Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has launched investigations into the death of Brian Simiyu following an alleged surgical procedure by a medical practitioner at an unregistered facility.
KMPDC Chief Executive Officer David Kariuki confirmed that the council is working with the Trans Nzoia County Government, the National Police Service, and other agencies to secure critical evidence, including clinical records, witness statements, and available footage.
“ We extend our sincere condolences to his family for this profound loss. KMPDC has commenced a formal inquiry into the conduct of the medical practitioner allegedly involved in this incident”, KMPDC boss David Kariuki said in a statement.
Preliminary findings reveal that the procedure was performed in unlicensed, unlabelled, and unregistered premises under conditions entirely unsuitable for medical treatment.
The council assured the public that strict disciplinary action will be taken against any individual or facility found culpable. Potential penalties include suspension, revocation of practising licenses, deregistration, and recommendations for criminal prosecution.
“ KMPDC remains committed to its mandate of protecting the public by regulating the medical profession. We urge all medical practitioners to adhere strictly to their oath of “First do no harm”, ethics, registration and licensing requirements and to practice only within approved facilities that meet minimum safety and quality standards, it advised.
To verify the status of a practitioner, send an SMS to the short code in the format P# followed by the full name of practitioner or P# followed by the registration number of the practitioner.
To verify the licensure of a health facility, send an SMS to 20547 in the format H# followed by full name of facility or H# followed by the registration number of the facility.
China will allow eligible coffee beans from all 53 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China to enter its market starting July 20, 2026, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) has announced.
Coffee beans, a signature agricultural produce and pillar economic industry for many African countries, are the second type of African agricultural products to obtain full quarantine access to the Chinese market following dried chilies, according to the GAC.
African countries including Ethiopia and Burundi have already secured access for their coffee bean exports to China, while some other countries, including Mauritius, Angola, Togo, Guinea, Liberia and Sao Tome and Principe, have filed export applications, official data showed.
Following a holistic assessment of African coffee bean production systems and pest risk control frameworks, the GAC has rolled out unified phytosanitary requirements, eliminating the previous practice of negotiating separate bilateral quarantine agreements with each applicant country and substantially streamlining access procedures.
Industry insiders noted that full quarantine access does not mean exemption from border checks, as all shipments must comply with requirements stipulated in GAC Announcement No. 68 of 2026.
The GAC official added that it will continue to implement upgraded “green channel” facilitation measures to bring more high-quality, safe African agricultural and food products to the Chinese market. ■
The county government of Mombasa has embarked on a fire safety inspection exercise covering all learning institutions and premises domiciled in the coastal city.
The directive was issued by area Governor, Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir, following the recent school fire tragedy at Utumishi Girls Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
The school fire, blamed on an arson attack, killed 16 learners and wounded 79 others. Eight students have since been arrested following the inferno and are set to be arraigned in court next week.
Among the measures being assessed for compliance is the availability of fire extinguishers in student-occupied areas.
Dormitories must also have three double doors opening outwards, including one designated and clearly marked as an emergency exit.
The Nakuru school tragedy comes barely two years after the Hillside Endarasha Academy inferno in Nyeri County that claimed 21 lives.
The Mombasa exercise will incorporate a series of fire safety sensitisation programmes aimed at equipping learners and educators with knowledge on fire prevention and appropriate response during emergencies.
Governor Nassir says the exercise covers all public and private learning institutions including primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
He said the devolved government remains committed to the safety, welfare and protection of all residents, particularly children within the schools.
Nassir said the exercise is being undertaken by the County Fire Department in collaboration with relevant county agencies with the objective of assessing fire preparedness, emergency response systems, evacuation procedures, electrical safety standards and the general compliance of public institutions with fire safety requirements.
“No fees or inspection charges shall be levied against the institutions during this countywide exercise,” he said, adding that the county must ensure the safety of school children.
The coastal county boss said the intervention is aimed at safeguarding the lives of learners, teaching staff and non-teaching staff while strengthening disaster preparedness of all the institutions.
“Institutional heads are therefore requested to accord the county inspection teams full cooperation during the exercise,” he said.
The county will also be enforcing the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) guidelines banning the unauthorised and illegal sale of petroleum products to minors to eliminate fire hazards in schools.
The schools are required to have functional fire extinguishers, audible fire alarms, emergency water systems and emergency exit doors.
