By Correspondent

The High Court has stopped the government from holding planned public participation forums on draft regulations governing the private security sector after a security guard challenged the short notice issued for the meetings.

In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Lady Justice Roselyn Aburili certified as urgent a case filed by Security Academy, an ex-parte applicant, and allowed the guard to commence judicial review proceedings.

The challenge targets a public notice issued on November 18, 2025, by the Ministry of Interior and the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA), announcing public participation forums scheduled for November 21 and 24 across several counties.

The applicant argued that the two-day notice was unreasonably short and violated constitutional requirements for meaningful public participation.

He said stakeholders in the private security sector—comprising thousands of guards, trainers, employers, and unions—would be denied adequate opportunity to engage with the draft regulations.

“I am satisfied that the application is urgent,” Justice Aburili said. “If this Court declines the stay sought, these proceedings will be rendered nugatory should the substantive motion succeed, since the process which is impugned would have been completed.”

Without delving into the merits of the case, the judge found that the application raised “an arguable case” that was neither frivolous nor hopeless. She granted the applicant leave to proceed with the judicial review motion challenging the notice and the conduct of the public participation exercise.

The judge further ordered that the leave granted will operate as a stay of the implementation of the November 18 notice.

The effect of the order is that the Interior Ministry, PSRA, the National Assembly, the National Treasury, and the Attorney-General—listed as respondents—cannot proceed with the scheduled forums in Garissa, Machakos, Kisumu, Kakamega, Mombasa, Nyeri, and Nairobi until the case is heard and determined.

The Kenya National Private Security Workers Union and the Law Society of Kenya are listed as interested parties.

The applicant is seeking, among other orders, the quashing of the notice, a declaration that it violated Articles 10 and 27 of the Constitution, and an order barring the respondents from issuing or conducting further public participation on the draft regulations without proper compliance with constitutional standards.

Justice Aburili directed that the substantive motion be filed and served within five days in a new file. After issuing the stay and directions, the court marked the miscellaneous file as closed.

The disputed regulations include the Draft Private Security (General) Regulations 2025, the Draft Regulations on Appointment of Board Members, and the Draft Regulations on Use of Animals in Private Security Services.

The new regulations stipulate that individual and corporate private security providers must register with the PSRA and obtain valid licences.

Applications require proof of identity, compliance with tax obligations, insurance coverage—including WIBA and public liability—police clearance certificates, audited financial accounts, and a full inventory of uniforms, equipment, and vehicles. Registrants are required to pay prescribed registration and annual fees, with penalties for late renewal.

Employment and training standards are rigorously defined. Private security firms must vet employees, verify their training and employment history, and ensure all personnel undergo mandatory annual security training.

Officers are required to wear legibly marked nameplates and uniforms that comply with specifications, including distinctive badges, headgear, and heavy-duty belts. Firms must also provide necessary safety gear such as reflective vests, torches, and defence equipment.

By Anderson Ojwang’

In a move aimed at retracing and seeking ancestral blessings and providence, Jaoko Oburu on Friday visited the Shrine of King Nabongo of Mumia in Mumias.

At Jaramogi’s mausoleum hangs a photo of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s father, when he served as the aide-de-camp and stood guard to King Nabongo Mumia of the Wanga Kingdom around 1890.

According to the late Raila Odinga, the 1890 photograph is proof of the historical ties with the Wanga Kingdom and a testimony that the family is a direct descendant of King Nabongo Mumia.

Jaoko, son to the current ODM party leader Dr. Oburu Odinga, was hosted at the palace by Nabongo Peter Mumia II, in a tour of the mausoleum and a visit to the graveside of the King.

Jaoko was also inducted into the family lineage and the relationship between King Mumia and the people of Sakwa, highlighting the importance of his visit.

“When Raila visited this place, he proved it to himself and that is why he came to launch this place in 2008. Raila was the one who launched this centre.
He is part of this family. When we remember where we migrated from, previously it was called Ka-Sakwa.
People from that place were called Jo Sakwa. If you look at this chart, Wanga Kingdom, the person Wanga III lived in Lela, Kawango, behind Maseno School. It is where one of our ancestors was born.
Wanga the King has brothers including Sakwa, where you belong, and the lineage goes up to the late Raila Odinga,” the King explained.

