Sabastian Sawe admitted surprise at breaking the marathon world record in London.

Serial criminal Ben Gethi It is an open secret that Ben Gethi is a dangerous career criminal.

After gaining fame for masterminding the NYS scandal, he continues with his criminal activities.

Early this year, he was found guilty and jailed in a fake IEBC scandal.

Luckily for him, however, he managed to pay the fine.

There was a lady, among his accomplices who he was jailed with, by the name Joyce Makena.

Gethi claimed she was his sister, but the truth is she is one of his girlfriends.

He committed perjury by lying about such sensitive information in court.

He further impregnated one of his slay queens by the name of Muthoni, who gave birth to their child at AAR Hospital when he was in jail this year.

His love child was sired while he was in jail, whereas he has a wife and two kids with a lady who is a doctor at KNH and his wife is the daughter of the Kenyan Ambassador to Zimbabwe.

His wife does not know about this child.

Lately, Ben Gethi together with an accomplice known as Benson Njeru Muriria—the Embu KANU Chairman—have been conning innocent Kenyans that they can secure lucrative Government tenders, appointments and employment in the military and other disciplined forces.

They have conned many unsuspecting Kenyans and used that money to live lavishly.

During the past administration, Benson Njeru Muriria claimed to be the Personal Assistant to Mama Ngina Kenyatta and used that name to con many Kenyans and foreigners out of their hard-earned money.

He also owns a pair of handcuffs which he carries around in his car to intimidate and con people.

The handcuffs are illegal because he is certainly not a police officer.

Members of the public are advised not to fall prey to their con games.

As a lawyer, Adil Khawaja has dealt with quite some complicated legal issues and advising clients and governments. Lawyer Adil Khawaja did submit a report and advised members of a task force to inquire into forest resource management and logging activities in Kenya. Lawyer Adil Khawaja (courtesy image) As a result, the report has facilitated the investigation of key officials for corruption charges, legal framework discussed in assistance to the ministry of environment and forestry in the implementation plan to change it into Forest resource management and logging activities in Kenya. He has served also the National environment council as a director and as a trustee to friends of care and conservation for wild Kenya and Kenya wildlife service.

His Wikipedia descriptions made him the managing partner in Denton’s Hamilton Harrison &Mathews. He has over 20yrs of experience and in-depth knowledge in real estate, joint ventures and private equity, commercial litigation and arbitration by a blog that profiles best advisers worldwide. In 1993 he attained his LLB Hons which he enrolled in 1990. He did his diploma in Laws(Bar finals) from Kenya school of law in 1994. He was then promoted to an ASSOCIATE at Hamiltons Harrison and Mathews law firm in 1995 for half a decade.

In 2001 he was made the PARTNER by the CEO of Hamiltons Harrison and Mathews law firm till 2013. He was the designated law society of Kenya Elections scrutineers between 2017-2010 and he was seconded by the law society of Kenya to the committee of judiciary responsible for the renovation of new courts at milimani. He has a masters degree in law from the University of Nairobi ranked 7among the top 10 universities in Africa in 2020 by African Exponent.

After 2013 Adil Khawaja was a leading lawyer by IFLR 1000, legal 500 and chambers global; internationally recognized legal directories. On their blog Hamilton Harrison and Mathews (HH&M)is one of the largest law firms in Kenya, having 12patners. Global chairman of Denton’s Joe Andrew said that clients will benefit from high-quality legal service that only Dentons can offer, they will also have access to deep local knowledge provided by lawyers from communities they serve.

For 10yrs HH&M has associated with Denton’s and is the largest firm in Kenya by partner headcount. He runs a foundation actively involved in community involvement and Pro Bono. Appointed board of trustees Kenya wildlife service. Chairman of human capital and finance committee 2011-2014.

Honorary warden Kenya wildlife service, 2004-2013. Board of trustees friends of conservation .a non-profit wildlife conservation organization 2006-2011. Law Society of Kenya committee 2007-2011 Law Society of Kenya Elections scrutineer 2007-2010. Member of National environment council under Environment management and coordination act 2005-2009.

Adil Rhino Charge. Adil khawaja at rhino charge awards.In 2018 Adil was invited to be a new @RhinoArk Director and he accepted. Cash sponsorship was won by car 44(Adil khawaja,Jameel sheikh,Massimiliano,Brigetti,Nelson Lekamisi) raising KES16,217,000. In 2019, The victor Ludorum award was won by Adil kKhawaja’steam AK-44 of car 44. The team raised KES17,000,003 making it the second-highest fundraising team.

