After a long wait, Mombasa based Banadri FC has finally unveiled their new replica jerseys.

The jersey is a representation of the team's identity, with the iconic blue and white stripes and the club crest prominently displayed on the front

Through it's official social media page, the club announced that fans can now get the new jerseys at the club's official ground, Mbaraki sports grounds.

"Mliitisha, tunawapa . Jezi za viwango vya juu zimefika .Kwa sasa, zitapatikana uwanjani Mbaraki kuanzia kesho, mpaka tutakapowatangazia sehemu zingine, kwa bei ya Sh. 2,000 pekee.Kesho njoo uwanjani kifua wazi, jezi utavalia huku" reads the tweet.

According to a source at the club, various outlets will be opened as well as online shops to sell the replica jerseys and other merchandise such as mugs and towels.

Residents of Changamwe and who are staunch viewers of  Boss television station have appealed to president William Ruto to help revive the station he unveiled last year and which has ever since shut down.

President Ruto launched the station in December 2021 during the campaign period and is said to have promised to support it but it has since shut down due to what is believed to be harsh economic times.

Among the viewers is Pastor Kennedy Omondi of light of salvation church, who regretted that since the station was unveiled by President William Ruto, while he was then the deputy president it is no longer operational.

It is not clear what could be ailing the station but residents who spoke to this blog revealed that the station shut down due to harsh economic times thus rendering hundreds of youth jobless.

 “We ask the president to help in reviving the station so that we can get benefits that we used to get when the station was live, we ask the president to honour the promise he made to help in sustaining the station,” said pastor Omondi.

Another resident John Mukaria said the boss tv channel that broadcasted most of its news from the locality should be revived to help locals continue enjoying local content.

“We are asking that Boss Tv be revived, it used to give us the best local content that we couldn't get anywhere else because the station is based in Changamwe Mombasa,” said Mukaria saying that the matter should not be seen as political.

According to James Kimondiu,a staunch viewer of boss Tv, residents are now unable to get local content after the station was shut. They claim many youth have lost jobs and talents gone to waste after it was closed.

“We are no longer getting local news like we used to get, it’s unfortunate that the station was opened by the then deputy president William Ruto last year, and has now shut down, we ask him in the spirit of hustler to help it be revived,” said Kimondiu.

Adding " This station provided job opportunities to our youths around here, they used to support their families through this station. Mr. President you promised to uplift the lives of hustlers and local mwananchi please help us in this."

Former Mombasa governor Hassan Joho has quietly arrived in the country after being away for some months.

Joho arrived in the country on Friday evening from the United States (US).

The former county boss was last seen in public during the swearing-in ceremony of the current Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, on September 23, 2022 at the Mama Ngina Waterfront.

Joho who is also known for his taste for the finest things has been posting photographs of himself in Dubai, Netherlands and the US in his instagram page which boosts of over 1.3 million followers, mainly the youth.

Joho was on Monday evening spotted interacting with Mombasa residents after breaking the fast at the busy Makadara street while enjoying snacks from local vendors. He was later spotted in Tudor, at the office of Mvita Mp Mohammed Machele interacting with the legislator and supporters.

The ODM deputy party leader has been quiet on current political affairs in the country even as his party leader Raila Odinga has been leading street protests over the current regime, something that has baffled friends and foes. He was among the vocal supporters of Odinga during the campaigns and was poised to be the Lands cabinet secretary once Odinga takes over the government.

Last month, Joho got netizens talking once again after he was spotted in a hooded jacket estimated to be worth a staggering Ksh.227,150 while in the US.

In the photograph which he shared on his instagram page, he was wearing a minty Moncler's Dincer hooded jacket ,a puffy, white, red and blue stripped fashion show-stopper which according to the official brand site costs about $1,750  equivalent to Ksh.227,150. He was standing next  toa sleek Range Rover whose number plate is designed with his initials 'HAJ.'

Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir has scrapped medical assessment fee charged to persons with disability in Mombasa as the county seeks to roll out a comprehensive medical cover of the vulnerable groups.

Speaking at Tononoka hall, during an exercise to register persons with autism in the county, Nassir also ordered for immediate mapping of all persons with disability among them children with autism within Mombasa County so that they can benefit from cash transfer programs among other services.

“Money that people with disabilities pay to get medical assessment will be free from now going forward, we will hold meetings with my cabinet to tell them the importance of mapping up all children with disabilities so that they can reap benefits from the county.

Nassir said after the mapping the county will now roll out a comprehensive medical cover of the National insurance fund NHIF to over 10,000 persons in Mombasa with priority given to persons with disability.

“After Ramadhan,in the first week, we will start giving universal health care coverage to over 10,000 families, among them children coming from poor backgrounds,orphans,disability widows and widowers,” said Nassir.

Nassir was responding to a cry by  Mombasa county (NCPWD) coordinator Juliet Ruwa, who decried that persons living with autism have continued to bear the brunt of marginalization in health, education and development due to lack of registration cards.

“We are requesting the assessment money to be scrapped because without that they will not be registered, and they will not also benefit from cash transfer and other services offered, “said Ruwa.

