Dennis Tarus

The National Police Service through the Office of the Inspector General had rejected the report by Haki Africa linking them to extra judicial killings and forced disappearances of persons in the Coast region.

“We also reject claims of religious profiling as we only focus on criminals irrespective of their religious affiliation,” the statement read in part.

The report accused the police of killing or ‘forcibly disappearing’ at least 81 Muslims living along the country’s coastline.

The report entitled “What Do We Tell the Families?,” Haki Africa said that the figure could be much higher, but that some families refused to come forward due to fear of repercussions.

Of the 81 cases recorded since 2012, 22 <a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/news/politics-current-affairs/police-brutality-two-people-succumb-to-injuries-inflicted-by-police-in-mumias-even-as-police-announces-ksh500-000-cash-reward-id5818769.html" id="6bf4ca0a-a82f-54a4-b37a-c01e90d2395f">deaths were allegedly caused by excessive use of force by police</a>, four occurred while the victims were in police custody, 31 were allegedly extra-judicial executions, and 24 were thought to be enforced disappearances.

According to the NGO’s executive director, Hussein Khalid, most of the victims were youths, although they also included people over the age of 50, such as sheikhs and imams.

“The common thread is that all victims are Muslims, and all fall into a category of being perceived by authorities to be actual or potential terror suspects - a label increasingly nebulous and ill-defined, given that every killing and disappearance has been carried out outside of any known legal framework,” said Khalid in the report.

The National Police Service through the Office of the Inspector General Joseph Boinett (above) has rejected a report by Haki Africa linking them to extra judicial killings.

Through a statement signed by the Police Spokesperson George Kinoti, the police said the allegations were based on unfounded distortions of the real facts.

Police dismiss Haki Africa report on killings and disappearances

Confirming the incident, Nakuru Police boss, Joshua Omukata, said the victim, Rose Owuor, also had several wounds on her hand, face and legs.

After killing Rose, the man attempted to commit suicide by taking poison but was stopped by neighbours and was rushed hospital in Kaptembwo, Nakuru Town.

According to the neighbours, the man had been consistently persisting Rose to marry him, an offer which she turned down.

Neighbours said they heard cries of help on Tuesday evening from the house and went to check but found the door locked.

They later went and informed the local chief who in turn called the police and came back only to find Rose lying dead in the house.

After interrogation, the man informed police officers that he wanted to marry the woman but she turned down his request.

He claimed to have spent a lot of money wooing Rose into a relationship for several months with the intention of marrying her.

He confessed to have showered Rose with many gifts which  she turned down and then is when he decided to kill her.

Cases of<a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/entertainment/man-dies-in-nyeri-after-setting-his-own-house-on-fire-id5865360.html" id="83194be9-1834-504a-9f99-c87107c9d4a5"> love cases gone sour have been on a sharp increase</a> in the country.

Earlier this week, a man in Nyeri died after he set his own house on fire following  a heated argument with his wife.

The wife admitted that her husband was fond of beating her up and burnt the house down with the sole intention of killing her.

Residents of Nakuru Town West peep through the window of a house where a woman was killed by her lover.

A sombre mood engulfed residents of Ingobor, Nakuru County after a man killed his lover by chopping off her head after she turned down her marriage proposal.

Woman killed by lover after rejecting marriage proposal

The High Court has ruled that there is no law allowing the highways authority to place speed limit road signs or prescribe punishment for ignoring them.

Delivering the ruling, Justice cited the law “Reference to section 70 sub-section 1 A refers to placement of traffic signs prescribing speed limits. Thus when considered as a whole, no offence is revealed under provisions of the law cited.”

He said that <a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/news/general-news/ntsa-motorists-to-be-publicly-named-and-shamed-for-breaking-traffic-rules-id5858661.html" id="098766d9-52d2-506f-bdf3-b1f4dae98b40">the move by the highway authority</a> to place on or near a road traffic sign prescribing speed limits on the road does not exist in law.

“Section 70 (5A), which allows the 20 km/h excess speed does not spell out an offence although it gives a penalty for speeding,” the judge said.

“On the other hand, section 70 (5A) on its own does not disclose an offence since it only prescribes a penalty for a conviction in violation of the speed limit,” she said.

