President Uhuru Kenyatta has assured global investors that Kenya is open and safe for business. 

Speaking when he launched celebrations to mark the Kenya National Day at the Expo 2020 Dubai, President Kenyatta said his administration has put in place a legal framework for investment that provides adequate investor protection in line with most international standards including safeguards for property rights.

He added that Kenya enjoys political and economic stability, a fully liberalized economy, a large domestic consumer market, a youthful, skilled and productive labour force as well as a modern infrastructure network.

“These attributes have made Kenya the location of choice for multinational companies and a leading destination for foreign direct investment in the region,” the Head of State said as he kicked off activities to showcase Kenya’s rich cultural and economic diversity at the global exposition.

A total of 192 countries are participating in the six-month world exposition in Dubai, with every country allocated a national day of honour.

At the same time, President Kenyatta reiterated that Kenya is keen to build new trade relationships with the Gulf Cooperation Council states and other countries participating in the expo.

“We seek to harness the opportunities offered by this expo to build new business partnerships, attract new investments and bring tourists to Kenya to enjoy our world-renowned attractions,” the President said.

Noting the goals Kenya’s Vision 2030 which include transforming Kenya into a newly industrializing middle-income country by the year 2030, the President said trade, investment and strong partnerships with the private sector are key in realising the vision. 

He expressed confidence that as the largest economy and business hub with sufficient capacities in trade facilitation and logistics to service over eleven hinterland countries in the Eastern and Central Africa region, Kenya is in a strong position to expand its trade and economic horizon for the benefit of its people.

“It is against this background and in the spirit of Vision 2030, that we are here, to promote business-to-business partnerships and establish linkages between private and public sector institutions,” President Kenyatta.

In his speech at the Kenya flag-hoisting ceremony, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan who is also the and Commissioner General of the Expo 2020 Dubai said Kenya and the UAE enjoy boast of a strong relationship based on shared values and vision since its establishment in the early 1980s.

“We are pleased to be among Kenya’s top trading partners globally,” Sheikh Al Nahyan said, terming President Kenyatta’s presence at the exposition as a reflection of the strengthen of the close ties between the two countries.

The UAE Minister welcomed ongoing discussions to establish a new framework for cooperation in a wide range of areas of priority to the two countries including food production, infrastructure, digitization and renewable energy.

Sheikh Al Nahyan commended Kenya’s pavilion at the expo, saying under the theme “feel the energy of Kenya” the pavilion provides an opportunity for the world to discover Kenya’s economic potential and gives an insight into key sectors such as agriculture, innovation and tourism.

Later at an interview at the Expo 2020 Dubai grounds, President Kenyatta expounded on the available opportunities for global investors in Kenya ranging from agriculture, green energy and manufacturing.

University degree qualification for gubernatorial aspirants has once again sparked debate in Mombasa with a section of aspirants calling for thorough scrutiny of academic papers for all contestants.

Mombasa governor aspirant Suleiman Shahbal has asked the Independent electoral and boundaries commission to do a thorough check of all academic papers of his opponents to ensure their validity.

Without mentioning names, Shahbal said a degree qualification was significant for all governor candidates and thus the need to ensure his opponents have the right papers to qualify for the governor seat.

“There are many leaders, who are vying today, and they have problems with certificates, you can’t have masters without a bachelor’s degree as some are claiming, but they should know that the days of forging degrees have long gone, they should know that,” posed Shahbal.

His sentiments were echoed by Kisauni Member of Parliament Ali Mbogo, who is also vying for Mombasa governor, raising concerns over questionable degree academic qualifications for some of aspirants.

“You can’t be a governor without a degree, people should stop misleading others, they know themselves and they should fear God and tell people the truth,” claimed Mbogo.

Addressing political aspirants at a separate event last week, Mvita Mp Abdulswamad Nassir said that he is currently undergoing his masters degree.

"I know this is going to give some people heart attack. As we speak, I Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir despite preparing for the coming elections, I'm currently undergoing my masters. Education is something that is continuous" said Nassir.

 On Wednesday, while addressing Mombasa county political aspirants, Shahbal also warned his political opponents to brace for a bruising political battle in his quest to quest to succeed Mombasa governor Hassan Joho

Speaking at Wesley Methodist hall in Mombasa, Shahbal said he was confident of winning the ODM party primaries and be the party's candidate for the post of Mombasa governor in the main election.

The two time Governor Contestant who lost in 2013 and subsequently in 2017 to governor Joho, asked his main rival, Mvita Mp Abdulswamad  Nassir to stop bragging about his closeness to party leader Raila Odinga, instead, prepare for fair defeat in when the party holds its primaries.

“Those bragging that they already have party certificates should prepare for defeat, this time round nobody should take us for a ride, we will be there to ensure we get the ticket because we mean well for this county,” said Shahbal.

The businessman rallied the aspirants to stage an extensive grassroots campaign for him so that electorates can put into leadership leaders with vision to steer ahead Mombasa development.

"This is my third time to vie, and I believe I have a vision that can change the lives of residents of Mombasa, if we put the right leadership in Mombasa, the experience we got in 2013 and 2017 is enough to win the seat,” added Shahbal.