[ad_1] By AGNES MAKHANDIA More by this Author Four African Women’s Cup of Nations titles, four African Games gold medals and the historic FIVB Grand Prix Group 3 victory plus other countless achievements are enough to make any federation chief content with his or her accomplishments. But if you thought winning alone is enough to quench the thirst of all human beings, then you have not met him yet. “It’s something that bothers me and will bother me for the rest of my life. It goes without saying that we have good players across the nation but it’s sad that they haven’t gotten the goodwill from sponsors. But I hope someday it will pick up,” Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni tells me with an animated gesture as we settle down for the interview at his office in Muthaiga, Nairobi. Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni gestures during an interview with Nation Sport at his office in Nairobi on January 10, 2020. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP It’s the failure to lift men’s volleyball team – both beach and indoor volleyball – to the great heights their women’s counterparts have hit that is haunting the veteran administrator. Way back in the 19th century, when civilisation was still taking shape in the western world, an American philosopher Henry David Thoreau said: “Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.” Thoreau probably didn’t know that his words would be relevant in the 21st century and probably for the rest of the years which the human race will exist. Advertisement Very few people in volleyball are held in high regard as Kioni, who also doubles up as the CAVB vice president and holds the same position at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Noc-K). For a man who has been around and part of the administration of the sport for over three decades, where he has witnessed and overseen supreme highs and lows, it is hard to believe he is still full of unassuming vigour. “I have two years to the completion of my second term. But when that time comes, I will leave office with my head held high,” the 68-year-old says. Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni poses for photos with a trophy and a ball during an interview with Nation Sport at his office in Nairobi on January 10, 2020. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP Kioni is all smiles, and rightfully so. The dust is yet to settle since the national women’s volleyball team, the Malkia Strikers, sealed the sole ticket reserved for Africa at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Kenya emerged top in the qualifiers played in a round robin format, beating Egypt, Botswana, hosts and arch-rivals Cameroon and Nigeria to the ticket. Kenya women's national volleyball team skipper Mercy Moim is welcomed by traditional dancers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on January 10, 2020 upon the team's arrival from Cameroon where the team qualified for the Olympics. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP For Kioni, ending a 16-year wait for a return to the Summer Games is a big gift to him as he prepares for his swansong from office. But there is more. The veteran administrator is Team Kenya’s Chef De Mission to the 2020 Tokyo Games, and his wish was to lead the country’s delegation to Japan with his team in tow. He has been around as the African Queens made it to the Olympics in 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens) and now Tokyo, but his insatiable quest for more glory remains unquestionable. “Malkia Strikers winning the Grand Prix put Kenya on another level and since then people have associated Kenya not only with athletics and rugby but volleyball as well,” he says as he reflects on his time in office. While the women’s team has over the years wined and dined with the minnow and mighty in equal measure across the World, the men’s team has been underwhelming. Last August, as the women’s volleyball team celebrated retaining the African Games gold in Morocco and their beach volleyball side took silver, the men’s teams were yet again missing from the event. Not that the men’s team has not had its share of opportunities, but Kioni blames their lack of success to poor facilitation. The team featured in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball World Championships qualifiers in Rwanda but faltered. And it’s a regret that has been weighing the KVF chief down for years. Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni deep in thought during an interview with Nation Sport at his office in Nairobi on January 10, 2020. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP Interestingly, Kioni didn’t even play volleyball in his formative years. He was a footballer and that’s how he got into the sports world. But that’s just one of the many hats the father of four wears. A few years after graduating from the University of Nairobi where he studied Public Administration, Kioni joined the Standard Group in 1978/79 but quit for the Kenya Pipeline Company in 1980 where he served in the public relations office. He then featured for the Kenya Pipeline football team in 1986 in the National League before the team was dissolved years later with the now retired national team player-turned-politician McDonald Mariga having featured for the side at some point. How did he find himself in volleyball? “I was invited to Nyeri by a friend sometimes in 1984 to go for a volleyball tournament there,” he recalls with a light chuckle, eyes firmly on some of the trophies on the shelves. “It was never the same again after that. You know, they are very passionate about the game. If you stage a football and a volleyball match not far away from each other, the football one will get very few people while the volleyball field will be packed.” “I fell in love with the scenes and during our next executive meeting at the company, I suggested to the Kenya Pipeline Managing Director MD, William Mbote, that we start a team. Luckily, he agreed and that’s how the Kenya Pipeline women’s volleyball team was born,” said Kioni. Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni on phone during an interview with Nation Sport at his office in Nairobi on January 10, 2020. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP While the team didn’t perform well in the early stages, they slowly found their way to the top. Now a powerhouse, Pipeline have won seven African Club Championships with victories in 1995 (Kenya), 1996 (Nigeria), 1999 (Tunisia), 2001 (Algeria), 2002 (Senegal), 2004 (Senegal), 2005 (Algeria) and a dozen runners-up positions including the 2019 event that was held in Egypt where the oilers emerged third. With the steady rise of the Kenya Pipeline club that had churned out the then most sought after players in the country including the late Doris Wefwafwa, Lucy “Fataki” Kamweru, Wanja Kanyi, Esther Enane among others, Kioni vied for the Kenya Volleyball Association (KVA) Nairobi branch vice chairmanship in 1990 and was elected. Four years later, he would ascent to the chairmanship at the branch level. Kioni scouted Enane, 19, who was then playing for Kenya Posta and studying at the Kenyatta University alongside Kanyi who was studying at the University of Nairobi before he influenced the duo’s move to the Oilers. “Kioni is my mentor. I wouldn’t be where I’m today if it was not for him. He is a go getter, focused and passionately decisive. He is also a strict disciplinarian. I’m not surprised where the sport is currently because under his watch volleyball has grown in leaps and bounds,” said Enane, a former left attacker who is now in the management at Kenya Pipeline Company. “I hope that whoever will take over from Kioni will be up to the task. He/she might not fit perfectly in Kioni’s shoes but at least something close to that.” An avid reader who enjoys swimming, Kioni threw his hat in the ring for the KVA national chairmanship in 1998 he was elected before the federation changed its name to Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) in 2000. But it was after the 2000 Sydney Olympics that Kioni threw in the towel and never completed his term before he again recaptured the seat in 2006 where he has been at the helm to date. He remembers the events that led to his resignation in 2000: “As a federation we had a partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) where they had given us coach Sadatoshi Sugawara. He was to be the head coach of the women’s team. But it was unfortunate that while sending names of the team to Sydney, the then secretary Jacob Owiti assigned Gilbert Ohanya as the head coach rather than Sugawara. That didn’t go down well with the Japanese embassy and I had no choice but resign because they felt disrespected.” Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni explains a point during an interview with Nation Sport at his office in Nairobi on January 10, 2020. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP Kioni has been a vice president at CAVB for eight years now, but little has been done for the growth of the sport in all African countries. His response? "It is true there is nothing much to write home about as far as countries benefiting from the CAVB is concerned and it’s sad,” he says. The body gives 20 balls (indoor), 20 (outdoor) and 10 (beach balls) and nets to the respective federations. But Kioni believes the balls should be awarded according to performance of the nations in each category of the sport. “Countries that perform well in beach volleyball should be awarded 50 beach balls, while nations that perform well in the indoor should get the same number of the balls but not to split them in the name of giving out balls.” Now the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Noc-K) deputy president, Kioni remains optimistic that the country’s talent tap will not run dry. “It’s unfortunate we don’t have the required infrastructure with only Kasarani’s indoor arena the only standardised facility.” “Thanks to the Kenya Secondary School Games, talents keep on emerging for instance Sharon Chepchumba - who has become a joy to watch having cleared at Kwanthanze in 2017. With proper support from the government we can have youth development centres across the nation where the clubs can tap the talent.” Malkia Strikers opposite attacker Sharon Chepchumba in action during their Olympics qualifier against Nigeria at Palais polyvalent des sports (Paposy) Arena on January 9, 2020. PHOTO | SAMUEL GACHARIRA | NATION MEDIA GROUP On his preferred successor once he exits office? “Democracy should take its course but it’s too early to start talking about the elections.” For Kioni now, the remaining time in office presents an opportunity to right the wrongs as he heads into retirement where he hopes he can finally take some time off the busy schedule to concentrate on managing two of his sons who are rally drivers. Maybe American college basketball coach Abe Lemons was right after all: “The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.” Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni gestures during an interview with Nation Sport at his office in Nairobi on January 10, 2020. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP window.fbAsyncInit=function(){FB.init({appId:'174023979648743',xfbml:!0,version:'v2.5'})};(function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id)){return}js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs)}(document,'script','facebook-jssdk')); [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] By MACHARIA GAITHO More by this Author It is a time-honoured tactic for dictators everywhere facing internal challenges to divert attention by launching external crusades. Such considerations, probably, were key to the United States killing of Gen Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force. US President Donald Trump might have conveniently shifted attention from his impeachment woes to the threat of a major war. The US has been at odds with Iran for quite a while, but the targeting of such a key Iranian military leader represents a dramatic escalation in what has essentially been a low-level conflict. One sure thing is that Iran will retaliate. It can do so by either directly attacking American soldiers and military installations in the Middle East theatre and beyond, or using its various proxy forces around the world to hit whatever US targets are available. This is an escalation that will affect not just the US but also its allies, which Tehran or Islamist terrorist groups would designate as fair targets. Advertisement In that regard, the weekend attack by Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorists on a Kenyan military base, also used by US forces, would qualify as an early piece of retaliation, even if not directly sponsored by Iran. There is no doubt that Iran presents a major threat to peace in the Middle East. Its nuclear weapons capability presents a clear and present danger to American ally Israel and other US client-states in the region, like Saudi Arabia. Iran has been stirring up trouble in Syria, Iraq and Yemen and further afield in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The US, on its part, has been actively countering violent Islamist extremist groups, which has brought it in direct conflict with Iran and its proxies. It is one thing, however, to target and kill an individual terrorist commander and quite another to deliberately take out a senior leader of a sovereign country. In that regard, the killing of Soleimani amounts to a declaration of war. Worse, it reduces the US to the ranks of rogue states. Under the pretext of defending the concept of global peace and security, the US has crossed the line and is making the world a more dangerous place. He may, indeed, have been a bad guy serving a regime implicated in many atrocities around the world, including terrorist attacks in Kenya. However, it is difficult to see what killing Soleimani at this stage achieves other than feed the oversized ego of an American president who clearly suffers an obsessive need to prove his manhood. The end result will not be just worsening tensions between two countries, but anger and outrage against the US across the Muslim world. While talk of a full-scale US-Iran war or a World War III may be far-fetched, the hard reality is that Washington has, by its actions, incited a likely upsurge of terrorist attacks around the world. One can be sure that US allies in the Arab world will be under great pressure to sever relations with the superpower. It is instructive that some of the sparks for the escalation of the US-Iran feud were ignited in Iraq, an American client that a government in Baghdad imposed after Saddam Hassan was deposed following the US invasion in 2003. There are now demands for the ejection of American troops from the country. Just this week, the US soccer team cancelled a training trip to Qatar, a moderate and stable pro-Western Gulf country, in the uncertainties of the Soleimani assassination. Qatar is the host of the 2022 Fifa World Cup! But while the Soleimani killing shows that President Trump is just the US equivalent of crazy despots elsewhere, it also illustrates the continuation of confused Middle East policies that have mostly done more harm than good. The toppling of Saddam in 2003 and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya in 2011 served to only remove secular strongmen who held their countries together and kept Islamist militants at bay. The vacuums were filled by extremist outfits such as ISIS and al Qaeda. More recently, in Syria, the US has been supporting rebels against President Bashar al-Assad while also fighting the ISIS extremists who are also trying to overthrow the secular regime. The flare-up has already excited some of the loony Christian right-wingers, who foolishly see an opportunity for ‘regime change’ in Iran. I really don’t care much for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other extremist mullahs who run Iran, but everybody should be concerned about what would fill the void in case of his forced removal. It’s apparent that the American evangelical extremists, who coalesce around President Trump, are no better than their Iranian counterparts. window.fbAsyncInit=function(){FB.init({appId:'174023979648743',xfbml:!0,version:'v2.5'})};(function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id)){return}js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs)}(document,'script','facebook-jssdk'));

