Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko on Sunday defended the Jubilee coalition against claims that its members had been involved in massive land grabbing.

Sonko, who was attending a fundraiser at PAG church in Kangemi, was responding to Cyrus Jirongo who alleged that most politicians who grabbed land are in government.

“Wale ambao walichukua uchumi was mashamba vile vile wachukue uchumi wa mafuta, nyinyi mtakuwa watumwa milele,” Mr Jirongo had told the congregation.

Sonko who took to the podium later on during the function, slammed Jirongo for what he termed as disrespect to the presidency.

“Jirongo kwa sasa Rais ni Uhuru, upende usipende…na kama ni mambo ya mashamba hata wewe umenyakua mashamba…kwa hivyo kama sisi ni waizi hata wewe ni mwizi nambari moja,” said Sonko.

The Nairobi Senator went on to name the disputed 1000 acre Ruai land that is owned by Mr Jirongo.

A visibly angery Sonko called on government’s critics to do so in a respectable manner and not to resort to insults towards President Kenyatta.

Mr Jirongo is a two time Lugari Constituency legislator and had contested in the 2013 election for the Kakamega senatorial seat. He was defeated by Bonny Khalwale.

Ida Odinga on Monday wrote an emotional tribute to her deceased son Fidel Odinga on a day he would have celebrated his 42nd birthday.

Fidel was found dead in his bed in January by his wife, Lwam Getachew Bekele, after a night of party.

In a special 108 – word tribute posted on her official Twitter handle,  Ida Odinga described the day she gave birth to Fidel as “happiest of her life”.

“Today is the first time we celebrate youth birthday without you being physically present, but you are ably represented by your son Allay who is a mirror image of you and your wife Lwam,” the flowing tribute written in English and Dholuo reads in part.

“Fondly missed by dad, your sisters Rozzy and Winnie, your brother Raila Junior and Yvonne, your nieces Saphie and Senayi, your entire familyand friends. Constantly in our throughts and forever in our prayers. Until we meet again.”

He is one of the most talented and sought-after DJs in Kenya.

But DJ Crème found himself in the eye of a storm on Monday when an explicit video of him having sex with a young woman went viral on social media.

Here are eight things you probably don’t know about him.

1. DJ Crème was born George Njuguna in 1983 in a well off family as he said during a previous interview with the Daily Nation’s Buzz.

2. He scored an A- in high school. DJ Crème was no doubt a smart boy in school. He was index 1 in primary school before capping it with an A- in his KCSE examination.

3. He studied Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the Kabarak University where he graduated with a second class, upper division.

4. He has a wife known as Jenise with two children. They have dated for seven years but are not officially married. They got their first child Jamari ni 2013.

5. DJ Crème started deejaying in 2003 but took it seriously in 2006.

6. In an interview with the Daily Nation two years ago, DJ Crème estimated his worth to be Sh15 million.

7. DJ Crème has survived quite a number of controversies. He had earlier been rumored dating Songbird Avril as well as being Illuminati.

Later on Monday, he appeared to shrug off the latest storm by posting a picture of his wife and children.

8. In 2014, he was accused alongside his compatriot DJ Joe Mfalme of stealing scratch beats from a United States based female DJ.

The two were accused of stealing Los Angeles-based disc jockey DJ Shortee and editing it to replace her name with theirs, and using it as their own intro to one of their mixes.

There was a drama at a night club when a man rescued two women from a lynch mob that was baying for their blood in Makutano town, West Pokot County.

John Kariuki had gone to Sebit Club with two women on Sunday afternoon where they had drinks before he got overly drunk.

Tthe women, Mary Wanjiru and Margret Chebet, reportedly stole Mr Kariuki’s money, mobile phone and ATM cards before trying to sneak out of the pub.

Hawked eyed patrons in the pub who witnessed the theft quickly intercepted the two before they could escape.

“We want to teach these ladies a lesson so that those aiming to do the same should learn from them and never again try the same thing to any other person in whichever pub within Makutano town,” said one of the patrons.

As people gathered at the scene to witness the incident, Mr Kariuki appeared and began throwing insults at the crowd.

