Court allows police to lock up 11 StephJoy students.Drive Hot News

One of the three StephJoy Boys' High School dormitories burnt on August 2, 2015. Eleven students linked to the arson will be locked up until August 6, 2015. PHOTO

Eleven students of StephJoy Boys High School who have been linked to the Sunday arson that left three boys dead will be locked up until Thursday.

The minors appeared before Limuru Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Oduor on Tuesday but did not take plea.

Two students, Ian Kamau and Edwin Mugo, died when their dormitories were set alight while Zachary Njoroge succumbed to burns on Monday night while undergoing treatment at Kenyatta Nation National Hospital.

Seven others who had been admitted to Tigoni Sub-County Hospital were treated and discharged on Monday.

Police Constable David Njogu, who is leading investigations into the case, had asked the court to allow them to hold the students for five days to enable them to wrap up investigations into the case.

ENOUGH EVIDENCE

He said they were yet to collect enough evidence to either charge or release the students.

“We cannot arraign the students within the stipulated time because we do not have enough evidence. We are appealing to this court that we be allowed more time to collect evidence,” Mr Njogu said.

The magistrate granted the request but reduced the days to three and ordered that the children be detained in the children protection unit of Tigoni Police Station.

Mr Oduor also directed that the minors be kept away from other remandees, and that their statutory rights be observed.

The suspects will be expected back in court on Wednesday.

Mombasa tycoon’s widow seized for evicting co-wife in fight for Sh5bn property.

Mrs Regine Butt, the second wife of the late Mombasa tycoon Mr Shahid Butt, boards a police truck after she led a team of youths to evict her co-wife Mrs Akhtar Shaheed Butt from her Mkomani home on August 2, 2015. She was taken together with the youths to Nyali Police Station for questioning but was later released. PHOTO

The widow of a slain Mombasa tycoon was arrested for allegedly using goons to evict her co-wife from the family home in Nyali, Mombasa.

Mrs Regine Butt, the second wife of Shahid Butt, was seized on Saturday together with her lawyer George Miyare and five bouncers.

The widow allegedly kicked out her co-wife Mrs Akhtar Butt.

The two are embroiled in a tussle at the Family Division of the High Court in Mombasa over the tycoon’s Sh5 billion property.

Kisauni deputy police boss Walter Abundo said officers intervened after receiving reports that unknown people, who were armed, had attacked occupants of the house.

CASE PENDING IN COURT

He, however, said, Mrs Regine Butt, her lawyer and bouncers were released from Nyali Police Station after officers were informed the matter is pending in the High Court.

“Ms Regine went to Ms Akhtar’s house with a court order, but the latter resisted.

“After police received proper briefing, they set her free. We have told them to return to court,” said Mr Abundo.

Mr Butt owned several businesses, including Modern Coast Express bus company that plies the East Africa region.

Last Wednesday, lawyers Miyare (for Ms Regine) and Charles Agwara (for Ms Akhtar) fought.

The public separated them.

The ugly incident occurred shortly after Justice Edward Muriithi heard Ms Regine’s evidence.

LAWYERS APOLOGISED

The following day, the lawyers apologised before the judge.

However, Justice Muriithi told them off, saying he did not expect them to engage in such embarrassing behaviour.

Two months ago, the judge ordered the widows to continue living together after Ms Akhtar and her son, Haroon, evicted Ms Regine from the home.

The mother and son said they were willing to provide alternative accommodation for Ms Regine, and offered to pay Sh150,000 rent a month.

Justice Muriithi ruled that Ms Regine Butt should return to her matrimonial home, which she occupied with the tycoon before he died.

The court also ordered Ms Akhtar and her son, their servants, employees and agents not to interfere with Ms Regine, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

The court, however, said it was not authorising the eviction of Ms Akhtar from the property and that she and her son could continue to living in the part of the house they occupied while Mr Butt was alive.

The tycoon was gunned down a year ago near the Moi International Airport, about 200 metres from Changamwe Police Station in Mombasa.

He was returning from the airport after picking up his son, who had arrived from

Dentist 'posed for photo with body' of Cecil the lion.Drive Hot News

 

 The much-loved Zimbabwean lion called "Cecil" pictured in this 

 October 21, 2012 photo.

 

 JOHANNESBURG - Professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst told Drive Hot News Friday he did nothing wrong on the hunt that killed Cecil the lion, adding he was shocked to find the animal was wearing a tracking collar.

Bronkhurst's client, US dentist Walter Palmer, has gone into hiding amid a global outpouring of anger after he used a bow and arrow to shoot Cecil, a popular draw for tourists at Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park.

