02:08
THE
HEAR
This page is an archive of main headlines from Kenya for 19.10.2026.
It displays 82 headlines from many sources chronologically, as they appeared throughout the day, accompanied by AI overviews that were written in real time.
19.10.2026 ⇢ The Day Mackenzie Was Convicted for the Shakahola Murders
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Editors opened on the public payroll, with the state ordering vetting and a mandatory headcount after a forensic audit linked 84 staff to Sh6.2bn in irregularities. Health officials ruled out a lockdown after confirmation of a seventh Ebola case, outlining quarantine measures as India donated Ksh83.4m in response supplies.
President Ruto defended the housing levy in Eldoret, met Kalenjin elders ahead of Mashujaa Day under tight security, and clashed with Trans Nzoia Governor Natembeya over control of Kitale market, where police deployment disrupted business. Succession politics continued with Waiguru declaring interest in deputising Ruto in 2027 and Kalonzo demanding arrests over violence at Raila's memorial.
Attention converged in the afternoon on the Shakahola verdict, with the court convicting Paul Mackenzie and his followers of murdering 191 people by ordering starvation.
19.10.2026
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Kenya Power will cut electricity across six counties, including Nairobi and Nyeri, on 19 October, as maintenance runs for eight hours from 9am to 5pm in total.
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The simmering feud is now threatening to spill into the open, with insiders warning that things could get nasty. Dirty linen could soon be aired in public.
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Empty shelves are becoming an increasingly familiar sight for Kenyans walking into supermarkets and retail outlets in search of milk.
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State renews push to identify irregular recruitment and weaknesses in management of public funds.
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Eastleigh Voice
President William Ruto revealed that seven manufacturers had been secured to produce lifts in Kenya, making the equipment used at the Pioneer Estate among the last to be imported under the planned change.
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Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan said comprehensive security and traffic management measures had been put in place to ensure the national event proceeds peacefully.Hassan said the measure...
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A comprehensive payroll audit revealed that the majority of state departments had suspected payroll irregularities…
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Nairobi Leo
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani has lost her father, Mzee Mohamed Achani....
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Tuko
Kenya rules out a lockdown after seven Ebola cases, explains how Ebola spreads and outlines early detection and quarantine measures to contain the outbreak.
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TV47 Digital
Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) Party Leader David Ochieng’ has challenged regional and national leaders to move away from personality-driven politics and chest-thumping, calling instead for a policy-centered approach…
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SHAMBA la kahawa la Kiganda lenye ukubwa wa hekta 65 eneo la Gatanga, Kaunti ya Murang’a,...
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13:10⇢Government Orders Headcount Over Sh6.2bn Payroll Fraud
⌨Coverage has shifted to scrutiny of the public payroll, with the state ordering vetting and a mandatory headcount of civil servants after an audit flagged Sh6.2bn in suspected irregularities (Daily Nation, Kenyans). Reports frame the exercise as a renewed push against irregular recruitment and weaknesses in funds management, with layoffs looming as verification begins.
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13:10⇢Government Orders Headcount Over Sh6.2bn Payroll Fraud
⌨Coverage has shifted to scrutiny of the public payroll, with the state ordering vetting and a mandatory headcount of civil servants after an audit flagged Sh6.2bn in suspected irregularities (Daily Nation, Kenyans). Reports frame the exercise as a renewed push against irregular recruitment and weaknesses in funds management, with layoffs looming as verification begins.
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Police patrols, additional personnel and traffic marshals will cover the stadium, parking areas and key facilities before, during and after celebrations.
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TV47 Digital
The High Court has allowed an application by three accused persons in the murder case of Dr Victoria Mutiso seeking to have Professor David Ndetei appear in court for cross-examination…
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Ruto said the deduction was necessary to ensure that the benefits of independence and economic progress extend to the less fortunate
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Ruto said the deduction was necessary to ensure that the benefits of independence and economic progress extend to the less fortunate
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More than 2,500 people were arrested after demonstrations on Saturday saw some half a million people turn out across France to protest against the cost of living.
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Joho, Hassan Omar, Kalonzo and Mohammed Ali are positioning themselves to inherit Raila Odinga’s influential Coast support base.
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"Nicotine is so hard to quit and I just wanted to say, if you're going through it, or if you're even trying to vape, it's just not worth it," she said.
