International

Kenya’s top court suspends judgment nullifying 2023 finance law

Published

2 years ago

August 20, 2024

239 Views

Kenya’s top court on Tuesday suspended a lower court’s ruling that the 2023 finance law was unconstitutional, saying it was important to preserve stability in the budget until the merits of the government’s appeal are heard next month.

The finance bills, presented to parliament at the start of every financial year, are the main vehicle for the government to set out its revenue-raising measures including tax hikes.

The Court of Appeal’s judgment late last month that last year’s Finance Act was unconstitutional was a blow to the government of President William Ruto, who withdrew this year’s finance bill in June in the face of youth-led protests, the biggest challenge of his two-year presidency.

Ruto has been caught between the competing demands of Kenya’s hard-pressed citizens and lenders such as the International Monetary Fund.

He has argued that tax increases are necessary to help fund development programmes and pay off a heavy public debt load.

“We find that public interest tilts in favour of granting conservatory and stay orders to … maintain stability in the budget and appropriation process pending the determination of this appeal,” Kenya’s Supreme Court said in its ruling.

The Supreme Court will hold hearings on Sept. 10 and 11 on whether the 2023 law is constitutional.

The government, which has been relying on the 2023 finance law to continue collecting taxes after Ruto withdrew this year’s bill, did not immediately comment.

The 2023 version was challenged in court following a round of violent street protests last year led by opposition parties.

Ruto’s government used the 2023 law to double the value-added tax on fuel, introduce a housing tax and raise the top personal income tax rate.

International

Trump says he thinks Putin is helping Iran

“I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?”

Published

1 day ago

March 13, 2026

OCHEFA

27 Views

President Donald Trump on Friday said he believed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is helping Iran in its war against the United States and Israel.

According to CNBC, Trump’s comment came in a radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, and a week after the president lashed out at Fox News reporter Peter Doocy for asking him at the White House about reports that Russia was aiding Iran.

Kilmeade asked Trump on Friday: “You think Putin is helping them?”

Trump replied, “I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” Trump continued.

“Yeah, we’re helping them also,” Trump said, referring to Ukraine, which has been at war against Russia since being invaded in early 2022.

“So he [Putin] says that, and China would say the same thing, you know,” Trump told Kilmeade.

“It’s like, ‘Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness,’ ” Trump said. “They do it, and we do it.”

International

IEA agrees to release record 400 million barrels of oil to address Iran war supply disruptions

The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market

Published

3 days ago

March 11, 2026

OCHEFA

63 Views

Merchant ship on fire hits by Iran in Strait of Hormuz.

The International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil to address the supply disruption triggered by the Iran war, the largest such action in the organization’s history.

The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market.

It said that the reserves would be released over a time frame that is appropriate to the circumstances of each of its 32 member countries.

IEA members are primarily advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. The organization is tasked with maintaining global energy security.

It was founded in 1974 in response to the oil embargo imposed by Arab producers over U.S. support for Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

(CNBC)

International

Iran tells world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel as it fires on merchant ships

The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as it has spread into ‌Lebanon and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.

Published

3 days ago

March 11, 2026

OCHEFA

60 Views

(REUTERS): Iran said the world should be ready for oil at $200 a barrel as its forces hit merchant ships on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency recommended a massive release of strategic reserves to dampen one of the worst oil shocks since the 1970s.

Despite what the Pentagon has described as the most intense airstrikes since the start of the war, Iran also fired at Israel and targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, demonstrating it can still fight back.

On Wednesday, three vessels were reported to have been hit in Gulf waters as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces had fired on ships in the Gulf that had disobeyed their orders.

While Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the operation “will continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we achieve all objectives and win the campaign,” Trump suggested the campaign would not last much longer.