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President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto hosted King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands for a state banquet at State House, Nairobi. The event, held on the evening of March 18, was part of the royal couple’s four-day visit to Kenya.

While the banquet was a formal diplomatic event, Rachel Ruto’s outfit became a topic of discussion among Kenyans. Many took to social media to comment on her choice of attire, which stood out during the high-profile occasion.

The First Lady wore a long black dress with fringed embroidered detailing and long sleeves, a style commonly worn by women in the UAE.

Photos and videos of the event quickly surfaced online, drawing mixed reactions. Some praised her for the sophisticated look, while others debated whether the outfit was appropriate for the occasion.

President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto(right) host King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima(left) of the Netherlands for a state banquet at State House Nairobi,March 18, 2025.

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William Ruto

Many were of the opinion that the dress worn by the First Lady was not appropriate for a state banquet but rather for a more sombre event.

“The Kenyan First Lady’s outfit leans more towards a sombre Sunday service than the elegance and glamour expected at a state banquet,” one Kenyan opined on X. “Dress is a (diplomatic) statement,” another emphasised.

At a state banquet, the First Lady’s attire usually reflects elegance, formality, and cultural respect. Rachel chose a long black dress paired with a white pearl necklace and elegant black heels with a touch of silver. She then completed the look with a small black clutch bag.

A floor-length evening gown paired with understated yet classy jewellery, such as pearls or diamond earrings, is a common choice for such an occasion. The style should be sophisticated and appropriate while enhancing the look without being overly flashy.

While a touch of neutral or bold colours and cultural elements, such as traditional fabrics or accessories, is encouraged, it may surprise some that a dark colour like black, as chosen by Rachel, is also acceptable. A black dress is a classic and elegant choice for a state banquet, exuding sophistication and formality. President Ruto complemented her look with a black tuxedo and a bow tie.

Queen Máxima, on her part, wore a two-piece outfit by Claes Iversen and accessorised with a sapphire tiara.

Rachel has always been fashion-savvy, delivering elegance at state events. During the welcoming ceremony for the King and Queen, she wore an ankara dress paired with brown Bally Obrien Classic heels.

Kenya and the Netherlands seek to deepen their partnership across key sectors to foster sustainable growth and mutual prosperity.

First Lady Rachel Ruto(right) host Queen Máxima(left) of the Netherlands during the welcoming ceremony, March 17, 2025.

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Rachel Ruto

President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto(right) host King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima(left) of the Netherlands at the state banquet, State House Nairobi,March 18, 2025.

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Screengrab from Video

The iconic Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) is set to unveil a new feature that will redefine Nairobi’s skyline.

KICC will launch a state-of-the-art dancing water fountain, inspired by Dubai's iconic water displays outside the famous Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The project, which cost Ksh100 million, aims to enhance the visitor experience by introducing a breathtaking fusion of water, light, and music.

"This is one of a kind in the African continent, usually seen in Dubai. We have similar ones at the Burj Khalifa, and that is what we are bringing here in Kenya at the KICC," explained Geoffrey Thande, KICC's Director of Business Development.

The KICC dancing fountain set to be launched in March, March 14, 2025.

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Screengrab from KBC

"The reason we are doing this is that we are in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) business. So when delegates come here for meetings, what else can they do? What else can they enjoy in our Kenyan market? We feel that, apart from the national parks, they can also enjoy this," Thande continued.

So, is this the first time Kenya has had such monuments?

Interestingly, this is not the first time KICC has had dancing fountains. In 1973, KICC had a similar fountain installed, which primarily sprayed water into the air.

KICC is essentially upgrading the 1973 fountains to world-class standards.

Details of the KICC dancing fountain

The new fountains are quite different from the 1973 ones. They will feature a musical and dancing aspect, operated by robotics, computers, and artificial intelligence.

They will be capable of creating various patterns of water sprayed into the air while simultaneously producing different coloured lights, allowing clients to align with the theme. In comparison, the Dubai Mall fountain features 6,600 lights and 25 coloured projectors.

The old fountains at KICC used to get dirty very quickly—within a week—and consumed nearly a million litres of water, which had to be discarded, making them unsustainable. However, the new fountain will use the same water for six months, with only top-ups to compensate for evaporation losses.

Additionally, they will feature computerised robotic cleaning machines that will move along the bottom of the fountains, handling all cleaning tasks and removing deposits and dirt.

