President Uhuru Kenyatta has thanked Kenyans for the support they accorded his administration for the last 10 years.

President Kenyatta pointed out that the significant progress the country was able to achieve in the past one decade was as a result of the support he received from Kenyans.

“I most sincerely thank all Kenyans for their extraordinary support to me, which made and continues to make significant contributions towards the prosperity of our nation.

“I thank everyone who has walked the talk with me and especially you the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF),” President Kenyatta said.

President Kenyatta, who was accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, spoke on Friday at Lang’ata Barracks in Nairobi during a farewell ceremony hosted in his honour as the outgoing Commander-in-Chief in line with the traditions and custom.

The Head of State urged the KDF to remain steadfast and support the incoming administration, just like they supported his administration and that of his predecessors.

“As we depend on God to protect our beloved country, we all look upon you to implement this prayer by defending our territorial integrity and sovereignty by always being mission ready,” President Kenyatta said.

Noting that the past decade marked a critical stage in the implementation of devolution under the new Constitution 2010, the President expressed satisfaction that Kenya attained significant socio-economic and political development as well as enhanced democracy.

“Our nation continues to be a beacon of peace in the region.  The stability and peaceful environment have enabled meaningful developments across the country.  To this end, I must note that government institutions collectively undertook various roles to ensure service delivery,” he said.

The Head of State emphasized that the cooperation among ministries, departments and agencies in a “Whole of Government Approach” is vital in safeguarding the country’s unity. 

He singled out, for special appreciation, the multi-agency engagement and efforts that ensured the country’s security and regional stability.

“The Defence Force’s counterterrorism efforts together with other security agencies continue to be crucial in ensuring our national security,” the Head of State said.

In this regard, President Kenyatta said his administration recognized that investing in the capabilities of the security agencies was critical in enabling them to effectively undertake their constitutional mandate.

He cited the geostrategic military installations established in various parts of the country including the National Defence University-Kenya as some of his administration’s effort to boost the country’s security agencies.

The President said under the affordable housing pillar of the Big 4 Agenda, his administration commenced the construction of 3,500 housing units for Service Members in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Nanyuki to provide accommodation to service members across the KDF.

On gender, President Kenyatta said his administration adopted policies and initiatives that boosted the country’s efforts to entrench gender equity and empowerment of women in governance.

During the occasion, the President and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta received various gifts from the KDF and the Military Wives Association of Kenya.

In his speech, Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Robert Kibochi thanked President Kenyatta for taking KDF to higher levels of achievement.

Gen. Kibochi said, as an institution, the KDF in the past 10 years developed huge capacities and capabilities across its entire defence spectrum.

"Allow me, on behalf of all the officers and service members both serving and retired including our families here and those who are not here, to thank you very much for taking KDF to very high levels.

"It is true that as you retire, we will be left with fond memories of Your Excellency's trust and confidence in these institutions of the Kenya Defence Forces,” Gen. Kibochi said.

Also present were Vice Chief of Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Francis Omondi Ogolla, Service Commanders Lt. General Peter Mbogo Njiru (Kenya Army), Maj. General John Omenda (Kenya Air Force) and Maj. General Jimson Mutai (Kenya Navy Commander) as well as Head of Public Service Dr. Joseph Kinyua and Cabinet Secretaries Eugene Wamalwa (Defence) and Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs) and Monica Juma (Energy).

 Later, President Kenyatta proceeded to the Defence Headquarters at Hurlingham in Nairobi for the military traditions and custom ceremony of pulling out of the outgoing Command-in-Chief of the Defence Forces.

The popular concert series that showcases Kenyan female musicians is back after a two-year hiatus.

Kenyan Jazz Musician, Christine Kamau, has partnered with the Music In   Africa   Foundation, to present   'Women In  Music Concert   Series   - September Edition.

The Concert will be held at the Kenya National Theatre on 16th September 2022 and will feature performances by Njerae, Akoth Jumadi, Lisa Oduor-Noah, and Fena Gitu.

The show seeks to promote women in performing arts by providing an avenue for them to showcase their original music compositions and stage performance skills.

The concert is part of Music In Africa Live, a grant for music industry projects on the African continent supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stifting, and Goethe Institute.

