This month Kenyan employees will get one of the biggest tax reliefs in over a decade as employers implement the new tax measures on Pay As You Earn (PAYE).

While making the proposals, contained in the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill that MPs passed Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the move would put more money in the pockets of Kenyans and cushion them against the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The new tax rates will be applied once the president signs the bill.

Those earning Sh24,000 and below per month are expected to get their salaries untouched by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

Initially, this tax exemption was only a preserve of those who were earning a monthly salary of about Sh13,486 and below. A significant number of Kenyans will benefit from this measure.

Previously, a salary of Sh24,000 attracted PAYE of Sh1,583. If you earn Sh30,000, you will save about Sh2,000; while those earning Sh40,000 should expect to save about Sh2,400 in taxes.

For those who make Sh50,000, expect your net salary to increase by Sh3,400, while the take-home pay for those making about Sh75,000 will rise by at least Sh4,500.

For those who earn Sh100,000, the new PAYE will allow them to save Sh5,800, while those making between Sh200,000 and Sh300,000 will save between Sh10,000 and Sh15,000 in taxes.

For those who earn half a million shillings, the savings will grow to Sh25,000, while those who earn Sh1 million will save Sh50,000. Those who earn between Sh1 million and Sh3 million will expect savings of between sh50,000 and Sh150,000.

TAX REGIME

That is not all, the tax relief has also grown by 70 per cent from Sh1,408 to Sh2,400. This means that on top of the drop in PAYE, one will also save an additional Sh2,400 in taxes in personal reliefs.

But these workings will depend on other factors such as the amount one contributes towards insurance and pension as well as mortgages or home ownership plan deductions. Other statutory deductions such as to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) will also not attract any taxes.

Under the previous tax regime, taxable income was at graduated rates that ranged from 10 per cent to 30 per cent. The 30 per cent applied to any income above Sh564,709 per annum or Sh47,059 per month.

The scrapping of the 30 per cent rate now means that the maximum individual rate of tax will be 25 per cent. The rate will now apply on any income in excess of Sh425,666 or Sh35,472 per month if the taxable bands remain the same.

“The above changes will increase the taxpayer’s disposable income. Previously only income below Sh13,486 was exempt from tax, with the changes effectively doubling the tax-exempt income,” KPMG tax experts note in a report assessing the new tax measures.

“For a person earning a monthly income of Sh40,000, the change will result in additional take-home pay of approximately Sh2,600,” the KPMG report adds.

This article was first published by the Daily Nation. Read the full article here.

With Zoom usage soaring amid the Covid-19 lockdowns, the multi-participant video streaming tool has released a new, large scale update that aims to address its various security and privacy concerns, which have come into much sharper focus in recent weeks.

The company on Wednesday confirmed Zoom 5.0 would be available this week after questions were raised about the platform’s safety settings.

Zoom revealed the new version of the app includes an upgraded encryption standard, a new, clearer security icon to access the safety settings, a tool to report users and new password controls.

“Today we announced robust security enhancements with the upcoming general availability of Zoom 5.0, a key milestone in our 90-day plan to proactively identify, address, and enhance the security and privacy capabilities of the Zoom platform. By adding support for AES 256-bit GCM encryption, Zoom will provide increased protection for meeting data and resistance against tampering,” Zoom said in a statement.

“When faced with questions over security and privacy, Zoom reacted quickly and very publicly to the challenges, including their CEO holding weekly public security briefings …" – @WayneNH [Blog Post] https://t.co/qUAKMrwn4n

— Zoom (@zoom_us) April 22, 2020

The added protection will reduce the capacity for anyone outside of your meeting to steal your Zoom data, or access your content, while Zoom is also adding a new provision that will enable users to choose which data center regions their account-hosted meetings and webinars use, providing more control on this front.

Zoom reported a maximum of 10 million daily users back in December, but this skyrocketed to more than 200 million daily meeting participants in March amidst the global pandemic.

Some companies have told their staff to stay off the video conferencing service due to security concerns.

ATTACK FROM HACKERS

But as its usage boomed, cybersecurity experts warned of serious issues with the security protocols in both Zoom and Google Hangouts compared to the other enterprise-grade applications like Microsoft Teams, Webex and Bluejeans.

Zoom has been particularly vulnerable to attacks from hackers who have managed to barge into others’ video chats and slip in lewd, vulgar messages and racial slurs.

The app was also criticised after it emerged some meeting data could have been routed through servers in China, so the ability for users to control which data centres their meetings data is routed through has now also been added.

