He’s been reportedly linked to a bevy of young actresses in Hollywood.

And Jared Leto made light of all the dating rumors in his latest award acceptance speech.

The 41-year-old specifically called out Lupita Nyong’o during his win for Best Supporting Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday.

‘I want to thank all the women I’ve been with and all the women who think they’ve been with me,’ the Dallas Buyers Club joked.

‘And also my future ex-wife, I’m talking to you Lupita Nyong’o!’

The 30 Seconds to Mars singer has been linked to the gorgeous 12 Years a Slave star, with rumours they struck up a romance.

But the 30-year-old stunner recently addressed those reports on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

‘Ah, but I thought Miley Cyrus broke us up. That was the last thing I heard,’ joked the Yale graduate.

‘It’s crazy, ‘cause when I read these rumors, they’re so detailed that even I start to question whether they’re true or not.

‘I know I’ve believed them in the past and now I guess I can’t believe anything,’ the new Hollywood It girl said.

A pastor’s wedding day turned tragic after his bride’s father raided the Church venue and disrupted the occasion.

The Reverend Jeff Wanjau, 37, of House of Mercies Prophetic Church, was swiftly whisked from the church located along the Othaya-Nyeri road by an unmarked car alongside his fiancée, Alice Mukami, 27 when the heat became too much to bear.

The Church service was disrupted after the congregation learnt that the couple had left unceremoniously, after the woman’s father, Peter King’ori, raided the church claiming that the pastor was wedding his daughter without consulting him or his family.

“I was not even informed of the planned wedding until last Friday when some friends demanded to know why I was arranging my daughter’s wedding without involving them,” said Mr King’ori.

The furious father, accompanied by his other daughters, said the reverend was married to another woman and they have two children.

Worshippers at the Church were left stranded after the couple sneaked out of the Church through an unmanned exit and swiftly boarded a white car.

After leaving the Church compound, the couple was driven to a hotel in Ruring’u Nyeri town, where journalists found them relaxing after taking some soft drinks.

Rev. Wanjau looked composed, although his fiancée appeared confused, probably due to the earlier pandemonium. The couple looked jovial as they kissed for the cameras.

The couple accused King’ori of being adamant to meet them and discuss their marriage.

“I have personally visited his home in Iriaini village six times, but her father always excuses himself. I am now happy that we have presented ourselves before the church and declared our wish to marry. I wish the old man can just call us we discuss the issue, since our marriage is now unstoppable,” he said.

By the time most faithful were out of the Church, the vehicle could not be spotted. Even King’ori and other protestors could not understand how his daughter sneaked out of the church. “I do not know how they left the church, but I want them to know that I will never allow them to wed,” the agitated King’ori said.

Wanjau noted that the Bible does not restrict marriage between two loving people, adding that he will go ahead and marry Ms Mukami so as to teach other parents who oppose such marriages a lesson.

The Standard

And the winner is … Lupita Nyong’o. The “12 Years a Slave” star is the best dressed of the 2014 awards season after donning a gorgeous icy blue gown at the 2014 Oscars.

The pressure was certainly on this newcomer, who made a bold entrance on the fashion stage at the 2014 Golden Globes in an unforgettable red Ralph Lauren caped gown and has continued to stun ever since.

Unlike Anne Hathaway, 2013′s style star who choked on the Oscars red carpet (she decided at that last minute to wear an unflattering pink Prada after discovering her “Les Miserables” co-star Amanda Seyfried’s gown was too similar to her Valentino), Nyong’o stayed true to her red carpet style: eye-catching color, effortless silhouette. Her ice blue custom-made Prada gown had a deep V neckline, and she accessorized it simply with diamond earrings and a chic headband. “It’s a blue that reminds me of Nairobi,” says the Kenya-born actress, “so I want to have a little bit of home.”-New Jersey.com

Watch the results of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary KCSE results being released.

Lupita Nyong’o has won the Academy Award for supporting actress in her role as Patsey, a favored but abused slave in the Steve McQueen-directed drama “12 Years a Slave.”

