Economist David Ndii has praised the strides being made in Kenya’s coffee sector, highlighting Kericho County’s rise to become the country’s leading coffee producer after overtaking Kiambu.
Ndii, while speaking during the launch of the NCBA 2026 economic outlook on Tuesday, October 3, 2026, acknowledged the changing dynamics in the coffee industry, pointing to the latest production figures showing Kericho taking the top position among coffee-producing counties.
“Kericho has overtaken Kiambu as the highest producer of coffee,” David Ndii stated.
According to the figures shared on the County Government of Kericho’s website, Kericho produced approximately 6.01 million kilograms of clean coffee, valued at about Ksh5.29 billion.
Murang’a followed with approximately 4.96 million kilograms, while Nyeri ranked third with about 4.63 million kilograms.
Kiambu, which has traditionally been among Kenya’s leading coffee-producing counties, ranked fifth with approximately 4.18 million kilograms, behind Kirinyaga, which occupied fourth position.
The figures place Kericho ahead of several established coffee-growing counties, marking a significant shift in the country’s coffee production landscape.
Ndii further expressed optimism about the sector’s future, projecting that coffee could eventually surpass tea in export earnings if the current momentum is sustained.
Tea has maintained a leading position among Kenya’s major agricultural exports for decades, contributing significantly to foreign exchange earnings and supporting millions of livelihoods across the country.
However, renewed attention to coffee production, improved returns to farmers and increased investment in the value chain could strengthen the crop’s contribution to the economy.
Kericho’s emergence at the top of the production rankings also highlights the county’s growing significance in Kenya’s agricultural economy.
The development comes amid renewed efforts to revitalise the coffee industry, improve farmers’ earnings and strengthen Kenya’s position in the international coffee market.
Further details contained in the county government’s coffee production data show that Kericho produced 6,000,516 kilograms of clean coffee, valued at approximately Ksh5.29 billion, equivalent to USD41 million.
Murang’a followed with 4,959,789 kilogrammes valued at Ksh4.33 billion, while Nyeri recorded 4,627,312 kilogrammes worth approximately Ksh4.18 billion. Kirinyaga came fourth with 4,606,788 kilogrammes valued at Ksh4.31 billion, while Kiambu completed the top five with 4,175,636 kilogrammes worth Ksh3.46 billion.
The comparison figures in the county’s document also highlight changes in production among the leading coffee-growing counties. Kericho’s clean coffee output increased from 3,027,701 kilograms in the comparison column to 6,000,516 kilograms, while Nyeri’s production figures moved from 5,461,591 to 4,627,312 kilograms. Kirinyaga also recorded a decline from 6,787,583 to 4,606,788 kilograms.
Other counties featuring prominently in the rankings include Nandi, which produced 2,222,087 kilograms, and Bungoma, which recorded 1,838,273 kilograms, placing them sixth and seventh, respectively. The figures underline the growing contribution of counties outside the traditional Central Kenya coffee belt to Kenya’s coffee production.
Cetirizine has become a topic of discussion among Kenyans online following claims that the commonly used allergy medication can cause dryness and affect women’s natural lubrication.The conversation has sparked curiosity about what happens to the body after taking the drug, particularly its effects on moisture levels, alertness and other bodily functions.
As villainous Cathy Ames in the new Netflix adaptation of East of Eden, actress Florence Pugh has been described as everything from ‘dazzling’ to being ‘very, very good at being bad.’ Based on the novel by John Steinbeck, as a manipulative, deceitful woman with a dark past, Cathy marries into the central Trask family.
The two Trask brothers are modelled on the biblical warring brothers Cain (Charles, played by Mike Faist) and Abel (Cathy’s husband, Adam, played by Christopher Abbott). In the 1955 version of the film, its star James Dean earned a posthumous Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Cal Trask – who craves the love and approval of his stern father, Adam – after the actor died in a car crash the same year, aged 24.
Cal’s role in the new adaptation is played by Joseph Zada. The 2026 seven part East of Eden – the budget for which Netflix has not disclosed – has already had 19.1 million total views since its October 1 release. And Oxford-born Florence, 30, has been tipped for an Emmy.
Florence Pugh and her boyfriend Finn Cole(Image: Laura Rose/Dave Benett/WireImage)
The star, who made her film debut as a teenager in the mystery drama The Falling (2014) without any formal drama school training, was invited to join the cast by director Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the original James Dean film.
