Raila Odinga has conceded defeat after Djibouti’s Mahamoud Ali Youssouf emerged victorious in the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship race. Speaking to the media on Saturday evening in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mr Odinga accepted the result and congratulated Mr Youssouf. “I want to wish my competitor all the best. I want to wish him success in his undertaking,” he said, also expressing gratitude to his supporters. “My plan now: I will go back home and there are so many things to do,” Mr Odinga said, showing his intention to focus on matters closer to home after the campaign. A former…
Author: Samuel Njihia
Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has won the closely contested African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson election, defeating Kenya’s Raila Odinga in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mr Youssouf secured the required two-thirds majority in the seventh round, receiving 33 votes. Mr Odinga initially led in the first round with 20 votes to Mr Youssouf’s 18, but was gradually overtaken as the voting continued. In the third round, Mr Youssouf gained a strong lead with 23 votes compared to Mr Odinga’s 20, and he never looked back. By the sixth round, Mr Youssouf had 26 votes, while Mr Odinga had 22 votes,…
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula addressed Parliament Wednesday afternoon regarding last Friday’s High Court ruling, which annulled Kenya Kwanza’s majority status in the House. The ruling, which overturned Mr Wetang’ula’s October 2022 decision that recognised Kenya Kwanza with 179 MPs, had left the National Assembly in a state of uncertainty. The court found that Mr Wetang’ula had violated the Constitution by assigning 14 MPs from other parties to Kenya Kwanza without proper justification, triggering a majority-minority dispute that the Speaker had to address. Mr Wetang’ula on Wednesday ruled that the leadership of the House remained unchanged, with Kenya Kwanza as…
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and his wife, Susan Wangari, have been found guilty of fraud in connection with the improper award of a Sh588 million road construction contract. Also convicted were the directors of Testimony Enterprises, Charles Chege and Beth Wangeci, along with other county officials implicated in the dubious tendering process. The final verdict was delivered by Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzioki, who determined that the accused had a case to answer. The charges included fraud, conflict of interest, money laundering, abuse of office, and dealings with suspicious property, all linked to the fraudulent award of the contract to…
Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s founding president, has died at the age of 95. He passed away on Saturday in Windhoek, the nation’s capital, after spending three weeks in hospital battling declining health. President Nangolo Mbumba confirmed Nujoma’s passing: “Our founding father lived a long and consequential life during which he exceptionally served the people of his beloved country.” Born on May 12, 1929, in Etunda village, Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma came from humble beginnings. He grew up as the son of subsistence farmers, helping to herd livestock in his youth. After moving to Walvis Bay in 1946, he worked in a store…
US President Donald Trump has frozen aid to South Africa over the country’s controversial land expropriation law, which allows the government to seize land without compensation. The law, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa last December, which sought to address the legacy of apartheid-era land ownership inequalities, has faced fierce backlash locally and internationally. In an executive order issued Friday, Trump called the Expropriation Act a “shocking disregard” for citizens’ rights. Trump said he was worried that the law would allow the government to seize land from the ethnic minority Afrikaners without compensation, increasing racial tensions and leading to violence. “This…
Veteran media personality Leonard Mambo Mbotela is dead, his daughter-in-law Anne Mbotela has confirmed. According to Anne, Mbotela had been ailing for some time before he died at about 9:30 am on Friday. “Yes, it is true my father-in-law has passed on,” Anne told the media. Mbotela, who was married to Alice Mwikali, leaves behind three children, namely Aida Mbotela, Jimmy Mbotela, and George Mbotela. The late legendary journalist was best known for his signature radio and TV programme, Jee Huuu ni Ungwana, which he hosted on KBC radio and TV. Debuting in 1966, the programme remained a staple of…
Traders in Kenya’s informal sector are on the verge of facing severe consequences if they fail to pay the 1.5 percent housing levy, with Kenya Revenue Authority ready to freeze bank accounts and block PINs on those who do not comply with the levy as the authority scales up efforts to enforce compliance. The levy was introduced by the government in July 2023 to fund affordable housing for low-income earners. While a majority of the salaried employees comply through their employers, a number good enough to dent the economy, comprising hustlers operating businesses such as salons, bars, and corner shops,…
In a landmark ruling, the Employment and Labour Relations Court has determined that an employer cannot simply plead abandonment of duty as grounds for terminating an employee’s contract. Justice Monica Mbaru ruled that employers must demonstrate they have taken reasonable steps to locate the employee and ask them to return to work. “The employer must, where possible, demonstrate that they addressed the matter of the employee’s unexplained absenteeism through available internal channels,” Justice Mbaru stated. This decision followed an appeal by Central Furniture Shop Ltd, which contested a ruling that its employee, Mr Alfani Mohamed, had been unfairly dismissed due…
The High Court has struck down the decision by Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja to ban anti-government protests in Nairobi’s Central Business District, declaring it unconstitutional. The court also overturned the requirement that protests must have a designated leader, calling it an unlawful restriction on fundamental rights. The ban, introduced in response to youth-led protests that erupted in June 2024, had been justified by Kanja on the grounds that criminal gangs had infiltrated the demonstrations. He argued that the lack of a designated leader made it challenging for police to enforce safety measures and protect public order. Kanja further cited…
