Mombasa county governor aspirant running mate Francis Thoya says he quit his well paying job at the British High commission to wholeheartedly serve the residents of Mombasa.

The former Journalist revealed that he quit his job to team up with his governor candidate Abdulswamand Nassir so as to resolve some of the pending plans he had for the people of Mombasa while he worked as the county secretary.

Thoya said the push and urge by Mombasa people was the driving force for him to descend to his latest assignment.

Thoya was instrumental in governor Joho administration which he says he helped initiate a lot of  development plans.

“I resigned in the office of the British high commission to team up with my brother Abdulswamand because of the larger push  safe our people, and offer them the leadership they need, so one of the reasons that I made the decision is because of the people urging me to do so and come back and lead them,” said Thoya.

Taking stock of the achievements he achieved during his tenure in the governor Joho administration, Thoya said he still has unresolved ambitions to the people of Mombasa that he believes can be solved when he joins the government.

“During the time I was serving as a county secretary we were able to solve the Waitiki land problem, we are still having a similar problem in Kwa Bullo which I think we can resolves I have unresolved issues that I think I am better placed to solve them when I am in the government,”Thoya added.

Thoya who was nicknamed Magufuli during his stint in the county government says, his mission to team up with Nassir is purely to serve the people of Mombasa and better their lives. Part of the pending projects are related to resettling of squarters where most residents are facing squarter problem.

“He has his own strength and I have my own strength and I believe when we join together we will be able to deliver solutions to the people of Mombasa, we are optimistic that with a good relationship with the national government, a lot will be achieved,” said Thoya.

Veteran Kenyan rapper Hurbert Nakitare popularly known by his stage name Nonini, has officially quit the  is Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK).

On Tuesday, Nonini who is currently based in United States (USA) announced he has terminated his membership with the Collective Management Organization(CMO).

Nonini applied to terminate his membership with MCSK in a notice dated February 17, 2021. The termination came into effect on 18th May 2022.

"The human society is the extension of the individual. If we really want a radical change in anything, if we want a better world, better leadership and better structures. We need to change the things that are not working by understanding you have the power individually!." posted Nonini.

Kenyan artistes have always been complaining of  being paid peanuts in the name of royalties by MCSK and other bodies.

MCSK is mandated to provide for a fair formula for sharing of revenue from ring back tunes between artists/copyright holders and telecommunication companies.

Former Nation newspaper correspondent Charles Lwanga has been appointed as the assistant county commissioner for Homa Bay county.

Lwanga who was based in Malindi is set to start his new administration job on Monday next week.

"I applied for the job on December 2020 and was called for the interview on March last year. I thank God that I secured the job" Lwanga told Ommy Dallah.

Apart from Nation, Lwanga has also worked for the People daily newspaper.

https://ommydalla.co.ke/people/item/1969-mombasa-radio-presenter-drops-mic-for-swagger-cane

Lwanga worked in Mombasa before being transferred to Malindi where he covered stories from Kilifi, Malindi, Lamu and Tana River.

Tanzanian songstress Nandy has once again refuted claims that she is pregnant.

In an interview with a section of Tanzanian media on Tuesday,  Nandy denied the rumour saying she cannot hide a pregnancy.

"It is the dream of every lady to have a child. I dont think if I can hide a pregnancy considering the nature of my work and interactions, infact I have always wanted to have a child, if that time comes everyone will know" said Nandy.

Nandy also revealed that she was recently in Turkey with her partner rapper Bill Nass shopping for their wedding which he hinted that it will be held soon.

"We are at the initial stages, planning meetings from both families are currently on the final stages, when the date arrives then everyone will know since it will be a church wedding" she said.

In an earlier interview with Ommy Dallah, Nandy revealed that the wedding will be in June this year, 2022.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFyTAIQ7PpE

Nandy is engaged to Bill Nass, who proposed in April last year.

There has been speculation that she is pregnant with his baby. 

Nandy further revealed that she has parted ways with her manager Moko Biashara.

"The management decided that we part ways with him. I'm currently being managed by another manager based in London. He is a man who prefers being behind the scene that is why you have never seen him" Nandy revealed.

The East African Power Couple Bahati Kenya and Diana Bahati (Bahatis) have teamed up in a new beautiful song titled 'Sweet Love'.

This is the third song that Diana is featured after launching her music career and releasing her first solo song 'Hatutaachana' late last year.

"This is my biggest collabo of the year. It is from my heart to the my sweet love, this one is special from our hearts" said Diana.

Watch the video below..

Mombasa county governor aspirant running mate Francis Thoya has outlined some of the key plans the next county government will focus on to revive the multi-Million tourism sector in Mombasa.

