December 26, 2024: Top news events to look out for today

Here is what you need to know to get up to speed with today’s happenings.

Abductions

Kenyans, lobby groups and a section of the political class are expected to continue speaking against a new wave of abductions and calling for the release of the missing youths who were recently abducted after posting controversial tweets about President William Ruto.

The latest abductions to be recorded include Bill Mwangi, Peter Muteti Njeru, Bernard Kavuli, and an unnamed fourth individual which occurred on various dates in December 2024 across the Embu, Nairobi and Kajiado counties.

 IPOA chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan in a statement on December 25, 2025, vowed to investigate the recent incidents stating that the authority has deployed Rapid Response Teams to the affected areas.

“The Independent Policing Oversight Authority is concerned with the rising cases of abductions of various persons allegedly by members of the National Police Service (NPS). This is after reports of the abductions emerged in mainstream media and in social media,

“Rapid Response Teams were dispatched to the areas of incidents with instructions to obtain all information that may be relevant in unveiling the circumstances surrounding the abductions and whether there was police involvement as generally alleged,” Ahmed Issack Hassan stated.

At least 26 young people are still missing since the anti-government protests between June and August 2024, after having been reported abducted. 

Weather outlook

The Kenya Meteorological Department has predicted that rainfall is expected to reduce significantly with much of the country transitioning to sunny and dry conditions in a detailed five-day weather outlook for the period running from December 26 to December 30, 2024.

However, parts of Western Kenya, the Central Highlands, Lake Victoria Basin, Central and South Rift Valley, South-Eastern Lowlands, and the Coast may still experience some showers at the start of this week during the first half of the forecast period, with afternoon and night showers and thunderstorms expected over several places occasionally reducing to few places during the first half of the forecast period.

Mainly dry conditions are expected during the second half of the period in the above region.

“Rainfall is expected to continue over some parts of the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, the Central and South Rift Valley, the South-eastern lowlands and the Coast,” Kenya Met said in the seven-day forecast.

Sunny intervals are expected in the North Rift Valley and parts of the Highlands West of the Rift Valley (Uasin-Gishu, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Baringo and West-Pokot Counties) during the day while nights are likely to be partly cloudy.

However, a few areas may experience afternoon and night showers and thunderstorms at the beginning of the forecast period.