Women In Music Concert Series began in 2016 with regular shows being held at the Nairobi Goethe Institute and has so far featured over 30 female musicians including popular artists like Nikita Kering, Atemi, Chemutai Sage, and Mayonde among others.

WORD FROM THE CONCERT SERIES FOUNDER – Christine Kamau

“It has been our ultimate goal to put up a high-quality live-music production and I am delighted that our efforts have gained recognition from international cultural stakeholders whose partnership has enabled us to put together this event that I believe adds value to the Kenyan creative industry”.

SEPTEMBER 2022 WOMEN IN MUSIC CONCERT SERIES EDITION

The concert evening promises to provide an exciting amalgamation of Acoustic, Afro-fusion, RnB, and Pop music flavors for lovers of live music in the city.

ARTIST LINE-UP

NJERAE

Her stage performances have been described as engaging and electrifying. A Singer/Songwriter from Nairobi, Kenya, she has hit singles such as 'Pressure' and 'Tuthi Nawe’ featuring Charisma. With her ability to use music to story tell, she is able to take her listeners on a nostalgic journey. Njerae has performed at a number of corporate and creative stages including Tetrapak International’s 60^th Anniversary at the Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi and at the 2018 Africa Nouveau Festival.

AKOTH JUMADI

Jumadi is an architect of the future who crafts her ethereal, dulcet sound with honeyed vocals and multi-instrumental talent. Her uplifting air will enthrall you as she weaves together Luo folk, afro-soul, tribal fusion, jazz, taarab, benga, reggae, and hip-hop. Born and raised in Nairobi of Luo ancestry, Akoth Jumadi started playing at 17 at Maseno University in Kisumu when a friend loaned her an extra guitar. She gained experience from a veteran guitarist and also started teaching herself to play and began to write her own music, practicing and gaining the courage to start performing.

LISA ODUOR-NOAH

Kenyan singer-songwriter and producer Lisa Oduor-Noah was introduced to music through her family's penchant for different musical genres which fed into her deep love for music and passion for performance. The soulful, silky-voiced singer boasts a resume filled with partnerships with famous local acts such as Blinky Bill, Kato Change, June Gachui, and Sauti Sol, as well as performances on stages such as Coke Studio Africa, The Global Citizen, and the Shanghai Jazz festival to name few. A Berklee College of Music graduate, Oduor-Noah hopes that through her performances, she can be an agent of hope, healing, and restoration while creating wholehearted moments of connection.

FENA GITU

Fena has over the years performed on world-class stages such as Blankets & Wine, Koroga Festival, Safaricom Twaweza Live, and shared stages with international acts such as Rick Ross, Wizkid, Davido, Tiwa Savage, and Sauti Sol among others.

Backed by The Dynamiques, an eight-piece band, Fena is well sought after to bring great energy, and soulful vibes to the stage, leaving fans thoroughly entertained and uplifted, and converting new fans around the world.

Outgoing Mombasa governor Hassan Joho is among the most followed politicians in Kenya, on social media.

The governor enjoys a following of 1.2 million followers on Instagram, 1.4 million on twitter and 1.2 million on facebook.

The charismatic politician mainly endeared his followers with his class, opulence and refined taste of fashion and the finer things in life..

The gritty and witty governor is also a stylist, possibly Kenya’s most fashionable politician.

Well, we caught up with the one of the guys behind the brand (Joho), and shared with us what we don't know about the governor.

Watch the interview below..

Former Kilifi county governor Amason Kingi is the new Speaker of the Senate.

Kingi was on Thursday Kingi got 46 out of the maximum 67 votes to be declared the winner in a first-round victory.

The former county chief  needed at least 45 votes to be declared the winner in the first round of voting.

According to house Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye the vote surpassed the two-thirds threshold of 45 votes.

The vote came after Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka changed his mid yet again and withdrew from the Senate Speaker race at the last minute.

Kingi who served as the governor of Kilifi for two terms will serve as the third Speaker of the Senate under the 2010 Constitution.

Celebrated Kenyan artists including Sauti Sol, Mercy Masika, Evelyn Wanjiru, Size8Reborn, Khaligraph Jones, Samidoh, Wyre, Trio Mio, Nviiri The Storyteller and Bensoul came together to produce and release  “Only Love / Upendo Wa Kenya” - a national peace and cohesion song for Kenya.

The song and video is a timeless reminder for Kenyans to work towards national co-existence.

