Kenyan Newspapers Review: COB Margaret Nyakang'o Rejects William Ruto's KSh 1.1B Request

On Tuesday, June 4, the national dailies widely reported on the viral attack on a police officer in Nairobi and the dramatic circumstances leading to his swift arrest of the suspect at a house in Jacaranda Estate.

The papers also reported on the Finance Bill 2024, even as experts urged MPs to abolish punitive tax measures, warning that they could potentially slide the country into even more difficult economic times.

1. People Daily

Controller of Budget (COB) Margaret Nyakang'o has rejected a KSh 1.1 billion request by the State House to cater to the construction of a modern presidential dais.

Out of the amount, KSh 700 million would have gone towards the construction of the dais at the State House gardens, while the remaining KSh 400 million would have been used to purchase more motor vehicles.

In total, the CoB rejected requests amounting to KSh 58.4 billion received from 23 ministries under Article 223 of the Constitution.

In her latest report for the last nine months, dated May 2024, Nyakang'o only approved requests amounting to KSh 8.2 billion, despite the National Treasury requesting spending of KSh 66.7 billion to fund various activities.

Nyakang'o acknowledged the law's provision for such requests and told the Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury, to obtain Parliament's consent within two months of the first withdrawal of the money.

Article 223 of the Constitution allows MDAs to access additional funding during the budget implementation process if the amount appropriated for any purpose under the Appropriation Act is insufficient or if a need has arisen for expenditure for a purpose for which no amount has been claimed by that Act, or if money has been withdrawn from the Contingencies Fund.

2. The Star

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is walking a political tightrope, with at least five options on the table as he navigates the turmoil in UDA.

The party, founded by President William Ruto in 2020 after falling out with his then-boss, Uhuru Kenyatta, is teetering on the brink of an implosion amid vicious infighting.

Gachagua, the deputy party leader, has found himself on the receiving end, with a section of politicians accusing him of being a ‘bully’.

Some Mount Kenya leaders are chiding him, continuing to accuse him of betrayal by overseeing punitive government policies.

However, analysts say the DP could explore several options to stay afloat and fend off the perceived UDA political war allegedly targeting him.

3. Daily Nation

For primary witnesses of the Fedha bus stop explosion, things would have been different had the driver of a 14-seater matatu heeded their calls not to ignite his vehicle moments after gas started leaking from a tanker ferrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) along Outering Road.

At 12:16pm, everything was going as usual at the Fedha bus stop. Five minutes later, a huge LPG tanker took a left turn from Outering Road and headed to the service lane next to the Fedha bus stop, just meters off the busy highway.

This bus stage borders the Pipeline Railway Station, where commuters board the train to town every day.

To reach the service lane, a vehicle must cross a railway line and immediately turn right.

This manoeuvre did not work out as the tanker's driver had planned, as the lorry got stuck at the railway line. This was at 12:20pm.

"When the tanker hit the railway, smoke started billowing from the vehicle, and we realized it was a gas leakage. The driver told everyone to move away," a guard at the railway station said.

4. Taifa Leo

The Kiswahili paper reported it did not take long for an offensive video depicting the assault on a police officer to rattle the bosses and trigger a swift manhunt for the suspect.

The minute the viral video of a 19-year-old man beating up a traffic police officer along Kamiti Road in Kasarani hit the inbox of Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei, he flew into a rage.

According to officers who listened in on the conversation, Bungei was heard roaring on the police internal communication lines as he called for the attention of the Kasarani Police Station boss.

Bungei's message to the station commander was brief but terse: "I want that man arrested and locked up in the shortest time possible."

5. The Standard

The paper reported that the meteorological department has warned Kenyans to brace themselves for more rainfall in the next week as El Nino remains in effect.

The meteorological department released a five-day forecast yesterday, predicting heavy and moderate rainfall in several parts of the country.

The weatherman has listed five major regions that are likely to receive continuous rainfall from Monday, June 3.

"Among the regions that are set to receive heavy rains include the Highlands East region, the West Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, and the Rift Valley region," said Director of the Meteorological Department, David Gikungu.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke