Kisii County Governor James Ongwae has written a letter to the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), asking to be given reasons as to why they did not release results for three schools in the county source: Kisii county Speaking to the press, Ongwae said that he wanted investigations done on the matter, adding that the act of cancellation of examination is so much demoralizing to parents of Kisii County and to the students as well. “As the governor of this county, I want to ask them to conduct serious investigations and indicate what the causes for the cancellation are,” he said. He said that the students are affected, yet the county is not even aware of what the problem is, adding that it is completely unacceptable to the county. “The students performed well but they have not received any results. We have always had this very case with Kisii School each time they perform well, their result is either withheld or cancelled,” he said. The Governor said that he hopes the ...

It’s a winter wonderland in Dallas/Ft. Worth! We were expecting the sleet and freezing rain last night but the snow was an added bonus! Between 3 and 7 inches dropped across the metroplex. Temps are expected to get up to around 37 which means some of ice and snow will melt but temps will drop below freezing tonight causing what melts to re-freeze-KRNB

It is inevitable that Kenya adopts CBT regarding the latest menace, as part of getting a lasting solution. Computer-based testing is a simple and better way to offer the KCSE test. It allows testing centers to offer a more consistent test delivery, faster scoring and reporting, and enhanced test security. The Facts Testing is done in person, on a computer, at an approved testing center Testing is not online Similar to paper testing centers, computer-based testing centers are reviewed and approved to ensure test-takers receive the best, fairest experience possible for their test Training for jurisdiction and test center administrators is included in set up of a new testing center Testing centers can use desktop computers or laptop computers, as long as minimum requirements are met Only 2 computers are required to become a testing center Computer-based testing is the standard for many other test delivery programs. And as technology continues to advance, it is also becoming t...

Kisii Senator Chris Obure and three former Permanent Secretaries were on Wednesday charged over corruption related to the multi-billion shilling Anglo Leasing scandal. Obure who was charged over crimes committed when he was a Minister of Finance in former President Daniel arap Moi’s government, was in the dock alongside former Transport and Communication Permanent Secretary Sammy Kyungu, former PS Ministry of Finance Joseph Magari and former PS for Internal Security and Provisional Administration Dave Mwangi. They have all denied abuse of office and conspiracy to commit economic crime charges, although Mwiraria and the Kamani’s who are represented by lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi were not in court/CFM NEWS Also charged alongside them were former Postmaster General Francis Chahonyo, former Finance Secretary Samuel Bundotich and David Onyonka who was in-charge of debt management in the Ministry of Finance at the time he is accused of committing economic crimes. David Mwiraria who...

Nina Pham’s suit accuses the hospital’s parent company, Texas Health Resources, of failing to provide staff with adequate training – and violating her privacy Nina Pham, in the pink dress, is still employed by Texas Health Resources and was Thomas Eric Duncan’s primary nurse. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images Nina Pham, the nurse who last year became the first person to contract Ebola in the US, has said she will file a lawsuit against the hospital for which she was working at the time. Pham became infected while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who contracted the disease in Africa before becoming sick in the US, at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas. Pham’s suit accuses the hospital’s parent company, Texas Health Resources, of failing to provide staff with adequate training or the necessary equipment to respond to the disease. It also claims that the company violated Pham’s privacy by releasing medical information and videos of her despite her reque...

More than 30 Democrats threaten to boycott Israeli prime minister’s planned speech in Congress Leaving Israel on Sunday, Binyamin Netanyahu said he would ‘do everything in my power to ensure our future’. Photograph: Abir Sultan/AP Israel and the US are bracing this week for the most strained moment in relations since Barack Obama came to power, after the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, arrived in Washington on Sunday night to urge Congress to oppose a nuclear deal with Iran. As he flew out of Ben Gurion airport, Netanyahu described his 48-hour trip to Washington as “a fateful, even historic mission”, which is to culminate in a controversial speech to Congress in which he will speak out against an emerging pact with Iran over its nuclear programme. “I feel deep and sincere concern for the security of Israel’s citizens and for the fate of the state and of all our people,” he said. “I will do everything in my power to ensure our future.” Netanyahu will address the Am...

Al Shabaab terrorists bribed Kenyan police officers who helped them smuggle explosives into Kenya last year, Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua has revealed. He said that after being bribed, the police at the Kenya-Somalia border, handcuffed the terrorists and escorted them all the way to Mombasa. This helped the terrorists, who were now suspects by the virtue of being under police guard, to evade further scrutiny at various roadblocks. Chief of staff and Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua said explosives would have caused serious damage if vehicle had not been intercepted.  And after they arrived in Mombasa, Mr Kinyua said the terrorists were unchained and let free to go ahead with their mission. Kinyua, however, said it was unlikely the officers knew the terrorists' car had explosives. "Imagine the kind of damage they could have caused if they were not arrested later?" posed Kinyua. Police who intercepted the vehicle bearing the explosives in March last year fo...

