Echo News Digital

A police officer accused of shooting and killing a mask vendor during the June 17, 2025, protests along Moi Avenue, outside Imenti House in Nairobi, is set to face trial. The officer, Klinzy Baraza of Kayole Police Station, is scheduled to appear before Lady Justice Margaret Muigai for pre-trial proceedings on March 9, 2026. Klinzy Baraza and another officer during the shooting incident of a mask vendor along Moi Avenue and thereafter his appearance in court/Photo/file Justice Muigai had previously denied Baraza bail, citing concerns for the safety of witnesses and the victim’s family. Reports from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) indicated that some witnesses feared interference or harm if the accused were released. High Court Judge Kanyi Kimondo on February 17, 2026, directed that the murder case against Baraza be committed to Lady Justice Muigai for trial.  Judge Kimondo went ahead and scheduled pre-trial procee...

The High Court of Kenya has certified as urgent a case seeking to compel the Judicial Service Commission to address alleged infrastructure failures that deny Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) access to justice. In HCJR/E037/2026, applicants Sheria Mtaani and Shadrack Wambui argue that facilities at the Milimani Law Courts remain largely inaccessible, particularly in the Magistrates’ Criminal Division.  A picture of Milimani law courts building/Photo/file Lifts and ramps are reportedly missing or non-functional, effectively locking out wheelchair users from courtrooms and preventing them from attending proceedings in person. The petition is supported by the Law Society of Kenya and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities as interested parties, signaling wider concern within the legal and disability rights sectors. Applicants further state that the absence of tactile guiding rails and handrails has created safety risks, with visually impaired court users reportedly sufferin...

The Milimani Commercial Magistrate’s Court has awarded Pastor James Ng’ang’a and his co-plaintiff Sh2.5 million in general damages after finding Standard Media Group liable for defamation over a 2015 publication in The Nairobian. In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Principal Magistrate Hon. Hosea Mwangi Ng’ang’a ruled that the article titled “WHY I’M DIVORCING PASTOR NG’ANG’A” was misleading and unfair, holding that it selectively presented allegations without giving equal weight to the pastor’s response. Pastor James Ng'ang'a/Photo/X The court found that the story portrayed the pastor as a “drunkard,” “immoral man,” and “womanizer,” damaging his reputation and allegedly leading to the loss of about 1,000 congregants from Neno Evangelism Centre. The defendant had argued that the publication was protected under qualified privilege and fair comment, saying it relied on public court records from child custody proceedings filed in 2014.  Pastor James Ng'ang'a  However, the...

The High Court in Nairobi has dismissed an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) seeking to withdraw criminal charges against Guy Spencer Elms , ruling that the trial magistrate acted correctly in refusing to terminate the case. In a ruling delivered on January 27, 2026, Justice Martin Muya found that the DPP could not unilaterally discontinue the proceedings without considering the rights of the complainant, Agnes Kagure Kariuki , as provided for under the Victims Protection Act . Guy Spencer Elms during his plea taking in Milimani magistrate court/Photo/file The DPP had moved to the High Court to revise an earlier decision by Milimani Chief Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi , who declined to allow the withdrawal of charges relating to alleged forgery and obtaining property through a purportedly false will of the late Roger Bryan Robson . Prosecutors argued that the basis of the criminal case had been overtaken by events after the High Court, in a separate succession m...

The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) has temporarily suspended the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party’s decision to remove Edwin Watenya Sifuna as Secretary General, pending the hearing and determination of a case he filed challenging the move. In orders issued on February 12, 2026, Acting Chairperson Gad Gathu directed that “the implementation of the resolution made by the National Executive Committee… be stayed” until the application is heard and determined. ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna/Photo/files The Tribunal also restrained the respondents from publishing or acting on the decision to remove Sifuna, including any intended publication in the Kenya Gazette, preserving the status quo within the party leadership. The case, filed by Sifuna against ODM and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, was certified as urgent, with the Tribunal ordering immediate service of the complaint and application. Respondents have been given seven days to file and serve thei...

The investigating officer has testified in court on how detectives processed the scene where starlet Wahu was found dead, recovered exhibits, and traced the accused, John Matara, to his eventual arrest at Mbagathi Hospital. Appearing before Milimani high court Justice Alexander Muteti,detective Alex Cholera told the court that when officers entered the apartment, they found the body lying in the sitting room near the door with multiple stab wounds. “The body was lying on the floor… it had stab wounds and there was blood all over. The room looked scattered as if there had been a struggle,” he testified. He explained that the house had been locked from inside, forcing the owner to bring a spare key after being called to the scene. “The door was locked from inside with a padlock and there was no key. The owner had to come and open,” Cholera said. Exhibits retrieved from Pappino apartments before court. The officer listed several items recovered and forwarded to the Government Chemist, inc...

A police officer has told the court how the main suspect in the murder of Starlet Wahu was tracked down and arrested at Mbagathi Hospital hours after the incident. Testifying before the court, Police Constable Horace Arwa, an officer attached to South B Police Station, said that on January 4, 2024, he was on a 24-hour duty shift when he received a call from Inspector Ngwatti at around midnight informing him of a scene that required police attention. Upon arriving at the report office, he found two female who had reported the discovery of a body at Pappino Apartments in South B. Together with Corporal Ngwatti, the officer proceeded to the fourth floor of the apartment, specifically House Y32, described as an Airbnb unit. “The door was slightly open and before fully entering, I saw a naked body lying next to a sofa near the door,” Arwa told the court. He said the body was lying in a pool of blood and the entire sitting room floor was stained with blood. A photo of blood knife and towel s...

