kenya Power and why they are being paid in foreign currencies, mainly in US dollars and Euros.
The development comes after the Electricity Consumers Society of Kenya decried the skewed contracts signed between Kenya and the IPPs that are burdening consumers with high power costs.
Kenya Power yesterday welcomed the new tariffs, stating that they would help enhance power supply quality.
“Epra has approved target benchmarks that Kenya Power should achieve over the period of the tariffs in order to ensure accountability and proper use of the resources availed to them. This provides an incentive to Kenya Power to consistently improve on power quality and reliability,” said the utility in a statementr cent
Government of William Ruto, with its multibillion-shilling transactions
President William Ruto’s administration has for the past six months lined up a series of multibillion-shilling deals, with concerns raised over some that leave loopholes that questionable entities, countries and brokers could easily exploit to rip off the taxpayer.Since assuming office last September, Dr Ruto has inked more than 10 dealings with countries and well-known businesspeople across the globe, something which his allies have defended saying the current sorry state of the economy requires what they have described as ‘desperate measures’.
Some of the deals lined up include the Sh31 billion tractor imports plan with Belarus, oil importation by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Saudi Aramco and Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) and fertiliser importation.
Other deals include plans by the government to grow maize in Zambia on a 20,000 hectares of land, Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) borrowing of Sh15 billion from a local commercial bank to fund duty-free imports and 500,000 retail shops to sell maize.
The new administration has also contracted eight new loans worth Sh43.4 billion in the four months between September 1 to December 31. Treasury says the new loans signed between the Kenyan government, and commercial bilateral and multilateral creditors will be repaid between 2030 tSome of the deals are also shrouded in mystery amid a controversial decision by the Executive to remove Parliamentary oversight in the sale of State-owned corporations on top of a major shift in the country’s foreign policy by allowing other countries and their missions to engage directly with ministries and State agencies, without going through Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Some of these radical departures are seen to have loopholes that are prone to abuse by those in office and could end up costing the taxpayer9ys.o 2047
The controversial Cabinet approval of the Privatisation Bill, 2023, which will strip MPs of their oversight role in the sale of State-owned corporations has since attracted heavy criticism and claims of a plan to sell some of the strategic corporations to individuals connected to top government officials.
Prof XN Iraki, Economics scholar, says taking away parliamentary oversight in disposal of State corporations is mischievous as it could be abused by the executive to dispose of public assets at throwaway prices without their involvement.
“Without parliamentary scrutiny, we cannot be guaranteed transparency and value for money. In fact, Parliament should decide on what should be privatised. The expediency of bypassing Parliament should not outweigh scrutiny,” says Prof Iraki.
Similar concerns have also been raised by Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Eric Theuri, who says that by taking away parliamentary oversight, sales of State corporations would turn into a cash cow for those in the Executive.
Read: Making of a scandal: Inside the Sh15 billion drought scam
“The fact that the board of the Privatisation Commission is designed in a way that the chair is appointed by the President and the other members are appointed by the Treasury Cabinet Secretary without any competitiveThe Executive has also described parliamentary approval as bureaucratic.
“This is to avoid unnecessary tedious processes that inhibit efficiency within government. These parastatals are a burden to Kenyans saddled with debts,” says Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei in defence of the Executive.
In the decision to bypass the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if a foreign nation wants to engage more than one ministry at any one time, such communication should go through Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, all official business with the receiving State should be conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In making the decision, the government cited the need for efficiency.
Macharia Munene, a professor of history and international relations, says some of the policy decisions by Dr Ruto’s administration are questThe fact that the board of the Privatisation Commission is designed in a way that the chair is appointed by the President and the other members are appointed by the Treasury Cabinet Secretary without any competitive process make it look mischievous,” says Mr Theuri.
He adds: “When we are talking of privatisation we are talking about dilution of government interest in strategic government entities. There has been no rationale in seeking to make these radical changes. If you look at the changes proposed, you are left with one thing that is mischievous and intended for deal making ionable. process m
As the TikTok controversy intensifies, China officially denies requesting international data from businesses.
