Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president in a parliamentary session that began with demands for the release of ousted leader Nicolás Maduro from US custody. Rodríguez, 56, vice president since 2018, said she was pained by what she called the “kidnapping” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were seized by US forces in an overnight raid on Saturday. In a dramatic scene inside a New York court room two hours earlier, Maduro had insisted he was still president of Venezuela as he pleaded not guilty to four charges of drug trafficking and terrorism. Meanwhile the…
Author: Special Correspondent
US has launched strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State group (IS) in north-western Nigeria, where jihadists have long carried out an insurgency. Camps run by the group in Sokoto state, which lies on Nigeria’s border with Niger, were hit, the US military said, adding that an “initial assessment” suggested “multiple” fatalities. US President Donald Trump said the Christmas Day strikes were “powerful and deadly” and labelled the group “terrorist scum”, saying it had been “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians”. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC it was a “joint operation” and had “nothing…
By Gitobu Imanyara Constitutions are written to restrain power, anticipating when governments, frustrated by accountability, seek shortcuts to escape oversight while retaining control. Kenya’s 2010 Constitution is explicit on this. It does not only describe how public money should be raised and spent but locks public finance within a rigid structure of transparency, parliamentary control, and audit. Any attempt to bypass that structure is subversion, not innovation. The proposal to register a National Infrastructure Fund, targeting KSh 5 trillion, as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is unconstitutional by design, not accident. The Constitution is clear. Articles 206, 210, 221, and…
By Daniel Psirmoi Kenya stamped its authority as the region’s athletics powerhouse after its legislators clinched the highest number of gold medals in the sports at the ongoing East African Community Inter-Parliamentary Games (EAC-IPG) in Kampala, Uganda. The country struck gold in the men’s 4x400m relay where overall Team Kenya captain and Bunge Sports Club Co-Chairperson Hon. Vincent Musyoka (Mwala) led Hon. David Ochieng (Ugenya) Hon. Dan Wanyama (Webuye West) and Hon. Bernard Kitur (Nandi Hills) to victory, clocking 50.8 seconds in the race. Hon. Kitur also bagged gold in the men’s 100m with an impressive time of 11.8 seconds…
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has been in hiding for months, has told the BBC that she knows “exactly the risks” she’s taking by travelling to Norway to collect her Nobel Peace Prize. Machado appeared in Oslo in the middle of the night, waving from the balcony of a hotel. It was the first time she has been seen in public since January. The 58-year-old made the covert journey despite a travel ban and a threat from the Venezuelan government that she would be labelled as a fugitive. In an emotional moment, Machado waved to cheering supporters who…
By Col (retired) Seth Shava Effective security partnerships between nations are becoming increasingly significant enablers of regional stability. This is especially important as the post-Cold War rules-based order begins to feel increasingly strained. For instance, the US and Kenya renewed their five-year security cooperation plan in 2023 as part of their Third Bilateral Strategic Dialogue. That continued collaboration will help Kenya to further develop its security infrastructure to meet evolving threats. Such cooperation is illustrated by the enhanced counterterrorism, maritime surveillance, and intelligence capabilities at Kenya’s Manda Bay military base, in which US investment has played a significant part. The…
The National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) has raised a red flag over the rising cases of new HIV infections among adolescents and young adults, warning that the trend threatens to erode hard-won gains in the national HIV response. Speaking on Monday in Mbita Sub-County during the World AIDS Day celebrations, NSDCC representative Stephen Oyugi emphasized that adolescents and young people are now driving the epidemic. “The HIV epidemic is now domiciled among adolescents and young people. This is where we are seeing new infections emanating from, and that is why our flagship project, End the Triple Threat, is focused…
Kenya on Sunday increased its medal tally at the ongoing Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics to 10, with Lucas Wandia, and Elikana Rono successfully defending their titles in the men’s 3,000meters steeplechase, and 800m respectively. It was a 1-2 finish for Kenya in the steeplechase as Jacob Kibet secured silver medal in the hotly contested final run under chilly weather and pregnant skies. The track and field events at the 25th Summer Deaflympics are taking place at the Komazawa Olympic Park Gymnasium. Kenya has now won four gold medals, four silver medals and two bronze medals. Wandia’s triumph in the steeplechase…
A guard, a boarding master and a matron have narrated to a Nyeri court how a night inferno at Hillside Endarasha Academy on September 5, 2024, engulfed the boys’ dormitory, leaving 21 students dead and several others injured. The three, who are among the first group of witnesses to testify in the public inquest set up to piece together the events of that night, told the court that the tragedy occurred just two days after schools reopened for third term. Appearing before Nyeri Senior Resident Magistrate Mary Gituma, they recounted how they, together with villagers, tried to rescue as many…
Amnesty International has released a report accusing the Kenyan government of using technology to repress citizens during the 2024 and 2025 Gen Z protests. The report documents widespread tech-facilitated violence, enforced disappearances, online harassment, and unlawful surveillance targeting young activists during these demonstrations. “Tech-facilitated violence against young activists in Kenya shows how governments and allied groups are increasingly weaponizing digital platforms to stifle protests, as part of a broader strategy to shut down digitally organized dissent,” said Victor Odede, head of programmes at Amnesty International Kenya. The youth-led protests were fueled by widespread frustration over rising taxes, economic hardship, corruption,…
