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Saturday, 9 May 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Saturday, 9 May 2026
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Politics

Ruto's 2026 Finance Bill reintroduces taxes on everyday goods

The News

President William Ruto's government has unveiled a Finance Bill that reintroduces a sweeping array of taxes on everyday goods and services including mobile phones, bottled water, coal, plastic basins, and credit card transactions, echoing the 2024 Gen Z uprising that resulted in dozens of deaths and Parliament being set ablaze.

Why it matters

Ruto's Finance Bill reintroduces sweeping taxes on everyday essentials, echoing the 2024 gen-Z uprising and directly affecting millions of Kenyans' purchasing power.

6 hours ago · The Standard →

Politics

  1. Ruto's 2026 Finance Bill reintroduces taxes on everyday goods

    President William Ruto's government has unveiled a Finance Bill that reintroduces a sweeping array of taxes on everyday goods and services including mobile phones, bottled water, coal, plastic basins, and credit card transactions, echoing the 2024 Gen Z uprising that resulted in dozens of deaths and Parliament being set ablaze.

    6 hours ago · The Standard →

  2. ODM party faces implosion amid leadership crisis and rivalries

    The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), once the region's biggest party, is experiencing rapid decline due to constant bickering, supremacy battles, alleged leadership crisis, and intense sibling rivalries as leaders pursue personal goals.

    6 hours ago · The Standard →

  3. Former LSK chief opposes mobile phone excise duty proposal

    Former Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo has criticised the Finance Bill 2026's proposed 25 per cent excise duty on mobile phones, arguing that phones are a necessity rather than a luxury in Kenya, where millions depend on handsets for banking, work and government services.

    6 hours ago · The Standard →

  4. Former Gachagua aide wins DCP Ol Kalou by-election ticket

    Sammy Ngotho has won the Democracy for the Citizens Party nomination for the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election scheduled for July 16, 2026, after garnering 12,957 votes in the party primaries. The seat fell vacant following the death of MP David Njuguna Kiaraho on March 29, 2026.

    2 hours ago · Capital News →

  5. Senate committee proposes 49% fuel levy share for counties

    The Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing has proposed that county governments receive 49 per cent of the Road Maintenance Levy Fund under a proposed Roads Act amendment bill, while the Ministry of Roads and Transport recommends only 15 per cent. The Committee argues that since road maintenance functions have shifted to county governments, resources should follow those functions.

    3 hours ago · Capital News →

Business

  1. Airtel invests $44m in East Africa's largest data centre

    Airtel Africa is building a $44 million hyperscale data centre in Nairobi with 44 megawatts capacity, expected to be the largest in East Africa and due to go live in the first quarter of 2027. The facility is part of Airtel's strategy to challenge Safaricom's dominance in enterprise and cloud services.

    6 hours ago · The Standard →

  2. US Senate committee to debate cryptocurrency regulatory framework bill

    The US Senate Banking Committee is set to consider the "Clarity Act," legislation that would create a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and clarify financial regulators' jurisdiction over the sector. The bill aims to define how crypto tokens are classified and resolve disputes between crypto companies and the banking industry.

    4 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

Society

  1. Women struggle to balance motherhood with employment demands

    Many women face pressure to choose between career advancement and motherhood, with workplace inflexibility forcing difficult decisions about pregnancy and family responsibilities. The article profiles women like Wanjiku Wanjiru, who experienced unexpected challenges when balancing her third pregnancy with employment at a private learning institution.

    6 hours ago · The Standard →

  2. Transport Committee urges maritime sector to boost training access

    Kenya's National Assembly Transport Committee has called on the Kenya Maritime Authority, Bandari Maritime Academy, and Kenya National Shipping Line to expand training and employment opportunities to Kenyans nationwide. The committee noted that while these institutions have trained 19,000 seafarers and recruited 5,041 to international shipping lines, with over 8,000 recruitment opportunities available, few Kenyans are aware of these opportunities.

    2 hours ago · Capital News →

World & Region

  1. US sanctions companies for aiding Iran weapons production

    The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, for allegedly helping Iran obtain weapons and raw materials for Shahed drones and ballistic missiles. Treasury said it remains prepared to take further action against Iran's military industrial base and foreign entities supporting illicit Iranian commerce.

    7 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

  2. WHO chief oversees evacuation of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Spain to oversee the safe disembarkation of passengers and crew from the MV Hondius cruise ship in the Canary Islands, where three passengers have died and others have fallen sick with hantavirus. The Andes virus strain, which can transmit person-to-person, has been confirmed among those who tested positive.

    7 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

  3. Lebanon reports at least one killed in Israeli strikes on south

    Lebanon said at least one person was killed in Israeli strikes on the country's south on Saturday despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah in effect since April 17. Israel's military issued an evacuation warning to nine villages and warned it would act "forcefully" against Hezbollah after alleged ceasefire violations.

    9 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

  4. China's April oil imports fall to four-year low

    China's crude oil imports fell 20% in April to 38.5 million metric tons compared to a year earlier, hitting their lowest level since July 2022, as closure of the Strait of Hormuz restricted supplies to the world's largest oil importer.

    2 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

  5. US and Iran trade fire despite month-old ceasefire accord

    The U.S. and Iran appeared no closer to ending their war after the two sides traded fire in the Gulf amid a tenuous ceasefire that began a month ago, with fighting flaring in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the United Arab Emirates coming under renewed attack.

    4 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

  6. European nations sending planes to evacuate hantavirus cruise ship

    Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands are sending planes to evacuate their citizens from a Tenerife-bound cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, with the EU providing two additional planes for remaining European citizens and the U.S. and UK arranging contingency transport for non-EU citizens.

    5 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

  7. Indonesian police arrest 321 foreigners in online gambling raid

    Indonesian police arrested 321 foreign nationals, mostly from Vietnam, in a Central Jakarta office building for alleged involvement in banned online gambling. The suspects, who had been running the operation for two months and largely targeted foreign customers, face charges that carry a maximum sentence of nine years.

    5 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

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