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Lifestyle: Time to worry in Kenya if you’re a public servant

Kenya is set to practically sniff if government officials are living within their means

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Kenya is set to practically sniff if government officials are living within their means.

President Uhuru Kenyatta gave indication to this effect when he announced that all public servants will undergo a compulsory lifestyle audit to account for their sources of wealth.

This latest announcement follows financial scandals that have rocked the country with revelations that millions of dollars were lost in various government agencies through corrupt deals that involved government officials.

Kenyatta offered himself to be the first leader to undergo the audit that seeks to identify corrupt public officials, saying the lifestyle audits would control the misuse of public funds. He said public servants would be required to explain their sources of wealth with an aim of weeding out those found to have plundered government funds.

“You have to tell us, this is the house you have, this is your salary, how were you able to afford it? This car that you bought, (don’t try to put it under your wife’s name or son’s name, we will still know it is yours), where did you get it? You must explain and I will be the first person to undergo the lifestyle audit,” he said.

In the past month, various corruption scandals involving tenders and suppliers in government agencies have been unearthed. The corruption scandals as revealed have exposed the theft of hundreds of millions of shillings by state officials from several government bodies.

So far, more than 40 government officials, including businesspeople, have been arrested over the recent scandals.
Kenyatta has continued to express his frustration about the graft, which seems to have spiraled out of control since he came into office in 2013.

“This issue of people stealing what belongs to Kenyans, I swear to God it has to come to an end in Kenya,” Kenyatta said.

The president said the lifestyle audit will be key among other measures also put in place by the government to curb the vice.

Earlier in the week, Kenyatta issued an executive order requiring all government entities and publicly owned institutions to publish full details of tenders and awards beginning July 1, 2018.

“For example, if this road is being built, we want to know: Who won the tender for the construction? How much was the tender? Who came in second and third? Why was the first person awarded instead of these two? All these reasons, we need to know. Kenyans need to know so that it is out there, that this company was awarded this tender, belongs to a certain person, these are the directors, these are the shareholders. There will be no more hiding,” he said.

On June 1, Kenyatta ordered that all heads of procurement and accounting units be vetted again. He said the vetting would include subjecting the officers to polygraph tests to determine integrity.

Kenya scored 28 points out of 100 on the 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. The Corruption Index in Kenya averaged 22.62 points from 1996 until 2017.

Culture

South African model, Faith Nketsi, cries out after being labelled ‘non-marriage material’

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South African super model, dancer and media personality, Faith Nketsi, has cried out over social media taunts that she is a “non-marriage material” following her marriage to Nzuzo Njilo, hitting the rocks last month.

The “Have Faith” reality TV star, who reacted to social media trolls about her personal life following her marital troubles, also took a swipe at those mocking her for undergoing a BBL surgery, wrote on Twitter that men in the country do not like their women and don’t support them.

Shortly before deactivating her account on Monday, Nketsi posted that she believes “South African men hate South African women.”

She also wrote that “SA men hate their women so much that they create a business out of bashing them on Podcasts and YouTube.”

“In South Africa, a man’s job description is sitting in front of the camera and to talk shit and degrade their fellow South African women. BOOM! A career is formed. Our men hate us shem,” she wrote.

Nketsi became a household name in South Africa when she was a member of a dance group in her younger years.

After she left the group, she became a reality TV star before venturing into the media space where she worked alongside multiple brands and gained a large social media following, thus becoming a much sought after influencer.

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Egypt produces 3D animation series for kids named ‘El Mahmia’

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The United Media Services (UMS), in conjunction with the Egyptian government has produced a 3D animated series for children titled “El Mahmia” which means “The Reserve.”

“El Mahmia” is the latest animated series coming shortly after the “Yehia W Kenooz” (Yehia & Treasures) which was released last year in the North African country’s continuous efforts to develop the characters of Egyptian kids, according to UMS in a statement on Saturday.

“El Mahmia” which is the first Egyptian 3D animation series is produced by Hashtag and will be screened on Al Hayat TV channel during the month of Ramadan, the producers said.

“El Mahmia’s plot is full of suspense. It revolves around the reserve’s residents who are Farah and Hamza, the two grandsons of the reserve’s guard,” the statement reveals.

“The reserve is exposed to danger, and Farah and Hamza will manage to overcome this danger using smart and innovative ways.”

“The episodes carry many adventures inside the reserve, and will introduce the children to the world of nature reserves and their creatures, the importance of preserving the environment, and how to use technology to serve these goals.”

El Mahmia consists of 30 episodes and the duration of each episode is 15 minutes. The animation series stars Zeyad El-Gendy (Hamza), Lama Hany (Farah), Ahmed Khaled El-Sharkawy (the grandfather), Gehad Abou Elenien (the fisherman), and Galal El Hagrassy (Hakim).”

“Others are Hany Abdel Hay (Bebo), with the participation of Nevin Mahmoud, Alaa Gawish, Osama Fawzy, Eyad El-Gendy, Amr Essam, Taghreed El-Nagar, Hind Kamel and Mohamed Azizi ( Shark), and Moataz El-Shazly,” the series director, Ahmed Mahdy said at the launch in Cairo.

“The series is tailor made to raise the awareness of children about the importance of preserving natural reserves as well as preserving fish from extinction,” Mahdy said.

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