The High Court in Malindi has ruled that Kenya’s next presidential election should legally have been held on August 11, 2026, not in 2027 as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has planned, though it suspended the practical effect of the decision to avoid disrupting the country’s electoral timeline. In a judgement delivered on Friday, Justice Mugure Thande found that Article 136(2)(a) of the Constitution requires the presidential election to be held on the second Tuesday of August within the fifth year following the previous General Election, not after that fifth year has elapsed. Relying on Article 259(5)(5)(c), which…
Author: Davin Muthoni
The government has announced a raft of reforms to strengthen the management of public vehicles, including the introduction of a digital monitoring system aimed at improving accountability, reducing misuse and enhancing service delivery. The new Government Vehicle Management System (GVMS) will provide real-time oversight of government vehicles by tracking authorised drivers, fuel consumption, mileage and maintenance records through a centralised digital platform. “At the centre of these reforms is the Government Vehicle Management System (GVMS), a centralised digital platform that will provide real-time oversight of every government vehicle, its authorised driver, fuel consumption, mileage and maintenance history,” Head of Public…
A Nairobi magistrate has declined to suspend East African Breweries Limited’s (EABL) licence in a Sh10 million payment dispute with media personality Willis Raburu, instead ordering the brewer to deposit the disputed amount in a joint account pending the hearing and determination of the case. Senior Principal Magistrate A. Nyoike, sitting at the Milimani Commercial Magistrate’s Court, ruled that suspending or revoking EABL’s licence would amount to a mandatory injunction — a remedy Raburu had not met the legal threshold to obtain. The magistrate directed EABL to deposit Sh10 million into a joint account operated by advocates for both sides,…
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has named a serving police inspector as a central suspect in the murder of clinical psychologist Dr Victoria Mutiso, saying investigators allege the officer supplied the firearm used in the killing and linked those suspected of financing the attack to the team that carried it out. Speaking during a press briefing at Magereza House on Friday, August 7, DCI Director Mohammed Amin said Inspector Kenneth Kipkemboi Sang, officer in charge of Nderi Police Post under Kikuyu Police Station, had been identified by investigators as the alleged link between those suspected of financing the killing…
Public universities could soon lose access to scholarships altogether under a new government proposal to fund every qualifying student entirely through loans repayable after graduation. The Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, now before Parliament, seeks to bring all higher education financing under a single authority, replacing the current arrangement in which some students receive scholarships while others get a blend of scholarships and loans based on financial need. Under the new proposal, students placed in public universities would receive up to 100 per cent funding, but the entire amount would be treated as a loan, to be repaid once…
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has appointed Ruth Kulundu as Acting Chief Executive Officer and Commission Secretary, placing her in charge of the electoral agency’s secretariat as the search for a substantive office holder continues. Kulundu assumed office on Wednesday, August 5, and will serve in an acting capacity for two months or until the recruitment of a permanent CEO and Commission Secretary is completed. IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon communicated the changes to staff through an internal memo, urging employees to support the transition and ensure continuity in the commission’s operations. “The Commission has appointed Ruth Kulundu to…
Thousands of university lecturers could retire earlier than expected under a proposal by the Public Service Commission (PSC), prompting the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) to threaten industrial action unless the plan is withdrawn and several long-standing labour disputes are resolved. In a circular dated April 28, the PSC proposes lowering the mandatory retirement age for academic and research staff in public universities, research institutions and equivalent organisations. If implemented, the changes would significantly shorten the working lives of several categories of academic staff. Under the proposal, professors and associate professors would retire at 70 instead of 74, while the…
Properties linked to former Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria are set to go under the hammer later this month after a creditor instructed auctioneers to sell two assets associated with him over an alleged loan default. A residential property in Nairobi’s Karen suburb and a hospital in Murang’a, both associated with the former governor, have been advertised for public auction on August 25, according to a notice published by Dalali Traders Auctioneers. The first asset is a 2.9-acre parcel in Milimani, Kiharu, occupied by Edinburgh Mountain Hospital — a facility owned by Wa Iria, according to Business Registration Service records.…
At least 106,000 village elders across Kenya will now receive a monthly government stipend, alongside free smartphones, training and health insurance cover, in a support package President William Ruto unveiled at State House, Nairobi, on Tuesday. Ruto announced the package during an engagement forum attended by more than 10,000 village elders representing their counterparts from across the country. He said the elders would receive a Sh3,000 monthly stipend, cementing their formal recognition within the National Government Administration system. “Today, we formally recognise that historic role. The onboarding of more than 106,000 village elders across the 47 counties into the National…
Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has returned a Kenyan passport issued to him, saying the move was aimed at ensuring transparency in his public role. The decision comes amid rising tensions between Nairobi and Mogadishu over Kenyan travel documents held by Somali officials, following another Somali official being turned away at a Kenyan airport. In a statement, Haji maintained that the document was genuine, lawfully obtained, and issued in full compliance with the relevant procedures. He described the decision to return it as a measure intended to uphold the standards expected of a public official and insisted it…