“No one should dare touch these ladies, because they have not stolen from any of you but me. I don’t know how that pains you. It’s my property they have stolen and I have never employed any of you to be my watchman, therefore mind your own business ,” shouted Mr. Kariuki as he staggered.

Contractors putting up the papal altar and podiums at University of Nairobi, St Mary’s School and Kangemi Catholic Parish have until November 10 to complete their work.

Cabinet Secretary for Land, Housing and Urban Development Fred Matiangi said once done, the infrastructure will be handed over to the Catholic Church ahead of Pope Francis’ visit on November 25 to 27.

“I am here with other government officers to inspect work progress. We are doing well and hope by November 10 everything will be ready,” said Dr Matiangi at the University of Nairobi grounds on Monday.

He went on: “This visit to these sites is a demonstration that the government is serious and committed to this historic visit.”

The CS added that said even after the pope leaves, the structures will remain for remembrance.

DISCLOSE MONEY SPENT

However, he declined to disclose how much money was set aside for construction of the altar and podiums, but said contributions for the works were coming from Kenyans and other well-wishers.

Another advance team from the Vatican will this week visit to inspect and check on the progress of the preparations.

The Catholic Church has indicated that it will require more than Sh100 million.

Bishop Alfred Rotich, chairman of Popes visit secretariat, Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Kenyans can make their contributions to the Mpesa paybill number 405060 for support towards preparation of the visit and the special papal legacy projects to be initiated.

Each Catholic parish in Kenya is only allowed to send three buses of pilgrims for the main mass on November 26.

According to State House spokesperson Manoah Esipisu, the government and the Catholic Church will provide weekly updates on plans touching the papal visit.

The Pope will arrive on November 25 and will be greeted by a Kenyan family, and received by President Kenyatta and the Archbishop of Nairobi, John Cardinal Njue.

RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE

He will then head to State House for bilateral talks with President Kenyatta before addressing the country.

They will discuss peace, inclusivity and religious tolerance, the fight against poverty and climate change, among others.

On November 26, Pope Francis will have an Inter-Religious meeting at the Nuncio (his representative in Kenya) and then head to the University of Nairobi to celebrate Mass.

He will later address the Catholic community at St Mary’s and members of the diplomatic corps at the UN in Gigiri.

On November 27 he will address the youth at Kasarani Stadium.

A businesswoman whose companies received Sh791 million stolen from the National Youth Service has accused police of falsifying information to have her accounts frozen.

Ms Josephine Kabura Irungu on Monday said her firms: Form Homes Builders Ltd, Reinforced Concrete Technologies Ltd and Roof and All Trading Company Ltd did not steal any money from the NYS.

She said the companies received money for goods delivered.

NO CONSPIRACY

“The payment was purely a commercial transaction after delivery of goods ordered by the NYS. There was no conspiracy between me or my companies and NYS officials to steal as claimed by the investigating officer,” said Ms Irungu.

She accused the Directorate of Criminal Investigations of releasing misleading information to the public, after she was detained for two days. Ms Irungu is fighting to have an order which froze her accounts lifted.

“My side of the story has not been sought and that is a clear breach of my right to a fair hearing,” she said.

She was responding to investigating officer Jeremiah Matipei’s submissions that detailed how NYS documents were forged to transfer Sh791 million to her account before being hurriedly wired to other accounts.

FORGED DOCUMENTS

According to Mr Matipei, the local purchase orders (LPOs) used to transfer the money to Ms Irungu’s accounts were forged, and that the companies and some NYS officials conspired to steal the money meant to develop infrastructure under the Treasury’s Integrated Financial Management System.

He said the payments were made in three tranches where Form Home Builders received Sh218,925,000 in January, Roof and All Trading Ltd got Sh252.3 million in March and Reinforced Concrete Ltd got Sh320,160,000 in the same month.

Ms Irungu, however, denied the claims, saying the LPOs were genuine.

“The LPOs were genuine and duly signed and stamped by the director in charge of finance. The unsigned LPO he provided was not among those used to pay us,” said Ms Irungu.

Her accounts were frozen on October 9 through a court order to allow investigations into the NYS scandal.

