The two suspects who were arrested ferrying suspected bhang in a G4S vehicle in Busia on Friday, June 9, 2023. PHOTO(@NPSOfficial_KE)Twitter
Police are holding two people who were found ferrying 30 kilograms of suspected marijuana, locally known as bhang, in a G4S vehicle in Busia.
In a statement, the National Police Service (NPS) said the lorry was being driven from Busia en route to Nairobi when officers from Nambale Police Station flagged it down at the station's gate.
A search in the vehicle belonging to a private security company which also offers courier services led to recovery of two boxes containing suspected bhang worth Ksh910,000.
"On 9/06/2023, Police Officers from Nambale Police Station flagged down a G4S lorry driven from Busia en route to Nairobi at the station's gate, and recovered two boxes containing 30 kgs and 50 rolls of suspected Marijuana, with a street value of Kshs 910,000," the statement read in part.
Two occupants of the vehicle identified as Omondi, 29, and Okech, 50, were immediately arrested and placed behind bars pending arraignment at the Busia Law Courts on Monday, June 12.
Bhang crackdown
Police have in recent years intensified a crackdown on the trade of narcotics in the country.
The woman's husband, who is on the run, was sentenced to serve two years imprisonment without an option of a fine.
Amina Abdi Kiyo and her husband Francis Mwenda were convicted of drug peddling by Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochoi.
The magistrate said the couple wanted to outwit police but they were beaten by the crime busters who exhumed the drugs from the floor of their four-bedroom house in Isiolo County.
Convicting the accused persons, magistrate Ochoi condemned the act saying drugs pose a great danger to the youth and society in general.
The magistrate noted that the couple should be at the forefront of protecting the children.
The couple had been arrested from their Isiolo home after police discovered a hole inside their bedroom where they use to hide the drug in a sack.
The 2,131 grams of bhang with a street value of Ksh63,930 had been wrapped in a purple polythene bag.By Wycliffe Nyamasege, K24 Digital
President Paul Kagame receives a delegation of Volkswagen Group Executives who are in Rwanda for the 5th anniversary of Volkswagen partnership with Rwanda, at his office in Kigali, on June 9, 2023 (Village Urugwiro).
Rwandan farmers will start using electric tractors assembled in Rwanda by Volkswagen, a move that the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) said will contribute to boosting agriculture mechanisation and reducing carbon emissions for environmental protection purposes.
The Government of Rwanda on June 9 signed a memorandum of understanding with Volkswagen to implement the GenFarm Project which aims to establish a modern farm using electric tractors, MINAGRI announced the same day. GenFarm is considered a sustainable Co2-free hub where farmers can book an e-tractor including a trained driver.
The project's objective is to create carbon-neutral (reduced carbon emissions through climate action) business opportunities and promote sustainable socio-economic impact on the community.
On behalf of the Government of Rwanda, the MoU was signed by the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ildephonse Musafiri, while Volkswagen was represented by Martina Biene, Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen South Africa.
On June 9, President Paul Kagame received a delegation of Volkswagen Group Executives who are in Rwanda for the 5th anniversary of Volkswagen partnership with Rwanda, the Office of the President posted on its Twitter page.
Their meeting with Kagame discussed ongoing projects as well as the recently signed MoU to establish the Gen-Farm project in Bugesera.
Agriculture Minister Ildephonse Musafiri (L) and Martina Biene, Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen South Africa (R), sign the electric tractor related MoU, on June 9, 2023, in Kigali. Biene is flanked by Serge Kamuhinda, CEO of Volkswagen Rwanda (Courtesy).
“The project will provide farmers with access to VW electric tractors as part of an effort to establish a holistic ecosystem of e-powered mechanised farming services,” Presidency stated.
According to MINAGRI’s Annual report 2021-2022, the fourth strategic plan for agriculture transformation (PSTA-4), from 2018 through 2024, emphasises the promotion and dissemination of adapted mechanised technologies to boost farm yield and production by minimising the harvest and post-harvest losses, while saving human and capital investment in farm operations.
In collaboration with different stakeholders, the report showed, mechanised land increased by 13.7 per cent from more than 62,200 hectares in 2020/2021 to 70,740 hectares in 2021/2022. The achievement of mechanised farm operations reached 36 per cent in 2021/2022, while the target is 50 per cent by 2023/2024.
A Volkswagen GenFarm electric tractor. Such tractors are expected to support agricultural mechanisation in Rwanda (Volkswagen). By Emmanuel Ntirenganya, The New Times
Destroyed Pearl Beach hotel, which was attacked by armed group, al Shabab, Mogadishu, Somalia, June 10, 2023.
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
The Somalia government says an attack launched Friday by al-Shabab militants on a Mogadishu hotel has ended.
State media report that security forces successfully neutralized the militants who stormed the Pearl Beach hotel on Friday evening and rescued a large number of civilians.
Somalia police said nine people were killed and 10 others injured in the attack.
