A Nairobi-based advocate has formally petitioned for the removal of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki from the Roll of Advocates, citing their alleged involvement in state-sanctioned violence during nationwide protests. The motion, filed by lawyer Kepha Ojijo and received by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) on Monday, accuses both officials of gross misconduct and breaches of the Advocates’ Code of Conduct, tied to their leadership roles in powerful security ministries. According to Ojijo, the two oversaw police operations during the 2024 and 2025 Gen Z protests, which allegedly led to killings, injuries, forced disappearances,…
Author: Davin Muthoni
A new campaign is gaining ground to spare drug users from imprisonment and instead provide them with health support, while also advocating for the legalisation of marijuana through regulation and policy. This approach, known as the harm reduction strategy, is the result of extensive dialogue involving government leaders, law enforcement, public health experts, civil society, academia, and individuals with lived experience of drug use. Proponents argue that current legislation is inadequate and that anti-drug measures must go beyond criminalisation, incarceration, stigma, and exclusion. They call for prioritising public health access, respect for human rights, the fight against stigma and discrimination,…
Boniface Mwangi Kariuki, the 22-year-old mask vendor who was shot at point-blank range by a police officer during recent anti-police brutality protests, has been confirmed brain dead, according to his family. Speaking to the press outside Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on Sunday, family spokesperson Emily Wanjira revealed that although Kariuki’s organs remain functional, his brain has completely ceased functioning. “The reality is that Boniface Mwangi Kariuki has been confirmed brain dead,” Wanjira stated. “For someone to be officially declared dead, the heartbeat must stop. His heart is still beating. We have left it to the doctors to confirm when he…
Public learning institutions in Kenya are grappling with a severe shortage of teachers, with the current deficit standing at 98,461, according to outgoing Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Nancy Macharia. Junior secondary schools are bearing the brunt, with a shortfall of 72,422 teachers. Despite the challenge, Mrs Macharia said the government is committed to addressing the issue. Speaking during the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) conference in Mombasa yesterday, she announced that the government has allocated Sh2.4 billion in the 2025/26 financial year for the recruitment of 20,000 intern teachers. “This will bring the total number recruited since…
President William Ruto and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga shared a platform on Wednesday, calling for national unity and peace as thousands marked the anniversary of the 25 June 2024 demonstrations. The two leaders, who joined forces following last year’s anti-Finance Bill protests, spoke during the funeral of Gideon Baya Mung’aro, father of Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro. Last year’s unrest left more than 60 people dead and hundreds injured. President Ruto urged Kenyans to demonstrate peacefully and avoid destruction. “Those with differing views must ensure their protests are peaceful. If we destroy our country, there is nowhere else…
The High Court on Wednesday evening ordered the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to restore signals to three independent television stations switched off after defying a directive to cease live broadcasts of anti-government protests. Justice Chacha Mwita directed the CA to immediately restore NTV, KTN and K24 signals following an application by the Law Society of Kenya. “I am satisfied that they raise fundamental constitutional questions touching on potential violations of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution and freedom of the media,” ruled Justice Mwita. Viewers of the three stations were left in an information blackout after police officers,…
Violent protests broke out across at least 27 counties in Kenya on Wednesday, leading to widespread looting and property destruction, with small and medium businesses reporting huge losses. In Nairobi, the epicentre of the unrest, traders around Bus Station, Mfangano Street, Khoja, and Moi Avenue bore the brunt of the chaos. Shops were vandalised, boutiques ransacked, and some buildings set ablaze. Wines and spirits stores were emptied, while electronics and fashion outlets were not spared. Two police water cannons and a Nairobi County fire engine managed to contain a blaze at the junction of Moi Avenue and Khoja, preventing further…
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has called for urgent and transparent investigations following the disappearance of Ndiangui Kinyagia, who was reportedly abducted from his home in Kinoo, Kiambu County, on Sunday night. According to the LSK, Kinyagia was forcibly taken by individuals believed to be security officers driving Subaru vehicles. Eyewitness accounts from neighbours indicate that between six and ten such vehicles surrounded the residence before the incident occurred. “Mr Kinyagia’s residence was surrounded by between six and ten Subaru vehicles. His home was forcibly broken into, and the last communication he had was with his mother around 1:00…
A family in Embu County is in distress after their 28-year-old daughter, Jackline Gatwiri, who had travelled to Iraq for work, failed to return home nearly nine months after she was expected to be deported. Ms Gatwiri, who had previously worked in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, left her home in Kivunguru village on 6 January 2023 in search of better opportunities abroad. She had hoped to support her mother and her son, who was then four years old. Her mother, Ms Margaret Gatavi, 53, recalls her daughter calling to confirm her safe arrival in Iraq, where she soon secured work…
When the streets of Nairobi filled with frustration during the 2024 Gen Z protests, one figure captured the nation’s attention — calm, composed, and impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit. Standing tall above the crowd with a megaphone in hand, he declared: “We are not criminals. We are citizens. And we are tired.” In that moment, Kasmuel McOure wasn’t just protesting a bill — he was voicing the fury and fatigue of a generation. He became an icon almost overnight: a leader without a title, a voice that cut through the noise, and a face that came to symbolise resistance…