Morining commuters using Langata road were stranded on Tuesday morning after Ongata Rongai matatu operators blocked the road to protest police harassment.

The operators said traffic police officers were targeting them for using the Southern by-pass.

The Ongata Rongai matatus often opt to use the Southern by-pass during rush hours to avoid heavy traffic on Langata road. The by-pass is not their designated route.

Only Ongata Rongai matatus were being arrested for using the by-pass, the operators claimed.

They blocked the road from 6.30 a.m. Private motorists were forced to use other roads to reach the city centre.

Stranded passengers pleaded with the traffic officers to let the matatus pass but to no avail.

“We cannot wake up at four to beat the traffic then remain stuck on the road with no actual offence, we are tired,” they said.

The Health ministry has told Kenyans not to panic over a recent report linking red meat to cancer.

“What the (World Health Organisation) report says is nothing new. Maybe the take-home message there would be moderation,”, said Medical Services Director Nicholas Muraguri.

According to the United Nations agency, sausages, ham and other processed meats can also cause cancer.

It placed processed meats in the same category as asbestos, alcohol and tobacco.

Meat forms a big part of the Kenyan diet. It is not only part of home meals but is eaten in large quantities during celebrations, with “nyama choma” being popular.

Ms Gladys Mugambi, the head of the Nutrition and Dietetics Unit in the Health ministry, said that there is no cause for alarm as the study merely reiterated the message that has been preached by most nutritional experts on moderation.

“Many worried people have been calling me, asking what they should eat,” she said.

A look at reactions to the report on the social media showed that although there is fear among the public, many individuals said they will reduce the quantity of meat they eat.

A Facebook user, Isaiah Eads, posted: “I am not going to stop eating red meat, perhaps moderate. I will cut on all those processed stuff but these are unnecessary hysteria, will human beings feed on grass?”

Another wrote: “I would rather live for a week while eating delicious red meat than live to 90 while eating vegetables like a goat”.

Collins Baswony said: “I’ll eat red meat, smoked meat in my sandwiches, bacon and sausages for breakfast.

“I will exercise, and laugh a lot. Maybe have a glass of wine every now and then.”

Chinese investors have temporarily stopped the planned construction of a world class Sh200 billion business hub in Athi River, claiming they are being targeted by fraudsters.

The entrepreneurs have also halted another major project on Muringa Road that would have seen the construction of 47 multistorey apartments on 2.23 acres.

The Kenya China Economic Zone Investment Development Company, comprising several Chinese and Kenyan businessmen was set for ground-breaking this year, but that was postponed following increased cases of land fraud targeting Chinese investors.

The firm had acquired land in Athi River, Machakos County, to build several storey buildings, including an industrial park for the assembly of Chinese products in Kenya, a show ground, a major information centre, a stadium, a school and an exhibition centre.

CHINESE INVESTORS TARGETED

“We have been forced to stop the project due to increasing cases of fraud targeted at Chinese investors by local and international con men,” said Prof Guo Dong, the architect of the Athi River project.

Prof Guo said that although land had been acquired, Chinese investors who were to fund the project had developed cold feet due to high level of fraud involved in land deals in Kenya.

Up to three or four Chinese companies are embroiled in battles to salvage fortunes spent in savoury land deals that have gone awry.

Businessman Li Wen Jie, who is still living in Kenya, is facing a number of fraud cases involving fishy land buying deals after his attempts to connect Chinese real estate investors to land vendors in Kenya turned nasty.

Another mega real estate investment plan launched by suspended Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu in Kilimani area has also been stopped after fraud related cases involving the acquisition emerged.

Catham, a Chinese company, paid Sh200 million for the Muringa Road land, only for two firms to emerge after the ground breaking ceremony, claiming the same land.

FORGERY

Samvo Ltd, a company associated with Sarova Group of Hotels and Delta Haulage Services Ltd are in court claiming ownership of the land sold to Catham by businessmen Christopher Mugonye Wamae and Alexander Kungu Maina in 2013.

It is after the cases were filed that it emerged that acts of forgery to defraud the Chinese investors may have been committed during the transaction.

