Former presidential aspirant Cyrus Jirongo has been arrested. Sources have told KSN News that Jirongo, who is also a former member of parliament for Lugari Constituency in Kakamega County was arrested for failing to pay a Ksh.20 million debt owed to a Nairobi businessman.

Jirongo was arrested on Tuesday afternoon and taken to Muthangari Police Station where he was being held by the time of going to press.

Kenyan media reported that the High Court in Nairobi issued a warrant of arrest against the politician in August this year over the Ksh.20 million loan balance owed to businessman Brian Yongo.

The deputy registrar, in a letter addressed to Muthangari OCS on August 7, directed police to arrest the former presidential aspirant for reportedly failing to pay the amount.

The registrar further directed Jirongo to pay the expenses of the executing officers including fare and fuel.

“These are to command you to arrest the said J/D and unless the sum of Ksh 20 million as noted in the margin, together with the executing officers expenses fees. If any, to bring the said debtor before the court with all convenient speed,” reads the order.

Businessman Yongo has accused Jirongo of failing to pay him the balance of a loan he advanced him. He allegedly loaned Jirongo Ksh.25 million between 2014 and 2015 but the former politician has since paid only Ksh.5 million.

According to the businessman, the entire loan was to be settled in three installments. He says Jirongo’s failure to settle the debt forced him to reason to move to court in order to recover the money.

The National Super Alliance (Nasa) has offered conditional support to President Kenyatta’s memorandum to Parliament cutting VAT on fuel from 16 percent to eight percent.

A parliamentary group meeting of the Raila Odinga-led coalition on Tuesday resolved to support the tax, which is set to substantially raise the cost of living, for a year.

The backing came after a three-hour meeting at Orange House in Nairobi, chaired by Mr Odinga.

The meeting was attended by MPs from all Nasa-allied parties — Mr Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement, Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper and Moses Wetangula’s Ford-Kenya.

“In light of the need to address the suffering of the people while ensuring that development is also delivered, we recognise and appreciate that there was bilateral support for our attempt to remove VAT altogether and the president was able to meet us half way by lowering the tax from 16 to eight percent,” the MPs said in a joint statement read by National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohammed.

“Nasa therefore offers its conditional support for the initiative to cut VAT from the initial 16 percent to eight.”

The coalition, however, wants the government to eliminate wastage and be economical with the resources.

The opposition also wants Mr Kenyatta’s administration to be sensitive to hard financial times facing Kenyans and live within its means.

On expiry of the 12 months, the lawmakers said in the joint statement, the tax will be subject to review and possible scrapping.

Their statement comes hours to the a special sitting of the National Assembly to debate Mr Kenyatta’s memo.

Last week, President Kenyatta announced that he had rejected the bill deferring implementation of the tax until 2020 and slashed the 16 percent tax by 50 percent.

Daily Nation

BY OLIVIA MUNGWANA

Gospel singer Eunice Njeri has opened up on her 24-hour marriage to gospel rapper Isaac Bukasa, alias Izzo, which took place in Texas in  2016.

Njeri claims that a medical condition forced her to hurriedly get married.

Close to two years later, Njeri explains why she decided to get married in the first place and what prompted her to end it on the day of their wedding .

“I wasn’t going with my heart at the time, also at the same time I was very sick. I had fibroids. Bleeding a lot and at the same time I thought I should get married. I was like maybe I should do this, why am I saying no? I have been saying no for 20 year maybe it’s time to say yes,” she narrated.

“And in that mix of being sick, being in the hospital and getting all these transfusions, I had a whole confusion time. Confusion made me rush into decisions I wouldn’t have made.”

The gospel singer underwent a successful surgery last year to remove the fibroids.

The two announced their engagement in September 19, 2016  via Instagram. Two months later, they invited friends and family for their wedding on November 27 at Neema Gospel Church in Texas where Izzo’s family lives.

Photos of the ceremony were shared online by those who attended.

The marriage however ended barely 24 hours after they had tied a knot, a shameful divorce that was wrapped in secrecy by friends and family.

Few months later, Njeri took to her Instagram to finally break the news on how the marriage ended on the day of the wedding. She explained that her heart was somewhere else (not in United States) and that place was Kenya.

She immediately left the States to return home.