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[ad_1] Google will no longer allow political campaigns to target advertising at people based on their supposed political leanings. Campaigns will also be unable to match their own database of prospective voters against Google's user base, to target individuals across platforms such as YouTube and Google search.

The policy will begin in the UK "within a week", with other regions later.

Campaigns will still be able to target based on age, gender and location.

Google added it would also take action on obviously misleading statements in ads, putting it at odds with Facebook.

Mark Zuckerberg said his social network would not fact-check advertising from political candidates or campaigns.

Twitter, meanwhile, said it would disallow political advertising altogether .

Google’s new policy puts it somewhere roughly in the middle, suggesting a hands-off approach, with only the the most obvious misinformation being acted upon.

“We recognize that robust political dialogue is an important part of democracy, and no one can sensibly adjudicate every political claim, counterclaim, and insinuation,” said Scott Spencer, Google’s head of product management for Google Ads, in a blog post published on Wednesday .

"So we expect that the number of political ads on which we take action will be very limited - but we will continue to do so for clear violations.” The databases explained Based on a user’s browsing habits - such as what news websites they frequent - Google makes an assumption about whether that user has left- or right-leaning political views.

In the US - but not in other countries, including the UK - political campaigns have the option to target people based on their political leaning.

It was however possible for campaigns in other countries to upload their own lists of contact details - a database of party members, for example - to Google, which would then match it with users on its service so ads could reach those people directly.

This will no longer be allowed.

"It will take some time to implement these changes,” Mr Spencer explained.

“We will begin enforcing the new approach in the UK within a week (ahead of the general election), in the EU by the end of the year, and in the rest of the world starting on 6 January, 2020."

Campaigns, like any other advertiser, can still place ads against specific types of content - such as videos about football or articles on the economy - Google said.

Any action taken against advertising deemed to be against its polices will be logged on Google’s Transparency Report section .

Details about deleted ads will appear on the page, but not the advertisement itself. Google said this data would remain downloadable so it could be independently analysed.

Political advertising makes up a relatively small amount of Google’s total advertising revenues, which totalled $116bn in 2018.

Since March 2019, for example, Google’s figures suggest just £171,250 has been spent on political advertising ads within the UK.

In the US, campaigns have spent $128m on Google ads since the firm started publishing data on the region in May 2018.

The biggest spender, the “Trump Make America Great Again Committee”, has spent $8.5m on Google since that date.

_____ Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC Do you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370 [ad_2] Source link

Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are all experiencing issues this afternoon (in Kenya - East Africa) for users worldwide. Facebook and Instagram are both inaccessible, with news feeds refusing to refresh and the main Facebook.com domain unavailable.

WhatsApp messages aren’t being sent or received, and users of Facebook’s main services have headed to Twitter to share that they’re having issues. The outages appear to have started at around 12:30PM East African Time, this afternoon, and come just a month after Facebook experienced its worst outage ever. Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram were all inaccessible for hours last month, and it wasn’t until over 24 hours later that Facebook finally gave the all clear. Facebook blamed a “server configuration change,” and apologized for the outages.

have you experienced the outage? because i have. Share in the comments sections.

Just 40 minutes from Kathmandu lies the most dangerous airport on the planet.

As well as being the riskiest airport in Nepal, Lukla is also the country’s busiest airport; serving as the key port of entry and exit for climbers hoping to ascend Mt. Everest.

Flying into Nepal’s Lukla airport — the gateway to Mount Everest — demands courage and precision, thanks to its tiny, treacherous runway perched on a steep cliff.

For over half a century, pilots have needed to navigate snow-capped peaks and endure erratic weather to land on a runway just 500 metres long that has been carved into a mountain ridge and sits by a perilous three-kilometre drop. Short runways are a danger because a pilot has limited space both to get the plane off the ground and to land it safely.

The room for error decreases immensely as the runway gets shorter and, to make matters worse, Lukla sits at 9,500 feet above sea level.

The higher the altitude, the lower the air density, meaning the planes need to land at faster speeds

Beyond the perils of the runway and elevation, Lukla airport is precarious due to the harsh landscape that surrounds it. At the landing end of the runway lies a stone wall and a steep mountain.

If the plane doesn’t stop soon enough, the terrain will stop it. As for the take-off, that side of the runway terminates at the edge of a steep cliff, so if you don’t make it into the air you’ll fall down a mountainside instead.

All this makes aborting a take-off or landing basically impossible, leaving pilots a very minimal margin for error. A litany of deadly crashes, including one in October 2008 that killed all 18 on board except the pilot, has earned Lukla the nickname of the “world’s most dangerous airport”.

Thousands showed up to Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles Thursday to honor rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was gunned down in front of the clothing store he owned in the South Los Angeles community he was dedicated to revitalizing.

Rapper Snoop Dogg and singer Stevie Wonder were among those who took the stage at the “Celebration of Life” ceremony, which was delayed by about an hour due to long lines of people trying to get into the arena.

The event began with tracks being played from Hussle’s album “Victory Lap” and featured several celebrity speakers.

Toward the end of his ten-minute speech, Snoop shared a story about Nipsey’s business mind and creative vision.

Nipsey had repeatedly told Snoop Dogg to build an amusement park based on his likeness, and eventually, Snoop responded by asking Nipsey to just do it for him since he didn’t know how to do it.

Watch the full speech below.

Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos will retain voting control of his entire $143 billion stake in the company under a divorce settlement with his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, who will own 25 percent of those shares, the couple said on Thursday, clearing uncertainty over control of the online retailer.

The world's richest couple had announced their impending divorce in a joint Twitter statement in January, causing some to worry that Jeff Bezos could wind up with less Amazon voting power or that he or MacKenzie would liquidate large positions. “It takes the issue off the table, with less turbulence than you might have expected,” said an investor, whose company owns several million dollars worth of Amazon shares but who asked for anonymity because of a firm policy.

MacKenzie Bezos will wind up with a stake in Amazon that is worth roughly $36 billion. Her shares represent a 4 percent stake in Amazon, according to a regulatory filing by the company.

The Amazon shares will make her the world's fourth-richest woman while Jeff Bezos will remain the world's richest person, according to Forbes.

