The battle for Jubilee Party leadership at Nairobi County Assembly is now headed to the party’s top leadership for resolution, as neither of the warring factions is willing to back down.

This comes after reinstated Majority Leader Abdi Guyo said that they will now take the matter to the party’s Secretariat for determination.

LEADERSHIP

The move comes after Speaker Beatrice Elachi once again failed to communicate the change of leadership of the majority side during assembly’s sitting on Tuesday.

The Speaker insisted that she will need to review a May 28, 2020 letter by Secretary General Raphael Tuju communicating the changes before taking the next step.

She maintained that the current leadership will remain in office until such a time that she is satisfied that the due process was followed even though she confirmed receiving the letter from the Jubilee Party affirming the change in leadership.

However, giving her ruling at the end of the plenary sitting on Tuesday, Elachi said that the interim leadership will remain until a time Jubilee Party will review the issue with the party leader.

“Jubilee party has to sit down with the party leader to deal with this matter. Before that, this House remains with the same leadership and I will write to Jubilee and we shall deal with that matter next week,” Elachi ruled.

The ruling party had made changes to its leadership at the assembly on April 16, 2020 replacing an interim party leadership who had taken charge in November 12, 2019 after an acrimonious fallout following the return of Speaker Elachi to office in October.

REINSTATED

However, Ms Elachi insisted that she will only communicate the new leadership after getting a formal communication from the secretary general addressed to her office.

In the changes, Mr Guyo was reinstated as the Majority Leader taking over from Dandora Area 3 MCA Charles Thuo, who had been holding the position since November last year.

Mihang’o Ward MCA Paul Kados was appointed the new majority whip replacing nominated MCA June Ndegwa. Mr Guyo will now be deputised by Dandora Area 1 MCA Peter Wanyoike while Mr Kados will be deputised by South B MCA Waithera Chege.

The changes have, however, been contested by the interim leadership led by Mr Thuo and Ms Ndegwa saying that they were effected without proper consultation.

But the new leadership led by Mr Guyo have said that they will now raise the matter with Jubilee’s top leadership led by party leader Uhuru Kenyatta for a final determination.

COMMUNICATION

“We will follow this matter with the party leader and party Secretariat and we are sure that within the course of the week the matter will be solved,” said Mr Guyo.

“The speaker is also a member of Jubilee and we are the ones who elected her into the position. We will not resort to chaos as we have party mechanisms to deal with such matters,” he added.

On his part, Mr Kados expressed his astonishment at the speaker’s refusal to communicate the changes which he said contravenes the Constitution, the County Governments Act and the Standing Orders of the Nairobi County Assembly.

“We were shocked to see Speaker Elachi not adhering to the law pushing us to engage in chaos but we could not do that as we respect the law,” said the Mihang’o Ward MCA.

“She has a communication from the party on the changes on majority leadership changes but to our surprise, she said that unless our party leader communicates to her she does not recognise any other leadership.”

A city entertainment joint has been forced to close after being put on the spot for breaking the Covid-19 guidelines put by the government.

Club 1824 posted on their Instagram page that it was now closed for renovations.

A video of revellers enjoying themselves at the popular joint has been shared widely on social media.

In the video, revellers are seen having fun freely without any social distancing.

The Ministry of Health had outlined measures to help contain the rapid spread of Covid-19 after it was first reported in the country in March this year.

These include wearing of facemasks at all times while in a public place, washing hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based sanitiser as well as social distancing.

In addition, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew and restriction of movement in Nairobi and four other counties.

This was meant to stop human interactions at night and also stop infected people from exporting the deadly disease to other counties.

Bars and eateries were also closed. However, eateries were allowed to reopen under strict adherence to the social distancing rules.

Bars and entertainment joints, however, remain closed.

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A post shared by MDCCCXXIV (@1824club) on Jun 4, 2020 at 1:12am PDT

A mentally challenged man from Gatituni village in Chuka, Tharaka-Nithi County has shocked many after surviving in a 60-foot well for 13 days without food.

Mr Royford Mugambi, 42, was retrieved from the well Wednesday evening.

Diplomat-turned-musician Gilad Millo dropped his newest track titled Mawingu in mid-May to a warming reception from his fans who were yet to hear anything from him for the better part of this year.

The song is a sweet love ballad of a guy sitting alone at home waiting for the return of his girl.