Ruwa said registration of persons with disability in Mombasa will highlight the nature of their disability, it will also easen the burden of addressing their plight and needs without victimization.

“If they fail to get the cards, it will be difficult for them to be recognized as among persons with disability,” she added. She was speaking at Tononoka hall during a meeting convened by the Mombasa county government.

Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir has decried delayed disbursement of the county revenue allocation, thus affecting service delivery.

The governor claimed Mombasa is being victimized because it’s leadership is allied to the Orange Democratic Party ODM.Nassir claims that all other counties have received their share, but Mombasa was left out.

“Leadership is not about victimization, leadership is solving problems people have, we must speak, the national government should not be in the fore from to kill devolution, going for four months without money is not easy and we can’t allow that,” said Nassir.

Nassir said Mombasa is struggling to meet some of its functions owing to the delay of the monies for the last four Months. He asked the people including leaders to stay united and focus on development.

“We are saying even if they deny us money, we will thrive, even if Mombasa leadership is ODM ,this does not mean we are less people, and we must talk about the rights of our people, because monies have been delayed,” claimed Nassir.

On his part Jomvu mp Badi Twalib asked leaders to unite and deliver for the people of Mombasa.

“The central government must release funds to counties, because counties cannot manage themselves, let them know that the people of Mombasa also have a right,” said Twalib who urged leaders in Mombasa to stay united irrespective of party affiliations.

The leaders were speaking during an iftar dinner hosted by the Jomvu Mp Badi Twalib, on Saturday evening.

Speaking at the same function EALA Mp Hassan Omar said the government will not victimize anyone instead it will deliver the pledges it gave to the people of Mombasa.

Omar said it is evident that the Kenya Kwanza government is considerate about the Mombasa people when it returned port operations to Mombasa port.

“We want to promise Mombasa people that the government has big plans for Mombasa, we will not victimize anyone, and the plans are underway to ensure as the special economic zone takes shape, we will create more jobs in Mombasa.

Omar further called on Mombasa residents not to take part in the Azimio la Umoja Monday protests.

"Let them continue with their protests in other areas, as for Mombasa let us remain peaceful and ensure that our tourism industry remains steady". said Omar

Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Unizima S.A. (“Unizima”), an affiliate of Univercells Group, in Belgium have initiated a collaboration for the establishment of a Bio-manufacturing Training Hub in the country.

President William Ruto who was on a tour of Unizima’s bio manufacturing company, in Jumet, Belgium, accompanied by government officials among them Cabinet Secretary for Health Susan Nakhumicha Wafula, Acting Director General, KEMRI, Prof. Elijah Songok among others, announced on Wednesday, 29th March, 2023, that Kenya and Belgium have agreed to establish a bio manufacturing training hub in the Kenya under Unizima, a Univercells Group a Belgium Biotech company

.Under the initiative, KEMRI will partner with Unizima to advance and formalize their commitment to building a thriving biopharma skills base in Kenya and the wider EastAfrica region.

“The Government of Kenya is committed and determined to realise the constitutional right to health in the shortest time possible by delivering a universal  health coverage. We are therefore delighted to initiate a collaboration with Unizima and the Univercells Group as we share a common mission and values. This new partnership is an important step towards building local training and workforce capacities in Kenya, which is crucial for health and wellbeing of the fast growing Kenyan population”. said President Ruto.

On his part KEMRI Acting Director General Prof Elijah Songok noted “We are excited about this partnership with Unizima in Belgium that will surely provide KEMRI with expertise, advisory support, training and technology particularly in the area of bio manufacturing ecosystem which is fundamental to the Kenyan people. KEMRI is living its mission of providing leadership in human health research, capacity building and service delivery, and this landmark initiative with the Belgians is a clear indication.”

Chief Executive Officer of Unizima, Hala Audi concluded, “This new partnership with Kenya, after ground- breaking collaborations in Senegal and South Africa, continues our approach to work hand in hand with partners in Africa who are investing in their own new biopharma capability.”

The collaboration will include among other areas, building the right training and research ecosystem, that will ensure that end to end research and development and manufacturing of biologicals, expertise, advisory support, and technology transfer.

Kenyan healthcare and research leaders who are driving this initiative include; KEMRI, Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital, Kenya Biovax Institute, Egerton University and the Pharmacy and Poison Board.

As Kenya prepares for significant inwards investment in biotechnology and biomanufacturing over the coming years, the government is building the human capital and workforce development needed to ensure this investment brings real improvement in access to vaccines and biotherapeutics for patients in Kenya and the region.

This project is in line with the governments agenda of advancing the economic pillar of local manufacturing and the development objective on Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Tales as old as time from across the African continent, reimagined and retold by a new generation of six storytellers come together, the African Folktales, Reimagined short films in partnership with UNESCO, launched on Netflix on 29 March 2023.

The anthology of six short films was launched as part of Netflix’s partnership with UNESCO to support the next generation of storytellers who were provided with resources including a $90 000 budget and creative guidance by established filmmakers as mentors to bring their stories to life.

