Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

A total of 18 people have died as a result of a period of extreme cold weather in New York City, its mayor has said. Since late January, the city has endured a cold snap, including 13 days of temperatures of 0C (32F) or below – one of the longest stretches of sub-zero weather New York has seen in six decades. Over the weekend, another person “lost their life on the streets of our city,” Zohran Mamdani said on Monday, adding that “each life lost is a tragedy, and we will continue to hold their families in our thoughts”. While…

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said her opposition colleague Juan Pablo Guanipa has been kidnapped just hours after being released from detention. The Nobel Peace Prize winner said on Sunday that Guanipa, leader of the Justice First party, was taken in the Los Chorros neighbourhood of the capital, Caracas. “Heavily armed men dressed in civilian clothes arrived in four vehicles and took him away by force,” she wrote on social media early on Monday. A former vice-president of the National Assembly, Guanipa spent eight months in prison and was among several political prisoners released since the US seized Venezuela’s…

The EU has told Meta it has breached its rules by blocking other rival AI firms’ chatbots from WhatsApp, and must make “urgent” changes. The tech giant changed the popular messaging app on 15 January – and since then only its AI assistant Meta AI can access it. But the European Commission said WhatsApp was an “important entry point” for AI chatbots like ChatGPT to reach people, and claimed Meta was abusing its dominant position by blocking them. A Meta spokesperson told the BBC the EU had “no reason” to intervene, and claimed it had “incorrectly” assumed WhatsApp Business was…

The Employment and Labour Relations Court in Machakos ruled that former County Executive Committee (CEC) Member Philip Mutua Kilonzo’s termination by Machakos County Governor was unjust and procedurally unfair. In a judgment delivered by Lady Justice Stella Rutto, the court found that Governor Machakos County acted unlawfully in dismissing Kilonzo from his position as CEC Member for Education in October 2023. Kilonzo was appointed to the County Executive in November 2022, serving first as CEC for Land, Urban Development, Housing and Energy before being redeployed to the Education docket. His tenure was cut short when he received a termination letter…

The prosecution informed the court that they are ready to lay a bare narrative of treachery, greed and conspiracy that led to the cold murder of former Kaspul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were. In an opening statement delivered by Gikui Gichuhi, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, before Kibera High Court Judge Lady Justice Diana Kavedza, the prosecution stated that Were’s killing was a carefully orchestrated plot executed by a friend-turned-foe. The court heard that a bodyguard entrusted with the sole responsibility of protecting the MP instead succumbed to cold, calculated greed and secretly collaborated with individuals who wanted the legislator…

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) condemned a surge in reported cases of sexual harassment within the legal profession, warning that the alleged abuse of junior advocates, pupils, interns, and associates by senior colleagues represents both professional misconduct and criminal behaviour. In a statement issued by LSK President Faith Odhiambo, the Society said it had taken note of numerous complaints circulating on social media platforms, many of which involve junior and vulnerable members of the profession working in law firms, non-governmental organisations, and other legal institutions. “The allegations point to a worrying abuse of power by senior members of the…

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) announced changes in its top management, including a reshuffle of senior officers in the investigations and asset recovery directorates, in a move aimed at streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency. EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud said the changes were part of routine internal adjustments designed to strengthen the commission’s mandate amid intensified efforts to combat corruption. The changes were announced in an internal memo dated January 27, 2026. Under the new changes, Director of Investigations Paschal Mweu has been transferred to head the Ethics and Leadership Directorate. He swapped positions with John Lolkolai, who…

There was panic at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when an aircraft that had taken off with tons of miraa made an emergency landing minutes later. Officials said the plane had taken off headed for Somalia on February 7 when the pilot called back to say he had a right engine failure. He requested a full emergency landing, sending officials on the ground into panic mode, and waited for his arrival. Witnesses said the plane landed safely with five people who were on board. The cargo was later dispatched after the issue had been solved. Witnesses said there was minimal…

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) announced it launched investigations into the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old student in Huruma, Nairobi County, following an incident involving police officers on Saturday evening. In a statement issued on Sunday, February 8, 2026, IPOA vice chairperson Ann Wanjiku Mwangi confirmed that it had deployed a Rapid Response Team from its Nairobi Regional Office to probe the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheryl Adhiambo. The shooting occurred on the evening of February 7, 2026, allegedly during a police pursuit of robbery suspects in the Huruma area. IPOA investigators are currently on the ground gathering…

The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) laid bare deep-rooted corruption, negligence, and systemic failure within Nairobi City County’s planning and development control departments, following an investigation into an illegally approved multi-storey development in Eastleigh. In a damning report, the Office of the Ombudsman found that senior county officials deliberately approved, endorsed, and protected a non-compliant building in violation of the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019, and long-standing building by-laws, despite clear technical objections and active enforcement notices. The Commission has now recommended criminal prosecution of five senior and technical officers by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), disciplinary…

Detectives are investigating an incident where an electronic technician was found murdered on the balcony of the Corner House along Kimathi Street, Nairobi. The body was found on the balcony of the mezzanine floor long after his murder and lying in a pool of blood. He was identified as Gideon Kuria, 29. The motive of the murder was not immediately established, police said, adding the body had injuries in the forehead and mouth. His left wrist had dislocated when the body was picked up to the mortuary pending an autopsy. The deceased was a tenant at the building and the…

A 60-year-old woman was electrocuted as she mopped her house in Elukhogo village, Vihiga County. Police said Margret Timina was found dead in her house with the mopping tools next to the body long after the incident. The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy and other procedures, police said adding the family was advised to seek compensation from the Kenya Power officials in the area. Officials blame such incidents on illegal power connections and use of quacks in wiring processes. Elsewhere in Voi, Taita Taveta County, a man was electrocuted as he tried to vandalise a power…

Detectives and public health officials in Juja, Witeithie, Kiambu County are investigating the discovery of 30 donkey heads and 120 legs in a thicket. The products were delivered and dumped along Ndarugo Majahi road after the animals had been killed elsewhere. It is not clear where those behind the slaughtering of the animals took the meat. Officials from the public health department and police said they are investigating the incident. They added that an unscrupulous gang behind the incident could sell the meat to unsuspecting buyers and consumers in disguise as that of a cow. The heads and legs were…

A 65-year-old man was found dead in a thicket after he had been attacked by an elephant in Garsen, Tana River County. The deceased, identified as Katana Safari, had been a farm in the Kibusu area when he was attacked on February 7, 2026, witnesses, police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials said. The body had an injury in the abdomen and the animal behind the incident had escaped by the time it was picked up to the mortuary pending an autopsy. His family was advised to file for compensation. Such human-wildlife conflicts have been on the rise leaving dozens of…

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl half-time show was one big love letter to his native Puerto Rico. The 14-minute set included guest performances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, along with cameos from the likes of Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Karol G and Jessica Alba, who could be seen dancing on the porch of his famous casita, a staple of his shows designed to look like a traditional Puerto Rican home. It was expected that Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, would use his performance as an opportunity to make a political statement against the current US administration, but…