For sustainability, the dancing fountain will be connected to a solar plant in Tsavo, which will provide the necessary power. The fountains have 30 motors ranging in capacity from 2.2 to 8 kilowatts, consuming a significant amount of energy, making solar power a necessity.

Why the fountains?

The installation of the dancing fountains at the KICC is expected to bring several positive changes including creating a visually stunning and immersive experience for visitors, combining water, light, and music in a captivating display. This will make KICC a more attractive destination for both local and international tourists.

It is also expected to increase foot traffic by drawing large crowds, especially during themed shows, family extravaganzas, and cultural performances held every weekend.

To mark the launch, KICC is organizing an exclusive inaugural event before the end of March. The showcase will feature live music, special effects, and an invitation-only audience of corporate executives, event planners, and media representatives.

The dancing fountain at KICC almost completed, March 14, 2025.

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Screengrab from KBC

It is possible to change the dependents including the children and spouses registered in your Social Health Authority (SHA) cover, SHA leaders have revealed.

While Kenyans are still getting accustomed to the SHA system which is barely a year old, questions continue to arise regarding its operations. 

During a live space session on X (formally Twitter) on Wednesday, Kenyans sought to find out if it was possible to change dependents, especially spouses.

If you and the partner who you had registered under your SHA as dependents separate, divorce, or in the worst scenario die, it is possible to make those changes and add a new spouse after moving on.

Patients and members of the public, at Mbagathi County Hospital, having their queries about the Social Health Authority SHA, addressed, January 31, 2025

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Social Health Authority

Requirements

Explaining to Kenyans how it's done, SHA representative, Gilbert Osoro, revealed that it is very possible and easy for a contributor to amend the list of the beneficiaries but they would need evidence in the form of documents to support their cases.

In the event of a new spouse, the contributor must submit an ID and proof of marriage which is a marriage certificate.

In the event of a divorce, the member must produce a decree of divorce to show that indeed they are divorced and want them off their SHA scheme.

"The law has made it clear that for a union of marriage, it must be registered and the proof is the marriage certificate, in events of divorce then the member must produce a decree of divorce and in the unfortunate events of death, they must adduce a death certificate for purposes of carrying out amendments," Osoro explained.

For parents who have adopted children, they must produce a court order that pronounces that the children have been adopted, and if the child has a guardian, the parents must produce a will or a court order. For biological children, parents must produce birth certificates and birth notifications.

How to Change

After producing all these documents for the specific case, the member may then proceed to their SHA system, log in, upload the documents then update the details of the dependents if they have already registered.

For members who have not registered for SHA, at the point of registration, the SHA portal provides a section for adding dependents. Members should go to the SHA portal, click Add Dependent then specify the type of dependent they want to add be it a spouse or children and then register them.

In adding a spouse, the spouse must, first of all, have registered to SHA independently because registration is based on households.

Osoro revealed that the biggest challenge that they were facing was that while Kenyans have registered for SHA, they do not log into the system to update their details explaining why sometimes patients go to the hospital and are told that they are not registered.

Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa, with Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Dr Evanson Kamuri, interacting with a mother at the hospital, January 16, 2025.

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MoH

The Ministry of Health(MoH) has clarified the differences between the medical cover issued to public servants and the Social Health Authority (SHA) scheme offered to public servants.

According to the Ministry, the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to SHA raised questions about how medical coverage for public servants was structured and brought confusion among them.

Explaining the distinction between the Medical Administrators Kenya Limited (MAKL) and SHA, the ministry revealed that MAKL is a private medical insurance administrator that primarily manages healthcare schemes for specific public sector groups.

According to MoH, MAKL acts as an intermediary, administering health insurance services on behalf of insurers contracted by the public servants.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki(right) and Health CS Deborah Barasa during the inaugural National and County Governments Health Summit in Nairobi on February 17, 2025.

DPPS

The scheme covers healthcare costs based on negotiated agreements between the employer and the insurance provider. They have varying benefit packages depending on the contractual terms.

This means that the medical benefits for these groups are structured differently from the public officers covered under SHA.

The Ministry explained that while MALK is an employer-based medical insurance, SHA is the national health insurance provider under Universal Health Care (UHC) offering services to all Kenyans and public servants.

