Kenyan Newspapers Review, December 21: Police Officer Killed In Meru 3 Days After Pass-Out Ceremony

The Kenyan dailies on Thursday, December 21, covered an array of topics, with politics getting prominence. Among the subjects is the push and pull between governors and the Controller of Budget over expenditure priorities.

One of the newspapers highlighted the tragic end met by a new police reservist deployed to face off with bandits in upper Eastern Kenya.

1. Taifa Leo

The Kiswahili newspaper covered the agony of a family whose kin was killed three days into joining the national police service.

The deceased was among the 140 police reservists whose pass-out ceremony in Igembe North, Meru county, was attended by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.

They had been recruited, trained and deployed to supplement the multi-agency security officers in combating perpetrators of banditry, livestock theft and other criminal activities in the upper eastern region.

The goner was among the officers trailing a gang of 50 bandits who had rustled an unknown number of cattle in the Meea area.

The bandits opened fire at the officers, injuring the deceased, who succumbed at an Isiolo hospital.

A GSU officer was also killed while arriving to bolster the reservists.

Meru Police Commander Cunnigham Suyianka confirmed the incident, saying 38 cattle were recovered.

The incident happened on the night of Sunday, December 17.

2. Daily Nation

The daily spared space for the appointment of David Mugonyi as the director general of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

The appointment was sanctioned by the ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo, who addressed a letter to the agency's board chairperson, Mary Wambui.

“Conveying approval for the appointment of Mr. David Mugonyi as the Director General of the Communications Authority of Kenya. You may now proceed and take appropriate action to formalise the appointment,” the letter read.

The board chair reverted in the affirmative, revealing that Mugonyi emerged as the best candidate following the interviews.

"We had applicants and after shorting, we interviewed and avid Mugonyi qualified to be the best candidate," said Mary.

The Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, was also notified of the appointment.

Mugonyi has been in Ruto's communication circle for a time from the days the latter deputised retired president Uhuru Kenyatta.

He had a stint with the Nation Media Group (NMG) before moving to parliament and later in Ruto's fold until his appointment.

Mugonyi will substantively replace Ezra Chiloba, who gave up the director general post in October this year.

Chiloba's decision to quit came after the board suspended him in the course of a probe into a supposedly flawed mortgage scheme under his watch.

To go after him later would be the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

The anti-graft agency demanded several deeds in his custody to investigate alleged corruption malpractices as regards the management of the CAK mortgage scheme.

Chiloba allegedly abused his office and undertook a conflict of interest that saw the authority lose millions in the mortgage plan between the 2021/22 and 2023/24 fiscal years.

3. People Daily

The publication reported on the Kenyan Catholic bishops' move to absolve Pope Francis over his latest remarks pleasing to the queer community.

The papal head of the Vatican allowed priests to bless same-gender couples who fellowship in the Roman Catholic Church.

He said that priests should be permitted to bless same-sex couples and irregular couples under certain circumstances.

The development elicited reactions from various quarters of the larger religious sphere, with a majority striving to discredit it, saying it was against the traditions.

The local clerics under the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops clarified that the pontiff did not approve same-gender marriages or change the understanding of marriage as a sacrament of the Church, between a man and a woman.

In a statement on Wednesday, December 20, the bishops implied that the proclamation by the Pope was mistaken to okay such unions through the backdoor.

“This declaration does not in any way approve of "same-sex marriages" nor try to give a back-door recognition of such a union. It does not seek an alternative "union blessing" to substitute a Sacramental marriage,” read the statement in part.

According to them, the Pope was embracing tolerance, explaining that inviting the members of the queer community into the church spaces was not akin to endorsing their orientations.

His argument, as interpreted by the bishops, was that all humans are equal regardless of the cultures they choose to embrace.

“The Church does not withhold a blessing to an individual who seeks it with an attitude of truth and faith. This blessing can be given even to non-Catholics, or non-Christians who honestly wish to receive God's blessing,” the bishops stated.

4. The Standard

The Standard reported on the governors' defence after the Controller of Budget exposed them for committing zero funds to development in their counties.

CoB Margaret Nyakang'o noted that some counties spent zero on development projects in Q1, in the 2023/24 fiscal year.

During the period under review, counties spent KSh 60.52 billion for recurrent activities (89.7%) and KSh 6.92 billion (10.3%) for development activities.

For instance, under governor Johson Sakaja, Nairobi spent KSh 176 million on domestic travel, KSh 51.8 million on fuel, KSh 28 million on hospitality and KSh 11.9 million on foreign trips.

In their defence, the county bosses attributed the lack of development funding to several factors, including prolonged procurement processes, the settlement of pending bills, and delays in parliamentary approval for additional funds.

Ten counties, including Nairobi, Homa Bay, Embu, Kericho, Kilifi, Machakos, Turkana, Samburu, Wajir, and West Pokot, came under the spotlight for reportedly not spending anything on development during the first quarter of the financial year 2023/24.

While the CoG acknowledged the prioritisation of salaries and recurrent expenditures by these counties, it sought to shed light on the challenges faced.

CoG Chairperson Anne Waiguru, in a statement on Wednesday, pointed to four main issues that contributed to the lack of spending on development activities.

Among these, she emphasised the necessity of paying off pending bills before funds are released for development expenditure.