2026 in Kenya
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Events
January
- 2 January – A multi-storey building under construction collapses in Nairobi's South C area, trapping at least two people and causing fatalities.[1]
- 3 January – President Ruto says the government will introduce new legislation making drug and illicit alcohol trafficking a capital offence.[2]
- 26 January – Al-Shabaab terrorists kill a local chief and a teacher in Hulugho, Garissa County.[3]
- 30 January – KOKO Networks announces its closure, citing the government's failure to authorize carbon credits and import permits for bioethanol made from molasses.[4]
February
- 2 February – A Matatu strike paralyzes transport in Nairobi.[5]
- 3 February – The Tax Appeals Tribunal rules that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is legally entitled to treat unexplained bank deposits and mobile money transfers, payments or deposits, such as those via M-pesa, as taxable income unless the taxpayer proves otherwise with documentary evidence.[6]
- 3 February – Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission CEO and Commission Secretary, Marjan Hussein Marjan resigns from office ahead of the 2027 General Elections.[7]
- 4 February – President Ruto announces income tax exemptions for individuals earning KSh30,000 and below per month (approximately $233), and a 25% tax reduction for those earning up to KSh50,000 (about $388).[8]
- 11 February – Orange Democratic Movement National Executive Committee (NEC) attempts to remove Edwin Sifuna as party Secretary-General.[9]
- 16 February – A strike is held by workers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi following a dispute over the implementation of a collective bargaining agreement.[10]
- 17 February – The government unveils a national carbon registry.[11]
- 26 February – Festus Omwamba is charged at the Kahawa Law Courts in Kiambu with human trafficking, after recruiting and sending Kenyan youths to fight for the Russian Armed Forces in the war with Ukraine.[12]
- 27 February – United Democratic Alliance (Kenya) wins Isiolo South Constituency, Evurore ward and Muminji by-elections which were previously held by Jubilee, an independent and Devolution Empowerment Party (DUP) parties respectively.[13]
- 28 February – Six people are killed when an Airbus Helicopters H175 crashes in Mosop Constituency, Nandi County. MP Johana Ng'eno is among the victims.[14][15]
March
- 1 March – Alliance High School (Kenya) marks its centenary in a ceremony attended by President Ruto.[16]
- 7 March – At least 45 people are killed in overnight flooding caused by heavy rains across the country with 23 in Nairobi alone.[17]
- 10 March – A Chinese national is arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi while attempting to leave Kenya with 2,238 live garden ants concealed in his luggage.[18]
- 12–15 March – WRC Safari Rally Kenya, a round of the 2026 World Rally Championship.[19]
- 13 March – A court in Nairobi convicts six people in a robbery with violence case linked to the 2015 killing of George Muchai and his bodyguards; one of the accused is acquitted due to insufficient evidence.[20][21]
- 16 March – A building collapses during a botched demolition in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi, killing four people.[22]
- 19 March – The government restarts the building of the China-backed Standard Gauge Railway extension, after a six-year construction pause.[23]
- 22 March – A mass grave, discovered in Kericho town, containing 14 individuals buried on 19 March. It is believed to be part of a larger, illicit burial site containing roughly 70 bodies buried over several months without government or landowner permission.[24]
- 28 March –
- 2026 Kenya floods: At least 108 people are killed after multiple weeks of flooding across the country.[25][26]
- A truck and a minibus collide along the Nyeri-Nyahururu road in Nyeri County, killing 16 and injuring 10.[27]
- 30 March – Albert Korir, winner of the 2021 New York City Marathon, is banned for five years by the Athletics Integrity Unit after admitting to the use of the banned substance EPO following an out-of-competition test.[28]
April
- 2 April – Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi reports that 16 Kenyans are missing in Russia, after being recruited to fight for the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, while 38 others are currently hospitalized in Russia under restricted access.[29]
- 20 April – John Korir wins the men’s race at the Boston Marathon for the second consecutive year, setting a new course record of 2:01:52.[30]
- 27–29 April – World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026, held at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON).[31]
- 26 April – Sabastian Sawe officially breaks the 2-hour barrier for a marathon at the 2026 London Marathon.[32]
May
- 24 May – The Kenya Wildlife Marathon and Half-Marathon will take place.[33]
June
- 2–5 June – 2026 Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo & Conference in Nairobi.[34]
- 16–18 June – The 11th Our Ocean Conference will for the first time be hosted by an African country, Kenya, in Mombasa and Kilifi Counties.[35]
- 27 June – Annual Lewa Safari Marathon organized by Tusk.[36]