"The major distinction is that MAKL functions as a private third-party administrator, managing employer-sponsored health insurance schemes for specific sectors, whereas SHA is a public institution offering standardized health benefits for all public officers not covered under separate employer-administered schemes, as well as the general public not in formal employment," read the clarification statement by the ministry.

The ministry explained that both MAKL and SHA serve public servants.

"While both MAKL and SHA serve public servants, MAKL is an employer-specific medical scheme administrator, while SHA is the national health insurance provider under UHC," the statement continued.

The ministry revealed that SHA ensures that Kenyans receive uniform, high-quality healthcare services nationwide, reinforcing the government’s commitment to expanding access to healthcare under Taifa Care.

Despite the numerous challenges faced by SHA, the ministry has assured Kenyans and public servants that it is committed to delivering equitable and efficient health services.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni holds meeting with health unions representatives.

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MOH

In recent weeks, it has been a game of tug of war between Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja in Parliament, with each party contending to land on the majority side of the House.

On October 6, 2022, after the general election, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula declared the Kenya Kwanza Coalition the majority party.

Wetang'ula's decision back then to name Kenya Kwanza as the majority side was recently opposed on February 7, 2025, by the Kenyan High Court, which termed it null and void, noting that the Speaker had no justifiable basis for reassigning 14 members from various parties to Kenya Kwanza.

Wetang'ula, however, surfaced and cemented that Kenya Kwanza remains the majority party with 165 MPs, while Azimio remains the minority party with 154 MPs.

A photo collage of the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula and Members of Parliament at a past sitting.

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Kenyans.co.ke

"Arising from the foregoing, Kenya Kwanza is the majority, and Azimio is the minority. The leadership of the House remains unchanged," he said.

Wetang'ula's declaration this month has faced pushback from the Azimio side, who have, for the past two years, opposed Kenya Kwanza's supremacy in the House. You might wonder: why is being declared the majority in the National Assembly such a big deal?

So, here is why being the Majority and Minority in Parliament is a big deal:

Parliament is a legislative, elected body of government tasked with representing the electorate, making laws, authorising government expenditure, scrutinising activities of government ministries, departments, and agencies, and providing a forum for debate on national issues.

Political parties in Parliament are responsible for exercising power, either by supporting the government or opposing it. They are divided into two: the Majority and Minority sides, depending on the number of members on each side.

Some of the key functions of the Majority side, which consists of more members, include forming the government, proposing and passing legislation, setting the legislative agenda, making leadership and committee appointments, and defending the government's policy.

The Minority side, on the other hand, which consists of fewer members, is responsible for scrutinizing government policies and legislation, providing checks and balances, and holding the government accountable for its actions, especially in areas like budgeting, public expenditures, and oversight of state agencies. 

This means that the Majority side has a slight advantage in accomplishing its political mandate in the House compared to the Minority.

Each side has a leader, as provided by Article 108 of the Constitution. The leader of the Majority is responsible for functions such as planning daily, weekly, and annual legislative agendas, while the Minority Leader is tasked with developing and championing the Minority position on issues and debates of the Minority party.

On Tuesday, February 18, speaking in an interview with Citizen TV, Kitui Central Member of Parliament Makali Mulu further revealed that having the Majority and Minority is a key determinant of which side steers which committees in the House.

According to Mulu, the Majority in Parliament is tasked with chairing the majority of the committees, while the Minority side chairs "watchdog" or oversight committees, which are fewer in number.

"Immediately you are declared to be the Minority, you have very few committees to chair, but once you are told you are the Majority, even first-timers can chair committees," he said.

"It is dishonest to Kenyans to start mixing that you are in the Minority, and you are taking committees meant for the Majority. If it is determined that Azimio is the Majority, can they take all the committees that are supposed to be chaired by the Majority? And if Kenya Kwanza is the Minority, can they take the committees meant to be chaired by the Minority, which are the watchdogs?" he added.

A committee is a small group of members appointed and empowered by the House to perform one or more specific tasks.

In the Kenyan National Assembly, committees are tasked with reviewing legislation, reviewing and approving the budget and expenditures, scrutinising government programmes, policy frameworks, and development plans, conducting investigations on special issues, vetting and approving executive appointments, and providing a platform for public participation, among others.

Budget and Appropriations Committee in session in the National Assembly.

Parliament of Kenya