President William Ruto pushed back hard on criticisms of his main economic plan recently. He spoke at the Kimalel Goat Auction event in Baringo, defending his so called Bottom-Up Economic Agenda, or BETA. Ruto claimed this same plan got him over 7.2 million votes back in the last election. He stated its whole purpose is to move Kenya from a third world economy into a first world one. He specifically denied ditching this agenda for a new idea people are calling the Singapore Dream. He told critics to check page ten of the Kenya Kwanza manifesto for proof.
Ruto said everything his administration is doing came straight from that original document. He mentioned the newly approved National Infrastructure Fund as a key example. That fund, in...
Kenya's Treasury plans an eightfold expansion of a government-backed loan program. The Credit Guarantee Scheme will grow from three billion to over twenty-five billion shillings. This aims to unlock fifty billion shillings in bank loans for small businesses typically denied credit.
The draft budget statement says the program will facilitate lending for more than two hundred thousand enterprises. It works by having the state absorb part of the default risk, encouraging banks to offer loans to businesses without traditional collateral. This initiative will run alongside a separate private sector guarantee scheme still in development.
Since its 2020 launch, the existing scheme has seen slow use, with total disbursements around six point...
Kenya's capital markets regulator has licensed two major telecom companies to provide investment platforms. The Capital Markets Authority approved Safaricom and Airtel Money as Intermediary Service Platform Providers. This move aims to boost competition and widen digital access to regulated financial products like stocks and bonds.
The authority also licensed a firm called Capital.com to operate as an online foreign exchange dealing broker. This allows it to act as a market maker in forex trading under existing regulations.
These new ISPPs will offer mobile and web platforms that simplify investing for regular users. They streamline processes like account opening, identity checks, and portfolio tracking. Safaricom is preparing to...
Kenyans abroad are pushing for fifteen dedicated parliamentary seats ahead of the next national election. They argue their massive yearly remittances, exceeding seven hundred eighty billion shillings, warrant direct representation. The proposal seeks to amend election laws, creating global constituencies that would each send one MP and one Senator to Nairobi.
Ephraim Mwaura of the Kenyan Canadian Association announced the bicameral framework proposal at an Independence Day event in Brampton. He stated the diaspora commands over a million votes yet remains shut out of lawmaking. The plan includes using blockchain technology for secure digital voting, modeled on systems in countries like Estonia.
The framework envisions constituencies...
The government is cracking down on pharmacies illegally selling prescription erectile dysfunction drugs. Health officials announced strict new controls targeting retailers who dispense these medications, often called blue pills, without proper authorization. Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni emphasized these are not casual over-the-counter products.
Muthoni warned that mixing these drugs with certain heart medications like nitrates can cause dangerous interactions, increasing risks of stroke or heart attack. She noted doctors also prescribe them for pulmonary arterial hypertension, highlighting their serious medical purpose.
Authorities are rolling out a monitoring system requiring wholesalers to report all sales of such...
Kenya has brought home 119 citizens from illegal scam operations in Myanmar. The State Department for Diaspora Affairs confirmed the repatriation after local authorities and rebel groups raided compounds in Karen State. These criminal hubs, run by international syndicates, had trapped people with fake job offers.
Despite this success, 198 Kenyans remain stranded across three countries. Sixty-six are held in a Thai immigration detention center, one hundred twenty-nine are in shelters in Myanmar, and three are in a Catholic safe house in Cambodia. Some individuals initially resisted help, requesting free flights and spreading false information online.
The rescue followed multi-agency raids last September that dismantled many fraud...
The Kenyan Treasury is auditing over two hundred donor-backed projects valued at more than two trillion shillings. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi launched the review, targeting initiatives he described as supplier-driven rather than serving local development needs. Officials identified two hundred thirty-four projects at risk of stalling without an urgent government injection of one hundred thirty billion shillings in matching funds.
Mbadi explained that many projects are initiated based on donor agendas, not Kenya's actual priorities. This creates a financial burden when the state cannot meet its funding obligations, leaving taxpayers responsible for hefty fees. The review, coordinated through the Deputy President's office...
Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi is fighting his expulsion from the Democratic Party. The DP moved to remove him for supporting a UDA candidate in the recent Mbeere North by-election. That candidate, Leonard Muthende, narrowly defeated the DP's own contender.
The party's letter accused Mundigi of gross misconduct and violating its rules by backing the Kenya Kwanza coalition activities. It cited a specific clause in the Political Parties Act. The directive ordered him to stop all endorsements conflicting with the party's official stance.
Mundigi responded by arguing the party's exit from the Kenya Kwanza coalition was not formally ratified by its top decision-making bodies. He noted he still makes his monthly ten-thousand-shilling...
Kenyan workers will see bigger pension deductions starting next February. The National Social Security Fund is implementing the latest phase of its reforms, raising the income limits for mandatory contributions. The change uses a two-tier system where both employees and employers pay six percent.
The earnings cap for the basic Tier I will increase to nine thousand shillings. The higher Tier II cap jumps to one hundred eight thousand shillings. This means contributions will be calculated on a larger portion of an employee's salary.
For example, a person earning one hundred thousand shillings monthly will have their total deduction rise to six thousand shillings. Their employer will match that amount, making twelve thousand shillings...
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