China insisted Friday it does not ask companies to hand over data gathered overseas, as the Chinese-owned TikTok faces mounting calls for a ban in the United States.At the crux of much of the fears over TikTok is a 2017 Chinese law that requires local firms to hand over personal data to the state if it is relevant to national security.
Beijing on Friday denied it would ask Chinese firms to hand over data gathered overseas and claimed it "attaches great importance to protecting data privacy".
China "has never and will not require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in a foreign country", foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing.
"The US government has so far not provided any evidence that TikTok poses a threat to its national security," Mao added.
In one particularly heated exchange Thursday, Chew was forced to acknowledge that some personal data of Americans was still subject to Chinese law, but insisted that would soon be changed.
The firm also acknowledged in November that some employees in China could access European user data and then admitted in December that employees had used the data to spy on journalists.
But the group has insisted that the Chinese government has no control over or accessPressure is building on the massively popular video-sharing app -- owned by the Chinese firm Bytedance -- to obtain new ownership or lose access to the enormous US market.
In a gruelling five-hour hearing with US lawmakers Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced relentless questioning from combative US lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle over the app's ties to China and its danger to teens. to its data
A ban would be an unprecedented act on a media company by the US government, cutting off the country's 150 million monthly users from an app that has become a cultural powerhouse -- especially for young people.
"TikTok has repeatedly chosen the path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation. Your platform should be banned," committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said.
Supporters of TikTok and free speech activists criticised the hearing as political theatre and urged against an outright ban.
"Taking a bludgeon to TikTok, and by extension to Americans' First Amendment protections, is not the right solution to the risks that TikTok poses to the privacy of Americans and to the national security of the United States," said Nadine Farid Johnson of PEN America, which defends free "ByteDance is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government and is a private company," Chew told lawmakers in his opening remarks, referring to TikTok's China-based parent company.
"We believe what's needed are clear transparent rules that apply broadly to all tech companies -- ownership is not at the core of addressing these concerns," Chew added.
The Harvard-educated former banker failed to defuse an existential threat to TikTok as the app seeks to survive a White House ultimatum that it either split from its Chinese ownership or be banned in the United States.
Lawmakers from the House Energy and Commerce Committee afforded Chew no respite, frequently denying him opportunities to expand on his answers or tout the site's huge global popularity with young peoplespeech
Did the police have to kill my bipolar kid because "they are animals"?
Ivor Otieno, a 28-year-old Kenyan-born man who was killed by American police on March 6 was still wearing handcuffs and leg shackles at the time. All North American news stations are discussing his death. Otieno, who adored music and aspired to be a musician, suffered from bipolar disorder and anxiety.
Caroline Ouko, Otieno's mother, observed that her son was having some trouble on the morning of March 3.
He had received a bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder diagnosis when he was still a teenager. She made the customary call to her son's psychiatrist's office for assistance. She requested that Otieno be taken to the hospital.
Irvo is experiencing mental discomfort, so if they can send out a specialist who can speak with him and potentially assist us get him to the hospital, that would be great. The person on the call at the psychiatrist's office, Ms. Ouko recalled saying.
Otieno had left the room in the interim and entered a neighbor's property to take some lighting fittings. After revealing that her kid suffered from a mental ailment, Mrs. Ouko made an offer to reimburse the business owner.
She assumed that her son's psychiatrist had alerted the police when she saw them outside the window several hours later to assist in transporting Otieno to the hospital. Yet, they weren't. Instead, the neighbor had called to inform them that Otieno had taken some lamps from his property.
For Ms Ouko, who moved to the US in 1999 when Otieno was four years old, it was a frightening time.
"In my front yard, there were 10 to 12 police policemen dispersed. My son came downstairs after I called him, and I held his hand. Onto the front stoop we stepped. The police were prepared to use tasers and had them ready. I embraced my son because I feared for his wellbeing.
