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Friday, 22 May 2026
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Kenyan press · Person

Justice Bahati Mwamuye

Also known as: Judge Bahati Mwamuye

High Court judge who has issued rulings on gender marker changes, Sexual Offences Act application to adolescents, and public transport regulations in Kenya.

2026-04-242026-05-22

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. April 2026
Society

High Court rules Sexual Offences Act unconstitutional for adolescent peers

The News

Kenya's High Court has declared that prosecuting adolescents under the Sexual Offences Act for consensual, non-coercive peer relationships violates constitutional rights including equality, dignity, privacy, and the best interests of the child. Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that criminal enforcement of Sections 8, 9 and 11 of the Act against adolescents in close-age relationships without evidence of exploitation, coercion, abuse or power imbalance is unconstitutional.

Why it matters

High Court ruling that Sexual Offences Act is unconstitutional for adolescent peers represents a landmark constitutional decision affecting criminal justice and child rights.

21 May 2026 · Capital News

Yesterday

  1. High Court rules Sexual Offences Act unconstitutional for adolescent peers

    Kenya's High Court has declared that prosecuting adolescents under the Sexual Offences Act for consensual, non-coercive peer relationships violates constitutional rights including equality, dignity, privacy, and the best interests of the child. Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that criminal enforcement of Sections 8, 9 and 11 of the Act against adolescents in close-age relationships without evidence of exploitation, coercion, abuse or power imbalance is unconstitutional.

    21 May 2026 · Capital News

  2. High Court rules Sexual Offences Act cannot criminalise consensual teen relationships

    Kenya's High Court declared that sections of the Sexual Offences Act cannot be applied to criminalise consensual, non-coercive sexual relationships between adolescents who are close in age, ruling that such enforcement violates constitutional rights including equality, dignity, privacy and the rights of children. The court found that criminal sanctions should not apply where there is no evidence of exploitation, coercion, abuse or power imbalance between adolescents of close age proximity.

    21 May 2026 · Citizen Digital

Wednesday 20 May

  1. High Court rules Kenyan law permits gender marker changes on documents

    Kenya's High Court issued a landmark ruling that Kenyan law does not expressly prohibit the alteration of sex or gender markers on official documents, finding that the refusal by state agencies to amend the documents of transgender activist Audrey Mbugua Ithibu violated constitutional guarantees on equality, dignity, privacy, freedom of expression and fair administrative action.

    20 May 2026 · Citizen Digital

  2. High Court nullifies Aisha Jumwa's Kenya Roads Board chair appointment

    The High Court has quashed former Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa's appointment as Chairperson of the Kenya Roads Board, ruling the process violated the Constitution and the Kenya Roads Board Act by failing to meet statutory requirements for transparency, accountability and fair administrative action. The judge declared the appointment unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void ab initio.

    20 May 2026 · Citizen Digital

  3. High Court allows Kenyans to change gender markers on documents

    Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that the Births and Deaths Registration Act and Registration of Persons Act, interpreted consistently with the Constitution, do not prohibit alteration of gender markers in official documents. The registrar has been ordered to receive applications within 60 days, with changes to be considered case-by-case on medical and legal grounds pending legislative intervention.

    20 May 2026 · The Standard

Thursday 14 May

  1. High Court orders Safaricom to pay Sh11mn for data breach

    Kenya's High Court has ordered Safaricom to compensate 11 subscribers with Sh900,000 each for violating their constitutional rights in a data privacy case linked to a breach that allegedly compromised information belonging to more than 11.5 million subscribers between 2018 and 2019. The court found that Safaricom failed to establish adequate safeguards to protect customer data from internal misuse by rogue staff members.

    14 May 2026 · Capital News

Thursday 7 May

  1. Petition challenges legality of SHA, Digital Health systems

    A constitutional petition has been filed at the High Court in Kiambu by Francis Awino challenging the legality of the Social Health Authority, digital health systems and public officer medical schemes, alleging they operate outside the law and conduct insurance functions without statutory authorisation.

    7 May 2026 · Citizen Digital

Wednesday 29 April

  1. High Court upholds NTSA ban on flashy PSV modifications

    The High Court has affirmed regulations issued by the National Transport and Safety Authority requiring public service vehicles to remove graffiti art, flashy branding, and tinted windows, dismissing a constitutional challenge filed by a matatu operator who argued the directive unfairly targeted matatu culture and was discriminatory.

    29 April 2026 · Capital News

  2. High Court upholds NTSA ban on matatu graffiti and tinted windows

    Kenya's High Court has dismissed a constitutional petition challenging the National Transport and Safety Authority's May 2025 directive requiring public service vehicles to remove graffiti, decorative artwork, and tinted windows. Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled the directive lawful and necessary for road safety, rejecting claims by petitioner Michael Makubo that it unfairly targeted matatu operators and threatened nganya culture.

    29 April 2026 · Citizen Digital

Tuesday 28 April

  1. High Court halts FKF NEC's suspension of member Abdullahi Yusuf

    The High Court has temporarily stopped the Football Kenya Federation's National Executive Committee from suspending or removing member Abdullahi Yusuf from office pending the hearing of his constitutional petition. The restraining order follows resolutions passed on April 24, 2026, where several NEC members directed Yusuf to step aside.

    28 April 2026 · Citizen Digital

Friday 24 April

  1. Paradise Lost owners claim 1929 title, allege 2024 fraudulent takeover

    Owners of the disputed Paradise Lost land, a 200-acre property, claim decades-old ownership dating to 1929 and allege that unknown individuals perpetrated a fraudulent scheme involving fake title deeds beginning in 2024. They have filed a case scheduled for mention on April 30, accusing government officials and police of failing to assist despite complaints to the Ministry of Lands and the Chief Land Registrar.

    24 April 2026 · Citizen Digital

Justice Bahati Mwamuye — Kenyan press coverage · Kenya Minute