Shahbal says residents of Mombasa have long suffered from lack of services owing to what he termed as bad leadership in Mombasa County.

 "Mombasa has various problems which need to be addressed as they come, and leaders should take responsibility where they can, we have a  big problem of  lack of jobs, if as a leader you are unable to produce jobs, what else can you offer,” said Shahbal,in reference to his opponents.

The Azimio La Umoja Brigade has planned a series of political rallies at the expansive coastal region to rally for support in the August 9 2022 general elections.

The brigade will traverse the coastal counties in a campaign blitz to drum up support for Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

According to a schedule released by Raila Odinga presidential campaign secretary Dennis Onsarigo ,the Azimio brigade will kick off with a rallies in Kilifi county on Saturday before proceeding to  Tononoka grounds Mombasa on Saturday 20^th.

The team will then head to Kwale on Monday and later to Taita Taveta county on Tuesday February 22.

Odinga has been marketing his Azimio La Umoja initiative, imploring Kenyans to foster unity and peaceful coexistence ahead of 2022 general elections.

Mombasa governor Hassan Joho is set to lead the campaign team in the coastal tour after a successful stint in the Western and Nyanza region.

The return to coastal tour comes as the former premier seeks to consolidate his base that backed his three previous presidential bids.

However,the political supremacy has been dampened by the infiltration of the united democratic Alliance UDA. During the tour, the Azimio team is set to instill confidence ahead of the party primaries.

Earlier this Month, deputy president William Ruto toured the coastal region where he held series of political rallies to popularize his Kenya Kwanza political faction. Ruto enjoys the support of Mps Aisha Jumwa( Malindi ),Benjamin Tayari (Kinango),governor Salim Mvurya Kwale,Khatib Mwashetani of Lungalunga among other legislators.

In an interview with this blog, Kilifi county ODM youth leader and Senator aspirant Fikirini Jacobs said "This is our time as ODM Kilifi not as AZIMIO. When we mention Azimio in Kilifi we also embrace those who stabbed Mzee in our presence the other day and went out to form their own party that has always stood against ODM."

Adding "If Mzee is coming for AZIMIO well and good but me and my people we will welcome him and participate as ODM and any slight opportunity we will get will be to remind our people that we are in ODM."

ODM leader Raila Odinga has finally released his much awaited campaign song, 'Leo ni Leo'.

The song is a rendition of the popular Luhya song Lelo ni Lelo composed by Benga star Emmanuel Masindi.

The song has consistently featured in Raila’s campaign rallies.

In the video, Odinga, cladded in a bomber jacket with Kenyan flag colours is seen singing and dancing surrounded by band members who are  also dancing to the tune.

The audio was recorded at FP Records in Kawangware by upcoming producer Festus Papai aka Papa FP  and video shot in Karen and Kawangware, directed by Nezzoh Montana.  

The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB)  has banned an Indian comedy film 'Bodhaal Do' for promoting homosexuality contrary to the Kenyan constitution.

In a statement , KFCB rated the film 'RESTRICTED' noting that it  had been scrapped from all media outlets within the country’s borders and any broadcast of the same would be a violation of the law.

“While this film is acceptable in its country of origin, India, the Board has rated it as RESTRICTED in Kenya as it propagates a worldview that is in dissonance with our constitution, culture, values and norms and could easily expose vulnerable consumers to perversion,” read the statement by the board’s acting CEO Christopher Wambua.

Adding “On this score, any films or broadcast content appearing to legalize, advocate, normalize or glorify the act contravenes the laws of our land. The film is, therefore, unacceptable and an affront to our culture and identity as Kenyans.”

“The film in question, therefore, overtly disregards our laws, constitution and sensibilities as a people. Moreover, the film tries to directly influence the viewer into believing that homosexuality is a normal way of life.”

Being a pan-continent duo is hard enough, but add in a global pandemic and making music together might seem impossible, right? Well, Labdi Ommes and Bernt Isak Wærstad are consistently confounding that idea as the Kenyan-Norwegian collaboration Unganisha.

The duo have released their debut EP ‘Kucheza’ alongside the music video to “Chunya”, which follows up "Leko" and "Lwang'ni Hotel" – their successful singles from last year.

The EP title, Kucheza!, plays into this idea of experimentation, collaboration and the fusing of different cultures.

Translating to "play" in English, Unganisha explains, "We called the EP Kucheza! because that's our approach to making music with Unganisha, we play a lot and experiment freely with few limitations."

Adding "It's never that serious... that's our working philosophy and we have carried that spirit into the EP."

Chunya on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jX3YVha2H-we 

Lwang’ni Hotel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjdFG_zSwoM 

Leko on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw__Znj5I1U 

Meaning "to join or fuse together" in Kiswahili, Unganisha came together when traditional singer and orutu player Labdi was introduced to electronic producer Wærstad through a mutual friend, and they started to exchange ideas via Whatsapp.

This eventually led to songs, and the pair met when Music Norway funded Labdi's trip to Oslo Afro Arts in 2017. With only two days to put a show together, intense collaboration was necessary and Unganisha was born that day.