The Bezos tweeted separately on Thursday that under their settlement MacKenzie will give up her interests in the Washington Post, which Jeff Bezos bought in 2013 and which has been a frequent target of criticism from US President Donald Trump, and the rocket company Blue Origin he founded in 2000. “Grateful to have finished the process of dissolving my marriage with Jeff,” MacKenzie Bezos said in her tweet outlining the divorce settlement, the first and only post from an account created this month.

https://twitter.com/mackenziebezos/status/1113851260040503296?s=19

The two did not provide any further financial details about the settlement.

https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/1113851402965487616?s=19

Amazon, the world's biggest online retailer, said in the filing that 4 percent of its outstanding shares would be registered in MacKenzie Bezos' name after court approval of the divorce, which is expected to occur in about 90 days.

Jeff Bezos, whom Amazon listed in its most recent proxy statement as its single largest shareholder with a 16.3 percent stake, will keep sole voting authority over the shares unless MacKenzie donates them to a nonprofit or sells them in the open market.

A few years ago, Sundar Pichai told me he first interviewed for a job at Google on April 1, 2004, the same day Gmail launched. Pichai, who'd eventually rise to become CEO of the search giant, said he thought at the time that the email service was an April Fools' joke. Fifteen years later, it's abundantly clear Gmail is no joke. The web-based system has 1.5 billion users a month . By comparison, Yahoo Mail has 228 million users a month. Little by little, Gmail displaced incumbents like AOL Mail and Hotmail. It's still a free product for consumers, but now it's also the backbone of a paid suite of enterprise products, including presentation and word processing software. Google celebrated the birthday quietly by announcing a few new Gmail features on Monday. One new tool lets you write an email as you normally would, but schedule it to be sent later. The company is also bringing its Smart Compose feature, which uses artificial intelligence to predict what you might write next in an email, to Android phones. (Google said it's coming to iPhones "soon.") The feature will also be available in more languages: Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.

The success of Gmail did more than create a useful and popular product. Gmail forever changed Google's trajectory. It was the first service to demonstrate to the company that Google could dominate something beyond search. Gmail set Google on a course to touch every part of our online lives.

A year after Gmail appeared, the company launched Google Maps . It's now the No. 1 map service on the web. Google also bought Android and YouTube, the biggest mobile operating system and biggest video-sharing site. Google built the Chrome browser, which toppled Microsoft's Internet Explorer when IE was on top of the world. All those Google products have more than a billion users each. Android alone powers almost nine out of every 10 smartphones shipped globally .

"Gmail was a service that showed a different side of Google," said Bob O'Donnell, president of Technalysis Research. "If it had failed, who knows if they would have been as willing to try all those other things?"

When it started, Gmail was a roll of the dice for Google co-founder Larry Page .

"When we released that, we were a search company," Page told Wired in 2013. "It was a leap for us to put out an email product." How Google looked like in 2014

Gmail played a big part in the company's famous "10X" thinking, the philosophy of aiming for moonshots in innovation rather than incremental improvements. Gmail's big innovation? The service provided 1GB of storage, a hundred times the amount other email services were offering at the time.

That sort of thinking paved the way for the company's most ambitious projects, including self-driving cars , internet-connected contact lenses and smart cities. The mentality also spawned a lab called Google X so the company could pump out those projects. (The name was later shortened to just X after Google restructured under a parent company called Alphabet.)

Of course, as Google became a more complex company, its problems got more complex, too. Google is under intense scrutiny over its size and scale. Lawmakers and the public have called out the company for its failure to curb the spread of disinformation and for its potential to aid censorship in China. Last week, Pichai met with President Donald Trump to talk about the company's work in China, as well as Google's "political fairness" in the US. (Conservatives accuse the company of left-leaning bias.)

Gmail itself has stoked controversy. Last year, the service faced blowback over data privacy when it was reported that some third-party software developers could read through people's emails . Google emphasized that people needed to grant permission to those apps, but consumers may not have really understood what they were getting into.

"Google goes above and beyond to make sure your information is safe, secure and always available to you," Tom Holman, who leads Gmail, said in an interview over -- what else? -- Gmail. "Our commitment to the security of your data is absolute, and we will keep fighting against anyone and everyone who tries to compromise it."

In the meantime, the service is still evolving. In April, Google released a big makeover for the service, with new features like the ability to "snooze" messages so they pop up later, and the ability to open attachments like pictures and PDFs without actually opening the email message. Last week, Google also began rolling out "dynamic" email , which lets you do things like fill out surveys and search for hotels directly in your inbox.

So what about the next 15 years? Holman said one area of focus is integrations with other collaboration products, like Asana and Trello. That's key, said O'Donnell, the Technalysis analyst, as email services compete with other communication software like Slack.

"There were proclamations several years ago that email was going to die," O'Donnell said. "That didn't happen. But there will be an interesting evolution."

Source: CNET

Mexican authorities recaptured world’s most-wanted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman on Friday, six months after his spectacular prison break, President Enrique Pena Nieto said, triumphantly declaring “mission accomplished.” The AFP reported that Mexican marines conducted extensive operations in the northwestern states of Sinaloa and Durango in search of Guzman since the 58-year-old drug lord’s July 11 escape from a high-security prison.

Guzman’s arrest will be a major sigh of relief for the president, whose administration was humiliated by Guzman’s prison break.

“Mission accomplished: We got him. I want to inform Mexicans that Joaquin Guzman Loera has been arrested,” Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter, without elaborating. He was scheduled to address the nation later Friday.

A presidential spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the tweet to AFP but officials declined to say more about the arrest. The government website said the capture occurred Friday.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration, which played a key role in Guzman’s previous arrest in 2014 by providing intelligence, praised Mexican authorities.

“DEA is extremely pleased at the capture of Chapo Guzman. We congratulate the MX Government and salute the bravery involved in his capture,” the DEA wrote on Twitter.

News of his arrest came shortly after the navy reported that five suspects were killed in a clash with marines in the Sinaloa city of Los Mochis, but it did not indicate whether it was related to Guzman.

Six people were detained after the shootout, which broke out when marines were tipped off about the presence of armed men in a home, the navy said in a statement.

A suspected gang leader identified as Orso Ivan Gastelum Cruz was in the house but managed to escape, the navy said, adding that a dozen weapons, including a rocket-grenade launcher, were seized.

On July 11, after 17 months at the Altiplano maximum-security prison in central Mexico, Guzman slipped through a hole in his cell’s shower, climbed on a motorcycle mounted on rails, and traveled 1.5 kilometers (one mile) through a tunnel to freedom.

US and Mexican law enforcement officials say Guzman then flew to his home turf at the Sinaloa-Durango state border, where he is revered as a modern-day Robin Hood.

More than a dozen prison and federal police officials have been arrested on charges of helping Guzman flee, along with several associates of the drug lord who worked from the outside on building the tunnel.

Marines nearly recaptured him in October in a remote mountain region straddling the two states. Authorities said Guzman injured his face and a leg while falling in the rough terrain, but special forces failed to nab him.

Guzman had been captured on February 22, 2014 in the Sinaloa resort of Mazatlan. He was found in a condo with his wife and their young twin daughters.

He had been on the lam for 13 years after escaping a first time in 2001 from another prison, in western Jalisco state, by hiding in a laundry cart. He had spent eight years in prison following his 1993 capture in Guatemala.

Questions will now likely turn on whether Mexico will extradite Guzman to the United States.

Pena Nieto had refused to hand Guzman over to the United States before his escape, but the authorities have since then secured an arrest warrant to extradite him.

The man whose nickname means “Shorty” had used the money from a drug empire whose tentacles reach Europe and Asia to dig himself out of trouble.

He is a legend of Mexico’s underworld, with musicians singing his praise in folk ballads known as “narcocorridos,” tributes to drug capos.

With his daring underground escapes and ability to sneak narcotics under the US-Mexico border, he also earned the nickname “Lord of the Tunnels.”

The bathtub in one of his houses in Culiacan, capital of Sinaloa, opened into an escape route into drainage systems that he used to flee from troops in early 2014.