The video app was also criticised earlier this month after it emerged the platform was not using end-to-end encryption for all meetings, despite suggesting it was on its website.

A family at Ichuga Estate in Nanyuki town is living in fear after their landlord tore off the roof of their one-roomed house.

Jane Wamucii, a mother of three, told Nairobi News on Thursday that her landlord had resolved to evict her from the house without granting her an eviction notice as required.

The 39-year-old woman said she was shocked when the landlord removed the door and some iron sheets on Wednesday.

“I have lived in this house for close to two years now and I have never had any difference with my landlord. My children were at home when the owner came and removed the iron sheets and door. I came and found that it was true,” Ms Wamucii said.

“It is raining heavily and I fear that my children could contract diseases. Well, I have been trying to reach out to him but in vain. The landlord and other individuals stormed the house and took away my foodstuff and other household items. We have been sleeping on the floor and we can’t bear the cold.”

Ms Wamucii said she owns a bar but closed it so as to adhere to the regulations stipulated by the Ministry of Health to combat coronavirus pandemic. She adds that she has been unable to cater for her family as a result.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged landlords countrywide to reduce monthly rent for their tenants following the financial crisis that has been occasioned by Covid-19 disease.

“Those property owners who have reduced or agreed to work terms for the monthly rent in order to provide roofs over the heads of vulnerable brothers and sisters and in this regard, I wish to urge all others to emulate this great example and not put our people in even more vulnerable situations as we face this current pandemic,” Mr Kenyatta said.

China announced Thursday it will give another Sh3 billion ($30 million) to the World Health Organization to help in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, days after Washington said it would freeze funding.

The US, which is the WHO’s biggest contributor, accused the organisation last week of “mismanaging” the Covid-19 crisis, drawing ire from Beijing as both countries spar over the deadly virus.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the new donation would be in addition to a previous Sh2 billion ($20 million) committed, and would help “strengthen developing countries’ health systems”.

He added that China’s contribution to the UN agency “reflects the support and trust of the Chinese government and people for the WHO”.

In announcing the funding freeze last week, US President Donald Trump accused the WHO of covering up the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak in China before it spread.

He has also charged the WHO with being “very China-centric” despite Washington’s heavy funding.

According to Trump, US taxpayers provided between $400 million and $500 million per year to the WHO, while “in contrast, China contributes roughly $40 million a year and even less”.

Trump also claimed the outbreak could have been contained with “very little death” had the WHO assessed the situation in China accurately.

The deadly virus, which has claimed more than 181,000 lives worldwide, first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which was locked down in late January to curb the spread.

It continued its global march, however, with cases reported in 193 countries and territories to date, ravaging economies around the globe.

Beijing has urged the US to support WHO-led international action against the pandemic after it halted funding, while observers warned that the US freeze would have consequences for the WHO’s other disease control programmes around the world.

– China defends WHO –

China has denied Western suggestions that it covered up the extent of the virus outbreak, rejecting claims it has an overly cosy relationship with the WHO as well.

But local authorities did silence doctors who tried to raise the alarm about the virus in Wuhan in December.

An investigation determined that police “inappropriately” punished one of the whistleblowers, Li Wenliang, an eye doctor who later died of the COVID-19 disease.

The WHO, under the leadership of Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has been accused by Washington of uncritically accepting China’s early assertions that the virus was not spread between humans, and of wrongly praising Beijing’s “transparency” over the magnitude of the crisis.

The pandemic, combined with the threat of a halt in US funding, marks the biggest challenge to date in Tedros’ near three-year tenure.

“Supporting the WHO at this critical time in the global fight against the epidemic is defending the ideals and principles of multilateralism and upholding the status and authority of the United Nations,” Geng said.

The US is the country worst-hit by the coronavirus, with a death toll of around 46,000.

Numbers in China have dwindled as it begins to cautiously lift virus control measures, although fears remain over a potential resurgence and imported infections from abroad.

Madagascar president DJ Andry Rajoelina has launched a new organic drink which he claims cures and prevents coronavirus.

President Rajoelina posted on Twitter saying that Covid-Organics, the name of the drink, will be distributed free of charge to vulnerable persons in his country and sold at a low price to others.

The WHO has not approved any cure or vaccine for the virus.

Covid-Organics is made from a combination of traditional medicine and modern sciences to create an improved traditional remedy.

It contains Artemisia and endemic plants which are helpful in curing and preventive against Covid-19.

“Since its creation by Pr Ratsimamanga, IMRA has developed more than 50 products by combining traditional medicine & modern sciences. Covid-Organics, an improved traditional remedy based on artemisia & endemic plants, curative & preventive against # Covid19, is launched,” tweeted President Rajoelina.

