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Nation

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Nation

‘I gave Raila the name Azimio, and I’m sad it’s no more’

Businessman Ronny Raburu (left) in a photo he took with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on March 14, 2025 at Mr Odinga's home in Karen, Nairobi. In 2021, Mr Odinga assigned Mr Raburu with the task of coining a name for his yet-to-be unveiled coalition, and he came up with Azimio la Umoja among other names for Mr Odinga. When former Prime Minister Raila Odinga called businessman Ronny Raburu in 2021 asking for a Kiswahili coalition name that could carry his ambitions after a constitutional amendment collapsed, Mr Raburu says he turned to Tanzania’s history for inspiration.Now, the Kenya-born businessman who has lived in Tanzania for 25 years says he is pained that the name he proposed – Azimio la Umoja, inspired by Tanzania’s Azimio la Arusha of 1967 – has now been consigned to history following the opposition coalition’s decision to rebrand as The Ukombozi Alliance (TUA).“I’m disappointed,” Mr Raburu told the Nation on Thursday. “Baba [Mr Odinga] himself was doing ideological politics. Anything Baba was doing was backed with something. How quickly Baba’s legacy is being discarded has shocked me so much.”The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition announced on Monday that it had unanimously agreed to change its name to The Ukombozi Alliance, with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka saying the opposition was reorganising ahead of the 2027 elections.Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka (centre) addresses journalists, flanked by DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa (right), Siaya Governor James Orengo and Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi, among other leaders, at the SKM Command Centre in Nairobi on September 21, 2026. Kalonzo announced the rebranding of Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition to Ukombozi Alliance.Mr Raburu says the 2021 request came after the courts blocked the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), the constitutional reform process associated with Mr Odinga and then-President Uhuru Kenyatta after their 2018 handshake. Mr Odinga, he says, wanted a name that would preserve the BBI idea of national unity while being relatable to Kenyans by being in Kiswahili.“He called me and asked me: ‘BBI has collapsed and I need a name that will also embrace the BBI spirit and be a Kiswahili name. So, talk to your friends there and come up with a suitable name,’” Mr Raburu recalled.He said he consulted friends and elders in Tanzania, including people familiar with the legacy of founding president Julius Nyerere, before sending Mr Odinga about six or seven possible names.Among them was “Azimio la Umoja”, a phrase Mr Raburu says he adapted from Tanzania’s Arusha Declaration or “Azimio la Arusha” that was associated with Nyerere’s socialist and nation-building project.“Because BBI had failed, I felt something that would somehow resemble building bridges would match the situation,” he said.Mr Raburu noted that it was not lost to him that Jaramogi was once associated with the “Azimio” brand.“Somebody once told me, ‘You see this as Azimio thing? His dad had done it in the ’60s when KPU was banned. They called it a Azimio la Wananchi.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, what a great coincidence that I coined this for him and I simply reminded him of his dad?’” he said.Days later, he says, he saw Mr Odinga launching the phrase publicly in Nakuru.  This later evolved into the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, bringing together ODM, Jubilee, Wiper, Kanu and several smaller parties behind Mr Odinga’s fifth presidential bid.The late Raila Odinga, then the Azimio presidential candidate, at the Azimio Manifesto launch at Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi, on June 6 2022. Also Read: ODM’s headache - Party faces tough test to retain Nairobi political base The addition of “One Kenya” followed negotiations with Mr Musyoka’s One Kenya Alliance.  The coalition agreement filed with the Registrar of Political Parties tied Mr Odinga, Mr Kenyatta and Mr Musyoka together ahead of the August 2022 General Election and limited withdrawals by constituent parties before and immediately after the contest. Mr Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua lost the 2022 presidential election to William Ruto and Rigathi Gachagua. Azimio thereafter became Kenya’s main opposition formation.For Mr Raburu, however, the new Ukombozi Alliance name lacks the ideological weight he says Mr Odinga attached to political branding.“It’s now sloganeering,” he claimed. “It’s just looking for a name that will fit the day and win the election if it can. There is no ideology to it.”Mr Raburu, who comes from Karateng in Kisumu County, has built much of his adult life in Tanzania. He first moved there as an employee in the tourism sector and later ventured into business as a tour operator. He is now a partner in a company that also builds luxury tented camps for the tourism industry in Tanzania and Kenya.He says his fluency in Kiswahili and his long stay in Tanzania made him useful to Mr Odinga, who had a deep affection for the country and its liberation history.“My Kiswahili is okay. I speak like Tanzanians,” he said. “I speak like someone in Bongo as I’ve been here for 25 years.”