HEAD OVER HEELS

He has prepared a delicious meal and has the dinning table laid out for his woman, she is nowhere to be sen.

The new song is the 20th track Gilad has released since he ventured into singing Swahili, much better than most indigenous Kenyan artistes.

The video, which was shot in a well decorated home, shows Gilad portraying the image of a young man who is head over heels.

The song speaks to every single boy/girl who is at home alone and their partner is far away due to the curfew and lockdown.

Speaking during a recent live TV interview, Gilad recalled that the last time he was on stage performing infront of a big crowd was back in January.

“What I miss most is feeling the energy from the crowd while performing on stage and I hope soon I get to perform infront of our fans,” he said.

He said staying indoors recently due to the global coronavirus pandemic has inspired him to write new songs.

“Being cooked up in the house for the past few months has brought out my creativity and I have some new tracks. I have also been doing abit of farming and both have been keeping me busy,” he said.

FANS’ REACTION

The new song Mawingu, which barely a month old, already has more than 110,000 views and has been drawing some positive vibe from Gilad’s fans on social media.

“Niko single lakini huu wimbo unafanya mtu atamani baby acome home… kwanza pa kutamani kuskia ukibisha,” commented @Wenani.

“This is sooo deep. Had missed you Gilad. This makes me wanna call my ex. But my ego is still alive,” said @Marcy Rommy.

“Beautiful song!!! Soul soothing… I don’t understand Swahili but I can tell that this song is amazing!!!! The tune is lit, the vocal is on point… From Nigeria ,” @Omoseyindemi Omowunmi commented.

Kenya on Thursday confirmed 124 positive coronavirus cases on Thursday, pushing the total tally to 2,340.

The 124 cases were realised from 2,640 samples tested by the government in the past 24-hours.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe also confirmed that the government had discharged 39 more patients from the hospital.

Three additional deaths were also reported on Wednesday.

Some 119 of the positive cases were Kenyan, with Mombasa and Nairobi respectively, leading the tally of infections with 40 and 38.

“The government will be rolling out a home-based crew because our hospitals are almost at full capacity. Over 80-percent of patients are asymptomatic and can be managed from home. A lot of people will be released and taken care of at home,” said Kagwe.

The CS also warned truck drivers ferrying cargo out of the country of bribing medical authorities in order to be cleared to travel without undergoing the mandatory testing.

People escaping away from quarantine facilities will have their pictures and details published in local newspapers to alert the public, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe has warned.

CS Kagwe on Thursday at Afya House said that Kenyans should stop being irresponsible and undermining the government’s efforts in trying to contain the disease.

He said they had noted that some individuals put under house quarantine have resorted to devious means to try and dupe the authorities.

CS Kagwe says the ministry was aware of a particular case where an individual whose movements are being traced decided to leave the phone at Kawangware and travelled to and from Thika town.

“When you put your phone down, we even have somebody who went with the phone and because they know we are tracing them leaves the phone somewhere,” Mr Kagwe said.

“Travels from Kawangware goes all the way towards Thika comes back from Thika, the friends are all telling us this is where this guy is. At some point when we get to the point where we know that some people are running away and they are out there.”

“There is nothing to stop the Ministry of Health from publishing photographs in the newspaper and telling them these persons have run away from a quarantine facility and if you see them please call the police or call us,” he added.

Six individuals in Turkana also ran away from a quarantine facility but had been found.

“We have six of them who run away from Turkana, a person who have been found positive for Covid-19 in a facility. Fortunately, we have been able to track them down,” explained CS Kagwe.

“But you can see the kind of irresponsibility I am talking about. I think Kenyans must not agree that this be done, if you see a stranger and if you know a person is supposed to be in a quarantine facility then ensure that the right thing is done.”

Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has temporarily won a case in which he had sought to compel the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to hand him back his two pistols and a Range Rover vehicle.

The items have been in police custody since February and Echesa recently moved to the court indicating that he feared to contract the coronavirus by travelling in public means while police continue to detain his car.

On Thursday, Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot granted Echesa his wish, noting that the firearms are not related to the charges he is facing.

“I find that and hold the applicant is entitled to possess the firearm and to also enjoy this motor vehicle,” he ruled.

Echesa is facing fraud-related charges over alleged involvement in an Sh40 billion military equipment fraud case.

