The government has moved with speed and unveiled the National Infrastructure Fund bill that is expected to mobilize about Sh5 trillion to finance major long-term projects to enable the country to reduce its reliance on public debt and taxation. The National Infrastructure Fund Bill, 2026, sponsored by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, also outlines the governance structure of the fund and the running of the kitty whose seed capital will come from privatization of various state entities. According to the bill, the purpose of the Fund will be to scale up and accelerate development of catalytic national infrastructure, mobilize…
Author: Special Correspondent
Jeffrey Epstein — a financier whose estate was valued at $600 million — was a registered sex offender facing charges of trafficking minors at the time of his death in August 2019. At the end of January, more than six years after his death, the United States Department of Justice finally released more than three million pages of FBI investigation files into Epstein, plus 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. An additional three million pages are being withheld, the DOJ said, due to sensitive material, victims’ rights, and legal privilege. The released files, though incomplete, revealed some of the architecture of…
Sudan announced Monday that it will fully resume its activities within the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), ending a diplomatic freeze that began more than two years ago. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that the decision to rejoin the East African bloc followed a “positive” overture from the IGAD Secretariat. The ministry noted that the organization had reaffirmed its commitment to regional cooperation, non-interference, and the recognition of Sudan’s sovereignty. The move marks a major shift for Sudan. On Jan. 20, 2024, the country suspended its IGAD membership, accusing the bloc of overstepping by placing the…
By Gabriel Gervais In mid-October 2025, as the political crisis in Antananarivo dragged on, videos posted on Facebook and TikTok preceded the first official statements by several hours. They cheered the army, invoked ‘regained sovereignty’ and compared Madagascar to Mali or Burkina Faso. By the time the armed forces announced their intervention, the narrative framework was already in place. The coup no longer appeared to be a rupture, but a solution. A standardised pattern This is not an isolated incident. Since 2020, Africa has been hit by a veritable epidemic of coups and attempted coups, from the Sahel to the…
Police in Kajiado County have launched an intensive manhunt for more than 20 suspects who fled after residents intercepted them while slaughtering 34 donkeys in a chilling incident that has exposed the growing illegal donkey meat trade and raised serious public health and security concerns. The suspects were discovered in the early hours of the morning in the Kichakani area of Ereteti, Kajiado West Sub-county, where they had set up an illegal slaughter operation along a seasonal river. According to police and local authorities, the group was in the process of skinning and cutting up the animals for meat believed…
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has defended its benefits processing timelines while outlining major governance and investment reforms aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and long-term returns for members, ahead of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on February 6, 2026. Speaking during a media engagement with the Kenya Editors Guild in Nairobi, NSSF Chief Executive Officer David Koross assured members that the Fund is committed to processing retirement benefits within 10 working days, a target he described as a significant improvement in service delivery. However, Koross acknowledged that occasional delays still occur, largely due to complex verification cases involving identity…
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced the launch of a digital voter registration platform designed to make it easier for young people across Kenya to sign up as voters ahead of the 2027 General Election. The move is part of broader efforts to modernise voter enrolment and address slow uptake in traditional registration channels. Speaking on Wednesday at a prayer breakfast event, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon explained that the new platform will allow prospective voters, particularly young people, to complete most of their registration online before visiting a physical centre to submit their biometric data. “We…
Transport in Nairobi came to a standstill on Monday as some matatu operators went on strike, blocking major roads and leaving thousands of commuters stranded across the city. Despite earlier reports that the strike had been suspended following talks between stakeholders, including the Federation of Public Transport Sector (FPTS), some operators ignored the directive and parked their vehicles along key routes, triggering widespread gridlock. Traffic chaos was reported along Thika Super Highway, Waiyaki Way, Outer Ring Road, Jogoo Road, and within the Central Business District (CBD), where matatus parked in the middle of the road, bringing movement to a complete…
Titleholder and record 10-time World Rally Championship (WRC) winner, Sebastien Ogier, will mark his return to the Safari Rally in March. The French ace, running a partial WRC campaign in 2026, will skip the all-snow in Rally Sweden in mid February and make his Safari comeback in the third leg that runs from March 12-15. Ogier last competed in Kenya in 2023 where he won the toughest rally in the world. He is eager to get back behind the wheel of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 after finishing third in the season opening WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo. His presence in Kenya…
By Mark Simitia More than three billion economically active adults worldwide remain unable to fully use formal financial services despite having access to bank or mobile money accounts, according to a new report by the Atlantic Council backed by digital lender Tala. The report, titled “The Three-Billion-Person Challenge: Bridging the Gap Between Financial Access and Usage in Emerging Markets,” was released during Tala’s annual Business Journalists’ Breakfast in Nairobi, underscoring the growing divide between financial access and actual usage in low- and middle-income economies. Data cited in the report from the World Bank’s Global Findex database shows that 79 per…
