This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
Top Stories ¶
The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report and President Uhuru Kenyatta's signing of the finance bill that scrapped the 20% excise tax on betting stakes dominated newspaper headlines on July 1, 2021.
Published on July 1, 2021, the BBI report is expected to take Kenya to a referendum, leading to widespread coverage in the media.
President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the finance bill into law, effectively scrapping the 20% excise tax on betting stakes. This move is expected to pave the way for the return of sports betting giants such as SportPesa and Betin, which exited the Kenyan market in 2019 due to the tax.
Key Players in the BBI Report ¶
At the National Assembly, key players in the BBI report include majority leader Amos Kimunya, minority leader John Mbadi, majority whip Emmanuel Wangwe, minority whip Junet Mohammed, deputy majority whip Maoka Maore, and deputy minority whip Eseli Simiyu.
At the Senate, key players include majority leader Samuel Phogisio, minority leader James Orengo, majority whip Irungu Kang'ata, minority whip Mutula Kilonzo, deputy minority leader Cleophas Malala, and Beatrice Kwamboka, the Senate deputy minority whip.
Other key players include National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and his deputy Moses Cheboi, Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka, and his deputy Margaret Kamar.
Leaders Back BBI Proposal ¶
Leaders allied to Deputy President William Ruto have made an about-turn and thrown their weight behind the BBI proposal, which includes an expanded Executive.
Led by Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, the leaders said an expanded Executive will bolster the DP's 2022 presidential bid.
Barasa stated, 'He is likely to benefit from an expanded Executive because he will be in a position to reach out to more leaders to build a coalition together and share responsibilities bolstering his state house bid. We are waiting to see the recommendations in the report.'
He added, 'If they are good for Kenyans, it does not matter how they will be passed as long as it is within the confines of our law, but in case they are for certain individuals, we will have a meeting to scuttle them.'
Chief Justice Maraga Denies Fathering Child ¶
Chief Justice David Maraga has denied claims by a woman that he fathered and abandoned her child.
Maraga's lawyers dismissed the claims as fabricated and aimed at tarnishing the Chief Justice's name.
Lawyer Dastan Omari stated, 'We are not really concerned with the small girl making noise. Our greatest concern here is who has sponsored such kind of allegations.'
He added, 'Maraga is an elder of the SDA church and he is not a simple man. If this is aimed at assassinating his character, we will be calling the DPP to get to the root cause of this fraud.'
Wundanyi MP Calls for Birth Control Methods on Monkeys ¶
Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako has called on Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) to start using birth control methods on monkeys in his constituency.
Mwashako stated that the animals were reproducing in epic proportions and descending on farms, occasioning massive destruction to farmers.
Mike Sonko's Offices Raided by Detectives ¶
Detectives from the anti-graft agency EACC raided Nairobi governor Mike Sonko's Upper Hill offices to conduct a search.
The officers said they were on a mission to establish the actual size of the land that the office sits on.
According to the officers, the KSh 500 million property was illegally acquired from Kenya Railways pensioners.