The win follows Nyong’o taking the same award at the Screen Actors Guild awards, a good barometer of Oscar winners. This is the first Academy Award for the Mexico City-born, Kenyan-raised actress. She has also won the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. Award for the role, as well as a number of regional accolades from critics/groups in Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Phoenix and more. Nyong’o was three weeks shy of graduating from Yale Drama School when she was cast by McQueen.

The recent appointment of former EABL boss Gerald Mahinda as managing director of a New York Stock Exchange-listed cereal maker has added the number of Kenyan executives rising to top positions of global conglomerates.

Mr Mahinda’s appointment as sub-Sahara African MD for US foods manufacturer Kellogg’s came just two months after Standard Chartered Bank promoted Richard Etemesi, who was CEO for the Kenyan unit, to head the global lender’s South African unit and four other countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mauritius.

The appointments to positions in which they control multi-billion dollar balance sheets underscore the pedigree associated with Kenyan executives’ management acumen.

Other recent high profile appointments include Tony Mwai’s recruitment as business leader at IBM’s South Africa office and promotion of Louis Otieno to spearhead Microsoft’s 4Afrika programme, which has set a target to supply millions of Africanschool children with customised laptops.

Another Kenyan, James Mwangi, is the global managing partner at New York-based consulting firm Dalberg— in charge of 11 markets. He operates from the company’s Johannesburg office. He previously worked at consulting giant Mckinsey in New York.

Management experts attribute the rise of Kenyans to top positions in global conglomerates to the country’s liberal market which has shaped business leaders to navigate through highly competitive environments.

“Due to liberalisation of the Kenyan market, local CEOs have learnt to compete with established players both for market share and talent and the world is noticing this,” said Dr X. N Iraki, the MBA co-ordinator at the University of Nairobi’s School of Business.

Another Kenyan blogger Ory Okolloh is the director of investments at OmidyarNetwork, an investment firm established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

The list also includes Google’s sub-Saharan Africa spokesman and East Africa lead Joe Mucheru and Robert Ngeru who is Samsung East Africa chief operating officer.

“Kenya’s business leaders have come of age as they have the experience, acumen and exposure to modern business practices,” said Dr Iraki.

Most of these Kenyans started off their careers in local firms, rising through the ranks to capture the eyes of multinationals.

Mr Mahinda, 55, served as CEO and group managing director at EABL for five years from January 2004 to June 2009.

He is now driving the African agenda at Kellogg’s, a New York Stock Exchange-listed firm which reported a net profit of $1.8 billion (Sh154.8 billion) last year, from sales of $14.8 billion (Sh1.3 trillion)— ranking as the second biggest cereal maker after rival General Mills.

The Michigan-based food manufacturing company has an asset base of $15.5 billion (Sh1.33 trillion) and markets its products such as cornflakes, Mueslix, Pringles potato chips and Eggo waffles in 180 countries across the world.
Mr Etemesi, 51, is now one of Kenya’s highest ranking executives in a multi-national bank. He was the first Kenyan to head StanChart’s local operations when he was appointed CEO in November 2006.

Mr Wainaina was director of retail banking at NIC Bank for four years before he was hired in 2012 as vice president of global credit card company MasterCard.

He is based at MasterCard’s regional hub in Nairobi overseeing operations and crafting strategies to penetrate the electronic payments market in East Africa including Mauritius, Ethiopia.

IBM’s Mr Nesbitt is the founder and CEO of KenCall, one of Kenya’s pioneer business process outsourcing (BPO) firms.

Prior to Mr Otieno’s appointment to head Microsoft 4Afrika programme in 2012, he was the general manager responsible for the East and Southern Africa (ESA) business at Microsoft.

Ms Okolloh, a techie, was previously Google’s policy manager for sub-Saharan Africa and is also co-founder of crowdsourcing disaster-response app Ushahidi.

Other Kenyans who have held senior positions in the recent past include Mr Adan Mohamed who was hired as Barclays’ chief administrative officer for Africa in February last year before he was tapped by President Uhuru Kenyatta to be Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation and Enterprise Development.

