Kenya news

Obama's grandmother injured in car accident

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:55:36 GMT

President Barack Obama 's 91-year-old step-grandmother suffered bruises and shock after a car she was traveling in rolled over, according to a relative and a hospital official.

Mutula wants Baraza charged

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:18:12 GMT

*/ JUSTICE minister Mutula Kilonzo yesterday criticised the Director of Public Prosecution for failing to prosecute Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza for threatening to shoot a shopping mall ...

Marende bows to pressure, recalls MPs

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:21 GMT

Under the Constitution, should Parliament fail to enact the Bills as required by the Constitution, anyone can petition the High Court to issue a declaratory order instructing Parliament to act as ...

Why Raila says ODM will win

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:19 GMT

Prime Minister Raila Odinga who is facing fierce competition from his deputy in Orange Democratic Movement and against whom top politicians have ganged up, insists his party is unstoppable. Despite ...

Analysts say high interest rates not falling anytime soon

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:17 GMT

The current regime of high interest rates, which some economists say is not sustainable, will only drop if inflation eases off and the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) absorbs the cue to signal banks to ...

Issues raised by Ruto not appealable, says Ocampo

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:15 GMT

International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has dismissed Eldoret North MP William Ruto's appeal as a disagreement with the Pre-Trial Chamber's factual ...

Census results for eight districts allowed tostand

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:13 GMT

High Court Judge, Justice Mohamed Warsame, ruled on Tuesday that to allow Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya to cancel the results would be detrimental to the affected ...

Wedding bells go silent

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:12 GMT

A forlorn Charles Ikama holds on to memories of his bride-to-be who died in a road accident a week before their wedding [Photos: Wambui ...

Kenya's Makau eyes historic London double

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:13:09 GMT

Kenya's marathon world record holder Patrick Makau says he will be going for an historic double victory in April's London marathon and the Olympic Games in the same city three months ...

20,000 Kenyans flee conflict into Ethiopia-UN

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:45:41 GMT

A boy stands next to a tree in Barmil in this recently taken handout photo released on July 21, 2011.

Peter Ongondo joins Kenya coaching staff

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:38:02 GMT

Peter Ongondo , former Kenya seamer, has joined the country's coaching staff. Ongondo will be based in Nakuru in Kenya's Rift Valley Province and his main task will be to unearth new ...

Kenya shilling firms on tea sales, stocks up

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:07:36 GMT

tea exporters , and traders said it was expected to keep strengthening, while the stock exchange's main index rose slightly. At close of trade at 1300 GMT, commercial banks quoted the ...

Top grade tea price up again at Kenyan auction

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:07:15 GMT

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The average price of the top grade tea in Kenya rose to $3.38 per kg at auction this week from $3.17 per kg in the previous sale due to strong demand, brokers said on Tuesday. ...

Parliament Invites Views On Election Date Bill

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:22:12 GMT

Parliament has called on Kenyans to give their views on the Bill seeking to change the election date currently awaiting debate in the August House. The Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Patrick ...

Kibaki Set to Recall Parliament Next Tuesday

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:22:09 GMT

MPs have successfully petitioned President Kibaki and House Speaker Kenneth Marende to recall Parliament next Tuesday. The chairman of Parliament's Constitutional Implementation Oversight ...

Discount Securities Victims to Get Dues After Three Year Wait

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:22:06 GMT

Investors who lost money after the collapse of Discount Securities Limited (DSL) in 2008 will start receiving compensation beginning Wednesday marking an end of a three years wait. The money will ...

Nation Unveils a Software Certification Program

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:22:03 GMT

The Kenya ICT Board has introduce a certification program for software developers in Kenya. Dubbed ,Chipuka, (Swahili word for Emerge), the program will offer credential examination for software ...

Cheruiyot Named Laureus Sportswoman of the Year

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:22:01 GMT

Kenyan distance runner Vivian Cheruiyot was on Monday named the Sportswoman of the Year and Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic named Sportsman of the Year at the annual Laureus ceremony. The ...

Raila Woos Central Voters

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:59 GMT

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Monday reached out to voters in Central Province and sought to counter what he termed as propaganda peddled against him by regional politicians. The PM tackled a ...