US and Mexican authorities have regularly discovered sophisticated tunnels with rails and electricity to ship marijuana, cocaine and other drugs into the United States, with cash and weapons coming the other way.

Born on April 4, 1957, to a family of farmers, Guzman had humble beginnings in a region known as a bastion of drug trafficking.

He dropped out of primary school to work in marijuana and opium poppy fields.

He was recruited by Guadalajara cartel boss Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, the godfather of Mexico’s modern drug cartels.

After Felix Gallardo was arrested in 1989, Guzman’s Sinaloa drug cartel began its meteoric rise.

The mustachioed drug lord married an 18-year-old beauty queen, Emma Coronel, in 2007 and is believed to have 10 children with various women.

Guzman’s family has paid dearly for his life of crime. One of his brothers was killed in a Mexican jail in December 2004 and a son was shot dead in a shopping center parking lot in May 2008.

AFP

Fresh reports emerging from the United States have triggered concern after revelations that President Donald Trump’s administration is considering using Kenya as a quarantine and treatment hub for Americans exposed to the deadly Ebola virus.

According to reports published by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, the U.S. government is exploring plans to isolate and treat Ebola-exposed American citizens on Kenyan soil instead of transporting them back to the United States, which has been standard procedure in previous outbreaks.

The proposed plan would reportedly involve the construction of a quarantine facility in Kenya specifically designed to host Americans exposed to the virus, as well as those who test positive. Reports indicate that the Trump administration is preparing to deploy dozens of U.S. Public Health Service officers to staff and operate the facility.

The plan, however, remains subject to approval by the Kenyan government.

If approved, Kenya could become the centre of a highly sensitive international public health operation involving one of the world’s deadliest viruses. The move is already raising questions among Kenyans over public safety, national sovereignty, and the potential risk of importing Ebola cases into a country that has so far remained virus-free.

Insiders quoted by the New York Times claimed the administration now intends not only to quarantine exposed Americans in Kenya but also to provide treatment from within the country.

The reports come at a time when East Africa remains on high alert following the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has spread to Uganda and South Sudan. Kenya has been categorised as high-risk due to its extensive cross-border movement with Uganda.

Despite the regional threat, Kenya has not recorded a confirmed Ebola case. The Ministry of Health says more than 48,000 individuals suspected of exposure have already undergone screening.

Recent fears intensified after three foreign nationals who had travelled from the DRC entered Kenya. However, health officials later confirmed that the individuals, alongside all identified contacts, tested negative after isolation and screening.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government has already tightened entry requirements for travellers arriving from Ebola-affected countries. The U.S. State Department directed all American citizens and lawful permanent residents who recently travelled through the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan to enter the United States only through Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced Ebola screening.

Under the directive, all travellers who have been in the three countries within 21 days of arrival must undergo mandatory public health checks before being cleared to proceed.

Researchers have used mobile phone tracking data to prove, for the first time with certainty, that Colombian mercenaries backed RSF forces during the brutal capture of el-Fasher—one of Sudan's most devastating battles. The trail of digital evidence leads directly from Colombia to a UAE military base and then into the heart of Sudan's war zones. The findings demolish years of Emirati denials and place foreign fighters at the scene of what international investigators have described as bearing the hallmarks of genocide. The phones have spoken. Colombian mercenaries backed RSF forces, the UAE funded them, and el-Fasher paid the price. The world can no longer claim it did not know. How Phone Data Exposed the UAE-Colombian Mercenary Pipeline Fuelling Sudan's War The Conflict Insights Group (CIG), a security analysis organization, spent months tracking more than 50 mobile phones belonging to Colombian mercenaries operating inside Sudan. Their investigation ran from April 2025 through January this year and used commercially available advertising technology—the same kind companies use to serve personalized ads—to follow the fighters' movements across RSF -held territories.

The CIG combined that phone data with flight-tracking records, satellite imagery, social media videos, and academic sources to build a detailed picture of the mercenary pipeline.

What they found was damning.

The data showed a clear and documented route: fighters travelled from Colombia to Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport, moved to a UAE military training facility in Ghayathi, and then deployed into Sudan's most active conflict zones.

CIG director Justin Lynch did not mince words. "We are making public what governments have long known — that there is a direct link between Abu Dhabi and the RSF ," he said.

This, he stressed, is "the first research where we can prove UAE involvement with certainty." Mercenaries Named Their Wi-Fi Networks After Their Own Unit The digital trail the Colombian fighters left behind was remarkably careless. Investigators tracked one phone from Colombia to the UAE military facility in Ghayathi, where they also found four other devices configured to Spanish, the language spoken in Colombia.

Two of those phones then travelled to Sudan's South Darfur state. One device made its way to Nyala, the de facto RSF capital, where it connected to Wi-Fi networks named "ANTIAEREO"—meaning "anti-aircraft" in Spanish—and "AirDefense."

In another case, a phone tracked from Colombia to Nyala then moved to el-Fasher in North Darfur state during the exact period last October when RSF forces seized the city after an 18-month siege. While inside el-Fasher, that device connected to a Wi-Fi network named ""ATACADOR"—meaning "attacker" in Spanish.

The fighters also named one of their networks "LOBOS DEL DISIERTO," a misspelling of the Spanish phrase for "desert "wolves"—the name of the brigade they operated under.

These were not accidental breadcrumbs. They were the digital fingerprints of a professional military operation that believed it was invisible.

The Desert Wolves brigade operated as drone pilots, artillerymen, and instructors for the RSF. Retired Colombian army Colonel Alvaro Quijano led the unit from the UAE. Both the United States and United Kingdom governments have sanctioned him for recruiting Colombian nationals to fight in Sudan.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro previously described the mercenaries as "spectres of death" and called their recruitment a form of human trafficking. The digital trail is clear. Colombian mercenaries backed RSF forces, the UAE supplied them, and el-Fasher burned. Accountability must now follow the same path the evidence already has. The Fall of El-Fasher and the Cost of Foreign Interference El-Fasher did not fall quietly. Its capture stands as one of the most blood-soaked chapters in a conflict that has already produced the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands killed and millions driven from their homes.

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor assessed the events surrounding el-Fasher's fall as war crimes and crimes against humanity. UN investigators went further, saying what happened there bore the "hallmarks of genocide."

The CIG's report draws a direct line between the mercenaries and those outcomes. "The scale of atrocities and siege in el-Fasher wouldn't have happened without the drone operations the mercenaries provided," Lynch said, adding that evidence also shows the fighters helped sustain the broader RSF siege of the city.

"CIG assesses that the UAE-Colombian mercenary network bears shared responsibility for these outcomes," the report states.

The Desert Wolves received payment from a UAE-based company with documented ties to senior Emirati government officials, according to Colombian investigative outlet La Silla Vacía and documents the CIG obtained independently.

The CIG also found devices with Spanish-language settings at a port in Somalia with UAE links and at a town in south-eastern Libya believed to be a weapons transit hub for the RSF—both allegedly facilitated by the Emirates.

The UAE has repeatedly denied backing the RSF, dismissing allegations as "false and unfounded" and condemning atrocities in el-Fasher. The BBC sought a response from the Emirati government on these latest findings. The US Treasury Department has sanctioned Colombian nationals twice for their role in Sudan but has stopped short of formally naming the UAE as the organizing force behind the operation.