John Gachora, appointed chief executive of NIC Bank in September last year was previously Barclays Africa’ managing director and head of corporate banking.

- Business Daily

A new wave of kidnappings has hit the county, but what confuses even the police, however is that gangsters take hostages, demand huge amounts from their families before killing them, regardless of whether the money is paid or not, county police boss Benson Kibui  has  said.

Some, Mr Kibui said, move around in saloon cars with tinted windows and may pretend to offer lifts to passengers at bus stops,  especially during the evening and morning peak hours.

The  death of  Mr David Macharia a commercial pilot who was working with Wilson Airport is the latest of such kidnappings.

Disappearance

The body of the  50-year-old man was found inside a septic tank on Thursday after the family had reported his disappearance and demand for cash by thugs.

The criminals rent houses in upmarket areas, where they lock up their victims to use them in demanding ransom, after which they kill them in secluded places.

Such bodies may later be discovered long after the kidnappers broke contact and possible trails for arresting them faded.

After netting their victims, they are said to spray a drug that makes them lose consciousness before robbing them and demanding money from their families.

Sometimes they collude with matatu crews in the evenings to steal from passengers.

Even after families send them money, Mr Kibui said, the kidnappers still kill, probably to  make investigations difficult as in the case of Mr Macharia.

The pilot was living in the airport compound alone. His  family only found out that he had been kidnapped when they received calls from the  people who demanded Sh10 million ransom.

The family reported back to the police  on  Thursday evening that they had found Mr Macharia’s body.

They had negotiated the price to Sh50,000 then to Sh20,000 and the gangsters later   agreed to release the man after the family  paid   Sh10,000 through an M-Pesa agent, little knowing they would not see him alive.

Langata divisional police boss  Titus  Yoma  said: “ The body had been inside the tank for two to three days, which meant the kidnappers  killed him even before they contacted the family.”

Mr Kibui said two people  were saved  by a Good Samaritan at Kiserian from a gang of six men who had kidnapped them on Mombasa and taken to Kibiku area in Ngong, where the kidnappers kept calling their families  to demand ransom.

-Nairobi News

Two worshippers at controversial Pastor Thomas Wahome’s Helicopter of Christ Ministries have had their names expunged from the book of life because of Sh200.

Mr David Ekanyi and Mr Justus Mwangi’s offence was to pocket the money rather than give it to their master after being offered discount on goods they had been sent to buy.

“Pastor Wahome sent us to buy groceries valued at Sh7,000 but we got a discount and decided to share the money. This would see us banished,” said Mr Ekanyi, who has been a member of the church since 2010.

Pastor’s sister

He says he regrets the years of service he has rendered to the Church and wants to be paid for his work. He estimates this to be Sh662,000.

“You cannot sacrifice so much only to end up being disgraced. He must pay for the years I toiled,” he said.

Mr Mwangi said the Sh200 issue only came up because the pastor had been looking for an excuse to send them packing for fear that they would incite other worshippers to rebel.

Although Bishop Wahome admits that the two have been members of his church, he dismisses them as extortionists who failed to live to the expectations of their call.

And on claims by the two that they were also part-time employees and that he was kicking them out because he did not want to pay them, the Pastor says his church relies on volunteers and does not employ anyone.

“They went through my sister, and told her to inform me that I would regret if I did not send them Sh50,000 each. Ekanyi was a volunteer at the church, and he and three other men swindled some money when we sent them for groceries,” he said.

The pastor added that when the two tried to contact him, he referred them to the Labour authorities.

According to Pastor Wahome, the church had been supporting Mr Ekanyi and his family even though the worshipper had been married to someone who was not a Christian.

-Nairobi News

Two days after Makueni MP Dan Maanzo was attacked by a gang of robbers at his home at Karen Hardy, a contingent of investigators from the CID stormed Lindi area in Kibera.

They were approaching anyone, especially young men, and asking them to identify the people in the photos they brought along.

A number of the young people interviewed said the police claimed those photos belonged to members of a gang that attacked the first time MP on February 19, stealing three mobile phones, a laptop and Sh10,000 in cash.