Watch “Only Love / Upendo Wa Kenya

Advocating for peace, hope, love and unity before, during and after the 2022 General Elections in Kenya, the A-List artists joined forces with the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to produce the song which is also part of peace education campaigns for the ECES pro-peace Kenya project funded by the European Union.

The Pro-Peace Kenya Project supports interventions of the NCIC and aims at preventing election-related conflict and violence in the General and Presidential elections of August 2022 and beyond. 

The Project builds on the various experiences of collaborating partners working to promote peace and cohesion to prevent and mitigate conflicts and electoral related violence, as well as to build trust, inclusion, cohesion and political space, notably in view of supporting the “Road Map of Peaceful Elections 2022” published by NCIC.

Fabio Bargiacchi, Founder and Executive Director, ECES concludes, “We are so proud to have supported in producing this song and video during the 9 August 2022 General Elections amidst the unfolding tense atmosphere witnessed in the pre-electoral environment and the successful conduct of the polls which has now been concluded with the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the elections."

Adding "This song continues to champion peace and cohesion among Kenyans, while we urge all stakeholders to continue the commendable job of promoting peaceful participation of citizens before, during and after elections, he added.”

National assessment of grade three learners ahead of the national competence based curriculum CBC exams has begun in earnest in line with the Kenya National examination council guidelines.

Grade Three learners studying the new competency-based curriculum  must undergo Kenya National examination council KNEC assessment  before proceeding to the next level.

 The Kenya national examination council KNEC has directed Grade three Monitoring learners progress (mlp)National Assessment in integrated learning Areas(ILA)-2022,with the theme  Molding a patriotic citizen for peaceful co-existence.

This has seen Schools with Grade three learners countywide have embarked on the monitoring Lerner's progress in line (Knec) guidelines of the competency based Curriculum CBC before the exams in October this year.

Among the schools that is monitoring the learners progress is Mary Joy Kindergarten and Primary school in Mombasa, where it's grade three Lerner's visited Mother's Vision children home in Mtwapa on Saturday as part of their assessment.

Mary Joy kindergarten and primary school head teacher teacher Evans Muasya said the school is making strides in adhering to the KNEC guidelines ahead of the exams in October this year.

"We have Our Grade three Monitoring learners progress (mlp)National Assessment in integrated learning Areas(ILA)-2022,with the theme  Moulding a patriotic citizen for peaceful co-existence, therefore we are doing this in line with Kenya national examination council directive ,"said Muasya.

He said Grade Three pupils will sit a national exam in October before joining Grade Four under in the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).

"The theme of the assessment is about patriotism, therefore the learners must demonstrate patriotism where they perform, so by sharing foodstuffs with the needy is part of the patriotism,” said Muasya

According to Veronica Wavinya, one of the Grade three teachers, said part of this year's KNEC guidelines is to collect items for donations to needy and less fortunate people within the community.

"By donating foodstuffs to the orphans, they will be demonstrating patriotism. As a school we have chosen, mother vision children's home, (mtwapa),"said Wavinya accompanied by other teachers during the food donation exercise at the Mtwapa based children's home.

Speaking after receiving the donations Mother's vision Rescue center manager Damaris Ndirangu expressed her joy for receiving donations that will support the over 26 needy children in the institution.

"We are happy that the CBC has come with new tasks that will also help the needy benefit from the donation by schools, this act also boosts morale of the needy pupils, and makes them feel part of the society,” said Ndirangu.

The children's home was started in 2006 by the late Susan Ngige who passed away in April this year. The institution hosts total orphans and those neglected by their parents. The Children center has been offering a good environment to CBC learners who get the exposure to integrate with the less fortunate in the society.

"This center offers good opportunities to schools that would want their CBC children to come and integrate with our children, we also get that opportunity to benefit from assorted food stuffs they donate,” said Ndiragu.

The new curriculum – which embraces a 2-6-3-3-3 system – involves two years of pre-primary education, three years of lower primary, three years of upper primary, three years of lower secondary, three years of senior secondary and three years in tertiary education

Tanzanian crooner AliKiba has cancelled his major US tour shows after testing posting for COVID-19.

The singer was scheduled to begin his US tour on September 2 to October 1.

He was to perform in major cities including Washington, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Kansas city, Manchester, Houston.

