hajj services saudi arabia Stories

Hajj pilgrims warned against using unauthorised agents to avoid fraud
Lucy Mumbi  |  Aug 04, 2025

They emphasised that the council is the only legally mandated institution to coordinate the pilgrimage, adding that individuals or agencies operating...

Arab League condemns RSF-linked move to form parallel government
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Jul 31, 2025

Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating conflict since April 15, 2023, when a long-standing power struggle between the country’s two main military fo...

Stephen Munyakho recounts how he narrowly escaped execution in Saudi Arabia
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 31, 2025

Stephen Munyakho, who had been living in Saudi Arabia since 1996, was sentenced to death after a deadly fight with a Yemeni colleague in April 2011.

Munyakho: Blood money demand dropped from Sh400 million to Sh150 million after court intervention
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 31, 2025

Munyakho explained that although he was originally sentenced to five years and expected to be freed in 2016, his situation changed drastically when Ha...

Stephen Munyakho, Kenyan man on death row in Saudi Arabia, freed- PS Sing’Oei
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 22, 2025

In a statement released on, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei confirmed that Munyakho was released at 10 am and is no longer on death...

Mombasa Hajj agents cry foul over SUPKEM's control, seek State intervention
Farhiya Hussein  |  Jul 21, 2025

The Hajj and Umrah Association of Kenya claims that SUPKEM has overreached its mandate by imposing hefty charges and excluding key players from essent...

Saudi Arabia’s ‘Sleeping Prince’ dies after 20 years in coma
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Jul 20, 2025

At just 15, while studying as a military cadet in London, he suffered a devastating road accident in 2005 that caused severe brain injuries and intern...

Kenya endorses two-state solution amid Gaza crisis talks
Mwangi Maina  |  Jul 18, 2025

While reaffirming Kenya's limited leverage in military affairs, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musali Mudavadi emphasised its commitment to diploma...

Sudan accuses UAE of 'manipulating global forums' to shield RSF
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Jul 06, 2025

Sudan referenced the recent Non-Aligned Movement meetings at the expert level in New York, where it claims the UAE delegation attempted to exclude exp...

Michael Olunga joins Al Arabi SC on two-year deal
Erick Kariuki  |  Jul 05, 2025

Kenyan striker and Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has signed a two-year deal with Qatari side Al Arabi SC, ending his successful three-year sti...

Travel agencies warn of unexplained United Arab Emirates visa denials for Kenyans below 40
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 04, 2025

Several applicants have reported having their visa requests denied, sparking confusion and frustration among families and travel agents.

Kenya defends UAE ties, denies aiding Sudan's RSF
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jun 26, 2025

In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs said such statements are reckless, unsubstantiated and risk destabilising reg...

Could Iran block the Strait of Hormuz?
DW News  |  Jun 23, 2025

The final decision rests with the country's Supreme National Security Council.

Saudi Arabia, Oman condemn Israeli 'aggression' against Iran
DW News  |  Jun 13, 2025

Riyadh, which restored ties with Tehran two years ago, denounced the attacks as "blatant Israeli aggressions" undermining Iran's sovereignty, accordin...

What is Hajj? Understanding the sacred journey millions of Muslims make each year
Abdirahman Khalif  |  Jun 03, 2025

The pilgrimage follows a specific set of rituals and is carried out in and around the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Behind the story of coffee: Africa's struggle against colonialism
XINHUA  |  Jun 01, 2025

Eastern Africa, where Kenya is located, shares an inseparable bond with coffee, while Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is widely hailed as the birthpl...

Activists, lawyers file petition against Kenyan government over trafficking of domestic workers
Lucy Mumbi  |  May 27, 2025

The petition comes after a new report by Amnesty International revealed widespread abuse and exploitation of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia,...

Amnesty blasts Kenya's Saudi envoy over dismissal of migrant abuse report
Bashir Mbuthia  |  May 19, 2025

In a statement on Monday, Amnesty expressed shock at Ruwange's utterances, made in a Facebook post on May 17, in which he dismissed the findings of th...

Kenya defends labour deal with Saudi Arabia, dismisses Amnesty report as misleading
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 17, 2025

According to Mohammed, Saudi Arabia is home to more than 200,000 Kenyans working across different sectors, including domestic work, healthcare, constr...

Amnesty urges action as report exposes abuse of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia
Bashir Mbuthia  |  May 12, 2025

Recruitment agencies commonly mislead them about the nature of the jobs, only for them to arrive in Saudi Arabia to a far grimmer reality.

Amnesty urges Saudi Arabia to scrap kafala system trapping Kenyan domestic workers in abuse
Bashir Mbuthia  |  May 12, 2025

According to Amnesty, the system leaves migrant domestic workers particularly vulnerable, as they are excluded from Saudi Arabia's labour protection l...

Sudan envoy defies junta’s orders to cut ties with UAE, saying it is "irrelevant"
Mwangi Maina  |  May 10, 2025

The decision, ostensibly driven by accusations that the UAE is arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is now sparking an international legitimacy cris...

Kenya and UAE seal security and trade pacts in major push for regional stability
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 09, 2025

The agreements span military affairs, customs operations, economic development, energy, transport, the creation of a joint business council, and railw...

UAE dismisses Sudan's decision to cut ties, refuses to recognise army-aligned leadership
Mwangi Maina  |  May 08, 2025

The UAE accused the Port Sudan faction—one of two warring authorities in Sudan—of attempting to divert attention from efforts to end the war.

Sudan declares UAE 'aggressor state' as it cuts ties
Bashir Mbuthia  |  May 07, 2025

The accusation follows a setback for Sudan on the international stage. On Monday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed a case brought by...

Sudan to cut ties with UAE, defence council says
Reuters  |  May 07, 2025

Sudan's army has long accused the UAE of arming the RSF. The UAE denies the charge but some U.N. experts and U.S. lawmakers have found it credible, ci...

ICJ dismisses Sudan’s genocide case against UAE over alleged support to RSF
Mwangi Maina  |  May 05, 2025

In a decision issued on Monday, the UN's top court ruled that it "manifestly lacked" jurisdiction to hear the case, effectively ending the proceedings...

Exclusive: UN panel investigates UAE links to seized weapons in Darfur, Sudan
Reuters  |  Apr 29, 2025

Last month, Sudan filed a case against the UAE at the World Court. The government's case alleges that the UAE violated its obligations under the Genoc...

Kenya dodges Western Sahara stance, reaffirms One-China Policy in new foreign blueprint
Mwangi Maina  |  Apr 28, 2025

As Ruto courts global partnerships, Nairobi's diplomatic pragmatism risks fraying the solidarity it once championed in Africa's unfinished decolonisat...

What is IMCTC? Details of global Muslim coalition backing Kenya’s new anti-terror initiative
Mary Wambui  |  Apr 24, 2025

The IMCTC is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where delegates from member countries operate, undertaking tasks aligned with the coalition’s obje...

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