James Ratemo the Scribe

@JamesRatemo is a Journalist&Comm Consultant.Founder : @EveresMediaKE. Worked: @Mediacouncilk @InternewsKE @StandardKenya @NationMediaGroup.

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

#EbolaKenya https://t.co/N3fvz9FWOK

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

Anti-climax

[Hon. Tim Wanyonyi @HonTimWanyonyi]

Good job, boys. You gave it your all and left everything on the pitch.

Unfortunately, it was not our day, but that is football.

We live to fight another day.

#Arsenal

[Hivileo.co.ke @hivileo1]

Education CS Julius Ogamba cautions against speculation over the fire incident at Utumishi Girls Academy, saying investigations will determine whether the national school safety manual was followed during the emergency response

[Hivileo.co.ke @hivileo1]

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen has confirmed that 16 students died following a fire tragedy at Utumishi Girls Academy after a dormitory on the second floor caught fire at around 12:45 a.m. Authorities say the blaze was contained by 3:00 a.m. through a multi-agency emergency response.

A total of 79 students were injured, with 71 discharged and seven still admitted in stable condition. The Ministry of Health and DCI are leading the identification process and investigations into the cause of the fire as support teams remain stationed at the school

[Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal]

🇰🇪 16 girls were found dead after a fire tore through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru, Kenya overnight.

The block houses around 220 students aged 15 to 17. Most were asleep.

74 others were hospitalized.

Source: Kenya Star

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

It is understandable. Too much pain

[Hivileo.co.ke @hivileo1]

A distressed parent interrupted a briefing at Utumishi Girls Academy demanding answers about his child following the dormitory fire that killed students and injured dozens

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

God help us

[KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H @kipmurkomen]

STATUS UPDATE ON THE UTUMISHI GIRLS ACADEMY FIRE TRAGEDY

We are extremely saddened to confirm to the nation that 16 students lost their lives in the Gilgil Girls Academy fire tragedy.

A total of 79 students were injured and rushed to the hospital. Of these, 71 have since been discharged, while 7 students remain admitted in stable condition. One student was picked up by a parent.

More details on the tragedy are as follows:

A fire broke out at around 12:45 a.m. last night in a dormitory located on the second floor of Utumishi Girls Academy, Gilgil.

At the time of the incident, the school had a student population of 808.

The fire was contained by 3:00 a.m. through the combined efforts of the county security team, ASTU, KDF, and the Nakuru County Fire Brigade.

Unfortunately, 16 students lost their lives in the tragedy.

Identification of the bodies is ongoing with the support of the Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Investigations are also underway to establish the cause of the fire.

Students whose parents or guardians have arrived at the school have been released to return home.

A support desk has been established at the school, while information and support can also be accessed through the hotline number 1199.

A multi-agency crisis response team remains on site, comprising officers from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the County Government of Nakuru, and the Kenya Red Cross.

We shall continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

Once again, I wish to express my deepest condolences to the families affected and wish a quick recovery to those who were injured.

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

Very sad

[Brygettes Ngana @NBrygettes]

This grieving parent paints the picture of how information is still being guarded with regard to the fatalities in the Utumishi Girls Inferno. Bodies haven't been moved from the scene yet. Identification is yet to start .

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

My heartfelt condolences

[Kenyans.co.ke @Kenyans]

16 students dead, 74 admitted following fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

Well done

[Julians Amboko @AmbokoJH]

Should the taxpayer still bear the burden of proof in instances where a tax dispute with the Revenue Authority is based in pre-populated & third party data?

In my submission before the National Assembly's Finance & Planning Committee on behalf of the Tax Research Centre at @StrathU, I argue that Finance Bill 2026's proposals seeking to anchor Incomes & Expenses Validation in law will be incomplete if they do not include a proposal for the the Revenue Authority being saddled with the burden of proof in such instances.

