Like many great things, the first experience to a new place remains etched in your memory for a very long time, and being Sneha Namanandi’s first visit to Kenya, taking the heritage tour at Sarova Stanley was enough to tell her that not all hotels are just but structures.

The Indian actress, model, dancer, and singer was in Kenya for the Indirica Festival - the first-ever Indo – African cultural extravaganza.

She was hosted by Sarova Stanley during her stay in the country.

Out of all the things she could do in the city, doing the heritage tour at Sarova Stanley was a great opportunity for her to learn about Kenya’s history, particularly how Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, came to be.

Walking through Sarova Stanley’s grand fixtures took Sneha Namanandi back to the year 1902 when the hotel was first established. The hotel would later grow to become a host to prominent people from across the globe and in 1952, then Princess Elizabeth now Queen visited the hotel as part of her world tour.

To keep the memorabilia and preserve the history of its growth, seven thematic suites bearing names of the famous people who were influenced or hosted by the hotel were established.

Each of these rooms has its own history and is adorned with artifacts from a period long gone, and they are exactly what constitutes the heritage tour, as Sneha would come to learn.

The actress began her heritage tour at the entrance of the hotel by pushing the more than a century old, revolving mahogany door, there she was, greeted by ancient framed photos, among them a picture of the two-storied hotel taken in 1904.

The Thorn Tree

At Thorn tree café, a third-generation acacia tree stands smack in the middle of the hotel. Here, she learns that the tree dates to a ‘Tree Mail’ which was akin to a post office since travelers used to send and receive messages by pinning notes on the tree trunk. The tree is today used by guests who still pin notes on a modernized message board. Of course, Sneha left a message on her experience in the country.

Interesting to note is that after every 50 years, a new acacia tree is planted and each time this happens, a capsule is buried under the tree. The next planting will be in 2038 and the buried capsule will be opened. Meanwhile, you too can leave a message on the board!

Candlestick Telephone

Next on the heritage walk was the lobby where there’s an old antique candlestick telephone, which was common from the late 1890s to the 1940s. Surprisingly, the phone has been preserved all these years and is still working just fine!

The Churchill Ballroom

On first floor is the Churchill Ballroom and The Exchange Bar. The Churchill Ballroom was named after Winston Churchill, who was then a Member of Parliament after he visited the hotel in 1907. The ballroom’s walls are filled with black and white photographs highlighting Sarova Stanley’s history and the growth of Nairobi.

The Exchange Bar

The Exchange bar, on the other hand, is dotted with exquisite furnishing that gives you a Victorian feel. It was this room that hosted the first Nairobi Stock Exchange. It also has a bell that rings when the most expensive drink has been bought, and when you ring the bell you must buy everyone a drink!

Princess Elizabeth’s Palm Fans

Another striking feature that took Sneha Namanandi’s breath are the ceiling fans. Princess Elizabeth once dined here, and with air conditioning being non-existent at the time, she was kept cool by a series of palm fans, which were operated by a staff member on a bicycle. The fans still exist but are today operated by electricity.

The Karen Blixen Suite

Sneha also visited The Karen Blixen Suite, a room that commemorates the Baroness and Author during her stay between 1914 and 1931. She wrote the books Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass and she would, on most occasions lunch at the Sarova Stanley. The room contains replicas of her famous paintings ‘Juma’ and ‘The Kikuyu Girl’.

The 1902 Lounge

The executive vibes of the Sarova Stanley suites do not end there, which is how Sneha Namanandi’s heritage walk took her up the floating stairs to the 1902 Lounge. Here, occupants of the room enjoy exclusive boardroom access, specialized services including secretarial services, whole day refreshments among others. Sneha had to try some of the savory cuisines offered by the lounge including some coffee! It just looked too good to pass up!

Unfortunately for Sneha, she didn’t get to visit other suites including the Lamu Suite, one that is reminiscent of the beautiful Swahili culture, and the Presidential Suite, whose name tells it all, a haven for world leaders.

Other places she never got to finish due to time limitation – it was well over an hour already – comprised of the courtyard and the pool deck. Nevertheless, the experience was one of a kind and although only a few suites have been mentioned, it is worth noting that over the years, many people have taken the heritage walk at the Sarova Stanley, which has also hosted celebrities like Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Gregory Peck, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, and Frank Sinatra.