Jaoko said the visit was important after the King invited him during Raila’s burial in October.

“It was a very important moment with the King. He inducted me and later offered his blessings in all my pursuits.
I am more prepared and you could see the convoy that escorted me from the home into Kakamega town. I later, in the evening, presided over a function in Vihiga County and was hosted by Governor Wilber Ottichilo,” he said.

After the conclusion of the visit, Jaoko was escorted to Kakamega town on his way back to Bondo in a convoy of tuk-tuks and motorcycle riders as they snaked through the town, waving and greeting residents from the rooftop of his vehicle.

“I went to visit the King. I have come here to condole with you after the death of Baba. It is important that we maintain Raila’s legacy, and that is why I want us to work together, including the boda boda sector,” he said.

He wrote on his X handle:
“It was an honor to deliver a keynote address at the Vihiga County Business Awards 2025 Edition at Kaimosi Friends University. The theme, ‘Honoring Excellence Shaping Enterprise Development,’ perfectly captures our shared mission to strategically build a more inclusive and prosperous economic future of Vihiga County. A big thank you to Governor Dr. Wilber Ottichilo for gracing this important event and being a champion of youth-led, women-led, and PWD-led enterprises.”

Jaoko has been engaging Bunge La Wananchi across the country in a move viewed as an attempt to extend his political tentacles to potentially inherit his late uncle Raila’s political constituency.

He wrote on his X handle:
“It was an honor to engage Bunge La Wananchi in Siaya.”

“Those who want to divide the Luo community must be rejected. Raila left us united, and we must remain in broad-based government, and that is why I am here,” he said.

But Jaoko will have to contend with his cousin Winnie Odinga, who also eyes the mantle and recently called for the ODM National Delegates Conference (NDC) to appoint a new team to manage the broad-based arrangement with President Ruto.

On Wednesday, opposition leader George Wajackoyah claimed Raila’s spirit had descended on Winnie as the heir apparent.

Crying and calling Winnie’s name, and asking where she probably could be, he circled the grave chanting that Raila’s spirit had descended on his last-born daughter, Winnie.

“Let me sound this warning. I am sounding it openly. Whoever is trying to play his foul mouth on Min Piny’s daughter Winnie Odinga — and I spoke with her yesterday — try me.
Baba’s spirit is here. If you are running your mouth on Winnie, try me. Winnie, where are you? I will support you. Anybody who dares Winnie, that is a direct attack on me.
Baba is not dead, the spirit is with Winnie. As the elder brother from Mumias, I will defend Winnie,” he mourned.

Mama Ida Odinga, speaking to the team, confirmed that what Wajackoyah had said was the true position.

“You know Wajackoyah is a very open person. He says things as they are. He doesn’t know how to sugarcoat his words and make them flowery.
If it is bad, it is bad, and if it is right, it is right — and he will say it as it is. This trait of his he started much earlier, way back in 1991, when he got into problems with the system because he revealed some secrets which were not supposed to be revealed,” she said.

By Anderson Ojwang

Could former ODM leader, the late Raila Amolo Odinga, be restless in his grave? And did his closest political allies betray him in death through the party’s recent re-organization?

These are some of the unsettling questions emerging a month after his burial, as developments in ODM appear to contradict the transition path Raila had himself set while still alive.

In October 2024, Raila broke the intense lobbying for control of the party by appointing Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o as the acting party leader during his AU Commission chairperson campaign.

This decision shocked many, especially Siaya Governor James Orengo, who had campaigned intensely for the role but was bypassed when Raila instead named Nyong’o.

Interestingly, had Raila won the AU seat and later died while in office, Nyong’o would have automatically led ODM — making the transition smooth. But in Raila’s death, the party leadership appears to have moved in a different direction altogether.

Why Nyong’o Was Raila’s Preferred Choice

During the Mombasa announcement, Raila emphasized that Nyong’o had been instrumental in grounding the party ideologically for over 20 years.