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Nation

Court awards Sergeant-at-Arms Sh200,000 over delayed disciplinary case

Parliament Buildings in Nairobi. Court found that a former Principal Sergeant-at-Arms was subjected to an excessively delayed disciplinary process by the Parliamentary Service Commission.The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) has been ordered to pay former Principal Sergeant-at-Arms Reuben Chesire Kimosop Sh200,000 after the Employment and Labour Relations Court found that it subjected him to an excessively delayed disciplinary process.Justice Jacob Gakeri said the prolonged delay left Mr Kimosop in uncertainty about his employment and caused him prejudice, while the commission failed to give him adequate updates despite his repeated efforts to establish the progress of his case.“There was inordinate delay, the applicant suffered prejudice and the respondent’s explanation was insufficient,” Justice Gakeri said in a judgment delivered on September 21, 2026.The case arose from disciplinary proceedings that began in February 2025 when Mr Kimosop was issued with a show-cause letter over allegations of gross misconduct involving a student intern attached to the Senate.He responded to the allegations before being suspended from duty in May 2025 pending investigations and disciplinary proceedings.The commission subsequently invited him to appear before a disciplinary committee on October 30, 2025.Concerned by the prolonged silence, he moved to court seeking orders compelling PSC to conclude the disciplinary process and communicate its decision.He told the court that he had made several inquiries and sent reminders but the commission failed to tell him what had become of the disciplinary proceedings.The former officer also complained that the prolonged suspension had caused him hardship and left him uncertain about his employment status.Also Read: When police officers leave their stations to commit crimes in other counties…He argued that the delay was contrary to PSC’s own human resource policies, which provide timelines for handling disciplinary cases.PSC opposed the application, maintaining that it had acted within its mandate in suspending Mr Kimosop while investigating serious allegations against him.The commission attributed the delay to circumstances beyond its control, including changes in the membership of the disciplinary committee.It told the court that the committee chairperson died after the hearing had commenced, disrupting the process of preparing its report.The commission further explained that the vice-chairperson, who took over, was subsequently appointed to the Court of Appeal, causing further delays in finalising and presenting the report for approval.PSC maintained that these developments slowed down the process and communication of the final decision.However, while the case was pending, the commission completed the disciplinary proceedings.At its 332nd meeting on June 17, 2026, PSC resolved to dismiss Mr Kimosop from employment for gross misconduct.Justice Gakeri examined whether the length of the suspension and the delay in concluding the disciplinary process were justified.The judge noted that PSC’s own guidelines provide that suspension cases should ordinarily be determined within three months, although the period may be extended depending on the circumstances.The commission was, however, expected to keep the affected employee informed where the process took longer than anticipated.Justice Gakeri found that there were unexplained periods of delay before and after the disciplinary hearing.Although the death of the committee chairperson and the appointment of the vice-chairperson to the Court of Appeal affected the process, the judge found that the events did not sufficiently explain the prolonged delay.The judge also found that PSC failed to keep Mr Kimosop informed despite his efforts to obtain updates.“The Respondent ought to have communicated to the Applicant, more so, since the Applicant clearly exhibited concerns over the delays. However, the Respondent ignored the same,” said Justice Gakeri.The court said suspension is intended to facilitate investigations and disciplinary proceedings and should not leave an employee in indefinite uncertainty.Justice Gakeri found that Mr Kimosop had been left waiting for the outcome for an unreasonably long period.The court nevertheless declined to order PSC to conclude the disciplinary process because the commission had already completed it and communicated its decision to dismiss him.However, the court found that the former officer was entitled to compensation because of the manner in which the disciplinary process had been handled.Justice Gakeri held that the delay and failure to keep Mr Kimosop informed had caused him prejudice.Follow ourWhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.Mr Salesio Thuranira, filed a constitutional petition and got orders barring the swearing in of four MCAs.We come to you. We are always looking for ways to improve our stories. Let us know what you liked and what we can improve on.