Others are that windows of laboratories, classrooms and staff rooms should not be grilled and doors should open outwardly for the safety of students in case of stampedes during tragedies.
Kenya has strengthened preparedness measures against Ebola and other emerging public health threats at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the country’s busiest port of entry, to enhance early detection, response capacity and public health security.
Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, Saturday conducted an assessment visit to JKIA to evaluate the effectiveness of Port Health Services and review ongoing preparedness interventions aimed at preventing the importation and spread of infectious diseases.
The assessment focused on passenger screening procedures, thermal scanners, isolation facilities, laboratory readiness, aircraft and wastewater surveillance, and emergency response coordination mechanisms.
The border management team domiciled at the airport has increased surveillance at the six international arrivals gates, with gate number 16 now designated for passengers coming from high-risk countries.
“At gate number 16, an isolation center, completely manned by port health officials, has been set up to ensure preparedness in case suspected cases arise”, she said.
Additionally, the Ministry of Health has activated collaborations with airlines to ensure clear and honest reports on the health status of all passengers, demanding that forms be presented at passport control centers upon entry.
Consequently, all travellers to Kenya are required to fill out online self-check forms to gather previous travel history and confirm their health status.
To improve surveillance quality, genomic sequencing has been enhanced by collecting and testing waste samples from all planes arriving at the airport—both national and international—through national laboratories
The Principal Secretary commended frontline health workers for their dedication and vigilance in safeguarding public health.
Although Kenya has no confirmed Ebola cases, the country remains on high alert and continues to strengthen preparedness through enhanced screening at points of entry, deployment of additional health personnel, expanded laboratory diagnostic capacity, faster specimen processing, strengthened surveillance across air, sea and land borders, and sustained readiness of rapid response teams.
Mary Muthoni reaffirmed the Ministry of Health’s commitment to maintaining robust preparedness systems and ensuring rapid detection and response to public health threats.
She urged the public to remain vigilant, observe proper hand hygiene, seek medical attention when unwell, and rely on official Ministry of Health communication channels for accurate and timely information.
She noted that preparedness, vigilance and coordinated action remain Kenya’s strongest defence against Ebola and other emerging public health threats
President William Ruto is scheduled to visit South Africa next week for a three-day State Visit from June 3 to 5, 2026.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on X that he had invited the Kenyan leader and would host him at the Union Buildings in Tshwane on June 4.
“President Ruto will undertake the State Visit from 3 to 5 June 2026 at the invitation of President Ramaphosa. South Africa values Kenya as a strategic partner in the East African region and on the continent,” Ramaphosa said while sharing the itinerary for the visit.
South Africa and Kenya have enjoyed long-standing, cordial and mutually beneficial relations since diplomatic ties were re-established in 1994.
The State Visit will include an official welcome ceremony, followed by bilateral discussions between the two Heads of State and a Business Forum bringing together government officials and private sector leaders from both countries.
The Business Forum will focus on deepening economic cooperation, strengthening business partnerships, and exploring strategies to unlock the full potential of trade and investment in key strategic sectors for the mutual benefit of both nations.
The media programme for the State Visit is as follows:
WELCOME CEREMONY
Time: 09h30 (Media to arrive at 07:00) Venue: Union Buldings Date: Thursday 4 June 2026
SOUTH AFRICA – KENYA OFFICIAL TALKS
Time: 10h30 Venue: Union Buildings Date: Thursday 4 June 2026
MEMORANDA OF AGREEMENT SIGNING CEREMONY AND MEDIA BRIEFING
Time: 12h30 Venue: Union Buildings Date: Thursday 4 June 2026
SOUTH AFRICA – KENYA BUSINESS FORUM
Time: 17h00 Venue: Gallagher Estate, Midrand, Johannesburg Date: Thursday, 4 June 2026
The United States government has said it is aware of a Kenyan court ruling that temporarily suspended plans to establish an Ebola quarantine facility for Americans exposed to the disease.
The Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom said Washington is engaging Kenyan authorities following widespread public objections to the proposal.
The State Department also expressed optimism that the matter would be resolved soon.
“We are aware of the court action filed in Kenya against the Ebola isolation facility. We are in touch with Kenyan authorities and are optimistic we can resolve objections,” the office said in a post on X.
