A Kenyan national living in Nebraska in the United States has been charged with forgery over allegations that he stole the identities of American citizens, enrolled them in online colleges without their knowledge and cashed student aid cheques worth about Sh2.56 million ($20,397) issued in their names. Francis Smith Mogambi, a resident of Lincoln, faces a charge of second-degree forgery, a serious criminal offence under Nebraska law. The charge follows a months-long investigation by the Lincoln Police Department into an alleged scheme involving several American colleges and universities. According to a sworn statement filed in the case, Mogambi allegedly worked…
Author: Davin Muthoni
The High Court in Mombasa is set to deliver judgment on Monday, October 19, 2026, in the trial of controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, the leader of Good News International Ministries, who is accused of murdering 191 people in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County. Mackenzie and 30 of his followers are charged in connection with the deaths of 180 children and 11 adults, allegedly caused by extreme fasting that he directed his congregation to undertake between 2021 and 2023. The verdict follows a trial in which 121 witnesses testified, many of them giving harrowing accounts of life inside the cult. One…
Kenya has confirmed an eighth case of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The new patient is a 49-year-old hospital support attendant at Nairobi Hospital who is believed to have been exposed to the country’s first patient. Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said the man was one of 38 people tested on Sunday, October 18, 2026, and the only one to return a positive result. “The cases have increased by one additional case,” Dr Amoth said in an interview on Citizen TV. “He is a 49-year-old man who is not a healthcare worker. He developed a fever, headache…
The High Court in Mombasa has found that controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie radicalised his followers and led them to Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County, where children were starved to death. Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache made the findings on Monday, October 19, 2026, while delivering judgment in the case in which Mackenzie and 30 co-accused face 191 counts of murder. The court said 429 people died in total in the Shakahola tragedy, of whom 191 are the subject of the murder charges. At the time of writing, the court had not yet announced its final verdict on each of the counts.…
Kenya has confirmed four new cases of Ebola, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to seven, including one death. Three of the new patients are health workers who cared for the country’s first patient. In an update on Saturday, October 17, 2026, the Ministry of Health said the fourth new case is a close male relative of the first patient. All four were already in quarantine and under daily monitoring when they developed symptoms, allowing health teams to isolate them quickly. “The risk to the general public remains low, as there is no evidence…
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has moved to recover Sh623.39 million in alleged unpaid taxes from former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, naming First Community Bank as its agent to collect the money from his account. In an agency notice dated October 12, 2026, the taxman directed the lender to hand over any funds it holds on Sonko’s behalf, or any money it owes him, towards settling the debt. The notice puts the total claim at Sh623,389,105. Of this, Sh308.92 million is principal tax, Sh15.76 million is penalties and Sh298.72 million is accrued interest, which means interest alone now makes up…
Standard Group PLC Chief Executive Officer Chaacha Mwita has resigned, just seven months after he was confirmed in the top job at one of Kenya’s oldest media houses. In a notice signed by Company Secretary Catherine Kawira on behalf of the board, the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm said Mwita will step down as CEO and Executive Director with effect from November 1, 2026. The company did not give a reason for his departure and has not named a successor. “The Board takes this opportunity to express its sincere appreciation to Mr Chaacha,” the notice read, thanking him for his dedication…
East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Member Winnie Odinga has announced that she will run for the Nairobi County Senate seat in the 2027 General Election. She announced her bid during the first anniversary commemoration of her father, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, at Migwena Grounds in Bondo, Siaya County, on Thursday, October 15, 2026. “Let it not be a rumour. I will contest the Senate seat of Nairobi County,” she told the gathering. The seat is currently held by Edwin Sifuna, who won it on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket in 2022. “Let it not be a rumour that…
President William Ruto has signed into law two Bills that keep value-added tax (VAT) on fuel at 8 per cent for another three months, cut taxes on building materials and change how the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is governed and funded. The President assented to the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Kenya Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, at Eldoret State Lodge, Uasin Gishu County, on Friday, October 16, 2026, two days after the National Assembly passed them. Under the new tax law, petrol, diesel and kerosene will continue to attract VAT at 8 per cent instead of the…
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…