The judge gave the ruling after Ankush Shah was charged before the Magistrate’s Court after he ignored the speed limit indicated on a sign along the Southern Bypass Road between Kikuyu and Kiambu.

He however successfully pleaded his case and through his lawyer, raised questions over the charge.

According to the charge, Shah was driving at 120 km/h instead of 100 km/h and termed the charge as defective.

“Since the applicant had not exceeded the 20 km/h allowance, no offence had been committed and the charge was therefore defective as the applicant was charged for a non-existent offence,” Shah’s lawyer said.

Shah had his objection dismissed but later moved to the High Court where he successfully pleaded his case.

He had wanted the judge to declare that all drivers fined or charged under the contested section were illegally punished.

In her ruling, the judge said the judge said the driver was within the law by exceeding the limit by 20 km/h.

“I must emphasise that the applicant having been charged for driving at 120 km/h and the law cited, an offence could only have been created if he was driving in excess of 120 km/h. He was therefore within the allowed speed limit. Effectively no offence had been committed by the speed he was driving at,” the judge said.

The high court has ruled that driving 20 km/h above the 100 km/h limit is not illegal.

The court also ruled that driving 20 km/h above the 100 km/h limit is not illegal.

Kenyan court okays driving 20 km/hr over limit, rules road signs illegal

Fourteen patients have been locked up inside hospital wards at the Kabarnet County Hospital, Baringo County.

The patients have not received medical attention ever since the <a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/news/general-news/kenyas-health-crisis-deaths-unattended-births-and-patients-pain-as-health-strike-takes-effect-id5858042.html" id="533118ca-a253-5a2c-b0bf-5f22e0f373c8">nationwide strike by health workers started on Monday</a>.

However, they have not been allowed to leave the hospital over unpaid bills.

Some of them have been at the hospital for two months.

"Security officers are under strict instructions not to allow us to leave the wards until hospital bills are cleared. It is painful that they have decided to lock us in without drugs for two days," one of the patients said.

Chepurai Lomotepa, a Koloa resident whose legs are heavily bandaged following an infection, has been in the hospital for two months and her left knee has been operated on four times.

Unlike other patients, she has not been visited by any relatives and was brought in by a good Samaritan.

She however cannot leave the hospital until she has cleared her bill after the order from the hospital management.

Their relatives have been forced to buy them painkillers from nearby clinics.

Another patient, has been surviving on painkillers as she nurses a wound that is undressed after failing to clear her bill of Sh40, 000.

At least 14 patients have died across the country as the strike by Kenya’s health workers began on Monday.

<a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/news/general-news/health-crisis-kenyans-brace-themselves-for-hard-times-as-doctors-strike-takes-effect-id5851910.html" id="26a058cc-745b-5a5a-9ab9-4d4b466a4d31">Health services were paralysed in most public hospitals</a> as doctors and nurses made good their threat to go on strike.

In Western and Nyanza regions, relatives of patients had to dress their patients’ wounds or pay some nurses between Sh300-Sh400 to have them clean the wounds.

Kabarnet County Referral Hospital in Baringo County. Fourteen patients have been locked up inside the hospital wards for failure to clear their bills.

The patients have not received medical attention ever since the nationwide strike by health workers started on Monday.

Patients locked up in hospital over unpaid bills

The Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa) has warned Kenya Airways that they risk losing more pilots to rival airlines if the staff welfare at the national carrier is not improved.

“Last month, we received 10 resignations and they continue to increase. We are just bleeding. The attrition is too high both for pilots and engineers,” Kalpa secretary general Paul Gichinga said in an interview with The Star.

By August this year, KQ has 450 pilots flying its fleet of 30 aircraft down from 525 one and a half years ago.

According to Gichinga, the airline needs about 490 pilots to operate optimally.

In October, <a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/news/general-news/aviation-kq-pilots-call-off-strike-as-ex-safaricom-ceo-michael-joseph-takes-over-as-board-chairman-id5622190.html" id="c5bdc270-69b4-5459-ae0a-070b8989f128">the airline's pilots called off a strike </a>after Kalpa announced that negotiations had yielded a compromise on their demands.

