US Homeland Security has included 52 Kenyan citizens in its public ‘Worst of the Worst’ database of non-citizens with criminal records who are targets of immigration enforcement and subject to removal from the country. The list, maintained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), publishes details of non-citizens arrested for or convicted of crimes. The 52 Kenyan names on the list are associated with serious crimes such as homicide, rape and other sexual offences, robbery, assault, drug trafficking, fraud, check forgery and money laundering. Among the Kenyan nationals listed is John Muyeka, who, together with accomplices, used forged checks and…
Author: Samuel Njihia
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has won the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, securing European Parliament backing at a time when US sanctions threaten its operations and judicial independence. The Netherlands-based tribunal beat Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu and jailed Iranian sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi. The award comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies its campaign against the court, angered by judges’ decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged crimes in Gaza. Washington has imposed sanctions on the ICC and some of its officials, measures the court says threaten…
Former International Criminal Court (ICC) judge Navi Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, with the award committee warning that international law is under growing pressure as powerful states challenge the institutions meant to uphold it. The 85-year-old South African jurist was honoured on Friday for “her efforts to promote peace and international law”. The award comes amid a bitter standoff between the ICC and US President Donald Trump, who has urged countries to withdraw from the court and imposed sanctions on several of its prosecutors and judges. The Hague-based court issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…
Kenya’s rising debt burden is intensifying calls for greater accountability in public spending, with the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) warning that restricted access to financial records is hampering scrutiny of government borrowing and expenditure. The issue took centre stage at an institutional dialogue in Nairobi on Thursday, 8 October 2026, convened in partnership with the International Republican Institute (IRI). Editors, public institutions and accountability experts examined access to debt records, confidentiality in bilateral financing and the safety of journalists covering public finance. The country’s public debt reached Sh13.01 trillion at the end of June 2026, up 9.2 per cent from…
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s takeover of The Equitable Party (TEP) has positioned him for the 2027 presidential race as opposition parties begin negotiations on a joint political vehicle and candidate. Sifuna unveiled TEP on Sunday, saying he would seek to rename it the Linda Mwananchi Movement in the coming days. He said the party would contest the 2027 election as TEP if the Registrar of Political Parties continued to frustrate efforts to register Linda Mwananchi. The senator said that the party would prioritise change and people-centred leadership, a policy he believes will be the antidote to Kenya’s political ills. “We…
Lazarus Opicho, the senior Administration Police Service officer who oversees the protection of senior government officials, key State installations and judicial officers, has died. Opicho, the commandant of the Security of Government Buildings (SGB) and VIP Protection Unit, died on Monday night, September 28, 2026, at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi after an illness, according to colleagues and friends. Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja mourned Opicho, describing him as a dedicated officer who served the National Police Service with commitment and integrity. Opicho headed one of the specialised formations within the Administration Police Service, responsible for security operations…
The Environment and Lands Court in Eldoret has confirmed Eunita Kibor, the youngest wife of the late Rift Valley politician and businessman Jackson Kibor, as the sole executor of his multi-billion-shilling estate, dealing a setback to more than 16 of his children who had contested her role. Justice Emmanuel Washe delivered the ruling, confirming that Eunita stands as the sole executor of the estate, estimated at more than Sh3 billion, and will carry out her duties alongside Kibor’s former lawyer, Jonah Bundotich. In court, Eunita told the judge that she had her late husband’s blessing and goodwill for her appointment…
The opposition has suffered a legal blow after the High Court upheld the national tallying and verification of presidential election results, dealing a setback to efforts to limit the IEBC’s role after results are declared at constituency level. Justice Gregory Mutai on Tuesday dismissed petitions by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and opposition leaders led by Kalonzo Musyoka and Rigathi Gachagua, who had challenged the national tallying centre and argued that presidential results declared at constituency level were final. The court, however, barred the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from altering, cancelling or varying presidential results declared final by constituency…
South Sudan has removed one of the remaining legal obstacles to its long-delayed elections after President Salva Kiir Mayardit signed amendments to the National Elections Act, setting the stage for the December 22 vote. Kiir signed the legislation on Monday, hours after the Transitional National Legislative Assembly passed it, bringing into force changes that disentangle the elections from two processes that had threatened to complicate preparations: completion of a permanent constitution and a national population and housing census. “The new law amends provisions of the principal Act, the National Elections Act, 2012 (Amendment) Act, 2023; to harmonize existing inconsistencies, ensure…
The High Court has struck down key provisions of the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act, opening the way for former presidents to hold political party office while shielding their retirement benefits from adverse changes. Justice Bahati Mwamuye declared Sections 4(1), 4(2) and 4(3), which allowed retirement benefits to be withheld, reduced or withdrawn in specified circumstances, unconstitutional, null and void. Section 6, which restricted a retired president’s political party role, was also invalidated in its entirety. The decision gives former President Uhuru Kenyatta a legal reprieve as he remains involved in the leadership of Jubilee Party. The case followed a May…