It appeared clear that the police were certain who they were looking for since Nairobi County Police Chief Benson Kibue had warned that they knew the people behind the attack and they were about to nail them.

“Wherever those gangsters are, you are not secure because we have your names and we are coming for you,” he claimed.

Three days since the CID officers swung into action, another high-profile robbery occurred at Karen Brooks.

This time the Bangladesh High Commissioner to Kenya, Wahidur Rahman, was robbed by masked men who took away money and goods amounting to Sh571,000.

In the last few months, cases of robbery in high-end neighbourhoods in Nairobi have been on the increase.

Karen has been hit badly with at least one case of armed robbery taking place each week.

The situation has become so bad that the Karen Langata District Association (KLDA) called a meeting of all residents on Saturday to discuss the matter.

With its serene environment, imposing houses and rent costing up to Sh250,000 a month in rent, only the very rich can afford to live there.

They are known to invest a lot in their personal security in form of electric fences, high walls, round-the-clock security by guards, alarms and CCTV.

With some of them being licensed firearm holders, robbing them in their houses is no walk in the park.

Mr Kennedy Kipkorir, a manager at Lavington Security which provides security to hundreds of clients in high-end estates, maintains that robbing a house in a neighbourhood like Karen has to be well-planned.

“Karen is not like any other neighbourhood where you can just drive around and suddenly decide to break into a house,” he says.

“The acreage of land owned by individuals is huge and the design of the houses is complex. You cannot tell who is on the other side of the wall because even the neighbours hardly know each other because they maintain minimum contact,” he adds.

Unlike the middle class residents of Nairobi who are guarded by communal security guards who are paid by landlords or an estate welfare in which all members make monthly contributions, the rich outsource their security through private security firms. Some pay for government protection.

The security firms, in a bid to maximise profits and minimise costs, employ the cheapest labour they can find.

To be considered for hiring in most cases, they look at your height, physical fitness and in some cases a KCSE certificate. After a few weeks’ training, you are given a client where you report every day.

The same procedure is used for other domestic workers like gardeners and house-helps.

With poor pay and little or no benefits, the employees live in nearby slums which have, over time, developed a symbiotic relationship with rich neighbourhoods.

To the rich, the slums provide cheap labour and to the poor, the adjacent rich neighbourhoods are a source for jobs. As a result, every rich estate has a slum nearby.

And so the rich who are very concerned with their security end up being worked for by people who live in openly dangerous areas.

This, in addition to poor pay, is a disaster, according to Nairobi CID chief Nicholas Kamwende who is leading investigations in the recent armed robberies in Karen.

“The security companies and other welfare companies need to look at the welfare of their employees. This is an industry issue but the pay they get should correspond with the value of the people or property they are guarding or working in,” he said.

A statement issued by the police after Mr Maanzo was attacked indicated that it was just a normal robbery. No foul play was suspected.

Lang’ata police chief Titus Yoma said the gangsters accessed the house by scaling a wall, then gained entry into the house by breaking the kitchen door.

“They then grabbed the housegirl and forced her to take them to Maanzo’s room where they tortured him before robbing him,” he said.

The MP insists he was being targeted politically and the police may have had a hand in the matter because Hardy police station is just a kilometre away from the house.

We have been able to reconstruct the events of that night from police reports and witness accounts.

At around 2 a.m. on that night, about five gangsters on foot scaled a wall that secures Trent Villas in Karen. They used a dustbin which was placed next to the wall from the inside to drop to the ground.

Interestingly, with the wall being eight feet high, it would be virtually impossible for someone from the outside to know the position of a dustbin on the other side of the wall unless they used a flash light which could have alerted the guards at the gate.

This is unless they knew in advance where the dustbin was or the guards were asleep or did not bother.

It is also unclear how a guard manning just four houses could not hear glass being shattered or people forcing their way into the house.

The property, a gated community with four palatial houses whose asking price is Sh49 million, is listed as being managed by Property Legend.

It is manned by two security guards round the clock. Apart from that, it has an electric fence on top of the eight foot wall.