Several forged bank statements and other government documentation have been presented to court accusing Mr Li of conspiring with some Kenyans to defraud the Chinese investors.

Mr Li, who co-owned Catham with Prof Guo, has attempted to eject his former partner, who owned 850 shares, from a Sh250 million company, leading to a protracted court battle that has seen bank accounts frozen as the two fight for the control of the company.

Two minors at a Kayole-based children’s home say the institution’s director allegedly cohabited with one of their colleagues, a Form Three girl, for many months until July this year when members of the community reported him to the police.

They also say a Standard Six girl had to flee from the home in March after the director’s brother summoned her to his room one Saturday morning and stayed with her behind a closed door for more than two hours.

“As she left the house, we asked her what was wrong. She said that [name withheld] had given her Sh50. We asked her what he had done to her and she started crying, saying she was leaving,” one of the minors told Nairobi News.

Welcome to the House of Peace Children’s Home, an institution whose story puts to question the implementation of laws currently in place to protect children living in charitable institutions.

Currently hosting 25 minors, House of Peace is, according to the two children who spoke separately to the Nairobi News, a place no child would wish to be in if they had an alternative.

ADMINISTRATOR’S HOUSE

They said some of their colleagues have had it so rough that they have had to walk out to the unknown, citing the example of the girl who was holed up at the administrator’s house for more than two hours under the guise of “folding clothes”.

The most recent child to quit the institution, we were told, left last Sunday after being flogged more than 50 times with a plastic pipe. Reason? He was accused of stealing a memory card.

“He (the director) has a pipe with which he beats up people,” said a girl at the facility.

A woman who has been a volunteer at the institution, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, had a curious observation about the disciplining methods employed by the home’s director, identified as Duncan Odhiambo.

“Sometimes he can come and say he is not in good moods…then he starts beating up children; both boys and girls. Once he beats up the kids, they don’t eat — all in the name of punishment. You can get kids spending the whole night washing the building or doing something else. They are not given food. A child will go to school without eating anything,” she said.

Mr Odhiambo promised to give his side of the story last Thursday morning. However, we could not make any further contact with him as he has disabled incoming calls to his line from around 11 a.m on the material day. He was still offline by the time of going to press.

COHABITING WITH GIRL

He is accused of cohabiting with a girl who was later transferred to another childcare facility. According to locals, he separated her from the rest of the girls in the facility and lived with her as man and wife even as she attended studies.

Mrs Lucy Mugo, the principal of Kayole South Secondary School where the girl was studying before she was transferred, said the girl confided in her that she had indeed slept with Mr Odhiambo on numerous occasions.

The girl, however, refused to be examined by a government doctor.

According to Ms Kellen Karanu, the national director of children’s services, the Nairobi County children’s office is aware of the alleged defilement but nothing much can be done as the girl refused to report the matter officially.

Ms Karanu told Nairobi News that she was still gathering information on the children’s home and that she would have a complete report later.

Another issue raised about the facility are that it lacks a board of directors to oversee its operations in accordance with a best practice document released in 2013 by the government and the United Nations Children’s Education Fund.

FOUNDER DEAD

We have gathered that it was founded by a Mrs Eunice Akinyi who died in 2010. After her death, her sons took over its operations. Mr Odhiambo, the current director, is 25 years old and he is Mrs Akinyi’s fifth born, according to an insider.

Those around House of Peace also question why the building housing the children has no demarcations to separate boys’ and girls’ sleeping areas. The 13 boys inside sleep on the ground floor while 12 girls sleep on the first floor.

“How can you put young girls and boys together for a whole night?” asked a woman who asked not to be named.

Other concerns are that the facility is not connected to the electricity grid and that children are not allowed to communicate freely with their friends.

According to Ms Karanu, the children’s services director, Nairobi county officials had ordered the home to be closed in August after inspection revealed that it was not fit to be registered.

“The owners were given a notice to close it and there were plans to reunite children at the facility with their parents or guardians or look for alternative homes. The officials do not know if the home had complied with the set standards,” Ms Karanu told the Nairobi News by phone.

According to regulations governing charitable children’s institutions, which were gazetted in 2005 and which are anchored in the Children’s Act, it is a crime to subject housed children to corporal punishment.

