Murder suspect John Matara has given the High Court a detailed account of the events that preceded the death of socialite Starlet Wahu, claiming he survived a violent knife attack at a South B apartment before fleeing the scene in search of medical assistance. Testifying before Justice Alexander Muteti, Matara denied killing Wahu, insisting that he left her alive after she allegedly attacked him with a knife during a confrontation over money. Matara said he met Wahu through an online platform in 2023 and that their relationship initially began as a paid sexual arrangement before developing into what he described…
Author: Pinnah Mokeira
The High Court in Nairobi has quashed the Director of Public Prosecutions’ decision to withdraw corruption charges against former Kakamega Governor and Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and MSMEs Development Wycliffe Oparanya. Justice Benjamin Mwikya Musyoki declared the DPP’s decision contained in a July 8, 2024 letter irregular and unconstitutional, finding that the prosecution agency had unlawfully considered fresh evidence presented by Oparanya’s lawyers without referring it back to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for further investigation. “In view of the above, it is my finding and holding that whereas this court cannot term the decision contained in the 1st…
The High Court has nullified the planned auction of the prime 14 Riverside Drive property after finding that the execution documents used to facilitate the sale were defective and invalid. Justice Moses Ado set aside the warrants of sale, notification of sale and the auctioneer’s notice and advertisement, directing that any fresh attempt to sell the property must begin afresh and strictly comply with the law. The ruling followed an urgent application by Cape Holdings Ltd., the registered owner of the property, filed on May 22, 2026, four days before the scheduled auction. The court issued interim orders on May…
A court in Kisumu has sentenced a 37-year-old man to life imprisonment for defiling his nine-month-old stepdaughter in Seme Sub-County. Principal Magistrate Jocelyn Kimetto of Kombewa Magistrate’s Court convicted the man of defilement contrary to Section 8(1) as read with Section 8(2) of the Sexual Offences Act. The prosecution, led by Principal Prosecution Counsel Caroline Kiptum, told the court that the man committed the offence on July 19, 2025, at about 8.30pm in Seme Sub-County, Kisumu County. The convict, who is the stepfather of the child, had denied the charge. He also faced an alternative charge of committing an indecent…
A Kibera court has deferred the plea-taking of a man accused of cyber harassment over a message allegedly sent to a magistrate, directing that he be presented before the Milimani Law Courts for plea. Francis Kamau Karanja appeared before the Kibera Law Courts after the prosecution applied for the case to be transferred to the Milimani Law Courts. The prosecution said the application was necessary before Karanja could take plea in a charge of cyber harassment arising from a message allegedly sent on September 28, 2026. According to the particulars of the offence, Karanja allegedly used a mobile number to…
The High Court has faulted the government for failing to constitute the Fertilizer and Animal Foodstuffs Board of Kenya and found that farmers who bought substandard fertilizer under the National Fertilizer Subsidy Programme had their constitutional consumer rights violated. Justice Gregory Mutai ruled that the failure by the Cabinet Secretary responsible for agriculture to establish the statutory board was unlawful and inconsistent with the constitutional principles of good governance and the exercise of public authority. The judge also declared that the sale of NPK 10:26:10 fertilizer that failed to meet its declared composition and the applicable Kenya Standard violated farmers’…
The High Court in Nairobi has certified as urgent a constitutional petition challenging the proposed Sh2.2 trillion (USD 16 billion) Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals project in Lamu County. Justice David Mburu, sitting at the Milimani High Court, directed that the petition be heard on a priority basis and ordered the petitioner to physically serve the petition, application and court directions on the respondents and interested parties within two days. The respondents and interested parties have been given seven days from the date of service to file and serve their responses. The petition was filed by activist Francis…
The High Court in Nairobi ruled that a house acquired by a couple during their courtship did not constitute matrimonial property, awarding sole ownership to the man after finding that his former wife had not proved any contribution towards its purchase. Justice Robinson Ondieki Kebabee of the Milimani High Court Family Division ruled that House No. 52 at Riverfront Estate, situated on Title No. 28318/16 in Ruiru, was acquired before the parties were married and that the former wife had failed to establish a beneficial interest in the property. The judgment followed a dispute between Fletcher Alexander Tembo and his…