Ms. Ouko was given the assurance that her son would receive the required care when he was brought to the neighboring Henrico Doctors Hospital. Yet, she had a sneaking suspicion that something was amiss when she was refused permission to see her kid on Friday.
Otieno "grew violently aggressive towards officers" when he was transferred to the hospital for "additional evaluation," according to a police statement.
The allegations against him were "attack on a law enforcement officer, disruptive behavior in a hospital, and vandalism." He was then taken into custody by the officers and taken to the Warrant Services Unit at the Henrico County Prison West.
Because the tasers were frightening her son, Ms. Ouko requested that the officers put them away. "I might
Because the tasers were frightening her son, Ms. Ouko requested that the officers put them away. She told the media, "I could see it in his eyes.
Ms. Ouko requested that an ambulance be dispatched at all times because her son was ill. He resisted getting into the police car after they handcuffed him. Fortunately, an ambulance soon arrived, and Otieno easily climbed about.
When Ms. Ouko learned that her son had been taken from the hospital, she went to the Henrico jail and informed the guards that Otieno had a mental illness and needed medication.
I mentioned that the young man is in mental turmoil and that this is the inappropriate environment for him. Can you assist me?
Weekend was in effect. Ms. Ouko supplied the social worker in the prison the medical background and a list of the medications her son was taking. But, she was informed that the medications would not be given until Otieno saw a jail doctor on Monday, Marc.
Otieno appeared in front of Henrico General District Court that Monday through a video monitor. His mother observed him to be "nearly lifeless" when he "raised his hands in a flailing gesture." His face had "almost like a grimace like he's grasping in pain," she said to the reporters.
Ms. Ouko attempted to get her son released on bond by claiming that he was ill. She overheard the court indicate that Otieno will be sent to Central State Hospital, according to local media. "And I pleaded with you to say no. My son requires both stabilization and treatment. Kindly give him the medication. We use a private physician. He can come out if we can make him steady.
The reason a mentally ill patient was taken from the hospital, put in jail, and given a charge sheet is currently being questioned by US attorneys. Lawyer Mark Bong, who has previously worked with Henrico police departments, told the press that he is still perplexed as to why the officers believed that arresting Otieno was the right course of action.
"Someone who receives therapy in a hospital setting and is then transferred to a jail setting is probably not receiving enough care, especially on the weekends. As comparison to a hospital setting, the availability of medication and medical care will be significantly reduced in a jail setting, according to Bong.
The family claims that Otieno had experienced mental health problems ever since he was a little child.
Following a public outcry, detectives consented to show the family the film from the security cameras that recorded Otieno's final seconds. Otieno never engaged in confrontation and did not constitute a threat to the police, according to family attorney Ben Crump.
Crump claimed that "he was neither violent nor confrontational." According to the attorney, Otieno was shown in one video clip in a "tiny cell, naked, with feces all over the floor" at Henrico Detention.
The fact that another family is mourning a loved one who reportedly died in almost the same way—being pinned down by police for 12 agonizing minutes—nearly three years after the terrible killing of George Floyd by police—is very upsetting, said Crump, who also represented the Floyd family.
Otieno's mother had similar emotions, saying, "My kid was treated like a dog, worse than a dog. I seen it firsthand... I'm now unable to attend his wedding. Because someone refused to assist him, I'll never get to see a grandchild. Nobody intervened to halt what was occurring.
Details of Otieno's experience at Central State Hospital have been covered by The New York Times. The footage depicts "at least seven Henrico County Sheriff's Office deputies entering a room at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County dragging Mr. Otieno, who is shirtless and restrained by handcuffs and leg chains. He is pushed into a small couch by the deputies, who then force him to the ground.
He is handcuffed, as can be seen in the video. He is wearing leg shackles, and the majority of the footage shows that he appears to be between between unconsciousness and lifelessness," added Crump.