In a statement, Somali Police Command said those killed were six civilians and three security forces.
The police also said that 84 people, including children, women and the elderly, were rescued from the scene of the attack.
Somalia security forces had engaged in ongoing efforts to neutralize al-Shabab militants who launched the attack at the beachfront hotel.
Witnesses told VOA’s Somali Service that the assault began with at least two explosions outside the Pearl Beach Hotel, followed by gunmen storming the hotel.
An ambulance is seen outside the perimeter of rescue operations in Mogadishu on June 9, 2023, during an attack on the Pearl Beach hotel.
Gunfire was heard with an unknown number of people trapped inside the building, witnesses said, while others managed to escape through the back doors and windows.
“Special elite forces gained access to the entry into the upper floors of the hotel,” one witness told VOA Somali.
Al-Shabab group, affiliated with al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The mujahideen managed to enter the Pearl Beach hotel and are still fully in control” the group said in a statement.
The hotel at the center of the attack is near Lido Beach, a popular destination for politicians and members of the Somali diaspora visiting the capital city.
This incident occurred during a period of relative calm for Mogadishu after the government in mid-April deployed newly trained military police in and around the city. However, violence by the group has wreaked havoc in other parts of the country.
In a separate incident on Friday, at least 27 people including children were killed and more than 50 were injured in a massive blast from unexploded ordinance in the village of Muraale, located between Qoryooley and Jannaale districts.
“Some individuals had retrieved unexploded explosives from a nearby field and used it for fire to cook food, but tragically, the device exploded, resulting in the deaths of 27 people, including children, mother, father, and youths,” Abdirahman Yusuf Abdinur, the mayor of Jannaale, told Somalia state media agency.
FILE - Ugandan peacekeeping troops stand during a ceremony at Mogadishu airport in Somalia, May 18, 2014.
Earlier on Friday, Somalia announced its readiness to take over security responsibilities from the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in the country, with 2,000 AU troops set to leave Somalia by the end of June, in line with U.N. Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670.
Somalia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it has recruited enough security forces who will assume control of the security responsibilities currently handled by the outgoing AU troops.
The AU peace mission is expected to fully exit Somalia by December 31, 2024. This story originated in VOA’s Somali Service. VOA
Azimio Principals Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka at the Coalitions Economic Meeting where they opposed President William Ruto's tax proposals in the controversial Finance Bill 2023. [Samson Wire, Standard]
Opposition leader Raila Odinga now wants President William Ruto to withdraw the Finance Bill 2023 and apologise to Kenyans for the anxiety they have suffered over the tax proposals.
Raila said the Kenya Kwanza administration has ran out of explanations for the proposals in the Bill and has resorted to threats maintaining Azimio MPs will vote against it.
The former Prime Minister, who spoke during Azimio leadership consultative forum on the Finance Bill 2023 in Nairobi yesterday, warned that should Ruto have his way in the National Assembly they will regroup and overrun him in the assembly of the people.
“In the history of budget making in Kenya, no regime has imposed so many and so high taxes on our people in return for nothing but fantasies and fairy tales. This Bill is a disease that cannot be cured with everyday herbs. This Bill is economic sabotage, If Ruto insists on this Bill, this country will go into full recession, this Bill requires and must get fierce resistance,” said Raila.
He said no prudent leader withdraws subsidies on basic goods, then increases taxes on the same goods and without raising salaries of working people.
Raila accused the government of planning to levy taxes on chamas (merry-go-rounds) that are the bankers and lenders of last resort for mothers and youth particularly in rural areas and slums.
He said by imposing these taxes Ruto will strike at the heart of women’s economy, killing savings and worsening poverty of an already vulnerable group.
The Azimio leader said that at a time the National Hospital Insurance Fund and the National Social Security Fund are failing, the President is telling Kenyans to forgo 3 per cent of their salaries and deposit it into “some fantasy called housing levy where nobody knows where it is housed.”
The government cannot agree whether it is a tax or an investment, nobody knows how it became an investment advisor to Kenyans. They ignore concerns by employers and employees that many payslips are already overwhelmed by deductions, loans and lack of pay rise and they ignore concerns that this tax will increase business operating costs and force firms to relocate.
Turnover tax
He noted that the government wants to raise turnover tax for businesses from the current 1 per cent to 3 per cent targeting small businesses by reducing the turnover of taxable businesses from Sh1 million to Sh500,000. This means that any small business that sells goods and services worth Sh1,370 daily will pay a turnover tax of Sh15,000 per year, regardless of whether they make a profit or not.
Raila said Ruto promised to respect every job and its contribution to the economy but the Finance Bill proposals are a disconnect from the expected reality. He noted that hard-working youth seeking to eke a living as content creators and social media influencers will be the hardest hit by the 5 per cent withholding tax.
The opposition leader said the government wants to impose a 316 per cent tax hike on beauty products such as wigs, false beards, eyelashes, human hair and artificial nails, among others bearing in mind that the beauty industry is a major employer particularly of women.