A Milimani court has heard that Brian Reeves allegedly posed as a Canadian Embassy consular and received more than Sh51 million from a travel company after promising to facilitate Canadian visa applications for its clients. The court was told that Reeves received a total of Sh51,244,065 through bank and mobile money transactions in connection with the alleged visa processing arrangement. An investigating officer told the court that the amount initially reported as having been obtained from the complainant was Sh89,185,000, but investigators later revised the figure after excluding cash transactions which they said could not be independently verified. The complainant,…
Infinity Industrial Park Limited has petitioned the Official Receiver to investigate the conduct of two insolvency practitioners appointed by Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited to administer the company. The company is seeking disciplinary action against joint administrators Ponangipalli Venkata Ramana Rao and Swaroop Rao Ponangipalli, following a High Court decision that set aside their appointment. In a complaint dated September 30, 2026 and received by the Business Registration Service (BRS) on October 1, the company asked the Official Receiver to investigate the circumstances surrounding the administrators’ appointment and determine whether they remain fit to hold authorisations to practise as insolvency…
The Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) has moved to the Public Private Partnerships Petition Committee in Nairobi, seeking to halt and scrutinize Kenya’s proposed participation in the multibillion-dollar Dangote East Africa Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Complex at Lamu. In a petition filed on September 30, 2026, by Tali Tali Advocates, COFEK wants the committee to review the government’s decision to proceed with the project through public equity, land contributions, and government support arrangements even as negotiations over Kenya’s stake were reportedly still ongoing. The petitioner has sued the Directorate of Public Private Partnerships, the PPP Committee, the National Treasury Cabinet…
The High Court in Kiambu declined to certify as urgent a constitutional petition challenging the continued occupation of the Director-General’s office at the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA). Justice Francis Nyungu Kyambia, in a ruling delivered on October 2, directed the parties to follow the court’s ordinary procedure and fixed the application for hearing on November 16. The petition was filed on September 29, by Omondi Charles and Velma Ongalo, who allege that Eng. Silas Murira Kinoti has continued to serve as KURA’s Director-General for 103 days after his fixed term allegedly expired on June 18, 2026. The petitioners say…
A man accused of using remote-access technology to execute multimillion-shilling fraud against financial institutions has been remanded in custody after he was arrested in Kericho, months after he allegedly stopped attending court. Albert Komen Kipkechem, also known as Jonathan Kiptum Barmasai, was brought before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Teresia Nyangena on a warrant of arrest after failing to appear before the court on three occasions. Kipkechem had previously been released on cash bail in two separate criminal cases in which he is accused of illegally accessing computer systems and facilitating the withdrawal of millions of shillings. The prosecution opposed his…
The Court of Appeal has cut more than Sh704 million from an award against the government in a nearly three-decade-old dispute over the supply of anti-malaria chemicals and equipment to the Ministry of Health. The appellate court upheld a Sh1.157 billion award to Equip Agencies Limited for goods supplied to the government in the 1990s, but overturned an order requiring the government to pay compound interest at 18 per cent a year. A three-judge bench comprising Justices Patrick Mativo, Paul Lilan and Dr John Okello found that the company had not pleaded or proved its entitlement to compound interest, removing…
The Court of Appeal has upheld a six-year investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) into businessman and former public official Joseph Ambuso Omondi, ruling that the prolonged probe did not violate his constitutional rights. The three-judge bench comprising Justices K. M’Inoti, E.C. Mwita and B. Ongaya dismissed Omondi’s appeal against a High Court decision that had found the EACC’s continued investigation and retention of some of his documents did not amount to violations of his rights to dignity, privacy, property or fair administrative action. The case arose from a search conducted by EACC officers at Omondi’s home and…