“Today, in line with a recent decision of the Central Committee, I formally task our founding Secretary General, Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o, to step in and provide leadership to our great party to enable me immerse myself fully into the final and more intricate phase of my campaign for chairmanship of the African Union Commission,” Raila said then.

He praised Nyong’o as central in giving ODM direction and ideological clarity since inception.

“We are therefore assured of ideological continuity and clarity that have been the hallmarks of our party,” Raila insisted.

This raises a key question:
Did ODM’s Central Committee betray Raila by appointing his elder brother, Siaya Senator Dr. Oburu Oginga, as acting party leader despite Raila having publicly shown his preferred successor?

Why did the Central Committee rush to appoint—and later lead the Governing Council to confirm—Dr. Oburu without considering Raila’s own criteria for interim party leadership? Was this a politically calculated move to protect certain interests in Raila’s absence?

How Oburu Was Appointed — Even He Was Shocked

Dr. Oburu, speaking candidly, said he did not seek the position and was shocked to learn about it from Suna East MP Junet Mohamed while waiting at the airport for Raila’s body arriving from India.

Oburu said Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir proposed his name — and he accepted.

“I want to thank my party ODM for making me the acting party leader. I will take that mantle with vigour and I will not disappoint, even though Raila’s shoes are too big,” Oburu said.

“It is my brother, the Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir, who proposed me. I didn’t apply to be party leader. I was surprised when you people made me party leader. Now I hear there is bickering that I do not fit the bill — but Oburu is capable,” he added.

Rising Tensions: Other Claimants Emerge

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has publicly expressed interest in the ODM party leader seat.

Winnie Odinga, Raila’s niece, has called for an NDC to elect a new team to negotiate the broad-based governance arrangement with President Ruto’s administration.

Fresh confusion erupted when a group of ODM life members, led by Rachael Tabitha, filed a petition demanding Oburu’s resignation.

Dated November 18, 2025, the petition accused Oburu of violating the ODM Constitution, undermining internal democracy, and sidelining long-serving members.

“It is deeply inappropriate for some leaders to speak with pride and boldly declare that they are legitimately in office, while Article 6.2.2(b) of the party constitution has been blatantly violated,” the petition stated.

The life members issued three demands:

1. Immediate resignation of Oburu from all party leadership positions.
2. An urgent National Delegates Convention to resolve what they call a governance crisis.
3. Full recognition of the rights of life members in party decision-making.

They gave the NEB a 30-day ultimatum, threatening mass resignation in honour of Raila’s legacy should the demands not be met.

Oburu’s Defenders Hit Back

Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko and Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor strongly defended Oburu, calling him the most suitable leader at this time.

“We will defend our party leader Dr. Oburu Oginga. If push comes to shove, we will discipline those against him,” Aduma said.

The Big Question: Was Raila Betrayed?

Why did ODM ignore Anyang’ Nyong’o, whom Raila had publicly appointed as acting party leader?

Did the party abandon Raila’s wishes once he was no longer alive to enforce them?

And is this reshuffle a genuine transition — or a consolidation of power by factions seeking influence in a Raila-less political landscape?

As ODM battles internal storms, the question lingers:

Did Raila’s own party betray the succession plan he left behind?

By Sandra Blessing

Governors from the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB), MPs and farmers should seize the emerging opportunity by the government to revive coffee farming in the country to invest in the sector in order to open a new economic frontier.

The government, through New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development, plans to revive coffee through cooperative societies in a programme dubbed national coffee revival programme.

In a recent advert, they invited passionate community-rooted individuals to join an intensive Coffee Extension Champions training programme which will be ward-based and seeks to recruit 1,600 champions.

“This initiative aims to expand coffee production within the cooperatives movement from 51,852MT to 152,000MT. Listed wards within the following coffee-growing counties (two positions available per ward, one for a male and female applicants,” read the advert.

The counties from the LREB bloc include Kakamega, Kericho, Homa Bay, Busia, Kisii, Kisumu, Migori, Nandi, Nyamira, Siaya, Vihiga and Bungoma.

Former Alego MP Sammy Weya challenged the region’s leadership to seize the opportunity and invest in coffee farming as the new economic frontier.