She says: “About six years ago, Zoe contacted me and wrote me a gorgeous letter, where she essentially was just like ‘I want you and I want to make this with you and I want to create this with you.’ It was kind of like the first time I'd been really invited to be a part of the whole process from start to finish in the way that she wanted me to.
“It was a big job to step into, but I was just so excited that I had the honour of playing Cathy." Florence, who has been linked to Peaky Blinders actor Finn Cole since 2024, but who made their relationship official at last month’s world premiere of his film In the Shadows, in London, admits she only watched the James Dean classic recently.
Speaking to The Arts Hour on the BBC World Service she says: “It is phenomenal. And James Dean is so beautiful in it. It's pretty amazing, right? So beautiful.”
James Dean and Julie Harris in East of Eden, directed by Elia Kazan for Warner Brothers in 1955(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
Known for her signature deep, husky voice, Florence actually has a condition affecting her windpipe called tracheomalacia, which prompted her family to move to Spain when she was young, to a better climate for her health.
While her dad, Clinton is a restaurateur, her theatrical talent likely came from her dance teacher mum. Of her three siblings, Arabella, Raphaela and Toby Sebastian – Toby is also an actor and musician. Giving her first public performance, aged six, as a pregnant Mary in her school nativity play, Florence performed songs online under the name Flossie Rose, before breaking into film.
Since then, she has won continuous praise for roles in everything from Fighting with My Family, to Midsommar, and Little Women – in which her portrayal of Amy March earned her Academy Award and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actress
Since starring in everything from Oppenheimer to Don’t Worry Darling with Harry Styles, in December she will be in two new releases, Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday.
Harry Styles and Florence Pugh star in the thriller Don't Worry Darling(Image: SplashNews.com)
Describing the difficulty in switching off from a part as intense as her East of Eden role, she says: “I'm definitely getting better with age and experience. I'm learning how to protect myself more and more. But it's not, you know, it's not normal. You're asking your body to pretend to do all of these things for hours on end.
“And even though your brain knows that it's not real, your body is still increasing in adrenaline and going out of breath and your heart rate is still doing wild things to try and show to its truest form what's going on.
“It lives in you, obviously. I try and go home and just have a normal evening, make a drink, go over my lines, make some dinner, go to bed.”
But she admits of East of Eden, which showcased James Dean’s method acting talents back in the 1950s: “It was heavy. I mean, to me, that just proves that, like, the work is happening and your body is remembering it”.
Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, left, and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in a scene from Oppenheimer(Image: AP)
Knowing the film made James Dean an icon, taking any role in a remake was a massive responsibility. Jokily, trying to get a rise out of her co-star, actor and singer Mike Faist, 34, Florence probes: “What about your experience of being asked [to take the part]? How did you feel? Were you nervous? Were you scared? “
Mike, believed to be single, who received a BAFTA nomination for his interpretation of Riff in the Steven Spielberg 2021 version of West Side Story, says: “I might have been. You know, I moved to New York when I was 17 and it's almost laughably required watching, you know, being a young actor. Especially in New York, and because of Zoe's grandfather, Elia Kazan.
“You know, On the Waterfront, East of Eden, all of these amazing films – shepherding, Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman. It's [East of Eden is] kind of required watching. So, as a young wannabe actor, you know, that's what you do.”
While Mike, who dropped out of drama school, says he knew the film was based on a book, he admits, before landing his current role: “I had never read it before.”
Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames in East of Eden(Image: GEOFFREY SHORT/NETFLIX)
The actor, whose adoptive parents, Julia and Kurt Faist, run a property business in Gahanna, Ohio, where he grew up, describes the feeling he had when he was offered the part. He says: “It is the feeling that you hope for. When that dread kicks [you know] that you're going to have to go and do this. “
The scale of the production – which is set between 1862 and 1918 – was also immense. Mike says: “It's so massive. I think I asked Zoe [the director] this morning,’ how many people actually worked on this production in all?. And it was just under a thousand.
“When you see it, you see this world really being built.You do feel like you're transported back in time. I think of the scope and the legacy filmmaking of it all. There's really felt like a sense of responsibility to just not mess up. Don't ruin East of Eden!”
With Florence Pugh and creator Zoe Kazan due to receive a John Steinbeck Award on November 12, and the Netflix adaptation expected to make an impact at the Emmys and the Golden Globes, there is little danger of that.
The firm had two offices, one in Hoveton and Ayslsham, both in Norfolk(Image: Getty Images)
A UK travel firm selling holidays to Greece, Bali and Italy has collapsed after nearly 40 years.
