Awinja has been praised for leading peaceful anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests in Vihiga County. As her fellow celebrities joined Kenyans in protesting in Nairobi's CBD, Awinja mobilised youths from her county as they took to the streets to protest. Which celebrities attended the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests? Radio personality Maina Kageni distributed smokies to anti-Finance Bill protesters in Nairobi CBD. What you need to know about anti-finance bill protestsProofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.keSource: TUKO.co.ke

President William Ruto spent the better part of Tuesday morning in Naivasha as Kenyans across the country protested against the tax proposals in the Finance Bill 2024. The President presided over the opening of a retreat on the institutional reforms of the African Union at Enashipai Resort in Naivasha. "I am determined to make radical reforms that will make the African Union, its organs and specialised agencies more effective. Particularly, there are functional overlaps that urgently need resolution to enhance AU's operational efficiency," said President Ruto. President Ruto also vowed to establish a robust and sustainable funding mechanism for both the AU regular and program budgets.

Lawmakers allied to President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance , the majority side, voted 195 against 106 to carry the day in an exercise that saw zero abstentions. This becomes Kenya’s hurriedly adopted finance bill, considering that similar proposed laws took days to be enacted. President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance enjoys majority in the National Assembly and it was easy for him to convince his lawmakers to push the bill down the throats of protesting Kenyans. Consequently, the debate was reduced to a government-side affair as Azimio MPs, joined by some Kenya Kwanza colleagues and Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, steered clear of the exercise. The lawmakers also voted to retain bread among commodities that are zero-rated from the proposed 16 percent value-added tax.

The protests will be allowed to proceed in select streets in the city and major towns under strict police surveillance. Today, there will be large protests across the country opposing the bill, with MPs expected to vote on it again. People DailyAuditor General Nancy Gathungu has unearthed massive irregularities in how the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIF) paid out claims to beneficiaries amounting to billions of shillings. The audit also established that there were duplicate claims for various health schemes, while surgical expenditures were made before doctors' peer review. In the report, Gathungu raised concerns about an unexplained overpayment of KSh 462.2 million on National Health Scheme Expenses.

First Daughter Charlene Ruto on Tuesday, commended young Kenyans who had turned up to demonstrate against the Finance Bill 2024. First Daughter Charlene Ruto Photo Charlene Ruto"I stand at a very unique position regarding the issues facing my country Kenya as we speak," she stated noting that she was a youth champion but also the President's daughter. Charlene while not outrightly supporting or rejecting the Finance Bill asked young Kenyans to always stand up for their rights and raise their concerns when aggrieved. The First Daughter's endorsement was a stark contrast to how the government was dealing with young people taking to the streets to demonstrate against the Finance Bill. This prompted National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula to issue an ultimatum to the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome to give information on the whereabouts of all arrested Kenyans in connection to the Finance Bill demonstrations.

S/ Gokan Shunichi, NNN Correspondent: At the report of the gun, the first-ever ekiden relay race in the UK began. The first UK Ekiden, or long-distance relay race, was held in England on June 24 to coincide with the visit by the Japanese Emperor and Empress. S/ Anna Dingley, Director, UK Ekiden: This ekiden race was modeled after the Hakone Ekiden in Japan. Through this event, I believe that the ties between Japan and the UK will grow even stronger. The host organization said it will use this event to continue to promote ekiden races in the UK going forward.

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By XINHUA More by this AuthorKenyan President William Ruto on Monday flagged off the first group of 400 police officers, marking their deployment to Haiti to combat gang violence. The ceremony in the capital Nairobi saw President Ruto hand over the Kenyan flag to the officers who will participate in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti. The deployment has faced several delays and legal challenges, including being declared illegal by the Kenyan High Court at one point. More than 1,000 Kenyan police officers will join other international teams in Haiti to address the gang violence. In addition to Kenya, countries such as Chile, Jamaica, Grenada, Paraguay, Burundi, Chad, Nigeria, and Mauritius will also send officers to Haiti.

