Federation of Women lawyers (FIDA Kenya) has called out Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) George Magoha to take personal responsibility for his utterances and resign from public office.

This comes after Magoha allegedly profiled a female Muslim journalist as a possible Al-Shabaab representative.

The lobby through a statement shared to newsrooms signed by the federation chairman Nancy Ikinu demanded that Magoha should apologize for failure to which legal action should be taken upon him.

 “This is simply hate speech and sad that a whole Cs can target  profile and verbally attack female journalist in the course of her duties based on her assumed religion and further associate her religion with terrorism,” said Ikinu.

The lobby says Magoha acted in violation of Article 32 of the constitution that guarantees every Kenyan the right of religion, freedom of coexistence, belief and opinion and therefore Magoha was wrong to profile the journalist with her religion.

“The Cs utterances resulted in pure discrimination and violation of himan rights contrary to and prohibited by Article 27 (4, of the constitution,” added Ikinu.

She added “we recognize that Alshabaab is a terrorist organization that has been linked to the deaths of many Kenyans, however, associating every Kenyan muslim  and in particular the female journalist with an illegal;l group is unacceptable,”.

Pressure continued to mount after other organizations like FIDA-Kenya stated should Magoha fail to apologise, they will petition relevant institutions to institute disciplinary actions against him.

“Magoha’s utterances resulted in pure discrimination and a violation of human rights contrary to and prohibited by Article 27 (4) of the Constitution.

"We demand that he makes a public apology to the journalist. FIDA-Kenya also demands that CS Magoha takes personal responsibility for his utterances and resign from public office failure to which FIDA-Kenya will petition relevant institutions to institute disciplinary actions against the CS

On Wednesday the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) asked the National Cohesion and Integration Council (NCIC) to sermon the CS over his remarks

 On Thursday Kenya Women Muslim Alliance director Farida Rashid said the minister remarks also were condemned by saying Magoha is a disgrace to Kenyan leadership for the disrespect.

“Magoha remarks should be treated as incitement, because the country was calm until a whole minister resurfaces with Alshabaab remarks profiling a journalist, he should apologize to Kenyan muslim leaders,” said Farida.

Speaking in Mombasa Farida said women Muslims will take to the streets to demonstrate demanding him to resign. They want President Uhuru Kenyatta to crack the whip on the minister for his disrespect to women.

“We will go to the streets to demonstrate that our religion is very important, if the president does not fire Magoha,we will force him out of office,” said Farida, who led women leaders in a media briefing.

Mvita Mp Abdulswamand Nassir also weighed in on the matter saying rights of muslims should be respected because it is within the law to enjoy rights and freedoms in Kenya in accordance with the constitution.

“I am very disappointed with the Cs George Magoha, for his remarks, that is out rightly wrong, you cannot do that,I represent all religions, such kind of remarks can spark religious animosity,” said Nassir.

Super star Kenyan artist based in the US King Kanja has released “Because of You” - new single and video. The soulful Afrobeat smash was produced by Houston-based Kenyan producer Giggz who recorded Tems’ verse for “Essence” collaboration with Wizkid.

Kanja says, “The new single is inspired by the feeling of being in love and wanting to do whatever it takes to show your partner how meaningfully they impact your life journey. “

Its video shot in Miami and at the Belaire HQ in NYC was directed by Kanja’s long-term collaborator Yahu Edits, a Kenyan music director who is based in the US. Kanja says, “The visuals are lush and I am just having a good time with my lady.”

“Because Of You” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RCaqg-h6Jo

In King Kanja’s own words, “I recorded this song in Houston, Texas with Giggz who I actually met in Los Angeles at Christian Longomba’s funeral. One day, I decided to pass by Giggz studio just to meet him and catch his vibe while on my way to a club appearance."

Adding "The song was created on a whim delaying the club appearance to work on this song and the lyrics just flowed through me. I wrote everything except the second verse that my cousin, Big J in London wrote. I'm the only vocalist on the song.”

“Because of you” is one of the lead singles off King Kanja’s upcoming fifth studio project titled ‘KanJah’ currently in its final stages of production. He credits Bobby V, his close music associate for enlightening him on the power of having other songwriters involved in your creative process. He has teamed up with his cousin Big J to co-write all his upcoming new hits. Their chemistry and creativity is unmatched.

Kanja says, “As teamwork, working with like-minded people makes the dream work.” 