Otieno was suffocated to death by the weight of seven cops standing on top of him, according to Ann Cabell Baskervill, a state prosecutor who was under pressure from the defense team not to release the video. Three medical officers were charged with manslaughter, while she later charged the policemen with murder.
The prosecutor claims that after removing Otieno's shackles, the seven police officers waited three hours before contacting Virginia State Police to look into the tragedy.
Ms. Ouko was upset when she finally had a chance to watch the footage. "What I witnessed was tragic. It disturbed me. It was upsetting. My youngster suffered torture.
They are creatures. They are monsters, Mrs. Ouko declared to NBC TV as she consented to the public broadcast of the tape showing how her son was killed.
The family is left wondering how Americans view those who suffer from mental illnesses.
"When do we stop trying to save life? When do we start classifying mental illness as a crime? "questioned Leon Ochieng, his brother. "Could someone please tell me why my brother is not present at this time? Can someone please tell me why my mother is unable to eat or sleep?"
Different contracts for millers in unga subsidy shocks MPs
After it was discovered that there were two separate contracts signed with the millers who supplied the commodity in the one-month period between July 21 and August 17, 2022, the parliamentary investigations into former President Uhuru Kenyatta's Sh4 billion maize flour subsidy program took a new turn.
According to documents provided to the National Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Animals, the United Grain Millers Association (UGMA) and Cereal Millers Association (CMA), two organizations of millers, signed several contracts for the delivery of maize flour.
The 102 small-scale millers participating in the program were subject to strict obligations under the other contract, which was signed by CMA, which is made up of the 27 largest millers in the nation. The CMA contract did not require them to ensure that the maize flour actually reaches the market.
Mithika Linturi, the cabinet secretary for agriculture, encouraged the MPs to call the officers in charge of the subsidy program during her appearance before the committee yesterday to provide more information about it. "The contract that the Attorney-General allegedly approved is two lines long...
The second one has four lines and states, in part, that millers are not responsible for the price of unga or whether it reaches the consumer or not. I ask that the committee complete its work because I am in a very uncomfortable situation. This is theft of public resources,” Mr Linturi told the committee. The contract signed between the government and CMA through the office of the Attorney-General stipulated that the millers would
"The contract that the Attorney-General allegedly approved is two lines long... The second one has four lines and states, in part, that millers are not responsible for the price of unga or whether it reaches the consumer or not. I ask that the committee complete its work because I am in a very uncomfortable situation. The committee was informed by Mr. Linturi that this was theft of public resources. The CS further questioned the secrecy under which the subsidy programme was implemented and said that the documents concerning the agreement and payment schedule could not be traced at the Ministry of Agriculture.
As a ministry, we made every effort to track down the documents, including the minutes and other specifics of the agreements, but we were unable to do so. They were signed by the National Treasury, which has said it cannot also locate them. We are at a loss on what transpired,” Mr Linturi added.
John Mutunga, the committee's chair, questioned why both groups of millers would be required to sign different contracts while working on the same project.
All those variations may be found in the contracts between the two groups of millers. We are aware that the large-scale millers received complete freedom to supply the maize, and no sanctions were imposed. They evade the accountability of whether the unga reaches the end user and the price at which it reaches the consumer. The large millers were favored, and I'll tell you why: to distribute public funds, claimed Mr. Mutunga, who is also the MP for Tigania West.
Nyando MP Jared Okello pointed to the notion that a government person might have manipulated the contents of the contract to steal public monies.
Last week, lawmakers met with two groups of millers, who complained that they didn't have enough money to run their businesses because they hadn't been paid.CMA is asking the government to pay it Sh2.57 billion while UGMA is owed Sh300 million.
The MPs, on the other hand, are skeptical of the pay demands, pointing out that flour, which was expected to sell for Sh100 for a two-kilo packet, did not reach consumers.