The association had demanded a change of management at KQ, saying they no longer had faith with the current management to steer the airline back to its former pride.

The action led to the retirement of former board chairman Dennis Awori who was later replaced by ex-Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph.

KQ also has a shortage of more than 150 cabin crew, Kalpa claimed, which is affecting flight schedules.

The <a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/business/kenya-airways-woes-kenya-airways-engineers-join-doctors-strike-and-downed-their-tools-as-well-id5854757.html" id="2a1b5766-8a59-5cc7-ac5d-824d6ea782b1">airline’s engineers downed their tools on Monday</a> citing poor pay, lack of promotions and unfavourable shift patterns.

The engineers said they had made the complaints for a long time but that changes had not been made.

"The technical production team is the lowest paid locally, leave alone internationally. There is a pay discrepancy that is affecting our morale," they complained in the letter to chairman Michael Joseph.

They added that some of their allowances were struck off and other amounts withdrawn after the national carrier sold some of its planes.

Kenya Airways captains attend a meeting on a pilots strike organised by Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi on April 28, 2016.

30 pilots have left Kenya Airways for greener pastures abroad in the last three months alone bringing the total to 105 in one and a half years.

Worry as increasing number of pilots leave airlines for jobs abroad

127 traffic police officers have been sacked from the National Police Service after failing the vetting process.

<a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/business/deadly-cops-10-937-kenyans-died-and-counting-since-january-while-traffic-police-are-busy-collecting-3billion-worth-bribes-id5767696.html" id="d16f520d-08cc-5e3e-bab0-5d35499bc496">The officers were sacked over unexplained financial transactions</a>, professional misconduct, operating matatu businesses contrary to regulations, sending and receiving money from fellow police officers and receiving money from transporters and operators of breakdown businesses.

NPSC chairman Johnston Kavuludi said of the 904 officers vetted, 72 are pending investigations before the vetting results, while 26 were removed after opting not to be interviewed.

"Unlike previously when only an average 4 per cent of officers vetted were found to be unsuitable, this time the number has shot up to 14 per cent,” he said.

Kavuludi said that sufficient mechanisms have been put in place by the service to monitor officers who have been removed from the service to ensure they remain law abiding citizens.

The commission dismissed 36 officers from Coast, 23 from Western, 50 from Rift Valley and 18 from Nyanza.

The next round of the vetting exercise of traffic officers will now shift to Nairobi, Kajiado, Central, Eastern and North Eastern regions.

At the same time, the NPSC chair said that 20 officers who had been previously fired and applied for vetting review had been reinstated after passing the process.

They include Masoud Mwinyi, William Meto, William Kariuki Ngugi, Japheth Ngwata, Chacha Daniel Chacha and Festus Malinge Luruma.

Last month, the Matatu Owners Association (MOA) denied  reports that the public transport vehicles willingly give out bribes.

Their chairman, Simon Kimutai said they were threatened by the traffic officers to pay up, failure to which trumped-up charges are labelled against them, hence they had no option but to bribe the police.

A police roadblock. IG Mutyambai directs traffic check points & roadblocks shall only be mounted with express authority of Regional/Formation Commanders

The officers were sacked over unexplained financial transactions, professional misconduct, operating matatu business contrary to regulations, sending and receiving money from fellow police officers and receiving money from transporters and operators of breakdown businesses.

Over 100 officers sacked due to bribery and professional misconduct

The Care and Protection of Child Bill 2016, sponsored by nominated Senator Elizabeth Ongoro, is <a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/entertainment/examination-fever-meet-the-kcse-candidate-who-welcomed-a-bouncing-baby-boy-before-sitting-for-her-mathematics-exams-id5733249.html" id="d95e6bee-10b2-5f55-ab39-14cbc2ae2de5">designed to keep pregnant girls in school </a>by providing a legal framework to facilitate a smooth transition for the parent student.

The Bill provides that a learner should not be denied her right to education for being expectant.

It also advocates that the girl receives adequate support; from the school, family and government to be able to pursue her dreams.

If passed into law, teachers will no longer force teenage students to undergo pregnancy tests and even with irrefutable proof of pregnancy, they will have no right to inform parents or guardians without express permission from the affected girl.

