Kenyan exporters have secured two more years of duty-free access to the United States market, after President Donald Trump signed into law an extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) through December 31, 2028. Trump signed the extension on Friday, September 4, bringing relief to Kenyan manufacturers and exporters who had faced months of uncertainty over the future of the trade arrangement. The Kenyan government welcomed the move, saying it provides much-needed certainty for exporters and the thousands of workers whose jobs depend on preferential access to the US market. Investment, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui…
Author: Davin Muthoni
President William Ruto’s deadline for foreign hawkers and small shop owners to close down took effect Monday, September 7, with the directive targeting foreign-owned small businesses set to be enforced. There were no visible signs of a crackdown in Nairobi on Monday, but some Burundians gathered outside the embassy said they had faced threats from neighbours following the president’s remarks. Ruto announced the directive on September 2 during a meeting with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) traders at State House in Nairobi, saying that small-scale businesses should be reserved for Kenyans. “It cannot be that a person comes from…
Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has died while receiving treatment for a heart-related condition in Zanzibar, plunging the country into mourning. Tanzania’s Vice President, Deogratius Ndejembi, announced the death on Monday, September 7, confirming that Ameir died at around 8 a.m. at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for a heart condition. “It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of Honorable Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband to the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan,” Ndejembi said, extending condolences to the…
Kenya could soon appear more accurately represented on world maps, after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution addressing long-standing distortions in how the country and the rest of Africa are depicted on commonly used maps. The ‘Correct the Map’ resolution was adopted on Friday, September 4, with 164 countries voting in favour, one against and six abstaining. The initiative was brought forward by Togo on behalf of the African Group and backed by the African Union, having first been endorsed by the AU Assembly in February. Kenya was among a large bloc of African nations supporting the resolution,…
The National Infrastructure Fund (NIF) Board has appointed Dr James Mworia as the institution’s founding Chief Executive Officer, a move that paves the way for the fund to begin full operations and start mobilising billions of shillings for major infrastructure projects, while bringing to an end his 17-year run at the helm of Centum Investment Company. The board confirmed the appointment in a notice issued on Monday, September 7, stating that Mworia had emerged from a competitive recruitment process, with his term taking effect immediately. “The Board of the National Infrastructure Fund is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr…
Police officers across the country are set to trade in their deep navy-blue uniform, introduced under former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018, for a new design that President William Ruto will formally unveil this Friday during a passing-out parade at the Kiganjo Police Training College in Nyeri County. Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja confirmed the change on Tuesday while inspecting final rehearsals ahead of the ceremony, where more than 6,000 police constables are set to graduate. “We have been using the blue, the deep blue one, so we have just reverted back to the one that was agreed upon. I…
Four suspects charged with the murder of psychiatrist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso will first undergo psychiatric assessments before they can formally enter a plea, the High Court has ruled. Angela Mulwa, her mother Rose Mbithe Mulwa, her brother Chris Mulwa and police constable Elijah Kibelion Kimoi appeared before Justice Kanyi Kimondo at the Milimani Law Courts on Thursday. Prosecutors told the court the killing took place on the morning of July 29, 2026, on Mawenzi Road in Kilimani, Nairobi, shortly after 9.30am, and that the four are accused of having carried it out together with others who have not yet…
Tanzania’s ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party has appointed Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi, 43, as the country’s new Vice President, filling the vacancy left by Emmanuel Nchimbi’s sudden resignation earlier this week. CCM Secretary-General Dr Asha-Rose Migiro announced the decision on Wednesday, August 26, speaking to journalists at the party’s Lumumba headquarters in Dar es Salaam. She said Ndejembi’s elevation followed the party’s internal selection process, triggered once the vice presidency fell vacant after Nchimbi stepped down. His appointment must still pass through the constitutional and legal procedures required before he can formally take up the office, including confirmation by…
Kenyan internet users could soon be billed according to exactly how much data they consume, rather than paying for fixed-rate packages, under a proposed law currently before Parliament that has already drawn pushback from telecom operators and civil society groups. The Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2025, sponsored by Aldai MP Marianne Jebet Kitany, seeks to introduce mandatory metered billing for all internet service providers operating in the country. If passed, ISPs would be required to assign every subscriber a unique “internet meter” number, functioning much like the account numbers used by electricity or water utilities to track consumption.…
App-based delivery platforms including Uber, Bolt, Glovo and Little will be required to record and verify the contents of every parcel they handle from next month, with those records accessible to police, the taxman and the communications regulator on request. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has published new licensing conditions compelling online courier platforms to capture details of parcel contents along with sender and recipient information. Under the rules, this data must be kept on file and handed over to the CA itself, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), or the police whenever requested, as part of a broader push…