Mr Maanzo says the electric fence usually works but, for some reason, it was not working on that day. This was the same scenario in Mr Rahman’s robbery incident where gangsters scaled the wall at 9 pm before the electric fence was switched on.

Property Legend has since denied it manages the property and, instead, said it had handed it over to another company. It, however, failed to give us the name of the company.

The MP is assigned one armed bodyguard who he says was not around that day.

“My bodyguard had lost his child and so someone knew that he was not around and he figured this was the best time,” he said.

However, raw video footage shows the bodyguard, Bernard Musyoka, speaking to the press where he admitted being around during the robbery but he did not hear any commotion during the 50-minute ordeal.

In the video, he says he was not around but the MP had recalled him that day to escort him somewhere the next day.

“When I came back, the MP had not yet arrived that evening and when he came back between 11 pm and 12 am, I was not around. So I did not see him,” he said.

Mr Musyoka, who lives in an adjacent servant’s quarters, claims he did not hear any commotion during the ordeal, even though his job is to guard his boss.

-NAIROBI NEWS

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is contemplating undertaking staggering elections in the 2017 polls.

Speaking at Nguraru Primary School in Wundanyi on Friday, chairman Issack Hassan said IEBC will have two separate days for elections – one day for county posts and the other for national government posts.

Hassan told journalists at Wundanyi that the commission is currently carrying out post-election evaluation and early voting is among the proposals for the next elections.

“There are many ways of staggering elections in the country. We can decide to hold the county government and the national government polls on two separate days,” he said.

Hassan said Kenyans fear that when presidential elections take place earlier, the party of the winning President will influence the pattern of the voting.

“Psychological influence will play a major role in the outcome of those who are elected in other positions if the presidential polls are held first. People will tend to vote for the candidates in the president’s party,” he said.

“However, we can start by holding the governor, senator and ward representative elections on a different day with that of members of National Assembly, women representatives
and President”.

Hassan said the two elections can be separated by two weeks to reduce tension and work load among the officers who will oversee the elections.

Staggering the elections will give an opportunity to IEBC officers and security personnel to participate in the elections.

“More than 400,000 people did not exercise their democratic right of choosing their leaders because they were deployed to work on the Election Day. More than 300,000 IEBC and 98,000 security personnel who were deployed during the last elections did not vote. In the coming elections, they can vote early before they are deployed on the main
election day,” Hassan said. He said they will forward their findings on the post-election evaluation to the National Assembly for adoption.

Hassan challenged other schools in Kenya to emulate Nguraru Primary School whose elections were presided over by IEBC.

He said that IEBC will work with the ministry of Education and come up with an election charter for schools. “We want to come up with guidelines on how to conduct school elections.
The charter will also propose the terms of service for school leaders,” Hassan said.

Hassan was accompanied by Taita Taveta Deputy Governor Mary Ndigha, IEBC commissioner in charge of Coast region Yusuf Nzibo and Wundanyi election coordinator Eisha Omar.

“There is need to instill the culture of sincerity, fairness and humility in elections to ensure peace and unity during and after elections,” Ndigha said. She asked teachers to ensure the will of the students is respected.

“No preferred choices by the school’s administration should be forced on the students. Let the students chose their leaders,” Ndigha said. During the elections, Jane Sowa was elected the Nguraru Primary School president. Her running mate was Chris Mwashighadi.

Magdalene Adhiambo was elected the Girl Council representative in the school. Students with special needs, kindergarten, and lower primary and upper primary all participated in the elections.

Omar praised the students because less than ten votes were spoilt during the polls. “No rejected votes for class one to eight voters during the elections. We have to emulate these children when undertaking elections in the country,” she said. IEBC announced that it will provide the election materials and technical advice during the school elections in Kenya.

- The Star

When he breathed his last, self-made billionaire James Njenga Karume automatically moved his heirs to the top decks of the world’s club of multi-millionaires.

Through his last Will and Testament, a transfer of all his worldly assets was made to his closest kin, with his then four-year-old son Emmanuel Karume Njenga set on a straight path to billionaire status.