The regulations also say children should have an ample room for studies and not restrict contact with parents, guardians or friends.

Muddy and potholed roads are what awaits Pope Francis in Kangemi where he is expected to hold a mass in 22 days.

Two murram roads to be used by the Pope during his Kangemi visit are yet to be repaired because of squabbles between City and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) on who should foot the bill.

Hiaga road and Thiong`o road in Kangemi ward are an eyesore even to the area’s residents.

Pope Francis is scheduled to hold a mass at the Kangemi Catholic Parish Church that is expected to draw thousands of Catholic believers.

The Catholic Church has indicated that it will require more than Sh100 million for the Pope’s visit. The money is to be spent for the preparation of the visit and special papal legacy projects.

Kangemi Member of County Assembly Peter Isuha narrated to Nairobi News how he has been tossed from one office to another in his efforts to get the two roads repaired.

“I have been to the Governor`s office, he told me that I should go to Kura because the road is under them and they cannot duplicate roles,” said Mr Isuha

Mr Isuha said a part of Thiong`o road which leads to the parish is under City Hall, but a contractor who was given the tender is yet to commence the repair work.

The Father in charge of Kangemi Parish Pascal Mwijage also confirmed that no repair work had been done on the road despite the few days remaining to the Pope’s visit.

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru is in a spot after fresh revelations that her ministry could have lost up to Sh11 billion due to inflated costs.

The expenses were discovered Tuesday as the Parliamentary Accounts Committee scrutinized the ministry’s thick file of replies to the queries raised in the Auditor-General’s report on the government’s accounts for the 2013/2014 financial year.

The Auditor-General had queried the ministry’s failure to spend the Sh11 billion it had budgeted for in the 2013/2014 financial year.

It had spent Sh8 billion but had not provided payment vouchers and a register of assets.

Here are some of the curious spends by the ministry:

1. Supply and installation of a touch screen in her office at a cost of Sh1.798 million.

2. Computers, a printer, telephone headsets and a water dispenser at a combined cost of Sh1.4 million.

3. Huduma Kenya Secretariat paid Sh174,000 for 20 blue, fine-tipped ball point pens, meaning each was bought at Sh8,700.

4. Bought a photocopier machine at Sh1.4 million.

5. 45 external hard disks at Sh11,102 each.

6. A laptop bought for Sh206,000.

7. 18 tailor-made clear male and female condom dispensers at Sh25,000 each.

8. Corel Draw software for Sh3.4 million.

9. A computer and personal laptop for Sh1.1 million.

10. Carpets at Sh3.8 million.

11. Anti-virus software that can be bought at Sh75,000 in the open market but supplied to the ministry at Sh973,780

12. Adobe In Design CS6 software at Sh1.9 million while it can be bought at Sh160,000.

13. The directorate also bought a Yamaha Piano for office use at Sh235,500.

14. In one case, the ministry bought one shredder for Sh64,750 and on the same day bought three others for Sh930,000, meaning it paid more than four times the cost of one for the second lot.

15. In November 2013, the Huduma Kenya Secretariat paid Sh242,500 for 100 4GB flash disks, meaning it paid Sh2,425 for a flash disk that ordinarily costs Sh500 on the open market.

Crucial evidence relating to the mysterious death of university student Mercy Keino was tampered with at a police station, a Nairobi court was told on Tuesday.

In light of the new twist in the case, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Keriako Tobiko, now wants an inquest to establish the circumstances under which the student died reopened, said prosecutor Moses Omirera.

The prosecutor was referring to a compact disk that was part of a CCTV capture of the events that unfolded at Wasini Apartments on the night that Ms Keino died, but which cannot be traced.

However, before the inquest can be reopened, the application will have to be canvassed before the magistrate who handled the inquest, Mr Peter Ndwiga, who has since been transferred from Nairobi.

Chief magistrate Daniel Ogembo on Tuesday granted an order to recall the magistrate on December 11 to determine the DPP’s application.

The hearing of the inquest into the death of the University of Nairobi student had been concluded and was just awaiting a ruling.