Sarova Stanley’s Heritage Tour is free. You can make a request and walk through the corridors of history like Sneha Namanandi, and actually complete the heritage walk. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll get inspiration for a movie, or a book like Ernest Hemingway when he made his notes for his novels The Green Hills of Africa and The Snows of Kilimanjaro or Colonel John Henry Patterson, who was inspired to write The Man-eaters of Tsavo which inspired the film The Ghost and the Darkness, during his stay at the hotel.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said young people are Africa's biggest untapped resource that countries seeking to invest on the continent ought to prioritise.

The President said the African continent has one of the highly innovative and skilled youthful manpower which if properly deployed, has the potential to tilt the world economy.

“We always look at the continent (Africa) and look at its resources that lie below the ground but I want to assure you the greatest resource we have is not what is below the ground but it is the men and women that God has given us who given an opportunity can help transform not just their respective countries and continent but the world at large,” the President said.

President Kenyatta spoke last night at State House, Nairobi when he and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta hosted a state banquet in honour of the visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The Head of State said the first ever visit to Kenya by a German President was historic adding that Kenya was keen on benefitting from a technology transfer arrangement with the European nation.

Besides technology, the President said Kenya and Germany were pursuing avenues for more people-to-people interactions and enriching cultural exchanges.

“Kenya is a country of great diverse and rich culture and we have no intention of losing it but Germany too is a country which is bestowed with a deep and rich culture and these cultures should not be antagonistic to each other but should be a source of joy and deeper partnership between our two people,” he said.

The President, who was joined at the banquet by Deputy President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga, said Kenya will continue working closely with Germany in ensuring global peace, stability and security.

He said economic prosperity would not be achieved if nations are not able to establish structures for peaceful co-existence.

“We live in a difficult neighbourhood but we also know that to survive and to prosper we need to work with our neighbours. Germany too believes that to survive and prosper it cannot do it alone you need partners. And Kenya is here to say that we want to be a willing partner for Germany,” President Kenyatta said.

President Steinmeier said the world is faced with a myriad of challenges that can largely be solved through partnerships.

He singled out climate change as an issue that requires a collective approach by all global actors to manage.

“We are the first generation to live in an age in which humanity is able to irreversibly change the living conditions on the planet.

“Only the concept of a global order offers the opportunity to formulate persuasive answers to the challenges of the anthropocene. Africa and Europe need one another if they are to find these answers  as part of the international community," the German President said.

President Steinmeier said it is only through deeper international cooperation that countries will be able to effectively deal with the effects of climate change.

He said Germany has a lot to learn from Kenya’s innovativeness especially in the energy and telecommunications sectors where the country has made tremendous progress.

“We Germans can learn a great deal in and from Kenya. How solar energy can be used to power cargo bikes, how mobile phone based electronic payment systems work and how an upcoming start-up sector is producing sustainable fashion,” the German leader told an audience that included several senior government officials, diplomats and businessmen.

Coast based artist Ally B has team up with Masauti in his latest release titled 'Genye Genye'.

The audio has been produced by Totti who also directed the video.

Watch the video below

Nyali member of parliament Mohammed Ali has hit out at critics questioning his relationship with Deputy President William Ruto.

Speaking during the launch of Nyali CDF bursary fund today, the Mp said he has the right to choose who he associates with and no one can choose a friend for him.

"No one has the right to choose a friend for me, stay with your friend while i too stay with mine. Why should you be bothered with my friendship with the deputy president" said Ali.

Adding "My friend (Ruto) has always been attacked especially in the media and political rallies but one good thing about him is that he still remains strong. The tree that bears fruits is the tree that people throw stones at".

Ali who previously worked for KTN also called on the media and the director of criminal investigations (DCI) to stop being 'used' to tarnish the image of the Deputy President William Ruto.

"I have worked in the media before and i know how it operates, please stop being used to tarnish the image of other people. I would also like to address the DCI, if you have prove that the deputy president is a thief why dont you go ahead and arrest him instead of playing with our minds". he charged.