I'm My Own Man, Says Mudavadi As He Takes Campaign to Coast

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:57 GMT

Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi on Monday took his bid for nomination as ODM's presidential flag bearer to Mombasa County. Mr Mudavadi, who is also the Local Government minister, said ...

Civil Servants Probed On Overseas Accounts

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:54 GMT

State officials who have stashed money in foreign bank accounts may soon be smoked out, with the office of the Ombudsman saying it has started investigations. Commission on Administrative Justice ...

Law to Bar Corrupt Leaders From Office

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:51 GMT

The fight against impunity gained momentum on Monday following the completion of a draft Bill to operationalise a chapter of the Constitution on leadership and integrity. The legislation will give ...

Send More Judges or Quit, Mutunga Told

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:48 GMT

Residents of Bungoma on Monday held demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Justice Willy Mutunga accusing him of failing to post more judges to the station. Led by human rights activist ...

Citizens Satisfied With ICC Verdict, Says Poll

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:46 GMT

The ruling made by the ICC on the six suspects of the post-election violence, a new survey shows. Sixty per cent of Kenyans interviewed in the Ipos-Synovate survey said they were contended with the ...

Sh1.2 Billion Loan to Aid Bank Credit SMEs

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:43 GMT

I&M bank has secured a Sh1.26 billion credit line from DEG -- a subsidiary of the German Development Bank, in a sign of the times by local banks to borrow from global market. The loan, $15 ...

Firm Launches Sh50 Cooking Gas Stirring Stiff Competition

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:41 GMT

Premier Gas Limited has introduced a one kilogramme cooking gas cylinder setting stage for battle in the local market for the product. The company promises to retail the gas for as little as Sh50 ...

Bank Refutes It Was Censured Over Shilling Crisis

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:38 GMT

Standard Chartered Bank has denied allegations that it is one of three banks censured by Central Bank over currency speculation last year. "There is no evidence that Standard Chartered did ...

Swift Cargo Clearance System to Run in December

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:35 GMT

The government is fast-tracking the implementation plan to ease congestion and accelerate cargo clearance at Mombasa Port. Through the Kenya Trade Network Agency (Kentrade), a government agency, ...

Kenya: Parliament Invites Views On Election Date Bill

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:31:36 GMT

Parliament has called on Kenyans to give their views on the Bill seeking to change the election date currently awaiting debate in the August House.

Malaria Death Toll Overestimated?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:31:35 GMT

Researchers are questioning the methodology behind a new study that doubles previous estimates of the worldwide malaria death toll in 2010.

Discount Securities Victims to Get Dues After Three Year Wait

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:22:00 GMT

[Nation] Investors who lost money after the collapse of Discount Securities Limited (DSL) in 2008 will start receiving compensation beginning Wednesday marking an end of a three years wait.

Nation Unveils a Software Certification Program

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:21:58 GMT

[Nation] The Kenya ICT Board has introduce a certification program for software developers in Kenya. Dubbed ,Chipuka, (Swahili word for Emerge), the program will offer credential examination for software developers and would help employers to easily identify software developers that have the skills necessary to carry out IT jobs to a professional and world class standard.

Cheruiyot Named Laureus Sportswoman of the Year

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:21:56 GMT

[Nation] Kenyan distance runner Vivian Cheruiyot was on Monday named the Sportswoman of the Year and Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic named Sportsman of the Year at the annual Laureus ceremony.

Kenyan MP to attend Sevens Rugby Tourney in Vegas

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:04:55 GMT

Presidential aspirant, Peter Kenneth will, this coming weekend be among a large crowd of Kenyans living in the US who will be congregating in Las Vegas to cheer the Kenya Rugby ...

Reprieve for Busia cane farmers as court halts sale of land

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:04:53 GMT

Sugarcane farmers in Busia County won round one of a court case filed against Mumias Sugar Company (MSC) after the High Court in Bungoma issued temporary orders stopping any transactions of the ...

Kibaki Set to Recall Parliament Next Tuesday

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:58:00 GMT

[Nation] MPs have successfully petitioned President Kibaki and House Speaker Kenneth Marende to recall Parliament next Tuesday.