Night runners have demanded funding saying Migori and Homa Bay county governments discriminate them. The self proclaimed President of the night runners, Jack Songo aka Moses Okinyi who claims to have been elected by colleagues. Attempts to pursue development initiatives have flopped since the counties have channeled the funds to other projects, said Kenya Night Runners Union Jack Songo. “Our nocturnal activities have massively boosted security in the areas. There is need for the government to recognise our union and allocate us some funds,” he said. The union has domesticated wild animals through witchcraft, Songo said. He said it has tamed 214 hyenas and hippos which members ride during their nightly activities. He added that crocodiles and snakes have also been domesticated. Songo spoke to the Star on phone on Thursday, from Gwasii area in Homa Bay, where he attended the burial of a member who died "in the line of duty" “Our colleague died while enjoying ...

Kenya: Audio recordings purportedly demonstrating six MPs had received bribes and setting up members of rival coalitions against each other reportedly helped embattled Ababu Namwamba retain chairmanship of a watchdog committee. Mr Namwamba, who is also the Budalang'i MP and ODM Secretary General, yesterday narrowly survived ouster from the helm of the National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after a night of covert lobbying and cajoling. In the 26-member committee, 13 MPs voted to impeach Namwamba over claims of bribery and corruption within the committee. Nine MPs voted to save him, and two abstained. Two others, Silvance Osele (Kabondo Kasipul) and Stephen Manoti (Bobasi), were absent. The voting was by secret ballot. Those who abstained are Namwamba's deputy Cecily Mbarire (Runyenjes, TNA) and Andrew Mwadime (Mwatate, ODM). Though the majority in yesterday's meeting voted to impeach Namwamba, they were unsuccessful, because the House rules say that mor...

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has expressed concern over the high level of non-compliance to traffic rules by road users in Nyanza. The authority, which is currently leading a crack-down on road offenders in the area, has already impounded over 50 public service vehicles and arrested their crews. NTSA officers conducted more swoops in Ahero, Maseno and Bondo yesterday to arrest those flouting traffic rules. Addressing the Press in Kisumu yesterday, NTSA Deputy Director Cosmas Ngeso cited the low level of awareness and defiance by some motorists as some of the reasons why violation of traffic regulations was rampant in the region.  He said some matatu and bus operators had since pulled their vehicles off the roads to avoid inspection. "It is sad that people are still using Probox vehicles for public transport even after this was banned. These laws are meant to protect road users, not punish anybody," said Mr Ngeso. According to Ngeso, some of the common ...

Eleven pupils of Shiraha Primary School in Kakamega are living in fear after being attacked by alleged ‘evil’ spirits for a second time this year. They were allegedly attacked while at school and the incident disrupted learning the whole day. It is reported that the pupils fell on the ground in what looked like an epileptic fit. They were allegedly calling out names of unknown people and pleading with them to spare them from being strangled. The school head teacher Gilbert Otaro confirmed the morning incident saying one Standard Seven pupil fainted while they were at the parade. “It started with this girl who fainted at the parade. Before we could attend to her, some pupils also started to behave in a weird manner,” said Otaro. He said those affected screamed loudly alerting the whole village as neighbours ran to the school to witness the strange incident. “People were attracted by their screams. I have never witnessed such incident in my entire life,” he said. Otaro said they called...

Kidnappings by militants retreating from Kurdish attack are latest assault on ancient minorities such as Yazidis, Chaldeans and Copts A relative of one of the Egyptian Coptic Christians captured by Isis with a banner calling for their release. It is believed the men were beheaded. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters Islamic State militants kidnapped 90 Christians in north-east Syria as the jihadis retreated in the face of a Kurdish counter-offensive, a monitoring group has said. The reported kidnappings are the latest blow to the ancient Christian presence in the region, heightening insecurity after a video was released by militants claiming allegiance to Isis that appeared to show the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya. “This is another episode in the targeting to the Christians of the east,” Habib Afram, president of the Syriac League in Lebanon, which represents the Assyrian minority, told the Guardian. “We are witnessing the end of the Christian presence in the...

Benjamin Crump will act on behalf of parents of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, an unarmed Mexican man shot dead by police in Washington Agapita Montes-Rivera with her daughter, Rose Elena Zambrano-Montes and attorney Benjamin Crump outside the funeral home where her son’s body was being kept in Pasco. Photograph: Nicholas K. Geranios/AP The high-profile civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, will now act on behalf of the parents of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, an unarmed Mexican national shot dead by police in Pasco, Washington, strengthening the calls for a federal investigation into the death. Crump told the Guardian that Zambrano-Montes’s mother, 60-year-old Agapita Montes-Rivera, who has travelled from Mexico following the shooting, fainted when she saw her son’s body for the first time on Monday afternoon. Footage of the moment Zambrano-Montes is shot dead in a volley of bullets by three police officers a...

A video purported to be by Somalia's al-Qaida-linked rebel group al-Shabab urged Muslims to attack shopping malls in the U.S., Canada, Britain and other Western countries. U.S. authorities said there was "no credible" evidence suggesting a U.S. mall attack was in the works. The threat by the al-Qaida affiliate came in the final minutes of a more than hourlong video released Saturday in which the extremists also warned Kenya of more attacks like the September 2013 assault on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in which 67 people were killed. The masked narrator concluded by calling on Muslims to attack shopping malls, specifically naming the Mall of America in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, as well as the West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the Westfield mall in Stratford, England. The authenticity of the video could not be immediately verified by The Associated Press. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security provided local law enforcement agencies and private sec...

