Good morning,
The tranquil Chepkorio Village in Elgeyo Marakwet County braces for an influx of athletics stars this Friday, gathering to honor the late Kelvin Kiptum, the men’s marathon world record holder tragically lost to a fatal road accident in Kaptagat last week.
Distinguished guests, including IAAF President Sebastian Coe, Ugandan sensation Joshua Cheptigei, and Britain’s Mo Farah, are slated to pay their respects, bridging the gap between television screens and the Kenyan heartland.
In a poignant gesture, the Kenyan government has declared a State burial for Kiptum, undertaking the construction of a three-bedroom house for his family, ensuring their welfare amidst grief.
Despite the somber occasion, optimism pervades as engineers work tirelessly to complete the project by the burial deadline.
Kiptum, revered among local villagers, is set to receive a heartfelt farewell, reflecting the profound impact of his legacy.
Meanwhile, here are news stories making headlines on Opera News today;
Why Kenya is experiencing hot weather
A five-day weather forecast issued by the Kenya Meteorological Department shows that most parts of the country are experiencing dry spells characterised by searing temperatures.
In the highlands east of the Rift Valley, which include counties such as Nairobi, Embu, Meru, Kiambu and Murang’a, the outlook says temperatures could soar to 38 degrees Celsius while for those in Northwestern, which covers Samburu and Turkana counties could be in for an even hotter weather with the maximum temperature projected at 39 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures are expected to be warmer than average over the whole country during the forecast period.
However, some parts of the country in the South Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin and the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley are likely to receive light to moderate rainfall.
Fresh pain at the pump as State triples Epra levy
The government has raided the pockets of fuel consumers once again after it tripled the tax payable to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) for every litre of the commodity purchased.
The Ministry of Energy last week increased the Petroleum Regulatory Levy to Sh0.75 per litre up from Sh0.25.
The levy is one of nine taxes and levies that are charged on fuel, and has been increased to fund the operations of the energy regulator. The others are excise duty, Road Maintenance Levy, Petroleum Development Levy, Railway Development Levy, Anti-Adulteration Levy, Merchant Shipping Levy, Import Declaration Fee and Value Added Tax (VAT).
The increase of the levy last week went largely unnoticed because the energy regulator reduced the overall price of fuel by Sh1 per litre.
Housing bill sails through crucial stage
The controversial Affordable Housing Bill will now go to the final stage after the pro-government side voted for it.
The pro-government side carried the day after a vote polling 141 votes against 58 for the minority side.
The minority side led by MPs Otiende Amollo (Rarieda), John Mbadi (Nominated) and Wilberforce Oundo (Funyula) protested the bill had many gaps that needed to be addressed before it is subjected to the Third Reading.
Mbadi said the bill was exposing Kenyans including mama mboga who were promised the levy will only affect those who are salaried and have a payslip to unnecessary harassment by the taxman.