World Bank Vice President to visit Kenya projects

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:56:45 GMT

Ms Rachel Kyte, of the bank's sustainable development, will tour projects in energy, water, municipal development and natural resource ...

Zambia asks Kenya to arrest Banda son

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:56:31 GMT

Photo/FILE Former Zambia President Rupiah Banda's son Henry. Lusaka police have issued an international arrest warrant for the man believed to have flown to Kenya from South ...

Kenya's annual inflation drops to 18.3 pct

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:56:20 GMT

Kenya's annual inflation declined for the second consecutive month to 18.31 percent in December from 18.93 percent in the November due to falls in food prices, the Kenya National Bureau of ...

Tourism to earn Kenya Sh200bn by 2015

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:55:58 GMT

The business also wants its contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product increased four-fold by the same year, the assistant Minister for Tourism, Ms Cecily Mbarire said on ...

Parliament Invites Views On Election Date Bill

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:42:50 GMT

[Nation] Parliament has called on Kenyans to give their views on the Bill seeking to change the election date currently awaiting debate in the August House.

Kidnapped Chinese workers in Sudan freed

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:26:45 GMT

Rebel forces in Sudan's border state of South Kordofan relesed 29 Chinese workers to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday, 10 days after they were kidnapped, Sudan's foreign ministry said.

Malaria cases reduce drastically in Kenya

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:26:44 GMT

Cases of chronic and severe malaria in the country have drastically reduced in the past two years; according to statistics released on Tuesday by the Kenya Medical Research Institute .

Raila Woos Central Voters

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:14:26 GMT

[Nation] Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Monday reached out to voters in Central Province and sought to counter what he termed as propaganda peddled against him by regional politicians.

I'm My Own Man, Says Mudavadi As He Takes Campaign to Coast

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:14:24 GMT

[Nation] Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi on Monday took his bid for nomination as ODM's presidential flag bearer to Mombasa County.

Ocampo Dismisses Appeals

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:14:22 GMT

[Nation] ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo wants the appeals filed by the four Kenyan post-election violence suspects dismissed because no legal grounds have been raised.

Kenya: Matatu Owners Differ With Copyright Officials

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:38:31 GMT

[Nairobi Star] Mt Kenya matatu owners have vowed not to stop for inspection by Music Copyright Society of Kenya officials saying they harassed and extorted money from them.

Kenya: GE Plans Billion-Dollar Projects

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:25:45 GMT

[Capital FM] Nairobi, Kenya - International conglomerate General Electric (GE) has made an entry into Kenya, with plans for a number of billion-dollar projects earmarked under the Vision 2030 economic blueprint.

Nigeria/Kenya: Kenya U 17 Knocked Out

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:56 GMT

[This Day] Nigeria Saturday ended Kenya's interest in the FIFA U 17 Women's World Cup, when they put 3-0 past them in the second leg of the match played in Abeokuta.

Kenya: Sh50 Million Equipment for Mt Kenya University

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:57:44 GMT

[Nairobi Star] Mt Kenya University has purchased health sciences and virtual campus equipment worth Sh50 million.

'My Kenya' Set to Spread Powerful Messages On Peaceful Elections

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:59:58 GMT

"Where were you on December 31, 2007?" asked Kenya Private Sector Alliance ( KEPSA) chairman Patrick Obath at the launch of the "My Kenya" campaign. It is a question that ...

Kenya: 'My Kenya' Set to Spread Powerful Messages On Peaceful Elections

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:04:29 GMT

[Business Daily] "Where were you on December 31, 2007?" asked Kenya Private Sector Alliance ( KEPSA) chairman Patrick Obath at the launch of the "My Kenya" campaign.

Kenya - ARTICLE 19 publishes analysis of Freedom of Information Bill

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:53:39 GMT

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - 31 January 2012 - In January 2012, ARTICLE 19 analysed the draft of the Kenya Freedom of Information Bill 2012 (Draft Bill or Bill), which is currently being discussed in Kenya. ...

Kenya: Soldiers Pay the Ultimate Price for Somali Incursion

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:17:50 GMT

Two majors and four lieutenants are among 15 Kenya Defence Forces officers who have been killed in the last 100 days since Kenya sent its troops to Somalia.