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Comprehensive security and traffic management measures have been put in place ahead of Tuesday’s Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret. According to Rift Valley Regional Commissioner, Dr.…
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“We must hold together because Raila did not fight for himself. He fought so that the ordinary Kenyan would have a voice,” he said.
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Kalonzo said Uhuru had sent an advance team to Migwena to assess the situation, and he made a decision based on its feedback....
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Champions who have channeled their sporting fortunes into shopping centres, hotels, schools.
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Ruto says the Sh5.37bn Eldoret housing development reflects the living standards he wants Kenya to achieve as he pursues Singapore
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This comes as President Ruto sustains a tiff with the county's Governor George Natembeya over claiming credit for the construction of the new market.
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As the judge read through the lengthy judgement, Mackenzie sat silently in the courtroom, his expression remaining largely unchanged
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15:42⇢India's Ksh83 Million Ebola Pledge
⌨Coverage returns to the Ebola outbreak. The Health Ministry rules out a total lockdown after confirmation of a seventh case, detailing transmission, early detection and quarantine measures to contain spread (Tuko). Attention also turns to external support, with India reported to have donated Ksh83.4 million in response supplies to Kenya (People Daily).
15:42
15:42⇢India's Ksh83 Million Ebola Pledge
⌨Coverage returns to the Ebola outbreak. The Health Ministry rules out a total lockdown after confirmation of a seventh case, detailing transmission, early detection and quarantine measures to contain spread (Tuko). Attention also turns to external support, with India reported to have donated Ksh83.4 million in response supplies to Kenya (People Daily).
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The President acknowledged that drought had affected the country this year but said the government had prepared for a possible decline in food production.
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The spillway will make an impact to more than 14,000 families living downstream and along the lower side of the Nairobi…
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Wiper leader says retired President Uhuru’s advance team warned him against attending after assessing security situation at the Siaya event.
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Legal experts warn that the escalating dispute over markets and hospital projects in Trans Nzoia risks undermining constitutional boundaries, county autonomy and cooperation between the national and county governments.
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As the judge read through the lengthy judgement, Mackenzie sat silently in the courtroom, his expression remaining largely unchanged
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Legal experts warn that the escalating dispute over markets and hospital projects in Trans Nzoia risks undermining constitutional boundaries, county autonomy and cooperation between the national and county governments.
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Speaking during a political rally at Ciumbu Market in Maragua Constituency, Murang'a County, the leaders claimed that the national government was using administrative measures to undermine governors w...
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TV47 Digital
High Court Judge Gregory Mutai has directed that a petition by former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko seeking to nullify judgments upholding his impeachment be determined at the earliest opportunity. Sonko…
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Ruto says the Sh5.37bn Eldoret housing development reflects the living standards he wants Kenya to achieve as he pursues Singapore
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Orengo said he was shocked and disturbed by attacks against Ida, whom he portrayed as a key figure in the struggle against oppression
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The Kenyan courts are scheduled to hear multiple high-profile anti-corruption cases between October 19 and October 23, 2026
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During the meeting, Ruto explained to the elders his plan to create an equal country through equitable development projects....
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Deputy Head of Public Service Amos Gathecha, who led the Kenyan delegation, received the award on behalf of Ruto at the gala
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determined at the earliest opportunity.Sonko is challenging the decisions that upheld his removal from office, arguing that the subsequent findings of judicial misconduct against former High Court jud...
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NACADA Board Chair Dr. Stephen Mairori on Monday, October 19 morning paid a courtesy call on Chief Justice Martha Koome, where he praised the Judiciary for establishing specialized courts to…
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18:38⇢Ruto Scoops Continental Leadership Award
⌨Editorial focus fragments after Ebola-dominated coverage. Attention turns to President Ruto through separate angles: a continental leadership award received on his behalf (The Star), his meeting with Kalenjin elders in Eldoret on equitable development (Nairobi Leo), and his row with Natembeya over Kitale market control raising devolution questions (Eastleigh Voice). No single event commands the front pages.
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18:38⇢Ruto Scoops Continental Leadership Award
⌨Editorial focus fragments after Ebola-dominated coverage. Attention turns to President Ruto through separate angles: a continental leadership award received on his behalf (The Star), his meeting with Kalenjin elders in Eldoret on equitable development (Nairobi Leo), and his row with Natembeya over Kitale market control raising devolution questions (Eastleigh Voice). No single event commands the front pages.