A government analyst has told the court that DNA recovered from a knife and towels at the murder scene matched both the deceased, Starlet Wahu, and the accused, John Matara. While testifying, the analyst said several items collected from the scene were subjected to forensic examination. The analyst told the court that swab samples taken from one of the items were lightly stained with blood of human origin John Matara Ong'oa during his trial at the Milimani high court. However, she noted that Item D, which had been collected from the scene, did not generate a DNA profile. The analyst further testified that blood stains found on a knife produced mixed DNA results which the profiles matched both Starlet Wahu and John Matara. Knife extracted from the scene of crime produced in court as exhibits on February 11,2026. In addition, one of the towels recovered from the scene also generated mixed DNA profiles. “One profile matched the deceased while the other matched the accused,” the court ...

A Nairobi court is set to determine whether a senior imam accused of obtaining Sh774,000 from a complainant on the promise of facilitating Umrah travel to Saudi Arabia will be released on bail.  The accused, Omar Athman Omar, 49, is alleged to have misled Mohamed Salim Bahlewa, a Nairobi resident, between December 18 and 19, 2025, claiming he could facilitate his Umrah pilgrimage. Omar Athman Omar accused in the Umrah travel scandal/Photo/Reporter  Omar, who is Swahili and resides in Malindi, pleaded not guilty to a charge of obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Section 313 of the Penal Code. Counsel for the accused applied for bail, arguing there are no compelling reasons to deny him his constitutional right. The defence highlighted Omar’s strong family and social ties. “The accused is a senior imam, a family man with a fixed abode in Malindi where he lives with his family,” counsel told the court. The defence further stated that Omar is not a flight risk despite occ...

A Nairobi man, Joseph Kimani Kamau, has been convicted on two counts of impersonation and fraudulent withdrawal of funds. Kamau, a Kenyan adult presented himself at KCB Bank, Imara Daima branch, on February 4, pretending to be Wesley Kiplagat Kirui. He successfully withdrew Sh450,000, using a withdrawal form and an original ID in Kirui’s name. Joseph Kimani Kamau before Milimani law courts/photo/Reporter Bank officials noticed discrepancies in the signatures and facial image on the ID compared to the bank’s records.  Kamau also gave inconsistent information when questioned and claimed he could not use mobile banking because he had misplaced his SIM card. Further checks revealed additional inconsistencies, prompting the bank manager to alert police, leading to his arrest. Investigators also recovered another ID in Kamau’s real name. During mitigation, Kamau told the court he acted under financial pressure as a family breadwinner: "I was given the ID and all the documents by a frien...

The Court of Appeal has reinstated the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) Act, 2015, overturning a High Court decision that had declared the entire law unconstitutional. In a landmark judgment delivered on Thursday, February 6, 2026, the appellate court set aside the High Court ruling issued on September 20, 2024, finding that the decision to nullify the entire Act was legally unsustainable. In Courts. The judges faulted the High Court for adopting an extreme remedy. “The remedy of striking down the entire NGCDF Act, 2015 was disproportionate and inconsistent with the principle of severability,"documents read. The Court of Appeal ruled that the fund does not undermine the constitutional architecture of devolution, finding that NGCDF remains a lawful instrument through which the national government implements national functions at the constituency level. On the doctrine of separation of powers, the court rejected the High Court’s findings, ruling that Members...

 The High Court on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, extended interim orders freezing five bank accounts linked to Kiambu Governor Paul Kimani Wamatangi in a case filed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). The matter came up before Justice Okong’o in the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division for directions on an application by the commission seeking the extension of interim injunctive orders. The court ordered that the preservation orders remain in force until March 17, 2026, and directed parties to exchange written submissions within 14 days. Kiambu Governor Paul Wamatangi/File The EACC alleges that the funds, amounting to shs. 813 million, are proceeds of corruption and economic crime and were unlawfully acquired between 2017 and 2022 while Wamatangi served as a Senator. The anti-graft body further claims that the Governor used his position to influence the award of road construction tenders to companies linked to him, an allegation he has denied. The frozen acc...

The High Court has set strict timelines in a petition seeking the legalisation of cannabis sativa (bhang), warning parties that no cannabis seeds should be allowed in court premises and may only be presented as photographic exhibits in their supporting evidence. While issuing its directions, the court emphasized the need to bring the case to a conclusion, noting that it affects a large number of people and has been before the court for several years. Rastafarians society following a proceedings at the Milimani law courts on February 4,2026 Justice Bahati Mwamuye observed that the matter had been in court for a long time and noted that there would be no further adjournments. “This is a 2021 matter affecting a large number of persons and ought to be concluded expeditiously. The timelines issued are final, and no further adjournments shall be entertained,” he ruled. The court directed that the hearing will proceed on March 13 and March 20, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. The petitioners are expected t...

The High Court has temporarily declined an application seeking a review of bail terms for Erick Mutinda, the accused in the murder of Multimedia University student Sylvia Kemunto, citing concerns that he may flee the country. In a ruling delivered before Justice Diana Kavedza at the Kibera law courts, the court said the fears were anchored on earlier prosecution testimony indicating that the accused had expressed intentions to escape to Tanzania after the alleged crime. “In the circumstances, the application for review of bail terms is temporarily declined and may be renewed on March 16, 2026,” the court ruled. Erick Mutinda on January 26,2026/Sarah Awinja  The decision followed testimony by a 19-year-old Multimedia University student, who told the court that on the night of April 3, 2025, Mutinda called him and confessed to killing his girlfriend. The witness testified that the accused narrated how he allegedly strangled Sylvia Kemunto by holding her neck, packed her body into a s...