(Reuters) – Kenya stepped up its efforts to ease its financing pressures on Wednesday, saying it would buy back up to half a billion dollars of its existing debt and issue longer-term replacement bonds to fund it.
Finance Minister John Mbadi said last week there was scope to smooth the country’s borrowing curve further, after the government tapped the market twice last year to also pay off maturing bonds.
Wednesday’s move saw the government launch buy-back tenders for up to $350 million of its 8% bond due in 2032 and up to $150 million for its 7.25% 2028 maturing bond , it said in a regulatory notice, inclusive of accrued interest.
The offer, which will close on Feb. 25, will be accompanied by the issuance of a dual-tranche dollar bond with a weighted-average maturity of seven and 12 years.
The move to proactively deal with maturing debt follows a serious bout of market stress in 2024 when concerns around its ability to pay its debt saw the country’s credit rating downgraded and hit its shilling currency .
Kenya is the latest African country to take advantage of the current strong investor appetite for high-yielding but riskier emerging market debt.
The Republic of Congo carried out a similar buyback this month. Ivory Coast also entered the market on Wednesday to issue a 14-year dollar bond, IFR reported.
(Reporting by Duncan Miriri and George Obulutsa; Editing by Marc Jones and Anil D’Silva)
The United Opposition has shelved its planned protests that were set for Friday, February 20, 2026, pointing to progress in investigations into the January 25 attack at Witima ACK Church in Othaya and an alleged attempt on the life of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
In a Thursday, February 19 statement, leaders, including Gachagua, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa, and Jubilee deputy party leader Fred Matiang’i, indicated there was no longer a need to march to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja’s office or proceed with demonstrations, after receiving assurances from investigative agencies.
“The United Alternative Government hereby announces that we shall not be returning to the office of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Douglas Kanja,” the statement reads.
The leaders revealed they had been informed that investigations into the Witima ACK Church attack were complete.
Images showing the aftermath of the attacks on former DP Gachagua in Othaya, Nyeri County, on Sunday, January 25, 2026. /RIGATHI GACHAGUA
They claimed that 12 police officers allegedly involved in the attack—using two Land Cruiser vehicles from Nairobi—had been identified, along with two Members of Parliament accused of financing the operation.
“We have, however, since been reliably informed that investigations into the Witima ACK Church attack have in fact been concluded. The perpetrators have been identified: twelve police officers who executed the attack using two Land Cruiser vehicles from Nairobi. The financiers have also been identified: two Members of Parliament from Murang’a and Nyeri counties,” they said.
They further alleged that the case file, which was ready to be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), was intercepted by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, with instructions halting any prosecution.
“We further understand that the investigative file was ready for transmission to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Shockingly, that file has reportedly been intercepted by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Kipchumba Murkomen, with directions that no prosecution shall take place,” reads the statement.
“We call this what it is: a criminal abuse of power. It is an obstruction of justice. It is the deliberate use of a government ministry to shield would-be assassins from accountability. CS Murkomen has, by this act, placed himself squarely on the wrong side of the Constitution, the law, and the Kenyan people. He has weaponised the Interior Ministry to protect criminals in uniform and their political patrons.”
The leaders termed the alleged move a direct assault on the rule of law and a breach of the Constitution, stressing that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions operates independently under Article 157(10) and cannot be directed by any authority.
Quoting the National Police Service motto, they added, “Service to all cannot mean protection for the powerful and repression for the opposition. Service to all cannot mean shielding rogue officers while tear-gassing citizens exercising their constitutional rights. Service to all must mean fidelity to the Constitution, impartial enforcement of the law, and equal protection for every Kenyan.”
They argued that continuing engagement with the Inspector General would be “not only unnecessary, but a disservice to Kenyans,” alleging that his authority had been undermined by political interests.
“We therefore find it not only unnecessary, but a disservice to Kenyans, to continue engaging an Inspector General whose hands have been tied by his political masters, and who presides over a force that has been turned into a private militia for the protection of those in power,” reads the statement.
The opposition leaders also announced plans to pursue private prosecutions under Article 157(6)(b) of the Constitution, Section 28 of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Act, 2013, and Section 88 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
“The United Alternative Government hereby announces that we shall, without further delay, initiate private prosecutions against: • All twelve (12) police officers who participated in the Witima ACK Church attack and the attempted assassination of H.E. Rigathi Gachagua; • The two (2) Members of Parliament who financed and facilitated this criminal operation,” reads the statement.
“The law is on our side. The Constitution is on our side. The Kenyan people are on our side. The perpetrators of this cowardly act, and those who have moved to protect them, should be under no illusion: they will be held to account.”