“I had told the court that an exhibit had been interfered with. We request your honour to direct that the magistrate comes back for necessary orders regarding reopening of this inquest,” Mr Omirera said.

KABOGO’S PARTY

Ms Keino’s disfigured body was found on Waiyaki Way, Nairobi, two years ago, hours after she attended a party hosted by Mr William Kabogo — now the Kiambu governor — at the Wasini Luxury Suites.

Several witnesses testified during the inquest, among them Mr Kabogo, then an MP.

Mr Kabogo was alleged to have slapped Ms Keino before she stormed out of the party and was later found dead.

In his testimony, Mr Kabogo denied assaulting Ms Keino, saying he did not understand why some witnesses had made the allegation. He said bringing up his name in the case was politically motivated.

Mr Kabogo said although he got annoyed at Ms Keino’s misbehaviour after she became drunk, he did not assault her and only held her on the shoulders before asking her friend to take her away.

The chief government pathologist, Dr Johansen Oduor, who conducted a postmortem examination on the body, testified that it was difficult to determine what killed Ms Keino because of the multiple fractures she had suffered.

AUTOPSY

According to him, the autopsy could not ascertain whether Ms Keino was killed elsewhere and her body dumped on the road or whether she was hit and run over by a vehicle.

The DPP had ordered a public inquest after police investigations failed to establish the truth behind her mysterious death.

In subsequent hearings, CCTV captures of the events at Wasini were presented in court before the prosecutor protested that the investigating officer was playing the wrong CDs.

In one of the CDs, two men are seen dragging an unidentified woman up a flight of stairs as she attempts to kick away to free herself but then suddenly blurs out.

Mr Cliff Ombeta, a lawyer who has been representing parties adversely mentioned in the inquest, on Tuesday objected to Mr Omirera’s application to reopen the inquest.

He said that “if evidence was interfered with at a police station”, it had nothing to do with his clients.

Mr Omirera presented a court order issued on July 9 before the presiding magistrate where parties had agreed on consent that the officer in charge of Cyber Crime Unit at DCI headquarters “do examine the hard disk marked as exhibit 5 and confirm its authenticity following which he is to make four copies of the CD and prepare a certificate.”

The order was to be complied with by August 7.

Thirty witnesses, five of whom will give their evidence in camera, have been lined up to testify against televangelist James Ng’an’ga, in a case in which he is charged with causing death by careless driving.

Five of the witness are under the witness protection programme and will give their evidence at the Limuru Law Courts in camera on Wednesday after the case started Tuesday.

The prosecution, led by State counsel Alloys Kemo and Catherine Mwaniki, obtained an order from the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, authorising concealment of the identity of the five witnesses.

Pastor Ng’ang’a of the Neno Evangelism Centre, has been charged alongside three others over the death of Ms Mercy Njeri, who died at Manguo on July 26 after her car was hit by a Range Rover.

The deceased’s husband, Mr Martin Mbugua Ndung’u, survived with multiple injuries.

The preacher has denied the charges and is out on a Sh1 million bond.

COVER-UP

Pastor Ng’ang’a’s co-accused, police officers Christopher Nzilu and Patrick Baya, and Mr Simon Kuria, who is accused of aiding an attempted cover-up, were freed on a Sh100,000 bond each or a cash bail of Sh50,000 each.

Mr Baya, the Tigoni traffic police commandant, and Mr Nzilu of the Kenya Police Air Wing, were charged with neglecting duty on July 26 by failing to conduct proper investigations into the accident.

The latter was further accused of concealing the identity and whereabouts of Pastor Ng’ang’a, whom he knew was driving the vehicle.

Mr Kuria has been charged with covering up for the pastor, but he denied conspiring to defeat justice and giving false information.

On Tuesday, a government pathologist, Dr Peter Ndegwa, who conducted an autopsy on Ms Njeri’s body on July 30 took to the stand to give his evidence.

MULTIPLE ORGAN INJURIES

Dr Ndegwa said he found out that Ms Njeri died from multiple organ injuries that were consistent with a motor vehicle accident.

She suffered injuries on the left shoulder, face and chest. She also fractured both thigh bones and a dislocation of the left knee joint, said the pathologist.

