National Assembly PHOTO:COURTESY The fifth session of the current 13th Parliament is scheduled to start this month, with the National Assembly expected to resume next week on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Ahead of the scheduled resumption, the National Assembly spent the better part of last week in a retreat in Naivasha, trying to thrash out its agenda. Judging by what is likely to be a highly charged context, the fifth session may yield both predictable and unpredictable dynamics. This being the penultimate session of the current Parliament, and if history is anything to go by, the upcoming 2027 elections are…
Author: By Alex Ogutu
National Assembly PHOTO:COURTESY The fifth session of the current 13th Parliament is scheduled to start this month, with the National Assembly expected to resume next week on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Ahead of the scheduled resumption, the National Assembly spent the better part of last week in a retreat in Naivasha, trying to thrash out its agenda. Judging by what is likely to be a highly charged context, the fifth session may yield both predictable and unpredictable dynamics. This being the penultimate session of the current Parliament, and if history is anything to go by, the upcoming 2027 elections are…
Parents and learners during Grade 10 admission at Nyambaria High School in Nyamira County. [Sammy Omingo, Standard] The basic education sector has dominated news headlines consistently in the recent past, especially the weeks following the placement of pioneer senior secondary school students. From the confusion surrounding placement, to the more recent challenge of thousands of students unable to afford the various schools they have been admitted to, the chaos in the basic education sector remains on full display. The longevity of the focus on the ongoing transition, with its attendant challenges, is arguably unprecedented. Media has done a commendable job…
Parents and learners during Grade 10 admission at Nyambaria High School in Nyamira County. [Sammy Omingo, Standard] The basic education sector has dominated news headlines consistently in the recent past, especially the weeks following the placement of pioneer senior secondary school students. From the confusion surrounding placement, to the more recent challenge of thousands of students unable to afford the various schools they have been admitted to, the chaos in the basic education sector remains on full display. The longevity of the focus on the ongoing transition, with its attendant challenges, is arguably unprecedented. Media has done a commendable job…
ODM leader Oburu Odinga addresses party delegates at his home in Bondo, Siaya. [File, Standard] As 2025 came to a close, Infotrak released an opinion poll showing the popularity of political parties across the country. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) polled second, with 19 per cent rating; after the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) that scored 23 per cent. ODM’s impressive polling seemed to defy the fomenting internal crisis following the death of Raila Odinga. A plausible explanation is that the party continues to reap the dividends of the establishment built by Raila. But although the support system appears to remain intact, the…
The National Assembly during a past session. MPs passed the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill, 2025. [File, Standard] Echoes of constitutional amendment have dominated the corridors of the both Houses Parliament in the last few weeks. The National Assembly was the first to move in that direction. The assembly marshaled the two-thirds magic number, enough to pass the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill, 2025. The object of the Bill was to entrench key Parliament-managed funds, among them National Government Constituencies Development Fund, popularly known as NG-CDF. Successful mobilisation of the threshold needed was to pass this Bill was unsurprising. For…
The late teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang who died in custody at Central Police Station in Nairobi. [File, Standard] Albert Ojwang has refused to rest. His spirit roams furiously, indomitably. In his speechless and motionless stature, he has monopolised the national airtime. He rightly refused his county-mate, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, his moment of glory during his inaugural presentation of the national budget in the National Assembly (pun intended). It must be baffling to his killers how his case has defied all attempts to be swept under the impunity carpet. The Ojwang case has shone a ray of…
President William Ruto and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on April 24, 2025. [File, Standard] In May 2024, President William Ruto was accorded a highly privileged visit by the United States. His host then, President Joe Biden, accorded him a state visit, then the first for an African Head of State in 16 years. The visit came with significant wins for Kenya, economically and geostrategically. The country was designated as a major non-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) US ally, a first in sub-Saharan Africa. The visit was rightly viewed within…
Nalondo special School performing a cultural Dance titled Elaputopu during the National Drama and Film Festival Gala at Melvin Jones Academy in Nakuru on April 15,2025.[Kipsang Joseph, Standard] Last week, Nakuru played host to this year’s drama festival. The usual norm and routine that comes with such festival was, however, disrupted. An unexpected layer of drama arrested the nation’s attention; but it was real and serious. The play ‘Echoes of war’ by Butere Girls High School was rudely disrupted. Opinions continue to be shared with various contributors advancing arguments that align with their interests. For lawyers, opinion is predictably divided; with some supporting the…