The leaders further urged IG Kanja to avoid “attacking our upcoming meetings” scheduled in Nairobi, Kisii, Nyamira, and Nakuru later this month.
“These are lawful assemblies protected under Article 37 of the Constitution of Kenya, which guarantees every person the right to peacefully assemble, demonstrate, picket, and present petitions to public authorities,” the statement read.
The opposition team had earlier stormed Kanja’s office on Monday, February 16, protesting recent attacks targeting events linked to Gachagua.
Gachagua has repeatedly faulted the police chief for allegedly failing to expedite investigations into the incidents, even with what he claims is available evidence linking some officers to the attacks.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has responded to opposition claims that the government is behind incidents of teargas use during political rallies, stating that investigations are underway to establish how the canisters ended up in civilian hands.
Speaking during a security briefing in the North Rift region, Murkomen stated that teargas canisters might have fallen into the wrong hands, noting that some incidents had been reported even in areas without police presence.
“It is possible that we have tear gas canisters in the wrong hands because, in some instances, even where police presence was not, we’ve seen teargas has been used in rallies,” he stated.
Murkomen also added that the Inspector General of Police had launched investigations to determine whether civilians had teargas canisters or whether there was any collusion involving security officers.
According to his inquiries, the CS stated that the teargas used by the civilians was the same that had never detonated when lobbed by the police to disperse crowds. Additionally, he said that there may be another person who is giving out the teargas to the people illegally.
“I can tell you for sure it is not police officers who are using those teargas, and they are not used under the command and the direction of the police officers who are in command,” he added.
Murkomen has been at the centre of the storm as the National Police Service and the opposition engage in counteraccusations over who is responsible for the chaos that has followed them at every rally.
On January 25, 2026, a violent confrontation erupted at the Witima ACK Church in Othaya, Nyeri, during a service attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and several opposition leaders. The incident began when armed individuals, some reportedly wearing hoods, stormed the church compound, firing live rounds into the air and lobbing teargas canisters directly into the sanctuary.
The chemical fumes caused a stampede among hundreds of congregants, including infants and the elderly. During the chaos, Gachagua’s personal vehicle was set ablaze, and several other cars in his motorcade were destroyed. While Gachagua and his allies have termed the event a state-sponsored assassination attempt, government officials have counter-accused the opposition of “scripting” the violence for political sympathy.
The Witima attack is part of a broader pattern of heightened political tension in 2026, where several rallies held by the United Opposition, comprising Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Eugene Wamalwa, have been met with force.
Earlier this month, a major rally in Embu was disrupted by police who used teargas to disperse crowds gathered to hear Kalonzo Musyoka, citing “security concerns” and unauthorized assembly.
A similar scene unfolded in Mombasa later that month, where a consultative forum led by the opposition was broken up by anti-riot police using water cannons and teargas, leading to several injuries and a standoff that lasted hours.
In a separate but equally chaotic incident, a rally led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in Kitengela was also targeted by police. As Sifuna addressed a large gathering focused on the rising cost of living, police moved in to disperse the crowd with heavy volleys of teargas. The Senator and his supporters were forced to seek cover in nearby shops as the town center was engulfed in smoke, leading to a temporary shutdown of businesses along the Namanga Highway.
BBC -The White House has warned Iran would be “very wise” to make a deal with the US, amid reports that President Donald Trump is weighing fresh military action against the Islamic Republic.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a news briefing that Trump was still hoping for a diplomatic resolution over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Her comments come as the US moves a second battleship into the region, and a day after progress was reported at US-Iran talks in Switzerland.
US media reported on Wednesday that Trump had discussed attack options with advisers, and that a US strike could take place as early as Saturday. Last summer the US military launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump had not yet made a final decision about whether to attack and ongoing conversations were described as fluid, sources have told the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday there were “many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran”.
She referred to US strikes in June, adding: “Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with his administration.”
Although no breakthrough seemed to have emerged from Tuesday’s indirect talks in Geneva, both sides indicated that there had been steps in the right direction.
Iran said an understanding had been reached with the US on the main “guiding principles” that will frame efforts to resolve the dispute around Tehran’s nuclear programme. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi added that work still needed to be done.
The US said “progress was made” and Badr Albusaidi, the foreign minister of Oman, which is mediating the talks, said the negotiations “concluded with good progress” on common aims and technical issues.
Asked about the Geneva negotiations, the White House press secretary said that Washington and Tehran were still “far apart” on some key issues.
“I think you heard from the administration and the state department yesterday that there was a little bit of progress made, but we’re still very far apart on some issues,” Leavitt said.
