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A report by the United States Department of State (DOS) has revealed that methamphetamine, known locally as "ice" is increasingly being used by Kenya’s affluent population.

While anti-drug campaigns have focused on low-income areas, the wealthy evade detection by seeking treatment in private facilities.

Meth, a highly addictive synthetic stimulant, causes euphoria but can lead to paranoia, heart complications and even death.

In September 2024, authorities busted Kenya’s first confirmed meth lab in Namanga, linked to Mexico’s Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

Several suspects, including Mexicans and Nigerians, were arrested.

The DOS has also flagged increased domestic drug production, with cannabis and prescription drugs such as diazepam, rohypnol and tramadol being widely abused.

Health experts warn that meth use contributes to HIV and hepatitis transmission, as users engage in risky sexual behaviour and share injection equipment.

The national government’s expenditure on salaries and wages rose 9.36 percent to Ksh293.34 billion in the first half of the 2024/25 financial year, marking the fastest increase in five years.

This comes despite a hiring freeze aimed at curbing the wage bill.

The rise precedes supplementary costs from converting 46,000 teachers to permanent terms and creating seven new state departments.

The bloated wage bill has strained Kenya’s fiscal position and is likely to complicate negotiations with the IMF.

Over half of last year’s Ksh 766.4 billion borrowing funded recurrent expenses, violating financial laws that restrict debt to development projects.

Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku, who sponsored controversial Assembly and Demonstration Bill 2024, which sought to impose stricter regulations on public protests by granting police greater control, nominated as the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes.

He takes over from Justin Muturi, who has been dismissed from the Cabinet following months of speculation over his strained relationship with President William Ruto.

Muturi, a former Speaker of the National Assembly, was once a close ally of Ruto and played a key role in his 2022 presidential campaign but recently found himself increasingly sidelined in key Cabinet decisions.

The rift became more evident when Muturi publicly contradicted some of the administration’s positions in his role as Public Service Cabinet Secretary.

Wife of the late Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, Hannah Wendot nominated as Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture the Arts and Heritage.

President William Ruto moves Health CS Deborah Mlongo Barasa to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry.

Former Attorney General Justin Muturi dismissed from the Cabinet.

Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku nominated as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes.

Hannah Wendot nominated as the new Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage.

Aden Duale has been reassigned to the Ministry of Health, while Deborah Mlongo Barasa will now head the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry.

The appointments are subject to parliamentary approval before the nominees assume office.

A candidate for the position of National Police Service Commission (NPSC) chairperson, Komora Mubadi Jilo, collapsed and died while waiting to be interviewed at the Public Service Commission offices in Nairobi.

Jilo was among four candidates scheduled for interviews on Tuesday March 25 when he collapsed, briefly disrupting the session but the process resumed after his body was taken to the mortuary for an autopsy.

The deceased, who previously vied for the Garsen MP seat in the 2022 general election on a Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) ticket, was among the candidates competing for the chairperson position alongside former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner Margaret Wanjala, former Gatanga MP Humphrey Kimani, former Busia Deputy Governor Kizito Wangalwa, former Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Devolution’s State Department of ASALs Micah Pkopus, and former Judiciary Finance Director Susan Oyatsi.

A report by the Digital Financial Services Association of Kenya (DFSAK) shows that Kenyans are collectively borrowing approximately Ksh 500 million every day, resulting in a total monthly borrowing of Ksh 15 billion, a figure that indicates the growing reliance on digital credit facilities as a means of addressing financial shortfalls and sustaining daily economic activities.

The report further reveals that more than 8 million Kenyans actively take out digital loans each month, a trend largely driven by the widespread availability and accessibility of smartphones, which have made it easier for borrowers to apply for and receive credit within minutes through various mobile lending platforms.

High Court Judge Lucy Njuguna directs that former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu remain in custody for another month as she prepares to rule on his application to amend his appeal against a 12-year prison sentence for corruption-related charges.

The ruling is scheduled for April 23, 2025.

Waititu was convicted in February 2025 on charges of conflict of interest and dealing with suspect property, linked to the irregular awarding of a Ksh 588 million road tender during his tenure as governor.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison or a fine of Ksh 53.5 million.

The court's decision next month will determine whether Waititu can modify his appeal, a ruling that is expected to carry substantial legal ramifications for his ongoing case.

Controversial second-hand car dealer Joseph Kairo Wambui, popularly known as Khalif Kairo, is currently appearing before Kibera Law Courts where he is facing two separate fraud cases.