Search and rescue are going on after a building partially collapse in Karen on January 10, 2026 [Boniface Okendo, Standard]Survivors of a building collapse in Karen, Nairobi, on Saturday evening, have given chilling accounts of the moments when a routine workday turned into tragedy, leaving two of their colleagues dead and seven others injured. Michael Mwago said he was mixing concrete on the top of the building when everything suddenly went wrong. “The building twisted and came down as if it buried all of us,” he recalled. Oscar Kwemoi, another survivor, who had been bandaged on his left leg, said they were almost finishing the day's task when the building suddenly crumbled. "This is very unfortunate that a second building has collapsed just when we are investigating courses fo collapsed building in South C," lamented Nairobi County Chief Officer for Urban Planning, Patrick Analo.

Millie Odhiambo says Owalo’s presidential declaration serves as a political springboard for other elective ambitions. “My assessment is: If he does not vie in UDA, he becomes a kingpin of a smaller party that then fights out against ODM,” Odhiambo claimed. “A presidential bid would be hot air, a wild goose chase and a fool’s errand,” Odhiambo stated. According to Millie, Owalo’s presidential declaration may be more strategic than substantive, serving as a political springboard for other elective ambitions rather than a genuine bid for the country’s top office. She dismissed the seriousness of a standalone presidential bid, describing it as politically impractical if pursued outside those options.

Democratic Party (DP) leader and former Attorney General Justin Muturi says that Rigathi Gachagua’s criticism of North Eastern leaders has awakened calls for accountability. Muturi said elected leaders from the Northern counties are now under siege from their own voters to account for the resources received since the commencement of devolution. He said Gachagua’s recent remarks on secondary school placement detonated a debate Kenya has long avoided with polite silence. In a statement issued on Monday, Muturi, who also served as Speaker of the National Assembly between 2013 and 2022, said the reaction from North Eastern Kenya has been especially telling. North Eastern counties have received billions of shillings through devolution.

Kenya took centre stage in global digital entertainment on January 11, 2026, after world-famous YouTuber IShowSpeed, popularly referred to as Speed, landed in Nairobi as part of his highly followed “Speed Does Africa” tour. A collage of Tourism CS Rebecca Miano and Gen Z Goliath, who met IShowSpeed during the "Speed Does Africa" tour of Kenya on January 11, 2026. By the end of his first day in Kenya, IShowSpeed had gained more than 360,000 new subscribers and pushed his total viewership past 48 million, setting a new personal record. Known for daring In-Real-Life challenges, including sprint races against elite athletes, Speed went a step further during his “Speed Does Africa” tour to race a cheetah. Today, global tours are a fundamental feature of Speed's brand as he continues with his "Speed Does Africa" campaign.

Protests against immigration enforcement have been held in cities across the US after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot in her car on Wednesday. "If they conduct violent activities against law enforcement, if they impede our operations, that's a crime, and we will hold them accountable to those consequences," she said. Minnesota has already seen a surge of federal law enforcement officials as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement in the state. The Minneapolis mayor added that the city's local law enforcement were "outnumbered by the number of ICE agents and beyond". On Sunday, Minnesota senator Tina Smith, a Democrat, accused the Trump administration of trying to cover up the shooting.

Justice Samuel Mohochi temporarily barred national and county governments from hiring external lawyers. The High Court in Nakuru has issued orders barring all public entities from procuring the services of external advocates pending the hearing and determination of a case filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, Nakuru-based surgeon Dr Magare Gikenyi, and five others. Justice Samwel Mohochi suspended the engagement, procurement, continuation, and pending payments to private advocates and law firms by all public entities. The court further directed the Controller of Budget and all public servants, whether state officers or public officers, and any other persons not to approve funds for the acquisition of external legal services by public entities pending the hearing and determination of the suit. The Office of the Auditor General, the Controller of Budget, and Katiba Institute are listed as interested parties.

But his critics say he has maintained his grip on power through a mixture of sidelining opponents and compromising independent institutions. In 1967, Museveni left Uganda to attend the University of Dar es Salaam in neighbouring Tanzania. "He was part of the colonial system," Museveni told the Global Indian Network in a recent interview. He launched a guerrilla struggle in 1981 and five years later, his rebel group, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), seized power and Museveni became leader. But with an eye on Bobi Wine, who is roughly half of Museveni's age, the president has been keen to show his vitality.