“I believe the Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks, and so the president will continue to watch how this plays out.”
Leavitt declined to say whether Israel would be involved in the US decision.
Earlier in the week, Iran said it had reached an understanding with the US on the main “guiding principles” to resolve their dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Iran has said it wants to focus discussions on its nuclear programme and the potential lifting of economic sanctions, while Washington indicated previously it wanted Iran’s missile development to be part of any talks.
The US and its European allies suspect that Iran is moving towards the development of a nuclear weapon, something that Tehran has always denied.
The US has been ramping up its military presence in the waters near Iran, and as satellite images show the Islamic Republic fortifying sensitive military sites.
BBC Verify has confirmed the location of the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln – equipped with guided missile destroyers and dozens of fighter jets – near Iran.
The US has also reportedly sent the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest warship, to the Middle East. It is expected to arrive in the region within the next three weeks.
All US military forces deployed to the region were expected to be in place by mid-March, a US official and a senior military official told CBS.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted on X on Tuesday an AI-generated image of the Ford at the bottom of the ocean.
“The US President constantly says that the US has sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware,” Khamenei’s post said.
“However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”
Khamenei also accused the US of attempting to predetermine the outcome of negotiations and said that would be a “wrong and foolish thing to do”.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has responded to the US build up by launching a maritime drill in the Strait of Hormuz, located in the Gulf between Oman and Iran, on Monday.
The Strait is considered a vital international waterway and oil export route from Gulf Arab states.
A Sh17.2 billion funding shortfall has put operations in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) at risk, with the State Department for ASALs and Regional Development warning that key services could grind to a halt in the 2026/27 financial year.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Regional Development on Thursday, Principal Secretary Kello Harsama said the department requires Sh28.4 billion but has been allocated only Sh11.2 billion in the 2026 Budget Policy Statement.
“We urge the Committee to consider allocating additional funds to bridge the gaps,” Mr. Harsama said, cautioning that the deficit threatens service delivery in some of the country’s most vulnerable regions.
The department revealed that its headquarters has received no operational funding, despite requiring Sh250 million for core administrative functions, including the offices of the Cabinet Secretary and Principal Secretary. Critical areas such as vehicle replacement, office furnishing and foreign travel are also unfunded.
A further Sh240 million gap affects the National Drought Early Warning Information System, recently transferred to the department through an Executive Order. Monitoring and evaluation, communication and staff training remain unfunded, creating a recurrent deficit of Sh752 million.
Seven semi-autonomous agencies face a Sh1.7 billion shortfall for salaries and statutory obligations, with the Lake Basin Development Authority and the Coast Development Authority among the hardest hit.
Development projects are equally strained, with a Sh9.7 billion deficit threatening flagship initiatives.
The Ewaso Ng’iro South Development Authority-led leather factory requires Sh478 million to complete key infrastructure, while pastoralist feedlot systems, fruit tree seedling production and irrigation schemes face severe funding gaps.
Committee chairperson, Hon. Peter Lochakapong sought clarification on how certain headquarters-implemented projects including the proposed production of five billion tree seedlings would be executed, noting they had earlier been earmarked for Regional Development Authorities.
He also questioned the department’s role in managing the Equalization Fund and why resources were being sought for ARTECT under the Office of the President.
In response, Mr. Harsama said ARTECT operates from State House and was established to restore peace in conflict-prone areas such as Turkana County and West Pokot County. He noted that discussions are ongoing on transferring the office to the department to enhance operational effectiveness.
The PS warned that underfunding has crippled Regional Development Authorities, some of which have resorted to bank overdrafts to pay staff after the National Treasury reduced allocations when their dissolution was proposed.
He cautioned that prolonged budget cuts could derail the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda in ASAL regions as the Committee finalises its recommendations on the 2026 Budget.
David Mokaya can now breathe a sigh of relief after the Milimani Magistrates court acquitted him of all charges.
He had been charged with publishing false information of allegedly sharing an image of a funeral Procession and caption President William Ruto’s Body Leaving Lee Funeral home.
In her judgment, Magistrate Caroline Nyaguthi held that the evidence presented by the State was insufficient to sustain a conviction, particularly noting serious procedural flaws in the manner in which key digital evidence was obtained.
The court found that the accused person’s electronic devices were examined without a valid court order, contrary to legal requirements governing the handling of digital evidence.
Although investigators claimed that they had secured orders authorising the search and extraction of data from the gadgets, those orders were never produced before the court.
As a result, the magistrate ruled that the examination of the devices was conducted unlawfully after they had already been seized, rendering the evidence obtained from them unreliable.
