The University of Nairobi (UoN), the country’s oldest and largest public university, has been declared technically insolvent by the Office of the Auditor-General, with debts estimated at Sh20 billion. University management appeared before the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Vice-Chancellor Prof Ayub Gitau told MPs that the institution has a substantial deficit but holds assets worth significantly more. “We have a deficit of about Sh20 billion,” he said. “We are at the stage of commercialising our asset base, which totals about Sh200 billion.” Auditors told the committee that the university’s short-term…
Author: Davin Muthoni
The National Assembly has passed a Bill that removes the legal requirement for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to livestream election results, changing how results will be handled in the 2027 General Election. MPs approved the Elections (Amendment) Bill on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Clause 22 of the Bill deletes Section 39 of the Elections Act, the provision that governs how results are determined, transmitted and declared. The Bill had already been passed by the Senate. Under the new law, the IEBC will still be required to determine, declare and publish results immediately after polls close, and results…
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and his wife, Susan Wangari, will remain in custody for at least another five days after the Anti-Corruption Court postponed their sentencing in the Sh588 million roads tender case and referred a dispute over the High Court’s judgment back to the High Court for guidance. On Thursday, October 22, 2026, Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa at the Milimani Law Courts said he had sought directions from the High Court before proceeding. “Having considered the issues raised, this court deemed it prudent to place a file before the High Court through the Deputy Registrar for directions,” he…
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has removed Geoffrey Mosiria as Chief Officer for Public Participation, Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, ten days after Mosiria declared his intention to run for Nairobi governor in 2027. The changes took effect immediately and were set out in a circular dated Wednesday, October 21, 2026, signed by County Secretary and Head of Public Service Dr Machel Waikenda with the governor’s approval. “Pursuant to sections 44(3)(a), 45(5) and 64 of the County Governments Act, 2012, and with the approval of His Excellency the Governor, the following officers are hereby reassigned and/or designated to the respective offices…
Kenya is ranked 102nd out of 143 countries in the 2025 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index. Its overall score declined by less than one per cent compared with the previous year. The index gave Kenya its lowest score for the absence of corruption, while access to government information was its strongest area. The country ranks 13th out of 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and 15th out of 35 lower-middle-income countries. On the absence of corruption, Kenya was ranked 137th globally and 31st out of 34 countries in the region. It also ranked 128th worldwide in order and…
A woman has been charged in a Mombasa court with conspiring to defraud a landowner of two prime parcels of land in Likoni, Shelly Beach, worth Sh100 million, by allegedly inserting a false lease into land registry records. Farzana Nur Butt appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Gladys Olimo on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, and pleaded not guilty to three charges: conspiracy to defraud, making a false entry in land records, and forcible entry. She was released on a bond of Sh1 million with a surety of a similar amount. The case will come up for a pre-trial conference on November…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata and former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo are among 146 advocates who have applied for the rank of Senior Counsel, the most prestigious title in Kenya’s legal profession. The LSK published the list of applicants on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The applications will now be reviewed by the Committee on Senior Counsel, which recommends successful candidates to the President for conferment. Publication of the list does not mean that any applicant has received the rank; it merely identifies those who have applied. Senior Counsel is…
Kenya has confirmed a ninth case of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, and the Ministry of Health says the outbreak remains contained within a single cluster of patients. The new case is a 24-year-old man who is a close relative of the country’s first patient. He tested positive on October 19, 2026, after developing symptoms while already in quarantine, and was isolated and started treatment immediately. Of the nine confirmed cases, three are health workers, while the rest are relatives of the first patient. The first patient, who arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Uganda, has…
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has appointed Dr Dennis Miskellah, Deputy Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), to the National Ebola Disease Taskforce. The appointment brings frontline doctors directly into the team leading the country’s response to the outbreak. In a letter dated October 19, 2026, the CS said the appointment recognised Dr Miskellah’s experience and the union’s role in safeguarding public health. “In recognition of your experience and the important role of your organisation in protecting the health of Kenyans, I am pleased to appoint you as a Member of the National Ebola…
The High Court in Mombasa has convicted preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 of his followers of murdering 191 people in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County, in a landmark judgment holding that religious belief cannot justify letting children die. Delivering judgment on Monday, October 19, 2026, Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against all 29 accused in connection with the deaths of 190 children and one adult. “I am satisfied that the prosecution has proved the case against all the 29 accused persons for the murder of 190 children and one adult, contrary…
