Summary Of The Daily Nation Newspaper
Page 1: Reports indicate that the President and ODM leader Raila Odinga held separate meetings with hostile Nairobi MCAs to broker a truce and save Governor Sakaja from an ouster plot. The primary concern is that the plot, driven by government critics, is a disruptive move intended to derail the broader unity pact. There is also a significant fear that forcing a by-election would lead to disruptive campaigns in the capital and negatively impact the political landscape ahead of the 2027 polls.
Page 2: Reports confirm the government lacks accurate data on student enrollment, as the National Education Management Information System (Nemis) is inefficient and has been exploited by officials to inflate student numbers and steal capitation funds. A planned new system to replace Nemis has been delayed, forcing the ministry to instruct schools to recollect data using Unique Personal Identifier numbers. This issue is not new, as a 2020 cleanup had previously revealed over half a million non-existent learners on the rolls.
Page 3: Reports indicate that teachers in Kenya are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT to manage the heavy workload associated with the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). These tools assist educators by rapidly generating lesson plans, creating marking schemes with clear rubrics, and suggesting diverse teaching strategies to cater to different student abilities. The adoption of AI is seen as essential for saving time, ensuring curriculum alignment, and providing more individualized and engaging learning experiences in often overcrowded classrooms.
Page 4: Reports confirm that the combined efforts of President Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga successfully pressured MCAs to drop the impeachment motion against Nairobi Governor Sakaja. This intervention was driven by fears that a successful ouster would trigger a disruptive by-election, create leadership chaos in the capital, and serve as a major political setback for the ruling UDA party ahead of the 2027 elections. Furthermore, analysts note that allowing the impeachment would have set a damaging precedent, potentially benefiting opposition parties and providing a platform for rivals like Rigathi Gachagua to test their influence.
Page 5: Reports indicate that the direct, last-minute intervention of President Ruto and Raila Odinga, who held several late-night meetings with MCAs, successfully pressured them to temporarily shelve the impeachment plan against Governor Sakaja. The governor, facing accusations of incompetence and corruption, sought help from political allies to broker a truce, which resulted in a 60-day reprieve to address the administration’s failures. The motion remains active, with MCAs warning they will table it if the governor fails to fix the cited problems within the given timeframe.
Page 6: Reports indicate that governors are escalating a confrontation with the national government over several directives they claim undermine devolution, including the mandatory absorption of UHC medics without allocated funds and the imposition of a national electronic procurement system. A meeting with Health Ministry officials resolved that the medical staff will remain on their current contracts until next year, with their transition to permanent positions conditional on the national government first providing the required Sh7.7 billion for salaries. The Council of Governors is also demanding the withdrawal of a National Treasury circular on e-procurement and rejecting a push for a centralized county revenue collection system, citing a lack of consultation and legal alignment.
Page 7: Reports reveal that businessmen Faryd Abdulrazak Sheikh and Jabir Abdul Nassir Al-Kandy, who are pursuing a major driving license tender, are aggressively entering the sugar industry. They are partnering with the families of prominent figures, including Senator Aaron Cheruiyot and a supermarket founder, to establish two new mills in Narok and Nandi counties. This well-connected group, backed by the Kipchimchim Group, aims to compete for a share of the lucrative sugar market long dominated by established family-owned companies.
Page 8: Reports state that Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and former Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati have been arraigned on corruption charges, setting the stage for a protracted legal and political battle. Prof. Barchok is specifically charged with conflict of interest and acquiring Sh2 million, suspected to be proceeds of crime, through a contract awarded to a firm linked to him. He faces additional joint charges of money laundering with an individual and the construction company for allegedly siphoning county funds through proxy firms and relatives.
Page 10: Reports indicate that Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja is accused by a parliamentary committee of frustrating the work of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and dodging reforms. The committee dismissed his belated request to postpone a hearing and to have it held in private, instead summoning him to appear publicly on September 16. Lawmakers faulted the IG for attempting to manipulate the committee’s independence and for failing to implement the constitutional separation between the police command structure and human resource functions.
Page 18: Reports reveal that unscrupulous traders are exploiting desperate Kenyans through exploitative “lipa mdogo mdogo” (pay small small) installment payment schemes. Customers like Lynder Otieno ended up paying nearly Sh50,000 for a phone worth Sh11,000, only for the device to fail immediately after the final payment, with no recourse for repairs or refunds. Similar predatory practices extend to other goods like motorbikes, where clients face repossession over faulty trackers or are denied ownership documents even after completing exorbitant payment plans.
Page 19: Reports highlight a group of Samburu morans in Isiolo who are breaking traditional barriers by forming a savings and lending group called the Nalauri Youth Group. The 16-member group, which meets under an acacia tree, has collectively saved over Sh300,000 in a secure metal box and an additional Sh50,000 in a bank, despite limited exposure to formal banking systems. Through their innovative community-based system, which includes strict security measures for their cash box, the morans are taking loans from the pool to finance their individual businesses.
Page 20: Reports confirm that a devastating 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan has killed over 1,100 people and injured more than 3,250, with the death toll expected to rise. The Afghan Red Crescent Society stated that the shallow quake destroyed over 8,000 houses, with the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar being the worst hit. Rescue efforts are being hindered by the difficult terrain as teams attempt to reach isolated villages and remote mountain areas where many are feared trapped under rubble.
Page 22: Reports indicate that penalties and interest charges on delayed payments by state agencies increased by Sh3.7 billion to a total of Sh25.28 billion in the last financial year. This rise, largely driven by unpaid dues from road authorities KeNHA and Kura, adds more financial pressure on government corporations and agencies already struggling to pay contractors. The Controller of Budget has identified these persistent pending bills as one of the biggest hurdles to effective budget implementation.
Page 30: Reports detail the journey of Celestine Jepkosgei Biwott, who nearly quit athletics in 2022 after finishing secondary school due to a lack of transition support. Three years later, she is the reigning Kenya Defence Forces and national 3,000m steeplechase champion and is now set to compete in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Biwott, who finished fourth in the trials, was drafted onto the team and is eager to challenge her role model, world champion Winfred Yavi, for the title.
Page 32: Reports indicate that the football calendar is becoming increasingly congested with more matches and tournaments each year. CAF President Patrice Motsepe, speaking after an executive meeting in Nairobi, highlighted his efforts to preserve the African Nations Championship (Chan) amidst this expansion, which he described as a battle at the start of his tenure. His comments came just hours before Morocco won a record third Chan title by defeating Madagascar 3-2 in the final held in Nairobi.