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Nation

Court: Technician’s lack of receipts not proof electronics were stolen

Stolen electronic items at Chuka Police Station in Tharaka-Nithi County on April 1, 2022.Can a technician be held criminally liable simply because he cannot produce purchase receipts for every electronic item entrusted to him for repair?The High Court has ruled that a technician’s failure to provide proof of purchase for items in their possession does not, in itself, constitute criminal liability.According to the court, technicians routinely hold numerous electronic items belonging to different customers and cannot reasonably be expected to demand original purchase receipts before accepting them for repair.“A technician cannot be legally forced to demand original purchase receipts from every customer who brings an item for repair,” the High Court in Busia said.Turbo Sub-County Police Commander Edward Masibo (right) and other officers display recovered electronic goods at Huruma Police Station in Eldoret town on January 6, 2022. The court made the remarks while setting free technician Samuel Walubengo, who had been serving a 15-year cumulative sentence after being convicted over the alleged theft and possession of electronic items.The High Court found serious flaws in the prosecution case, including inconsistencies in the timeline, failure to produce key exhibits and shortcomings in proof of ownership.The court declared the criminal conviction against him unsafe and unsustainable, finding that it was not founded upon proof beyond reasonable doubt.“The convictions against Walubengo, on all counts, are quashed, and the cumulative sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment is set aside due to total insufficiency of evidence,” the court said in a ruling dated September 21.Walubengo was arrested in 2023 and charged with five counts arising from alleged thefts in Nambale Centre, Busia County.He was accused of breaking into Jentrix Auma’s shop at about 3am on October 26, 2023, and committing a felony. He was also accused of breaking into the same shop around midnight on August 20, 2023, and stealing a power bank valued at Sh10,000.Further, he was accused of breaking into Patricia Pamba’s shop at about 9.30am on October 10, 2023, and stealing a money scanner valued at Sh1,000.The fourth count accused him of breaking into Eliza Juma’s house at about 2am on September 24, 2023, and stealing a six kilogrammes gas cylinder valued at Sh6,000. The second, third and fourth counts carried alternative charges of handling stolen property.The High Court has ruled that a technician’s failure to provide proof of purchase for items in their possession does not, in itself, constitute criminal liability.In the last count, he was accused of having suspected stolen property in his possession, including eight television sets, two water heaters, a power bank and a speaker. The prosecution called four witnesses.Ms Pamba told the court that she found her shop broken into on October 10, 2023, with a number of items missing, including three gas cylinders, a printer, hair products, a money scanner, an M-Pesa board, a Maasai shuka, two woofers and 450 coins. She later identified the money scanner at Walubengo’s shop.Ms Auma said her shop was broken into around midnight on October 26, 2023, and later identified a white power bank at Walubengo’s house.Ms Juma testified that her premises were broken into on September 24, 2023, while she was in Nairobi. She said her green F-gas cylinder, phones, earphones, clothes and shoes were among the missing items. She later identified the gas cylinder recovered by police and produced a receipt.The investigating officer said police arrested Walubengo after one of the suspected thieves was assaulted by members of the public and died on the way to hospital. Walubengo, he said, fled to Tanga Corner Police Station.Police subsequently took him to his house, where the complainants identified some of the items reported stolen. Officers also recovered several other electronic items that Walubengo could not account for, although some remained unclaimed. A customer, Caroline Okwara, produced a receipt for one of the televisions, saying she had taken it to Walubengo for repair.Walubengo, however, told the court that he operated a licensed electronics repair shop and that the items recovered from his premises belonged to customers.He said that on October 26, 2023, four boys approached him at an M-Pesa shop, pretending to seek repair services, before assaulting him and accusing him of theft. He said they took him to Tanga Corner Police Station and later Nambale Police Station, where officers took him to his shop and confiscated televisions, solar panels, electric kettles and speaker boxes.The trial magistrate convicted him and imposed a cumulative 15-year sentence, prompting him to appeal to the High Court in Busia.Walubengo challenged the conviction on grounds, including a discrepancy between the date of his arrest and the date he was recorded as having taken plea, failure to produce the power bank and gas cylinder, lack of proof of ownership, alleged violations of his fair-trial rights and the removal of key documents from the certified appeal record.

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Nation

Ruto’s UN pitch: Africa wants investment, not aid

The disagreement played out on Wednesday during the Senate’s Mashinani sitting in Kilifi.Nairobi Senator rallies his troops to closed-door retreat in Kiambu plot his next move.Union leaders strongly rejected an emerging government plan to shift national CBA funding to individual universities.