Madina Okot has made history as the first Kenyan ever drafted into the WNBA after the Atlanta Dream selected her 13th overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft in New York. Historic night in New York The 22‑year‑old center heard her name called on Monday night at The Shed at Hudson Yards. Therefore, she became the first Kenyan to be drafted in the first round of the WNBA and only the third Kenyan to make it to the league. Madina Okot has become the first Kenyan drafted into the WNBA after the Atlanta Dream selected the 6’6 centre 13th overall in the 2026 Draft, crowning a remarkable journey from Mumias and Kenyan school courts to starring for South Carolina and now joining basketball’s biggest stage. Her selection places her among the world’s elite women’s basketball players and crowns a meteoric rise from local courts in Kenya to the sport’s biggest stage. An emotional Okot described the moment as a dream come true, saying she felt honored to compete against players she had watched and admired growing up. She will report to the Dream’s training camp later in April as the franchise prepares for the new season. From Mumias to the WNBA Okot was born in Mumias, Kakamega County, and first shone as a volleyball player at Bishop Sulumeti Girls before switching to basketball at Kaya Tiwi Secondary School. That decision changed her life. She went on to represent Kenya in 3x3 basketball at the Commonwealth Games and featured for Kenya Ports Authority in the local league. Her big break came when she moved to the United States for college basketball, first joining the University of Mississippi and later transferring to the University of South Carolina. Standing at 6'6", she developed into a dominant front‑court presence, combining size, rim protection, and improved shooting. Dominating in college During her final season with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Okot averaged 12.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. With 22 double‑doubles,, one of the best tallies in the Power Five conferences. She shot 57.5% from the field and an impressive 44.8% from three‑point range, underlining her evolution into a modern, stretch big. Her performances helped South Carolina reach the NCAA Final Four and cemented her status as a top WNBA prospect. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley praised her courage to leave home, adapt quickly, and transform both her game and life in a short period. What her rise means for Kenya Okot’s achievement has sparked celebration across Kenya, with leaders and fans hailing her as a trailblazer for women’s sport. Second Lady Rachel Ruto congratulated her for becoming the first Kenyan drafted in the first round of the WNBA. Also, calling her journey a powerful inspiration for girls who dream beyond their circumstances. Her story conveys a clear message: with the right support, exposure, and personal sacrifice, Kenyan talent can compete at the highest level. For young players training on school courts in Mumias, Kakamega, Nairobi, and Mombasa, Madina Okot is no longer just a headline. Indeed, she is proof that the path from local tournaments to the WNBA actually exists. ALSO READ: How Donald Trump’s Feud with Pope Leo XIV Could Backfire Politically

Pope Leo XIV has begun an 11‑day tour of Africa, with Algeria as his first stop in a historic visit. That aims to deepen dialogue between Christians and Muslims and highlight the continent’s growing role in the Catholic Church. Historic first in Algeria The Pope landed in Algiers on Monday morning, becoming the first pontiff ever to visit the predominantly Muslim North African nation. He hails from the United States, and this marks his first major international trip since his election last year. Pope Leo XIV has begun an 11‑day tour of Africa, landing in Algiers for the first‑ever papal visit to Algeria before heading to Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, with a focus on peace, interfaith dialogue and Africa’s growing importance in the Catholic Church. Vatican officials describe the journey as an effort to “draw the world’s focus to Africa” and to build bridges in regions where Christians live as a small minority. In Algeria, Leo will spend two days in Algiers and Annaba, the ancient city of Hippo, where St Augustine served as bishop and where he will celebrate Mass. Upon arrival, he paid homage at the Martyrs’ Memorial in Algiers, honoring Algerians who died in the war of independence from France. He is also due to visit the Great Mosque of Algiers, which has the world’s tallest minaret, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa overlooking the Bay of Algiers. Message: peace, memory, and coexistence The Vatican says Leo comes to Algeria “as a messenger of peace” and as a guest who wants to listen to both Christians and Muslims. His speeches in the country will touch on interfaith dialogue, the wounds of past violence, and the need to protect the vulnerable, including migrants crossing North Africa toward Europe. A deeply symbolic moment of the trip will be his private prayer in a chapel dedicated to 19 priests and nuns killed during Algeria’s 1992–2002 civil war. Their beatification in 2018 marked an important step in recognizing the witness of Christians who chose to remain alongside their Muslim neighbors despite grave danger. Leo will not visit the Tibhirine monastery, where seven Trappist monks were abducted and murdered in 1996. Still, Vatican aides say he will refer to their story as part of a broader call to reject extremism. A continent at the centre of Catholic growth After Algeria, Pope Leo will head to Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, traveling nearly 18,000 kilometers and visiting 11 cities and towns. In these three sub‑Saharan countries, more than half the population identifies as Catholic, making them emblematic of a wider shift in the Church’s center of gravity towards Africa. Over the 11 days, he is scheduled to deliver about 25 speeches on themes including peace, exploitation of natural resources, and corruption. And the plight of young people seeking work and dignity. Vatican officials say the tour should send a clear signal that Africa is not a “periphery” but a core part of the global Catholic story. ALSO READ: Kenya’s Avocado Sector in Crisis Over Sh5 Billion Export Certificate Scandal

Travelling to Kenya just got easier. Five years ago, the Kenyan Department of Immigration Services launched evisa.go.ke, giving visitors a fast, paperless way to secure entry authorization from anywhere in the world. You no longer need to visit a Kenyan embassy or wait at the border for a visa on arrival. This guide breaks down exactly how to apply for a Kenyan e-Visa, covering requirements, costs, visa types, and step-by-step application instructions so you arrive in Kenya fully prepared and stress-free. Applying for a Kenyan e-Visa takes minutes online, costs as little as $51, and gets approved in 2–3 business days — no embassy visit needed, ever. [Image: GGI] How to Apply for a Kenyan e-Visa and Everything You Need to Know Before You Start The Kenyan e-Visa is an official authorization document issued in PDF format. Once approved, you print it out and present it to an immigration officer at any Kenyan port of entry. The officer then stamps your passport and grants you the right to enter the country.

Here is what you need to know about validity and stay duration: Detail Information e-Visa validity after issue 3 months Maximum stay per entry 90 days Stay renewal Additional 90 days at Immigration HQ Total maximum stay in Kenya 6 months Processing time 2–3 business days (Monday–Friday) Types of Kenyan e-Visas Available Kenya currently offers two types of e-Visas depending on your travel purpose: Single Entry Visa — $51 — Issued to travellers visiting Kenya for tourism, business, or medical purposes. This visa allows one entry into the country. Transit Visa — $21 — Issued to travellers connecting through Kenya to another destination for a period not exceeding 72 hours. Note that passengers connecting directly through the airport without leaving the terminal do not need a transit visa. All e-Visa applications attract a $1 USD service charge, and your card provider may add a handling fee on top of that. Documents You Must Prepare Before Starting Your Kenyan e-Visa Application Getting your paperwork in order before you start the online application saves you time and prevents your application from getting rejected. Here is exactly what you need: For a Single Entry Visa: A valid travel document with at least six months remaining validity A passport with at least one blank page A return ticket confirming your departure from Kenya A travel itinerary outlining your plans in the country A supporting letter — either a company letter or an invitation letter for business or family visits Hotel bookings or details of places you plan to visit if travelling as a tourist For a Transit Visa: An onward ticket proving you are connecting to another destination Make sure every document is ready in digital format before you begin the application. Uploading clear, complete documents speeds up the vetting process and increases your chances of getting approved within the standard 2–3 business day window. Step-by-Step Process to Complete Your Kenyan e-Visa Application Online All Kenyan e-Visa applications go through the official eCitizen portal at www.ecitizen.go.ke . Follow these steps carefully to complete your application without errors: Visit www.ecitizen.go.ke and click Register Select Register as a Visitor to create your account Log in to your new account and select Department of Immigration Services Click Submit Application Select Kenyan Visa from the available options Choose your visa type—Single Entry or Transit—and read all instructions carefully Fill in the online application form with accurate personal and travel details Pay your visa fee using a Visa card, Mastercard, or any accepted debit card Wait for your approval notification via email — this takes 2–3 business days Download and print your e-Visa directly from your eCitizen account Present your printed e-Visa to the immigration officer at your Kenyan port of entry Double-check every detail on your application form before submitting. Errors in your name, passport number, or travel dates can delay your approval or result in a rejection. Final Word Knowing how to apply for a Kenyan e-Visa puts you in full control of your travel plans. Start your application early, gather all required documents, and submit through the official eCitizen portal. Kenya welcomes you—make sure your visa is ready before you board your flight.

