Celebrations over Mombasa County Assembly Clerk Salim Juma’s reported PhD graduation have been thrown into doubt after the University of Nairobi said his name does not appear on the list of graduands for its September 18 ceremony. The controversy emerged after Mombasa County Assembly Speaker Aharub Khatri congratulated Juma on Friday, describing the reported achievement as a milestone in his academic and professional journey. Khatri praised his commitment to scholarship and public service, describing the achievement as the result of “late nights, relentless discipline and an unshakable belief that leadership is at its best when anchored in knowledge”. The Assembly…
Author: Davin Muthoni
The High Court has dismissed a preliminary objection by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), allowing a constitutional petition challenging the Society’s targeted boycott of selected judges and judicial officers to proceed on its merits on its merits. Justice David Mburu dismissed the objection after finding that LSK’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms could not adequately address the constitutional questions raised in the petition. He directed that the petition and a Notice of Motion dated July 24, 2026, proceed to determination. The petition was filed by lawyer Dr Adrian Kamotho Njenga, who is challenging a series of LSK resolutions and communications…
The High Court has quashed the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) ongoing recruitment process for a substantive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, dealing a fresh setback to a search that has already dragged on for well over a year and ordering the Commission to start the entire process over from scratch. Justice Francis Nyungu Kyambia, sitting in Kiambu, delivered the judgment on September 17, 2026, finding that TSC’s May 2025 recruitment advertisement breached both the Constitution and the Commission’s own Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual. The court found that the vacancy notice, published on May 6, 2025, gave prospective applicants…
Uganda’s candidate for United Nations Secretary-General seat, Prof Olara Otunnu, has intensified his diplomatic campaign for the top UN job, engaging key countries whose support will be important in the selection of Antonio Guterres’ successor. Otunnu, a diplomat, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on September 14, in one of his latest efforts to reach out to members of the UN Security Council. He was accompanied by former Ugandan prime minister Ruhakana Rugunda, who has been tasked with coordinating Kampala’s international campaign for Otunnu’s candidature. The Moscow meeting came as Uganda sought to build support among the five…
Chief Justice Martha Koome has been named the inaugural international recipient of South Korea’s Sejong Legal Culture Award, honouring her contribution to the rule of law, access to justice and the protection of vulnerable members of society. Justice Koome received the award on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at a ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, jointly presented by the Supreme Court of Korea and the World Bank. The Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations was named alongside her as the inaugural national recipient, recognised for seven decades of providing legal aid and protecting vulnerable people within South Korea.…
The High Court has declined to stop a graduation ceremony at United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) after Deputy Inspector-General of Police Gilbert Masengeli sought orders either halting the event entirely or compelling the university to include him among this year’s graduands. Justice Patricia Mande dismissed Masengeli’s application on Wednesday, September 16, ruling that stopping the ceremony, scheduled for September 26, 2026, would unfairly affect other students who were not party to the case. “Being that the first relief sought adversely affects other students not party to the suit, the prayer for conservatory orders stopping the graduation scheduled for the 26th…
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has disowned a Bachelor’s degree certificate presented by Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa, saying he was never a student at the university and that no graduation ceremony took place there in May 2008, the date shown on the certificate. The university’s position was set out in a letter dated September 14, 2026, addressed to the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) and signed by JKUAT Registrar of Academic Affairs Dr Aggrey Wanyama. The letter was issued in response to a request from COFEK to verify Barasa’s academic credentials. “His name doesn’t appear on…
The father of murdered Rongo University student Sharon Otieno has told the High Court he has forgiven former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and would not oppose a non-custodial sentence for him, while taking a markedly different position on Obado’s two co-convicts. Douglas Zachariah Otieno addressed Justice Cecilia Githua directly on Wednesday, September 16, during sentencing proceedings for Obado, Michael Juma Oyamo and Caspal Ojwang Obiero, all convicted of Sharon’s murder on July 23. He told the court he had remained silent about his daughter’s death for nine years but chose to speak given the significance of the day and the…
Kenya has won the right to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making it the first African country ever to stage global track and field’s flagship event. The World Athletics Council announced the decision on Tuesday, September 15, during its 242nd meeting in Budapest, Hungary, selecting Nairobi ahead of rival bids from London, Rome and Munich. Munich was awarded the following edition instead, meaning the championships will return to Germany in 2031, two years after Kenya’s turn as host. The event will follow the 2027 championships in Beijing, scheduled for September 10 to 19 that year. World Athletics President Sebastian…
Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has moved to the High Court seeking orders compelling the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) to process his doctoral dissertation and include him in the institution’s September graduation list. Masengeli, who is pursuing a PhD in International Relations, says the university has delayed releasing the results of his dissertation examination despite his assertion that he has completed the requirements communicated to him. He wants the court to declare that he has satisfactorily completed the requirements for conferment of the doctorate and should be included among the graduands for the September 26 ceremony. The…