The court further emphasised that offences involving cybercrime demand strict compliance with the law, given the sensitive nature of electronic evidence, which can easily be manipulated or interfered with if proper safeguards are not followed.
During the trial, the prosecution called six witnesses in an attempt to link Mokaya to the alleged offence.
However, the court found that the State failed to establish that the accused was the person who authored or posted the impugned content.
According to the prosecution, Mokaya was accused of using his X (formerly Twitter) account under the handle “Landlord @bozgabi” to publish the image on November 13, 2024.
However, the evidence presented did not conclusively connect him to the account or the publication in question.
In the absence of credible and legally obtained evidence linking the accused to the alleged offence, the court held that the prosecution had failed to discharge its burden of proof.
Consequently, the charges against Mokaya were dismissed and he was set at liberty.
Ange Postecoglou says he would not consider a return to managing Celtic despite the “amazing experience” he enjoyed in Glasgow.
The Australian lifted five trophies in two years at the club, and won the affection of fans with his attacking style of play before leaving for Tottenham Hotspur in 2023.
Postecoglou has been out of work since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in October and has been linked with a return to Celtic in the summer as the Premiership champions search for their next permanent manager.
The 60-year-old told The Overlap it was not in his nature to return to a job he had done before.
“I don’t go back,” he said. “I don’t think that’s been my career.”
However, Postecoglou talked about his time as Celtic manager in positive terms, saying he loved the passion of the fans.
“I loved Celtic,” he said. “What a football club. If I was younger, I probably would have stayed there longer for three or four years.
“I think I could have made progress with them in Europe. But at the time, it had taken me a lot of time to get to this space and the opportunity to join Tottenham was too good.
“In terms of going back, I don’t go back. I don’t think that’s been my career.
“Whatever the next step is, I think it will be something new, something I can make an impact in, somewhere I can win things.
“It doesn’t diminish the affection I have for Celtic. It was a great experience. For two years, to be within a community that is so passionate, and it’s crazy how passionate they are, obviously I was fortunate enough to have success.
“It’s a positive experience and I loved every minute of it. I look back on it fondly but… I won’t go back. It’s not how my career plays out.”
He also described the city rivalry with Rangers and shared memories of his first season in charge, when the club won the Premiership and League Cup.
“Nobody is going to talk to me about rivalry,” Postecoglou said. “I lived and breathed it there.
“The perfect weekend in Scotland is Celtic winning, Rangers losing. Celtic winning, Rangers winning is not a good weekend.
“I remember the first year I was there we won the double but Rangers were in the Europa League final. I got more text messages the night they lost the Europa League final than the night we won the league.
Two successive defeats since have led to them dropping into the bottom three, two points from safety.
The Premier League, who initially charged Leicester with breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR) in the three years up to 2023-24 in May, have also lodged their own appeal against the commission’s decision not to sanction the club for late submission of their annual accounts.
“To provide certainty for all clubs and fans, the Premier League will be seeking to have the appeal resolved urgently, and in any event before the end of the EFL season,” a Premier League statement said., external
Both parties have submitted their appeals to the chair of the judicial panel, who will now appoint an appeal board to hear the case.
But when the points deduction was announced, the club described it as “disproportionate”.
“While the commission’s findings significantly reduced the unprecedented scale of the sanction originally sought by the Premier League, the recommendation remains disproportionate and does not adequately reflect the mitigating factors presented, the importance of which cannot be overstated given the potential impact on our sporting ambitions this season,” the statement said.
Under PSR, Premier League clubs cannot lose more than £105m over three years but the figure is reduced by £22m for every season a club spends outside the top flight.
Leicester’s accounts for the period ending 30 June, 2024, showed a loss of £19.4m.
In their 2022-23 accounts, Leicester confirmed an £89.7m loss, while in the 12 months up to May 2022, they lost a club-record £92.5m.
Those figures do not take into account ‘add backs’ – costs such as building infrastructure and investing in women’s football that the Premier League and EFL view as in general interests of clubs.
Despite being charged by the Premier League, the EFL took on the case following Leicester’s relegation to the second tier.
Although the Premier League had jurisdiction, the Foxes have been sanctioned under EFL PSR rules.
Leicester had argued their case should have been considered over a 36-month period rather than 37 months, caused by a delay in submitting their accounts for 2023-24.
The commission ruled that it should be 36 months meaning the club’s overspend of the EFL’s rules during that period was £20.8m above the £83m limit.
Although a maximum 12-point penalty could have been imposed, the committee worked down based on Leicester’s percentage overspend and settled on six in light of the club’s “improving financial position” over the assessment period.
