5 Things You Must Know This Morning — Friday, September 25, 2026 - Livenow Breaking news, Kenyan News, World News. Videos

Good morning. A police officer is in custody over the killing of Nairobi lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu as detectives link the case to another high-profile murder. Across the border, Ethiopia's security crisis has escalated sharply, while South Sudan has entered a critical political transition ahead of December elections.

Back home, President William Ruto's UN trip is attracting scrutiny over the size and cost of Kenya's delegation, while the dispute over Tata Chemicals' century-old Magadi operation raises a bigger question about who should benefit from Kenya's natural resources.

Here are the five stories you need to know this Friday morning.

1. Police officer arrested as Mbobu murder investigation takes major turn

The investigation into the killing of Nairobi lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu has taken a dramatic turn after detectives arrested a police constable and linked his service pistol to the murder.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations says ballistic examination confirmed that the Ceska pistol issued to Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot was the firearm used to kill Mbobu, who was shot while driving home along Magadi Road on September 9, 2025.

Investigators have also linked the case to the killing of clinical psychologist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso. Police Inspector Kenneth Kipkemoi Sang, who investigators have linked to the two cases, remains at large, according to current reporting.

The emerging allegations raise serious questions about whether police weapons and personnel were involved in organised killings.

What to watch: The motive behind Mbobu's killing, the search for the fugitive officer and what investigators establish about any connection between the two murders.

2. Ethiopia edges closer to full-scale war as hundreds reported killed

The security situation in neighbouring Ethiopia has deteriorated dramatically.

Ethiopia's military says it killed at least 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded another 260 during fighting in the Amhara region. The Tigray People's Liberation Front, meanwhile, says the country is now in a situation of “full-blown war”.

The fighting has spread sufficiently to disrupt civilian aviation. Flights to Lalibela — the historic town famous for its rock-hewn churches — were suspended as fighting expanded nearby. Residents of Tigray have also been stocking up on food and other essentials amid fears of a return to large-scale conflict.

The developments threaten the peace established after the devastating 2020-2022 Tigray war.

For Kenya, another major Ethiopian conflict would not remain a distant foreign story. Instability could affect regional security, trade, refugee movements and diplomacy across the Horn of Africa.

What to watch: Whether fighting spreads further into Amhara and Afar, and whether regional or international mediators can prevent another prolonged Ethiopian war.

3. South Sudan's Kiir dissolves government ahead of December election

South Sudan has entered another uncertain political phase after President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional government ahead of elections scheduled for December 22.

The dissolution effectively ends the transitional power-sharing arrangement established under the 2018 peace agreement that helped end the country's civil war.

The decree went further than dissolving the Cabinet. It also dissolved the national legislature, state governments and assemblies and authorities in the country's three administrative areas, according to the Council on Foreign Relations' conflict tracker.

Kiir has appointed a caretaker administration as the country prepares for what is intended to be its first national election since independence.

The stakes are particularly high for Kenya, which has longstanding economic and diplomatic ties with South Sudan and has repeatedly participated in efforts to stabilise the country.

4. Questions grow over cost of Ruto's UNGA delegation

President William Ruto's call for reform of the global financial and political system at the United Nations is now being accompanied by scrutiny at home over the cost of Kenya's delegation to New York.

Seven Cabinet Secretaries travelled to the 81st UN General Assembly with the President, prompting questions over public spending and government officials missing domestic responsibilities, including appearances before Parliament.

The controversy creates an awkward contrast with Ruto's UN speech, in which he argued that governments must manage public finances responsibly and said international reform could not replace domestic accountability.

The President told the General Assembly: “Reform abroad cannot substitute for accountability at home.”

The debate is therefore likely to shift from whether Kenya should participate in UNGA — one of the world's most important diplomatic gatherings — to whether the size and cost of its representation were justified.

What to watch: Whether the government discloses the full cost and composition of Kenya's UNGA delegation and how it responds to questions over Cabinet Secretaries' absence from parliamentary duties.

5. Tata Chemicals dispute puts Kenya's natural-resource model under scrutiny

The confrontation between the government and Tata Chemicals over its Magadi soda ash operation is developing into a much bigger debate about how Kenya manages its mineral wealth.

Commercial soda ash production at Lake Magadi dates back to 1911, making it one of Kenya's oldest large-scale extractive industries.

The government has suspended Tata Chemicals Magadi's mining operations amid regulatory and benefit-sharing concerns. Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho says a compliance audit found that the company had not obtained a mineral right under the current Mining Act and was instead relying on historic land concessions. Tata says it has responded to the government's concerns and remains committed to engagement with regulators.

The dispute goes beyond one company.

At its centre is a question increasingly confronting African countries rich in minerals: how much value should remain with local communities and the national economy when natural resources are extracted?

That question is particularly relevant as Kenya simultaneously seeks investment in critical minerals and President Ruto argues internationally that Africa must move away from simply exporting raw resources.