Insurance Regulatory Authority emblem. [Standard, File] The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) has ordered 20 insurance brokers to cease operations in unclear circumstances. In a statement dated July 8, IRA’s Commissioner of Insurance Godfrey Kiptum directed the brokers to stop offering services starting June 30 after their licenses were cancelled. The decision has been made in line with the Insurance Act that allows for the cancellation of licenses for firms that breach regulatory requirements. “Pursuant to section 196 (A) of the Insurance Act, the insurance brokers whose names appear below have ceased transacting insurance business with effect from June 30, 2025,”…
Author: By Beatrice Makokha
Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), Chairperson Ekwe Ethuro during an interview on Spice FM. [Screengrab] A sharp contradiction has emerged between the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), Chairperson Ekwe Ethuro and HELB CEO Geoffrey Monari, giving conflicting state of affairs over the true financial state of student funding. While Ethuro during an interview on Spice FM on Thursday insists that HELB is financially sound, Monari paints a grim picture. “HELB is not broke. It’s just like any other entity,” said Ethuro. “We got Sh34.6 billion last year, and have been allocated Sh41 billion this year. Of course, demand is rising,…
Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant Tony Gachoka. [Screen Grab] Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant Tony Gachoka has accused the government of lacking moral authority over its response to recent anti-government protests. Speaking on Spice FM on Tuesday, July 15, Gachoka condemned the state’s handling of demonstrations, citing escalating police brutality and the violent suppression of dissent. “We are in a dangerous situation because we are in a government that has lost moral authority. We are in a government that is a criminal enterprise, a criminal enterprise because there is no constitutional mandate or authority to kill people for absolutely no reason in order to…
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i. [File, Standard] Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i has condemned the growing trend among some politicians of attributing national challenges to specific communities, calling such rhetoric dangerous for national unity. “When you hear some leaders, you get shocked, even angry. It’s laughable if not for the seriousness of the issues. Problems exist in Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii, Taita Taveta yet someone claims it’s one tribe to blame. That’s not just wrong; it’s reckless,” he said. He emphasized that Kenya’s systemic challenges are widespread and should not be framed in tribal terms. “The…
Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya. [Martin Ndiema,The Standard] Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has accused the national government of hypocrisy, claiming leaders use a so-called broad-based approach to silence critics while rewarding tribal voting blocs. Speaking on Spice FM on Wednesday, July 9, Natembeya said the push for a broad-based government is nothing but a ploy to neutralise dissent by co-opting potential critics into government positions. “Broad-based government is an escape from accountability, that the people who are supposed to be criticising you join the eating table and therefore they keep quiet,” noted Natembeya. “It is actually bread-based, not broad-based,”…
Kenyan lawyer and human rights activist Martha Karuas during the Professor Ngugi wa thiongo celebrations of his life and literal works at the taifa hall , University of Nairobi on 20th June 2025 [David Gichuru, Standard] People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has accused the government of sponsoring violence during recent protests as a strategy to stay in power. Speaking on Spice FM on Tuesday, July 1, Karua claimed the state was enabling terror by hiring goons and using excessive force on peaceful demonstrators. “It is when a regime ceases to rely on the law enforcement agencies, and on lawful means and…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki. [DPCS] Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has warned that Kenya will not be allowed to slide into anarchy, following Wednesday’s nationwide protests that turned violent.“We will not allow ever again what happened yesterday to be repeated. We cannot allow our country to slide into anarchy, lawlessness, and chaos,” said the DP on Thursday, June 26. “We will do whatever it takes to protect the country from sliding into anarchy. What happened yesterday is a turning point.” Kindiki described Wednesday’s protests as “the most violent and anarchist day in the history of Kenya since the 2007–08 post-election violence.”…
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino at Parliament buildings on March 12, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] Embakasi East Member of Parliament Paul Ongili, popularly known as Babu Owino, claims the government has withdrawn his security detail. Babu alleged that the move was a response to his participation in Wednesday’s protests, that marked the anniversary of the June 2024 protests. “Yesterday, I stood with the people, not against the nation, but for its future. I exercised my democratic right to protest peacefully against the actions of a government that is failing its citizens. Today, in retaliation, the government has withdrawn my official security,” he wrote…
President William Ruto with Jerusha Muthoni, woman at the centre of a social media storm. [Sourced, X] President William Ruto’s development tours have drawn criticism and speculation over the years. One woman with repeated appearances at official functions has been the subject of viral online discussions. Jerusha Muthoni, a familiar face at several of the president’s project launches, has been accused by netizens of being a planted beneficiary used to promote Kenya Kwanza initiatives. The claims resurfaced after the recent launch of the affordable housing project in Mukuru kwa Njenga, Nairobi, where Muthoni was introduced as the first beneficiary. Social…
President William Ruto sets ablaze illegal firearms at the National Police Leadership Academy in Ngong’, Kajiado County on June 13, 2025. [William Ruto, X] President William Ruto has vowed that his administration will protect citizens from rogue police officers and hold to account any officer who does not operate under the rule of law. “We want a nation that is based on the rule of law,” Ruto said Friday, while presiding over the 20th anniversary ceremony of the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA), marking two decades of efforts to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Referencing…