He went on: “The Covid-Organics will be distributed free of charge to our most vulnerable compatriots and sold at very low prices to others. All profits will be donated to IMRA to fund scientific research. Let us believe in our ability to cope and move forward.”

Madagascar has recorded a total of 121 cases of coronavirus and no deaths as a result of the disease.

Depuis sa création par le Pr Ratsimamanga, l’IMRA a développé + de 50 produits en alliant médecine traditionnelle & sciences modernes.
Covid-Organics, remède traditionnel amélioré à base d'artemisia & de plantes endémiques, curatif & préventif contre le #Covid19, est lancé ! pic.twitter.com/TyH7WK2j25

— Andry Rajoelina (@SE_Rajoelina) April 20, 2020

Le Covid-Organics sera distribué gratuitement à nos compatriotes les plus vulnérables et vendu à très bas prix aux autres.
Tous les bénéfices seront reversés à l’IMRA pour financer la recherche scientifique.
Croyons en notre capacité à faire face et à aller de l'avant. pic.twitter.com/WlFWXZ2wOC

— Andry Rajoelina (@SE_Rajoelina) April 20, 2020

Despite posting good results in the National Super League (NSL) this season, Vihiga United players are disgruntled and suffering as they have gone for over five months without pay.

A player who spoke to Nairobi News anonymously for fear of victimization revealed they haven’t paid a single cent since November last year.

“We keep getting endless promises since November but really none has ever been fulfilled. It is a struggle for the players and their families and the county government doesn’t seem to care,” the player said.

“We have had several meetings with the concerned parties from the county but they keep lying. We are tired, hungry, disappointed, and stressed. We just need to be paid what we are owed so that we can clear bills,” he added.

The club chairman Indimuli Kahi confirmed the situation was dire.

“I can confirm the players have not been paid since November to date. We have had many meetings even with the governor Wilberforce Otichilo but nothing has moved – the situation remains the same and I can feel the players’ pain,” he said.

“We hope to convene another meeting soon and hopefully we will get a solution,” he added.

PLAYERS’ SIT-IN

A source informed Nairobi News that several players staged a sit-in at the governor’s office on Wednesday in an effort to get the issue sorted.

Efforts to reach out to the Vihiga County Chief Sports Officer Dominic Luvavo for a comment on the matter were unfruitful as calls and texts went unanswered.

Vihiga United and Vihiga Queens, a team that plays in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Women’s Premier League (WPL) were the brainchild of former Governor Reverend Moses Akaranga, a lover of sports who even travelled across the country back then to watch the teams play in their respective leagues.

After he was trounced by Otichilo during the 2017 General Elections, Akaranga revamped Vihiga Bullets – a team that is in the NSL too, currently ninth with 36 points having played 26 matches.

Vihiga United is third on the NSL standings with 52 points having played 25 matches.

Kenyans have been left puzzled after a suspect who recently escaped from a quarantine centre in Nairobi was arrested in Kericho county.

Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers pounced on the man at Tiriitap Moita area in Bureti constituency on Thursday afternoon.

“We have arrested the suspect who has been transferred to an isolation centre at Kapkatet sub county hospital,” said Bureti Police sub county police commander Felician Nafula.

Ms Nafula, who promised to shed more light on the matter later, said in a brief statement that it was suspected the man had escaped from the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in Nairobi along with others earlier in the week.

The arrest caused panic in the area in the face of the coronavirus outbreak in the region.

“It is scary that a man could escape from a quarantine centre and travel all the way to Bureti from Nairobi to mingle freely with the residents,” said Mr Geoffrey Rono Kataress, a resident of Litein town.

Nairobi is under partial lockdown with the government having banned travel into and out of the city.

It is believed that more than 15 people who were being held in isolation at KMTC Nairobi recently escaped by scaling a perimeter wall.

The incident comes hardly a week after a woman and her spouse disappeared from a quarantine centre at Nyagacho in Kericho town only to be arrested later in Kisii county by the police.

Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor has told his fans that he would not contribute towards the current medical pandemic in his homeland because he is not the one “who brought the coronavirus to Togo”.

The former Arsenal star who is currently based in Paraguay at Olimpia club made the comments during an interview with his fans on Facebook Live.

He also said it was not fair for people to compare him with other African football greats including Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba.

“I always do things according to the wishes of my heart and not according to the words of others,” he explained.

“I am sorry people compare me to my friends Eto’o and Drogba by asking me why I don’t have a foundation and why I don’t donate as if I am the one who brought the coronavirus to Togo.”

