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Sunday, 27 September 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Sunday, 27 September 2026
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Kenyan press · Organization

Parliament

Also known as: Bunge · Senate Plenary · both Houses of Parliament · the House · Kenyan national assembly · Kenya's two chambers of parliament · Budget Committee

Parliament — Kenya's legislative body that debates, amends, and passes bills; currently reviewing tobacco control, referendum, and electoral reform measures.

2026-04-262026-09-27

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. September 2026
  2. Citizen Digital

    … back as MPs weigh tough new tobacco rules By Citizen Reporter September 26, 2026 06:00 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Audio By Vocalize Traders, hospitality operators and young people have urged Parliament …

    Traders, youth push back as MPs weigh tough new tobacco rules
  3. Capital News

    ELDORET, Kenya, Sep 25 – Stakeholders in Uasin Gishu County have urged Parliament to consider the impact of proposed changes to the Tobacco Control Act on businesses and livelihoods as it reviews the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2025. …

    Stakeholders urge parliament to review Tobacco Bill over business, licensing concerns
  4. Citizen Digital

    … _type: 'mix' }); However, the three-judge bench faulted the process used in enacting the law, finding that the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) should have been given an opportunity to consider the Bill and make recommendations before it was debated and passed by Parliament …

    Court of Appeal Upholds Affordable Housing Act, Dismisses Challenge
  5. Citizen Digital

    … According to Parliament, the Bill seeks to regulate the licensing of conformity assessors, prescribe requirements that must be met before a licence is issued and outline the duties and obligations of both the NTSA and licensed assessors. …

    New Bill seeks to give NTSA powers to license PSV conformity assessors
  6. The Standard

    A court petition seeking to stop Kenya’s 2027 elections over the delayed review of constituency and ward boundaries, coming barely a day after Parliament moved closer to establishing a new referendum framework, has opened a potentially significant political question: could two se …

    Red cards that could throw 2027 polls into uncertainty
  7. Citizen Digital

    … Some, including Cabinet Secretaries, have argued that the Controller should have no issue with the funds because they have their own establishing legislation, which provides for oversight by Parliament and the Auditor-General. …

    SAM'S SENSE: Funds accountability- please explain
  8. Citizen Digital

    … The church is also raising questions over the confusion in the education sector. “There is a Bill in Parliament that wants to take over religious-managed schools. …

    Anglican Church raises alarm over 'worse' economy, public services under Ruto
  9. The Standard

    … The Senate Majority Leader said attempts in previous years to hold referendums have ended in stillbirths and that the Senate has decided to ensure the Bill is approved by the House as part of improving the electoral systems in the country. …

    Senator Cheruiyot says Referendum Bill 2026 will seal legal gaps
  10. The Standard

    … The Constitution defines a public office as one whose remuneration and benefits are payable directly from the Consolidated Fund or from money provided by Parliament. …

    You have seven days to act: UASU threatens strike over lecturers' pay
  11. The Standard

    … Parliament and civil society must address these institutional weak points now, establishing laws and ensuring we have capable and incorruptible people at the helm of IEBC. …

    Leave no room at all for mischief in 2027 polls
Politics

Traders and youth oppose stricter tobacco and nicotine controls

The News

Traders, hospitality operators and young people have urged Parliament to rethink provisions of a proposed Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which would tighten controls on tobacco and emerging nicotine products such as electronic nicotine delivery systems, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products in Kenya. The Bill proposes stricter controls on manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, promotion and advertising, and would bar sales to anyone under 18.

21 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

Yesterday

  1. Traders and youth oppose stricter tobacco and nicotine controls

    Traders, hospitality operators and young people have urged Parliament to rethink provisions of a proposed Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which would tighten controls on tobacco and emerging nicotine products such as electronic nicotine delivery systems, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products in Kenya. The Bill proposes stricter controls on manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, promotion and advertising, and would bar sales to anyone under 18.

    21 hours ago · Citizen Digital →

Friday 25 September

  1. Stakeholders urge Parliament to reconsider tobacco licensing provisions

    Stakeholders in Uasin Gishu County have urged Parliament to balance public health objectives with business interests as it reviews the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2025, citing concerns that a proposed licensing requirement for tobacco businesses could increase costs and constitute double taxation alongside existing single business permits, and that a 100-metre sales restriction near places serving youth could be difficult to enforce in densely populated areas.

    25 September 2026 · Capital News →

  2. Court of Appeal upholds Affordable Housing Act, dismisses legal challenge

    Kenya's Court of Appeal upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Housing Act and dismissed an appeal challenging the law and housing levy deductions. However, the court faulted the legislative process, finding that the Commission on Revenue Allocation should have been consulted before Parliament debated and passed the Act.