Wroxham Travel, based in Norfolk, was an independent travel agency that opened in 1987. The firm sold customers European holidays to countries like Greece, Portugal, Italy and Spain, but also to more exotic destinations like Bali, Barbados, Thailand and Mauritius.
The offers available ranged widely from short getaways and city breaks to longer trips and even cruises. The company has now entered administration, however, officially closing on October 30.
The firm had two offices, one in Hoveton and Ayslsham, both in Norfolk. Customer advice from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has described the development as a "financial failure".
Available destinations included Bali in Indonesia(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The statement from ABTA read: "We are sorry to inform you that Wroxham Travel has ceased trading with effect from 30 October 2026. We are now treating this as a financial failure. If you had booked travel arrangements with Wroxham Travel, you should follow the advice set out below/
"If you booked a holiday through Wroxham Travel, the tour operator or principal business with whom Wroxham Travel booked your holiday will be named on your paperwork (or ATOL certificate if it was a flight inclusive holiday; this would be stated on your ATOL certificate under “Who is protecting your trip”).
"To ensure your holiday can continue as planned, you will need to contact the credit control department of your tour operator or other principal travel business with whom you have a contract. Your booking should continue as normal, and they will be your direct point of contact.
"Please ensure that you have all your documentation with you, as they may require information from it to assist you."
Mauritius was also among the options(Image: AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The news comes as an independent travel agent in Liverpool also closed after 19 years in business. Barnes Worldwide Travel Ltd provided holidays to New York and Las Vegas, to Egypt, Greece and Cyprus but ceases trading in September.
Golf Villa Rentals Ltd, based in Seaford, East Sussex, also stopped trading in August. The firm specialised in golf package holidays worldwide, providing accommodation in villas and apartments for both small and large groups.
The 20-year-old co-pilot who tragically died in the private jet crash last weekend has shared content on her social media showing exactly what it was like in the cockpit.
Nathalia Filgueiras received her pilot license while she was still a senior in high school but was one of nine who lost their lives in the Learjet 60 flight from Texas to the Bahamas on Sunday 1 November.
Pieces of the aircraft were believed to have fallen away before it nosedived and crashed into a Florida highway, killing everyone on board in the process in the latest in a long list of aviation accidents to occur in America in recent years.
Naturally, as is often the case, the social media page of Filgueiras has received millions of views since her death, and one of her videos showed off exactly what a takeoff inside the Learjet 60 looked like.
Take a look at the video below:
It would be wrong to speculate that anything was wrong with the plane, with experts so far suggesting that the uptick in precipitation, as well as icing and turbulence, will have likely played a significant part in the crash.
Justin Crabbe, commercial pilot CEO at Jettly, told LADbible that ice on the wings of a plane 'an significantly affect how an aircraft flies and how turbulence can also impact an aircraft'.
He explained that it 'changes the shape of the wings, reduces lift, increases drag and can make the aircraft much more difficult to control', and could possibly have made a turbulent situation worse.
Nathalia Filgueiras' mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed to US media that her daughter had died in the fireball.
Corteleti told the New York Times: "She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top."
The young co-pilot, who has been praised for her clear communication with Air Traffic Control in her final moments, when she would have likely known that she would die from the crash, also previously spoke to the media after receiving her license when she was just a teenager.
"I like being different than everyone," she said. "Some people think that it's weird that I can fly planes, but I can't drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it's funny."
Filgueiras also sent a heartbreaking final message to her boyfriend before the crash, where she discussed the difficult weather conditions that they were battling.
Her stepfather Thiago Corteleti said: “She texted her boyfriend, I think, at 12:40 pm and the accident was at 12:50 pm.
“She just said, ‘I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice."
Other experts have theorised that something 'catastrophic' must have happened for the pilots to lose control of the aircraft, which was captured on social media hurtling into the highway before exploding on impact.
For thousands of Kenyans, retirement is becoming a financial race against time, with pension savings expected to cover decades of living costs after the monthly salary disappears.
The danger is not only retiring with too little money, but exhausting what has been saved before death, as food, rent, healthcare and family demands continue long after employment.
CCTV footage has emerged showing the moments heavily armed men seized Nairobi lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, in an incident that has left his family desperate for answers about his whereabouts.The footage, which circulated on social media, captures several masked men dressed in what appeared to be military-style tactical clothing and bulletproof vests pursuing the advocate before overpowering him.