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Nation

New twist as DCI links lawyer Mbobu murder to Dr Mutiso shooting, officer arrested

From left: The late Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, Rose Mbithe Mulwa and the late Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso.More than a year after lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was gunned down while driving home from work, detectives have arrested a serving police officer suspected of being the gunman and recovered the firearm allegedly used in the killing.The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) now says the murder of Mbobu is linked to the July 29, 2026 killing of Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso.Detectives have identified another police officer as an alleged coordinator of the operation, linking him to Rose Mbithe, who is in custody over Dr Mutiso's murder.Mr Mbobu had represented Dr Mutiso's husband, Prof David Ndetei, in a legal matter.The lawyer was killed almost 11 months before Dr Mutiso was shot dead in Upper Hill, Nairobi, turning what initially appeared to be two separate targeted killings into an investigation that detectives now say has a common thread.DCI Director Mohamed Amin had previously confirmed that investigators were looking into whether suspects in Dr Mutiso's murder were also connected to the shooting of Mbobu.“Some of the suspects involved in this incident may also be linked to the tragic drive-by shooting” of the lawyer, Amin said during a briefing on August 7.In a statement issued on Thursday, the DCI said Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot had been arrested and was suspected of being the gunman who killed Mr Mbobu on September 9, 2025“Following an intensive and painstaking investigation over the past year, detectives have identified and arrested Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot, suspected of being the gunman who fatally shot the lawyer,” the DCI said.Detectives subsequently recovered a Ceska pistol that had been issued to Cheruiyot at the time of the killing. Prominent Nairobi lawyer, Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was shot and killed in his car by an assailant on a motorbike on Magadi Road in Karen.The weapon was subjected to ballistic examination, producing what investigators described as a major forensic breakthrough.“Ballistic examination has since confirmed that the firearm was indeed used in the shooting that claimed the life of Lawyer Mbobu,” the DCI said.The DCI says detectives have also established that Inspector Kenneth Sang, who is currently at large, allegedly coordinated Mr Mbobu’s assassination with Rose Mbithe, who is already in custody in connection with Dr Mutiso's murder.Investigators say Cheruiyot was working under Sang's supervision and was the hired gunman in Mr Mbobu's killing.The developments come as the DCI widens its investigation into Dr Mutiso's murder, with detectives examining movements and communications that they believe could shed light on how the killing was planned.One of the revelations is the journey to Uganda made by Pius Mbugua weeks before Dr Mutiso was killed.Read: 'Let there be no peace': Slain lawyer Kyalo Mbobu's family demands answersPolice say Mbugua travelled to Uganda on June 18 and remained there for six days before returning to Kenya. While there, he allegedly made several calls back home, including to police officer Bett Kiplagat, who has since been arrested in Uganda in connection with the case.Investigators believe the journey may have been part of preparations for a possible hideout after the planned attack, although the precise purpose of the trip remains subject to investigation.The movements have taken on greater significance because some suspects later fled to Uganda after Dr Mutiso was killed on July 29.Police say two of those being pursued travelled to Jinja, where they allegedly interacted with another suspect linked to the murder.Detectives from the DCI's Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau have been using call-data records to trace the movements of suspects and identify their possible hiding places.Dr Victoria Mutiso, a clinical psychologist who was gunned down in Nairobi. Preliminary findings indicate that she may have been followed from her home.At a hotel where some of the suspects were eventually arrested, detectives recovered several SIM cards.Police believe the SIM cards were used to communicate with friends and relatives in Kenya after the suspects crossed the border.The communications are now being analysed as investigators attempt to reconstruct the movements of the suspects before and after Dr Mutiso's killing.The cross-border investigation has also extended to Tanzania, where DCI investigators working with Interpol are searching for Inspector Sang. Police say some suspects fled to neighbouring countries after the killing, complicating efforts to bring all those wanted in the case before the courts.The investigation into Dr Mutiso's murder has meanwhile continued to produce arrests.Maritim Kimutai was arrested Wednesday and is expected to face murder charges alongside Rose Mbithe, her daughter Angela Mulwa, her son Chris Mulwa and Police Constable Elijah Kibelion Kimoi.Rose Mbithe Mulwa, a suspect in the fatal shooting of clinical psychologist Dr. Victoria Mutiso, at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on July 31, 2026.

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Nation

Kindiki urges Mountain to rally behind him and Ruto

Maritim Kimutai, alias Kim, will be jointly charged with other suspects on September 29.Uhuru’s political reactivation disrupts the existing Mt Kenya rivalry between Gachagua and Kindiki.Sarah's family received terrifying ransom calls demanding up to Sh100,000 before her body was discovered.

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