The bill states that "A school principal who defies the proposed law will risk being jailed for three years or a fine of Sh. 3 million, or both."

"Every girl shall have the right to remain in school and receive the necessary support to continue their education and participate fully during their pregnancy or as a parent student", states the bill.

The school administrators will also be required to ensure that such girls study in a conducive environment without harassment.

Senator Ongoro said the Bill was necessary in order to prevent stigmatisation in schools owing to pregnancy.

“Most pregnant students were victims of discrimination by fellow students and teachers, a situation she argues has led many to drop out of school. The Bill will sure that the learner will not be forced out of school unless they request to leave of their own will,” she said.

The Bill also further ensures that once the girl gives birth they will be given a year off to look after the baby but must be readmitted once the period lapses.

At home, their parents or guardians will be expected to provide maximum care to ensure that they recuperate faster in order to return to class.

The county government will be required to build and maintain care centers that will take care of the school girl's children.

The Bill is designed to keep pregnant girls in school by providing a legal framework to facilitate a smooth transition for the parent student.

Students who get pregnant will no longer be kicked out of school if a new Bill is passed by the Senate.

Bill to protect pregnant teens before Senate

This was after Governor Isaac Ruto struck a deal with the county’s health workers not to go on strike like the rest of their colleagues.

Ruto struck a deal with the health workers in his county to hold talks on a collective bargaining agreement that will be ratified in January and implemented with immediate effect.

The decision was arrived at after a successful consultative meeting with the administration of the Bomet County government, led by Ruto and the county’s medical practitioners.

The talks centred on the health workers' salary demand proposals.

On Monday, normal operations continued as normal without a hitch as the rest of the <a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/news/general-news/kenyas-health-crisis-deaths-unattended-births-and-patients-pain-as-health-strike-takes-effect-id5858042.html" id="8c6298fb-967d-5a23-bb69-9372513e9b11">country was plunged into a crisis with several fatalities reported</a> as a result of the health workers downing their tools.

At least eight patients died across the country as the strike by Kenya’s health workers began on Monday.

However, Ruto’s deal did not go down well with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists' Union (KMPDU).

KMPDU South Rift Secretary Davji Atellah warned Governor Ruto against forcing the public health workers from working at a time when their union has called for a strike.

"We will not tolerate a situation where our workers are intimidated not to down tools for selfish interest and once we start the strike we will be monitoring closely the county to ensure that everyone is out of work," said the KMPDU official

As the rest of the country’s health workers kicked off their strike on Monday, it was work as usual for doctors and nurses in Bomet County.

Governor Ruto angers union after he convinces county health workers not to go on strike

Teachers can now afford a reason to smile after their Sh54 billion collective bargaining agreement (CBA) pay deal was finally registered by the courts paving the way for its implementation.

The agreement, the first ever between the unions (Kenya National Union of Teachers, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), is meant to resolve the perennial disputes over allowances and basic pay which have seen learning regularly disrupted owing to strikes by teachers.

TSC chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia on Monday confirmed that the CBA had been filed by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

"This is a requirement under Section 60 of the Labour Relations Act (2007), in readiness for implementation," said Macharia.

She said that TSC was also working on the implementation modalities and details of benefits to individual teachers.

"The details will be communicated in a circular in early 2017," she said.

The TSC signed separate CBAs with the Kenya National Union of Teachers and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers on October 25 and 26 respectively.

<a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/news/general-news/matiangi-stunner-kenyans-including-knut-officials-left-shocked-as-cs-announces-kcpe-results-id5838069.html" id="eb74f2f4-a41b-596c-8bdb-7f4bb6127ed7">KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion</a> had earlier in June said that the CBA document had been well negotiated without coercion from either party, adding that they were satisfied with it since it would protect the gains the unions have made with regard to teachers’ pay.

He said TSC had openly engaged the union in drawing up the document and that both parties had been having meetings.

The CBA introduces a standard daily subsistence allowance for those working outside their duty stations.

Teachers a happy lot after new Sh54bn pay deal

<a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/news/general-news/health-crisis-kenyans-brace-themselves-for-hard-times-as-doctors-strike-takes-effect-id5851910.html" id="26a058cc-745b-5a5a-9ab9-4d4b466a4d31">Health services were paralysed in most public hospitals</a> as doctors and nurses made good their threat to go on strike.