The emerging filmmakers were selected in 2021 following a call for submission that resulted in over 2000 applications from 13 countries in the sub-Saharan Africa region. The 6 emerging storytellers from Nigeria, South Africa, Mauritania, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will see their respective short films, make their debut on Netflix, globally. 

The African Folktales, Reimagined short film collection features a variety of African on-screen talent in stories by emerging African storytellers such as Mohamed Echkouna from Mauritania with Enmity Djinn; Walt Mzengi Corey from Tanzania with Katope; Korede Azeez from Nigeria  with Zabin Halima (Halima’s Choice); Voline Ogutu from Kenya with Anyango and the Ogre; Loukman Ali from Uganda with Katera of the Punishment Island and Gcobisa Yako from South Africa with MaMlambo.

Each storyteller was partnered with a local production company and under the guidance of Netflix-appointed supervising producer, Steven Markovitz from Big World Cinema and industry mentors: Bongiwe Selane (mentor to Gcobisa); Jenna Bass (mentor to Korede); Pape Boye (mentor to Loukman); Femi Odugbemi (mentor to Mohamed); Leila Afua Djansi (mentor to Voline) and Tosh Gitonga (mentor to Walt) who provided guidance and nurtured the filmmakers on their journey to bring their stories to life.

“UNESCO is proud to present the tales of Africa, reimagined by its emerging, homegrown talents. At the crossroads of tradition, innovation, heritage and creativity, African expressions in the 21st century are as diverse and dynamic as its people. The UNESCO-Netflix partnership represents our shared commitment to the audiovisual industries of Africa, which have the potential to generate US$20 billion in revenues annually. African creativity is a force for sustainable development, and we cannot wait for the audiences around the world to feel its unstoppable energy,” says Ernesto Ottone R., the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture.

“We are excited to finally bring this anthology of short films created by the next generation of African storytellers to Netflix members around the world,” says Tendeka Matatu, Netflix’s Director of Film in Africa.

Adding “This initiative is a testament to our ongoing efforts to strengthen the pipeline of African storytelling and to include voices from underrepresented communities. We’re grateful to our partners at UNESCO who walked this journey with us to provide an opportunity for the six emerging African filmmakers to create and showcase their reimagined folktales to the world, in their own languages, so that more people can see their lives reflected on screen.”

The Coast Civil Society Network for Human Rights (CCSNHR) has condemned the recent happenings during the anti-government demonstrations that led to loss of lives and destruction of properties in Kibera slums in Nairobi on Monday.

Addressing the media in Mombasa on Wednesday, the group has called on the Inspector General of police and the directorate of criminal investigations to take responsibility over what happened.

The group said that they have observed with utmost concern the conduct of various leaders in the country since the emergence of the demonstrations.

“We register our shock and concern at the level of aggressiveness and cruel tone and actions being exposed to the republic. The actions of various leaders violate the provisions of the Constitution and statutes of the Republic of Kenya,” said Munira Ali of Haki Yetu organization.

She said that they condemn the use of excessive force by the police to silence demonstrators and at the same time condemned the destruction of private property by groups of people hiding under the guise of the right to protest under article 37 of the constitution.

“We condemn the attacks on journalists and media freedom in the process of the demonstrations. We also condemn in the strangest terms, foul language intended to fan further violence and insensitive to the current context,” she said.

 The group now wants elements that have broken the law in the course of the protests be held responsible including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations they alleged mislead the public and posted false images to delude the public.

The group also called on the country’s leadership including the President, his deputy, the Minister for Interior and Coordination of National Government, the Inspector General of Police and the opposition leadership to respect, abide by and uphold the rule of law.

“Their pronouncements must be sensitive to current happenings. All communications from the state should be constant and consistent to the law, and done by the respective office holders,” she said.

The group further called upon the oversight institutions especially the KNCHR, IPOA, and NCIC to consistently take up their place in the discourse and monitor the role of the players in abiding with the constitution in line with their mandates.

They also called on the international community to intervene immediately and not wait for the current incidences to slide the country to anarchy and go the Rwanda way.

The group chairman Zedekiah Adika called on the inspector general of police and the director of criminal investigations to resign and take responsibility over what happened on Monday.

Adika accused the IG of operating outside the law and accused the DCI for inciting the public by publishing fake photos.

Adika said that Article 37 of the constitution allows people to demonstrate saying that it is the responsibility of the police under article 29 to ensure that protestors as protected and any property and people along their way too.

“The inspector general of police must take responsibility over what happened on Monday. The DCI also cannot go out of his way and publish photos to incite the public. They must leave the offices,” said Adika.

He called on the two political divides to take responsibility over what is happening in the country to ensure peace prevails.

 “We call upon the likes of Kimani Ichungwa to restrain themselves and speak knowing the sensitivity of this matter. His arrogance is too much,” said Adika.

Muhuri rapid response officer Francis Auma called for dialogue as he urged politicians to refrain from inciting the public.

Auma reiterated that any politician found to incite Kenyans must face the wrath of the law.

“We are documenting all that is happening and at the end somebody must be held responsible. We are also calling on the international community to intervene, if people have to be taken to International Criminal Court, so be it,” said Auma.