Residents of Embu County were left stunned on Tuesday after a former MCA aspirant, Swaleh Abdalla, was shot dead by police while attempting a dramatic escape from custody. The incident, which unfolded minutes after a court appearance, involved pepper-spraying prison officers, a shootout on the run in Gatondo Village, and a fatal scuffle at a construction site. The deceased, who had contested for the seat of Kirimari Ward in the 2022 General Election, had been in remand at Embu GK Prison for over a year, facing charges of murder. According to Embu West Sub-county Police Commander Vincent Kitili, the escape…
Author: Samuel Njihia
Kericho Governor Erick Mutai is once again staring at impeachment, less than a year after the Senate saved him from removal over various allegations, including gross violation of the Constitution. The fresh motion, tabled on Wednesday by Sigowet Ward MCA Kiprotich Rogony, accuses the governor of authorising the irregular payment of Sh85 million to contractors for services not rendered. It also cites alleged misuse of taxpayer and donor funds earmarked for development projects. Speaker Patrick Mutai has approved the motion. Rogony claims the county paid in advance for goods and services that were never delivered, even as it grapples with…
Staff at the Social Health Authority (SHA) have entered August without July salaries or even payslips, as a deafening silence from management pushes many to the brink. Both junior and senior employees have been affected by the unexplained delay, which comes in the wake of ongoing legal wrangles and staffing complications following the authority’s structural overhaul. Many now find themselves struggling to meet basic financial obligations, and efforts to negotiate with banks have hit a wall due to the absence of any formal communication from the employer. “We honestly don’t know what’s happening. It’s one frustration after another. People are…
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen has launched a new strategy to tackle rising insecurity by reshuffling key ministry officials and offering scholarships to bandits who surrender their weapons. In a statement dated July 26, Murkomen appointed Jacob Namulen as Principal Administrative Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, alongside Beverly Opwora. Thomas Saka was appointed the new Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, with Moses Kipkoech named as the new Secretary of National Administration. Murkomen also appointed Dickson Liyayi as the Secretary in charge of policy within the ministry, while Gilbert Kitiyo and Joshua Nkanatha were named regional commissioners for…
Cameroon President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest active head of state at 92, will seek re-election in the 12 October presidential vote, aiming for another term after 42 years as president. Biya, Cameroon’s longest-serving leader who succeeded its first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, has stayed in power by controlling politics and suppressing opponents despite repeated claims of vote rigging. “I am a candidate in the presidential election,” he wrote on his official X account. “Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face.” The confirmation ends months of speculation, although Biya’s candidacy had long…
Kenya is in mourning after the passing of Chief Kadhi Sheikh Athman Abdulhalim Hussein, who passed away on Wednesday evening in Mombasa. The death was confirmed Thursday morning by Jamia Mosque Imam Sheikh Jamaludin Osman. “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we will return. I am saddened to inform you of the passing of our Chief Kadhi, Sheikh Abdulhalim Hussein, a while ago in Mombasa. He shall be buried in Mombasa,” Osman said in a post on social media. The funeral service will be held following the afternoon) prayer today in Mombasa. Sheikh Abdulhalim took over from…
Former Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) CEO Ezekiel Mutua has been ordered to refund Sh27 million he received as part of an irregular salary increase during his second term. The State Corporations Appeal Tribunal has backed a decision requiring former KFCB boss Ezekiel Mutua to return over Sh27 million he was paid in a questionable salary increase. Mutua’s monthly salary jumped from Sh348,840 to Sh1,115,850 after his contract was renewed in 2018 — even though the Sports Cabinet Secretary had already declined to renew his term. The tribunal found that the KFCB board went ahead with both the contract renewal…
The Communications Authority (CA) has directed all TV stations to immediately suspend live broadcasts of the ongoing 25 June Gen Z anniversary protests. In a statement signed by Director General David Mugonyi, the CA instructed television and radio stations to cease any live coverage of the demonstrations, warning that failure to comply would attract regulatory action. “The live coverage of the 25th June 2025 demonstrations is contrary to Articles 33(2) and 34(1) of the Constitution of Kenya and Section 461 of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998,” Mugonyi said. “This is therefore to direct all television and radio stations…
A heavy police presence was reported across Nairobi and other towns early on Wednesday as demonstrators marked the one-year anniversary of last year’s deadly anti-Finance Bill protests. Police fired tear gas along Kimathi Street and near the General Post Office on Kenyatta Avenue to disperse crowds. Riot officers lobbed canisters at groups—some simply walking or even playing football—promptly forcing them to scatter. At Central Police Station, where teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang was killed on June 8, 2025, police used more tear gas to disperse mourners attempting to lay wreaths. Security was bolstered around Parliament and State House, with razor…
The High Court has declared the mandatory 2.75 per cent deduction from gross income for the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) illegal, dealing a significant blow to the government’s efforts to finance Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In a ruling delivered on Monday, Justice Chacha Mwita found that the levy amounts to double taxation, stating that it imposes an additional charge on income that has already been taxed under the Income Tax Act. “The law is clear that gross income is chargeable to income tax. Subjecting it to any other statutory deduction, particularly of a similar nature, is unlawful,” said Justice…
