On Friday, January 17, Kenyan newspapers revealed how 17,000 air workers in the public service were illegally stealing hard-earned Kenyans' taxes.
Daily newspapers also reported how hundreds of university students were stranded due to the new funding crisis.
Source: UGC
1. The Star
According to a new report, the civil service has at least 17,000 air workers who are benefiting from taxpayers' money.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) revealed that State House, KBC and Kenya Railways are among the main players for the second consecutive year.
“Employees recorded in the labor registry exceeded the number of employees reported as being at work against the authorized institution by 17,000,” The PSC revealed.
According to the audit, Kenya Railways has 1,261 employees who were inexplicably on the payroll but are not working for the organisation.
The study found that only 2,026 of the 3,287 officers in the agency's biodata were in their positions.
At the same time, 231 officials of the Broadcasting Corporation of Kenya were listed on the national broadcasters register but did not hold any posts yet receiving payment.
The number of the Palace was 156; although 1,689 workers were listed in the database, the workforce number showed only 1,533 workers.
2. Daily Nation
Hundreds of university students have yet to report to higher education institutions about the new funding crisis.
This came after the Supreme Court threw out the model regarding discrimination and lack of public participation.
The decision means many students cannot pay fees or afford basic necessities in public colleges across the country.
Following the declaration of the model as unconstitutional, the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) had not yet disbursed funds to students.
“First and second year students cannot get government aid. Their care is also important, but HELB cannot withdraw money. As a result, many of them cannot go to universities because they have no money to support themselves,” he said. Daniel Mugendi, chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Public Universities in Kenya.
3. People Daily
The court has agreed with the Senate and suspended the senator-elect Gloria Owoba for a period of six months.
Owoba was suspended for the first time last year for misconduct after making allegations of sexual harassment, corruption and defamation in the hallowed halls of Parliament without proving it.
As a result of that decision, he was ordered not to participate in all parliamentary duties, but he contested the decision and won an order prohibiting him from making his decision.
Justice Lawrence Mugambi of the Supreme Court agreed with the decision of the Senate, noting that the senator was given the opportunity to defend himself before the Committee on Powers and Rights but chose not to attend the meeting.
“The petitioner was given the opportunity to appear and explain his case, possibly even presenting all kinds of preliminary issues before the Senate Powers and Rights Committee, but he chose not to participate and walked out of the committee,” Mugambi said.
4. The Standard
The government hopes to use Japanese and Chinese bonds to ease the debt crisis.
The 2025 Treasury Budget Policy Statement noted that the government is also considering reinstating the M-Akiba bond, which raises funds for infrastructure projects.
In the 2025/2026 financial year, the government is expected to pay more than KSh 1.5 trillion to external creditors.
“The government will continue to monitor the general environment before accessing the international capital market through the issuance of sovereign bonds and liability management,” said the draft.
By September 2024, Kenya's debt reached KSh 10.75 trillion, according to the Central Bank of Kenya.
5. Nation Today
A Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) officer who was kidnapped by al-Shabaab in 2016 is still alive.
Abdullahi Issa Ibrahim was taken hostage during the El-Adde attack on the AMISOM camp in Somalia.
Ibrahim's family was filled with joy after having a phone conversation with him nine years later.
“As a family, we were sure that he was killed by al-Shabaab six years ago, but when we made a video call, we confirmed that he is alive,” his daughter Katra Abdullahi revealed during a press conference in the city Eldoret.
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