Kenyan Newspapers Review, December 30: Autopsy Shows Boy Who Was Found Dead In Rongai Drowned

On Saturday, December 30, the local dailies covered an array of happenings in the country as Kenyans prepare to usher in the new year of 2024.

One of the newspapers reported about the autopsy conducted on the body of a four-year-old boy whose body was found days after he went missing.

1. Saturday Nation

The newspaper highlighted the findings of the postmortem operation carried out on a young boy who was found dead days after going missing. The report showed the young one drowned.

While the parents of Brandon Maliba believed their four-year-old child was brutally killed.

According to the family, its enemies could have had a hand in the death of their son.

Maliba went missing on December 20 while playing with his friends near their rental home in Tuala, Ongata Rongai.

His horrified mother, in her bid to trace him, uploaded his photos on social media, seeking help from Kenyans to help locate him.

She had reported the matter to the local police.

The frantic search for a young Brandon ended in horror, as his decaying body was found inside a pit on December 24.

The body was ferried to the City Mortuary ahead of postmortem.

According to the distraught mother, her child might have been strangled by his tormentors, going by the visible signs on the body.

He will be laid to rest at his parents' native home in Trans-Nzoia county.

2. The Standard

The publication reported on the shutting down of a church in Naivasha county after several deaths were reported there.

The Church of God Maella had courted controversy after children started dying as their parents heeded the preacher's counsel of not going to hospital.

Police had rescued several ailing minors who were being detained in the church's environment.

Naivasha Sub County Deputy Commissioner Mutua Kisilu revealed investigators were undertaking their probe into the sect, which has over 200 members.

"Members of the sect do not believe in vaccinations of children. We have been forced to close the church and rescue some of the minors and have them vaccinated as they were very sick," said Kisilu.

Four children died on separate dates between October and December this year due to negligence after their parents were advised against taking them to the hospital.

The locals adjoining the church decided to engage the local authorities in a bid to quell a would-be massacre.

3. Taifa Leo

The Swahili newspaper covered a survey that indicated that a majority of Kenyans lived through difficulty in 2023 compared to 2022.

TIFA Research released its end-year opinion poll dissecting Kenyans' sentiment on critical aspects such as the cost of living, economic conditions, and employment prospects.

According to a survey released on Friday, December 29, the majority of Kenyans feel 2023 was a tougher year compared to 2022.

"According to the year-end poll, nearly 67% of Kenyans believe 2023 was more challenging than 2022," the poll said.

Respondents said the cost of living, employment prospects and access to loans were worse compared to the previous year.

"Additionally, respondents expressed that the cost of living, economic conditions, employment prospects, and access to loans were worse than the previous year. There are mixed sentiments towards the political climate," the report said.

According to the survey, 87% of Kenyans said the cost of living escalated in 2023 compared to 2022.

"The survey results underscore a widespread perception among Kenyans, with a substantial majority of 87%, indicating that the cost of living escalated in 2023. This perception aligns with reality, evident in the noticeable price rise for essential household items, electricity, fuel, and more," the report noted.

At the same time, Kenyans gave low ratings to President William Ruto and his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, for their performance in 2023.

According to the survey, Ruto scored D, which is equivalent to a rating of 47%.

Gachagua had a rating of 36%, which is equivalent to grade E.

Ruto scored 50% in Rift Valley, Western 49%, Nairobi and Central 48%, Eastern 46%, Coast 44%, North Eastern 43%, and Nyanza 41%.

For Gachagua, the highest score was in Rift Valley, where he got 40%, while in central 39%, western and eastern 37% each, coast 35%, Nairobi, and northeastern 34%.

"The results, however, are not encouraging. Across the board the sentiments lean towards disapproval," reads the report.

The survey, which involved 1587 participants, used telephonic interviews to collect data, and the results had +/-3 error margins.