Murkomen's Nairobi Expressway Missive & New Qualifications for Ruto Saudi Jobs

Hello and welcome to a brand-new edition of Kenyans.co.ke's Evening Brief where we are starting the new year on a super expensive note.

Programming Note: This newsletter has officially returned and will be published every weekday by me and my colleague Washington Mito as well as our expanded team.?

Awareness: We are kickstarting 2024 on a more positive growth note as we welcome all our 8,500 subscribers to walk this journey with us. Feel free to send in your tips and comments directly to us at [email protected] and [email protected].

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has challenged Kenyans unhappy with the sudden spike in Nairobi Expressway charges to use alternative routes, all of which are free.?

In an open missive on social media as a rebuttal to concerns raised far and wide, the CS indicated that the current economic times that have seen the shilling approach Ksh160 against the dollar necessitated the surge.

Since the launch of the expressway by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, motorists have been parting with Ksh360 to cover the entire 27-kilometre stretch from Mlolongo to Westlands. On? New Year's Day, Murkomen however suddenly raised the fee to Ksh500, representing a 38 percent increase.

"The adjustment was done based on the Project Agreement taking into account the depreciation of the Kenya Shilling to the United States dollar since the time of gazettement of the Toll Rates in April 2022. The formulae for computing the new rates are already embedded in the agreement taking into account the loan facility by the investor which was borrowed using USD," Murkomen said.

"The good thing about Expressway is first that the government of Kenya did not give traffic volume guarantee otherwise the taxpayer would now be paying a lot from the interest accrued and inflation plus the difference unmet by less traffic flow. Second, the consumer has an alternative route which is not tolled."

The new increase leaves President William Ruto in a fix roughly a year after the Head of State, while gunning to spend nights on the house on the hill, insisted that Kenyans should not be compelled to pay for a road.

“You don’t charge people for using a road… We are going to deploy the highway to be available to as many people as possible so that we can remove all the spaces where there is taxation. Taxation will be taken to products, not the highway,” Ruto famously insisted.

Saudi Jobs

After globetrotting for the better part of his time in office, Ruto has finally provided tangible results in terms of jobs for skilled Kenyans eying Saudi Arabia. The applicants, however, face a mountain of qualifications before jetsetting to the Middle Eastern country for the jobs whose salary is estimated to hit Ksh146,000 every month.

Lately, the Ministry of Labour indicated that Saudi Arabia is hiring nurses and healthcare assistants but all applicants must be female.

A degree, diploma, and certificate in nursing are compulsory while the applicants must be medically fit, aged between 22 and 35 years, and possess valid prometric results without which the costs will be deducted from their salaries.

A dataflow verification report for the education certificate and Nursing Council License or latest employment certificate is mandatory.

Interested candidates are advised to sign up/register and apply for consideration through the National Employment Authority (NEA) Job Portal.

This second day of 2024, here are the top stories keeping us engaged.

1. Kenyan families hoping to move to the UK as plus ones for students will not be able to cross the border according to a directive by UK PM Rishi Sunak whose ancestors were once Kenyan inhabitants.

"From today, the majority of foreign university students cannot bring family members to the UK. In 2024, we’re already delivering for the British people," Sunak firmly stated.

2. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has simplified permit transactions for all Nairobi traders by availing a Unified Business Permit (UBP) effectively erasing the need for multiple licenses.

3. The Central Bank of Kenya has opened 2024 with hope for Kenyans after predicting a decrease in fuel prices due to easing of the Red Sea shipping disruptions.

4. Unimpressed by the collapse of the Arror and Kimwarer case against former Treasury CS Henry Rotich, a consortium of lobby groups are now going after 2 of the case's prosecutors.

5. Ruto has begun the new year on an influential note after appearing among 100 most influential Africans by the New African Magazine. He was among a handful of Kenyan honourees among them athlete Faith Kipyegon.

This newsletter was written by Derrick kubasu and edited by Brian Muuo

Washington Mito contributed to the content