The drought situation in Kenya is worsening with more than 3.3 million people in arid and semi-arid lands facing starvation, the Kenya Red Cross said on Thursday. The drought emergency has evolved beyond a climate shock into a full-scale humanitarian crisis, affecting 23 out of 47 counties, the humanitarian agency said in a statement issued in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. “More than 3.3 million people are in need of food assistance, 1.5 million of them urgently need water, and over 200,000 children are battling severe acute malnutrition,” it said, calling for scale-up of water trucking, provision of food aid, malnutrition…
Author: Special Correspondent
Motorists across Kenya received temporary relief after the High Court stopped the enforcement of instant traffic fines introduced by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). In orders issued by the court, NTSA and the Office of the Attorney General were barred from issuing, demanding, or enforcing automated traffic penalties generated through digital systems. The decision temporarily halts the newly introduced instant fines system that had begun operating on Kenyan roads. The ruling was made by Justice Bahati Mwamuye following a constitutional petition challenging the legality of the system. The court issued conservatory orders stopping the enforcement of the penalties…
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has launched body-worn cameras for customs and law enforcement officers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in a move aimed at strengthening border security, improving accountability, and enhancing transparency in customs operations. Speaking during the launch, KRA Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga noted that the initiative marks a major milestone in the modernization of customs administration and the use of technology to combat illicit trade. Wattanga observed that the authority plays a critical role in securing Kenya’s borders while facilitating the seamless movement of goods and people across ports of entry. “Through sustained surveillance and intelligence-led…
A court in Embu County has sentenced a woman who pretended to be a lawyer and conned a client out of Sh229,000 to two years in prison. The ruling was delivered at a magistrate’s court in Siakago after the court found that the woman had falsely presented herself as a qualified advocate. The accused, identified as Jane Kiura, was convicted after the prosecution proved that she impersonated an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and obtained money from a member of the public under false pretences. According to the prosecution, Kiura deceived a client who was seeking legal assistance…
By Gabriel Gervais Since the coup of October 2025, Madagascar has become a test case for the African Union. Immediate suspension from continental bodies, diplomatic pressure and the requirement of a credible electoral timetable show that zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government is being applied with consistency. In Addis Ababa, at the 39th summit, the Chairperson of the AU Commission reaffirmed that no leniency would be granted to military seizures of power. On 15 October 2025, Madagascar was formally suspended from all activities of the organisation. Any normalisation is contingent upon a return to constitutional order. Structured continental pressure…
The Director of Public Prosecutions has recommended an 11-year structured sentence combining custodial and non-custodial terms for Enos Amanya alias Haleluya, a convict in the Shakahola massacre case, to facilitate his rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Appearing before Justice Diana Kavedza at the High Court in Mombasa on Thursday, the prosecution, led by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina, proposed that the sentence account for the three years Amanya has spent in remand custody. This would reduce the effective term to eight years. Out of the eight years, the DPP recommended that Amanya serve between one and two and…
Officers serving in Kenya’s disciplined forces are set to benefit from higher salaries after the government confirmed a pay rise targeting personnel in the National Police Service, the Kenya Prisons Service, and the National Youth Service. The salary increment is part of a broader government plan to improve the welfare of officers working in the country’s security and paramilitary institutions. Officials say the move is intended to boost morale, improve service delivery, and recognise the role played by uniformed personnel in safeguarding the country and supporting national development. According to the State Department for Internal Security, the pay rise is…
By Linda Bach Much has happened in the struggle for women empowerment since the first International Women’s Day was marked on March 19, 1911. A lot, including the landmark fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing between September 4 and 15, 1995, which identified poverty as one of the major catalysts of inequalities between women and men in the world. Over the years, the International Women’s Day has evolved from a moment of protest against discrimination into an occasion to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about gender equality, call for positive change, and lobby for accelerated gender parity. Arguably,…
A tip about drug lord Nemesio Oseguera’s romantic liaisons led Mexican authorities to the cartel leader’s hideout in a small town of Jalisco state where he was killed, Mexican authorities said on Monday in the first account of the ambush that spawned violence across much of Mexico. At least 62 people died in the early Sunday raid on Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” and in ensuing violence – including 25 members of the National Guard military police and 34 suspected gang members – as cartel loyalists set cars ablaze in 85 roadblocks in more than a dozen states, authorities said.…
Kenya has 1.6 million retail investor accounts on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Fewer than 40,000 of those accounts were actively trading each month as of 2024, according to NSE data reported by Semafor. The gap between those two numbers tells you everything about why app-based platforms, aggregator services and robo-advisors have become so important to Kenya’s capital markets story. They’re the on-ramp. And now, for the first time, they need their own licence to operate. The Capital Markets (Licensing Requirements) (General) Regulations, 2025, gazetted on 11 December 2025, repeal the old 2002 licensing framework entirely. Among the most significant additions…