Here's why:

· Finance Bill 2026 proposes to amend Sec75 of the Tax Procedures Act to provide that the Revenue Authority may use technology to pre-populate tax returns on behalf of a person required to submit or lodge a tax return

· Finance Bill 2026 further proposes that a person required to submit or lodge a tax return may rely on pre-populated return generated by the Revenue Authority to file their return

· Finance Bill 2026 proposes to amend Sec112 to provide that the Cabinet Secretary of the National Treasury may make Regulations for the procedure for the submission or lodging of returns based on pre-populated tax returns generated by the Revenue Authority

Here's where the problem is:

· In all this, Sec56(1) which provides that "In any proceedings, the burden shall be on the taxpayer to prove that a tax decision is incorrect" remains unchanged

· Sec56(1) is predicated on the fact that Kenya has been running on a self-assessment based regime & the data upon which tax disputes emerges was held by the taxpayer

· With Incomes & Expenses Validation & the onset of a Dual Assessment regime in Kenya, taxpayers are now exposed not just to errors of judgement & data on their part, but also errors of technology & transmission which are out of their control

· Can we really still have the burden of proof lying exclusively with the taxpayer in an environment where tax compliance has shifted from a function of record keeping to one where system integration reliability is now a key factor?

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

#ReportMissingChild

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

https://t.co/9pgPUhG7Gq

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

What to see at #Amboseli. The #AmboseliElephant https://t.co/GNMVLGHTZ6

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

Iko mambo

[Stephen Mutoro @smutoro]

Dear Hon @KuriaKimaniMP: COFEK was duly scheduled to appear in the National Assembly’s public participation exercise on the Finance Bill 2026. We have since learnt that the proceedings have been relocated from Parliament Buildings to Glee Hotel [[owned by one Ms Mary Wambui Mungai who is public domain that she doesn’t pay her taxes] along the Northern Bypass, a privately-owned commercial establishment.

We formally decline to appear at any venue outside Parliament or its designated public facilities, and state our legal grounds as follows:

1.Constitutional Breach — Article 118 of the Constitution obligates Parliament to facilitate public participation in an open and accessible manner. Relocating proceedings to a private hotel, without public notice explaining the circumstances, fatally undermines this constitutional mandate and creates conditions that are neither neutral nor accessible to all stakeholders.
2.Conflict of Interest — Directing public funds to a private hospitality venue raises immediate questions of procurement propriety under the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act. Where the proprietor of that establishment faces unresolved tax compliance questions, the conflict is compounded.
3.Wasteful Expenditure — Parliament has at its disposal Bunge Towers, procured at public expense for precisely such legislative business. Bypassing this public infrastructure to pay commercial rates at a private hotel constitutes wasteful and irregular expenditure contrary to Article 201(d) of the Constitution.
4.Interference with Public Participation — The last-minute venue change, without adequate notice to all registered participants, effectively disenfranchises stakeholders and taints the integrity of the Finance Bill 2026 public participation process. Any legislative outcome premised on a flawed process is legally vulnerable to constitutional challenge.

TAKE NOTICE that COFEK reserves its right to petition the High Court to nullify any proceedings conducted under these irregular circumstances, and to seek orders compelling Parliament to conduct genuine, Constitution-compliant public participation. Be accordingly and severally informed @HonWetangula @NAssemblyKE @NACommitteeKE @Senate_KE @HonAmasonKingi @KIMANIICHUNGWAH @Aaroncheruiyot @EACCKenya @katibainstitute @OkiyaOmtatah @ckanjama @lawsocietykenya @PPRAKenya

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

Supreme Court: Pension schemes are not subject to public procurement laws. https://t.co/9pgPUhG7Gq

[Hivileo.co.ke @hivileo1]

Former LSK President Nelson Havi accuses Parliament of failing to check Executive influence over rising fuel prices in Kenya

[Nelson Havi SC @NelsonHavi]

The appointing authority knew that she was not qualified but proceeded to appoint her. Today the appointing authority has appointed a 62 years old for an office with a retirement age of 60 years. The Government of Republic of Kenya is a law breaker.

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

Today in the #PensionWatchKE news @RBAKenya @ARBSKENYA @KenyaICTCradle @JamesRatemo

[Ombudsman Kenya @KenyasOmbudsman]

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹’𝘀 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗚𝗥 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀

[James Ratemo the Scribe @KenyaCurrent]

Pension funds are not public entities, thus not subject to state procurement laws. Just like salary is private, so is pension