At the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital, a body was seen lying in the wards for hours as relatives of the deceased frantically sought help to have it moved to the morgue.

According to James Kariuki, son of the deceased, two more bodies were still lying in hospital’s beds, even as relatives were denied permission to transfer them to a morgue outside the facility.

At the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital, two critically ill patients reportedly died at the women’s ward on Monday.

The hospital however did not confirm whether the deaths were attributed to the strike although many patients at the facility had been unattended to since midnight on Sunday.

At the Naivasha sub-county hospital, two patients are said to have died the weekend after nurses went on strike on Friday.

At the Kiambu Level 4 Hospital, two patients reportedly died as health workers downed their tools.

Two women gave birth at the gate of Murang'a General Hospital and could be seen writhing in pain accompanied by their relatives after camping outside the hospital because medics had refused to admit them.

Patients were  forced to dig deep into their pockets to acquire various drugs, including pain killers, to ease their suffering.

The HIV-Aids patients were not spared as those who sought anti-retroviral therapy and counselling in Homa Bay hospitals were left unattended.

In Mbita Subcounty Hospital, patients who turned up to collect ARV drugs returned home empty-handed.

An accident victim, is carried into an ambulance at Karatina sub county hospital after hours of waiting without assistance on December 5, 2016 as doctors went on strike.

Health services were paralysed in most public hospitals as doctors and nurses made good their threat to go on strike.

Deaths, unattended births and patients’ pain as health strike takes effect

Arsenal trained-coaching staff jetted in to the country to help talent identification skills among Kenyan coaches as the country targets participation in the World Cup 2022 to be held in Qatar.

The Arsenal coaching team will be joined on Thursday by club Legend 'Lauren' (Laurean Bisan Etamé-Mayer).

Lauren is remembered as a key member of the 'Invincibles' Arsenal team that won the English Premier League with 49 games unbeaten in the 2003/2004 season.

He played right-back and made 241 appearance for Arsenal between 2000 and 2007.

<a href="http://www.ghafla.co.ke/sports/allan-wanga-allan-wanga-could-play-for-hull-city-in-february-2017-id5834239.html" id="83e3cbb9-cb42-581c-997a-fc90f3fd2382">The three coaches from the English Premier League</a> side Arsenal are in Kenya courtesy of leading sports betting company SportPesa.

The week-long training session to be attended by 50 coaches from local premier league teams and will be held at Kenya School of Monetary Studies, Nairobi.

This is the second such coaching clinic to be held in the country following a similar one held in May 2016 as part of SportPesa's partnership with Arsenal.

James Colinese, Arsenal's lead coach, said: "We are looking forward to the training camp and to be working closely with club partner SportPesa to develop football in Kenya.  It's important to be working closely with the local premier league coaches and for us to gain further understanding of their current levels and individual outlooks on the game.

Throughout the week, we will look to impart further insight and teach the key principles of 'playing the Arsenal way' which they can take back to their own teams."

SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri said that exposure to international best practices is key if Kenya is to realize its goal of reaching the football World Cup in 2022 slated for Qatar.

"We are engaging various stakeholders and our partners both locally and internationally so as to build our capacity to handle the mega tournament which we hope will be the highlight of our massive investments in Kenya's sports," said Karauri.

"Train a coach well and you have automatically improved the game of like 20 players at one-go. That is why we have taken a wholesome approach to ensure that our coaches also get proper lessons on what works best in this game," he added.

Aside from being trained on talent identification, the course, which comprises of both practical and theory lessons, will also focus on defensive play and conditioning.

For the first time, the training camp will also be attended by coaches from all the 16 teams in the local womens' premier league.

Lauren (left) and Kanu lift the English Premiership Trophy. Arsenal trained-coaching staff will be joined by Lauren as they help talent identification skills among Kenyan coaches as the country targets participation in the World Cup 2022 to be held in ...

The Arsenal coaching team will be joined on Thursday by club Legend 'Lauren'.

Arsenal legend joins coaching trio in Kenya for week long training of local coaches

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