The Russian Embassy in Kenya has dismissed allegations linking it to the recruitment of Kenyans to fight in the ongoing Ukraine war.
In a statement on Thursday, February 19, the embassy accused sections of the Kenyan media of spreading misleading narrative regarding Kenyans who travelled to Russia and later participated in combat operations.
“The Embassy of the Russian Federation has noted with great concern that a dangerous and misleading propaganda campaign has been unfolding in the Kenyan media and public space around cases of Kenyan citizens who travelled to the Russian Federation, joined the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and saw combat in the conflict in Ukraine,” the statement read.
The embassy claimed that the reports had escalated beyond general commentary and now included direct accusations against its Nairobi-based mission and staff.
“Even as the Russian and Kenyan governments have been in close contact on the related issues, the campaign has recently culminated in direct accusations against the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Nairobi and its staff of involvement in rogue schemes of recruitment of Kenyans to become combatants in the conflict in Ukraine,” the statement added.
Addressing the recruitment claims, the mission denied any involvement in illegal enlistment of Kenyan citizens into Russia’s military structures.
“The Embassy refutes such allegations in the strongest possible terms. The Government authorities of Russia have never engaged in illegal recruitment of Kenyan citizens in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” the statement continued.
File Image of two Kenyans killed while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war
The mission also responded to assertions that the embassy may have facilitated travel for Kenyans intending to participate in the war.
It maintained that it has neither encouraged nor coordinated with any parties to persuade Kenyans to join the conflict under false pretenses.
“At no point in time throughout the ongoing crisis in Ukraine the Embassy ever issued visas to Kenyan citizens who sought to travel to Russia with the stated purpose of participating in the Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine.
“Nor has the Embassy been encouraging any Kenyan citizen to do so, let alone colluding with any entities or individuals to coerce or lure Kenyans into participating in the SMO under false pretext,” the statement further read.
However, the embassy clarified that under Russian law, foreign nationals who are legally present in the country are permitted to voluntarily enlist in the armed forces.
“However, it must be understood that the legislation of the Russian Federation does not preclude citizens of foreign countries from voluntarily enlisting in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, if they stay in Russia on a legal basis and choose to take part in the battle against the NATO-backed Ukrainian Nazism shoulder to shoulder with Russian servicemen,” the statement concluded.
This comes days after three Kenyan men conscripted into the Russian asked the government to intervene for their release and return to Kenya.
The trio contacted activist Boniface Mwangi to air their situation, claiming that their efforts to reach out to the Kenyan mission in Moscow were yet to bear fruit.
In an update on Sunday, February 15, Mwangi said the men were trapped in Western Russia, asking the Kenyan government to intervene for their rescue.
“I have been in touch with some Kenyans who are in the Russian military. Our embassy in Moscow has refused to help them, and today they asked me to release their names,” he said.
The three were identified as Nicholas Kaino Kiprotich, Samuel Maina Kariuki, and Kelvin Lemashon.
“They are in Taunishevka, Western Russia, waiting to be deployed. None of their friends who have been sent to the frontline has come back alive; two of them, David and Reuben, are dead,” Mwangi added.
The High Court in Kericho has ruled that UDA aspirant John Chebochok, who was implicated in a sex scandal, is unfit to hold public office.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, February 19, the Court ruled that Chebochok had grossly violated the Constitution.
The aspirant had been unmasked in a BBC Expose for allegedly soliciting sexual favours for employees seeking job opportunities in tea farms in Kericho.
“The Court issues a declaration that the 1st Respondent violated Articles 10(2), 26, 28 and 73 of the Constitution and is therefore unfit to hold any public office in the Republic of Kenya, and;
“A declaration that the 1st Respondent is consequently ineligible to contest for any public office and is consequently barred from holding any public office,” the judgment read in part.
The judge further issued an order stopping his swearing in as Director of the Tea Factory, Ainamoi Zone.
In addition, the Court directed the Kenya National Human Rights and Equality Commission to investigate the systematic issues of sexual exploitation in the Tea Industry as per their mandate under Article 59 of the Constitution of Kenya.
The decision was welcomed by the Coalition Against Sexual Violence, which had filed a petition to challenge his ascension to office after being elected as Director in the wake of the Expose.
Many Kenyans questioned why President William Ruto had allowed his UDA party to be associated with Chebochok.
This is after they singled him out among the UDA aspirants who attended a meeting hosted by President Ruto at State House.
“What is more astounding is how someone filmed sexually exploiting vulnerable women can don the party colours of the president’s party, attend a party candidates’ conference, and be considered by the ruling party for public office,” journalist Ferdinand Omondi poked.