They have accused the millers of working in collusion to embezzle public funds. The committee directed Mr Linturi to provide all contracts pertaining to the subsidy program as well as any other documents for future reference. It is highly unlikely that the millers sat down to
Education scandal in Finland: Elgeyo Marakwet also involved in fees scandal
Elgeyo Marakwet county, which borders Uasin Gishu county, has revealed that it too is dealing with a problem around a controversial Finland student airlift scheme. Wisley Rotich, the governor of Elgeyo Marakwet, has established an 11-person task force to look into the Finland Scholarship Program, under which hundreds of county residents studying in Finland now run the risk of being deported if they don't pay their tuition, just like their Uasin Gishu counterparts.
It comes after Tampere University of Applied Sciences said that, as a result of unpaid tuition and lodging costs, the institution had discontinued its collaboration agreement with the counties of Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet on March 1.
The university warned students from Elgeyo Marakwet to pay their second semester fees in full by March 31 rather than May 1 to avoid having their studies suspended as a precaution following price payment default by Uasin Gishu County students.
The university requested that the impacted students work with their parents to make sure that their tuition and housing costs are paid by March 31 without the chance of an extension in a letter dated March 7, 2023.
More than 200 Elgeyo Marakwet students are now enrolled in nursing and applied science programs at several universities in Finland. As part of the program, students work while they are in school and are later placed in jobs.
The program, however, is in danger of failing because of the problems with fee payments.
202 students from Uasin Gishu county who were airlifted to study at three universities in Finland are in danger of being deported because of unpaid tuition, despite the fact that their parents had paid the money into a pooled trust account with the county government serving as guarantor. Following an investigation by a county assembly committee, it has since been confirmed that the county officials in charge of the program did not transfer the funds to the universities as intended.
Similar to Uasin Gishu, the county government served as guarantor in Elgeyo Marakwet.
The governor has instructed the investigative team to confirm reports that the placement agency that also transported the students to Finland had exaggerated the charge to almost twice the amount. The team will also look into why airlifting 23 students who paid the fees took more than a year.
At a consultative meeting with worried parents on Wednesday held at the county's Iten offices, Mr. Rotich announced that the administration had put in place procedures to secure the program's continuation.
Today we met parents with continuing students and those yet to proceed to Finland and have paid school fees for their students and gave them my administration assurance about the continuity of the programme. I can assure you that the kids won't be sent away," he said.
Edwin Kibor, the executive in charge of education, will lead the investigation team, which will examine every student enrolled in Finland.
The team will also find out the amount of money spent by parents to send the students to Finland and what had necessitated delay of some of the students who would have flown to Finland last year, as well as the inconsistency in fee payment.
"A year has passed since I made my payment, and as of right now, we are unsure if they will still join Tampere. We need answers,” he protested.
In June 2020, former area Governor Alex Tolgos issued admission letters to 25 students who joined Tampere University of Applied Sciences in Finland.
Mr Samson Kiplagat, an affected parent, said despite paying the requisite fees, his child is yet to go to Finland to begin the studies.
"I can guarantee that your kids are secure, parents. We are making necessary accommodations for the pupils to continue with their studies. There has been a misunderstanding between the institutions and the parents,” the governor stated.
The students were sent to Finland by the county government and the university to pursue degrees in nursing and healthcare.
As a result of the partnership, the university gave the students a reduction in fees.
The county also entered into a contract with Tampere City that would offer students part-time jobs while they are enrolled in classes so they could pay their tuition and maintenance.
“You are the pioneers of this collaboration and I want you to travel to Finland and do our county and your parents proud. This will open way for those students who will come after you. Please be our good ambassadors,” the former governor had said then.
Mr. Tolgos led off two groups of 100 students each in May 2022, one to Tredu University and Tampere University.
16 of them were slated to enroll in a nursing degree program at the University of Helsinki, while 25 were listed to pursue a Tampere University certificate in practical nursing.
Fifty students were to proceed to Tredu University for nursing programmes.
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