Weya said a tree of coffee is capable of earning a farmer Sh 24,000 a year and this would be a milestone in the region’s new economic dispensation.

“Coffee should be the new economic frontier in our region. I am happy to witness the kind of investments the governors from Rift Valley have placed in coffee growing in the region and I challenge our governors from Nyanza to learn from their colleagues,” he said.

Studies have shown that Western Kenya has the greatest potential for producing the highest quality of coffee and to spur economic growth in the region.

In one of the studies undertaken by experts hired by some emerging coffee farmers in Nyanza, it was revealed that the temperature and the soil in the region were best for coffee farming.

Weya said with temperatures of between 23 degrees centigrade and good soil, it only takes 10 days for seeds to germinate, unlike Central Kenya, where it takes 34 days.

“In Western Kenya, because the soil is slightly acidic, coffee cherries have a natural sugar taste, making it one of the best and high quality. This is an economic potential for Nyanza and Western to join the league of coffee-growing regions in the country,” he said.

Weya said that Homa Bay, Siaya, Kisumu, Kakamega, Busia and Migori counties have the potential of producing high-quality coffee to reverse the region’s economy.

He said an acre of coffee plantation will earn the farmer Sh 1 million and this can go a long way in addressing poverty in the region.

He said that already the following varieties — Ruiru II, SL 28 and Batian coffee — are being grown in the region.

Weya said the colonial government created a myth that coffee cannot grow well in Nyanza because of the fear of malaria attacks and opted to live in the White Highlands that were malaria-free.

**“It is simple knowledge that colonialists did not want to venture into Western Kenya to grow coffee because of the fear of malaria attack, and then developed a myth that the crop cannot grow in Nyanza. This myth has been debunked by various studies and the growth of the crop in the region.

Arabica coffee was not promoted in Nyanza because the colonialists were afraid of malaria and successive governments were never interested in promoting high-value cash crops in Nyanza, thus marginalising the community,”** he said.

Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) thrives in cool, tropical highlands with the following conditions: temperatures between 23 and 32 degrees centigrade day and night January to January, and an altitude above 1,200 metres above sea level. Loamy soils are slightly acidic, making the berries naturally sweet.

Weya said coffee can be grown in the upper canals and intercropped with legumes, macadamia and pawpaw to provide cover.

He said the government disbursed the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund, and Nyanza was left out despite the potential, and some farmers were already growing the cash crop.

**“Between 3rd February 2025 and 10th February 2025, New KPCU disbursed Sh 28,785,253.85 to 2,243 beneficiaries across 14 counties: Baringo County, Bungoma County, Kakamega County, Embu County, Kericho County, Kiambu County, Murang’a County, Machakos County, Meru County, Migori County, Tharaka Nithi County, Trans Nzoia County, Uasin Gishu County and Nyeri County, but Nyanza was left out.

Mumunyonzo FCS in Kakamega County applied for cherry advance for the first time and is the second FCS to benefit from cherry advance in the county. Ten farmers benefited from the cherry advance of Sh 366,880,”** he said.

Weya said it was unfortunate that despite agriculture being devolved, the local leadership has continued to sleep and is yet to take advantage of the emerging coffee farming opportunity.

He said Uganda, which shares common weather, rainfall patterns and soil types, has continued to grow coffee while Nyanza and Western — which neighbour it — are yet to venture into farming.

Former Nyakach MP Ochieng Daima said in the area, there are already farmers growing coffee, and the yield is high with huge earnings.

“Kabondo is one region in Nyanza where coffee has done well; even in Nyabondo, we have farmers growing it. It is time our people ventured into coffee farming. It is a high-value crop that will change the economy of Nyanza and Western region,” he said.

Weya said that through irrigation, Nyanza can sustain coffee farming, and this will be a milestone in revolutionising the local and national economy.

He said that currently, China has emerged as a leading coffee market, and Nyanza and Western farmers must be prepared to explore and exploit the opportunities.

“China’s coffee market is booming! Expected to hit $23 billion by 2032, with a 2.10% annual growth rate. Rising middle-class incomes and the demand for premium coffee are fuelling this surge. Coffee chains and online shopping are making it more accessible than ever,” he said.