Author: Erastus Maleve
Erastus Maleve
Erastus Maleve is a Daystar University graduate with a BA in Electronic Media. He began his career as a newsreader at Ghetto Radio 89.5 before serving as a producer and radio host at Radio Thome 88.1 FM in Kitui for four years. Erastus further honed his skills with an attachment at BBC East Africa Correspondence. He is the founder of Channel 15 News, where he leads news coverage, social media management, and digital marketing. Well-versed in event organizing, Erastus combines his media expertise with a keen understanding of social media dynamics to shape local and national narratives.
Margaret Nduta Macharia, a 37-year-old Kenyan woman who was on death row in Vietnam for drug trafficking, has been spared the death penalty after a successful appeal to the country’s Supreme Court. Her sentence has now been commuted to life imprisonment, offering a ray of hope for her family and opening a potential path to clemency or repatriation. Nduta was arrested in July 2023 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport while transiting through Vietnam en route to Laos. Vietnamese authorities found more than two kilograms of cocaine concealed in a false compartment of her suitcase. Under Vietnam’s zero-tolerance drug laws,…
Kitui veteran priest, Rev. Fr. Robert Kalima, has passed away while receiving treatment at Mater Hospital in Nairobi, the Catholic Diocese of Kitui has announced. Fr. Kalima, who was the Parish Priest of St. Jude, Mbitini Parish at the time of his death on the evening of Tuesday, July 30, 2025, served the Church faithfully for over 34 years. He was ordained into the priesthood on May 11, 1991. Born and raised in Mutomo Parish, Fr. Kalima ministered in numerous parishes across the Diocese of Kitui, including Kabati, Kimangao, Boma, Mutune, Miambani, and Nguutani. He was widely respected not only…
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Lands has launched a formal inquiry into the alleged grabbing of land owned by East African Portland Cement PLC (EAPC), intensifying pressure on individuals and institutions said to have encroached on thousands of acres belonging to the cement manufacturer. During a session held at Bunge Towers, the committee—chaired by North Mugirango MP Hon. Joash Nyamoko—engaged EAPC officials in a fact-finding meeting aimed at establishing the scale of the alleged land fraud and charting a path toward recovery. EAPC Managing Director Mr. Mohamed Adan told the committee that the company owns approximately 8,626 acres of…
Speaker Kevin Kinengo Katisya has suffered a brutal political and legal humiliation after the High Court in Kitui, presided over by Justice Lucy Gitari, declared that the newly elected Wiper Party leadership in the Kitui County Assembly was lawfully constituted—and must immediately be recognized. In a decision that has upended the status quo, the court validated the internal Wiper elections held on July 4, 2025, confirming Hon. Munyoki Mwinzi as Majority Leader, Hon. Daniel Ngoima as Majority Whip, and Hon. Cyrus Kisavi Musyoka as Deputy Whip. But it is what came next in Justice Gitari’s ruling that has sparked the…
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is weighing a radical reform: scrapping voter cards entirely in the run-up to the 2027 General Election. In a move that could reshape Kenya’s electoral landscape, the Commission says national ID cards or passports may soon be the sole documents needed to register and vote. This bold proposal — backed by ODM leader Raila Odinga — seeks to streamline voter registration through biometric identification systems, rendering physical voter cards redundant. Insiders argue that the costly production and replacement of voter cards has become outdated in the digital age. “The voter card is largely…
What began as a peaceful burial ceremony in Ngomeni, Mwingi North, turned into a political storm on Sunday after nominated ODM Senator Beth Syengo sparked outrage by openly backing President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid. In a video that has gone viral captures the moment the mood of the crowd shifted. Syengo, speaking confidently at the podium, declared:“If God has decided President William Ruto will get a second term in office, he must get it.” That single statement was enough to trigger a wave of loud heckles, whistles, and jeers from a section of the mourners. Some visibly agitated attendees…
A high-stakes courtroom showdown unfolded Monday as Constable Klinzy Barasa Masinde — the police officer at the center of a storm over the deadly anti-police brutality protests — dramatically denied killing 27-year-old mask vendor Boniface Kariuki, even as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) launched a fierce battle to block his release on bail. Appearing before Justice Kanyi Kimondo, the 32-year-old officer pleaded not guilty to the murder charge linked to the June 2025 shooting that sparked national outrage. But the DPP urged the court to deny Masinde bail, warning that the accused is no ordinary suspect — but a…
In a major move to ease the burden of cancer care in Kenya, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced a landmark partnership between the Ministry of Health and global pharmaceutical giant Roche, aimed at dramatically reducing the cost of cancer therapy. Under the agreement, the cost of a single session of cancer treatment—previously pegged at Ksh. 120,000—will now be subsidised to Ksh. 40,000. The entire amount will be fully covered by the Social Health Authority (SHA), meaning patients will pay nothing out-of-pocket, with no co-payment required. Speaking on Sunday, CS Duale underscored the urgency of action in tackling the…
In a landmark ruling that underscores the protection of employee rights during institutional reforms, the Employment and Labour Relations Court has directed that all former National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) staff absorbed into the newly formed Social Health Authority (SHA) or redeployed to other public service roles must retain their last drawn salaries. Justice Byram Ongaya, while delivering the ruling on July 23, 2025, emphasized that any move to reduce the salaries of the redeployed employees would violate the principles of fair labour practices as enshrined in the Constitution. The court further ordered that all deployment letters already issued be…
DCI officers have arrested Evans Balala, a close ally of Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji, in direct defiance of a High Court order issued by the Embu Law Court on July 21, 2025. The court had explicitly barred the DCI from arresting Balala, instead directing that he present himself at the nearest police station accompanied by his lawyer, should the need arise. The orders were issued by Hon. Justice R. Mwongo under case number HCCRMISCAPPL/E205/2025 and made it clear that any arrest must follow due process, including seeking a warrant and presenting him before the court for further directions. Despite these…