    25 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  3. Senate Bill empowers NTSA to license PSV conformity assessors

    A Bill before the Senate seeks to establish a legal framework for conformity assessment of public service vehicles by granting NTSA the power to register and license independent assessors to verify whether PSV bodies meet required standards. If enacted, conformity assessor licences would be valid for three years and assessors would be barred from links to persons in the PSV sector.

    25 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  4. Court petition seeks to halt Kenya's 2027 elections

    A petition at the Milimani Law Courts seeks to bar the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission from conducting the 2027 elections until it completes a comprehensive review of constituency and ward boundaries. The High Court has scheduled judgment for February 25, 2027, less than six months before the scheduled August 10 General Election, raising questions about whether the case could disrupt the electoral calendar.

    25 September 2026 · The Standard →

  5. Controller of Budget warns on special funds accountability

    Dr. Margaret Nyakang'o, the Controller of Budget, has raised concerns that various government special funds—including the National Infrastructure Fund, Sovereign Wealth Fund, Social Health Insurance Fund, Primary Healthcare Fund, and Affordable Housing Levy Fund—are operating outside the regular constitutional framework of checks and balances for public finance oversight.

    25 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Thursday 24 September

  1. Anglican Church warns of worsening economy, public services decline

    The Anglican Church has raised alarm over what it describes as a deteriorating state of the country under President William Ruto's administration, citing a struggling economy, declining key sectors, and failing public services, with Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit calling on Kenyans to demand government action as millions face unemployment, rising costs, failing businesses, and increasing tax burden.

    24 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  2. Senate Majority Leader backs Referendum Bill 2026

    Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot says the Referendum Bill 2026, currently at Third Reading stage, will seal legal gaps and provide a harmonised framework for conducting referendums. The bill, introduced in January 2026, is expected to pass the Senate this week before proceeding to the National Assembly.

    24 September 2026 · The Standard →

  3. UASU threatens nationwide lecturer strike from October 2, 2026

    The Universities Academic Staff Union has issued a seven-day strike notice, with lecturers set to begin a nationwide strike at midnight on Friday, October 2, 2026, over the government's failure to honour the Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025, and to provide a financial counter-proposal for the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

    24 September 2026 · The Standard →

  4. Electoral commission credibility crisis ahead of 2027 polls

    An editorial argues that former President Uhuru Kenyatta's claim that Raila Odinga won the 2022 election but had his victory stolen exposes deeper institutional dysfunction at the IEBC, which has faced decades of allegations of rigging and partisan commissioners. The piece calls for formal investigation of such claims and institutional reform to protect democratic integrity in future elections.

    24 September 2026 · The Standard →

Wednesday 23 September

  1. MP Omondi to table bill limiting IEBC powers, removing national tallying centre

    The People's Coalition on Electoral Reforms plans to table an Elections Amendment Bill in Parliament, seeking to limit the IEBC Chairperson's role to aggregating and announcing presidential results as declared at constituency tallying centres and to remove the national tallying centre. The move follows a High Court ruling that upheld the national tallying centre but barred the IEBC from altering presidential results already declared at constituency level.

    23 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Tuesday 22 September

  1. MP Jhanda proposes delaying party-list nominations until after elections

    Nyabari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda has proposed that political parties nominate candidates for party-list seats after the General Election rather than before voting, arguing the electoral outcome should first determine how many party-list seats each party receives.

    22 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  2. Kenya adjusts EV charging tariffs as electric vehicle adoption surges

    Kenya's electric mobility sector has grown sharply, with registered EVs rising to 24,754 in 2025 from 796 in 2022, and electricity consumption for charging jumping 188% in 2025. Regulators have rewritten tariff rules in response to the sector's expanding impact on the national grid.

    22 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  3. High Court upholds national tallying of presidential election results

    Kenya's High Court dismissed a petition by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah challenging the constitutionality of national-level tallying and verification of presidential election results. The court upheld provisions allowing aggregation of results at the national level, finding it necessary because the Constitution requires a presidential candidate to secure more than 50 per cent of all votes cast nationally.

    22 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  4. High Court upholds national presidential election result tallying

    Kenya's High Court has dismissed a challenge by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah against the national aggregation and verification of presidential election results, ruling that the two-tier constitutional threshold — requiring a candidate to secure more than half of all votes cast and at least 25 per cent in more than half of counties — can only be established through national aggregation.

    22 September 2026 · Capital News →

  5. High Court declares law restricting ex-presidents unconstitutional

    Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled unconstitutional the law that restricted retired presidents from holding political-party office and allowed Parliament to interfere with their retirement benefits. The judgment conflicts with another High Court ruling by Justice Lawrence Mugambi, issued a week earlier, upholding the same restriction.