Kenya counters vote-rigging with electronic register

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:54:22 GMT

United Nations Development Program in Kenya, which is managing the election funds contributed by aid agencies. Uhuru Kenyatta, a presidential hopeful who quit as Kenya's finance minister ...

2 top Kenya officials leave posts over ICC trial

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:38:59 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya -; Kenya's finance minister and the head of the civil service have resigned their posts after the International Criminal Court said it would prosecute them over violence ...

South Sudan, Kenya Sign Deal to Build Pipeline

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:07:53 GMT

South Sudan and Kenya signed an agreement to build an oil pipeline between the two countries, Kenya's Energy Ministry said.

Kenya praised for handling of election violence tribunal

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:33:03 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya -; The International Criminal Court prosecutor on Tuesday commended Kenya's political leaders -- and even four suspects accused of orchestrating mass violence -- for co-operating ...

Kenya may set up postelection violence tribunal

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:18:10 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Kenya's attorney general says the country is looking at setting up a special court to deal with cases stemming from Kenya's 2007-08 post-election violence.The ...

Kenya may set up postelection violence tribunal (AP)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:58:31 GMT

AP - Kenya's attorney general says the country is looking at setting up a special court to deal with cases stemming from Kenya's 2007-08 post-election violence.

Kenya Tourism Report Q1 2012: Forecasts, Industry Trends and Key Players

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:19:25 GMT

Kenya Tourism Report Q1 2012 " report to their offering. The Kenya Tourism Report has been researched at source and features Business Monitor International (BMI)'s independent ...

Kenya: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2011 Article IV Consultation With Kenya

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:57:08 GMT

Foroyaa (Serrekunda)-On December 9, 2011 the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Kenya.[1]

Nock protests exclusion of Kenya hockey from Games

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:07:14 GMT

National Olympic Committee of Kenya chairman Kipchoge Keino (right) with Nock executive officer Stephen Arap Soi (left) and Kenya's London Olympics team Chef de Mission, Jonathan Koskei, during ...

Al-Shabaab 'Kenya and Ethiopia Failed'

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:55:07 GMT

Shabelle (Mogadishu)-Al-shabaab on Tuesday announced that the invasion of Ethiopia and Kenya in Somalia has failed, pointing out that some of Al shabaab militants are in Kenya for attacks.

Kenya: Korea's First Charter Plane Lands

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:33:38 GMT

Nation (Nairobi)-Korean Airline made its first direct flight to Kenya on Sunday, in what promises to boost Kenya's tourism and trade with the Far East country.

Kenya: Airtel Kenya Says 3G Still On Course

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:37:08 GMT

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)-Airtel Kenya may finally launch its 3G services before the end of this quarter, a year after it first announced the plan.

Kenya Islamic group claims ties to al-Shabab

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:26:12 GMT

(01-15) 03:37 PST NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- An increasingly vocal Islamist group says its leader has been appointed to represent an al-Qaida-linked Somali militia in Kenya, a development that ...

KCB and Mwamba clash in Kenya Cup

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:09:54 GMT

Kenya Harlequins' Sydney Ashioya is tackled by KCB's Phillip Wamae and Anthony Ogot during their Kenya Cup rugby match in 2009. ...

6 killed, 13 missing in Kenya attack

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:29:09 GMT

GERILLE, Kenya, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Somali militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack in northeast Kenya that killed at least six people and left 13 missing, officials said. Gunmen ...

Kenya forces, Somali insurgents clash

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:45:00 GMT

Kenya's military has fought with al Shabaab fighters in southern Somalia.

Kenya: Kisii Crowns Jackpot Winners

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:47:59 GMT

Nation (Nairobi)-Timothy Kiptoo, Phenencer Chemutai, Mercy Chebwogen and Justine Cheruiyot won the Athletics Kenya/Kenya Commercial Bank cross country series jackpot after Saturday's final round at the Kisii Golf Club.

Kenya: Reprieve As Northen Kenya Gets 15 Ambulances for Emergency Response

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:08:30 GMT

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)-The government has flagged off 15 ambulances to help in medical service provision in Northern Kenya.

Kenya military reports battle with Somali fighters

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:46:07 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya's military says its forces killed three militant fighters from al-Shabab in a battle in Somalia. Military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said Wednesday that one ...