Ali further called on his constituents not to support the building bridges initiative(BBI) claiming its meant to benefit few individuals.

He noted "This is an initiative by few individuals who only want to enrich themselves and stay in power so please stay away from it. Let them first unite Uhuru, Raila and Ruto before they think of uniting all Kenyans".

Motorcycle ride service, Safeboda is closing it's operations in Mombasa .

In a message to customers, the company notes they will be closing their operations in the county starting next Monday, February 24.

"Mpendwa..., tunajuta kukujulisha kuwa tunafunga shughuli zetu za Mombasa Jumatatu ijayo, tarehe 24 Februari, 2020. Uamuzi mgumu kweli kwani tumefurahia support yako zaidi ya miezi 10 iliyopita. Credit yoyote iliosalia kwa akaunti yako itaregeshwa kupitia Mpesa Jumanne tarehe 25 Februari , 2020. Asante"reads a message from the company to customers.

Ommy Dallah contacted the company through it's official facebook page to verify the information and it was indeed confirmed.

"Hi Ommy, unfortunately this is true. We did not want to leave, but we had to close due to unavoidable circumstances." reads the reply to Ommy Dallah from Safeboda's official facebook page.

A source has however confirmed to Ommy Dallah that the company has been forced to take the action due to bad business.

"Business failed to grow so it did not meet the expectations, that is the main reason and  this might be because of the tough times in Mombasa"said the source.

SafeBoda which has it's headquarters in Kampala Uganda joined the Mombasa market last year(2019) May, it was first introduced in Nairobi in 2018.

The company joins a list of other businesses that have been forced to close shop in Mombasa with most shops in town remaining vacant due to tough times.

A study done by the University of Nairobi School of Business and released September last year following a year of investigations revealed that Mombasa had already lost Sh17.4 billion and 2,987 jobs equivalent to 8.4 per cent of its annual earnings since the implementation of government policies requiring mandatory transfer of most import cargo through the  SGR freight service to Nairobi in 2017.

The study also projected myriads of direct losses including huge job losses and mass relocation of residents away from Mombasa.

Kenyan singer and former NRG radio presenter Tanasha Donna has set a new record with her latest song featuring her boo Diamond Platnumz.

She has become the first Kenyan artist to garner over a million views on you tube in just 13 hours after releasing a video, through the song 'Gere'.

This is however not new to Diamond since most of his songs have been hitting the one million views mark just hours of release an issue that most critics urge is the reason why the video is under Diamond's you tube channel.

In the song, Tanasha and Diamond address  haters who mock their love with Tanasha warning Diamond not to cheat on her.

The song is off Tanasha's EP 'DonnaTella' which was launched last month in Nairobi.

It's now three years since Nyota Ndogo released her last song 'Siwezi', in 2017 which was advocating for peaceful election, urging Kenyans to shun violence and maintain peace during the general elections.

Her silence left fans complaining with some taking to her various social media pages where she has been active questioning her silence demanding her return to the industry and new music.

Well, it now seems Nyota who has been focusing on business, running her eatery in Voi town has now heard the cry from fans.

She is set to officially release her new music on February 29 at a red carpet event in Mombasa.

Speaking to Ommy Dallah, Nyota promised her fans more music.

"I just love music and my fans have been complaining because of my silence and this has also encouraged me to get back and release new music. It shows that fans out there still love me and my music"she said.

Adding "I don't have much to say all i can tell my fans is they should expect more music from me this year, i will not let them down".

The new song set for release is titled 'Je wewe?'.

World's leading streaming entertainment service, Netflix released the trailer for it's first African original series 'Queen Sono'.

Among those featured in the sound track is popular Kenyan band Sauti Sol. Also featured on the track is Sho Madzoji from South Africa popular for her song ''John Cena'.

“Queen Sono” was created by multi-hypenate comedian-turned-director Kagiso Lediga and is being executive produced by Tamsin Andersson.

The series stars  veteran South African actress Pearl Thusi who plays the role of a spy devoted to protecting the people of Africa. However, during one of her dangerous assignments, she unknowingly uncovers shocking details about her own mother’s death which subsequently leads her on a mission to uncover the truth.

Watch the trailer below.