Kanja sums it up: “ There are many records on the KanJAH album, whose title shows the God in me and also as a creative. My producer / engineer, Gilly aka Real Mckoy gave my name a twist while we worked together on the VIBRATIONS Reggae album. It stuck on me and I knew then it would be the name of my next album.”

King Kanja is multi-talented and one of Kenya’s most popular artists living in the US. Earlier this year he met with Mr. Brett Berish–the president and CEO of Sovereign Brands. He is constantly making major moves and performing around the globe, with most recently shutting down a sold out show in Lusaka, Zambia alongside Bobby V and Rotimi.

His discography has consistently grown over the past years, having released two successful EPs: VIBES (2017), MUCHOKI (2019), albums: VIBE LORD (2020) and VIBRATIONS (2020). 

By Imraan Kharwa, Data protection officer at Infobip

For years the privacy sword of Damocles hung precariously over South African businesses, threatening severe consequences and penalties for non-compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (“POPIA”).

Now, nearly a year since it activated in July 2021, organisations are settling into the reality of conducting business in alignment with its regulations and data protection best practices. While many organisations have placed compliance at the core of operations, there has sadly been a surge in data breaches impacting South African businesses in the same period, creating a climate that is ripe for POPIA enforcement.

The first anniversary of POPIA

POPIA governs the processing of personal information of individuals and juristic entities (“Data Subjects”) by organisations (“Responsible Parties”) in South Africa. regulates the processing of personal information of individuals by organisations from collection, aggregation and usage all the way through to retention and destruction.

Encouragingly, the Information Regulator, empowered to monitor and enforce compliance with the provisions of POPIA, has been active in engaging with organisations that have experienced data breaches over the past 12 to 18 months.

The added scrutiny means organisations must be far more cognisant of how they process personal information, ensuring that  their security controls are adequate and effective.

Gateway to international arena

While compliance has historically been viewed as an administrative burden, many organisations now realise that privacy enablement is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a valuable necessity of being able to do business. In tandem, technology companies are ensuring privacy forms a key part of their offerings.

The role of the Information Officer

The mandatory appointment of an Information Officer in all organisations remains one of the more contentious aspects of POPIA. Without clear guidance on where this role needs to be positioned, organisations have adopted differing approaches. In practical terms, this is often driven by the size of the organisation, the resources at its disposal and the level maturity of its data protection programme.

Whereas smaller organisations are likely to appoint a multitasker, where the role of Information Officer will be added to the existing headcount in the business, larger arge organisations are more likely to hire a full-time candidate who will be dedicated to the role and oversee a discrete data protection function.

A seat in the boardroom

As more organisations begin to recognise the impact of data protection, both fiscally and reputationally, –privacy has become a business imperative requiring executive input. This often becomes the preserve of Chief Information Officers, but there is an increased focus on appointing experienced Chief Privacy Officers with specialised skills in ensuring POPIA protocols are followed.

Attention to third parties

One of the biggest challenges for local organisations is the lack of attention to privacy risks associated with third parties. As operators in the POPIA relationship, they must also play their part in preventing security compromises.

It is therefore imperative to consider the reputation of the third party, the maturity of their privacy programme and whether they employ suitably qualified and certified privacy and security personnel to oversee their operations.

A final, overarching component of the compliance journey is ensuring that awareness of data protection obligations and privacy rights permeate all levels of the organisation through regular privacy training. Privacy training must be regularly conducted, departmental based and appropriate to the organisation.

The adage “privacy is everyone’s responsibility” holds true, which is why organisations must improve accessibility to data privacy practices and ensure all employees are cognisant of the privacy regimes within their organisation. Data protection must become part of the living culture of all organisations.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA)  has suspended all operations of bus company Modern Coast.

This comes a day after an accident involving one of its buses killed 33 passengers, and injured scores at Nithi bridge. 

In a statement, NTSA Director General George Njao said that the suspension will apply to 31 buses belonging to the company operating several routes with the country.

"A thorough multi-agency investigation into the crash and an evaluation of the operator's safety operational standards is currently underway," reads part of the statement.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the Sunday accident hit 33 on Monday morning after more passengers who had sustained injuries succumbed while undergoing treatment. 

Nyali ODM parliamentary seat candidate Said Abdallah Saido has vowed to address the issue of youth unemployment in the area if elected in the August polls.

According to Abdallah, youth unemployment is among the major challenges facing the constituency thus the need to urgently address the issue.

Addressing a group of youths from all the wards in the constituency at the Uwanja wa Mbuzi grounds, Abdallah said he will  he will create projects that aim at increasing the economic productivity of youths within Nyali constituency to improve their livelihoods through sustainable income generating activities.

