Opposition leader Raila Odinga is the latest high-profile figure to be mentioned in the unravelling British American Tobacco (BAT) bribery saga.

There is cause for worry when senators back calls for pay-outs to former councillors, completely oblivious of the prevailing economic situation.

The teachers' strike enters its third week today with 12 million learners from public schools staying home since their tutors downed their tools when the month began.

Property developers have invaded many open spaces in many of Nairobi’s residential estates at an alarming rate.

On Tuesday this week, Al-Shabaab terrorists raided an African Union peacekeepers’ camp in the South of Somalia and killed several Ugandan soldiers.

The National Assembly has demonstrated yet again its little regard for the spirit and letter of the Constitution.

After so many false starts, there is light at the end of the tunnel for troubled South Sudan following the signing of a peace agreement between the government of President Salva Kiir and the rebels led by former Vice President Riek Machar in Juba on Wednesday.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s order to crack down on drug barons and traffickers comes at a time drug and substance abuse has devastated many families.

Our Members of Parliament have once again demonstrated their selfishness and failed the leadership test.

The admission by the regulator that cartels are inflating sugar prices is unfortunate. This indicts the Agriculture Fisheries and Foods Authority (AFFA) for failing to rein in individuals and firms making sugar production in Kenya the most uncompetitive in the region.

There are disturbing statements coming out of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) with just weeks before schools open for the final term of the year.

After a two-year hiatus the debate on genetically modified organisms in food is back after the government last week suggested an import ban placed in 2012, will be lifted.

The Senate has raised a valid point that should guide future appointments to key positions in Government parastatals. For so long, individuals have been appointed to key positions in public entities only to run them down due to incompetence and corruption.

Reports indicate that some 11 patients have died since the latest strike by health workers, including doctors and nurses, began. Nakuru, Nyeri and Makueni counties have had health services paralysed.

We welcome the announcement by Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet that disciplinary action will be taken against the law enforcement officers who took photographs of some schoolgirls they had stripped naked then circulated the images in social media.

The altercation between the Ministry of Health and the Catholic Church over the viability of a new polio vaccine is unfortunate and uncalled for.

The latest doping claims made against Kenyan athletes—although discounted on most counts—should remind local athletics authorities that it has a duty to ensure that our competitors remain squeaky clean.

"Kenya is at a crossroads," said US President Barack Obama yesterday. "You can choose the path of progress, but it requires making some important choices."

Of late, safety and security fears of learners in school have raised concern among many parents and school administrators.

The national government should urgently intervene to stop the perennial illegal sand harvesting in the larger Ukambani region.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) unveiled its strategic plan in a ceremony preceded by calls from opposition leaders for delay of the event to allow for wider consultations and consensus on way forward.

Cracking down on illicit brews appeared noble from the outset. It was simple: Fire up MPs to lead the crusade in their constituencies and inspire the nation to come to grips with a vice responsible for over 500 deaths and counting.

Reports that officers supposed to lead rehabilitation of convicted criminals are living in abject poverty and appalling conditions must gnaw at the heart of every Kenyan.

Nearly every Kenyan family is directly or indirectly afflicted by the scourge of chronic alcoholism and drug abuse.

Oscar award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has had a hugely positive impact on Kenyan youth, especially girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A report that Swiss food and drinks company Nestle could be scaling back its operations in Africa owing to the slow growth of the middle class calls for policy makers to encourage this segment of our society to thrive.

There is huge expectation among long-suffering sugar-cane farmers in Kakamega County, after President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the Sh1 billion bailout for the beleaguered Mumias Sugar Company (MSC).

The financial woes facing two of Kenya’s most famous football clubs, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, are a huge indictment on club football managers.

The country could be headed for a prolonged period of industrial unrest if the Trade Union Congress of Kenya (TUC-K) makes good its threat and leads its members on a nationwide strike starting July 1.

This week, secondary school principals have been meeting in Mombasa County at the luxurious Wild Waters Hotel for the 40th annual conference of head teachers.

It’s a major boost for the tourism industry after the British government lifted the crippling travel advisory for Mombasa and the entire stretch of the Coast from Watamu to the border with Tanzania.

President Uhuru Kenyatta joins 50 leaders for the 25th African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa with today’s opening ceremony expected to set the tone for the conference.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been in the crosshairs of the opposition, which has not forgiven the Ahmed Issack Hassan-led team after losing the 2013 General Election.

Several initiatives have been mooted to find lasting solutions to the perennial fatal cattle rustling in Baringo, Turkana, Samburu and West Pokot counties.

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi, this week gazetted new schools’ regulations that have generated more heat than direction in a sector crying out for clear policy guidance.

The tale of collapsed buildings in Nairobi and other parts of the country is getting to be one too many. On Thursday, a building collapsed in Roysambu killing at least four people and injuring several others, even as rescuers go through the debris searching for survivors.

After a protracted legal battle, the revised National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) rates came into effect on April 1. When the new rates were announced by the government last year, the Trade Union Congress of Kenya (TUC-K) went to court to block implementation of the new rates, arguing that health care was inaccessible to most people, besides the fact that there was no public participation prior to the announcement of the new rates.

In the last week or so, there has been raging public debate on the fairness of the method used to select Form One students to public schools.

No parent would openly admit to having a favourite child. That doesn’t mean parents don’t have favourites; it just means they are wise enough – most of the time – not to make it obvious because of the problems that are sure to arise then and in future.

Last week, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Justin Muturi, warned that MPs who miss parliamentary sessions without his permission or valid reason risk disciplinary action.