Thoya who is the running mate to Mvita Mp and ODM candidate for the Mombasa county governor seat Abdulswamad Nassir, stated that relaxing some of the taxes and levies imposed on tourism players is among considerations the next Mombasa next county government will prioritise.

Thoya said the sector that is reeling from the post Covid 19 pandemic requires a collaborative approach to cushion players from closing shop.

“Our team led by Nassir plans to sit with stakeholders in the sector with a view to complement the sector on around relaxing some of the taxes and levies that we think have not been encouraging, for instance, bed levies, how would you change bed levies when the hotel is in low season and no guests, this is one of the things that we want to critically relook at,” said Thoya.

Players in the sector have often expressed their displeasure in the way the county government of Mombasa introduced a collection of bed levy from a select category of hotels within the county.

Tourism players want an enactment of the Mombasa County Beach Management Act to institutionalize the Beach Management Fund which will offer convenience and proportionality to hospitality stakeholders to contribute.

Thoya noted “If we provide an enabling environment for the sector to thrive, it means we are going to create jobs, we also need to encourage our stakeholders to look at rebranding our products, like conference tourism, health tourisms and these are some of the emerging opportunities that I see, that would properly Change the whole sector."

The former Mombasa county secretary said the next county government will invest heavily on creating jobs, reviving the economy and curbing crimes in Mombasa to make the city an investment hub.

“For the sector to thrive we must secure our city and also make the city clean, we must bring the criminal gangs to a stop, part of the plans that our team has os to provide incentives to the youth that will create employment opportunities to the youth so that we can attract investments and   create jobs,” he added.

Thoya Says the sector fortunes are yet to be fully exploited, adding that move investment needs to be done in the multi-Million sector in Mombasa.

“Tourism has largely depended on foreign tourists arrivals but of late we have seen a shift, that minority of tourists are locals, this is an experience we saw during covid -19 period. This should be encouraged to ensure the sector thrives when there is decline of foreign visitors,” said Thoya.

On May 18, 2022 Nassir Unveiled Thoya as his running mate ahead of the August General Elections. Nassir, who will be running on an ODM party ticket, also laid out his manifesto for the county.

Kizz Daniel and Tekno’s Buga is currently the most Shazammed song in the world. The smashing hit is number 1 on the Top 200 Global Popular Songs on Shazam Music.

“Buga” is a Nigerian slang that translates to showing off.

Kizz Daniel released the Blaise Beatz and Young Willis co-produced “Buga” on May 4, 2022, became the number one song on the Apple Music Top 100 in Nigeria just three days after its release and, as of today, May 16th, 2022, has become the Apple Music number one song in Sixteen different countries in Africa.

To add to the list of feats for the song, it has officially become the most shazamed song in the world, with a staggering 610,935 shazams for the song.

 Kizz Daniel is no stranger to the charts, his new EP ‘BARNABAS’ most recently broke a record on Boomplay.

Since then, the song has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram, and that probably featured its popularity score.

“Buga” is the kind of record–with its drumming and organ notes and inviting crooned chorus–that will get you moving your body and wanting to take to the dance floor anyways, so it was a well calculated move by the Fly Boy and Empire Records act.

Lady luck has shone on George Karanja, the latest millionaire in town, who took home Sh. 40million from the Betsafe Super Jackpot Guaranteed Bonus, yesterday, Saturday 21st May.

“It is interesting that I was finalist number seven and won the jackpot on my daughter’s birthday, the 21st of May which is a multiple of seven,” said the father of two.

Speaking to media at the RFUEA Grounds, Karanja expressed his happiness at winning the jackpot bonus, stating that he was surprised to have won.

“When I was announced as the winner, I was very happy. I thank God for the opportunity to be a millionaire. Even though I’ll keep playing until I get the grand prize of Sh. 100,000,000 from Betsafe, I implore other gamers to play wisely and never bet with money they can’t afford to lose,” said Karanja.

 The Kinangop-based dairy farmer has big plans for his winnings, intending to expand his farm operations by opening more branches and eventually begin a new business.

 “As of now, I just want to scale up my dairy business so that I can secure my future,” said Karanja.

Betsafe CEO, Victor Simiyu, promised to hold Karanja’s hand as he executes his plans, stating that the company will provide a financial advisor.

“As a business, we are excited that George emerged the winner. This shows the commitment that we have to our players and the market. We are here to stay. We wish George all the best as he starts his life as a millionaire. We will be with him all through to ensure that he makes the right decisions and give him the right financial advice,” said Simiyu.

 Karanja’s journey to winning Sh. 40 million began on Monday, 16th May when he qualified for the bonus finals after correctly guessing the outcome of 10 out of 17 games in the Betsafe Super Jackpot.

A pool of ten finalists was picked through a weekly random selection process overseen by the Betting Control and Licensing Board.