“I am Sheyi Adebayor, I am neither of these and will never be. I will not contribute. Thank you and good day.”

Drogba recently handed over his hospital in Abidjan to be used for treating coronavirus patients, while Eto’o has also been at the frontline of assisting struggling families.

Kenya’s coronavirus cases jumped to 320 on Thursday after the Ministry of Health announced 17 new cases.

In addition, Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said six people have been discharged in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 89.

The Ministry of Health said a total of 668 samples had been tested, out of which 478 were taken from Nairobi.

Of the new cases, 12 are from Mombasa which registered the highest single-day and five are from Nairobi and were picked by the ministry’s surveillance team.

However, Dr Mwangangi stated that Nairobi remains the county with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country.

Two of the cases are from tests carried out at the designated quarantine centres.

The CAS said there is a worrying trend of Kenyans over-relying on hand sanitisers instead of washing hands with water and soap.

“We have noticed a worrying over-reliance on sanitizers while sanitizers are effective, soap and running water is the best for fighting this disease. People must, therefore, start prioritizing washing hands and only sanitize in conditions where sanitizing will be useful,” said Dr Mwangangi.

She said that contracting coronavirus is not a crime, as all of us have a potential risk of contracting the disease, adding that being quarantined was neither detention nor punishment for it was meant to serve the greater public good.

She noted that curfew and travel restrictions had yielded results in the fight against the pandemic and urged Kenyans not to stigmatise those in quarantine and those who have recovered from the virus.

“Quarantine facilities should not be looked at as prisons,” she warned.

She said different stakeholders are being engaged to help find a way to assist those unable to pay the bills needed to secure their release from quarantine facilities.

La Liga side Levante UD are courting former Gor Mahia’s combative striker Meddie Kagere who is currently leading Tanzanian’s premier league scoring chart this season.

The 33-year-old Rwandese who decamped from Gor to Simba SC in June 2018 after his contract ended, has been on Levante’s radar for the past 10 months and now the Spanish top side have shown interest in acquiring his services.

Kagere caught the attention of Levante in May last year when Sevilla, another of La Liga top side, landed in Tanzania for a match against Simba as part of La Liga World Challenge project.

Kagere starred in the nine-goal thriller match won by Sevilla 5-4. He impressed scouts with flashes of brilliance, producing an assist for their first goal and later scoring the second.

Ever since, Levante scouts have been monitoring his progress and form until recently when they reached out to his agent Patrick Gakumba.

“Levante Wameniambia Meddie Kagere wamemfuatilia tangu walipomwona Sevilla timu ya nchini kwao Uhispania ilipokuja Bongo kucheza na Simba. Na wakamfuatilia rekodi zake wakaona ni mchezani ambaye anafanya vizuri kote alikopita iwe Rwanda, Kenya mpaka kuwa mfungaji bora” Gakumba told Bongo 5 Michezo.

However, Levante want Kagere for a trial period of six months before making a decision as of whether to sign him or not, a proposition Gakumba has objected to.

“Tumeshindwana kidogo tu, wanachotaka aende pale acheze mechi za majaribio lakini Meddie Kagere sio mtu wa kucheza mechi za majaribio nimewaambia. Wameniambia wanakata wamsajili kwa muda wa miezi sita ili wamuangalie, mimi nimewaambia hiyo haiwezekani” Gakumba added.

Gakumba insists that if Levante has to sign Kagere currently earning Sh450,00 a month at Simba, then it should be on a two-year contract.

In his first season in Tanzania, Kagere emerged the top scorer with 23 goals. This season he is once again a leading contender for the golden boot having netted 19 goals topping the goal-scoring chart with 11 matches to go. The league has since been suspended due to coronavirus pandemic.

During his stint in Kenya, he scored 13 goals in his first season 2015 helping Gor Mahia to clinch the league title.

The National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) on Thursday said that it had not suspended the issuance of new motor vehicle registration plates adding that only collection points had been merged due to coronavirus.

In a statement, the authority refuted claims by car importers that hundreds of imported units now remain parked, as owners cannot drive them on the roads without proper registration.

NTSA said that this was not true as the dealers have been collecting number plates from the said points at an agreed-upon time where thousands of motor vehicle have been released from Container Freight Stations.

The authority added that measures have been put in place to facilitate business continuity while adhering to measures aimed at curbing coronavirus.

“After deliberations, it was resolved that some CFS (Container Freight Station) collection points be merged while taking into account the state of the facility in terms of space and other factors to implement the safety guidelines,” NTSA said.