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The court ruled that Mackenzie ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death, rejecting claims that the victims voluntarily fasted to death.
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KeNHA said the road would be closed from midnight on Saturday, October 24, to 2 pm on Sunday, October 25. To facilitate the annual marat
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The Mombasa High Court, in its ruling delivered on Monday, October 19, found Mackenzie and his co-accused guilty of radicalising followers, leading to the deaths of 190 children and one adult....
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Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina has announced the end of her marriage with French former tennis player Gaël Monfils, cites Ukraine war
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The court ruled that Mackenzie ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death, rejecting claims that the victims voluntarily fasted to death.
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Crystal Asige’s entry and her legislative track record adds complexity to a race already tightened by Winnie Odinga and Jalang’o’s bids.
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Twenty-nine other leaders of his cult were also convicted of murder. They had all pleaded not guilty, insisting that nobody was forced to die.
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The move follows a Court of Appeal ruling that upheld the Inspector-General of Police’s authority over the recruitment…
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Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 50%, compared with 48 per cent in the Middle East and North Africa. The report links worsening perceptions to security threat
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Wandayi attributed the stability to the government-to-government (G-to-G) fuel importation framework, which he said had helped Kenya maintain supplies
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The singer touched down at the JKIA on Monday evening and is scheduled to headline One Night Only: Brunch Edition at Ulinzi Sports Complex on Tuesday, October 2
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The Trans Nzoia governor’s confrontation with the President over a Kitale market echoes the bitter 2017 clashes between Uhuru Kenyatta and Hassan Joho
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The recognition places Kalebi alongside distinguished professionals, including the late Professor Christopher D.M. Fletcher of Harvard Medical School and the la
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The deadliest drone strike hit near a market on Sunday evening in Al-Dibab town in the southwestern state of West Kordofan, which is controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that have...
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Speaking at the SKM Command Centre on Monday, Kalonzo said the arrest of five suspects in connection with last Thursday's incident at Migwena Grounds was insufficient, insisting that investigators mus...
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At the Fifa Council on Thursday, president Gianni Infantino apologised for his World Cup sell-off plan - but failed to offer a full explanation
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21:22⇢Mackenzie Found Guilty Of Shakahola Murders
⌨Editorial attention converges on the Shakahola massacre verdict, with courts convicting cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 30 followers of murder (Eastleigh Voice, The Kenya Times). Coverage stresses the ruling that Mackenzie ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death, rejecting claims of voluntary fasting. Reports put the number of victims at 191.
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21:22⇢Mackenzie Found Guilty Of Shakahola Murders
⌨Editorial attention converges on the Shakahola massacre verdict, with courts convicting cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 30 followers of murder (Eastleigh Voice, The Kenya Times). Coverage stresses the ruling that Mackenzie ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death, rejecting claims of voluntary fasting. Reports put the number of victims at 191.
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The Wiper leader says he can defeat President William Ruto in Raila Odinga’s political stronghold if the opposition coalition picks him as its presidential candidate in the 2027 General Election.
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The deployment, which reportedly began around midnight, saw General Service Unit (GSU) officers and anti-riot police stationed around the market ahead of a planned prayer service led by Governor Natem...
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According to Met, October marks the onset of the October-November-December short rains season across most parts of Kenya
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The attack happened on Sunday and targeted members of the Gang Suppression Force (GFS), which is tasked with helping stabilize the Caribbean nation plagued by violence and political chaos....
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Speaking during an empowerment event in Nakuru on Friday, Joho directed police officers not to arrest fishermen operating in the lake, declaring that he had granted them permission to continue fishing...
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In a statement, the NPS congratulated the officers on their promotions and wished them success in their new ranks as IG urge them to uphold professionalism
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Ukraine first reported an interruption to US intelligence sharing last week, as a row with the Trump administrations hit a new low
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These are the stories making the headlines in your FREE COPY of the Tuesday Star Newspaper at a vendor near you countrywide
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MVUTANO kati ya Rais William Ruto na Gavana wa Trans Nzoia, George Natembeya kuhusu kutenga vibanda...
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MVUTANO kati ya Rais William Ruto na Gavana wa Trans Nzoia, George Natembeya kuhusu kutenga vibanda...
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