Kenyan Newspapers Review: Form 2 Girl Dies After Fight With Mother In Naivasha

On Monday, December 18, the national dailies widely reported on the diplomatic tiff between Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The papers also reported on the roundtable media interview held by President William Ruto on his achievements.

1. Daily Nation

The paper reported on the move by the Kenyan government to deny any involvement in the internal affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a statement by Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya denied any links to the activities of the Congo River Alliance, which Congolese politicians and groups, including the M23 rebels, recently launched.

Mudavadi Kenya had no hand in the outcome of the press conference that announced the formation of the Congo River Alliance.

"The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya refers to press reports that some nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo claiming association with rebel groups within DRC addressed a press conference in Nairobi and made statements that are prima facie inimical to the constitutional order of the Democratic Republic of Congo," Mudavadi said.

2. The Standard

The publication highlighted the mysterious death of a Form Two girl in Kihoro estate, Naivasha town.

Preliminary police reports indicate the 16-year-old girl died moments after quarrelling with her mother.

The 16-year-old girl allegedly locked herself in the house after a heated argument with her mother and hung herself over the weekend.

Lakeview chief Phillip Ariri said police had collected the body and opened an inquest file to establish what transpired.

“The report we have is that the girl had a quarrel with the mother before locking herself in the house where she died by suicide,” Ariri said.

According to the neighbours, on several occasions, the girl had fallen out with the mother over cases of indiscipline.

The teenager is said to have escaped from home for more than two weeks, and when she returned, she had an altercation with her mother.

“There are reports that the girl even bit the mother before locking herself in the house,” John Otieno, an elder in the estate said.

3. The Star

President William Ruto has explained to Kenyans why the Kenya Kwanza government will not reduce the punitive taxes anytime soon.

In a press conference with several media houses on Sunday, December 17, at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said he cannot lower taxes because the government will grind to a halt.

Ruto explained that the country was facing a tough economic time owing to the current debt situation that has necessitated the existing taxes.

"In every KSh 10 that I am collecting, seven go to taxes. Do you want me to go the direction other countries are going by defaulting on loans?

"While it is true that tomorrow I can say let us reduce the taxes, it is also true that tomorrow for every KSh 10 I collect, KSh 7 goes to paying debt," Ruto said.

According to the president, the only option is for Kenyans to pay the taxes for the country to remain afloat.

4. Taifa Leo

The Swahili publication reported on criticism by Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi towards former president Uhuru Kenyatta.

Mudavadi slammed the Jubilee Party, under the leadership of former Uhuru Kenyatta, for allegedly derailing the report from the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO).

Mudavadi questioned Uhuru's hesitance in accepting the NADCO report that has been approved by Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah.

“If Kalonzo and Ichung’wah, the chairs of NADCO, have approved the report, then it is Jubilee that is bringing complications among the Azimio coalition. Why is it that Uhuru Kenyatta and his team do not want to respect the results? What is the double game here?” Mudavadi posed.

Mudavadi asked the former president to back the report, arguing that the recommendations by the committee had some solutions to the problems facing the country.