Kenneth Karaya and Dinnah Safari triumphed in the elite 100km race as the 2026 LOOP Safari Gravel Series kicked off with the opening event at the iconic Limuru Country Club, marking a powerful start to Season Three of East Africa’s premier gravel cycling series. Set against Limuru’s misty tea highlands and rolling countryside, the event attracted an impressive field of 822 elite and recreational cyclists from across the region. Riders navigated challenging gravel terrain, fast descents, and scenic climbs, delivering an electrifying showcase of endurance, strategy, and grit. In the 100-kilometre elite men’s race, Karaya delivered a commanding performance to…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi warned that nationwide protests could erupt in April if the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) does not drop Smartmatic International Technologies from Kenya’s election technology system. In a strongly worded statement, Muturi said continued engagement between the electoral body and Smartmatic International Technologies poses a serious threat to the integrity of the country’s electoral process. “The continued engagement of the IEBC with Smartmatic for election technology is unacceptable. This is a serious threat to the integrity of our electoral process and risks undermining public confidence in our democracy,” Muturi said. The former National Assembly…
Heavy rains caused widespread flooding across several parts of Nairobi Friday, leaving major roads impassable and disrupting transport. The downpour, which began earlier in the evening, quickly overwhelmed drainage systems in several neighbourhoods including Nairobi West, South C and South B, Kilimani area, Parklands, Eastlands, Nairobi city center and several other parts where roads were submerged under rising water levels. Motorists along Uhuru Highway were among the hardest hit, with dramatic scenes showing vehicles submerged as floodwaters engulfed sections of the busy roadway. Flooding was also reported in most parts of the city where heavy runoff turned streets into streams,…
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Kenya’s Monica Kathina Juma as the new Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV). Juma will succeed Ghada Fathi Waly of Egypt, whom Guterres praised for her dedicated service to the organisation. Until Juma formally assumes office, John Brandolino, Director of the Division for Treaty Affairs at UNODC, will continue serving as Acting Executive Director of UNODC and Acting Director-General of UNOV. Juma brings decades of experience in diplomacy, governance and security. She currently serves as Kenya’s National…
The number of jobs in the US economy fell last month, an unexpected contraction that has renewed questions about whether the labour market in the US might be starting to crack. Payrolls in the US dropped by 92,000 and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4%, according to the latest official figures, surprising analysts who had expected hiring to remain stable. It marked the biggest monthly job loss since October, when the US government shut down, and came amid concerns that a jump in oil prices sparked by the US-Israel war in Iran could threaten growth. Nearly every sector shed…
European media firm Axel Springer has agreed to purchase the Telegraph Media Group (TMG) in a deal costing £575m. The deal trumps the £500m takeover proposed late last year by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) – the government had ordered an investigation into that deal on public interest and competition grounds. TMG owns the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph, the Telegraph Magazine and the website and app. Axel Springer chief executive Mathias Dopfner said he wanted to “preserve the distinctive character and legacy” of the Telegraph. “More than 20 years ago, we tried to acquire the Telegraph…
irlines Etihad and Emirates have confirmed they will be running a limited number of services from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to the UK over the next few days. And Emirates said it was working to restore full network operations, following the partial re-opening of regional airspace. Thousands of flights in the Middle East have been cancelled in the past week, leaving many Britons stranded. This followed US-Israeli strikes on Iran which in turn prompted retaliatory strikes by Iran across the region. A second government chartered flight to bring home UK nationals departed Oman’s capital Muscat on Friday, the Foreign Office…
The Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA) has received approval from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to begin work on the Gigiri–Karura–Outer Ring Road Transmission Pipeline Project, a major infrastructure initiative expected to improve water supply for more than three million Nairobi residents. KFS granted the agency a Special User License (SUL) allowing controlled access for the installation of an underground pipeline section within Karura Forest. The authorization requires strict compliance with environmental and forest conservation laws during implementation. The project is financed jointly by the Government of Kenya and the French Development Agency (AFD). Once completed, the 8.4-kilometre bulk…
Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut and Tehran on Friday as Iran launched another wave of retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries. There was no sign of the war letting up on its seventh day, as U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to rule out negotiations with Iran and called for its “unconditional surrender.” The strikes in Lebanon were the heaviest since a 2024 ceasefire ended the last war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, who fired rockets at Israel in the opening days of the latest conflict. Tens of thousands have fled Beirut’s suburbs and southern Lebanon after sweeping Israeli evacuation…
Oil prices have jumped after Qatar’s energy minister warned he expects all oil and gas exporters in the Gulf to stop production within days. Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times the conflict in the Middle East – a region which plays a key role in global energy supplies and shipping routes – could “bring down the economies of the world”. Brent crude oil rose to $89.17 a barrel on Friday, up 4.4% from the end of trading on Thursday. If ships were unable to proceed through the Strait of Hormuz, Kaabi said that in two to three weeks the price…
The Senate of Kenya has commended the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company for improved financial accountability and stronger audit performance after the utility recorded a historic revenue collection of Sh12.6 billion in the last financial year. The recognition came when Johnson Sakaja appeared before the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee, chaired by Geoffrey Osotsi, to respond to queries regarding financial management within the county government. During the session, senators noted that the county had demonstrated improved accountability, with the Office of the Auditor-General issuing a qualified audit opinion, signaling progress compared to previous financial assessments. Members…
The Chief Executive Officer of Kenyatta National Hospital, Dr. Richard Lesiyampe, has appealed to the Nairobi City County Government, health workers and their unions to urgently resolve the ongoing strike that has disrupted healthcare services across the capital. Speaking amid growing pressure at the national referral facility, Dr. Lesiyampe said the industrial action, which began on December 8, has forced patients who would normally receive treatment at lower-level facilities to seek care at KNH. “I want to request the county government of Nairobi, particularly the health department, that since December 8 there has been what we call an industrial action…
The US has asked Ukraine for help defending Gulf allies against Iranian drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said Ukraine’s partners had been reaching out and there had been “requests from the American side”. Zelensky said he had given instructions “to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the necessary security”. Asked about the Ukrainian offer, US President Donald Trump said: “I’ll take any assistance from any country.” Earlier Zelensky had made clear Ukraine would help on condition that its own defence was not weakened and that there were diplomatic gains for…
Conservative Anglicans meeting in Nigeria’s capital Abuja have pulled back on plans to elect a rival “primus inter pares” – the Latin term meaning “first among equals” and describing the Archbishop of Canterbury’s position within the worldwide church, where Sarah Mullally is considered the ceremonial leader. Electing another person with the same title would have been seen by many as an open challenge to the leadership of the first female Archbishop of Canterbury just weeks before she formally begins the job. Instead, the group, known as Gafcon, says it is leaving behind old structures and old titles, and is now…
Authorities in Kenya launched a new training initiative aimed at equipping officers with direct access to INTERPOL’s global law enforcement systems, marking a significant step in strengthening the country’s response to transnational crime. The INTERPOL Policing Capabilities Foundation Course Module is designed to provide practical instruction on the use of INTERPOL’s global databases, secure communication platforms and investigative tools. The programme seeks to enhance the operational capacity of Kenyan officers to identify, investigate and respond to cross-border crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence, in collaboration with international partners. Inspector-General of the National Police Service of Kenya, Douglas Kanja Kirocho, said…