Bronkhorst also revealed that Palmer, who paid $55,000 for the hunt, had posed for a photograph next to Cecil's body as is normal for trophy hunters.

"I don't believe I failed in any duties at all, I was engaged by a client to do a hunt for him and we shot an old male lion that I believed was past his breeding age," Bronkhorst said in telephone interview.

"I don't think that I've done anything wrong."

He also revealed that Palmer had a trophy picture taken with the body of Cecil the lion.

"That was taken with the client's camera, so I don't have access to it, and quite frankly I would never ever give it out to anybody if I had it," Bronkhorst said.

"Both I and the client were extremely devastated that this thing had a collar on because at no time did we see a collar on this lion prior to shooting it.

"We were devastated... I left the collar there at the bait site and unfortunately that was stupid of me and negligent of me."

Bronkhorst was granted bail by the Hwange court on Wednesday after being charged with "failing to prevent an illegal hunt" when he led the expedition in early July.

He is due to stand trial on August 5.

Death threats

"We had obtained the permit for bow hunting, we had obtained the permit for the lion from the council," Bronkhorst told Drive Hot News, speaking from Bulawayo.

"We had done everything above board.

"I don't foresee any jail sentence at all, I think it's been blown out of proportion by social media and I think it's been a deliberate ploy to ban all hunting and especially lion hunting in Zimbabwe."

"Palmer is a totally innocent party to this whole thing, and he has conducted and bought a hunt from me that was legitimate."

Bronkhorst added that Palmer had stayed in Zimbabwe only three days and that the two had not been in contact since news of Cecil's death triggered worldwide fury at the hunters' actions.

"I sincerely regret taking such a magnificent animal that happened to be an icon that I didn't even know existed," he said.

"It has probably changed my family’s life, my business, forever... We have had many, many death threats."

Bronkhurst said he believed sustainable hunting was essential for conservation.

"We grew up hunting, our forefathers grew up hunting, and it is part of our culture," he said.

"If you cannot have a sustainable offtake of wildlife, you're not going to have wildlife because no farmer is going to look after them if they cannot make money from them."

Nairobi men suffer most domestic abuse as Western tops in violence against women.Drive Hot News

 The study conducted by Nation’s Newsplex project together with the Institute of Economic Affairs, a public policy think tank, also found that women who have been married more than once are the most likely to experience violence. FILE PHOTO

Kenyan women are nearly four times more likely to suffer from domestic violence than their men compatriots, a study shows.

An examination of data from the Economic Survey shows the most the vulnerable women are those aged between 25 to 29 years followed by 20 to 24 years.

The data also shows that men living in Nairobi and other big towns are more likely to be battered than their rural counterparts.

The findings also reveal that Nairobi, Nyanza and Western regions are leading in domestic violence for both genders.

Men living in Nairobi are more likely to be battered than those living in other areas of the county at 11.3 per cent, the study shows, while Western region is leading in domestic violence against women at 36.6 per cent.

The lowest cases of domestic violence against both men and women are experienced in North Eastern.

The findings show that the women that are least vulnerable to gender-based violence are those in the highest earning bracket, lending credence to those who have called for the empowerment of women.

This is more so because the study further found that the most vulnerable group to domestic violence is comprised of those who did not complete primary school at 30.9 per cent for women and 8.1 per cent for men.

“40.7 per cent of women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime as compared to 10.9 per cent of men.

"This shows that among men and women of the same ages, women are 3.7 times more likely to have suffered from domestic violence than men,” Mr Kwame Owino, the executive director of the Institute of Economic Affairs said.

The study conducted by Nation’s Newsplex project together with the Institute of Economic Affairs, a public policy think tank, also found that women who have been married more than once are the most likely to experience violence.

The findings come hot on the heels of US President Barack Obama’s comments during his historic visit last week that Kenya’s growth was inhibited by the oppression of women.

The findings seem to affirm his sentiments.

MEN AND WOMEN NEED LEGAL PROTECTION

The study sought to find out whether both genders need legal protection as claimed by Maendeleo ya Wanaume chairman Nderitu Njoka.

“Although more women experience domestic violence than men, both of them need legal protection from domestic violence since they are equally victims,” said Mr Owino.

Despite the numerous reports of violence against men around the country in the recent past, the findings show that the woman is still more vulnerable to direct gender violence.

However, some experts we spoke to insisted that violence against women cuts across all socio-economic groups.