Ms Njeri also had internal bruises on the chest wall, right lung, right side of the chest and her liver had raptured as a result of the impact.

Earlier, Limuru Senior Principal Magistrate Godfrey Oduor had declined an application by Pastor N’gan’ga and Mr Nzilu to have the matter adjourned since all the lawyers were not present.

Through his lawyer, Mr Assa Nyakundi, Pastor N’gan’ga said he preferred his two advocates to be present in the court but one of them, Mr Kioko Kilukumi, was engaged in another case in the High Court.

But Mr Kemo opposed the application, arguing that Mr Nyakundi was able to handle the matter even in the absence of Mr Kilukumi, since, apart from being conversant with the matter since its inception, he was senior to Mr Kilukumi.

The hearing continues Wednesday.

Devolution and Planning Secretary Anne Waiguru has denied claims of having a touchscreen television worth Sh1.8 million among a litany of inflated fittings in her Harambee House office.

In a statement on her Facebook account, Ms Waiguru also said she does not have an office piano as claimed by documents presented to Parliament.

“For the record I have no such TV screen or piano in my office,” said Ms Waiguru on Wednesday morning.

The Devolution Secretary instead wants accounting officers in her ministry to be held to account for the extravagant procurement and purchase revealed to MPs on Tuesday.

“Both by law and in practice, I do not procure. I do not purchase anything for the ministry. I don’t sign or negotiate contracts. Where instances of possible malpractice has been brought to my attention I have called in investigative authorities,” Ms Waiguru said in her statement.

UNWARRANTED ATTACKS

“At no point has any investigation either by EACC (Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission)), CID (Criminal Investigation Department) or any other body pointed to my personal engagement with corrupt deals. Yet the vicious unwarranted attacks continue.”

The Devolution Secretary also made a sensational attack at the Kenyan media, claiming that similar wastage and theft of public funds in other ministries had not been ‘personalized’ on the respective Cabinet Secretaries.

“It’s amazing that whereas there are similar and more serious allegations of misuse of funds in many government departments there is never the personalized level of attack on CSs that has been directed at me.

“Surely this is no longer about the fight against corruption. It’s calculated evil, vindictive and ill intentioned. It’s an unfortunate distraction from the work the Ministry has been doing in the last two years,” she said.

The statement was also posted on her verified Twitter account.

EXTRAVAGANCE

Here are some of the curious spends by the Devolution Ministry:

1. Supply and installation of a touch screen in her office at a cost of Sh1.798 million.

2. Computers, a printer, telephone headsets and a water dispenser at a combined cost of Sh1.4 million.

3. Huduma Kenya Secretariat paid Sh174,000 for 20 blue, fine-tipped ball point pens, meaning each was bought at Sh8,700.

4. Bought a photocopier machine at Sh1.4 million.

5. 45 external hard disks at Sh11,102 each.

6. A laptop bought for Sh206,000.

7. 18 tailor-made clear male and female condom dispensers at Sh25,000 each.

8. Corel Draw software for Sh3.4 million.

9. A computer and personal laptop for Sh1.1 million.

10. Carpets at Sh3.8 million.

11. Anti-virus software that can be bought at Sh75,000 in the open market but supplied to the ministry at Sh973,780

12. Adobe In Design CS6 software at Sh1.9 million while it can be bought at Sh160,000.

13. The directorate also bought a Yamaha Piano for office use at Sh235,500.

14. In one case, the ministry bought one shredder for Sh64,750 and on the same day bought three others for Sh930,000, meaning it paid more than four times the cost of one for the second lot.

15. In November 2013, the Huduma Kenya Secretariat paid Sh242,500 for 100 4GB flash disks, meaning it paid Sh2,425 for a flash disk that ordinarily costs Sh500 on the open market.

Detectives from Kasarani division on Wednesday arrested the Unep employee who is accused of clobbering his ex-lover leading to her hospitalization.

Alphonse Kambu was arrested by officers in the morning while driving within Garden Estate and taken to Kasarani Police Station.

Kasarani DCIO Valerie Obore told Nairobi News on phone that Mr Kambu will be arraigned in court on Thursday morning.

