The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) gazetted new campaign financing regulations and spending limits ahead of the 2027 General Election, paving the way for tighter scrutiny of political money. The regulations, gazetted on Saturday, August 8, 2026, will govern campaign financing for candidates and political parties contesting the August 10, 2027 elections. In a statement issued Saturday, the IEBC said the framework sets rules on campaign contributions and expenditure, record-keeping, disclosure, reporting, auditing, monitoring, compliance and enforcement. The Commission said the prescribed spending ceilings are intended to promote a level playing field by preventing financial resources from disproportionately influencing…
Author: Magati Obebo
Kisii Governor Simba Arati has banned night-time street sweeping in Kisii town following growing security concerns after traders and residents were allegedly assaulted and robbed in the Getembe and Nubi areas on Friday night. Arati issued the directive on Saturday during a visit to Nubi, where traders said they were attacked and forced to flee their businesses as tension gripped the area. “From now on, we shall have no further night sweeping. Much of the cleaning work can be done during daytime,” Arati said. The directive comes amid mounting complaints from political leaders, traders and residents over alleged goonism in…
Kisii County governorship hopefuls Ezekiel Machogu and Dr Enock Ondari have condemned the Friday night attacks on traders and motorists in the Getembe-Nubia area, warning that rising goonism could undermine investor confidence and the county’s economic prospects. The two leaders called for investigations into the incidents and demanded that individuals found responsible for assaulting and harassing residents be held accountable. Their remarks came a day after traders in Getembe reportedly came under attack from groups of men accused of assaulting them and harassing motorists during a night operation. The incidents have renewed scrutiny of the activities of the so-called “Green…
Traders in Getembe area of Kisii town are living in fear after suspected goons allegedly raided their businesses on Friday night, assaulting several vendors and making away with cash and other valuables. The attackers struck at about 9pm as traders prepared to close for the day, reportedly beating some of them before fleeing with unspecified amounts of money. A butcher said the attackers took Sh3,000 from him and a kilogramme of meat he had bought for his family. He sustained a machete cut to the head during the attack. Vegetable vendor Moraa Kwamboka said the suspects descended on traders and…
The government is preparing to overhaul Kenya’s university financing system with a new funding model that will guarantee financial support to every student admitted through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba has announced. Speaking on Friday at Kisii University during the opening of an international Kiswahili conference, Ogamba said the proposed model would shift the focus from assessing parents’ financial capacity to funding students based on the careers they are pursuing. “The new model is funding the learner or the student and what the student will become, not the parent,” Ogamba said.…
Swahili scholars, researchers, policymakers and technology experts from across East Africa have called for greater investment in artificial intelligence, digital platforms and language technologies to secure Kiswahili’s place as a leading global language in the digital age. The call was made during a two-day regional conference that opened at Kisii University on Thursday, bringing together more than 200 delegates from universities, language institutions, government agencies and cultural organisations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Scholars from the United States also attended the forum to explore how emerging technologies can accelerate the growth of Kiswahili and enhance its competitiveness in the rapidly…
The Kenya National Congress (KNC) Party has called for extensive public sensitisation before the newly inaugurated Municipal Court in Kisii becomes fully operational, saying residents must first understand its mandate, jurisdiction and procedures to prevent misconceptions and possible abuse of the justice system. KNC nominated Member of the Kisii County Assembly Lilian Gor said civic education should be conducted across the municipality to ensure residents are well informed about the court’s role in enforcing county legislation and municipal by-laws. Gor said that while the establishment of the Municipal Court is a positive step towards improving access to justice and enhancing…
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka launched a fresh attack on President William Ruto’s administration, claiming that removing him from office during the 2027 polls would mark the beginning of ending tribalism and corruption in Kenya The outspoken ODM senator, now a Dr Fred Matiangi ally, alleged that the Kenya Kwanza administration had concentrated influential government positions among individuals from the President’s native community, a move he said has deepened ethnic divisions and undermined national unity. He cited a list of dozens of senior government officials; Onyonka claimed it demonstrated what he described as an imbalance in public appointments. “We must build…
Chief Justice Martha Koome Tuesday said the Judiciary is grappling with a severe financial squeeze that has slowed the construction of court infrastructure across the country, even as she announced plans to prioritize an ultra-modern court complex for Kisii County. Speaking during the launch of the Kisii County Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) Council, Koome said the Judiciary receives a limited budget, with the bulk of the allocation consumed by recurrent expenditure, leaving little for development projects. “We receive a very limited budget as the Judiciary. The majority of that budget goes to current expenditure, but because of the urgent need…
Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has alleged that supporters of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) are increasingly facing intimidation in the Mt Kenya region, warning that fear and political intolerance could undermine democracy ahead of the 2027 General Election. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Nyamu questioned why many leaders from the region had remained silent despite what she described as growing hostility towards supporters of President William Ruto. “Something very worrying is happening in Mt. Kenya, and I don’t understand why many leaders there are silent about it. “It’s not true that UDA has no support there. Many people support…
A section of residents in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Kisii County, are demanding answers over the unexplained suspension of the multi-million-shilling Itangi Water Project, saying the delay has dashed hopes of ending decades of chronic water shortages. The growing frustration comes amid a formal petition by Ichuni MCA Wycliff Siocha to the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) National Secretariat, seeking an urgent independent audit into the project’s implementation and the immediate resumption of construction works. The Itangi Water Project, financed under the FLLoCA programme, was expected to provide clean and reliable water to thousands of households, schools, health facilities and trading…
The race for the Kisii governorship took a dramatic turn on Monday after Governor Simba Arati launched a personal attack on his chief political rival, former Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, questioning his age and suggesting he was too old to seek the county’s top seat. Speaking during a public function at the Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) in Kisii County, Arati said the county required energetic and youthful leadership capable of driving development and meeting the aspirations of its growing population. “You recently said you’re not 80 years old. Now tell us whether you’re 81, 82 or 84,” Arati said,…
Kisii gubernatorial hopeful Dr Ezekiel Machogu has criticised Governor Simba Arati’s administration over delayed salaries for community health promoters, janitors and other county workers, saying the county has neglected frontline employees while healthcare services continue to suffer amid an ongoing nurses’ strike. In a statement on Monday, Machogu described the situation as “deeply shameful,” arguing that workers who play a vital role in healthcare and sanitation had gone for months without receiving their wages. “It is unacceptable that men and women who wake up every day to serve our people are being rewarded with endless promises instead of salaries. A…
Outgoing Kisii County Woman Representative Donya Toto has dismissed claims that she is an outsider in Bonchari Constituency, insisting that her marriage into the area gives her every right to seek the parliamentary seat in the 2027 General Election. Speaking during a consultative meeting with Bonchari residents at a Kisii hotel on Sunday, Toto rejected assertions by critics that she is not a native of the constituency, arguing that leadership should be judged by the ability to deliver development rather than by one’s place of birth. “Those peddling the narrative that I am a stranger should find something useful to…
The battle for State House is gathering momentum as presidential hopeful Fred Matiang’i prepares for a high-profile two-day campaign tour of Migori County, targeting thousands of voters in the vote-rich Kuria region. The tour, whose itinerary was unveiled by Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, signals an intensified push by the former Interior Cabinet Secretary to expand his support base as political activity ahead of the 2027 General Election gathers pace. According to the programme, Matiang’i will kick off his campaign on Wednesday in Kuria West Constituency, where he is expected to address rallies at Nyankore, Masaba, Kehancha, Ikerege and the busy…