“Millions of young men and women eke a living out of salons, spas and barber shops, those businesses face closure, others will have to sack employees, Ruto and Kenya Kwanza are behaving as if cost of living is no longer a crisis in this country, despite existing high prices, Ruto wants to impose 16 per cent VAT on maize flour, cassava flour and wheat flour,” he said. Raila noted that the Bill seeks to impose VAT on agricultural pest control products, transportation of sugarcane, raw materials for fertiliser manufacturing and fertilisers that will push up their cost.
The former Prime Minister faulted government plans to double the VAT on fuel from 8 per cent to 16 per cent, which means pump prices will increase by Sh9 per litre of diesel and Sh10 per litre of petrol which will further raise the cost of living.
He said healthcare costs have impoverished millions but Ruto wants to expose pharmaceuticals and medicaments to taxation by removing them from zero rated to tax-exempt list.
Cost of fuel
“After raising the cost of fuel, they want to raise advance tax on motor vehicles, advance tax on passenger vehicles will increase from the current Sh2,400 to at least Sh5,000 and from Sh3,000 to at least Sh5,000 for commercial vehicles, trucks will now pay at least Sh60,000 annually up from Sh20,000. Obviously, the cost will be passed to the consumer, making matatu and taxi transportation more unaffordable,” said Raila.
Azimio leaders after press conference on the controversial Finance Bill 2023 onJune, 08, 2023. [Samson Wire, Standard]
The former Prime Minister noted that the President wants to treat insurance compensation as income and introduce a 16 per cent VAT meaning insurance compensation incase of an accident will no-longer be seen as compensation of what was lost.
Raila said that looking at the proposals, one cannot help asking what planet does Ruto live on or whether he understands what Kenyans are going through. He accused Kenya Kwanza of lying that they inherited a broke country while the truth is the cash crunch has been caused by economic mismanagement, wasteful spending, corruption and hiring of incompetent personnel. The Azimio leader claimed that the worsening economic situation has been manufactured in State House and the Office of the President in the last eight or so months.
He said contrary to what Ruto promised and what he is saying, borrowing has gone up instead of coming down, but strangely the cash crunch continues.
“In September 2022 when former President Uhuru Kenyatta officially handed over to Ruto, Kenya’s total debt was Sh8.701 trillion of this Sh4.33 trillion was external debt while Sh4.366 was domestic debt while at March 2023, that is in six months after Ruto took over, Kenya’s debt rose from Sh8.701 trillion to Sh9.390 trillion with debt rising by Sh689 billion under Ruto,” said Raila.
The former Prime Minster noted that the external debt that stood at Sh4.33 trillion in September 2022, rose to Sh4.851 trillion in March 2023 with domestic debt rising from Sh4.366 trillion in September 2022 to Sh4.539 in March 2023.
Domestic debt
He said between September 2021 and March 2022 the debt rose by Sh405 billion from Sh7.96 trillion to Sh8.401 trillion with the external debt being Sh4.209 trillion while domestic debt stood at Sh4.192 trillion.
Raila claimed current government has borrowed more than any other regime.
“They have removed subsidies, raised taxes but the cash crunch has continued, they cannot pay salaries, they cannot disburse money to schools, they cannot disburse money to counties, they cannot disburse money to the elderly, they cannot finance the NHIF and nearly all major infrastructure projects have stalled,” he said.
He said Ruto is trying to change the country’s debt ceiling from the current absolute number of Sh10 trillion to a moving number of 55 per cent of GDP while the debt level is already 60 per cent of GDP and to beat that violation of the law, he (President) wants to force an amendment to the Public Finance Act to allow the National Treasury and not Parliament to set new debt ceiling.
“As the Bill heads to the National Assembly, Ruto must be reminded that excessive taxation is stifling growth, that when people have to park cars at home because of cost of fuel, it is bad for the economy, that when Kenyans postpone travelling up-country because they can’t afford fuel or fare, it is bad for the economy,” said Raila.
Present during the meeting were Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, Narc-Kenya’s Martha Karua, Usawa’s Mwangi wa Iria, ODM deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya, Roots’ George Wajackoya and Jubilee’s Jeremiah Kioni.
National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi,ODM National Chairman John Mbadi, Azimio La Umoja Economic Council Chairman Nderitu Mureithi, former Nyeri Deputy Governor Caroline Karugu and Kibra MP Peter Orero were also present. By Edwin Nyarangi, The Standard
Informer East Africa is a UK based diaspora Newspaper. It is a unique platform connecting East Africans at home and abroad through news dissemination. It is a forum to learn together, grow together and get entertained at the same time.
To advertise events or products, get in touch by info [at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447957636854. If you have an issue or a story, get in touch with the editor through editor[at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447886544135.
We also accept donations from our supporters. Please click on "donate". Your donations will go along way in supporting the newspaper.
