The Kenyan judiciary is in mourning following the sudden death of High Court Judge David Majanja. Chief Justice Martha Koome confirmed the news on Wednesday, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of one of the judiciary’s most esteemed figures. “We are all heartbroken,” Justice Koome said. “Judge Majanja will be remembered as a towering figure in the development of our transformative post-2010 jurisprudence and a crucial pillar in the institution-building of the JSC and the Judiciary.” Judge Majanja passed away at The Nairobi Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment. His death marks a significant loss for the legal community,…
Author: Samuel Njihia
President William Ruto has signed the IEBC (Amendment) Bill, 2024, into law, clearing the way for the appointment of a team that will recruit new IEBC commissioners. Dr Ruto assented to the Bill early Tuesday at the KICC in Nairobi. Those present during the signing included Azimio leaders Raila Odinga and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula, and other dignitaries. The IEBC Bill reflects the recommendations outlined in the NADCO Report that resulted from a bipartisan team led by leaders of the ruling Kenya Kwanza Coalition and the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition.…
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched an investigation into allegations that a senior citizen admitted to purchasing a pistol that was used in the killing of Tom Mboya in 1969. Ndwiga Kathamba, 92, claimed in a newspaper story that he was one of three youths approached by an individual he could not name, due to a secrecy oath, to assassinate Tom Mboya, who was then the minister for Economic Planning and National Development. According to Ndwiga, the three Kanu youth members were hired to eliminate Mboya six months before his assassination by a gunman on what is now…
The Kikuyu Council of Elders has demanded a lifestyle audit on local politicians to explain the source of their overnight wealth. The chairman of KCE, Captain Kung’u Muigai, has called for government agencies to urgently deal with and stop the runaway corruption in government, which in the said short period has seen the transformation of many public servants into millionaires. “We demand accountability. How can someone afford a helicopter after just one year in office?” he questioned. The elders, attributing widespread government corruption to recent unrest in the country, insisted on an audit of the nation’s debt from the past…
Medics for Kenya, a team of health experts that was offering emergency services in the countrywide anti-government protests, have withdrawn their services to protesters with immediate effect. The team is made of individuals affiliated with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, KMPDU, joined the peaceful protests to administer emergency care to injured protesters. However, the protests, which began peacefully on June 11, 2024, have escalated into violent anti-government demonstrations marked by excessive police force and infiltration by goons. “With the change in atmosphere and the deployment of goons, we as Medics For Kenya highly value the lives of…
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has initiated investigations into the Thursday shooting of a protester, reportedly by an individual believed to be a police officer. Rex Kanyike Masai was fatally shot and killed on Thursday evening during the anti-Finance Bill protests in Nairobi. In a statement early Friday, IPOA said an investigation team probing the incident had already established contact with the deceased’s family to facilitate a smooth investigation process. “[IPOA] has documented Masai’s death allegedly as a result of police shooting and several serious injuries suffered by other demonstrators, including police officers,” said IPOA chairperson Anne Makori. Kanyike,…
The government will spend approximately Sh2.7 billion annually to pay stipends to village elders if the National Government Coordination (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which is currently at the committee stage, sails through. According to Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, five elders for each sub-location will receive a monthly stipend of Sh5,000 each, marking a departure from their traditional role as volunteers. “Using a rough estimate of five village elders in a sub-location who will be paid Sh5,000 monthly, it will translate to Sh226,676,000. We are looking at an outlook which, give or take, will be Sh200 million,” Dr. Omollo told the…
Individuals serving jail terms in Kenya will earn salaries and pay taxes while incarcerated, according to proposed reforms floated by the government. As part of the plan, the government has collaborated with the Chandaria Foundation to modernize workshops and establish bakeries in prisons across the country. According to Correctional Services Principal Secretary Salome Beacco, the move aims to empower prisoners to support their families while in jail. “We want our offenders to work, pay taxes, and support their families while serving their respective sentences,” Dr Beacco told a National Assembly committee last week. Construction of bakeries is already underway in…
The Judiciary has declared Tuesday, June 18, as a day of mourning in solidarity with the family of Makadara Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti, who died on Friday after a courtroom gun attack. According to Chief Justice Martha Koome, all court sittings will be suspended, and judicial matters scheduled for that day will be given priority in the court diaries. “No court will sit on this day. Matters that had been listed on Tuesday across all courts and tribunals will be accommodated in the court diaries on a priority basis,” she said. Justice Koome directed presiding judges and heads of stations…
Makadara Law Courts Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti died on Friday, June 14, a day after she was shot and seriously wounded by a high-ranking police officer during a live court session in Nairobi. The magistrate was shot in the chest and pelvic area by Chief Inspector Samson Kipchirchir Kipruto, the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) of Londiani Police Station, after delivering a ruling in a case involving his wife. Kipruto is said to have stormed the court after Magistrate Kivuti cancelled the bond granted to his wife, Jenniffer Wairimu, 48, who was in the dock for a criminal case. Ms. Wairimu,…
