Kenyan Newspapers Review: William Ruto's Allies Reject Raila Odinga's Referendum Demand

On Friday, December 1, the Kenyan newspapers reported that President William Ruto's allies rejected Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Raila Odinga's push for a referendum.

The dailies also reported that matatu crews were in fear after the re-emergence of extortion gangs.

1. Daily Nation

Kenya's two largest political camps are headed for a clash over how to implement proposals contained in a report by the National Dialogue Committee.

President William Ruto's allies rejected a demand for a referendum by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Raila Odinga to seek Kenyans' input on creating the Office of Leader of Opposition and Prime Cabinet Secretary.

Kenya Kwanza Alliance allied leaders argued that a referendum would be costly and gobble up billions of taxpayers' funds amid a struggling economy.

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) secretary-general Cleophas Malala said no referendum would occur during Ruto's first term in office.

"We are not scared of anything, but we are telling the Opposition that we are not taking that route," Malala said.

Malala insisted that Ruto won't allow Raila to take the country into another circus similar to the failed Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

2. The Standard

The publication delved into the hits and misses of the Hustler Fund as President William Ruto marked one-year anniversary after its launch.

Ruto reiterated that the fund had enabled millions of Kenyans to access cheap credit.

During the first year, the Hustler Fund advanced KSh 39.5 billion to over 19 million borrowers, missing its target of KSh 50 billion.

Out of the more than 19 million Kenyans who took loans, 7.7 million were repeat borrowers, while KSh 2 billion was saved.

Low loan limits and short repayment periods limited borrowers, but the limits were increased on Friday, December 1.

3. People Daily

Matatu operators in Nairobi are living in fear amid the rising cases of extortionists who have taken charge of the transport sector.

Gangs are now managing several routes akin to the dreaded Mungiki days.

Kenneth Munyui, the secretary-general of the Matatu Owners Association, revealed that the gangs are extorting their members and threatening those who fail to comply.

"It is not only in Nairobi but several towns. The number of these complaints is growing each day," Munyui said.

The gangs are allegedly connected to local politicians, and the police were accused of turning a blind eye.

4. Taifa Leo

Raila Odinga's diehard supporter, Nuru Okanga, has revealed his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) results.

Okanga disclosed he scored 320 marks out of the possible 500 in the 2023 exams.

The 32-year-old aspiring MCA revealed his marks to his lawyer Emmanuel Kibet at the Milimani Law Courts, where he was arraigned for allegedly posting derogatory words on social media against President William Ruto.

Kibet posed: "What did you score in KCPE?"

"320 marks. I am yet to receive my Form One admission letter,” Okanga answered when asked about his education background.

He had earlier decried delayed results.

The 2023 Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party supporter was charged with publishing false information contrary to section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act No 8 of 2018.

5. The Star

Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakang'o has put counties on the spot for gobbling billions of public funds in unnecessary local and foreign travel.

Nyakang'o revealed that all the counties spent a whopping KSh 17.4 billion on travel, accounting for 4.08% of total expenditure in the 2022/2023 financial year.

Nairobi topped the list of counties with the highest travel expenditure (KSh 337 million), followed by Baringo (KSh 184.33 million), Mombasa (124.84 million), Nakuru (KSh 100.6 million), and Kitui (KSh 96.99 million).

Other big spenders were Meru (KSh 84.48 million), Bomet (KSh 81.16 million), Kiambu (KSh 81.1 million) and Nyeri (KSh 80.18 million).

The least spenders were Homa Bay (KSh 6.23 million), Elgeyo Marakwet (KSh 7.62 million), Kakamega (KSh 8.15 million), and Isiolo (KSh 8.33 million).