The government on Thursday announced that it was developing a protocol to guide safe home care for Covid-19 patients and their contacts.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said that the government was moving to decongest hospitals and prevent them from being overwhelmed.

He added that the disease has stretched the limits of the country.

“Mbagathi and Kenyatta University hospitals are reaching full capacity. Many of the confirmed cases are asymptomatic and can be managed from home,” the CS said.

With this, he said the government was looking at sending some Covid-19 patients home, noting that over 80 per cent of patients in hospitals are asymptomatic.

“A lot of people in isolation facilities may be released to be taken care of in their homes. The Ministry has completed the process of home-based care protocols. I appeal to Kenyans, that when we release the protocols and we see people coming home, there is no need for stigmatization,” he said.

According to the CS, the country is not yet out of the woods and the fight against this disease has proven that it is a marathon and not a sprint.

“Let the families also take responsibility,” he said.

This he says is the only way that we can cope with what to expect in the future.

The home-based care which will be launched by the CS has been advocated by World Health Organisation to ease health systems.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has expressed his astonishment after a number of employees at his ministry refused to be transferred to other departments.

The transfers were effected recently by the CS. He now says that having worked at different institutions in the past, he found the behaviour at Afya House surprising.

“On the issue of Afya House restructure, every employee has got a contract of employment that spells out very carefully that under these conditions this is where you will work. Most contracts will spell out you can be transferred here or there, you will retire at a particular age,” CS Kagwe said.

“I have been around for a long time, and I have honestly not been at any institution where people refuse to be transferred. I have never seen it anywhere else, I don’t even believe that there is any other ministry in this republic that encounters situations where individuals sitting in very interesting positions.”

Some had to be physically removed by force from the positions they previously held.

In addition, retirement has also become a thorny issue. CS Kagwe says individuals who reach the retirement age of 60 also show some resistance when it is time for them to leave.

“Others refuse to move from that position until you physically send somebody to physically assist them out. It is a very interesting situation.”

“One would imagine that when you get to the age of 60 you are looking forward to retirement and you go home. This is the only place where I know people get to 60 and instead of wanting to go home….. You know if we need you if you are sixty and we need your services we will contact you. I think the person who can determine whether your services are required or not is your employer, you cannot yourself go and tell your employer that under no circumstance I am retiring.”

Since he took charge at the ministry, CS Kagwe has been on a mission to weed out what he calls “mafia” at the Ministry.

“The issue of restructuring is an ongoing process, reforms happen in all sectors. And we will continue to restructure and I can assure you that there shall be no resistance that can stop the restructure of this ministry,” Mr Kagwe said.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts on Thursday rescinded a decision it had made last month to fire all employees a week after the government demanded an explanation over the same.

The hotel group, in a statement, said the owners of the hotels were committed towards the health, safety and wellbeing of the employees.

The hotelier said it had withdrawn the retrenchment memo circulated to staff on May 27, following a consultative meeting held with the Workers Committee Management and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospital and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) on Wednesday.

“We would like to reiterate that the owners, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and subsequently Accor Hotels are very committed towards the health, safety and wellbeing of the employees,” read part of the new memo.

“To this end, the Management has withdrawn the said memo as we continue with consultative meetings with all stakeholders until an agreement is reached.”

Last month, the hotel announced that it had closed its doors indefinitely adding that it had not been able to pay salaries to employees following the effects of Covid-19 in the country.

The management then resolved to close down after it was apparent that they could still not fulfill a payment deal reached with its employees.

“Due to the uncertainty of when and how the impact of the global pandemic will result in the business picking up soon, we are left with no option but to close down the business indefinitely,” said Mehdi Morad, Country General Manager Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

A day later, Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto, from the AG’s office demanded a response on the matter saying it is “of profound public interest” to justify its decision to sack all employees of its Norfolk and Mara Safari Club establishments.

AFC Leopards coach Anthony “Modo” Kimani has paid glowing tribute to the team’s midfielder Austin Ochieng.

According to Kimani, Ochieng, who joined Ingwe from the youth side, has what it takes to become a great midfielder, not just at the club level but for the national team as well.

“He is a special talent and he has shown what he is capable of already. He is young and therefore has age on his side to work hard and become a club legend,” Kimani said.

“He has the potential to also to become an important player for the national team in the near future and my hope is he will keep his head up and keep pushing.”

Kimani, who is one of the youngest coaches in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL), says he is eager to guide AFC Leopards back to the glory days.