“Past academic evidence shows that gender-based violence is highly prevalent in the high earning income bracket.

"It is just less reported because people from this economic class feel like they have a particular image to maintain,” Dr Mumbi Machera, a University of Nairobi sociologist said.

Women who have been married more than once were found to be the most vulnerable to domestic violence with the study placing the probability of abuse at 37 per cent.

Widowed and separated men, on the other hand, were found to be more likely than married men living with their partners to have been victims of gender violence.

Based on residence, the research found that the prevalence of violence against women was near equal in both rural and urban areas.

Interestingly, however, among men, those from the urban areas reported significantly more instances of gender based violence.

HISTORY OF ABUSE

Dr Christopher Hart, a psychologist specialising in relationships, said most of the aggressors in domestic violence are those who have a history of abuse, perhaps going back into childhood, suggesting those who witnessed battery as children are likely to be violent when they grow up.

He added that alcohol abuse, isolation, a lack of resources and a wide difference in incomes were the other contributing factors.

“That tends to mean that it is worse in urban areas and in more economically stressed households.

"It could also be that people in urban areas are more aware of their rights and thus more likely to report,” he said.

Dr Hart agreed with those calling for equal legal protection of men saying they probably were abused just as much as women in the home, but were less likely to admit because of their pride.

“Kenyan women are probably no more vulnerable than men, the men would just not admit it.

"They are probably equally in need of protection.”

Big Results Now rings in spectacular exam results.Drive Hot News

 Necta Executive Secretary Charles Msonde says results are another indication that the education sector is set to record impressive achievements under the Big Results Now (BRN) initiative

Zanzibar. Some 98.87 per cent of Form Six finalists who sat their national examinations earlier in the year have passed, the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (Necta) announced here yesterday.

Necta Executive Secretary Charles Msonde told reporters that 38,853 of 40,753 students who sat the exams did well.

He saw this as another indication that the education sector is set to record impressive achievements under the Big Results Now (BRN) initiative. The results released in Zanzibar indicate a slight improvement over the previous year’s performance, with 98.26 per cent of students passing.

Public schools

Public schools put up an impressive performance, contrary to expectations that private schools would do better. There are 13 public schools on the list of top 20 schools. Of those who sailed through, 11,734 were girls and 27,119 were boys.

The pass rate has risen each year due to the government’s efforts to improve the quality of education. Public and private schools have shared five slots each on the list of top performers.

Thirty-five students failed to sit their exams, some of them because they were unwell, and Necta has given an assurance that the students will resit their examinations in May next year. “Five of those who did the exams had their results cancelled after it was established that they had cheated,” said Dr Msonde.

The students who made it to the Top 10 list include Ramadhani Gembe (Feza Boys), Lesuian Lengare (Ilboru), Hunayza Mohamed (Feza Girls), Rosemary Chengula (St Marys, Mazinde Juu) and Kelvin Rutahoile (St Joseph’s Cathedral).

Others are Joseph Pasian (Ilboru), Andarton Masanja (St Joseph’s Cathedral), Yonazi Senkondo (Feza Boys), Lupyana Kinyamagogoha (Mzumbe) and Meghna Solanki (Shaaban Robert).

The students on the top list have showed high capacity in science subjects, which means they now join the group of students with special talent.

Schools with high scoring students include St Mary’s Mazinde Juu (120), Ivumwe Secondary (68), Feza Girls (67) and Kisimiri (59). Others are Scolastica (40), Namabengo (38), Vwawa (31), Feza Boys (54) and Runzewe (38).

The national best science students in the Top Ten list are Ramadhani Gembe (Feza Boys), Lesian Lengare (Ilboru), Hunayza Mohamed (Feza Girls), Rosemary Chengula (St Mary Mazinde Juu), Kevin Fidelis Rutahoile (St Joseph Cathedral), Anderton Masanja (St Joseph Cathedral), Joseph Pasia (Ilboru), Lupyana Kinyamagoha (Mzumbe), Yonazi Senkondo (Feza Boys) and Meghna Solanki of Shaaban Robert Secondary School.

Obama visit to 'reassure support' for Kenya on key issues.Drive Hot News

 US President Barack Obama waves after arriving on Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on July 2, 2015.

US President Barack Obama says his visit to Kenya next week will cement his government’s resolve to support the region on “important issues.”

In a press briefing on Wednesday in Washington, President Obama said he looked forward to travelling to Nairobi because it will give him an opportunity to reassure support for Kenya and the region.

“My hope is, is that we can deliver a message that the US is a strong partner not just for Kenya, but for sub-Saharan Africa generally,” he said.