According to NTSA, the move has been as a result of consultation with the interior ministry, KRA, Motorvehicle dealers and Container Freight Stations.

It identified three points that had been tasked to issue the number plates. They include Kencott that will act as the collection point for Kencott and Mitchel Cott.

NTSA said the collection point for Interpel and MCT will be located at CB2 while Autoport will be the collection point for Autoport and Unifreight.

“We assure the public that despite scaling down on operation in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus, all our online services are available and the authority is working closely with all the relevant stakeholders to ensure service delivery is not adversely affected during this pandemic.” the authority added.

On Wednesday, Car Importers Association of Kenya (CIAK) chairman, Peter Otieno, said NTSA should lift the suspension for at least two weeks to register new vehicles.

“Our members are stranded due to non-inspection of the already sold units. Vehicles which have been sold and advance tax and inspection bookings paid for should be registered,” said Otieno.

The NTSA scaled down operations in Mombasa on April 8 after Covid-19 infections soared at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Container Freight Station (CFS).

He had claimed that more than 1,000 new vehicles were stuck in Mombasa after the authority suspended registration services due to Covid-19.

Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi has singled out truck drivers as being among the most vulnerable in contracting the novel coronavirus.

Five Kenyan drivers have so far tested positive for coronavirus in Uganda after undergoing mandatory testing at the Busia and Malaba border.

“They (truck drivers) are among those on the frontline. They should regularly wash their hands and sanitize.”

Matatu drivers, journalists and health personnel are also considered to be at great risk.

In her press briefing on Thursday, Dr Mwangangi also urged Kenyans not to consider quarantine as a punishment.

“It takes 5-6 days for the coronavirus to start showing effects and 14 days for one to get infected. That is why we need to ensure that those we consider to be at risk of infection are placed under quarantine.

Kenya has so far reported 320 coronavirus cases.

Blessed John Apewajoye, the husband of gospel musician Ruth Matete, died from complications that resulted from 60 percent burns, chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor has said.

Dr Oduor spoke on Thursday after conducting a postmortem on the body of Apewajoye.

The complications included sepsis and multiple organ failure, he added.

Ms Matete will, however, not be able to bury her husband until the Nigerian government has allowed her to do so.

The Nigerian High commission has formally requested the DCI to ensure that the body is held until consent is given by their government.

More to follow

Rodgers Opiyo was reluctant to go and get his aunt her medicine but then changed his mind and picked the money and rushed to a chemist which is just 10 meters from where they live in Umoja-Innercore.

It was just a few minutes past the curfew, but to them, it was normal to go and get medicine from Phadam Hospital located a few metres away from their house every now and then when their guardian, who has ulcers and also suffers from pain on one of her legs, returns home from work.

Speaking to Nairobi News, a relative described how the fourth-year student at Meru University, who was raised by his aunt after his mother passed away when he was young, took long to return with the medicine, which prompted his aunt to send one of his cousins to go and find out why he was taking so long.

“He was a friend with the caretaker of the flat and sometimes he would go and hang out with him at his house and that is where auntie thought he was,” she said.

She added that one of the younger boys who had been sent came back and said Opiyo was not with the caretaker and that is when she decided to go out and look for him. She found him lying in a pool of blood by the door of the hospital.

According to a nurse at the hospital, Opiyo popular known as Plateind, walked into a robbery by two young men and when they saw him, they beckoned him to sit down but he hesitated because he didn’t know what was going on.

“When he walked in, he distracted them, and that is when the doctor, a receptionist, security guard and I managed to escape in different directions and soon after we had a gunshot,” the nurse added.

The nurse said that the two thugs were frustrated because they didn’t get any money or valuables when they raided the premises and decided to take the money he was holding and his mobile phone.

Police said a commotion ensued between the thugs and Opiyo who is said to have identified them as they were robbing him of his valuables.

Police and witnesses added that the gang shot him in the neck after he identified them as his friends from the neighbourhood.

The doctor on duty said the gang went in posing as customers seeking services at the reception and their main pharmacy before they turned out to be thugs.

They then ordered all those who were present to lie down and surrender all their valuables and cash.

It was during the robbery mission that Opiyo identified them and questioned one of them why they were stealing from him.

Without any hesitation, the gunman pulled the trigger killing him on the spot.

The body of the 22-year-old was taken to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital mortuary for postmortem.

On Thursday, detectives spent the better part of the day at Phadam Hospital near Unity Primary School, where Opiyo was shot dead combing through CCTV, while getting statements from witnesses as they launched investigations to follow possible leads to help in the arrest of the fugitive suspects.