The boy will inherit all his father’s shares in Kiambu General Transport Agency Ltd. He will take over shares in nine other companies, all shares in Majoreni Agencies Limited, all shares in Ngorongo Tea Factory Limited, 25 per cent shares in Heri Limited, 12.5 per cent shares in Kenya Wine Agencies Limited and a share in each of the following companies: Jacaranda Hotel Limited, Karume Investments Limited, Kabete Distributors Limited, Cianda Estates Limited and Forest Road Flats Limited.

Among his other beneficiaries of the vast Karume Empire are his driver, bodyguard and cook.

It has emerged that eight months before his death, Karume swore under oath in front of his long trusted physician Dr Dan Gikonyo of Karen Hospital and Bishop David Kamau, to ensure his vast estate was divided according to his wishes.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi, and Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were the only institutions not directly affiliated to the late tycoon that received parcels of land from him.

The Will, which The Standard on Sunday has seen, is explicit and dictates to the tee, the amount of inheritance each beneficiary is entitled to.

The tycoon’s wife, four daughters, four sons and his grandchildren each got a piece of the expensive pie, which conservative estimates put at Sh120 billion.

Karume did not want his clothes, attire and wearing apparel to be distributed but he donated them to a charitable institution to be selected by executors of his Will. He gave all his chattels including household items, furnishings and personal effects to his wife Grace Njoki.

In the Will dated June 6, 2011, the businessman and veteran politician instructed his lawyers to transfer all his properties to the intended beneficiaries before he died and if any transfers were incomplete upon his death, they were to be treated as a bequest to the beneficiaries.

Multi-billion estate

Karume who, according to his autobiography built his multi-billion estate from scratch, died at 83 years in February 2012 after a long battle with prostate cancer.

The assets owned by Karume’s estate range from huge tracts of land in prime locations, hotels, housing estates and shareholding in some of the country’s blue chip listed or privately owned companies.

The executors of the Will are listed as 61-year-old daughter, Dr Francisca Wanjiku Kahiu, a cousin, James Njenga and friend Stephen Karau.

The executors have applied to the High Court to have the authority to oversee the division of the estate.

The Will and Testament contains details of how Karume wanted to be buried:

“I direct that I should be buried in accordance with Christian rites on a property known as LRN131/10 measuring approximately three acres which has been donated by Cianda Estates Limited to the Sisters of The Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ Registered Trustees and on which I have earmarked my immediate family’s graveyard…I direct my executors to construct a mausoleum at my burial site and a library at an appropriate location near my burial site,” reads part of the Will.

The biggest beneficiary among his employees is his long serving driver who will be given Sh1million.

His bodyguard and cook will each be given Sh500,000. Karume’s daughter Dr Francisca Wanjiku Kahiu will receive Sh10 million in cash from her father’s estate.

She will also benefit from 12.5 per cent shareholding in Kenya Wine Agencies Limited and 25 per cent shareholding at the Paper House Limited.

Another daughter Teresia Karume, 55, was given Sh2 million by the father and shares in the two companies equal to her sister Dr Kahiu. Jane Mukuhi Matu, 52, another daughter of Karume will benefit from an apartment of not more than Sh15 million owned by her father’s estate. Mukuhi and her children will hold the property jointly.

She will also take all the shares of her late father in Bata Shoe Company, 12.5 per cent shares at KWAL, and 25 per cent shares at the Paper House of Kenya.

Karume’s wife Grace Wanjiku, 49, whom he married after the demise of his first wife, will take over surplus cash in his personal bank accounts once all expenses and personal debts are paid out. She will also choose and retain two motor vehicles of whatever make. All the four vehicles listed in Karume’s name are Mercedes Benz.

Grace, the mother of Emmanuel, was also bequeathed with all of Karume’s shares in companies listed on any recognised stock exchange in Kenya and abroad. Grace will benefit from the land in Kiambaa and all shares in Kigutha Farmers Limited. Karume further entrusted her to hold in trust for Emmanuel his inheritance until he comes of legal age to own property.

