Tanzania’s Vice President, Ambassador Dr Emmanuel John Nchimbi, has announced his resignation from office and from politics altogether, less than a year after being sworn in, in a move that follows months of visible tension between him and President Samia Suluhu Hassan. In a letter addressed to the President and dated August 25, Nchimbi said he had decided to step down from public life and would formally leave the vice presidency on September 4, 2026, citing Article 50(2)(c) read together with Article 149(2) of Tanzania’s Constitution as the legal basis for his departure. He framed the decision as the fulfilment…
Author: Davin Muthoni
Teachers across the country can now keep using social media without risking punishment from their employer, after a High Court judge put a stop to a Teachers Service Commission (TSC) directive that had sought to police their online conduct. Justice Francis Nyungu Kyambia granted a conservatory order on Friday, August 21, halting TSC Circular No. 14/2026, issued on August 13, which had targeted what the commission called unprofessional behaviour and cyberbullying by teachers on social media. The order takes immediate effect and will remain in place pending the hearing and determination of a constitutional petition filed against the circular. The…
Lawyer Angella Mulwa is set to stand trial for the murder of prominent psychiatrist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, after prosecutors filed a murder charge against her at the High Court, following three separate arrests and two brief periods of freedom in the space of just over a week. Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga informed Milimani Chief Magistrate Joan Mati that Mulwa will face trial alongside her mother, Rose Mbithe Mulwa, also known as Rose Mbithe Ndetei, and her brother, Chris Mulwa, who is an advocate. She was taken back into custody immediately after two senior assistant directors of public…
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has clarified that a university degree is not currently required for anyone seeking to contest the presidency, a parliamentary seat or a governorship in the 2027 General Election, following a court ruling that struck down the legal provision imposing that requirement. IEBC Commissioner Ann Nderitu made the clarification on a television show on Sunday, explaining that the position stems from a court challenge filed before the 2022 General Election. “Before the 2022 general election, there were some people who went to court, and they challenged the requirement for a degree for the president,…
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has issued a detailed calendar of deadlines for the 2027 General Election, requiring presidential aspirants to submit their lists of supporters by May 24, 2027, as part of a wider roadmap governing how candidates will be nominated and registered ahead of the polls. Under the requirement, each presidential hopeful must present the Commission with a list containing the names, signatures and identity card or valid passport numbers of at least 2,000 registered voters drawn from a majority of Kenya’s 47 counties. “Aspirants vying for President shall deliver to the Commission a list bearing…
Anyone caught fixing or manipulating sporting competitions in Kenya now faces the prospect of jail time, hefty fines and a lifetime ban from sport or regulated gaming, after the National Assembly passed the Sports (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which for the first time makes match manipulation a specific criminal offence. Sponsored by nominated MP Irene Nyakerario Mayaka, the Bill amends the Sports Act, 2013, to close what lawmakers described as a long-standing gap in Kenya’s legal framework. It creates a new offence; anyone who takes part in, directly or indirectly, or who aids, enables or assists in manipulating a sports competition,…
Lawyer Duncan Ojwang Oburu now faces the demanding task of leading the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), after the National Assembly approved his nomination as chairperson of the civilian body tasked with overseeing the police. Ojwang secured the approval after MPs adopted a report by the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, recommending him for the role. The committee found that he satisfied all the qualifications required for the position, noting specifically that he meets the standard set for appointment as a judge of the High Court. He steps into an institution…
A Nairobi lawyer has moved to the High Court to challenge the appointment and continued occupancy of the office of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) Chief Executive Officer by Dr Richard Lesiyampe, arguing that the process breached constitutional and statutory requirements governing senior public appointments. In a petition filed at the High Court’s Constitutional and Human Rights Division, advocate Samwel Muiruri Mwangi contends that the appointment raises serious questions over compliance with the Constitution, the Public Service Commission Act and the regulations governing how senior public office holders are recruited. Mwangi wants the court to suspend the implementation of Lesiyampe’s appointment…
For 15 years, if you wanted to stop a government decision, a road through your land, a budget passed without your say, or a licence issued without warning, there was one route: run to court and argue that “public participation” had not happened. Indeed, the phrase “public participation” is one of the most frequently cited in Kenyan constitutional litigation, yet one of the least defined. The principle has been recognised in the Constitution since 2010. It appears in Article 10 and in provisions on budgets, legislation and county government. However, it never spelled out what public participation actually requires. How…
The High Court has temporarily blocked the extradition of three Kenyans wanted in the United States over an alleged multi-million-dollar fraud scheme, pending the outcome of an appeal against the order to hand them over. Justice Alexander Muteti suspended the earlier ruling that would have seen Peter Omari, Francis Asanyo and Elvis Obaigwa surrendered to American authorities to face trial on tax fraud charges. Lawyers Ishmael Nyaribo and Cliff Oduk, representing the trio, have seven days to file submissions challenging the extradition. Oduk’s case rests on a straightforward argument: Kenya has no extradition treaty with the US, so the men…
