Fresh headlines and publisher-supplied excerpts from Kenya, Africa and the world—collected in one transparent, attributed briefing.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of allegedly using the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to create divisions within the Linda Mwananchi movement. Speaking in the United States on Saturday, September 19, Gachagua warned that the opposition coalition could face difficulties if its leaders fail to address growing tensions within the movement. […]
Read briefingNAIROBI, Kenya Sep 20 – Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has placed the fight against doping at the centre of the Mashujaa Day sporting tournament, warning that Kenya must protect young athletes from people who may try to exploit them.Murkomen said the competition, which will bring together teams from Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet, will be used not only to identify new sporting talent but also to promote what he described as “clean sports”.Speaking during the Mashujaa Day Sporting Activities Preparation Meeting and Media Launch in Eldoret, Murkomen said anti-doping would be among the key issues to be discussed during the tournament.“We are talking about issues to do with clean sports, which is doping and anti-doping,” Murkomen said.His remarks come as Kenya continues to strengthen its anti-doping programme. The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) says its work includes education, testing and investigations aimed at protecting clean athletes and promoting fair play.Murkomen said the government was working to deal with people he described as “cartels and criminals” running pharmacies and other facilities that could expose athletes to prohibited substances.“The government, the sports environment is working very hard to deal with the cartels and the criminals who are running pharmacies or running facilities that they want to misuse our children,” he said.The CS also said anti-doping would be given special attention during the tournament, with the Sports Ministry expected to organise a conference on issues affecting the country’s sporting sector.“I’m hoping that in the middle of this competition, Sports Ministry will put together a conference to discuss various subjects on the sports arena, including this issue of anti-doping,” Murkomen said.The tournament will also have strict eligibility rules aimed at giving upcoming players an opportunity to showcase their talent.Murkomen said players already registered in Division Two leagues and above will not be allowed to participate.“If a player is already registered as a player within Division Two and up, we will not allow them to play,” he said.He said the decision was intended to give unknown players a chance to attract the attention of professional clubs.“This is an opportunity for us to seek and market new talent for people who have not been seen,” Murkomen said.He added that teams and clubs would be encouraged to attend the matches and identify promising players.The tournament will follow a registration system beginning at village level, with organisers expected to ensure that players do not change teams along the way.The competition is also expected to attract intense interest because of the money at stake.Murkomen said the eventual winner could take home a cumulative Sh1.75 million after progressing through the different stages of the competition.At the ward level, the winner will receive Sh50,000, while the second, third and fourth-placed teams will receive Sh25,000, Sh15,000 and Sh10,000 respectively.At sub-county level, the winner will receive Sh200,000, followed by Sh150,000 for the runner-up, Sh100,000 for third place and Sh50,000 for fourth.At county level, the winner will receive Sh500,000, with Sh250,000 going to the runner-up, Sh150,000 to third place and Sh100,000 to fourth.The final in Eldoret will offer Sh1 million to the winner, Sh750,000 to the runner-up and Sh500,000 to the third-placed team.Murkomen said a player or team that wins through all the stages could therefore accumulate Sh1.75 million.“Do you know now how the stakes are high? If 22 people or about 30 people know that in less than a month they will go home with 1.75 million shillings?” he asked.“That is why the organization of this thing is very important. Fairness, referee must be fair,” Murkomen said.Murkomen also said the government would rely on existing public officers and county structures to reduce the cost of organising the tournament.County sports officials, ward administrators and other county employees will help coordinate the competition as part of their normal duties.National Government Administration Officers, from county commissioners to chiefs and village elders, will also support the tournament without being hired separately for the event.Murkomen said county health departments would similarly provide medical officers and ambulances at sporting venues.“The only people we are going to pay is referees and village organizers… which is part of pesa mfukoni to mwananchi,” he said.The Mashujaa Day sporting activities are part of wider preparations for the national celebrations, with Uasin Gishu expected to host the main celebrations in Eldoret on October 20, 2026.Murkomen said the sporting programme would also focus on security, sports infrastructure, talent development, clean sport and gender-based violence.
Read briefingSafaricom Crosses 1Mn Fixed Internet Subscribers The Kenyan Wallstreet
Read briefingVillages in rural Kenya experience the benefits of grid connection as households, businesses and public institutions gain access to electricity.
Read briefingREVIEW: Lupita Nyong’o Turns Domestic Violence Into a Study in Survival - Business Today Kenya
Read briefingMore than 270,000 newborns have been registered through Kenya’s electronic birth notification system.
