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Opposition leaders have yet to agree on a joint presidential candidate to face President William Ruto in 2027, even after a series of high-level meetings at the Wamunyoro home of Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua, according to a report by The Star. Gachagua's Wamunyoro residence has become a hub for consultations, with the DCP leader hosting several opposition figures as they try to build a coalition able to unseat the current administration. While the leaders involved publicly agree on the need for a united front, choosing one person to lead the ticket remains the hard part. Competing ambitions and the interests of different factions are holding up a decision. With no deal in place, bargaining and realignments are likely to continue behind closed doors in the coming months. To pose a serious challenge, the opposition will eventually need several prominent figures to set aside their own presidential ambitions and back one candidate.

The dates tell a faster story than the headline suggests. Erick Mutinda Philip is charged with murdering Sylvia Kemunto Ayaye on March 30, 2025, at Multimedia University of Kenya along Magadi Road in Lang'ata. By April 2, 2025, a search team had found a body in a rooftop water tank at a university hostel. The court heard that account from Silas Ochieng Elphine Otieno, who was in charge of security at the university. He explained how the institution received a report about Sylvia's disappearance and worked with investigating officers to establish where she was. After the discovery, police were alerted and took control of the scene, where the body was identified as the missing student's. The same date, April 2, features in the testimony of a pastor from Jesus Is Alive Ministries, who told the court the church found her phone while counting collections and later gave it to police. So within a single day, two separate discoveries pointed to the same case. The story also reports...

ODM leader Oburu Oginga has expressed deep sorrow over the collapse of a multi-storey building in Kamukunji, Nairobi, and called for a thorough investigation and firm action against anyone found responsible. In his statement, Oburu called the disaster a painful reminder of the dangers of poor regulation, corruption and greed in the construction sector. He said the loss of lives was unacceptable and urged authorities to make sure those responsible face the full force of the law. He sent condolences to the families who lost loved ones and praised rescue teams from various government agencies for their continued efforts to find survivors and help those affected. Oburu said the government must act urgently to prevent similar tragedies. He advised tenants to confirm that a building has passed the required safety inspections and been approved for occupation before moving in, and said people should not be forced to risk their lives because developers ignore construction rules. He criticised d...

Ferdinand Waititu's request to the court comes down to one fact he wants weighed. He told the court that he and his wife are first offenders and asked that this be considered when sentencing, alongside his apology for "whatever wrong" he did. The story is careful about what that can achieve. A first-offender record may be taken into account, it says, but it does not automatically mean a lighter punishment. In sentencing, the court looks at the law, the seriousness of the offences and the circumstances put forward by both the accused and the prosecution. The apology and the plea, it adds, do not decide the outcome on their own. That matters because of what sits on the other side. The case concerns a Sh588 million road tender in Kiambu County, and the story says it has drawn attention because it involves a former governor and public money. Mitigation of this kind is always set against how serious the offences are, and the story gives no detail on what the prosecution said i...

 A Mombasa County enforcement officer, Omari Mzerera, has died after armed attackers raided a cess collection checkpoint in Likoni, wounding three other officers in a pre-dawn attack. The attack happened at about 3.40am on Monday, October 26, along Barabara ya Mchanga, where county enforcement officers and two administration police officers were stationed. Police said the gang confronted the officers and a violent scuffle followed. During it, the attackers reportedly grabbed an AK-47 rifle loaded with 30 rounds from one of the police officers and used it on the officers. Mombasa County Police Commander Stella Cherono confirmed the incident. She said one county enforcement officer was killed and three others were injured and rushed to hospital. According to eyewitnesses, the officers tried to fight back, and police fired several shots into the air to scatter the gang, but the attackers overpowered them. One administration police officer suffered deep cuts to his hand and a gunshot w...

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has declined to take down a social media post linking a disputed Nairobi County construction approval to the multi-storey building that collapsed in Eastleigh. Through his lawyer, Collins Mango, the MP rejected a demand from advocates representing Okeya Hempstone Nyawanda, who says Babu published false and defamatory information connecting him to an approval document for the development on LR/Parcel No. 36/11/40 in Eastleigh, Kamukunji Sub-county. The dispute began after Babu questioned Governor Johnson Sakaja's explanation that the collapsed building had no construction approval. The MP published what he described as a County Government Notification of Approval, which he said was generated on February 25, 2024, and which named Nyawanda as the registered physical planner through whom the approval was issued. Nyawanda's lawyers, Oyugi Ochieng and Associates Advocates, say the claims are false and misleading and are damaging his professional reputation...

Constable Hussein Yussuf Ali, a police officer suspected of fatally shooting a colleague at a Border Patrol Unit training camp in Kitui County, has been arrested. Police say Ali was arrested on Monday, October 26, a day after the shooting at the Wikithuki BPU Training Camp in Tseikuru. Camp instructors reportedly chased him after he allegedly fled the facility. They tracked him to a thorny bush about three kilometres from the camp, where he was arrested and taken to Tseikuru Police Station. The deceased, Constable Raphael Ojiambo, was reportedly shot at about 3pm on Sunday, October 25. Preliminary reports say he had a gunshot wound to the chest, with the bullet lodging near his left shoulder. Both officers had recently finished police training and were at the camp for induction. Police recovered two G3 rifles at the scene, reportedly one issued to each officer, but found no spent cartridge casings. They also recovered two mobile phones: one at the scene, reportedly damaged by a bullet,...