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Irungu Thairu

News Writer

Irungu Thairu is a news writer at Mwakilishi, covering Kenyan, diaspora and international news. He joined Mwakilishi in 2009, which makes him one of the site's longest-serving writers.

He writes on the stories shaping Kenya and its diaspora, from politics and current affairs at home to immigration, the green card lottery and community life abroad. His reporting aims to keep Kenyans everywhere connected to the news that affects them, wherever they are.

When he is not working, Irungu likes to spend time with his family, travel and play golf.

3,429 articles

Moscow Threatens to Block Russians from the US Green Card Lottery in Protest of UN Delegation Visa Denials
Immigration

Moscow Threatens to Block Russians from the US Green Card Lottery in Protest of UN Delegation Visa Denials

Russia has threatened to ban the US green card lottery for Russians. This is in response to ten members of the Russian delegation being denied visas to travel to the US for the ongoing UN General Assembly. The ten mem…

Sep 25, 2019
How to Avoid being Disqualified from the Green Card Lottery (Diversity Visa Program)
Immigration

How to Avoid being Disqualified from the Green Card Lottery (Diversity Visa Program)

The US State Department last week announced that the registration period for the 2021 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2021), otherwise known as the Green Card Lottery, will start on Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019 and end on…

Sep 24, 2019
Family in Maryland Looking for a Female Helper
Classifieds

Family in Maryland Looking for a Female Helper

An African family in Maryland is looking for an experienced female Kenyan or African helper. Work includes babysitting two kids and house chores. If interested please contact Rosie at 443-832-5871. Thank you

Sep 23, 2019
DV-2019 Green Card Lottery Entrants Have until Next Week (September 30th) to Check their Winning Status
Immigration

DV-2019 Green Card Lottery Entrants Have until Next Week (September 30th) to Check their Winning Status

Entrants in the Diversity Visa 2019 (Green Card Lottery) program have until Monday, September 30th to check the status of their entries on the US State Department’s Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery website. DV-2019 i…

Sep 23, 2019
Requirements to Participate in the DV-2021 Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery)
Immigration

Requirements to Participate in the DV-2021 Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery)

An estimated 14 million people from around the world participate in the Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery). The Diversity Visa Program provides 55,000 visas annually to nationals of countries with low immigra…

Sep 21, 2019
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Valid, Unexpired Passport Required to Participate in Upcoming Green Card Lottery
Immigration

Valid, Unexpired Passport Required to Participate in Upcoming Green Card Lottery

Those who want to participate in the upcoming green card lottery will now need a valid, unexpired passport. Instructions for DV-2021 have a passport number, country of issuance, and expiration date of the passport as…

Sep 20, 2019
Is My Country Eligible to Participate in the DV-2021 Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery)?
Immigration

Is My Country Eligible to Participate in the DV-2021 Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery)?

The US State Department earlier this week announced that the registration period for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (popularly known as the green card lottery) for the Fiscal Year 2021 will run from October 2nd…

Sep 20, 2019
Two Kenyan Men in Minnesota Charged with Felony Sexual Assault of a Mentally Challenged Woman
Diaspora

Two Kenyan Men in Minnesota Charged with Felony Sexual Assault of a Mentally Challenged Woman

Two Kenyan men in Minnesota have been charged with felony sexual assault of a woman with mental and physical impairments. Authorities say Francis Ndegwa Kamau, 39, of Spring Lake Park, MN and Kenneth Wagacha Kibe, 37…

Sep 19, 2019
Registration Period for the 2021 Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery) Begins October 2nd, 2019
Immigration

Registration Period for the 2021 Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery) Begins October 2nd, 2019

The US State Department has announced that the registration period for the 2021 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2021), popularly known as the Green Card Lottery, will begin on Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019 at 12pm EDT and e…

Sep 19, 2019
US to Welcome over 34,000 New Citizens in Commemoration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
Immigration

US to Welcome over 34,000 New Citizens in Commemoration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced it will welcome mother than 34,000 new citizens in celebrations across the country marking Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The US celebrat…