The response came hours after the High Court in Kenya halted any implementation of an agreement related to the proposed Ebola facility reportedly at Laikipia Air Base pending the hearing of petitions challenging the project.
Judge Patricia Nyaundi said anyone who has been exposed to or infected by Ebola would not be allowed into the country.
Katiba Institute, and the Law Society had separately challenged the move urging the court to nullify any agreements signed between the U.S. and Kenya on the project, citing public health risks and a lack of public participation.
Kenyan doctors’ union on Thursday issued a 48-hour strike notice should the country proceed with the deal. It said the U.S. was clear that they would not allow Ebola on their soil and that Kenya should not become a “dumping ground.”
“As the vanguard of Kenya’s healthcare system, we are utterly disgusted by the government’s apparent willingness to trade national biosecurity and the lives of its citizens for foreign aid,” the union’s chairperson, Davji Atellah, said in a statement.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) has also opposed the plans warning that Kenya risks being turned into what it termed a containment zone for foreign health emergencies.
“We will not sit back and watch Kenya be treated as a containment colony for a lethal pathogen that we did not generate,” the statement read.
It said that if the facility proceeds, it should be used as an opportunity to permanently employ Kenyan doctors under fair and fully funded terms, including proper hazard pay and medical cover.
The union issued a 48-hour ultimatum, demanding full disclosure of the negotiations and warning of possible nationwide industrial action if its concerns are not addressed.
The White House confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. had been planning on setting up the facility to receive Americans who are exposed to the Ebola virus in regions affected by the ongoing outbreak, which centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to an administration official, the U.S. planned to establish a “state-of-the-art facility” in Kenya through a coordinated effort with the Departments of State, Health and Human Services, and War.”
The Ministry of Health has maintained that Kenya remains well prepared to handle any potential Ebola threat.
According to the ministry, the country has activated its national Incident Management System, intensified screening at points of entry and strengthened surveillance and laboratory testing capacity.
As the global community marks World No Tobacco Day, Sunday, 31 May 2026, the theme “Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction” provides a timely lens through which to examine a rapidly evolving tobacco landscape. For decades, the fight against tobacco was defined by the visible plume of cigarette smoke.
Caleb Mbugua, Programme Officer – Policy Development at IILA
Today, that battle has shifted from the unmistakable smell and visibility of cigarettes to discreet, flavoured products that are easier to hide and easier to market to young people and university students.
The urgency of this issue is clear: local research shows that the average age of initiation for tobacco is now dropping to as low as six years old. Furthermore, for children and teens between the ages of 10 and 17, these products are increasingly being designed with attractive packaging and enticing flavours specifically to hook a younger generation, a trend currently being mirrored in our university halls.
This year’s focus is not merely on the health consequences of use, but on the deliberate, multi-layered strategies used to make addiction appear modern, harmless, and even fashionable.
The reality of this appeal recently played out in a high-profile case involving a Form Four student at Moi High School Kabarak. While the legal proceedings centred on the student’s right to education following a suspension for possessing an electronic cigarette, the incident underscored a much larger societal challenge. It was a clear example of how Emerging Tobacco and Nicotine Products have successfully infiltrated even the most disciplined educational environments.
The case illustrated that the mask is working. Vapes and pouches are designed to be used without detection, often carrying scents and designs that distance them from the traditional stigma of conventional cigarettes.
By mimicking common objects like highlighters, flash disks, or toys, and masking the harsh scent of nicotine with sweet aromas like mint or strawberry, these products effectively camouflage their true nature, lulling users and adults alike into a false sense of security that masks the dangerous reality of addiction.
Legislative crossroads
In response to this evolving crisis, Kenya is currently at a legislative crossroads. The Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill (Senate Bill No. 35 of 2024), which proceeded to public hearing through written Memoranda on March 3, 2026, represents a significant effort to close regulatory loopholes that have allowed these new products to proliferate.
This Bill is a direct attempt to unmask the industry by bringing electronic nicotine delivery systems and nicotine pouches under the same strict regulatory umbrella as traditional tobacco products, such as cigarettes.
The proposed amendments are extensive and target the very core of what makes these products appealing to the youth. One of the most significant shifts is the move to ban characterising flavours. By prohibiting additives that create smells or tastes such as fruit, spice, herbs, candy, or menthol, the Bill aims to strip away the sensory mask that makes nicotine consumption palatable to non-smokers and children.
