1. How KDF Used Spy Planes to Seize Kisimayu

Military officials conversant with how the capture of Kismayu was planned and executed yesterday told the Nation that covert intelligence gathering tactics and infiltration of the port city by special forces provided the best opportunity to attack the remaining Al-Shabaab stronghold in southern Somalia.

2. Court Blocks ban on CMC Directors

Two ousted board members of troubled motor firm CMC have obtained temporary court orders blocking the capital markets regulator’s directive that they be barred from serving as directors in the company. The High Court, in a ruling made last Thursday, also allowed Peter Muthoka, a former chairman of the auto firm and his side-kick Joseph Kevai, to challenge the Capital Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision to bar them from holding directorships in Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE)-listed companies.

3. KRA Eyes KES 4.6 Billion from Teachers and Lecturers New Pay

Tax experts said the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) would collect Sh4.6 billion from teachers and university lecturers out of the Sh21 billion pay package agreed after a three-week battle with the government.

4. CCK Delays Call Rate Cuts to Avoid Clash with Kibaki

The reduction in the rate mobile phone operators pay for calls from rival networks has been delayed to the end of October to avoid a confrontation with State House. The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) was expected to announce a drop in the Mobile Termination Rate (MTR) from the current Sh2.21 to either Sh1.44 (as the regulator had initially planned) or Sh1.60 (as agreed on by all operators in May).

5. CMC Trading Ban Extended for 60 Days

CMC Holdings shares will not resume trading at the NSE for another 60 days, signalling that the troubled motor-dealer is not out of the woods yet. The Capital Markets Authority has extended the suspension for the fifth consecutive period, after the initial seven trading days suspension on September 16, 2011. The suspension was intended to protect shareholders and give its directors time a chance to resolve their issues. The regulator was at the time investigating how the company had been conducting its affairs in the past, while it also sought to safeguard investor confidence in the capital markets.

6. Not All Are Cut Out for Business

Andrea Bohnstedt gives her take on why she thinks business is good, just not for everyone.

7. KCB Launch Search for New CEO

he regional bank has contracted consultancy firm Manpower to help identify the new CEO, which will further deepen the change in the composition of the KCB’s board and executive suite that began last year. Mr Oduor-Otieno, 56, is due to retire in April 2013 after the expiry of his second two-year term, which was granted in May 2010 nearly a year before the end of his first four-year tenure in April last year.

8. Economic Slowdown Persists

The latest statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on gross domestic product (GDP) shows that the economic slowdown that started in the first quarter of 2012 has moved over again into the second quarter of this year. The report says that the economy expanded by 3.3% during the quarter under review compared to a growth of 3.5%, in the second quarter of 2011. Seasonally adjusted gross domestic product grew by 0.1% in the second quarter of 2012 after increasing by 0.5% in the first quarter.