Women Break Glass Ceiling, Njambi’s Final Bow & Mystery of NIS Officer’s Death

Hello and welcome to today’s edition of The Round Up where we will review the events that hit news headlines over the past seven days.

Top Story this week

It was a big week for women leadership in Kenya and across the world after several gains by women leaders.

The most significant one, however, was the election of Claudia Sheinbaum as the first female President of Mexico.

Sheinbaum, a former mayor of Mexico City and energy scientist, won the election after defeating opposition’s Xochitil Galvez, another female candidate in the election where over 98 million people were registered as voters. Claudia garnered 33,226,602 votes (59.4%), while Galvez garnered 15,620,726 votes to come in second.

Extraordinary election

Mexico’s incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum. photo/courtesy

The 2024 Mexican elections were extraordinary as the country was for the first time assured of a female President as both major parties fronted female candidates.

Sheinbaum’s victory now adds to the gains in gender parity realized in Mexico’s political system.

Just last year, the North American nation witnessed yet another historic moment after its Supreme Court elected the first female-Chief Justice in January 2023.

Kenyan Woman Becomes First Black Mayor of Northern Ireland

And as women in Mexico relished the historic outcome, Kenyans had a reason to smile as well after the installation of Lilian Seenoi-Barr- a Kenyan woman from Narok County, as the first black Mayor in Northern Ireland.

Seenoi-Barr was installed as the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane on Monday in a special ceremony attended by dignitaries and relatives including Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina.

Besides breaking the ceiling for women, Seenoi’s story was an inspiration to many.

Her journey to becoming a Mayor in Northern Ireland started 14 years ago when she arrived in London Derry as a refugee.

At the time, Seenoi was fleeing from his community in Narok county where she had encountered hostilities from some members who were opposed to her initiatives against retrogressive cultural practices.

Standard Group Gets Female CEO

As the Standard Group charts its path out of a financial crisis, the Company’s Board has settled for a woman, Marion Gathoga-Mwangi, to be the new CEO.

Gathoga was appointed by the company’s Board of Directors to take over from Joe Munene who held the position on interim since July 2023.

Endo-Warrior Njambi Koikai Takes Final Bow

But on a sad note now, popular radio and reggae host Njambi Koikai, popularly known as Jahmby or Fyah Mummah passed away on Tuesday, June 4, after a long battle with endometriosis.

The former Q FM presenter died while receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital, days after she appealed for blood donation from Kenyans.

In their tributes, Kenyans from different walks of life praised Njambi for her resilience and the bravery that saw her speak openly about her battle with the endo condition.

Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba announced Njambi’s death on Tuesday, barely a day after she made another appeal for blood on behalf of the reggae Emcee.

Njambi Koikai in a past event. photo/courtesy

Facts About Njambi’s Struggle with Endo

She always had extremely painful periods from the age of 13 when she started getting her periods
After 18 years of painful periods, she suffered a lung collapse during her menstrual cycle.
Njambi had undergone 21 surgeries both locally and abroad since she was diagnosed with endometriosis at the age of 29.
Throughout her struggle Njambi stood out as a brave ambassador for patients suffering from endometriosis.

Mystery of a NIS Officer’s Death

In another sad story, Tom Adala, an Assistant Director at the National Intelligence Service (NIS) shot himself inside his house in Nairobi’s Kilimani estate.

Adala, 54, was an Assistant Director at NIS. He allegedly took his life by shooting himself using a Glock 19 pistol at the servant’s quarters of his house in Kilimani.

In a suicide note recovered by security officers from the suicide scene, he insisted that nobody should be blamed for his death despite reports that he was battling some marital challenges.

Varsity Teenager Arrested After Beating Cop

The social media was abuzz with news about a 19-year-old university student who was captured beating up a police officer in Kasarani’s Mirema Drive on Sunday, June 2. The incident sent shockwaves to Kenyans who saw the video as some members called for arrest of the motorists who was dressed in a red NBA jersey.

Their altercation reportedly started after the police officer flagged the boy identified as Ian Njoroge who had made an illegal U-turn.

Ian, however, reiterated and launched a vicious attack on the officer who was seen scampering for his safety.

The driver was relentless and followed the traffic cop while punching him hardly until some motorists intervened. Following an uproar from Kenyans online, Ian was arrested on Sunday evening and was arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts where he denied the charges leveled against him. He was then released on a Ksh700,000 bond.

Despite the impression of a prime boxer registered in the minds of many who saw the video, Ian’s mother defended him in a TV interview noting that he is been raised according to Christian teachings and that she dedicated him to Church.

Also Big This Week

After losing several big names in the recent past, Citizen TV is back shopping. In its recent recruitment drive, the Royal Media Services-owned company has raided the Standard Group and signed four reporters and two videographers from the rival media house.
At the same time, Look Up TV has announced the end of its live broadcasting. In a statement to viewers on Friday, a LookUp TV anchor announced that the company was making shift from terrestrial in what will mark an end to news bulletins.
Planning to visit the Maasi Mara Nation Park, well get this- the County Government of Narok this week announced a ban on use of private vehicles by tourists inside the Mara Reserve. The County in a statement on Thursday noted that move is aimed at promoting environment conservation while insisting that only sanctioned vehicles will be allowed inside the Park.
And at Kenyatta University, students joining the institution in the upcoming admissions were advised to observe some set of regulations including one requiring them to produce a current driving license, a valid road tax license and current certificate of insurance to secure permission of parking vehicles inside the institution’s premises.

Quote of the Week

“One of our greatest weaknesses in our Kenyan Society is that peddlers of evil are loud and vicious, while the agents of good remain silent, passive and inactive,” Archbishop Anthony Muheria, Nyeri Archdiocese.

Photo of the Week