Cord leader Raila Odinga Monday lauded the High Court after it nullified 10 clauses of the Security Laws Amendment Act 2014. Raila said the court in so doing has asserted its jurisdiction to supervise and ensure all the other arms of the State observe the Constitution. High Court Judge Isaac Lenaola declared sections 12, 64, 66, 34, 16, 42, 20, 26, 48 and 95 unconstitutional. “Although the court has not agreed with us with on a few statements of facts particularly regarding how this law was passed, we still congratulate the court for standing up for the Constitution,” said Raila in a statement. “Cord believes this decision will go a long way in ensuring adherence to the constitution of Kenya and protecting civil liberties,” he added. Some ODM legislators were suspended from the National Assembly for their actions during the passage of the law.  “I thank all CORD legislators who opposed the passage of these laws, some of whom have had to pay with suspension from the House where...

International row likely after revelations of breach that could have given NSA and GCHQ the power to monitor a large portion of world’s cellular communications Sim card  Gemalto, the company targeted by the spy agencies, produces 2bn sim cards per year for clients including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Photograph: Kimmo Mntyl /Rex Features Share viaShare on Google+ American and British spies hacked into the world’s largest sim card manufacturer in a move that gave them unfettered access to billions of cellphones around the globe and looks set to spark another international row into overreach by espionage agencies. The National Security Agency (NSA) and its British equivalent GCHQ hacked into Gemalto, a Netherlands sim card manufacturer, stealing encryption keys that allowed them to secretly monitor both voice calls and data, according to documents newly released by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. The breach, revealed in documents provided to The In...

After a judge in the state blocked President Obama’s executive action to shield millions of undocumented immigrants, many locals feel mistrustful of government and confused over what happens next  daca and dapa rally  Ruben Casillas, right, and others show their support during an event on Daca and Dapa immigration relief at the Houston International Trade Center on Tuesday. Photograph: Melissa Phillip/AP The late-night suspension of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration meant a busy day for Abraham Espinosa, combatting conservative fear-mongering and calming disrupted lives. “It’s been crazy, man. A lot of people have been freaking out,” the immigrant advocate said from his office in Houston, where he and his co-workers fielded calls, emails and Facebook messages from worried migrants. “There is a lot of confusion and there’s going to be even more confusion now.” About 350 miles south-west, in the border city of Brownsville, a conservative district judge h...

Three CORD Members of Parliament Suba’s John Mbadi, Gladys Wanga of Homa Bay and Shinyalu’s Silverse Anami have been suspended from the house business for four days over last year’s chaos in Parliament. The legislators are also required to stay away from the precincts of Parliament for the four days starting Wednesday afternoon. The trio was named by the Speaker Justin Muturi for gross disorderly conduct during the passing of the controversial Security Laws [Amendment] Bill, 2014 at a special sitting last December. (file) The trio was named by the Speaker Justin Muturi for gross disorderly conduct during the passing of the controversial Security Laws [Amendment] Bill, 2014 at a special sitting last December. Muturi invoked standing orders 108 in naming the three after considering a motion on the same moved by Ainamoi MP Benjamin Langat. The three MPs were suspended after the legislators allied to the Jubilee Coalition used their numerical strength to vote for the motion. ...

Decision by federal judge in Texas gives coalition of 26 states time to pursue lawsuit aimed at stopping president’s executive action on immigration Barack Obama meets young immigrants in the Oval Office of the White House   President Obama meets six young immigrants who would be subject to eventual deportation under a bill passed by the House. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP A plan to shield millions of people from deportation from the US was frozen on Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security, whose chief stalled the program after a federal judge in Texas ordered its halt late Monday night. Jeh Johnson, the Homeland Security secretary, said that the border control agency has suspended its plan to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program until further notice, meaning undocumented migrants eligible for protection will not be able to apply as scheduled on Wednesday. The suspension comes one day after district judge Andrew Hanen ordered the in...

Libya's Arab spring: the revolution that ate its children Four years after Muammar Gaddafi was killed, the high hopes of Libya’s activists have crumbled as Isis fills the vacuum left by scrapping militias  Libyans wave national flags on Martyrs’ Square in Tripoli as hundreds of people demonstrated in support of the UN-brokered dialogue between warring factions. Photograph: Hamza Turkia/Hamza Turkia/Xinhua Press/Corbis Chris Stephen  in Tunis Monday 16 February 2015 12.02 EST Last modified on Monday 16 February 2015 12.19 EST Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Shares 73 “It was better under Gaddafi,” says the young Libyan student, studying the froth bubbling over the top of his cappuccino in a cafe in Tunis as he contemplates the revolution that swept  Muammar Gaddafi  from power four years ago. “I never thought to say this before, I hated him, but things...