    22 September 2026 · The Standard →

  6. Kenya must strengthen mental health systems to reduce suicides

    September is suicide prevention month. According to the World Health Organisation, one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds; in Kenya, about four people die by suicide daily. High suicide rates reflect poor mental health, and while a January 2025 High Court ruling decriminalised attempted suicide, the government has been slow to implement systems to prevent suicide.

    22 September 2026 · The Standard →

  7. High Court declares restrictions on retired presidents unconstitutional

    A High Court judge declared unconstitutional the law restricting retired presidents from holding political-party office and allowing Parliament to interfere with their retirement benefits, creating a conflict with another judge who upheld the same restriction a week earlier.

    22 September 2026 · The Standard →

  8. Treasury weaponises constitutional emergency clause for routine spending

    An opinion piece argues that the National Treasury has converted Article 223 of the Constitution—originally intended as a narrow escape valve for urgent crises—into a regular off-budget financing pipeline for highly predictable spending, which Parliament then regularises retroactively after commitments are complete.

    22 September 2026 · The Standard →

  9. Kenya, UNODC establish multi-agency team against cybercrime and trafficking

    Kenya and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have agreed to establish a multi-agency team to develop a national strategy combating cybercrime, maritime crime, drug abuse, and border control weaknesses. President Ruto committed to advancing Kenya's ratification of the UN Convention against Cybercrime and deepening cooperation on law enforcement training and treatment standards.

    22 September 2026 · The Standard →

Monday 21 September

  1. High Court voids provisions allowing ex-presidents' pension withdrawal

    Kenya's High Court has declared sections of the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act unconstitutional, ruling that provisions allowing the withholding, reduction, or deprivation of retirement benefits due to a former President are null and void. The court held that Sections 4 and 6 of the act are inconsistent with Article 151(3) of the Constitution.

    21 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  2. High Court declares law restricting former presidents' benefits unconstitutional

    Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that Parliament cannot reduce or withdraw the retirement benefits of a former president, declaring sections of the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act unconstitutional and voiding restrictions on retired heads of state holding political party office.

    21 September 2026 · Capital News →

  3. High Court rules retired presidents can engage in active politics

    The High Court has declared unconstitutional sections of law that barred retired presidents from engaging in active politics, with Judge Bahati Mwamuye ruling that a retired president becomes a private citizen upon leaving office and should not be locked out of political participation.

    21 September 2026 · The Standard →

Sunday 20 September

  1. Education stakeholders urge action for placed but absent students

    Education stakeholders are calling for urgent government action to support students who have been placed in universities and higher learning institutions but have not reported, with concerns that thousands could be left behind. Policy advisors have urged a nationwide "mop-up" exercise and requested Parliament legislate education access as a right rather than a promise.

    20 September 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 18 September

  1. Parliament sets two-month deadline for Galana-Kulalu boundary survey

    Parliament's Implementation Committee ordered the Director of Surveys to complete a survey of the disputed Galana-Kulalu Ranch boundaries in Kilifi County by November 17, 2026, requiring the participation of the Agricultural Development Corporation, National Land Commission, Kilifi County Government, and representatives of Waata and Giriama communities.

    18 September 2026 · Capital News →

  2. Teachers union calls for halt to education Bills debate

    KUPPET has called for suspension of public participation on two education Bills before Parliament, arguing that the proposed laws fail to give the Government a clear and enforceable mandate to fully finance education.

    18 September 2026 · The Standard →

  3. KUPPET calls for suspension of two education Bills

    Teachers have called for the suspension of ongoing public participation on two education Bills before Parliament, warning that the proposed laws fail to give the Government a clear and enforceable mandate to fully finance education.

    18 September 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 17 September

  1. High Court declares PPP law parts unconstitutional, orders amendment

    Kenya's High Court ruled that parts of the Public-Private Partnerships Act are unconstitutional, holding that Parliament must have oversight over PPP projects creating financial obligations for the government. The court suspended the effect of its declaration for six months to allow Parliament time to amend the law.

    17 September 2026 · Capital News →

  2. High Court nullifies PPP Act sections, mandates Parliament oversight

    Kenya's High Court has declared parts of the Public-Private Partnerships Act unconstitutional, requiring Parliament to have oversight where PPP projects create financial obligations for the government. The court has suspended the declaration for six months to allow Parliament time to amend the law.

    17 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  3. Kenya's governance mirrors distorted global map projections

    An opinion piece argues that Kenya's leadership crisis reflects a "political Mercator projection," where citizens have lowered expectations of governance while raising expectations of political leaders, creating what the author calls a "low-energy equilibrium" where minor achievements appear grand.

    17 September 2026 · The Standard →

Parliament — Kenyan press coverage · Kenya Minute