Sep 17, 2019
Username Investments CEO Bags the Coveted 2019 Realtor Founder of the Year Award
Real Estate

Username Investments CEO Bags the Coveted 2019 Realtor Founder of the Year Award

Reuben Kimani, CEO, Username Investment Ltd. was awarded The coveted 2019 Realtor Founder of the Year Award during the recently held Founder of the Year Awards Gala Dinner at The Nairobi Cinema. The event brought toge…

Sep 16, 2019
DHS Seeks to Screen Social Media Information for Immigrants Applying for Green Cards, Citizenship
Diaspora

DHS Seeks to Screen Social Media Information for Immigrants Applying for Green Cards, Citizenship

The Trump administration has proposed to collect social media information from immigrants applying for among other benefits citizenship, asylum and green cards through marriage. In a notice published in the Federal Re…

Sep 13, 2019
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New Premier Kenyan Business and Events Platform Launched
Business

New Premier Kenyan Business and Events Platform Launched

New premier Kenyan business platform called NaiGate launched to create market access for businesses and service providers —including freelancers— both in Kenya and in the diaspora. NaiGate was recently featured on KTN…

Sep 9, 2019
Kenyan-Born Francis Kimaru Receives 2-Year Suspended Sentence in $815,000 Medicaid Fraud Case in Massachusetts
Diaspora

Kenyan-Born Francis Kimaru Receives 2-Year Suspended Sentence in $815,000 Medicaid Fraud Case in Massachusetts

A Kenyan-born owner of a home health care agency in Massachusetts accused of defrauding the state’s taxpayers through fraudulent Medicaid claims amounting to $815,588 was on Wednesday sentenced to two years in prison…

Sep 7, 2019
USCIS New Policy to Cause Delays in Issuance of Work Permits for Asylum Applicants
Immigration

USCIS New Policy to Cause Delays in Issuance of Work Permits for Asylum Applicants

In a move being criticized by human rights and refugee advocates, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday announced that it is eliminating the requirement that USCIS adjudicate work permits for asylu…

Sep 6, 2019
Online Immigration Tools to be Offline Tonight as USCIS Performs System Maintenance
Immigration

Online Immigration Tools to be Offline Tonight as USCIS Performs System Maintenance

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will be conducting a system maintenance beginning on Friday, September 6th at 11:59pm (ET) and ending on Saturday, September 7th at…

Sep 6, 2019
Benefits and Responsibilities of a US Green Card Holder
Immigration

Benefits and Responsibilities of a US Green Card Holder

A green card allows a foreign national to legally live and work permanently anywhere in the United States. Green card holders, also called permanent residents, qualify to apply for US citizenship after five years (thr…

Sep 5, 2019
Canada Invites 3600 Candidates to Apply for Permanent Residence in the September 4th Express Entry Draw
Immigration

Canada Invites 3600 Candidates to Apply for Permanent Residence in the September 4th Express Entry Draw

The Canadian government has issued 3,600 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence in a new Express Entry draw. In a draw held on Wednesday, September 4th, Canada issued 3,600 ITAs, bringing the total ITAs i…

Sep 4, 2019
Facebook Says Homeland Security Cannot Create Fake Accounts to Monitor Visa, Green Card and Citizenship Applicants
Immigration

Facebook Says Homeland Security Cannot Create Fake Accounts to Monitor Visa, Green Card and Citizenship Applicants

Facebook on Tuesday warned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) against creating fake accounts on its platform. DHS last week announced that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency within D…

Sep 4, 2019
Couple Charged with the Murder of a Kenyan-Born Man in Oregon
Diaspora

Couple Charged with the Murder of a Kenyan-Born Man in Oregon

A couple in Portland, Oregon has been charged with the murder of Alex Oyombe Gradin, a 21-year-old native of Kenya. Alex was shot in the early morning hours of May 4th on the parking lot outside Taylor’s Bar and Grill…

Sep 3, 2019
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