By REUTERS More by this AuthorKenyan police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday as a nationwide demonstration against proposed tax hikes got underway. Although the protesters in Nairobi were almost entirely peaceful, according to Reuters reporters and human rights organisations, police repeatedly fired tear gas and water cannon. In remarks on Sunday, Ruto praised the protesters, saying they had been peaceful, and that the government would engage with them on the way forward. While protesters initially focused on the finance bill, their demands have broadened, with many chanting on Thursday: "Ruto must go!" But that has not been enough to satisfy protesters, who want the entire bill scrapped.

1 SHARES Share TweetBEIJING, China, Jun 25 — President Xi Jinping set out a sweeping vision on Monday to build China into a strong nation in science and technology by 2035, calling for stronger steps to bolster the nation’s self-reliance drive while enhancing openness and global cooperation. “A nation thrives when its science and technology thrive, and a robust science and technology sector is the cornerstone of a strong nation,” the president said in the 45-minute speech. Xi summarized China’s key achievements in sci-tech development since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in November 2012, before putting forward key experiences drawn from development practices during the period. Xi stressed that China must practice the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and achieve self-reliance and self-improvement in the sci-tech sector through open cooperation. “It was an inspiring presentation.”Sanders expressed his belief that China’s strong emphasis on self-reliance in science and technology “absolutely does not mean closing its own doors”.

Renowned filmmaker Hansal Mehta has weighed in on a recent incident involving a fan of actor Nagarjuna, who was pushed by the actor's bodyguard. Hansal Mehta also shared that his son Pallava was not able to meet his favourite star despite multiple requests. Jai Mehta on Nagarjuna fan incidentJai Mehta tweeted, “I’d like to point out (I could be wrong. Hansal Mehta on a star ignoring request to meet his sonHansal Mehta amplified his son’s message by retweeting it and confirming the account of their experiences. https://t.co/d8bsIgxfI8 — Nagarjuna Akkineni (@iamnagarjuna) June 23, 2024In response to the backlash, Nagarjuna took to Twitter to issue an apology.

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Higher production costs and the Ghanaian currency's fall have hurt cocoa farmers. Cocoa farmers are obliged to sell their produce to the state-run Ghana Cocoa Board or COCOBOD, which fixes prices to help protect farmers from market volatility. Photo: Gabriela VAZ, Gustavo IZUS / AFPSource: AFPFiifi Boafo, head of public affairs at COCOBOD, acknowledged the impact of smuggling, illegal mining and adverse weather conditions on cocoa production. We are motivating cocoa farmers by paying them more for their produce," he said. Boafo said Ghana's cocoa production is projected to reach 800,000 tonnes by year-end, reversing the significant losses of recent years.

Instead, Djokovic has struggled for form, failing to claim a title at any level, and could now miss Wimbledon having undergone knee surgery following a slip at the French Open. Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner sits proudly at the head of the rankings ahead of Alcaraz, with their combined age only exceeding Djokovic by six years. Should Djokovic miss out, it would be the first Wimbledon since 2002 featuring none of the big three of the Serb, Nadal or Roger Federer. Alcaraz insisted that will not pile on extra pressure, saying: “It’s going to be, for me, the same tournament. The two-time Australian Open champion, who is nursing a sore shoulder, has reached the semi-finals on her last two appearances but fallen just short both times.

The medics have continued to treat injured protestors at the venue despite the flying bullets and teargas. Dr Korir stated that more ambulances and supplies are urgently needed to assist the medics offering free health services to injured protesters. 1:45pm - Mombasa Governor Joins Anti-Finance Bill ProtestorsMombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir has joined the anti-finance bill protestors in Mombasa. 1:30pm - Live Bullets Reported in Nairobi Protests, Four ShotThere are reports that police are using live bullets against protesters in Nairobi. Osama Otero, known for his popular X Spaces opposing the Finance Bill 2024, was also reportedly abducted by unknown individuals.