Karume’s other three sons, Samuel, Henry, and Albert will each get 25 per cent shares in Heri Ltd and 12.5 percent shareholding in KWAL. Albert will further retain all the shares held by the father in Pelican Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Employed professionals

Karume’s wife, daughters and sons will each be given parcels of land in different parts of the country including Nakuru, and the Cianda Farm in Kiambu. Several other parcels of land are to be transferred to the empire’s flagship companies such as Karume Investments Ltd, Jacaranda Holdings, and Karume Holdings.

Any other assets that would remain unattached after the transfers and division of the estate are to be held through a trust set up by the executors for purposes of promoting the maintenance of education and advancement in life of his dependents.

Karume’s other businesses include the Jacaranda Group of Hotels that owns Jacaranda Hotel-Nairobi, Jacaranda Indian Ocean Beach Resort at the Coast, Lake Elementaita Lodge in Naivasha, Pizza Garden as well as the Village Inn.

Before he died, he formed the Njenga Karume Foundation to manage his investments on behalf of his heirs. He also formed a board to manage his Jacaranda Holdings. Mary M’Mukindia, the former managing director of National Oil Corporation Kenya is the chairperson of the Jacaranda Holdings.

M’Mukindia heads a Board of Trustees Mr Karume picked before he died. Tella Kawira, an administrator of the trust works in conjunction with a team of other managers and members of the Karume family.  He also employed professionals to run his businesses. Karume’s estate is estimated to be worth Sh120 billion.  The late Karume remains one of the few Kenyan politicians who also doubled up as successful businessmen whose passing did not elicit a fight for his empire.

However, upon Karume’s death, then 45-year-old schoolteacher Edwin Thuo emerged to stake claim to Karume’s wealth alleging that the latter was his father. Thuo wanted Karume’s funeral put on hold until extraction of DNA material was done for use in two paternity cases pending in court.

The High Court dismissed the petition filed by the high school teacher.

Striking out the suit, Justice David Majanja who was hearing the case said that the case by Thuo had been settled three years prior through an agreement by all parties. The judge said that the case could not be reopened because litigation had to come to an end.

At the time of his death, Karume was among the wealthiest Kenyans.

-The Standard

Angry residents in Dandora phase 2 on Wednesday vandalised a church that had allegedly banned its female worshipers from wearing underwear during prayer services.

The residents demolished doors, windows and walls of the Lord’s Propeller Redemption church. They claimed the church was spreading immorality

Pastor Michael Mulama, head of the church, claimed that he had been robbed Sh80, 000  and mobile phones after the mob frog marched  him to the Kinyago police station.

Police say they are still waiting for Pastor Mulama to record a formal statement.

Nigerian pop star Dencia unleashed a vicious Twitter attack aimed at Lupita Nyong’o after the “12 Years a Slave” star revealed that she persuaded a fan not to purchase Dencia’s skin-bleaching cream.

Lupita Nyong’o was a guest speaker at the Essence Women in Hollywood Luncheon where she opened up about the importance of loving your skin complexion.

During her speech she shared her own journey toward accepting her dark skin and revealed that a fan wrote her a letter thanking her for influencing her decision not to purchase Whitenicious, Dencia’s skin-bleaching cream.

The typo- and grammatical error-filled Twitter rant captured quite a bit of attention as Dencia claimed that white companies own Nyong’o.

“Every year the Oscars use 1 black scape goat 2 fool blacks 2 support them,this is ur year,next year another black person get over urselves,” one tweet read.

Things only got worse as the tweet continued.

“& oh @Lupita_Nyongo cln’t talk abt the bleaching creams white people (Companies) make cuz the white man pays her,they own her!!,” she tweeted. “And oh while u claim she isn’t thinking of me, I’m on Her brain 4 her 2 mention me in a speech she shld have thanked u stupid fools.”

Dencia then let her critics know that she won’t be losing any money for attacking Nyong’o on social media.

“I don’t have a record deal or pple who pay me i pay every1 who works 4 me so I can tweet how I feel unlike most celebs n my money still here,” another tweet read.