The Ministry of Health has announced a major milestone in the response to the Ebola outbreak, with five more patients recovering and being discharged from hospital after successfully completing treatment.In an update on Tuesday, November 3, the Ministry said the five male patients, two from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and three from The Nairobi Hospital, had tested negative for the virus after completing treatment and remaining free of symptoms.
Jesus Owono has become a global figure overnight after the goalkeeper’s challenge led to the death of Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel.
The 30-year-old died in hospital in Santa Cruz on Tuesday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest in the wake of a high challenge by Andorra goalkeeper Owono in stoppage time of Monday’s La Liga 2 game.
Owono received a straight red card for his challenge and has since received criticism from around the world for his part in the tragedy while local police are reported to have begun an investigation into the incident,
Who is Jesus Owono?
The 25-year-old goalkeeper was born in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, but moved to Spain’s Basque Country as a child.
His first club was Antiguoko, a youth club in San Sebastian, at the age of eight, but after moving on to Real Sociedad, he played for the Basque Country’s representative side at under-16 level.
He joined Alaves in 2017 and worked his way through the youth ranks before making his first-team debut in a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in January 2022, becoming the first international born in his country to appear in La Liga.
He went on to make 20 appearances in the league and Copa del Rey but spent last season on loan with La Liga 2 side Andorra, keeping six clean sheets in 20 league games before earning a permanent move in August and signing a two-year deal.
Owono made his Equatorial Guinea debut shortly after turning 18 in March 2019 and has gone on to represent his country 46 times, playing every minute of their three group games in the 2025 AFCON edition and both their AFCON 2027 qualifiers against DR Congo and Sierra Leone in September.
How did Owono react to the collision?
After colliding with De Miguel in the centre circle, Owono did not turn back to look at his opponent on the ground but immediately began walking towards the touchline, anticipating the red card which Manuel Angel Perez Hernandez swiftly brandished.
However, as he walked off, after exchanging a handshake with teammate Nacho Quintana, he turned back as medical staff were beckoned frantically onto the pitch and jogged to join players surrounding De Miguel as he lay prostrate on the turf.
He remained on the field until he was led away by club officials and down the tunnel at the same time that De Miguel was being rushed off the field at the opposite end of the stadium on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance, with videos posted online showing Tenerife fans in the stands chanting ‘assassin’ at Owono for his part in the incident.
Why has Owono received online abuse?
The reaction to Owono’s challenge on De Miguel is that it was widely considered reckless and using excessive force.
The keeper was standing well outside his area as 10-man Andorra piled on late pressure, seeking to complete an unlikely comeback from 2-0 down with just seven minutes of normal time remaining.
When the ball was cleared by Tenerife from the edge of their own box in the air towards the halfway line, De Miguel looked favourite to have a clear run on goal, leading Owono to sprint forward and jump to challenge him in the air before the ball bounced, with his knee appearing to strike De Miguel in the chest and head.
Some social media users have called for a life ban from football and criminal charges to be filed against Owono, while others have flooded his own profile with racist abuse, insults and comments of “murderer”.
Could Spanish football authorities punish Owono?
Yes, and they almost certainly will.
The Spanish Football Federation’s Disciplinary Code suggests a suspension of four to 12 matches for players found to have committed violent conduct during play, resulting in serious injury.
An investigation into the events surrounding De Miguel’s death will assess the challenge and the context in which it was made before determining the punishment.
Can a footballer be charged with negligent manslaughter?
While a severe sporting punishment seems inevitable, many football fans are suggesting that criminal charges should also follow.
Reports in the local media in Tenerife on Tuesday afternoon say The Homicide Group of the National Police in Santa Cruz is already investigating the circumstances of De Miguel’s death.
The death of a player due to an act on the field in the midst of a match is, thankfully, incredibly rare, and there are no precedents established in a tragic case like this.
The question of charges is likely to be determined by whether Owono’s challenge meets the threshold of criminal negligence.
Article 142 of the Spanish Penal Code distinguishes between manslaughter due to gross negligence and manslaughter due to less serious negligence.
Gross negligence, if proven, can carry a prison sentence of up to four years, while the lesser charge carries a fine calculated over three to 18 months.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei on Tuesday, November 3, shared details of a government partnership with British actor Sir Idris Elba.In a statement, he said the partnership was formalised through the signing of a Statement of Intent on the sidelines of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda.
