The newspapers of Thursday, November 21, published various topics including the political situation, while one of the newspapers highlighted the upheaval occurring in the National Leadership, especially targeting the General Secretaries.
Source: UGC
Elsewhere, the newspapers wrote extensively about the troubles facing the veteran opposition politician in the country UgandaKizza Besigye, who was kidnapped in Nairobi and taken to Kampala last weekend.
1. The Star
The Star newspaper reported on the coming changes in government targeting the Chief Secretaries, just a few months after President William Ruto reshuffled his Cabinet.
Sources close to the government told the newspaper The Star that the changes will affect all government departments and that the number of available positions may be reduced by 15.
Therefore, only 36 positions would be up for grabs, with the remaining positions likely to be merged into new roles.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) announced the posts on Wednesday, November 20.
“The PSC cannot announce just one PS post without the approval of the president. The coming purge is obvious,” The Star quoted a government insider as saying.
There are some MPs who are believed to be in the good books of the administration, and it is obvious that they can be retained due to their relationship with the supposed performance; they include Korir Sing'oei (Diaspora and Foreign Affairs) and Raymond Omollo (Home Affairs).
Those associated with the former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua may be left without opportunities.
ODM leader Raila Odinga's camp is reportedly eyeing ten positions.
If the demands of Raila's camp are met, then he will have won a major victory in governance, given that five of his allies were handed the posts of Cabinet Secretary in the leadership reshuffle in July this year.
Rumors are also rife that President William Ruto may hire some allies of his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta.
Even when a political issue rears its head, Ruto is expected to focus on other important aspects, such as regional balance.
In its announcement, the PSC said the positions arose following the handing over of senior positions in the Ruto administration.
Prospective applicants have until December 4, 2024, to submit their applications.
2. Daily Nation
A daily newspaper reported on the plight of Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye, who was kidnapped in Kenya on Saturday, November 16.
Besigye had landed in Nairobi to grace the launch of Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua's book.
He checked into the Waridi Paradise Hotel and Suites, before leaving in a taxi to the meeting at 108 Riverside Apartments.
The taxi driver waited for him in the ground floor car park from 4.30pm until 4am on Sunday when he gave up and left.
This was after Besigye failed to respond to text messages.
Besigye's family could no longer trace his whereabouts until Tuesday, November 19, when his wife raised the alarm.
The leader of Narc Kenya added that there are all indications that Besigye was taken from Riverside by the Ugandan police in collaboration with their counterparts in Nairobi.
News about Besigye's disappearance was revealed by his wife Winnie Byanyima, who explained that her husband was being detained in Kampala by the military.
3. The Standard
The Standard also reserved a page for Besigye's plight.
After being kidnapped in Nairobi]and taken to Uganda, the politician was brought before a military court in Kampala.
Besigye and his associate Haji Obeid Lutale were charged at the Makindye High Military Court in Kampala with illegal possession of arms and ammunition following their forced arrest.
The prosecution told the court that Besigye and Lutale, on November 16, while at Riverside House, Nairobi, were found in possession of eight illegal pistol rounds, which are normally the monopoly of the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF).
The prosecution also claimed that the veteran opposition leader and Lutale held meetings in Nairobi, Athens and Geneva to request aid for equipment and to identify military targets in Uganda, with the intention of affecting the security of the Ugandan army.
Besigye's legal team, led by lawyer Erias Lukwago, claimed that the indictment is flawed because the alleged offenses occurred outside the jurisdiction of the Ugandan army and the Kampala court.
According to Lukwago, the military court does not have international jurisdiction to hear cases allegedly committed around the world.
The lawyer asked the court to cancel the charge alleging that it is flawed and cannot sustain a criminal offense.
A military court presided over by Freeman Mugabe dismissed a request by Besigye's legal team for the opposition leader's release but instead ordered him to be detained at Luzira Prison until December 2 to allow investigations.
Meanwhile, Nairobi denied involvement in Besigye's kidnapping.
Secretary General of Foreign Affairs Korir Sing'oei said the Kenyan government has no reason to be part of the alleged arrest, adding that they were not aware of Besigye's presence in Kenya until the kidnapping incident.
4. Nation Today
The newspaper reported on the resolution of the dispute between the Senate and the National Assembly which had deprived the county governments of their equal income.
The Conciliation Committee met on Wednesday, November 20, to reach an agreement that would authorize the release of the money to the devolved units.
The members of the committee put the quota at KSh 387 billion, KSh 13 billion less than the amount that the Senate wanted the county governments to receive; the senators wanted KSh 400 billion for the county.
Previously, the National Assembly had maintained that the county allocation would reach KSh 380 billion to cover the deficits caused by the death of the 2024 Finance Bill, which the president refused to approve following protest of Gen Z.
National Treasury Minister John Mbadi also insisted on the KSh 380 billion, saying that the government had failed.
The solution to the deadlock came a few days after ODM leader Raila Odinga blamed the MPs for the delay in disbursement of funds to the county governments.
Raila blamed the conflict on the delay of lawmakers in the two houses of parliament to enact the Revenue Distribution Amendment (Amendment) Bill 2024, which has prevented the release of money to the devolved units. T
The deadlock also affected another bill, the County Revenue Allocation Bill, which has yet to be passed to allow 47 counties to receive their equal shares.
Raila slammed MPs for their greed saying they were struggling to get the National Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), which the Supreme Court recently declared unconstitutional, at the expense of devolution.
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