“We have done well so far and I think we are on a good path before coronavirus halted the league. I did not win many trophies as a player and this is something I am very eager to rectify by winning trophies as a coach,” he added.

“The target is to win as many matches as possible next season and hopefully win the title. It has been a while and I know the fans really want it. I urge them to keep supporting us.”

Kimani took over as the club’s head coach following the exit of Andre Casa Mbungo late last year.

Former Harambee Stars coach Sebastien Migne has been shown the door by Equatorial Guinea.

The Frenchman took up the role to manage the Equatorial Guinea National team in November 2019 after parting ways with Kenya but has found the going tough after failing to win in AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania and Tunisia.

The Equatorial Guinea Football Federation has now announced his contract, which is due to expire at the end of the month will not be renewed.

Equatorial Guinea Football Federation has decided that they will NOT be renewing the contract of Sébastien Migne which is due to expire this month.

Migne was appointed on 8th Nov. 2019 having failed to win his first two 2021 #AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania & Tunisia. pic.twitter.com/9w4GrybSDh

— African Football HQ (@AfricanFtblHQ) June 4, 2020

Migne, who is still receiving compensation from Football Kenya Federation (FKF) following his dismissal, had earlier last month threatened to sue FKF due to a delay in payment.

He is currently holed up in France due to coronavirus which means he is unable to travel.

His immediate family (wife and kids) still reside in Kenya.

Kenyan rapper Hubert Nakitare popularly known as Nonini has revealed how he missed out on several endorsement deals and ironically a condom one, as a result of his controversial hit songs back in the days.

About a decade ago, Nonini took the Kenyan music scene by storm thanks to his vulgar hit songs such as Manzi wa Nairobi and Wee Kamu, among others.

The hits songs courted controversies just as Gengetone music is currently doing, leading to him being branded as the bad boy of the Kenyan music scene then.

But despite the songs raising his popularity, Nonini reveals that they denied him many lucrative endorsement deals.

Clearing the Airwaves

Speaking to Clearing the Airwaves, the godfather of genge, notes that his peers in the game at the time including Nameless, Redsan and Ogopa Deejays kept bagging endorsement deals but none ever came his way despite his music quite popular.

“Kina Nameless walikuwa wanapata ma-endorsments, kina Redsan, kina Ogopa, guys were doing shows for Redbull, Trust condom, watu wanawekwa kwa ma billboards. Although I had hits, biggest hits in this country, I never got any endorsement, nothing. Because the people who were seating in the board rooms back then walikuwa wanasema zii, huyu jamaa ni controversial hatuwezi muweka kwa any of our brands,” Nonini recounts.

The former Performers Rights Society Of Kenya (PRISK) Chairman, says he realised much later that the cause of this was his controversial music.

“I came to realise that baadaye. Kwa hii time yote tuko na kina Clemo so we are realising mbona hatupati maendorsement? Mashow napiga, ground iko sawa, tour ndo hizo ziko scheduled kupiga USA, Australia wapi wapi lakini endorsement zii. Tukiangalia endorsements ni ma artistes wengine wanapiga,” Nonini added.

The rapper says he decided to open up so that the younger generation of musicians could learn from his mistakes.

Some of the new artistes singing gengetone have been accused of glorifying rape and underage sex.

Nonini pointed out that his first-ever endorsement deal came much later, in 2018.

“The first corporate money I ever got big-time was from Safaricom just the other day when I became their Brand Ambassador last year but one (2018). That’s the first corporate endorsement Nonini has ever gotten so unaweza imagine what I have gone through in my career,” he revealed.

A Kenyan mural artist Allan Mwangi, also known as Mr Detail Seven, has painted a graffiti mural in Kibera to pay tribute to George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, in the United States.

Mwangi painted a portrait of the famous photos of Floyd in a black cardigan that has been shared countless times across the globe. He painted it majorly in orange and brown colours.

Floyd died on May 25 after police officer Derek Chauvin pressed down his knee on his neck for nearly 10 minutes.

Haki

The Swahili word ‘Haki’, which translates to ‘Justice’, is also inscribed in the mural as well as the names of some Kenyans who have died as a result of police brutality.

According to the autopsy results, Floyd died of a heart attack while being restrained by officers.

His official cause of death is listed as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”

That conclusion, death due to heart failure, differs from the one reached by an independent examiner hired by the Floyd family; that report listed the cause of death as “asphyxiation from sustained pressure.”