Kenya Pipeline Company sits at the centre of one of the most explosive financial scandals in the country's infrastructure history. A Lebanese contractor, a Nigerian bank, a Sh63 billion pipeline contract, and a jaw-dropping USD 29 million demand letter bearing the name of Kenya's most prominent lawyer have collided in a legal storm that threatens public resources and exposes deep failures in how Kenya manages strategic infrastructure. KPC billions under siege is no longer a headline—it is a crisis demanding immediate answers from those responsible. KPC billions under siege demand one response—full transparency, immediate investigation, and iron accountability for every shilling lost in this devastating decade-long infrastructure betrayal. KPC Billions Under Siege Trace Back to a 2006 Nigerian Debenture That Nobody in Kenya Was Watching The roots of this scandal do not begin in Nairobi. They began in Lagos in February 2006, when Zakhem Construction Nigeria Limited signed a debenture agreement with Ecobank Nigeria PLC—a financial document that pledged virtually every asset Zakhem owned, including future receivables from projects anywhere in the world, as collateral for a commercial loan.

That single document, registered with Nigeria's Corporate Affairs Commission in June 2006, sat largely dormant for years. Nobody in Kenya's government was paying attention to it. Yet it would eventually become the financial tripwire that pulled Kenya Pipeline Company into a decade-long legal battle over billions of shillings it never borrowed.

In July 2014, KPC awarded Zakhem International Construction Limited a flagship infrastructure contract—the construction, testing, and commissioning of the Line 5 pipeline connecting Mombasa to Nairobi across 450 kilometres. The contract value stood at USD 484,502,886.40, equivalent to roughly Sh63 billion. The project was designed to modernize Kenya's petroleum transport network, reduce tanker traffic on highways, and strengthen national energy security.

Two months after securing the contract, Zakhem's board met in Lagos and approved a new USD 300 million credit facility from Ecobank Nigeria. The securities were extensive—an all-asset debenture covering present and future assets, corporate guarantees from Zakhem Group affiliates, and a personal guarantee from Albert Zakhem backed by a sworn declaration of wealth. How Zakhem's Unconditional Domiciliation Letters Quietly Handed Control of Sh63 Billion in KPC Payments to a Nigerian Bank On October 11, 2014, Zakhem issued domiciliation letters instructing Kenya Pipeline Company to route seventy percent of the entire pipeline contract value into Zakhem accounts held at Ecobank Nigeria, with the remaining thirty percent directed to Ecobank Kenya. The instructions were described as unconditional and irrevocable. KPC acknowledged receipt, and payments reportedly began flowing exactly as instructed.

The majority of the revenue generated by a Kenyan state infrastructure project was now flowing directly through a Nigerian commercial bank financing a Lebanese contractor. How a Foreign Bank Turned KPC Into a Target for a USD 52 Million Lawsuit It Never Saw Coming When Zakhem began defaulting on its Ecobank loan obligations, the bank did not simply pursue the contractor it had lent money to. In 2018, Ecobank Nigeria and Ecobank Kenya filed a lawsuit in Kenya's High Court demanding payment of more than USD 52 million—from both Zakhem and Kenya Pipeline Company jointly.

That move stunned observers and redefined the nature of the dispute.

KPC had not borrowed a single dollar from Ecobank. The corporation's role was straightforward—it contracted a construction company to build a pipeline and paid for the work as contractually required. Yet suddenly, Kenya's strategic petroleum transport corporation found itself named as a joint defendant in a massive debt recovery suit driven entirely by a private commercial lending arrangement it had no direct part in creating.

Critics immediately argued that the legal strategy effectively weaponized Kenya's court system against a public entity managing critical national infrastructure. Garnishee orders targeting funds owed by KPC to Zakhem were filed. Multiple suits and applications spread across different courts.

Subcontractors who had worked on the pipeline and remained unpaid filed their own claims. Azicon Kenya Limited, for example, sought approximately Sh460 million for electrical and telecommunications work completed on the project, only to discover that Zakhem's Kenyan bank accounts held balances of just a few hundred thousand shillings.

The financial trap had fully closed around KPC, and the legal battles showed no sign of ending. The Zakhem Ecobank deal weaponized Kenya's own pipeline contract against a state corporation, routing billions through a foreign bank while Kenyan taxpayers unknowingly carried the financial risk. [Photo: Courtesy] The Ahmednasir Demand Letter That Turned KPC Billions Into a National Scandal It is at this stage that the controversy takes its most explosive turn. Documents now circulating publicly, amplified through a detailed thread by Nairobi politician Robert Alai, include reference to a demand letter dated July 4, 2023, reportedly issued by Ahmednasir Abdullahi Advocates LLP—the firm of one of Kenya's most high-profile and politically connected lawyers—seeking payment of USD 29,308,349.80 from Kenya Pipeline Company.

Converted to Kenyan shillings, that figure represents approximately Sh3.8 billion directed at a state corporation whose primary responsibility is transporting fuel safely across the country.

The appearance of that demand letter has electrified the public debate for two reasons. First, the sheer scale of the sum being demanded from a public institution is staggering. Second, it raises immediate questions about the legal basis for such a claim and what agreement or arrangement underpins a demand of that magnitude connected to a pipeline dispute.

Critics argue that the litigation surrounding the project has evolved into a sophisticated financial struggle where banks, contractors, and law firms all pursue different portions of the same payment stream—with KPC and ultimately Kenyan taxpayers trapped in the middle.

The documents further reveal a troubling discrepancy. KPC' s own 2022 annual report lists the banks that officially financed the Line 5 pipeline project. Ecobank Nigeria does not appear among them. Ecobank Nigeria does not appear in KPC's officially disclosed financing structure, yet the bank aggressively pursued claims directly connected to the pipeline project worth billions of shillings. Someone must now stand before Kenyans and explain exactly how that happened, who authorized it, and why the public financing records tell a completely different story from what unfolded inside Kenya's courts. Why the KPC Billions Under Siege Scandal Demands a Full Government Investigation Right Now The financial footprint surrounding the Zakhem pipeline contract is staggering in its scale. The original contract exceeded USD 484 million. The Ecobank claim surpassed USD 52 million. The Ahmednasir demand letter adds another USD 29 million.

Legal costs, settlement negotiations, subcontractor claims, and tax obligations pile billions more onto the total exposure. When combined, the financial consequences connected to this single infrastructure project run into tens of billions of shillings drawn from public resources.

The timing makes the scandal even more urgent. In April 2026, authorities arrested Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Joe Sang alongside other senior energy sector officials over fuel data manipulation allegations.

Sang's tenure at KPC covers the exact period when the Zakhem contract was being executed and disputed, placing him at the centre of two overlapping scandals simultaneously. Investigators probing the current fuel crisis are now facing growing pressure to extend their scrutiny beyond the immediate fuel data allegations and dig deep into the full financial documentation surrounding the pipeline deal.

Kenya Pipeline Company is not a peripheral institution. It operates the arteries through which petroleum products flow from Mombasa to inland depots, supporting fuel supply across Kenya and several neighbouring countries. Financial instability within such a strategic institution carries direct consequences for energy security, transport costs, and the daily lives of millions of Kenyans.

The KPC billions under siege scandal is not a corporate dispute between private companies. It is a governance failure involving public infrastructure, public money, and public trust. Every document, every demand letter, every domiciliation instruction, and every court ruling connected to this project belongs in the public domain.