Many Twitter users stepped in to defend Nyong’o against the attacks, but it’s not as if the star needs the help.

Nyong’o hasn’t responded and is instead continue to flaunt her beauty, love her gorgeous skin and shine amid the dozens of awards she has snagged this season.

As for the letter that made Dencia so angry, it was intended to be the center of a beautiful moment — not a Twitter war.

“Dear Lupita,” the letter read. “I think you’re really lucky to be this Black but yet this successful in Hollywood overnight. I was just about to buy Dencia’s Whitenicious cream to lighten my skin when you appeared on the world map and saved me.”

Nyong’o said her “heart bled a little” when she read those words and she said she hopes she can continue to encourage young women to embrace their black beauty.

-Atlanta Black Star

The Nairobi County Government has taken strong action against striking matatu and taxi operators by clamping and towing vehicles that blocked various roads in the city.

The exercise overseen by the police further saw number plates of the vehicles removed and submitted to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to ensure the striking operators appeared in court to face charges before reclaiming their vehicles.

The action followed an order on Twitter by Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo: “The vehicles blocking roads should be towed and taken to police stations and traffic headquarters.”

The Nairobi Roads, Transport and Infrastructure County Executive, Evans Ondieki termed the action by the operators as impunity and stated that it would not be tolerated.

Speaking to Capital FM News, Ondieki pointed out that those aggrieved should have followed due process instead of inconveniencing passengers and other motorists.

He stated that before any recommendations are implemented, they would have to be passed by the County Assembly.

He further termed the statement by Nairobi Senator Gideon Mbuvi (aka Sonko) that operators should pay the previous reduced rates as ill advised.

“Those were his opinions, which he has a right to. But you need to realise that this does not necessarily translate to law. For recommendations to be implemented they must go through the right channels and this never happened. We will not back down on our stance,” he stated.

As the operators crippled transport across the city, boda bodas cashed in by increasing fares into the city centre.

They charged stranded pedestrians up to Sh700 to town from various parts of the city.

Taxi drivers took their protest right outside City Hall where they barricaded roads.

The busy Thika Superhighway was among those affected as matatu crews barricaded the road at Pangani, bringing traffic to a halt.

Queues stretched back several kilometres as motorists were caught unawares.

Jogoo Road also experienced similar delays as matatus formed convoys into town and refused to allow other motorists to pass through.

Commuters were forced to walk into the city centre as motorists caught in the chaos could be seen standing beside their cars awaiting the police to act.

- CAPITAL FM

Ms Mary Wambui Wednesday made a contribution on the floor of the National Assembly, two weeks after the Court of Appeal nullified her election as the MP for Othaya — thanks to a loophole in the law.

A former San Diego State running back skipped out on workouts during Sunday’s NFL Scouting Combine because he said God told him to.

Running backs competed in afternoon drills at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, but Adam Muema missed the training session, claiming the Lord told him he’d play for the Seattle Seahawks if he took it easy.

The fourth leading rusher in Aztecs history said it was his ‘dream’ to play for the Super Bowl-winning team.

‘Can’t go wrong with God,’ Muema said, according to UTSandiego.com which reported that the NFL teams are aware of the decision.

Muema explained his curious move in a phone interview from the Indianapolis International Airport as he was returning to the city where he trained for the combine.

He’ll have another chance to impress NFL teams at San Diego State’s pro day next month.

‘(God) told me to sit down, be quiet, and enjoy the peace,’ he said of his current plan, adding that he communicates with God through numbers.

Muema is regularly sharing his religious beliefs on social media and quoting the Bible on his Twitter account, Facebook and Instagram.

In 2013, the running back rushed 256 times for 1,244 yards and 15 touchdowns, UTSandiego.com reports.

He declared for the draft last month as an early-entry junior and the NFL Draft Advisory Board initially predicted him to be a fourth to seventh-round pick, a source told the news website.

Other players, including Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, decided not to throw on Sunday.

However, Muema appears to be the only player who opted out because he was ‘following God.

-Daily Mail