Labdi, a leading Kenyan female Orutu (a kind of one-string fiddle) player is formally trained as a visual artist and this means that Unganisha works hard on creating exciting and bright visuals to accompany the music.

Bernt is endlessly experimenting as a producer, and together they try to make the duo as unpretentious as possible.

They attest, “Unganisha is definitively more than just the music. We also get inspired by learning about each other's cultures and spending time together in both Kenya and Norway.”

From the opening track "Chunya", Unganisha's spirit and ethos is clear - an unrelenting love of rhythm and dance music (both in the western club sense and in the East African tradition), applied to Labdi's absorbing singing voice - part angelic, part chant.

The singles "Leko" and "Lwang'ni Hotel" [featuring drummer and singer Kasiva Mutua] are joined by the soulful "Duoguru" and the riotous, colourful closer "Koro", once again featuring the rhythms of Kasiva. The whole five tracks together is heady, irresistible and impossible to stay still to - dancing is mandatory.

Unganisha makes music that refuses to be boxed in. "We’re not trying to make a specific genre or style of music, we always feel very free to explore any direction which feels interesting to us," the duo explains. "Our music is sort of outside of our individual egos and our working philosophy is 'anything goes'".

Former KTN Investigative reporter Dennis Onsarigo has been appointed as ODM leader Raila Odinga's press secretary

Onsarigo who also served as the Director of communications and  official spokesperson for the County of Taita Taveta will now be in charge of coordinating  Odinga's presidential campaigns communications ahead of the August 9, elections. 

Through his official social media pages, Odinga announced the appointment of Onsarigo on Sunday.

"Mr Onsarigo is a professional bringing journalism and media consulting experience spanning fourteen years to the table" reads the statement from Odinga.

Adding " He will coordinate all media relation needs of the Raila Odinga 2022 campaign secretariat including media engagement and management, media liaison between the secretariat and coalition partners and work closely with mainstream media in dissemination of news and information."

Competition in the soft drinks industry is poised to go up a notch higher after global giant Pepsi opened a mega depot in Mombasa as it seeks to tap into the regional market.

PepsiCo’s move is expected to eat into the market share of Coca-Cola that has enjoyed minimal competition enabling it to firm its grip on the region for years.

Speaking at the official launch of a Mombasa depot on Saturday, Pepsi Mombasa depot officer in charge Salim Ogada said the company has been yearning to expand its wings in the coastal region owing to its market strength.

The company that deals with supplying products like Pepsi Light, Mirinda, Mountain Dew, 7UP and Everess seeks to tap into the coastal tourism market that has remained unexploited.

“So far it has employed over 40 people in Mombasa and is targeting to employ more once the business continues to expand,” said Salim who is in charge of Mombasa depot asking Mombasa people to try the Pepsi product.

The official said the global brand is now targeting the Coastal market after opening other shops in Kisumu and Nairobi. The company is in its expansion plans and seeks to open more other depots across the coastal region.

“It’s one of the leading brands in the world. We have not been strong in Kenya but now we have a very strong and rapid strategy to penetrate the Kenyan market, we started in Kisumu and Nairobi but now we are penetrating the coast market, ”added Salim.

Speaking at the launch, Mvita Member of Parliament Abdulswamand Nassir asked more investors to tap into the coastal potential as it has been promising owing to its tourism potential.

Nassir said the government should review some of the  taxes imposed on new  investors, saying  many potential investors are shying away from investing in the county owing to very punitive business levies imposed on them.

“We have sat down with business people, and made our manifesto which is focusing on the county development plan so that when we get into power, this becomes our priority to check on suitable levies that don’t hurt businesses,” said Nassir.

Mombasa youth gender and sports Chief Officer Innocent Mugabe has quit his county job to join politics.

Mugabe, who was instrumental on matters of youth in governor Joho’s administration, tabled his resignation on Wednesday, to vie for the Likuyani constituency member of the National Assembly post.

Mugabe has served as chief officer in different capacities in governor Joho's administration since 2013, when Joho was first elected as the first Mombasa governor.

At the same time Education Chief executive officer Seth Odingo who has resigned in order to contest for the Migori governor seat.

Odongo has served at different capacities as devolution and education CEC in governor Joho administration until this week when he tabled his resignation.

This means that Governor Joho will now be forced to make fresh appointments or make adjustments in his administration so as to fill the positions left vacant.

Odongo who seeks to succeed outgoing governor Okoth Obando boasts of a rich academic profile that he believes will play into his advantage during his campaigns.

Odongo is a PhD holder in Business Leadership from the University of (University of South Africa).

He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nairobi and also Bachelor of Arts (Second class (Hons) Upper Division)-University of Nairobi.

According to Odongo’s Cv, Between 1988-1989 he attained Kenya Certificate of Advance Education (A-level)-4 principles passand between 1984-1987 he attained Kenya Certificate of Education-(Second Division).

According to the Elections Act, all public officers seeking elective positions have to vacate office six months to the General Election, in this case February 9, 2022.

“A public officer who intends to contest an election under this Act shall resign from public office at least six months before the date of election,” Section 43 (5) of the Act.