Safaricom Headquarters on Waiyaki Way in Nairobi. [File, Standard]The National Assembly will on Monday kick off a multi-sector inquiry into the government’s controversial sale of a 15 per cent stake in telecoms giant Safaricom to South Africa’s Vodacom, summoning a wide range of industry, legal and civil society actors to testify. Two parliamentary committees will conduct a nine-day series of hearings to scrutinise the transaction.

PRESIDENT William Ruto has dismissed attempts by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to sink his political fortunes in the Mt Kenya region, saying the push is futile and doomed to fail. Gachagua has vowed to rally Mt Kenya voters to deny Ruto a second term in 2027. Ruto reminded congregants that Mt Kenya overwhelmingly supported him in the 2022 general election, insisting that the bond forged during that campaign remains intact. Ruto defended his administration’s development agenda, saying it was anchored on commitments made to the people of Mt Kenya. Other leaders present were Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga, Nyeri Woman Representative Rahab Mukami, Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina, Othaya MP Michael Wainaina, Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge and Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi.

Former Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of delivery and government efficiency, Eliud Owalo, during an inspection of national government projects in Machakos County. [John Muia, Standard]Eliud Owalo has resigned as President William Ruto's Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of delivery and government efficiency. Owalo announced his decision to exit the role on social media on Sunday night, just hours after declaring his 2027 presidential run against his boss. He noted that by choosing to challenge President Ruto, serving in his face automatically became untenable, and he was therefore leaving State House immediately. Owalo joins a crowded field of presidential hopefuls, including seasoned politicians hoping to unseat President Ruto, who will be seeking re-election in the August 2027 polls.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has recovered an AK-47 gun and apprehended three suspects linked to a violent criminal gang in Uasin Gishu County. Detectives have assured that they will continue with investigations to apprehend other individuals linked to the gang. "The three suspects are currently being processed for arraignment in court as investigations continue. Detectives are also intensifying efforts to arrest other members of the gang who are still at large," DCI stated. According to the detectives, upon the arrest of the six suspects, they recovered several items, including two Falcon pistols and three live ammunition.

Michael Chapman, of Knowles House Avenue, Eccleston, appeared before Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helens Magistrates' Court on Monday, January 5. He indicated guilty pleas to possession of a Class A and Class B drugs. On March 20, this year, the defendant was caught with a quantity of cocaine and cannabis on him. For the cocaine offence, Chapman was fined £120, and made to pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £85. Possess a controlled drug of Class B - Cannabis / Cannabis Resin On 20/03/2025 at St Helens in the county of Merseyside you, Michael Chapman had in your possession a quantity of cannabis a controlled drug of class B in contravention of section 5(1) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

President William Ruto during the FCPA Barasa Governor’s Cup at Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega County, on January 1, 2026. [PCS]President William Ruto has framed 2026 as the decisive year of implementation. And by that standard, 2026 may prove to be less a year of consolidation and more a year of political reckoning. Ultimately, 2026 will not be decided by press conferences, road launches, or carefully staged development tours. If the lived reality of Kenyans does not improve meaningfully, 2026 may become less a year of implementation and more a year when political patience finally runs out.

With 57 seats in parliament, National Unity Platform became the country’s official opposition party. This makes it difficult to know how the National Unity Platform might perform in a free and fair election. In the run-up to the 2026 election, prominent the National Unity Platform members remain in detention and have been tortured. Video footage recently captured police and defence force soldiers beating National Unity Platform security personnel. Subsequently, the Democratic Party – Uganda’s second oldest political party – entered into a formal cooperation agreement with the ruling National Resistance Movement.

Barely a week after reopening, students at the Chebwagan Boys High School in Kericho are back at their homes after they held protests on the night of Sunday, January 11. According to reports, the Kericho County Director of Education ordered the indefinite closure of the institution to neutralise the situation. An undated photo of Chebwagan Boys High School in KerichoVideos obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed the students storming out of the school gate carrying their belongings while being supervised by police officers who were deployed to assess the situation on Monday, January 12, morning. It remains unclear whether the students went on a rampage and whether any property within the school premises was destroyed during the strike. The High School administration is yet to issue a formal response on the strike amid a wave of uncertainty on when the students will resume their learning.