Kenya military reports battle with Somali fighters

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:37:08 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya -; Kenya's military says its forces killed three militant fighters from al-Shabab in a battle in Somalia. Military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said Wednesday that one ...

Kenya military reports battle with Somali fighters

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:00:17 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Kenya's military says its forces killed three militant fighters from al-Shabab in a battle in Somalia.

Kenya: Police Name Shabaab Suspects

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:42:41 GMT

Kenya Police has published names of 15 suspects with Al Shabaab connections and are believed to have entered Kenya from Kismayu.

Kenya: Kenya Trailblazes in Mobile Money Transfer Services

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:41:56 GMT

Nation (Nairobi)-The success of mobile money transfer by telecoms in Kenya has excited investors in Nigeria and Columbia to start rolling out similar services.

Kenya: Coast Ministers Query Outlawed Group's Bid to Secede From Kenya

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:53:46 GMT

Nation (Nairobi)-Two Coast leaders have questioned the motives of an outlawed group in its push to secede from Kenya.

Kenya: Police Name Shabaab Suspects

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:34:09 GMT

Nation (Nairobi)-Kenya Police has published names of 15 suspects with Al Shabaab connections and are believed to have entered Kenya from Kismayu.

A Sad 2011 for Rumba Fans

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:30:56 GMT

Three great musicians passed away in Kenya in 2011. Kenya-based Congolese singer Lessa Lassan, who was popularly known as "Sauti ya Simba," one of the best guitarists Kenya ever produced, ...

Kenya: KWS Revises Park Fees to Raise Funds for Conservation

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:06:26 GMT

Foreign visitors to Kenya's game parks will from Sunday pay more after the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) raised its charges.

Kenya: Mt Kenya Drive Fete Attracts Hundreds of Funs

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:26:43 GMT

Hundreds of worshippers yesterday drove around Mt Kenya for an annual prayer organised by the Gikuyu and Mummify Cultural Museum.

Kenya: Tourism Booms Despite Travel Alerts

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:09:50 GMT

More than one million tourists visited Kenya this year despite numerous travel advisories, figures released by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) show.

Kenya: Kenya Power in Bid to Counter Vandals

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 04:38:59 GMT

KENYA Power is seeking the amendment of the Energy Act to make vandalism of electrical equipment an economic crime.

Kenya

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:06:57 GMT

Kenya , a former British colony in East Africa is famous for its majestic wildlife.

Vandals Cost Kenya Power Sh30 Million

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:42:21 GMT

Increased theft of electricity transmission equipment could push up the cost of energy as Kenya Power shifts to dry transformers that are less prone to vandalism. Kenya Power Managing Director ...

Kenya: Vandals Cost Kenya Power Sh30 Million

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:24:30 GMT

Increased theft of electricity transmission equipment could push up the cost of energy as Kenya Power shifts to dry transformers that are less prone to vandalism.

Powerline Cuts Slow Fuel Pumping

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:52:55 GMT

The outage was caused by vandalism cuts on a Kenya Power high voltage power line that supplies Kenya Pipeline pumping stations on Tuesday. Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director , Selest Kilinda ...

Kenya: Why Does Everyone Want to Celebrate Journalists?

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:12:19 GMT

On Tuesday evening, the Kenya Association of Residents Associations (Kara) and the Confederation of Kenya Consumers (Cofek) staged a ceremony to reward journalists and media houses for excellence.

Kenya HIV Families Torn Between Health Or Food

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:54:14 GMT

Kenya HIV families torn between health or food

Kenya says targets Somali rebels behind camp blasts

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:06:03 GMT

Kenya 's military spokesman said on Wednesday. Kenya's airforce twice bombarded an insurgent camp in Hosungow village near the two countries' common border on Tuesday, killing a ...

Kenya Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q1 2012: Significant Revenue Earning Opportunities ...

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:09:52 GMT

Kenya Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q1 2012 " report to their offering. Business Monitor International's Kenya Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report provides industry ...

Kenya: Controversy As 'Kenya Today' Newspaper Closes Shop

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:31:45 GMT

The weekly government newspaper Kenya Today, which was jointly published by the departments of Information and Communications, ceased operations on Friday, three years after it was launched.