“[We can] build on the progress that’s been made around issues of health and education; focus on counterterrorism issues that are important in East Africa because of Al-Shabaab and some of the tragedies that have happened inside of Kenya.”

The US government has maintained in the past that it was supporting Kenya’s counterterrorism efforts.

In May, Secretary of State John Kerry told journalists in Nairobi that the US would give Sh9.6 billion in the fight against Al-Shabaab, as well as help in intelligence gathering and sharing.

Obama will be visiting Nairobi from July 24 for the first time as president to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), one of his flagship programmes to support the youth and women against poverty.

3,000 EXPECTED TO ATTEND
More than 3,000 business leaders, policymakers, investors and entrepreneurs are expected to attend the event which will be the first in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Obama’s visit has created excitement beyond GES because his father was Kenyan and it looks like a home-coming.

His itinerary has been closely guarded but on Wednesday, he told journalists his government would also press for "democratic values" often associated with his three previous foreign travels in Africa.

“We will hopefully continue to encourage democracy and the reduction of corruption inside that country that sometimes has held back this incredibly gifted and blessed country.

“It’s obviously something I’m looking forward to. I’ll be honest with you, visiting Kenya as a private citizen is probably more meaningful to me than visiting as President because I can actually get outside of a hotel room or a conference centre.

“And just the logistics of visiting a place are always tough as President, but it’s obviously symbolically important.

Obama’s comments could be a great reassurance coming just a day after the State Department issued a travel alert on Kenya, warning Americans to stay away from the conference venues as they could be targeted.

Sacked Emirates airline employee seeks Sh14m in compensation.Drive Hot News

 A former security officer is seeking Sh14 million in compensation from Emirates Airlines for illegal termination from employment and discrimination. FILE PHOTO.

A former security officer is seeking Sh14 million in compensation from an international airline for "illegal termination and discrimination".

Ms Mary Wairimu Moturi alleges that her employment as a security coordinator with the United Arab Emirates Airlines was terminated on health grounds, though she “she was fit to continue with her job”.

In a case filed at the Employment and Labour Relations Court by lawyer Titus Koceyo, she alleges that she had been discriminated against by her employer.

Mr Koceyo argues the airline went against the advice of the company doctor that she “should not be allocated night duties due to her health condition”.

He is, therefore, asking the court to declare that the security officer is entitled to compensation and should be paid damages for discrimination at her place of work.

The lawyer says that on June 10, the Emirates Group, named as the respondent in the case, terminated Ms Moturi’s employment citing her incapacity to work, yet the company doctor had declared her medically fit to work.

She alleges that her illness “was caused by a hostile work environment, which she was subjected to by the airline”.

Ms Moturi says that she was surprised that her employer declined, ignored and/or neglected to heed Dr Samina Sidiqqi's advice that she should not be subjected to unfavourable working shifts, which would impede her recovery.

The doctor had said she would have recovered within a period of six months.

Ms Moturi says that the UAE airline poached her from Kenya Airways, where she used to work as a customer care agent.

She left Kenya Airways to join Emirates, where she was offered a salary of UAE Dirham 9,483 (Sh251,932) per month.

WORKED FOR THREE YEARS

She worked for Emirates for three years, from May 25, 2012 to May 27, 2015.

“The precondition of securing employment with the UAE airline was that I undergo medical tests and examinations to ascertain that I was fit to discharge my duties,” she says in the court documents filed in the Labour Relations Court.

Ms Moturi says she was taken through the medical processes by the airline's doctor, “who confirmed that she was fit and in a healthy condition to discharge (the) duties of her office”.

The claimant says her job involved working on night shifts and standing for long hours in “extremely cold weather and also staying in Dubai in highly air-conditioned cold rooms”.

As a result, Ms Moturi states she developed complications in or about December 2014 and was given sick leave for two months.

Mr Koceyo says in the court papers that Ms Moturi resumed work on January 2015 and was informed during one of the medical check-ups that she had developed rheumatic arthritis due to the extreme cold-weather working conditions.

Dr Sidiqqi recommended that, to allow her time to recover fully, she needed six months to adjust to the shift pattern and she should not be assigned night duties.

She is asking the court to award Sh3,023,195 for loss of employment and Sh10 million as damages for discrimination, Sh377,898 in terminal dues, leave allowance of Sh100,722 and a month's notice of Sh251,932.

The Industrial Court has directed the Emirates Group to respond to the case by July 23 failure to which a judgment shall be entered.