“From the start, we have continuously abided by all the rules set out by the BCLB to ensure the process was fair to all players. As a company, we aim to set the standard in transparency and fairness by which all other betting companies will be judged,” Simiyu said at a press conference before the finalists draw.

A family in Mariakani, Kwale County is crying for justice after their kin was forcefully abducted by unknown persons under unclear circumstances.

Omar Mangale,33 a Madrassa teacher at Madina Madrasa Mosque in Mariakani was reportedly abducted on Friday 20, at around 5.20 pm at his home in Kichinjio village.

According to Mangale’s wife, Zainab Chengo, her husband was bundled into a white land cruiser by people they suspected to be police officers and has not been seen since then.

 “They arrested another boy called Kassim Musa who then redirected them to her husband. When Kassim was arrested, they asked him to direct him to Omar. That's when they came and arrested my husband, they went together and later released Kassim on the way,” claimed Chengo.

Speaking at the Haki Africa offices on Sunday, the family claims they cannot trace their kin as their frantic efforts to look for him at various police stations within Kwale County have not bore any fruits.

"They forcefully bundled the boy and loaded my husband in the car and fled with him, since then we can't locate him, we have tried to go to all police stations and we can't find him."said Chengo with tears rolling down her chin.

They filed the report at Kalalani police station .The family reports that Omar was kidnapped alongside his friend  Kassim Musa, but minutes later Kassim was released by the abductors.

 "I want my husband to be released because I depended on him for everything, he was the breadwinner, he has never had a criminal record, we are very bitter by the way they carried him,” she added.

According to the family members Kassim is a cleaner at the Mosque where Omar works, and they are said to be close friends.

It is reported that after Omar was captured he was asked to hand over all his sim cards to his abductors before they fled with him.

Mangale Chondo, father to the abducted, referred to his son as a Godly man who dedicated his time to serving humanity. He said his son has never had a criminal record because his work was teaching at the Madrassa.

"I want to ask the government to help us get my son, so that we can have peace of mind, we are suffering emotionally because we don't know his status," said his father.

His brother Juma Ismael said Omar was a peaceful person, a madrassa teacher and has no any criminal record.

"My brother has never had a criminal record, he is a peaceful person who taught religion at a local madrassa, what we are aski6as a family is to have our kin back," he said.

Haki Africa Human rights rapid response Officer Alexander Mbela said the organization has documented over 15 cases related to Abduction. The official condemned the act and asked authorities to produce Omar dead or alive.

“According to our view and according to the reports that we have, we suspect that these are police officers. We are asking authorities to help relieve the family by telling them where their kin is, they are suffering emotionally,” said Mbela.

Wiper Democratic Party Mombasa gubernatorial candidate,Mike Sonko has condemned the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Hajj and Chief Justice Martha Koome for interfering with his court cases.

This is after Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) instructed returning officers not to clear impeached public officials from gunning for elective seats in August polls unless a court order compels them to process their nomination papers.

The CJ said people who have been convicted or impeached from office remain guilty of the offences that faced them until the sentencing and conviction are either reversed or set aside by a higher court.

Mr Sonko said the laws and the constitution allows him to vie for any political anywhere seat until proven guilty. He said he has invested and was born in Mombasa and has any right to contest in the Coast region.

"Those utterances issued by the CJ and DPP are careless and threats to me. They are not above the laws. I have constitutional rights to defend myself. I respect the DPP and the CJ but I have a right to criticise them," said Mr Sonko.

In an interview with Spice FM, Ms Koome said those convicted for criminal offences cannot hold or run for a public office, pending the hearing and determination of any appeal filed to challenge their sentencing.

“You remain impeached until that impeachment is lifted. When you are sentenced, you are sentenced until the sentence is set aside,” Justice Koome said on Friday.

But briefing the press on the woes bedeviling his candidature following the IEBC and CJ's verdict, Mr Sonko says he won't back down until proven guilty by the courts.

"I am ready to respect the court verdict if they will bar impeached governors from vying but the same laws allows me to exhaust all the appeals. Mr Hajj stop threatening me with cases still in court, and those that were concluded 24 years ago. Come and arrest me if I have any case to answer," he said.

The embattled politician said he cannot be convicted by the DPP yet his cases are still ongoing in court have not been concluded.

He said he decided to keep a low profile only to be proved by Mr Hajj who said he should be rearrested to go complete his sentence.

The former Nairobi governor insisted that he is still in the race to succeed Hassan Joho as the next governor of Mombasa.

"I'm still in the race, Mombasa people need change, some people have started feeling threatened because they know that I will bring the change. If things go worse, we have plan B, it is not a must that I be the governor but I will make sure that Mombasa gets change" said Sonko.