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Here is what you need to know to get up to speed with today’s happenings.

Govt travel expenditure

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s report that has disclosed that the national government spent a staggering Ksh27.2 billion on travel during the Financial Year 2023/24, marking one of the largest travel expenditures in Kenya’s history, is expected to spark more reactions which will feature among the day’s top news events.

According to the report, top government officials spent Ksh8.1 billion on domestic travel and Ksh9.2 billion on international trips between July 2023 and June 2024.

The highest spending was attributed to the offices of President William Ruto, his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.

President Ruto’s office led in travel expenditure, using Ksh1.7 billion within the audited period. This represents a 28 per cent increase from the previous financial year.

Deputy President Gachagua’s office recorded a significant jump in travel costs, spending Ksh556.7 million, a sharp 438 per cent rise compared to the previous year.

FOCAC summit ends

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit will come to an end today, Friday, September 6, 2024, with developments from the meeting expected to be among the day’s top news events.

The forum kicked off on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, in Beijing, China, with several African Heads of State, including President William Ruto, attending.

President Xi Jinping of China has announced a 10-point partnership action plan for Africa for the next three years.

These include the modernisation of industrialisation, agriculture, trade, investment, training, and infrastructure.

Others are access to Africa’s goods to the Chinese market, 30 infrastructure connectivity projects and development cooperation comprising 1,000 livelihood projects.

Harambee Stars in action

Harambee Stars will today Friday, September 6, 2024, face Zimbabwe in the opening Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The match will be hosted at the Nelson Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda.

The match will take place at the newly refurbished stadium, which recently hosted the Rugby Africa Cup, due to the absence of a CAF-approved stadium in Kenya. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m.

The Harambee Stars squad arrived in Uganda on Monday, September 2, 2024, to prepare for their 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Namibia, scheduled for September 6 and 10, 2024, respectively.

The Harambee Stars will face Namibia on September 10, 2024, in South Africa. Forty-eight African nations will compete in the qualifiers for the 35th edition of AFCON, aiming to challenge reigning champions Ivory Coast, coached by Emerse Faé.

The qualifiers, running from September to November 2024, will see the top team and runner-up from each of the eleven groups—excluding Morocco, the tournament host—advance to the finals.

The next Africa Cup of Nations will be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

Power blackout

Kenya Power has announced a planned electricity outage that will affect parts of four counties on Friday, September 6, 2024.

The utility company said the temporary blackout is part of routine network maintenance.

In Nairobi, residents of Kilimani and nearby areas will experience the outage from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The affected locations include Kilimani Road, Menelik Road, Kirichwa Road, Adams Arcade Shopping Centre, Ndemi Lane, Muringa Road, and Elgeyo Marakwet Road, along with adjacent customers.

In Kakamega County, the blackout will affect Khwisero from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.