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…
Author: Special Correspondent
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…
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has commended Kenya for the strides taken in the implementation of the corrective action following the 24/25 audit that had put Kenya in a watch list. Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya on Wednesday received a high-level delegation from WADA led by Rodney Swigelaar (Director, Africa) at Talanta Plaza in Nairobi. Swigelaar applauded the government’s support to the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, a key pillar in ensuring that the country remains compliant. CS Mvurya re-affirmed Kenya’s commitment in aligning with the WADA recommendations, building a stronger, more sustainable, transparent, and integrity-driven anti-doping system that corresponds with…
US technology giant Amazon has informed employees of a new round of global layoffs in an email apparently sent in error. A draft email written by Colleen Aubrey, a senior vice president at Amazon Web Services (AWS), was included as part of a calendar invitation sent by an executive assistant to a number of Amazon workers late on Tuesday. In the email, Aubrey refers to a swathe of employees in the US, Canada and Costa Rica having been laid off as part of an effort to “strengthen the company.” The message, which has been seen by the BBC, was apparently…
By Mark Simitia President William Ruto has laid out a political strategy behind his confidence that a coalition between his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) can deliver a two to three million vote lead in the 2027 general election. Speaking during a UDA National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi, the President said the proposed ODM pact is not merely symbolic but a calculated move aimed at expanding his voter base beyond traditional UDA strongholds and neutralizing long-standing regional voting blocs. Ruto noted that his narrow win in the 2022 election, which he secured…