Police constable Emmanuel Ambunya Oyombe was Thursday charged with murder of the University of Leeds student Carlton David Maina who was shot dead in Kibra slums, Nairobi in December 2018.

Oyombe denied the charges before Justice Jessie Lesiit and was freed on a cash bail of Sh 600,000.

Prosecutor Solomon Laulikha did not oppose bail and bonds for the suspect and his lawyer Harun Ndubi appealed for leniency.

Lesiit did not set mentioning or hearing dates for the case. They shall be fixed later.

Oyombe was arrested on Wednesday last week after the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions concurred with Independent Policing Oversight Authority recommendations that he be charged with murder of Maina on December 22, 2018

It has been reported that Maina was shot as he was walking home after watching a late-night football match that was broadcast live on TV at an entertainment joint in Laini Saba, Kibra.

MURDER

Maina had returned to the country from West Yorkshire to spend the end year festivities with his family. He had not had any run ins with the law prior to his cold blood murder.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) completed its investigations and made recommendations for a charge of murder to the DPP on May, 16 last year.

Maina’s brother Collins Onyango said the family has been in pain but a light has been shed after Oyombe was charged in court.

Amnesty International Country Director Irungu Houghton said what happened to Maina is what happens to dozens of youths across the country every year and Oyombe has been granted an opportunity to face the law.

The Kenya School of Government in Nairobi has been closed as a quarantine facility. The institution was closed after the remaining 90 individuals were allowed to go home after clearing the bills.

For a month, 140 people were held in quarantine after they arrived in the country on March 22, just as the country introduced mandatory quarantine for travellers entering the country.

VACATED

On the eighth day, four people from this facility were confirmed positive and subsequently taken to different hospitals. Two have fully recovered. The officials were also tested for Covid-19, and the results were negative.

The rooms of the four were marked; all their belongings were still in the room at the time of fumigation. The fumigators made sure every corner of the room was disinfected, including their belongings.

The facility had two Public Health Officers, six nurses, and a clinical psychologist.

On Thursday, Dr Philip Tendet, who was in charge of the facility, led other Public Health workers to disinfect the facility for the second time.

“The center has been vacated, but before we hand it over to the Kenya School of Government and for the general use by the public again, we want to make sure it’s well disinfected. It will not have any risk to anyone who comes here. We will use fumigation method of disinfection, that is using fume gun and also fogging,” Dr Tendet said.

Fumigation and fogging are two methods commonly used in pharmaceutical companies to control microbial contamination in a controlled area.

QUARANTINE

At the facility, the individuals, who each had their own rooms, were allowed to walk around the compound as long as they adhered to measures that were set by the Ministry of Health to contain the spread of the virus.

“They were allowed to walk around the compound, to the field but maintaining social distance,” Dr Tendet said.

KSG was one of the facilities that were affected by the extension of the quarantine period.

The directive from the acting Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth was informed by the fact that some of those quarantined in the same facility had tested positive, and they were not observing social distancing.

At KSG, four individuals were arrested and taken to Spring Valley Police Station for disregarding the measures put in place.

“We had cases of indiscipline because of people not observing social distance, playing loud music, and some of them managed to sneak in with alcohol. Police came and helped in restoring discipline. Four were arrested taken to custody but were later released,” Dr Tendet said.

HEALTH WORKERS

Dr Tendet also explained the work of the public health workers in the fight against Covid-19.

“Public health officers are the first people you will meet at the point of entry. The first time these people were coming into the country our public health officers were exposed. At that time no one knew about protective gears. Eventually we had the warning from WHO and the Ministry of Health,” he said.

“We have been moving into villages conducting public awareness. We do the screening of the suspected cases and only hand them over to the doctors after the case is confirmed,” he added.

It’s also the work of the public officers to do contact tracing of the close contacts of persons who have tested positive.

Further, Dr Tender said the Public Health officers are the ones who have been looking after persons in quarantine facilities, and it would be right if the government recognized their role in the fight of the pandemic that has so far infected 320 people in Kenya.

Other quarantine facilities that have been closed include Nairobi School, Lenana School, PrideInn Azzuri, Lantana, Panari Hotel, MTC in Karen, Trade Mark and Hill Park Hotels.

Motorists using the Mai Mahiu-Narok road have been advised to seek alternative routes after heavy rain destroyed Siyiapei Bridge, 17km from Narok town.

In a statement, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA)noted that they were closing the road for urgent restoration works as from Thursday night.