Furthermore, the Bill introduces strict requirements for electronic nicotine delivery systems, including mandates that they be child and tamper-proof and that nicotine-containing liquids not exceed a concentration of twenty milligrams per millilitre. Another key provision is the proposed ban on disposable e-cigarettes.
This move is crucial for protecting young people by reducing access to these products, which are often the most affordable option on the market. Beyond public health, this ban further supports vital environmental conservation efforts by addressing the waste caused by these single-use items.
The regulatory push also addresses how these products are presented to the public. While current legislation already mandates health warnings on cigarettes, the proposed amendments seek to significantly strengthen these requirements. Specifically, the Bill aims to increase the size of these warnings from the current 30% to 40% coverage to a much more prominent 75% of the principal display area.
Furthermore, the Bill expands this mandate, ensuring that health warnings and pictorial labelling are applied to all tobacco products, rather than being limited to cigarettes alone.
Warnings and emerging tobacco, nicotine products
These warnings must be printed in high-contrast black text on a white background, a crucial step in countering the sleek, vibrant packaging that the industry currently uses to attract new users. The progress of this legislation has now entered a critical phase of public participation, with aggressive opposition from the industry.
The need for these changes is driven by the realisation that current laws have been outpaced by innovation. For example, the Bill proposes to redefine smoking to explicitly include inhaling or exhaling vapour from electronic devices. It also seeks to prohibit the sale of tobacco products within a one-hundred-meter radius of any place primarily serving persons under the age of eighteen. These are not just administrative adjustments; they are necessary defences against a market that has become increasingly adept at finding new ways to hook the next generation.
As we mark World No Tobacco Day, the message is clear. The era of allowing emerging tobacco and nicotine products to masquerade as harmless lifestyle accessories must end, not next year, but today.
The alarming reality, evidenced by children as young as six and students in our high schools and universities already being ensnared by these products, serves as a stark warning that we cannot afford to wait for the next calendar milestone to act. Every day of delay allows these products to further infiltrate our schools and homes, hooking a new generation on nicotine before they are old enough to grasp the risks.
If policymakers do not move with immediate urgency to pass the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, they are effectively choosing to let this cycle of addiction deepen. The cost of inaction is far too high.
It is a future where the health and potential of our youth are sacrificed to a crisis that could have been contained. We must unmask the true nature of these products now, or face the mounting, irreversible damage to the next generation.
The writer is a Programme Officer, Policy Development at the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA)
When the leader of a territory must board a foreign monarch’s private jet to enter a country because multiple nations have refused flight clearance to his own aircraft, the episode invites more than passing scrutiny.
The writer is an expert in China-Africa relations
Lai Ching-te’s recent visit to Eswatini, conducted under precisely those circumstances, has drawn sharp criticism from across Taiwan’s own political spectrum and raised serious questions about the direction, cost, and credibility of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) foreign policy.
After several countries declined to grant clearance to Lai’s charter flight, he travelled aboard the private jet of King Mswati III of Eswatini. The response within Taiwan was pointed. Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang party, described the episode as a spectacle that had drawn ridicule from the international community.
Political commentator Hsieh Han-ping observed that during the visit, Lai stood while the Queen Mother of Eswatini was seated, and questioned how a leadership that consistently invokes the language of equal respect could regard such an image as consistent with that principle.
Scholar and commentator Chiu Yi asked publicly what concrete benefit the visit delivered to the people of Taiwan beyond serving the political preferences of the DPP leadership. These assessments came not from across the strait but from within Taiwan itself, and they reflect a frustration that has been building steadily across the territory’s public and political life.
The visit sits within a broader pattern that critics have long described as cheque diplomacy. Taiwan’s authorities spend more than USD 40 million annually on Eswatini in the name of development assistance, a figure that reflects the considerable financial commitment required to sustain the territory’s dwindling roster of formal diplomatic partners.
Taiwan currently maintains official relations with just over a dozen states, the majority of them small nations whose continued recognition has, by multiple accounts, been supported through sustained financial arrangements.
Far from projecting strength, this model has come to be seen by observers both within and outside Taiwan as a measure of the limits of the DPP’s international standing rather than its achievements. The sustainability of this approach, and the returns it genuinely delivers for ordinary people in Taiwan, is a question that commentators at home have raised with increasing candour.