According to a statement from the singer, the shows have now been pushed to a later date following his diagnosis.

"To all my fans who have been patiently waiting for the commencement of my only one king US tour 2022 which was meant to commence on the 2nd September, Im truly saddened and devastated to say that I have tested positive for Covid-19" reads the statement.

Adding "Hereby we are forced to postpone and reschedule to the soonest date possible. Nothing is more important to me that the health of my band, crew and you my fans. I have an immense love for you all and I sincerely apologize for any inconveniences caused".

Mombasa governor elect Abdulswamad Nassir will receive the County status final report on Friday as he awaits his assumption of office on 15th September.

A number of challenges facing the county of Mombasa awaits governor elect Nassir as he awaits his swearing in to officially assume office

Apart from addressing issues directly affecting the residents, Mr Nassir will also be required to align some of his development plans with that of the national government considering that the county hots key government infrastructure such as the port of Mombasa.

Mr Nassir said once he receives the report, he will conduct an audit to determine unpaid debts and number of workers in the County to weed out ghost workers.

Speaking during his first public function after elected as Mombasa governor during the August 29th election at Star of the Sea Secondary School, the governor elect promised to repay the accrued debt which is estimated at Sh4.29 billion according to Controller of Budget report dated February 2022.

“I am in the process of receiving County reports and by Friday I would have made progress ahead of my swearing in slated on 15th September according to plans. Once assume the office, I will prioritise pending bills starting with those which have not been paid in the past eight or nine years,” said Mr Nassir.

He added, “On workers’ welfare, my administration is not intending to recruit any new workers but instead we shall employ who have been working as casuals while those who have been in permanent category, we shall promote them as a way to motivate them.”

To address issue of delayed salaries, the governor elect said he will invite different financial institutions to enter into an agreement for overdrafts incase of fund delays from the National Treasury. ​

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala led a host of Mombasa leaders in mourning his eldest brother Sheikh Salim Balala who passed away due to a long illness.  

Speaking at the Kikowani Cemetery during the burial, Balala said his brother who worked as an assistant minister in the first president of Kenya Jomo Kenyatta cabinet was as a humble person who nurtured many.

“Shaikh Salim was a nominated member of parliament from 1964 and he was then appointed in 1966 to 1974 as assistant minister for finance and economic planning and then later appointed chairman of the National assurance so he was in the government for a long time,” said Balala.

Balala said Salim who died at the age of 84 played was an inspiration to him and other many leaders who emulated his leadership style. The deceased was prayed at the Masjid Shibu in Mwembe Tayari during the 10 am prayers and later laid to rest at Kikowani Cemetery in Mvita.

 “I was too young when he went to politics, I joined politics in 2002,so I got inspiration from his honesty and integrity and his commitment to serve the country during his time, is among the people who fought for this country and served under Jomo Kenyatta,” Balala said.

The late was the father to Taufiq Balala who is the current Mombasa county executive minister of transport public works and infrastructure.

Former Mombasa governor Hassan Joho said Mombasa was privileged to have visionary leaders who opened the political path for many young leaders.

“He was the first leader to sprout in Mombasa, and he will be remembered for his contribution to nurturing young politicians, as Mombasa we have lost an elder and we want to condole with the family,” said Joho.

Some of the leaders who attended the burial include, Kaloleni Mp Paul Katana, Mombasa speaker Kharub Katri, Mombasa senator Mohamed Faki, Mombasa businessman Mohammed Jafar, former Mombasa mayor Ahmed Mohdhar and Coast regional coordinator John Elungata who delivered president Uhuru Kenyatta’s message of eulogy among others.

 In his condolence message, President Kenyattta described Salim as a great leader who had a clear vision for the country’s growth and development.

“In this hour of great sorrow and grief, I convey my deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives and friends,” Uhuru said.

Uhuru added that Salim was a person of enormous influence and his wise counsel and guidance will be missed by many.

“As we mourn and pay homage to this visionary leader, let us also celebrate his life and achievements.”

Popular Tanzanian singer Zuhura Othman Soud, alias Zuchu is working on new music!

On Wednesday the 27-year-old singer shared a series of Instagram Stories from a recording studio.

In the video Zuchu could be seen busy in a studio recording the new song.

The last time  Zuchu released a song was July.