KDF SOLDIER KILLED IN AL SHABAAB AMBUSH

By Kelvin Kuria

One Kenya Defence Forces soldier has been killed and two others injured in an ambush in Mandera. Confirming the incident, Mandera County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia said the soldiers were travelling to Mandera Town from Nairobi when they were ambushed by Al Shabaab between Elwak and Lafey towns.

“We have lost an officer and two others injured in 1pm ambush by Al Shabaab militants. The injured and the dead have since been flown to Nairobi  for treatment and burial respectively,” said Mr Shisia.

He said the area of attack was close to the Somali border, making it easy for the attackers to escape back into Somalia.

“This is not by locals, but by Al Shabaab militants from Somalia, because the area is close to the border and the rescue team found none of them at the scene. However they are still pursuing them (attackers),” said Mr Shisia.

He said the rescue team has managed to pull the vehicle to Elwak KDF camp as the situation normalises.

Speaking during Jamhuri Day celebrations on Saturday, Mr Shisia said the latest attack occurred in an area under Isis Al Shabaab group that is hunting for recruits from Kenya.

GOVERNORS SEEK REPRESENTATION IN NAIROBI WTO CONFERENCE

By Kelvin Kuria

As the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial talks start in Nairobi on Tuesday, governors are demanding a role in the discussions, saying some issues on the agenda directly affect counties.

They have cited deals on agriculture, which falls under them, saying any agreement on the sector will affect the counties.

Some of the issues that the county bosses hope will be addressed during the WTO meeting include value addition to some crops like tea, coffee and horticultural products, arguing that they are currently sold while raw and are therefore of very low value.

Through the chairman of agriculture in the Council of Governors, Mr Nderitu Gachagua, they said that any intervention that would support direct value addition by farmers would go a long way in improving their income.

Mr Gachagua said that since independence, successive governments had not allocated enough money to agriculture and irrigation.

Raila Submits Statement On Eurobond

Raila Submits Statements On Eurobond
Fridah Nyanchama

courtesy of Telegraph

Now that Cord leader Raila Odinga has submitted a statement on his claims about the Eurobond, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has announced it has stopped pursuing him.
EACC chief executive Halakhe Waqo said that by submitting the statement through his lawyers, Mr. Odinga had fulfilled the agency's requirements for now.
"That means for now he has complied and nothing is to be pursued beyond this," Mr. Waqo has said at a press conference at Integrity Centre in Nairobi.
This means that the drama around the possibility of forcing Mr Odinga to heed summons or face arrest has come to an end.
The statement by Mr. Odinga's lawyers was submitted last Friday and was based on two Treasury documents.
Mr. Waqo said the statement would be analyzed and the commission may ask Mr. Odinga to provide more information if it is needed.
Last week, Mr. Odinga was summoned to appear before the EACC on Monday over the claims he had made on the use of Eurobond funds.
EACC officials had warned that Mr. Odinga would be prosecuted if he failed to honour the new summonses.

New Fuel Prices

 Energy Regulatory Commisssion To Release New Prices

Fridah Nyanchama

As the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) prepares to publish its monthly revised fuel prices, it is not only the motorists who will be having their fingers crossed, but manufacturers, distributors and consumers along the value chain will also be on the lookout to see if the new Excise Duty Act 2015 will have any bearing on cost.
Some manufactures have adjusted their prices to match the new taxes with East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL), the region’s largest beer brewer adding Sh30 shillings to every litre of beer.
The Act imposes a specific excise rate on a number of products including cigarettes and tobacco, alcoholic and sugar sweetened beverages, fossil fuels, aging motor vehicles and environmentally damaging plastic bags.
The situation is not helped by the recent surge in inflation, after a research by Trading Economics revealed that Kenya’s annual inflation rate accelerated to 7.32 per cent in November, up from 6.72 per cent reported in the previous month. The Government desired inflation target rate is five per cent.
The latest rise in the rate had been fuelled by increase in the cost of food, housing and utilities. This was also confirmed by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), which stated that the prices of basic foodstuffs, mainly grains, had increased.

 RAIA WA MAREKANI KUONDOKA BURUNDI

 By Crane Senteman

 

 Serikali ya Marekani imeshauri Raia wake walio nchini Burundi kuondoka nchini humo haraka iwezekanavyo baada ya watu 87 kuuawa kwenye ghasia zilizotokea siku ya Ijumaa.

Ghasia zilizojitokeza kwenye mitaa ya mji mkuu wa nchi hiyo, Bujumbura ni mbaya zaidi tangu kuanza kwa vurugu mwezi Aprili baada ya Rais Pierre Nkurunziza kuamua kuwania tena urais kwa muhula wa tatu.
Shirika la kutetea haki za kibinadamu la Human Rights Watch (HRW) limeitisha uchunguzi kuhusu mauaji hayo ya Ijumaa.
Mwezi uliopita, Ubelgiji pia iliwashauri raia wake kuondoka Burundi, huku Muungano wa Ulaya (EU) nao ukipunguza wahudumu wake, kwa kuondoa wafanyakazi ambao ni wa muda, familia na wafanyakazi ambao si muhimu sana.
Kufuatia machafuko ambayo yanaendelea kuongezeka, Wizara ya Kigeni imeagiza kuondoka kwa jamaa za maafisa wa Marekani na maafisa ambao si wa kushughulikia dharura nchini Burundi," taarifa ya Marekani ilisema.
Ubalozi wa Marekani unaweza kutoa huduma za dharura kwa kiwango cha chini tu kwa raia wake nchini Burundi.