His death has sparked a series of protests in different cities in the United States and across the globe with protesters calling for reform and an end to racial discrimination.

On Thursday, mourners gathered by the thousands in cities around the US to remember Floyd, following a private memorial service in Minneapolis for the 46-year-old black man.

On Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced upgraded charges of second-degree unintentional murder against Chauvin. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

Three other officers at the scene were charged for the first time on Wednesday with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Award-winning group Sauti Sol on Friday released their fifth studio album, Midnight Train, under their first major label, Universal Music Africa.

The group has already released four singles from the 13-track album.

The new album takes you through the journey of life, embracing the trials and the first to be released was Suzanna, then Brighter Days, Disco Matanga featuring Sho Madjozi and Black Motion, which enticed fans as the lead song from Netflix’s Queen Sono and last month they released Insecure.

The title track Midnight Train was produced by Andre Harris (producer of Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Jill Scott), and is a representation of their never-say-die attitude.

Burning the midnight oil

The song is about their hustle and the effort they have put into their career, burning the midnight oil.

According to band member Chimano, the group has had an amazing journey so far and it’s like an ever-moving train.

“Each time we make it to a destination we realise the road doesn’t stop there. We continue to better ourselves and look forward to bringing our fans along with us as we grow,” he adds.

The most intriguing part is the collaborations that the group score on this project.

They have the love of South Africa’s Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir, singer Mortimer, American singer and songwriter India Arie on sensual track My Everything and Nigeria’s Grammy-nominated Burna Boy on Time Flies.

MIDNIGHT TRAIN TRACKLIST

1. Intro
2. Midnight Train
3. Insecure
4. Feel my love
5. Brighter Days ft. @Sowetogospel
6. Nenda Lote
7. Suzanna
8. Set me free (Interlude)
9. My everything (ft. @indiaarie)
10. Wake up (ft. Mortimer)
11. Sober
12. Rhumba Japani
13. Disco Matanga

— SAUTI SOL (@sautisol) May 29, 2020

Singing in Swahili, Luhya, Dholuo and English, Sauti Sol pride themselves on storytelling as an East African tradition that permeates music from that region and this is what has kept them relevant with audiences across the world and earned them so many accolades along the way.

Sensational and controversial musician Otile Brown has been ranked as the most-watched Kenyan musician on YouTube by America’s Billboard Chart.

The popular digital charting award schemes platform in the United States, on Wednesday, released the ranking list of the most-watched homegrown musicians in 11 African countries which included Kenya.

The ranking was based on a year of local YouTube views between May 2019 and May 2020.

Within that period, the 26-year-old who dropped his first album titled Just in Love on Thursday in partnership with Boomplay, racked 27.88 million views from his music videos uploaded on YouTube.

Only Tanzania’s Diamond Platinumz, and Rayvanny are more popular than him in Kenya, garnering 53.94 million views and 30.21 million views respectively.

Controversial former gospel singer

Otile Brown’s hit song Chaguo la Moyo featuring Sanaipei Tande released on April 2018, still holds the record of the most-watched Kenyan video song on YouTube with over 20.2 million views.

Sauti Sol followed closely with 22.66 million views with their all-time most-watched video on YouTube being Melanin featuring Patoranking that has garnered over 19 million views.

Controversial former gospel singer Willy Paul came third having amassed 20.61 million views with his all-time most-watched video song being I Do.

The track, released three years ago featuring Jamaican star Alaine, has so far garnered over 18 million views.

New kids on the block, the gengetone sensation Boondocks Gang took the fourth position with 16.68 million views while versatile rapper Khaligraph Jones wraps up the top five with 14.13 million views.

Speaking on the 10 songs debut album, Otile noted that he wasn’t a believer in album sales but with the music digital platforms growth, he was tempted to take a leap of faith.

“For the longest time, I didn’t believe in doing albums but Boomplay guided me in the right direction and supported me from a business and marketing perspective” Otile stated.

Otile, who made his entry into the music scenes exactly five years ago, says the album explores themes of love and relationships and relies heavily on Rnb and Afro Pop genres to deliver.

Cristiano Ronaldo has now achieved a special milestone after becoming football’s first official billionaire and the first-ever athlete to do so in a team sport.

Business magazine Forbes said the Juventus superstar overtook longstanding rival Lionel Messi to regain the crown as football’s highest-paid player last week.

