Kenya

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Beloved Kenyan Leader Made Unusual Request Before Dying

Raila Odinga expressed desire to be buried within 3 days; funeral is set for Sunday

(Newser) - A sea of mourners gathered at Nairobi's main airport Thursday as the body of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga returned home, marking the beginning of a week of national mourning. Odinga, widely recognized for his decades-long fight for democracy, collapsed Wednesday during a morning walk in Kerala,...

The Fight Is Over for Kenya's 'Father of Democracy'

Raila Odinga, 80, dies in India, where he was receiving medical care

(Newser) - Raila Odinga, the enduring face of Kenya's fight for democracy and a towering figure in African politics, has died in India at age 80, leaving a nation to mourn one of its most influential leaders. The former prime minister and longtime opposition leader collapsed Wednesday during a morning...

Runner Has Won 1500M at Every Meet for 4 Years

Faith Kipyegon ties all-time record with eighth global gold

(Newser) - Faith Kipyegon cemented her legacy at the World Athletics Championships by capturing an unprecedented fourth world title in the 1500 meters Tuesday in Tokyo, matching the record set by men's world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj and marking her fifth straight global gold in the event. The 31-year-old...

Kenya Probes Tourist Who Gave Beer to Elephant

Authorities investigate viral video taken at Kenyan wildlife conservancy

(Newser) - A video of a tourist pouring beer down an elephant's trunk at a Kenyan wildlife reserve has ignited outrage online and triggered multiple investigations into his actions, the BBC reports. The Spanish man, whose online profiles use the name "Skydive_Kenya," was filmed at Ol Jogi Conservancy...

Tragedy Follows Glory for Some of Kenya's Marathon Stars

Fame and fortune collide with risk for Kenya's elite runners

(Newser) - On the rugged roads of Kenya's Rift Valley, marathon world-record breaker Kelvin Kiptum raced his way to global stardom—only to become the latest in a tragic line of elite runners whose dreams have been cut short by the very pressures that come with sudden success. In a...

In Africa's Largest Slum, You Can Pay in Bitcoin

Cryptocurrency brings risks and rewards to Kenya

(Newser) - Dotting the roadside in what is widely considered Africa's largest urban slum are typical stands selling vegetables. Around 200 people use bitcoin in Soweto West, a neighborhood of the Kibera slum in Kenya's capital. It's part of an initiative to extend financial services to one of the...

In Africa, a 'Ticking Time Bomb' Born of Prosperity

Health experts warn that being overweight, long a sign there of being wealthy, is leading to diseases

(Newser) - In many African cultures, a big belly has long been seen as a sign of wealth. In Kenya, overweight politicians are often called "Boss" or "Mkubwa"—Swahili for "big man"— by constituents, with their girth symbolizing prosperity. Obesity, however, contributes to noncommunicable diseases such as...

Teens Found With 5K Ants in Test Tubes Are Sentenced

Belgium's Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijck can choose between a fine and prison

(Newser) - Two Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants in Kenya were on Wednesday given a choice of paying a fine of $7,700 or serving 12 months in prison—the minimum penalty for the offense—for violating wildlife conservation laws. Magistrate Njeri Thuku said in her ruling that despite the...

Lawmaker Who Warned of 'Hired Goons' Assassinated

Kenyan lawmaker Charles Ong'ondo Were was shot dead on Nairobi road

(Newser) - Charles Ong'ondo Were, an opposition lawmaker in Kenya, foretold his own death. Were was shot dead in the capital, Nairobi, Wednesday night in what police say appears to have been a "targeted and predetermined" killing. Earlier this year, he warned that "hired goons" were plotting to assassinate...

Lion Enters Home, Kills Teen in Kenya
Lioness Enters Home, Kills Girl
Apr 21, 2025 7:11 AM CDT

Lioness Enters Home, Kills Girl

The death came a day after an elephant fatally attacked a man some 80 miles away

(Newser) - A 14-year-old girl has died in a rare lion attack on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. A lioness attacked the girl at a residential compound on a ranch next to Nairobi National Park, which lies just six miles from the city center, on Saturday, per the BBC...