“The affected bridge is next to the Masai Technical Training Institute. Accordingly, KeNHA intends to close the road for urgent restoration works as from tonight (Thursday),” the authority said in a statement.

“Motorists planning to use Narok-Mai Mahiu route are therefore advised to seek alternative routes as we undertake this restoration works for the next couple of days. Our team will work expeditiously to restore traffic on this important section,” the statement further said.

During the long rains last year, the road sunk at Suswa area at night, causing massive traffic snarl-up with motorists being forced to seek alternative routes.

The world football governing body Fifa has confirmed that it did not open any legal proceedings against former Kenyan International Willis Ochieng over match-fixing allegations in Finland where he turned out for top-tier side IFK Mariehamn.

Convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal, in his book, titled “Kelong Kings” alleged that he had bribed Willis to fix two matches involving his club IFK Mariehamn in 2010.

In the book, Perumal also alleges that another former Kenyan International, George Owino, who was banned for 10 years by Fifa in 2010 for allegedly fixing matches, introduced him to Willis.

“As the football season was drawing to a close, I was contacted by a Kenyan footballer that I knew called George who gave me the telephone contact of another Kenyan player called Willis. Willis was one of Kenya’s national team’s goalkeeper and happened to play in Finland for a first division club called IFK Mariehamn,” Perumal writes in his book.

“Willis had started in the Kenya vs Nigeria match I had fixed in order to get Nigeria into the World Cup. I rang him up…”

“Hello bro,” I said, “I got your number from a common friend, George. What’s going on? How are you?

“Good.”

“You want to do some business?” I asked him straightforwardly.

“What kind of business?” He enquired.

“Football, are you prepared to throw a game?”

“IFK Mariehamn will not renew my contract. I have got two or three matches left to play and then I am going back home. I only want money. What do you want me to do?”

“Lose, of course.”

“No problem. How much are you going to pay me?”

“I’ll pay you about 20-25 thousand euro per match.”

“You mean for one game?”

“Sure, each game is 25 thousand.”

“How many goals do you need?”

“Just give me two goals, OK?”

“OK. No problem, come see me and we’ll work things out.”

He goes on: “Willis and I agreed to meet in Mariehamn Island, where his club was based, and speak face to face. On my way to the Viking ferry, the boat that connects Turku, a town in mainland Finland, to Mariehamn Island, I met a Chinese runner working for Dan named Chee Wee who was carrying money for me. I didn’t want to lose my passport while onboard the ferry, so I put it in my computer bag and left it with Chee Wee. I then boarded the ferry, hopped off on Mariehamn Island, and made my way to Willis’ home, where we sat down and discussed business.”

“What about your teammates?” I asked him. “Are they also willing to fix?”

There were two additional black players in the team.

“Don’t use them”, he said, “you just give me the money and I will do the job for you”.

Willis sounded fully committed.

“Why didn’t I meet you earlier?” I exclaimed.

Willis proved to be the kind of player that match-fixers want for their business; convinced and dedicated, the book adds.

Willis left IFK Mariehamn at the end of the 2010 season and his move to Tanzanian side Simba SC hit a snag as no International Transfer Certificate (ITC) was issued.

FIFA has now confirmed that no charges were ever instituted against the former Kenyan international.

“We can confirm that no disciplinary proceedings were opened by the secretariat of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee against the Kenyan player Willis Ochieng,” a Fifa spokesperson told Nairobi News.

He currently serves as the Gor Mahia goalkeepers’ trainer.

Workers’ April salaries are likely to be delayed as employers juggle with the options of complying with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s proposed changes to the pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) regulations which were before Parliament this week.

Parliament on Wednesday passed the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill 2020, which will see those earning below Sh24,000 exempted from tax as part of efforts to cushion workers from the knocks of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant restrictions on movement and economic activities. The Bill will only become law once it is signed by the President.

During the debate, MPs inserted new clauses while rejecting others — raising the possibility of further delays in assenting to the omnibus Bill should the President opt to disagree with the raft of changes introduced by the legislators.

The National Assembly granted the President his wish of reducing income tax, but also rejected some revenue-raising proposals such as tax on food and agricultural inputs.

MPs stopped the Treasury from imposing taxes on bread, cooking gas, milk, fishing nets, medical products, fertiliser, mosquito nets and agricultural pest control products as well as animal products.
Parliamentarians also inserted a new clause in the Bill that bars employers from sacking workers or forcing them to take pay cuts during the current or future pandemics.