The timing of the Eswatini visit compounded the domestic criticism considerably. A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County on May 1. Within hours of the disaster, as residents were still assessing damage and emergency responses were being coordinated, Lai departed on his diplomatic trip.
Local media did not treat the juxtaposition lightly. The outlet udn.com observed that the energy devoted to maintaining marginal diplomatic relationships might more usefully be directed toward the real economic pressures facing Taiwan’s agricultural and working communities.
That observation landed on receptive ground. As Lai’s tenure reached its two-year mark on May 20, commentary across Taiwan noted that the territory’s undeniable strength in technology and semiconductor industries had not translated into broadly shared economic gains.
Approximately 70 percent of workers in Taiwan earn wages below the average level, a figure that has become a recurring reference point in assessments of the DPP’s domestic record and one that stands in uncomfortable contrast to the resources committed to overseas diplomatic activity.
The structural context framing all of this is not incidental. The one-China principle remains the foundational position of the overwhelming majority of the world’s nations and the basis on which international institutions operate. Within that framework, the DPP’s sustained efforts to expand Taiwan’s formal international presence face constraints that financial commitments alone cannot resolve.
Taiwan has invested considerably in its relationship with Washington, including on sensitive questions of defence procurement and trade exposure, yet found itself unable to secure routine transit arrangements for its leader’s travel. That outcome reflects not a failure of effort but the limits of what is achievable when the direction of travel runs against the grain of the established international order.
Lai Ching-te’s visit to Eswatini will not be remembered as a diplomatic milestone. It will be remembered as a precise illustration of the widening distance between the DPP’s foreign policy ambitions and the realities that shape what is actually attainable. It is a distance that Taiwan’s own public, and its own political commentators, are now measuring with a frankness that the leadership in Taipei can no longer afford to ignore.
The writer is an expert in China-Africa relations.
High Court Judge Alexander Muteti has ruled that prime suspect John Matara has a case to answer in the murder of socialite Starlet Wahu.
Matara was placed on his defence, with his lawyer indicating that three witnesses, including the accused himself, will testify.
The judge said the prosecution had established a prima facie case. The ruling came after the prosecution closed its case in the trial linked to Wahu’s death at an Airbnb apartment in Nairobi’s South B area in January 2024.
The defence hearing has been scheduled for June 19 next month.
Matara has denied murdering Wahu shortly after the two reportedly checked into the apartment.
The planned nationwide matatu strike over rising fuel costs has officially been called off following extensive consultations between President William Ruto and transport stakeholders in Mombasa, where long-standing grievances bedevilling the sector were addressed.
Making the announcement Friday alongside the President at State House, Mombasa, Matatu Owners Association Chair Albert Karakacha said the strike, which had earlier been suspended until next week, would no longer take place.
“We welcome the measures. We had suspended our strike to next week, but we have now called it off. We need to move forward by putting aside politics and building Kenya together to realise the Singapore dream,” he said.
Ruto, while outlining measures taken so far to stabilise fuel prices, said the government had spent a total of Ksh28.19 billion across the April–May and May–June 2026 pricing cycles.
Loans relief
It was also a relief for public service vehicle operators after the President unveiled a raft of measures to cushion them from the impact of the fuel crisis on livelihoods, operations and the sustainability of the transport industry.
To cushion operators who are at risk of defaulting on loans due to reduced profit margins, the Ministry of Transport was directed to engage financial institutions and banking partners to explore temporary relief measures on lending terms within the sector.
On insurance claims, the Head of State criticised insurance companies for failing to honour claims involving PSVs, leaving operators burdened with costs despite having valid cover.
Consequently, he directed that an immediate review of both the Insurance Act and the Auctioneers Act be undertaken and concluded within the next three months to establish a more responsive and fair framework for players in the transport sector.
The Ministry of Transport will work together with the Insurance Regulatory Authority to engage stakeholders and address the concerns raised by operators.
Digital taxi operators also received a boost after the President directed the Ministry of Transport, through NTSA, to engage transport network companies and drivers operating under ride-hailing platforms to implement regulations on minimum taxi fares and resolve long-running disputes affecting the sector.
“The Government will continue engaging stakeholders across the transport sector to develop practical and sustainable solutions that protect livelihoods and support economic activity,” pledged Ruto.
