Author: Mwenda Gitonga

Activist Boniface Mwangi has sharply criticised blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia for misleading the nation by going into hiding, even as the country rallied behind what many feared was an enforced disappearance. In a strongly worded statement issued Thursday, July 3, 2025, Mwangi accused Kinyagia and his family of fuelling a nationwide panic and misleading the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which went to court demanding his release in a habeas corpus petition. “What Ndiangui Kinyagia has done is wrong and criminal,” Mwangi wrote. “An entire country was fighting for his release, and praying for his safety, thinking he was abducted. But…

The body of 31-year-old teacher and blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang arrived in his native Homa Bay County on Thursday, July 3, 2025, marking a deeply emotional moment in a saga that has shaken the country and renewed scrutiny of police conduct in Kenya. Ojwang’s death in police custody—described by many as an extrajudicial killing—has sparked a wave of outrage, protests, and demands for accountability across the nation. Arrested on June 7 in Kakoth village, Homa Bay County, over alleged online defamation of Deputy Inspector‑General Eliud Lagat, Albert was transported over 350 kilometers to Nairobi’s Central Police Station. Less than 24 hours later,…

HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCING APPLICATION PORTAL UPDATE Comrades, The Higher Education Financing Portal, which facilitates applications for government-funded loans and scholarships for university and TVET students, is currently under maintenance to enhance service delivery and user experience. According to a notice issued on July 3, 2025, the downtime is expected to last at least 72 hours, beginning Thursday. Both First-Time Applicants and those making Subsequent Applications will be unable to access the platform during this period. The Higher Education Financing Portal is under maintenance to improve service. Downtime will last at least 72 hours. Both First-Time and Subsequent applications will be…

After days of anguish and uncertainty, the family of missing blogger Ndiang’ui Kinyangia experienced a powerful moment of relief and emotion in a Nairobi courtroom on Thursday, July , 2025. The room fell silent as Kinyangia walked in—alive and safe—alongside his legal counsel, lawyer Kibe Mungai and senior counsel Martha Karua. The sight of her son brought Kinyangia’s mother to tears. She rushed forward, embracing him in a long, tearful hug as the court watched the emotional reunion unfold. Kinyangia had been missing for over a week under unclear circumstances, triggering growing concern from family, the public, and human rights…

In a stunning reversal of fortune that has gripped Equatorial Guinea and attracted global attention, Balthasar Ebang Engonga, a once-influential government insider, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for embezzling public funds. The sentence, delivered on July 2, 2025, by a court in Malabo, brings a dramatic end to the political career of a man once considered part of the country’s future leadership. Images of Engonga in prison uniform have flooded social media, becoming emblematic of his sharp and public fall from grace. From Power Broker to Prisoner Engonga previously held the post of Director General of the…

Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi has called on the public, judiciary, and civil society to stay focused on the broader goal of police accountability, even as controversy swirls around the disappearance and resurfacing of blogger Ndiang’ui Kinyagia. In a statement on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Havi addressed the fallout from Kinyagia’s disappearance, which had triggered national concern and a high-profile court directive by Justice Chacha Mwita demanding that police produce the blogger “dead or alive.” “The single incident should, however, not derail momentum for police accountability,” Havi said. He strongly criticised Kinyagia’s conduct, suggesting it had…

Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, 28, has died in a car crash in northwestern Spain, just days after his wedding. According to reports from Spain’s state broadcaster TVE and local emergency services, the fatal accident occurred on Thursday, July 3, 2025, along the A-52 motorway near Palacios de Sanabria, in the province of Zamora, Spain. Jota was travelling with his younger brother, André Jota, 26, also a professional footballer. Both men died on the spot after their vehicle veered off the road and burst into flames. The tragedy comes barely two weeks after Jota married his long-time partner, Rute…

Kileleshwa Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) Robert Alai has launched a scathing attack on the Kenyan Judiciary, accusing it of weaponising the courts against government officers in the ongoing controversy surrounding blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia. In an updated statement shared on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Alai called for an immediate public apology from High Court Judge Chacha Mwita and Chief Justice Martha Koome. His remarks come after Judge Mwita issued a directive compelling authorities to produce Kinyagia, who was reported missing for nearly two weeks before resurfacing. “Justice Chacha Mwita and CJ Martha Koome must urgently offer an apology to…

Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail by a federal judge in New York, despite being acquitted of the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking in his high-profile trial. The jury convicted Combs of transportation to engage in prostitution, a serious federal offense that could see him face up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced later this year. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian issued the ruling on Tuesday, July 2, 2025, citing Combs’ “history of violence” and the danger he could pose if released, especially to the witnesses who testified against him during…

Kenyan comedian and activist Eric Omondi has called on teachers across the country to honour the memory of the late Albert Omondi Ojwang, a teacher and blogger who died in police custody under controversial circumstances. Albert Ojwang is set to be buried on Friday, July 4, 2025, at his family’s home in Kokwanyo Village, Homa Bay County. Ahead of his burial, Omondi has launched a nationwide tribute dubbed “Mwalimu Friday” in celebration of the educator’s life and legacy. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, July 3, Omondi invited teachers, scouts, and supporters to share video messages of condolence and remembrance in…