Ronaldo finished at the No. 4 spot in 2020 Forbes Celebrity 100, with Barcelona captain Messi No. 5.

Overall, Ronaldo is only the third athlete to hit the billion-dollar mark, with Tiger Woods being the first (having done so in 2009) and Floyd Mayweather the second (in 2017).

Ronaldo, who is popularly known as Cr7, earned Sh11 billion ($105 million) before taxes and fees in the past year, making him the first footballer in the history of the game to earn $1 billion.

Most-followed athlete on Instagram

“Ronaldo, the first to do it in a team sport, has made Sh69 billion ($650 million) during his 17 years on the pitch, and is expected to reach Sh81 billion ($765 million) in career salary after his current Juve contract ends in June 2022. Messi, who began playing at the senior level three years after Ronaldo, has earned a total of Sh64 billion ($605 million) in salary since 2005,” reported Forbes.

The Portugal star is one of the most popular athletes on Facebook with over 122 million likes and earned at least Sh5 billion ($47.8 million) from paid Instagram posts making him the platform’s highest earner.

Ronaldo is also not only the most-followed athlete on Instagram, he became the first person on social media to reach 200 million followers on the platform in January. Currently, he has 222 million fans and follows 449 people.

The 35-year-old is well ahead on the Instagram most-followed list, with Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar in second and third on 153m and 139m followers respectively.

The former Real Madrid record goalscorer has won 31 trophies in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy as well as leading his nation Portugal to the 2016 European Championship and the UEFA Nations League.

Cristiano Ronaldo earned $105 million in the past year, landing him at No. 4 on the 2020 Forbes #Celeb100 list, one spot above Lionel Messi—and making him the first soccer player in history to earn $1 billion https://t.co/QVNG43uqFw pic.twitter.com/YnuvRHxDOX

— Forbes (@Forbes) June 4, 2020

Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal has sold his stake in the troubled Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mara Safari Club to a Nepalese tycoon for Sh2.8 billion. The mega deal was closed ahead of the global spread of Covid-19.

The two hotels came to the limelight last week after the management announced it was firing all the employees, citing the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Thursday, however, it issued a notice in which it announced the withdrawal of the earlier memo. The withdraw came after the Office of the Attorney-General questioned the legality of the firing.

Now, it has emerged that Prince Al-Waleed, through his investment vehicle, Kingdom Holding, sold his stake to the Chaudhary Group (CG). The prince has been reorganising his portfolio months after being detained in Saudi Arabia’s sweeping crackdown on corruption.

A transaction advisor who participated in the Fairmont deal and who spoke to the Business Daily on condition of anonymity said the Norfolk and Mara Safari Club cost the Nepalese tycoon Sh2.8 billion.

“Prince Alwaleed is no longer in the game after surrendering the ownership of remaining hotel business in Kenya and his investment group is focusing somewhere else,” said the advisor.

“The transaction has been closed and now the Nepalese owners are embarking on a full 100 percent renovation that will go for a whole one year.”

Chaudhary Group, which is associated with Binod Chaudhary, a billionaire Nepalese lawmaker, has already listed the two hotels among its string of high-end hospitality investments spread in Asia and the Middle East.

It says the deal will give it an additional 170 guest rooms and suites, 51 luxury tents and about 10 food and beverage outlets.

The acquisition of the iconic Nairobi hotel and the Mara tented facility will be the second deal in the region for the Kathmandu-based multinational which also owns Le Relax Hotel in the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles.

Chaudhary Group also has investments in banking, education, energy, telecommunication and pharmaceuticals with operations in five continents. The Group Chairman and President, Binod, is estimated to be worth $1.4 billion (Sh148.5 billion), according to Nepalese media reports.

Kingdom Hotel Investments shelled out Sh6 billion in 2005 to acquire and upgrade the Lonrho properties – the last remnants of British aristocrat Tiny Rowland’s vast empire.

They included the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi, the Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki, the Aberdare Country Club, the Ark and the Mara Safari Club.

The acquisition was hailed as one of the largest in East Africa at the time. But Prince Alweed has taken a strategic decision to divest from hotels, selling Four Seasons Damascus in Syria and Four Seasons Beirut in Lebanon.

The sales come two years after the prince, who is a grandson of the founder of Saudi Arabia, became one the high-ranking Saudi officials arrested in what authorities there said was an anti-corruption crackdown.