Four astronauts are racing back to Earth after completing humanity's first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. As of Wednesday, April 8, 2026, the Artemis II crew members—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—are aboard the Orion spacecraft on the final stretch of their historic 10-day mission. With splashdown scheduled for Friday, April 10, off San Diego, the world is watching as history prepares to make its Pacific Ocean landing. The Artemis II crew members did not just fly around the Moon. They carried humanity's oldest dream across 50 years of waiting and delivered it back home, alive and triumphant. [Photo: Courtesy] Artemis II Crew Members Complete Lunar Flyby and Enter Final Phase of Their Historic Return to Earth The Artemis II crew members officially left the Moon's sphere of gravitational influence and are now firmly back within Earth's dominant gravitational pull—a critical navigational milestone confirming the home stretch of their journey. The crew successfully completed their historic lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, placing human beings in the vicinity of the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era more than half a century ago.

Flight Day 8 is no quiet cruise home. The crew is actively conducting radiation-shielding experiments vital to planning future deep-space missions, holding a live downlink event with the Canadian Space Agency, and performing manual piloting tests of the Orion capsule to evaluate its real-mission handling capabilities.

The mission has already rewritten the record books across multiple fronts. Victor Glover became the first person of colour to travel to the Moon. Christina Koch became the first woman to reach lunar distance. Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to make the journey. Together, these four Artemis II crew members have carried the relay baton of human spaceflight further than any crew since Apollo 17 departed the Moon in December 1972. Here is a full mission status snapshot as of Wednesday, April 8, 2026: Mission Detail Current Status Flight Day Day 8 of 10 Current Position Returning to Earth under dominant Earth gravity Lunar Flyby Completed April 6, 2026 Today's Activities Radiation experiments, CSA downlink, manual piloting tests Scheduled Splashdown Friday, April 10, 2026 Splashdown Location Pacific Ocean, off San Diego Recovery Vessel USS John P. Murtha Post-Splashdown Plan Medical evaluations, return to Johnson Space Center Who Are the Artemis II Crew Members and What Makes Each of Them Extraordinary Reid Wiseman — Commander Reid Wiseman leads the Artemis II mission as its commander, bringing a career built on precision, leadership, and an exceptional ability to perform under pressure. An American born and raised with deep roots in military aviation, Wiseman earned his designation as a Naval Aviator in 1999 and deployed twice to the Middle East in support of Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. He graduated from the prestigious US Naval Test Pilot School in 2004 before NASA selected him as an astronaut in 2009.

His first spaceflight came during ISS Expedition 40/41 in 2014, where he logged more than 165 days in space, completed nearly 13 hours across two spacewalks, and contributed to over 300 scientific experiments. He later served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from December 2020 to November 2022, overseeing the astronaut corps before receiving his Artemis II assignment.

Wiseman holds a bachelor of science in computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master of science in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Reid Wiseman led humanity's boldest lunar mission in 50 years, commanding the Artemis II crew with precision, courage, and quiet authority. [Photo: Courtesy] Detail Information Nationality American Military Background US Navy Fighter Pilot and Test Pilot First Spaceflight ISS Expedition 40/41, 2014 Days in Space (prior) 165+ Artemis II Role Commander Victor Glover — Pilot Victor Glover is making history as the first person of colour to travel to the Moon—a milestone carrying profound cultural weight for America and the world. A Californian by birth, Glover built his career as a decorated US Navy aviator, completing advanced flight training in 2001 and flying the F/A-18 Hornet, Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler as a test pilot. In a remarkable display of versatility, he also served as a legislative fellow in the US Senate in 2012, contributing to defence and foreign relations policy before NASA selected him as an astronaut in 2013.

His first spaceflight on SpaceX Crew-1 in November 2020 placed him aboard the ISS for 168 days as part of Expedition 64, during which he completed four spacewalks. Crew-1 was the first post-certification operational mission of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, making Glover part of another historic moment even before Artemis II.

Glover holds multiple advanced degrees including master of science qualifications in flight test engineering, systems engineering, and military operational art and science. Victor Glover shattered barriers and inspired millions by becoming the first person of colour to travel to the Moon, proving that space truly belongs to everyone. [Photo: Courtesy] Detail Information Nationality American Military Background US Navy Fighter Pilot and Test Pilot First Spaceflight SpaceX Crew-1, November 2020 Days in Space (prior) 168 Artemis II Role Pilot Historic First First person of colour to travel to the Moon Christina Koch — Mission Specialist Christina Koch carries the distinction of becoming the first woman to travel to the Moon , a milestone built on a career of breaking barriers in some of the world's most extreme environments. A North Carolina native, Koch worked as an electrical engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory before venturing further afield — serving as a research associate in Antarctica for a full year and working at remote NOAA scientific bases in Alaska and American Samoa. Those experiences forged the resilience that defines her astronaut career.

Koch first launched into space in March 2019 for ISS Expedition 59/60/61, spending a record-breaking 328 days in orbit—the longest single spaceflight ever completed by a woman. During that mission she conducted six spacewalks, including the landmark first all-female spacewalk alongside NASA astronaut Jessica Meir. NASA selected Koch as an astronaut in 2013.

She holds bachelor of science degrees in both electrical engineering and physics from North Carolina State University, along with a master of science in electrical engineering from the same institution. Christina Koch made history as the first woman to travel to the Moon, carrying decades of record-breaking resilience, scientific excellence, and quiet determination across the lunar frontier. [Photo: Courtesy] Detail Information Nationality American Background Electrical Engineer, Antarctic Researcher First Spaceflight ISS Expedition 59/60/61, 2019 Days in Space (prior) 328 — women's record Artemis II Role Mission Specialist Historic First First woman to travel to the Moon Jeremy Hansen — Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen brings the honour of becoming the first Canadian to travel to the Moon, capping a career that has consistently placed him at the frontier of human achievement. A proud Canadian from London, Ontario, Hansen served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, flying CF-18 fighter jets and serving as a combat operations officer responsible for NORAD operations, deployed exercises, and Arctic flying missions before the Canadian Space Agency selected him as an astronaut in 2009.

Since joining the astronaut corps, Hansen has served as CapCom in NASA's Mission Control Center, participated in the European Space Agency's CAVES programme simulating deep-space exploration underground, and in 2017 became the first Canadian ever entrusted with leading a NASA astronaut training class — a powerful signal of the confidence both NASA and CSA place in him. Artemis II marks his first spaceflight.

Hansen holds a bachelor of science in honours space science and a master of science in physics, both from the Royal Military College of Canada. Jeremy Hansen proudly carried Canada to the Moon for the very first time, representing a nation's dreams and proving that human exploration knows no borders or boundaries. [Photo: Courtesy] Detail Information Nationality Canadian Military Background Royal Canadian Air Force Fighter Pilot First Spaceflight Artemis II, 2026 Artemis II Role Mission Specialist Historic First First Canadian to travel to the Moon What Happens at Splashdown and Why Friday Marks a Defining Moment for the Future of Human Space Exploration When the Orion capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego this Friday, recovery teams will immediately move to retrieve the spacecraft. The USS John P. Murtha will serve as the primary recovery vessel, where the Artemis II crew members will undergo thorough post-flight medical evaluations assessing how their bodies responded to deep-space radiation and the physical demands of travelling beyond low Earth orbit.

After medical clearance, the crew will return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for detailed mission debriefs. Every experiment conducted, every system evaluated, and every observation recorded during their 10-day journey will directly shape NASA's preparation for Artemis III — the mission that will land humans on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.

Friday's splashdown is not simply four astronauts coming home. It validates the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as genuinely deep-space-capable vehicles, proves that humans can safely travel to lunar distance and return, and opens the door to a sustained human presence on and around the Moon. For Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, it marks the moment they pass the relay baton to the next crew. They ran their race. Now the world waits to welcome them home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_7EUmCxcvE

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