Kenya in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
Kenya's politics in January 2026 centred on the opposition and on the proposed merger of two governing-side parties. Rigathi Gachagua said Jubilee is the weakest link in the United Opposition. Uhuru fired Kioni as Jubilee Secretary-General and replaced him with Ole Kenta. A court ruling on the proposed merger between Musalia Mudavadi's ANC and the UDA party of President William Ruto brought mixed political reactions and was described as a reprieve for Mudavadi, and ANC was reported to want to end the merger. The Supreme Court was due to rule on a dispute among Gachagua, Parliament and Mwilu over impeachment.
On other matters, Ruto nominated Ida Odinga as Kenya's envoy to the UN Environment Programme. Ruto held talks in Nairobi with a US Deputy Secretary of State on trade and security ties, and the United States praised Kenya's leadership of the international security mission in Haiti as the operation enters a difficult new phase. Members of Parliament questioned a Treasury Principal Secretary over a government share transaction involving Safaricom. Politics in the Mt. Kenya region were strained by allegations of police misuse and forced transfers of officers. The Supreme Court lifted a ban after lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi vowed to stop his attacks on the judiciary, and a court in Malindi ordered the cremation of a deceased British banker in an inheritance dispute involving an adoption claim.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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