5 Things You Must Know This Morning — Thursday, September 24, 2026 - Livenow Breaking news, Kenyan News, World News. Videos

Good morning. President William Ruto has used the UN's biggest stage to demand fundamental changes to the global system, while back home questions are growing over a massive critical-minerals deal, tax authorities have uncovered a multimillion-shilling smartphone import scheme and insecurity has struck again in Isiolo.

Across the border, developments in Ethiopia are becoming increasingly important for Kenya and the wider Horn of Africa.

Here are five major stories to start your Thursday.

1. Ruto tells UN: Africa cannot remain ‘permanently excluded’ from global power

President William Ruto has used Kenya's address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly to demand permanent African representation on the UN Security Council and major reforms to the international financial system.

Ruto argued that Africa's 54 countries are frequently affected by Security Council decisions despite having no permanent seat.

“We are frequently the subject of its decisions. Permanently discussed, yet permanently excluded,” he told world leaders.

He also attacked the high cost of borrowing facing developing countries, arguing that African nations often pay substantially more for capital than richer economies.

“Capital must price risk. It must not price prejudice,” he said.

Ruto also announced that Kenya expects to break ground within a week on the planned East African oil refinery in Lamu, which he put at approximately $16 billion and said would have capacity to process 700,000 barrels a day.

What to watch: Whether Ruto's push for permanent African representation gains concrete support during UNGA, and details surrounding the Lamu refinery groundbreaking.

2. US and China eye Kenya's Mrima Hill minerals as questions grow over massive deal

Kenya's Mrima Hill mineral deposits are emerging as a major geopolitical and economic story, with both the United States and China interested in resources associated with the Kwale deposit.

The Standard reports that questions are being raised over a tender linked to minerals potentially worth trillions of shillings.

The story comes as competition between major powers for rare earths and other critical minerals intensifies. These resources are increasingly important in electric vehicles, renewable-energy systems, electronics and advanced technologies.

For Kenya, the bigger question is not simply how much lies beneath Mrima Hill. It is who gets the right to extract it, how Kenya values the resources and how much of the processing and economic benefit remains in the country.

What to watch: Details of the tender, potential investors, the government's valuation of the deposits and whether Kenya insists on local processing rather than simply exporting raw minerals.

3. KRA uncovers Sh56 million tax scheme involving more than 55,000 smartphones

Kenya Revenue Authority investigators have uncovered what they describe as a major under-declaration involving smartphones imported through Eldoret International Airport.

Customs documents declared only 3,000 phones, but investigators physically found 55,607 ordinary smartphones, according to Business Daily. Another 309 undeclared premium phones were discovered, including iPhone 17 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8 devices.

KRA calculated the additional tax liability at about Sh56 million, with an importer and clearing agent facing possible prosecution.

The case raises a wider question about how much revenue Kenya could be losing through under-declaration and misclassification of high-value imports.

What to watch: Whether prosecutions follow, who imported the consignment and whether KRA expands investigations into other electronics shipments.

4. Police officer killed as bandit violence returns to Isiolo

A National Police Reservist has been killed in an ambush by suspected bandits in Nyachis, Isiolo County.

The officer was reportedly escorting Safaricom technicians to a telecommunications site when the group came under attack on Wednesday.

The killing follows another attack in the Gotu area about a week earlier in which five people, including two Anti-Stock Theft Unit officers, another police reservist and two civilians, were killed.

The latest incident raises renewed concerns over insecurity in northern Kenya, particularly when attacks begin affecting telecommunications workers and other people providing essential services.

What to watch: The security operation following the ambush and whether the government deploys additional personnel to the affected areas.

5. Ethiopia crisis deepens as armed groups unite against Abiy Ahmed

Developments in neighbouring Ethiopia deserve close attention in Kenya.

Seven armed and opposition groups have formed the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, declaring their intention to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.

The coalition brings together groups that have previously fought on opposing sides, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano National Movement. Groups from Oromia, Afar and other regions are also involved.

The development comes amid renewed tensions involving Tigrayan and federal forces and concerns over the durability of the 2022 peace agreement that ended the devastating Tigray war.

Any serious deterioration in Ethiopia would have consequences beyond its borders. Ethiopia is Kenya's northern neighbour and one of the Horn of Africa's biggest economies, while instability could affect trade, security, refugees and regional diplomacy.

What to watch: Whether the new alliance develops into coordinated military action and whether fighting between federal and Tigrayan forces escalates.