Can a Sprawling Refugee Camp Morph Into a City?

Kenya's Kakuma will try

(Newser) - In the remote lands of northwest Kenya, a refugee camp that sits eight hours away from the nearest city is on a journey to become a city itself. The first tents went up in Kakuma in 1992 as the "Lost Boys of Sudan" arrived ; refugees from places like...

Man Looks to Transfer His $8M Butterfly Collection

It isn't cheap caring for 4.2 million specimens, as Kenya's Steve Collins well knows

(Newser) - What began as a childhood hobby more than six decades ago has led to what might be Africa's largest butterfly collection in a suburb of Kenya's capital. Steve Collins, 74, was born and raised in western Kenya. By the age of 5, he was fascinated by butterflies and...

Report: PTSD Found in 144 of 144 Facebook Moderators

Medical reports were filed in connection with case brought by moderators in Kenya

(Newser) - Almost 190 Facebook content moderators in Kenya have sued Facebook parent Meta and the outsourcing firm who hired them, alleging intentional infliction of mental harm , among other woes. Court filings viewed by the Guardian reveal the depths of the alleged impact: The paper cites medical reports filed with the employment...

After 97 Women Killed, Cops Go After the Protesters

More calls for change follow arrests, use of tear gas Tuesday in Kenya

(Newser) - Protesters calling on Kenya's president to declare a national crisis following 97 femicides in three months were met with tear gas and arrests on Tuesday. Fed up with the trauma and tragedy of mutilated and tortured bodies, protesters took to the streets of Nairobi demanding police do more to...

Suspect in Fatal Gas Attack on Olympian Also Dies

Dickson Ndiema, ex of Rebecca Cheptegei, suffered severe airway burns

(Newser) - The ex-boyfriend accused of killing Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei in a gas attack has died from burns he allegedly sustained at the same time. Dickson Ndiema, 32, died Monday in the intensive care unit of Kenya's Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, to which he and Cheptegei were taken...

At Least 17 Dead in Boarding School Fire

13 other children seriously burned in Kenya fire

(Newser) - A fire in a school dormitory in Kenya killed 17 students and seriously burned 13 others, police said Friday. There are fears that the death toll may rise, police said. The cause of the fire Thursday night at Hillside Endarasha Primary in Nyeri county is being investigated, police spokesperson Resila...

Kenya: Suspect Confessed to Killing 42 Women

Watchdog is investigating potential involvement of police, already accused in deaths

(Newser) - Days after police found the dismembered bodies of nine women at an abandoned quarry in a Nairobi shantytown, police say a suspect confessed—not just in those deaths but to killing 42 women between 2022 and Thursday. Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, admitted that he "lured, killed and disposed" of...

Alleged Doomsday Cult Leader Behind 440 Deaths Goes On Trial

Paul Mackenzie and 94 alleged accomplices are accused in the case

(Newser) - The trial of alleged doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie started Monday in Kenya. Mackenzie is accused of masterminding the Shakahola forest massacre, one of the worst recent tragedies related to a cult , with more than 440 followers dead ( nearly 200 of them children ) after being told to starve...

Police Open Fire on Protesters in Kenya

Medical workers say at least 5 were killed as protesters stormed country's parliament

(Newser) - Thousands of protesters stormed Kenya's parliament Tuesday to protest tax proposals, burning part of the building, sending lawmakers fleeing, and drawing fire from police in unrest that the president vowed to quash. Several people were killed. It was the most direct assault on the government in decades, the AP...

White House Fetes Kenya With State Dinner

Lavish event was biggest of Biden's presidency

(Newser) - Thursday's White House state dinner honoring Kenyan President William Ruto offered around 500 guests stunning DC views, a knockout menu, and a dose of celebrity star power. The gathering was the first White House state dinner for an African nation since 2008, and it was the sixth and largest...

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