"Youthful population accounts for 71% of Nyali Constituency and it is very sad to see them suffering for lack of jobs. We are ready to explore the potential in youths through empowerment and mentorship programmes" said Abdallah.

Abdallah also urged the youths to avoid being misused by politicians during this election period.

Abdallah charged "I know they are now coming to you with alot of promises and money, please do not let them incite you against others or other aspirants. Be on the look out and avoid any incidents that are likely to interfere with our peace"

Meanwhile, Abdallah's bid got a major boost after one of the aspirants of the Nyali seat Joshua Ndere shelved his ambition to support him. 

Ndere was previously vying as an independent candidate

Fast- rising Ugandan singer Azawi last month announced her maiden concert to her fans. Through her socials, she promised an action-packed show.

"MY MAIDEN CONCERT. 22 JULY. LUGOGO. 3 Years of work packed in one evening of magic. Vibes only, No bad energy.. party mood only," she tweeted.

The announcement immediately got the attention of her fans that in a matter of minutes it was already trending on social media.

It is still this same speed at which tickets to the concert sold. In just a week, early-bird tickets to the show had already sold out!

By 8pm Friday night, the host venue, Zoe Grounds was already full to the brim.

Dressed in white pants that went slightly below her knees and a matching coat and top, the long awaited musician, Azawi real name Priscilla Zawedde finally hit the state at 10pm. She kicked off her performance with her hit, "My Year", sending thousands of revellers into a frenzy mood. This was followed with more bangers; Crazy Love, Ache For You and Gimme.

This was followed by more hit songs; Slow Dancing, Lo Fit, Fwa Fwa, Party Mood and Majje all of which revellers sang word for word. 

She used the show to pay homage to her management by performing one of their hits, "I know", where she was joined by both Vamposs and Benon.

She was also joined by Weasel and Viboyo to pay homage to the late Mowzey Radio by performing "Nyumbani".

She capped up a rather beautiful show by thanking her fans for turning up. "Thank you all for coming out. Thank you for your support. You guys have definitely made this my year!"

True to her promised when announcing the concert, Azawi indeed delivered one of the best shows by a Ugandan musician.

She has since been lauded by many music critics and experts for not only being immensely talented and well behaved and decent.

"Azawi had all her clothes on and the music did all the talking. Let's just say she planned to showcase just the music to her adoring fans. Those who had hoped to see other things sorry this is Azawi not...You can sellout in Uganda with your clothes on. Proof of concept," a fan commented.

"Azawi’s concert should serve as a lesson to these upcoming artistes that you get genuine love and support from people if you make good music, stay humble and avoid drama!!" another fan remarked.

Azawi had earlier remarked the concert would not have been possible if it were not her managers' trust in her. She last week confessed on Tv that she was pretty scared of holding a concert having been in the industry for less than three years but was encouraged by her management. 

“I was scared but what motivated me is that I had so many people that show faith in me saying we can do it. So we went with faith and released the posters on social media, and at that point it was irreversible,” she said.

This was not the first time her management showed their trust in her. Three years ago, we hardly knew who Azawi was. At the time, she was merely a songwriter, a talent she had been nurturing since 2005 when she joined Kika dance troupe as a child. As a song writer, she had written songs for some artists like; Lydia Jazmine, Nina Rose, Eddy Kenzo and many more.

When she set out to sell songs to Swangz Ave in 2019, that turned out to be her turning point. The record label not only bought her songs but also signed her.

Swangz Ave unveiled her as their artist in November 2019.

This year, she released her debut five-track EP titled LO FIT

For the past 12 years, we've watched rapper K ing kaka tell stories in each and every one of his songs! And now we're about to watch his brilliant entrance into the film industry as writer, director and producer.

The pucnhline maestro is today (Friday) expected to release his debut film dubbed ‘Kamtupe’. The red carpet event is expected to go down at the Anga Diamond Cinema.

Kamtupe is a thrilling story about a government official trying to locate his relative in the wrong neighbourhood one night.  Anything he could have imagined goes wrong, but what happens after that is what will determine the fate of millions of people.

Voiced by media personality  Jeff Koinange,  the film stars Jimi Gathu, Stanley Obienji, Kelvin Musili, Femi One, Joyce Maina, Femi One & many more.

The film is fused with music that features King Kaka, Otile Brown, Femi One, Kanambo Dede, Ndume, Mbithi & Jadi.

Watch the trailer below..