With the uncertainty about Mr Kenyatta’s next action on the Bill and the time required to process it for signing, workers in both public and private sectors are now staring at delayed salaries as many employers opt to delay processing this month’s salaries in the hope of benefiting from the tax cuts and also passing on the reliefs in the reduced PAYE to their workers.

The public sector’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD) has for instance been locked and processing of April salaries put on hold in anticipation that the Bill will be passed into law early enough.

Workers under the Parliamentary Service Commission, Teachers Service Commission and the disciplined forces, whose salaries normally hit bank accounts before the 20th of every month, have been told to expect delays, according to a communication shared by the core team managing the IPPD system.

“Our IPPD systems countrywide are locked. This is to advise all of you to prepare for delay in salary processing,” a notice seen by the Business Daily reads in part.

Nikhil Hira, a director at Bowmans (Coulson Harney LLP) law firm, reckons that including so many new proposals in one Bill would likely to delay its passage in case of a back and forth between the Executive and Legislature. “The wise thing should have been to just go with single proposals. Coming up with so many proposals at such a short time and in the middle of a pandemic was not a wise move,” said Mr Hira.

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) can only recognise tax cuts once the President assents to the Bill, meaning that any contentious clauses in the Bill has the potential of delaying these reliefs. Firms have up to the 9th of every month to remit PAYE tax to KRA for the previous month, meaning they still have a two-week window. Companies that choose to use this window with hope that Mr Kenyatta will assent to the Bill on time, are likely to delay paying salaries.

Mr Hira had earlier advised that the potential solution to avoiding salary delays would be to pay workers using existing rates and then recompute them if the President assents to the Bill before end of the month.

A case filed by activist Okiya Omtatah in 2018 set a precedent that tax measures cannot be enforced until the President signs them into law.

“This makes it difficult for the President to assent to the Bill, say in May, then backdate the benefits,” Mr Hira said.

Mr Kenyatta now faces the test of either accepting all the changes and assenting to the Bill or rejecting some clauses and referring them back to the House with his recommendations. This will require at least a third of the MPs to shoot down.

The Parliamentary Budget Office (BPO) — a unit that advises lawmakers on financial, budgetary and economic matters — estimates the reduced income and VAT measures will cost the Exchequer nearly Sh122.26 billion. Tax reliefs for earnings of up to Sh24,000 will cut government revenue by another Sh19.84 billion, while a drop in payroll taxes will cut PAYE revenue by Sh7.08 billion.

Similarly, the reduction in corporate tax will deny the Exchequer some Sh45.69 billion. The biggest revenue loss will, however, come from reduced general VAT levy from to 14 from 16 percent whose cost the BPO has put at Sh49.60 billion. The proposed drop in monthly turnover tax is likely to leave a Sh50 million revenue hole.

This story first appeared in the Business Daily.

A Chinese captain of a cargo ship has pleaded guilty to attempted murder after he and his six crew members last month threw two Tanzanian stowaways into the shark-infested waters of the Indian Ocean.

The captain and his crew reportedly assembled a flimsy raft out of plywood, plastic drums and rope and gave the two stowaways a bottle of water each and a life jacket, telling them to use their hands as paddles in the waters infested with great whites, hammerheads, tiger and bull sharks, according to New York Post.

Officials say that the captain, identified as Cui Rongli, and his men, Lin Xinyong, Zou Yongxian, Tan Yian, Xie Wenbin, Xu Kun and Mu Yong, all pleaded guilty to attempted murder after throwing the stowaways off their ship out of fear of catching coronavirus.

The stowaways, 30-year-old Hassani Rajabu and 20-year-old Amiri Salamu, were only given two bottles of drinking water and a life jacket each to swim to the shores of the ocean.

Due to concerns of the coronavirus pandemic, they asked the stowaways to wear face masks but they refused.

Not knowing their Covid-19 status, the crew said they separated the Tanzanians and gave them food and water.

According to the accused, the stowaways wanted to know the vessel’s destination. The crew then built a raft from empty plastic drums and plywood, gave the stowaways life-jackets and water and asked them to leave the ship on the raft.

Fortunately, the two stowaways washed up on the Zinkwazi Beach, near Durban, three days later and were greeted by horrified locals who sent them to the hospital for hypothermia, thirst and hunger.

Upon docking at Richards Bay, the African Maritime Safety Agency impounded the MV Top Grace ship, and arrested its captain and crew. Rongli was fined Sh500,000 ($5,000) and each of his crew, Sh250,000 ($2.500).

The African Maritime Safety Agency impounded the MV Top Grace when it docked at Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

On March 26, the accused were handed over to immigration officials after paying their fines.