A Congolese national facing charges in a gold scam case was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) over the use of a Kenyan passport bearing a different identity. The suspect, identified as Assani Elolo Ronaldo, was intercepted by immigration officers on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, while attempting to travel to Entebbe, Uganda, using Kenyan Passport issued in the name of Ronald Omondi Owuor. According to investigators, a team was dispatched to JKIA to take custody of the suspect after information about his arrest was received. Ronaldo is an accused person in a gold scam case pending before the Kibera…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Pope Leo XIV’s recovery from surgery to remove a lower lobe of his lung is “progressing as expected”, his doctors have said. The 71-year-old pontiff has started to walk and has “resumed a normal diet” following the roughly 90-minute procedure, the medics said in an update shared by the Vatican. The Pope was diagnosed with lung cancer after the surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, which the Vatican said had been “successful” and proceeded without complications. Blood tests and an X-ray early on Wednesday showed his recovery was “proceeding normally”, the doctors said, and he has also undergone…
The High Court upheld the conviction and sentence of former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and his co-accused in an appeal involving multiple corruption-related offences. The co-accused are Waititu’s wife, Susan Wangari Ndungu; former Kiambu County Chief Officer for Roads, Transport, Public Works and Utilities Luka Mwangi Wahinya and Charles Chege Mbuthia, a director of Testimony Enterprises Limited. The appellants had challenged their convictions on charges of conflict of interest, dealing with suspect property, abuse of office, engaging in fraudulent practices in procurement and fraudulent acquisition of public property arising from matters during Waititu’s tenure as Kiambu Governor. In a ruling…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said the Kenya Kwanza Administration is ready to present to the people its development record over the last four years, stating it has exceeded expectations in every sector of the economy. The DP expressed confidence that Kenyans will reelect the government in the coming elections owing to the aggressive development that has reached every part of the country. “When it comes to service delivery, fighting poverty, building roads and markets, improving agriculture and advancing education, this government has exceeded all the expectations. We are on course to fully implement the Kenya Kwanza manifesto, and we are…
The current opposition leaders are the weakest Kenya has ever had since independence and the return to multi-party politics in 1992, President William Ruto has said. He pointed out that the leaders have no alternative ideas or agenda for the country and therefore fall back on ethnic mobilisation and hatred, divisiveness and anger. He said Kenyans want agenda-based politics, saying the Kenya Kwanza manifesto remains the only agenda on the table. Addressing residents of Tapach and Konyao in West Pokot and Kiminini in Trans Nzoia counties on Wednesday, Ruto explained that Kenya has moved past ethnic-based politics. In 2022, he…
Andy Burnham had two hospitality dinners with Manchester City football club’s chairman while mayor of Greater Manchester, it has emerged. The PM dined with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at matches in 2017 and 2018 – but this was not detailed in a statement on Monday by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) about his meetings with the club. Burnham has been under pressure to clarify his previous discussions with Man City since the club was found guilty of having “systematically” broken Premier League rules, which it will appeal. The PM, who was mayor until June, sparked widespread controversy when he said…
US inflation rose by more than expected in the year to September, according to official figures, in the final data release before the midterm elections next month. The pace of price rises increased to 3.7%, up from 3.4% in the 12 months to August. Inflation was above forecasts, driven by higher gasoline prices which have spiked following disruption to Middle East energy supplies due to the US-Israel conflict with Iran. The elections are being fought over cost of living pressures across the US. What is inflation? Inflation is the rate at which the price of products or services increase over…
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to proactive bilateral and multilateral engagements aimed at promoting regional peace, security and stability amid an increasingly complex global security environment. Mudavadi said Kenya would continue playing a leadership role in peace initiatives across the Horn of Africa, East Africa and the Great Lakes region through sustained diplomacy, strategic partnerships and cooperation with regional and international institutions. He noted that although Africa had made progress in economic growth, democratic governance and regional integration, persistent insecurity, governance deficits and socio-economic inequalities continued to undermine stability and development across the continent. “Protracted conflicts,…
Edwin Sifuna is the most compelling opposition figure to emerge in Kenya since the Gen Z protests of 2024. He is articulate, courageous, and refreshingly unafraid. But the presidency of Kenya is not a reward for good communication. It is the most demanding executive office in the region, requiring a fusion of intelligence apparatus, national mobilisation machinery, and cold strategic calculation that no amount of television charisma can substitute. Judged against those three benchmarks, intelligence, mobilisation, and statecraft, Sifuna is not yet ripe. The Raila Standard To understand why Sifuna is not yet ripe, compare him to the man whose…
Detectives are investigating an incident where two foreign nationals were found dead with suspected gunshot wounds to the head inside an apartment along Chania Avenue in Kilimani, Nairobi. Suicide is the leading possible cause of the deaths, police said. The deceased were identified as Nguyen Hong Ngoc, a Vietnamese woman, and Xu Zhiyu, a Chinese man. The two lived together as a man and woman in an apartment where their bodies were found on Tuesday morning. It is believed the two died by suicide. The motive was not immediately known. It is also suspected one of the victims first shot…
Reigning three-time FIA African Rally Champion Karan Patel has described Rwanda’s landmark 10-year deal to host the Formula 1 African Grand Prix as an “incredible feat” for the continent, saying the whole ecosystem will immensely benefit from this momentous comeback. Speaking to The New Times Rwanda on the sidelines of the historic announcement in Kigali, the African motorsport icon said the ecent will hand Kenyans the opportunity to visit Rwanda when the race happens . “It’s an incredible feat and not surprised that it is Rwanda who made this incredible project happen and we are very proud that our neighbour…
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has dismissed reports circulating about the health of party leader Senator Oburu Oginga, terming them fake and urging Kenyans to allow him time to recover. In a public communication issued on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, ODM Director of Communications Philip Etale said the senator’s family was distressed by the continued spread of false information about his health. Etale said Oburu was equally disturbed by the reports as he continues to rest and recuperate following several weeks of treatment both locally and abroad. The party urged Kenyans to exercise responsibility when sharing information, noting that freedom…
Kenya will seek to expand trade, attract investment and strengthen economic cooperation with Russia and other African countries during the 3rd Russia–Africa Summit scheduled for October 28–29, 2026, in Moscow. Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi confirmed Kenya’s participation following a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Kenya Vsevolod Tkachenko at the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs headquarters on Tuesday. Mudavadi said Kenya’s participation would focus on strengthening strategic partnerships and advancing cooperation in trade and investment, economic development, diplomatic training and cultural exchange. He said the engagement was intended to open new…
The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to take up a pair of appeals from President Donald Trump’s administration, including a case about the Department of Government Efficiency, the government-cutting entity once run by Elon Musk, and a dispute about a Nigerian man who was denied asylum because he once cooked meals for members of a terrorist organization. The two cases are a reflection of Trump’s return to power last year, both his crackdown on immigration and his moves to slash government spending. The DOGE case raises fundamental questions about the power and transparency of an entity that slashed agencies with unusual…
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the embattled US ambassador to Greece, has been asked to resign from her position after a string of reports about alleged misconduct, marking a sudden and spectacular downfall for a high-profile figure in the MAGA movement with close ties to President Donald Trump’s family. New press secretary Katie Zacharia confirmed in her first press briefing Tuesday that the White House had “asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” adding, “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her luck.” Questioned by reporters later about the move, Trump was less laudatory of Guilfoyle. “I didn’t like what…