“The suspect will be arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts for assault charges,” said Mr Obore.

ON THE RUN

Mr Kambu, a Papua New Guinea citizen, had been on the run since October 18 after he attacked Ruth Gakii at her house along Kamiti Road.

He reportedly assaulted Ms Gakii after dropping their son home while intoxicated and demanded for food.

The two had separated in 2012 after the birth of their son and an earlier court ruling had awarded the mother of the child custody.

Ms Gakii was admitted at Nairobi Women’s Hospital after the attack and had also reported the matter at Kiamumbi Police Station.

Ms Gakii has since been discharged from the hospital but is yet to trace her three-year-old son who was reportedly picked up by Mr Kambu from her house after she was hospitalised.

NO DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY

Unep had in a statement stated that it would cooperate with the Kenyan police because Mr Kambu is not entitled to diplomatic immunity because he had acted out of official duty.

The UN body, in an email conversation with Nairobi News, acknowledged that Mr Kambu is a legal officer in the Division of Environmental Law and Conventions.

“United Nations staff members enjoy immunity from legal process only in respect of words spoken or written, and of acts performed by them in their official capacity.

“Without prejudice to the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations and its staff members, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect local laws,” read the statement from Unep.

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) employees were temporarily evacuated from their offices at Times Tower after two gas cylinders exploded on Wednesday morning.

The cause of the explosions has not yet been established.

The authority’s laboratory is located on fourth floor where the gas cylinders exploded.

KRA security personnel have confirmed the incident.

Operations in the building, the tallest in East and Central Africa, were briefly disrupted as scarred employees scampred for safety.

The employees afterwards refused to use the lifts opted for the stairs.

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A bridegroom committed suicide last weekend after discovering that he was HIV positive and could not marry the love of his life.

The 28-year old man from Kalkacha village in the outskirts of Hola town, Tana River County, disappeared from home last Friday, the day of his wedding, and his body was found hanging from a tree branch two days later.

Relatives said the young man had been forced by his prospective parents in-law to go for the HIV test as a prerequisite for their consent to the marriage.

They blamed a local medical institution for the death, claiming that personnel at the facility did not handle the medical results professionally.

The young man, on learning that his HIV status had been leaked, disappeared from home on the day of the wedding, forcing relatives to stop the ceremony to look for him.

And on Sunday afternoon, the young man’s body was found dangling from the branch of a tree in a thicket off the Hola-Wayu road.

Tana River police boss Sylvester Githungo confirmed the incident and said investigations have been launched.

Machakos County Governor Alfred Mutua has declared war on graft in his county by inviting the anti-corruption commission to conduct a lifestyle audit on all county government staff.

“The fight against corruption must be accompanied by accountability that starts from the very top,” the Governor said in a statement on his Facebook account.

“I have volunteered information of my wealth, my assets and bank account details, to the responsible commission for use in a lifestyle audit.

“I have volunteered this information because I want to lead from the front and to show that in my time as Governor, I have not acquired any new, unexplained wealth. I have, as expected, been a protector of tax payers money and have lived within my means, ” said Governor Mutua.

The Governor also announced the creation an anti-corruption and evaluation unit in his office and the appointment of Mr Hyslop Ipu as his anti-corruption and ethics advisor.

Mr Ipu is a former comptroller of State House, Cabinet office’s Principal Administration Secretary and Permanent Secretary in several ministries.

Fresh details have emerged on how staff at the devolution ministry bought sex toys among other extravagant purchases in the unfolding saga of wasteful spending at the ministry.

Details of the purchase of sex toys are indicated in documents submitted to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday by Devolution Principal Secretary.

The documents show that staff at the ministry bought male penile vibration at a cost of Sh 2,400. They also bought female venial vibration at a cost of Sh3, 800.

The purchases were made in June 2014.

This is on top of male condom dispensers, bought at Sh57, 500, and female condom dispensers, bought at Sh60, 500 respectively.

PAC chairman and Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo confirmed to Nation FM on Wednesday morning that the committee had indeed received the documents showing purchase of the sex toys.

The documents were however not among those distributed to journalists.