Top 5 Today: “Drug Queen” Joyce Akinyi Sentenced and Other Headlines
Among Kenya’s most wanted drug traffickers, Joyce Akinyi Ochieng, was yesterday sentenced to 25 years in prison, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport court.
Joyce was also fined Ksh 9M after she was found guilty of trafficking Heroin worth KSh 5M. The hard drugs were found in her bag, in an office owned by her. She was also found in the company of Kalala, her alleged lover, who became an accomplice in the high profile case, earning himself 10 years in jail.
In 2008, Akinyi and former Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala, were put behind bars in New Delhi, India, for carrying undeclared KSh 7.59M.
She was introduced to the illicit trade by her former Nigerian husband, Antony Chinedu. The two were major movers in the business with international links and were recruiting mules. As the empire grew, the government took note and scattered their operations. They eventually split up in a highly publicized divorce, in 2009, which aired their criminal enterprise.
TikTok Ban In The USA Effective Soon
TikTok is in a rush to appear before the US Supreme Court on Friday in frantic efforts to overturn a ban imposed on it by the USA government through Congress. USA argues that the social media platform could be used by China for spying and political manipulation when ands if the user data is leaked or breached.
The popular social media platform owner, ByteDance, is challenging a law passed in 2024 ordering the firm either be split from its Chinese owner or be blocked from the US market by 19th January.
TikTok on its part argues that it has been unfairly targeted and the measure violates the free speech of its some 170M American subscribers.
Airplane Crash at Malindi Airport
Reports indicate a light aircraft has crash-landed on the side on the Malindi-Mombasa Highway, Kwa Chocha area.
Videos of the scene circulating on social media show the plane engulfed in flames, with two unidentified bodies, a man and a woman lying on the roadside. They were on a boda boda passing by before the ordeal.
Unconfirmed reports say that some children walking from school could have been victims of the unfortunate ordeal. Onlookers say they were caught in the flames.
The cause of the plane crash and the total number of victims remain unknown. Authorities have manned up the area and are yet to issue an official statement on the incident. The incident have caused a huge traffic snarl up along the busy Mombasa-Malindi highway.
Ruto’s Son Matatu Impounded by Police
Did you know that the President’s son joined the lucrative matatu industry? The flashy matatu dubbed Moneyfest was impounded by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) following a traffic violation.
The matatu plying the Nairobi CBD–Rongai route matatu was filmed by road users driving on the wrong side, putting the lives of other motorists at stake, causing an uproar.
This is not the first time the flashy matatu is flouting traffic rules. Last uear the same vehicle was seen reversing at a round about and overlapping on the pedestrian walk with no action from the traffic cops, despite public outcry.
In a statement released on Thursday, January 9, 2025, NTSA said, “We thank you for bringing this to our attention. The two PSVs are at the Police Station for processing and further action.“
KNEC Portal Facing Delays
KNEC has reassured Kenyans that the results portal is fully functional and that the delays experienced are due to the excessive traffic following the release of 2024 results.
“The portal for checking the 2024 KCSE examination results is fully functional and candidates are receiving their results. The minor delays in receiving feedback is due to the high number of requests being sent to the portal, of up to 300,000 hits per second. We urge Kenyans to be patient and assure them that everyone will be able to access their results,” said KNEC in the statement.
KNEC said its facing up to 300,000 requests per second which is slowing down the delivery of the results in time. It has however urged those affected to be patient as they look for means of easing out the process.
About The Author
