DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 22 | KENYA Ruto uses Odinga’s funeral to adopt cybercrimes laws 27th October 2025 The act hands the state sweeping online censorship and surveillance powers Veteran oppositionist Raila Omolo Odinga’s death appears to have offered President William Samoei Ruto an opportunity to bury bad news. Hours before the opposition leader’s passing was... READ FOR FREE
Vol 66 No 21 | KENYA After Odinga, opposition politicians jostle for position 24th October 2025 A generational battle to decide who succeeds the veteran leader may also seal the fate of President William Ruto’s government Until the death of Raila Amolo Odinga from a heart attack on 15 October, President William Samoei Ruto’s path to re-election in August 2027 had seemed clear: having... READ FOR FREE
Vol 66 No 21 | KENYA Crisis in the capital 24th October 2025 Unable to keep the streets clean, Johnson Sakaja is the latest victim of the Nairobi governor curse In a country where the power of incumbency is so strong, it is a striking anomaly that no Nairobi governor has secured a second term since devolution became...
Vol 66 No 21 | KENYA Opposition colossus Odinga dies, leaving succession crisis 16th October 2025 Millions mourn a man who lost five presidential elections but changed the country, campaigning for political freedoms and constitutional reform Raila Amolo Odinga, whose activism helped launch multi-party politics in Kenya and reformed the constitution after winning a national referendum, died on 15 October following a heart attack...
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 21 | KENYA Odinga’s grand send-off marred by deaths 20th October 2025 Heavy-handed approach to policing state funeral may increase pressure on Ruto’s coalition Two mourners died in a stampede at Raila Odinga’s state funeral on 17 October, a day after three were killed when police opened fire and used tear gas... READ FOR FREE
Vol 66 No 20 | KENYA Newsmakers: Kenyan youths in court 10th October 2025 The trials of over 50 activists charged with treason for offences linked to the 25 June protests against police killings and the 7 July Saba Saba (‘Seven Seven’)...
Vol 66 No 19 | KENYA A referendum redux 26th September 2025 Many see the constitutional reform bill as a means for leaders to carve out new jobs and entrench their political control Few events contributed more to William Ruto’s presidential victory in August 2022 than the collapse of the Building Bridges Initiative that April. The product of a 2018 handshake...
Vol 66 No 18 | KENYAUNITED NATIONS Relocation and dislocation 12th September 2025 The relocation of several United Nations agencies – including UN Women, the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Population Fund – to Nairobi, as part of the UN80...
Vol 66 No 17 | KENYA Looking east, Ruto targets yen and yuan 29th August 2025 As dissent mounts, the government is counting on loans, interest rate cuts and a stalled privatisation programme to ease its debt woes To ease the cashflow crisis that triggered mass protests and weakened the shilling – as the Treasury used precious dollars to pay its Eurobond debts – President William...
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 17 | KENYA Nairobi spends US$2 million on Trump-linked lobbyists 18th August 2025 Kenyan delegation expected to visit Washington soon to discuss trade deal Kenya has signalled its intentions to kickstart talks with United States President Donald Trump’s administration on a trade deal by signing a US$2.1 million contract with Washington DC-based... READ FOR FREE