Headlines

The children were among 315 pupils and staff who were kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in late November.

Tanzania Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba slammed the alleged financiers, saying the funds could have been used to improve essential public services instead of fueling chaos.

According to the Jukwaa la Usalama assessment report, the government’s plan to operationalise all gazetted units has been slowed by funding delays, leaving thousands of residents without essential services.

Troops drawn from Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone will be deployed to assist Benin's authorities in safeguarding constitutional order and territorial integrity, ECOWAS said in a statement.

Billow said the county's priorities were misplaced, accusing the leadership of planning an expensive ceremonial extravaganza at a time when thousands of residents are facing severe water and food shortages.

The remarks follow a weekend of tension in Gulu, where opposition leader and presidential candidate Bobi Wine and his team came under attack during a campaign mobilisation event.

TSC said the internship programme equips teachers with practical teaching experience, improves pedagogical skills and provides jobs for unemployed youth, but stressed that it does not automatically lead to permanent and pensionable employment.

In a notice, National Assembly Clerk Samuel Njoroge said the submissions will guide parliamentary committees as they scrutinise the plan, ensuring transparency and public participation.

According to the legislators, some officers in the Ministries of Labour and Foreign Affairs, as well as certain members of the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Labour, are linked to unscrupulous firms that exploit job seekers.

The sting operation revealed that civil servants, local chiefs and middlemen collaborated to bypass procedures and unlawfully provide National Identity Cards, Passports and Birth Certificates.

China’s Shenzhou-20 capsule is returning to Earth without crew after a window was damaged by tiny space debris, highlighting rising orbital congestion, safety risks and gaps in global space governance.

A Lancet series and WHO warn that rising ultra-processed food consumption is fuelling non-communicable diseases worldwide, with growing impacts in Kenya and widening health inequalities.

According to the report, current mobile termination rates remain far above actual costs, favouring dominant firms like Safaricom and placing smaller operators at a disadvantage.

The commission also noted ongoing challenges, including voter apathy, misinformation, and isolated security incidents, even as it strengthens preparations for the 2027 General Election.

The decision marks a shift from earlier guidelines that only restricted certain types of filming.

The legislators questioned why some of the 77 KTDA-managed factories paid up to Sh50 per kilogramme, while others offered as little as Sh12 per kilo, despite all operating under the same national framework.

Kenya Power disclosed that the value of tenders awarded to these groups jumped 470 per cent to Sh3.5 billion during the year as the firm stepped up efforts to meet the constitutional requirement.

While international standards recommend a learner-to-teacher ratio of 1:25, Kenya’s figures vary widely: 1:38 in pre-primary, 1:46 in primary, 1:38 in junior school and 1:34 in secondary.

In a report submitted to the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), the commission said it anticipates tensions arising from the high stakes involved in redefining constituency boundaries.

Sudan has frozen plans for a Russian naval base on the Red Sea, a senior military official says, contradicting reports of progress as the war-torn country prioritises its internal conflict.

Gor Mahia coach Charles Akonnor has apologised to fans after a 1-0 Mashemeji Derby defeat to AFC Leopards, blaming mindset and aggression issues and promising a stronger response in upcoming matches.

A study finds more than 60,000 African penguins died in South Africa between 2004 and 2012 after sardines crashed, highlighting climate and overfishing threats to this now critically endangered species.

A Nigerian court’s terrorism conviction and life sentence for Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu ends a decade-long case but leaves core Igbo grievances and rising south-east insecurity unresolved.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres reaffirmed in New York that he will keep pushing for a Palestine two-state solution, criticising a paralysed Security Council and warning of rising global conflicts and climate risks.

Tatu City hosted Nairobi’s Muslim business community to outline property acquisition, tax incentives and expansion options in its special eEconomic zone, highlighting new opportunities beyond traditional hubs like Eastleigh.

Prosecutors told the court that investigators are still scrutinising the seized samples, which have been sent to the Government Chemist.

Mohamed Mzee Rubeya, who previously chaired the Buxton Estate Tenants Association, said the group feels betrayed by the administration’s failure to uphold what he described as a clear agreement.

Kickoff is set for 3:00 pm, headlining a packed Sunday that also features APS Bomet vs Bandari and KCB vs Sofapaka.

KEWOPA said that while six suspects have been arrested, justice must be delivered quickly and fully, and all remaining perpetrators must be identified and apprehended.

Wetang’ula called on legislators across the region to enact laws that remove barriers to the free movement of people and trade, stressing that unity among member states is essential for regional prosperity.

This follows concerns raised by local operators over limited access to contracts and alleged preferential treatment for foreign companies.

Kenya Power said the 2,439.06 megawatts (MW) peak recorded on December 4, 2025, marks the highest power demand in Kenya’s history, highlighting the urgent need for additional generation.

UASU petitioned the IMF Wage Bill Mission to Kenya over what it describes as persistent breaches of collective bargaining rights and long-standing pay injustices affecting university lecturers.

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has called on accounting officers to hand in their financial statements within one month after the end of the financial year, ensuring compliance with the Constitution.

WHO and the World Bank report 1.6 billion people pushed deeper into poverty by health costs and 4.6 billion lacking essential services, as Kenya and other nations struggle to meet UHC goals.

Benin’s government says it foiled an attempted coup in Cotonou after soldiers briefly claimed to oust President Patrice Talon, highlighting growing instability across Africa’s expanding ‘coup belt’.

AFC Leopards beat Gor Mahia 1–0 in the 98th Mashemeji Derby at Nyayo, ending a two-year wait, as KCB and APS Bomet also secured crucial 1–0 FKF Premier League wins.

The African Union has condemned a failed coup attempt in Benin, led by Lt-Col Pascal Tigri, backing President Patrice Talon and urging an immediate return to constitutional order and military barracks.

Hospitals in Gaza report 54 per cent of essential medicines and 40 per cent of surgery drugs are unavailable, as Israel allows only five medical supply trucks weekly, leaving patients without vital treatment.

Drone strikes on the army-held town of Kalogi in Sudan’s South Kordofan killed 79 people, including 43 children, hitting a kindergarten and hospital as the wider humanitarian crisis deepens.

Authorities have urged citizens to remain calm as operations continue to stabilise the capital following the failed coup attempt.

The Valencia Marathon, one of the final major events on the global road-running calendar, once again delivered its trademark fast times, with athletes producing standout performances to close the year.

Duale said the framework strictly protects citizens’ privacy and focuses only on aggregate-level data, ensuring no individual medical records or identifiers are shared.

His life in music represented a struggle against narrow, oppressive definitions of race, instrumental appropriateness and musical genre.

Rising carbon dioxide is making crops grow faster, but our food is losing vital nutrients, putting future diets and health at risk.

Africa is the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite its limited contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.

Opposition coalitions such as the Union for Democratic Change (UAD) and the Union for Democratic Movements (UMD) face significant constraints.

With domestic holiday travel already on the rise, organisers say the event will serve as a warm welcome to holidaymakers flocking to the Coastal city.

Identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, the soldiers declared on Sunday that they had removed the president and disbanded all state institutions.

The bodies of those who died have been taken to the Moi Referral Hospital-Voi morgue, and the injured were admitted to the same facility for urgent care.

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) said it has recorded 432 suspected incidents between July and September 2025, with the majority involving adults aged 18–64 years.