Thousands of Kenyans gathered at Migwena Cultural Grounds in Bondo, Siaya County, on Thursday, October 15, 2026, to mark the first anniversary of the death of former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga. The ceremony honoured a statesman whose struggle for democracy, constitutional reform and national unity shaped the country for more than five decades. Mourners began arriving as early as 6am for the main memorial, which concluded a three-day national commemoration organised by the Raila Odinga Memorial Anniversary Committee. The day brought together the Odinga family, political leaders, community representatives and members of the public, with songs, dance and cultural…
Author: Davin Muthoni
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Renson Ingonga, has approved charges against five people and 12 companies accused of conspiring to defraud the government of about Sh3.9 billion in value added tax (VAT), in one of the largest tax fraud cases brought to court this year. The decision followed joint investigations by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), which reviewed 70 inquiry files linked to the scheme. The five suspects are Henry Ateka Nyabwari, James Ojiambo Nyengenye, Amisi Zamda, Frank Nyabwari and Hesbon Onyoni. They are alleged to have registered 70…
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has lost his appeal against his conviction in the Sh588 million roads tender corruption case, and the High Court has also found him and his wife guilty of money laundering. In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Justice Rose Ougo of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division upheld the convictions handed down by the trial court against Waititu, his wife, Susan Wangari Ndung’u, former Kiambu County Chief Officer for Roads, Transport, Public Works and Utilities Luka Mwangi Wahinya, and Charles Chege Mbuthia, a director of Testimony Enterprises Limited. She also allowed the prosecution’s…
Kenya has confirmed a second case of Ebola, caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The patient is a close relative of the man who brought the disease into the country and died in Nairobi last week. “The Ministry of Health confirms a second case of Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease) in Kenya,” the ministry said in a statement issued on October 14, 2026. “Kenya has now recorded two confirmed cases and one death.” According to the Director General for Health, Dr Patrick Amoth, the new patient is a 39-year-old man who was already in quarantine and under daily monitoring when he developed…
Construction of the Sh2.2 trillion Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu can go ahead after a court in Malindi declined to issue fresh interim orders to maintain the status quo while a land and environmental dispute is resolved. In a preliminary ruling on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Justice Jane Onyango declined to issue fresh interim orders to maintain the status quo. This clears the way for the government and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote to continue developing the 700,000-barrel-a-day facility, set to be one of the largest oil refineries in the world. The judge found that the petitioners, 133 Lamu residents,…
Kenyans will continue to pay value added tax (VAT) of 8 per cent on petrol, diesel and kerosene for another three months instead of the standard 16 per cent, after the National Assembly voted to extend the relief. MPs passed the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on October 14, 2026, the day the earlier relief was due to lapse, preventing a sharp rise in pump prices on top of the increases announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) that afternoon. The Bill amends the VAT Act to maintain the reduced rate for a further 90 days. If the…
The Council of Governors (CoG) has rejected a proposal by the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) to give counties Sh440.8 billion in the 2027/28 financial year, saying the amount is too low to cover their growing wage bills and the functions recently transferred to them. During an engagement on the vertical sharing of revenue between the national and county governments on October 14, 2026, governors asked for additional funding of at least Sh91.5 billion to close what they described as critical gaps, with some estimates putting their total demand above Sh100 billion. They also questioned the commission’s independence, claiming that…
Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons in Rome removed part of his right lung, the Vatican has confirmed. The 71-year-old pontiff underwent surgery on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital to remove a nodule from his right lung. Tests carried out during the procedure showed that the growth was malignant. “Intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma,” the Vatican said, adding that this was “as suspected from pre-operative tests.” Doctors removed the entire lower lobe of the right lung so that the tumour could be removed completely. “To ensure…
MSC Cruises, the world’s largest family-owned cruise line, has temporarily stopped Kenyan crew members from joining its ships after Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Ebola. In a notice to its workforce, the company said the suspension was prompted by “recent public health developments in Kenya”. Deployments have been halted until October 31, with the firm pledging to reschedule affected crew from November 1 and to give priority to those whose travel plans were disrupted. MSC is the single largest employer of Kenyan seafarers and has recruited more than 4,000 cruise ship workers from the country in recent years.…
South Africa’s suspended Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, has resigned from the South African Police Service (SAPS), with the force confirming that his departure will be recorded as a dishonourable discharge. Sibiya’s lawyers submitted his resignation letter on Monday, October 12, 2026, just as a disciplinary hearing against him was set to begin. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said that because Sibiya had an ongoing disciplinary case against him at the time of his resignation, his exit from the service would be treated as a dishonourable discharge rather than an ordinary resignation. “As the former senior officer…