Read briefingEd Sheeran told the crowd he had made mistakes after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for making pro-Palestinian remarks.
Read briefingNyege Nyege Returns to the Nile for 11th Edition With a Wakaliwood Twist - Business Today Kenya
Read briefingPolice clashed with several hundred far-right protesters in The Hague who pelted them with fireworks and other projectiles.
Read briefingWhat Ruto hailed as akili tupu is now at the centre of diplomatic and political controversy following Musevenis remarks.
Read briefingAgribusiness News & Analysis
Read briefingFull and Updated PFL Africa: Morocco Card Revealed MMA Sucka
Read briefingED SHEERAN is considering having his say following the fierce backlash over a decision to drop rapper Macklemore from his US tour after he made pro- Palestine comments on stage. I can reveal the Shape Of You singer is keen to do a TV interview amid the controversy, which has led to him receiving online...
Read briefingWhat Ruto hailed as akili tupu is now at the centre of diplomatic and political controversy following Musevenis remarks.
Read briefingANDY BURNHAM didn’t misspeak when he told me that “our national security cannot come at the expense of our social security”. He was finally being honest with the country about where his priorities lie. I couldn’t believe the words that had come out of his mouth. Labour MPs, on the other hand, cheered . . . apparently forgetting...
Read briefingNSE sell-off exposes Kenya’s blue-chip concentration risk as Ksh336B wiped out People Daily
Read briefingNSE sell-off exposes Kenya’s blue-chip concentration risk as Ksh336B wiped out People Daily
Read briefingAs of September 19, 2026, European governments across NATO’s eastern flank are operating under heightened alert over a potential escalation of Russian hybrid operations. Poland, France, Lithuania, Latvia, and other allies have issued coordinated warnings based on intelligence assessments of possible Russian sabotage, cyberattacks, and false-flag operations targeting critical infrastructure.Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on September 17, 2026, citing unidentified intelligence services, that Russia intends to launch “hybrid” attacks involving drones and missiles against countries supporting Ukraine. He warned that these potential strikes would have an “accidental” character, designed to paralyze or at least weaken the resolve of NATO states to invoke the alliance’s relevant provisions in case of aggression against a member country.“There is a real risk that drones or other types of projectiles will enter the territory of one or several countries on the eastern flank and even cause destruction,” Tusk told Poland’s parliament. “The official narration will be that it’s an accident and there is no reason for NATO to think about a response.”Tusk also suggested such attacks could coincide with political changes in European countries, bringing to power — or at least giving a strong voice to — those who, invoking noble slogans about peace and pacifism, would demand Ukraine’s total capitulation.Lithuania stated in early August 2026 that Moscow is considering a staged attack, and Poland, Latvia, and Estonia have also warned of acts of sabotage to test NATO’s response at a time when U.S. commitment to the alliance is in question.Russia’s northern NATO neighbours are tightening security around dams, power plants, and natural gas infrastructure. Lithuania dispatched the military to back up riot police in securing its liquefied natural gas import terminal, oil products terminal, a key power link with Poland, and the Kruonis Pumped Storage hydro plant. Latvia has increased security around all critical infrastructure facilities.A Baltic intelligence official said Russian military and domestic intelligence services are planning a foreign-flag operation against infrastructure in Russia or the Baltic states and Poland. In late June 2026, NATO received intelligence that Russia was preparing provocations against the Baltic states and Poland, and Western sources assessed that the risk increased after Ukrainian operations.Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told Reuters: “We are not naive, we see the information, we read between the lines and we are doing our homework.”On August 4, 2026, a drone carrying an explosive device was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany, close to Ukrainian cargo planes. The airport is a major logistics hub for military equipment and German freight company DHL.The German government formally concluded on September 1, 2026, that Russia was responsible for the attempted drone attack and ordered a series of measures in response. German investigators identified two men with ties to Russia as suspects in the plot.Ukrainian OSCE representative Yuriy Vitrenko stated that the Leipzig/Halle attack is part of a broader Moscow hybrid campaign across Europe — from sabotage and recruitment of intermediaries to GPS interference, cyberattacks, threats to underwater infrastructure, and repeated violations of NATO airspace.Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin labelled the Leipzig drone incident a “full-blown Russian attack” rather than a hybrid threat, stating that findings from Belgian services and partners point to Russian involvement in planning and execution.On September 15, 2026, jets deployed to the NATO air defense mission shot down what is alleged to have been a Russian drone violating Lithuanian airspace.On July 30, 2026, a missile — which Polish authorities believe was most likely a Russian Kh-101 — exploded near Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin Voivodeship.On August 16, a Spanish F/A-18 deployed in the NATO air policing mission shot down a drone that illegally entered Romanian airspace.On September 8, Moldovan authorities reported two Russian drones violating the country’s airspace, one of which crashed in Moldova while the other continued toward Romania.In August 2026, attack drones were found hidden at an airport in Germany that serves as a transit hub for NATO.Russia has been using a facility in Kaliningrad to direct Ukrainian drones toward the Baltic states and Finland by jamming the drones’ signals and spoofing them with false navigation data.Lithuania’s Communications Regulatory Authority reported that Russia has increased its GPS jamming capability from 3 stations in early 2025 to 36 stations, with the radius of false GPS signals reaching 450 kilometers from Kaliningrad.GPS interference across the Baltic Sea region is eroding satellite navigation reliability, forcing aviation and defense sectors to prepare for unreliable satellite navigation.