Now in his 60s, the flamboyant prince is a serial investor in top global luxury hotel chains. He has in the past 30 years built up a fortune worth $20.4 billion (about Sh2.1 trillion), according to Bloomberg.

Prince Al-Waleed also has major stakes in News Corp, Citigroup and Twitter. He co-owned the Four Seasons hotel chain along with American billionaire Bill Gates and is the owner of London’s landmark luxury hotel, The Savoy.

His other hotel investments include the George V in Paris and the Plaza in New York.

Kingdom Holdings had earlier ceded control of the 5-star Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club to elusive businessman, Humphrey Kariuki, who is currently fighting a Sh41 billion tax evasion suit.

CG Hospitality has embarked on major renovations and upgrades of the Norfolk hotel and Maasai Mara property, which was partly damaged by recent floods after the Mara River broke its banks.

The takeover of the Kenyan hotels has come at a time when the hospitality sector has been ravaged by the effects of restrictions to slow down the spread of Coronavirus.

The Nepalese group is also fighting an employee revolt after its workers declined an offer to remain on unpaid leave during the coronavirus period and demanded to be retained on 50 percent pay.

Last week, the hotel said it had fired all the workers and closed the two hotels indefinitely. Thursday, however, it rescinded the move after the Attorney-General’s office questioned the move.

The ban on all international flights imposed in mid-March to curb the spread of the coronavirus have delivered a big hit to the country’s tourism industry, with some hotels at the Coast reporting occupancy rates of well below two percent in April.

The dusk-to-dawn curfew and a ban on movement in and out of five counties worst hit by the coronavirus outbreak, including Mombasa and Nairobi, worsened the hoteliers business.

Most five-star hotels including Nairobi’s Tribe Hotel, Ole Sereni and DusitD2 have closed or suspended operation due to effects of coronavirus.

Kenya has reported 2,340 Covid-19 positive cases and 78 deaths.

This story was first published in the Business Daily.

Marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge has landed a deal with England Football Club Tottenham Hotspurs.

In a statement, the club said that it will help in organising a global virtual marathon, open to all Spurs fans around the globe.

“MA RA TH ON, which is free to enter, is a virtual team relay where runners can register either in teams of four or as an individual and be placed in another group of three,” the club said.

During the relay, each runner will run 10.5km sometime between 12:01am on June 6, 2020 and 11:59pm on June 7, 2020.

The club further said that one should log into a running app and the team of runners will be placed on a virtual leader board to show how one compares with some of the world’s best.

The club said that it will have representatives from England, Netherlands, South Africa, USA and Canada and they will all pound pavements donning their club colours.

Another public figure who will be involved in the race is legendary former player and 1991 FA Cup Winner David Howells.

In a tweet, Kipchoge welcomed the idea as he asked more fans to participate in the race.

“A football club is a family, players and fans together. On the weekend we will all run as one, good luck to all fans of Tottenham Hotspurs,” he said.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rains in the next few days.

In an advisory, the department said the rains expected to start on Friday will be intense from this Sunday to Tuesday next week.

“The Highlands West of the Rift Valley, Lake Victoria Basin region, northwestern, parts of the Highlands East of the Rift Valley including Nairobi as well as the Coastal region are expected to receive moderate rainfall from Friday 5 to Tuesday 9, 2020. The rains are expected to intensify from Sunday 7 to Tuesday 9 to over 20mm in 24 hours,” said KMD director Stella Aura.

The department advised people living along major river basins in the affected areas to be on the lookout as the levels of the rivers and dams are expected to rise.

People living in landslide-prone areas especially in Western Kenya and other hilly areas should also look out for cracks in the ground and take the necessary measures to safeguard their lives and property.

Residents are advised to avoid driving through or walking in moving water or open fields.

Areas of concern are Trans Nzoia, Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Vihiga, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Migori, Homa Bay, Kisumu, Siaya, Nakuru, Narok, Kericho, Nyamira, Kisii, Bomet, West Pokot, Samburu, Turkana, Nairobi, Nyeri, Kiambu, Nyandarua, Laikipia, Murang’a, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa and Lamu.

Some 285 people have lost their lives following heavy rains experienced in most parts of the country for the last two months. Some 810,655 others have been affected by the floods.

The rains which have left a trail of destruction are expected to continue until the end of June.