A new report suggests that the dream of affordable housing for Nairobi's poor may not come true. The report was made by the Nairobi County assembly's land committee and examined two housing projects: Jevanjee and Pangani.
The report found that private investors own most of the affordable housing units in these projects. The public, through the county government, only owns a small part of the units. Some of the county's units are even saved for politicians and officials.
For example, the Pangani project has 1,562 housing units, but the county only owns 333 of them. A private developer owns the rest. All of the one-bedroom units in Pangani were sold. The county only owns two out of the 248 two-bedroom units. For the three-bedroom units...
Margaret Waithera is 65 years old and lives in Ndutumi village in Murang'a county, Kenya. She has been making pottery since she was a child, and it has helped her earn money to raise her children.
Waithera makes cooking pots and other items out of clay. She also makes energy-saving stoves, which use less fuel and produce less smoke, helping people avoid eye and chest problems.
More Kenyans are starting to like traditional foods and cooking methods. Because of this, people have been coming from far away to buy Waithera's pots. One customer recently ordered 350 pots from her, which gave Waithera some extra money for the holidays. But it's not always easy. Sometimes, she goes for weeks without selling anything.
Waithera learned to make...
Kenya Development Corporation, a state-owned bank, is facing serious financial problems. A new report shows that many Kenyans are not paying back their loans to KDC, which means KDC might have trouble lending money to new customers in the future.
KDC was created in 2020 by combining three other companies. It offers loans and business advice to Kenyans. However, about 86% of KDC's loans are considered "non-recoverable." That's around 33.44 billion Kenyan shillings that people probably won't pay back.
KDC has had to stop adding interest to these unpaid loans. Some of the loans are really old, and KDC has even lost the documents for the property used to secure them. The bank has set aside money to cover these expected losses.
The report...
Kenya Faces Wide Labor Crisis as Workers Plan Strikes.
Teachers and nurses across Kenya plan to stop working this month. They want higher pay, which the government promised but has yet to give them.
The strikes will affect many aspects of life in Kenya. Students at public universities won't have classes, and patients at state hospitals might not get care.
Nurses gave a warning about their strike on December 23. They say the government treats them unfairly. Their leader, Seth Panyako, says nurses have been patient but feel ignored.
"We backed this government, but they take our silence as weakness," Panyako said. The nurses want better pay, and they plan to keep striking until they get it.
University teachers also want their promised...
Kenya Steps Up Security with New Turkish Drones.
Kenya has added six new drones to its security forces. These Bayraktar TB2 drones come from Turkey's Baykar company. The military will use them to fight terrorism and watch over the country.
Turkish news reports say both countries are working closer on defense matters. The drones have proven their worth in several wars, including battles in Ukraine. Many countries want these drones because they work well.
African nations have shown great interest in these flying machines. The drones help them guard their lands and fight against armed groups. These machines cost less than other military equipment but still do the job well.
Each drone carries special cameras made by Aselsan. These...
Zimbabwe Pushes to End Violence Against Women.
Zimbabwe faces a serious problem. One in three women deal with violence, Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said at a recent meeting. She spoke to female religious leaders about ways to help.
The minister told the leaders they play a key role in their communities. They can make real change happen. These women can reach others who face harm at home.
"Violence leaves deep scars," Mutsvangwa said. She wants leaders to learn how to help women who suffer. The pain goes beyond just numbers on paper. It touches real lives.
The issue runs deep in Zimbabwe. It cuts across all parts of life - from rich to poor, from cities to farms. But many religious groups stayed quiet about it before. Some blamed bad...
Baker Loses Work Money in Late-Night Online Bets.
A baker tried to get rich quickly but lost his work money instead. William Gonese took $3,420 from his night shift at the Bakers Inn store to bet online.
The 28-year-old shift boss wanted to win big on a betting game called Aviator. He hoped to pay back the store money and keep extra cash for his new wife.
"I meant to win, not steal," Gonese told the court. He lives in Chitungwiza, near Harare. He said he started with $350 but kept betting until all the money was gone. "My girlfriend just moved in with me. I wanted to make her proud."
The trouble started last Saturday night. The store gave him money to run the shop on Chinhoyi Street. By three in the morning, Gonese had to make a...
Court to Rule on Bail for Goat Scheme Suspects.
Two men linked to a big case about missing goat money face a key court date today. Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu want to leave jail until their trial starts.
They say things have changed since their first time in court. The case moved quickly last week when their lawyers pushed for quick action. The law says bail cases need quick answers, and Judge Mary Dube agreed to hear them quickly.
The court planned to meet on Friday, but state lawyers needed time to prepare. They moved the case to today.
The men are accused of taking $7.7 million from a program that gives goats to farmers. Last month, they tried to take their case to a higher court, but he called their move a waste of time...
Zimbabwe Woman Returns to Face Murder Charge After Years in UK.
A wife came back to face murder charges in Harare this week. Police say Bridget Makaza shot her husband in 2018 and ran away to Britain.
The court saw her on Tuesday. Judge Isheunesu Matova put her in jail until January 13. She turned herself in after six years away.
Police tell a dark story from that May night in 2018. They say Makaza shot her sleeping husband three times - twice in the neck, once in the shoulder. Her marriage had turned bad after he married another woman.
She tried to hide the truth, they say. She yelled that the robbers had done it. When people came to help, she ran. The gun ended up in the weeds near a river.
Makaza went to the police station...