Read briefingTwo Germans were arrested Saturday after they stuck two paintings on a wall of the hall that hosts the Mona Lisa in Paris's Louvre museum, police sources said.
Read briefingPhoto of the current dais at Kenyatta Stadium in Maralal Town, Samburu County, where dignitaries sit during national and local events. The dais was constructed in the late 1980s and has undergone various repairs over the years. Maralal. facebook.com
Read briefingLIAM ROSENIOR had to be held back in a mass brawl after furiously goading Strasbourg fans. The ex-Chelsea boss, 42, returned to Ligue 1 after his Stamford Bridge sacking. He took over at Paris FC in July and faced former employers Strasbourg for the first time on Saturday. Paris ran out 2-1 winners to maintain...
Read briefingElor Azaria had shot a Palestinian who had already been incapacitated by Israeli troops, in controversial case.Israeli President Isaac Herzog has expunged the criminal record of a former soldier convicted of manslaughter for killing a wounded Palestinian in Hebron a decade ago.Herzog announced on Saturday that he had shortened the remaining erasure period on Elor Azaria’s record, effectively clearing it despite opposition from Israeli army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir.In a letter to the defence minister, Zamir and other senior officers said Azaria “has refrained from expressing remorse and taking responsibility for his actions, even a decade after his conviction”.The president’s office said it had taken the military’s position into account but decided the circumstances justified allowing Azaria to “open a new chapter in his life”.Azaria, an army medic at the time, was filmed shooting Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the head in March 2016.Al-Sharif had stabbed and wounded a soldier but had already been shot by Israeli troops and had lain on the ground for about 11 minutes before Azaria killed him.Azaria was convicted by a military court in 2017 and sentenced to 18 months in prison, later reduced to 14 months. He was released in May 2018 after serving nine months.Herzog’s office said the decision followed a request from Defence Minister Israel Katz in July and was based on “the passage of time, the completion of his sentence, and the remorse he has expressed”.The statement added that the pardon was issued “in the spirit” of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, and did not challenge the original legal proceedings.Katz welcomed the pardon, writing on X that it “sends an important message to [Israeli army] soldiers and their families: We do not abandon our fighters”.Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, called the decision “deeply moving” and urged Herzog to grant a similar pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption.The 2016 shooting generated intense debate in Israel and drew international condemnation at the time.The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had condemned the shooting as an “extrajudicial execution” and a “war crime”, saying the video footage “demolished all the slogans chanted by the occupation leaders about the ethics of the Israeli army”.The family of al-Sharif had dismissed the legal proceedings as a “farce” aimed at improving Israel’s international image rather than delivering justice.The United Nations human rights office described the original sentence as “excessively lenient” and said it risked “reinforcing the culture of impunity”. In 2024, the Joe Biden administration barred Azaria and his immediate family from entering the United States, citing an “extrajudicial killing”.
Read briefingANDY Burnham plans to channel former US President Barack Obama and make his debut Labour conference speech “all about hope”. The new Labour PM is facing a big test as he sets out his stall to the party faithful at their annual get-together in Liverpool next week. Government insiders said he plans to “do a...
Read briefingPETERBOROUGH have sacked manager Luke Williams after a poor start to the season that has seen the League One outfit drop to the relegation zone. And some Posh fans are convinced Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson's son Darren Ferguson will return to the dugout for a FIFTH time. The EFL side parted ways with...
Read briefing