President William Ruto has defended the changes made to the Finance Bill 2024, saying that they took into account the views of Kenyans. Speaking after a Parliamentary Group meeting of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance on Tuesday June 18, 2024, Ruto added that the proposed changes also took into account the views of other stakeholders. The PG, held ahead of debate on the Bill on the floor of the House beginning Wednesday morning, approved the removal of several proposals on the Bill, in what the President said was a decision made in line with the concerns raised by Kenyans. “We are…
Author: Silas Apollo
Silas Apollo
Silas Apollo is a Nairobi based journalist who specializes in politics, current affairs and business reporting. He has about 10 years of experience as a journalism, working both as a print and broadcast journalist.
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has asked Parliament to expand its mandate in the ongoing war against illicit drugs. Nacada chief executive officer Anthony Omerikwa, in submissions made before the National Assembly’s departmental committee on administration and internal security, said that the authority had been limited in its mandate on the war against drugs in the country. Omerikwa told the committee that Nacada at the moment only acts as a regulator and lacks the mandate to enforce laws on the sale, distribution and the consumption of illicit drugs. “NACADA is a regulator. Our…
The government will prioritise tackling the growing public debt while also protecting the fragile economy in the 2024/25 financial year budget. Treasury cabinet secretary Njuguna Ndung’u, in a statement released on Thursday June 13, 2024 ahead of the budget reading in Parliament, said that the focus will be on economic recovery. The CS further added that the new budget will also prioritise debt repayment through the generation of additional revenues. Kenya’s debt currently stands at about 60% of the Gross Domestic Product for the 2023/24 financial year, and is expected to fall to about 64.8% of GDP in 2024/25 financial…
The National Assembly’s committee on education has questioned the ministry of education officials over the implementation of the University Funding model and the state of university admissions. In a session presided over by committee chairperson Julius Melly the committee met with Principal Secretary, State Department of Higher Education and Research, Beatrice Muganda Inyangala and the chief executive of Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, Mercy Wahome. Others were the chief executive officer of the Universities Fund, Geoffrey Monari and Charles Ringera of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). During the session, members raised concerns about the University Funding Model’s…
The National Assembly committee on trade and industry has said it will engage the ministry of trade and other stakeholders in the edible oils sub-sector in an effort to address the escalating prices of cooking oil. This decision was arrived at by the committee during a meeting with a group of edible oil manufacturers in the country. The meeting was chaired by vice-chairperson, Marianne Kitany. The manufacturers, led by Vimal Shah, the chairman of Bidco Africa Limited in their submission said the price of edible oils is expected to rise further due to high cost of production. Shah emphasized the…
The National Assembly will begin debate on the Estimates and Revenue Expenditure for the coming fiscal year of 2024/25 after the Budget and Appropriation Committee concluded public hearing on the matter. The committee, chaired by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro concluded the exercise which took place between Wednesday, May 15 and Saturday, May 18, 2024 and which was undertaken in 20 counties, including Mombasa, Nairobi, Kericho, Kakamega, Kericho, Kisumu, Isiolo, Nyamira, Taita Taveta, Narok, Vihiga among others. In Mombasa, residents called for more rehabilitation centers to cater for the rising cases of drug and substance abuse victims, youth hubs to enable…
President William Ruto has called for reforms of international financing institutions to ensure that all board of multilateral development banks have an equal say in management. Advocating for a more inclusive approach, the President emphasised the need to democratise the boards saying the current financial system is unfair, thereby neglecting the interests of developing countries. “Concessional loans have many benefits: they are long-term and can easily be leveraged by the private sector to enhance those resources,” he said during the Presidential Conversation Session at the Africa CEO Forum 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda. Ruto argued that reforms would enable underserved countries…
Kenya and Uganda on Thursday, May 17, signed an agreement laying out a roadmap for importation and transit of petroleum products through the two countries. The agreements were signed during a state visit by Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni at State House Nairobi. Speaking when he hosted the Ugandan president, President William Ruto said the move will enable Uganda to import refined petroleum commodities directly from the producer countries. “We have just witnessed this agreement which enables the Uganda National Oil Company Ltd to import refined petroleum commodities directly from producer jurisdictions thus bringing to an end the challenges faced by…
The National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee (NABAC) will conduct public hearings in 20 counties across the country, on the estimates of revenue and expenditure, for the 2024/25 financial year and the medium-term plan. The public participation will start on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 and end on Friday, May 17, 2024, with members of the public and stakeholders allowed to submit their written proposals and suggestions through the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, on or before Monday, May 20, 2024 by 5pm. A notice issued by the National Assembly indicates day one of the public hearings will…
Librarians from across Africa last week celebrated the golden jubilee of the Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL), in a ceremony that saw participants celebrate different cultures through songs, dances, performances and even speeches. SCECSAL, celebrated the jubilee with its 26th biennial conference at Pride Inn Paradise Beach Resort Convention Centre in Mombasa, Kenya. The event was hosted by the Kenya Library Association and took place between April 22-26, 2024 with the theme “Reimagining information products and services for the digital era”. Chief Guest of the ceremony, gender, culture, the arts and heritage…