On Saturday, September 21, the local newspapers widely reported about Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's fight for survival in the Kenya Kwanza administration amid reports of his impending impeachment.
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1. The Saturday Standard
The paper reported that a Nakuru woman had sued her brother and sister-in-law for blocking the family from accessing their ailing 92-year-old mother, who is in need of medical treatment and care.
Grace Njenga accused her brother, Charles Itangi, and his wife, Josephine Gathoni, of neglecting their mother, Peninah Wamucii.
She sought orders before Justice Heston Nyaga to compel the couple to allow their mother access to treatment, hire a qualified caretaker, and have a guardian appointed to handle her care.
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Njenga alleged that the couple had neglected their mother and blocked the family from accessing her.
The court ordered the couple to allow Njenga to accompany the mother to the hospital for treatment within 10 days.
Justice Nyaga further directed that a medical report be filed in court within 14 days. The case will be mentioned on October 7 for further directions.
2. Saturday Nation
The publication reported that Kenyans would be deducted 2.75% of their monthly income starting October as planned by the government after the Court of Appeal extended an order suspending a decision quashing the health laws.
In a boost to the government’s plan to roll out the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), a bench of three judges of the Appellate Court ruled that the appeal by the Ministry of Health was arguable.
Justices Francis Tuiyott, Abida Ali-Aroni and Lydia Achode said the argument by the Ministry of Health of how impossible it was to undertake public participation within the 120 days as directed by the High Court is genuine.
The judges also said that the submission that it was impossible to conduct public participation in laws that had already been enacted was also valid.
“While we make no call on the merit of these two arguments, we do not think them to be trivial. In a word, the appeal is arguable,” the judges said.
The High Court declared in July that the Social Health Insurance Act (SHIA), Primary Health Care Act, and Digital Health Act, which replaced the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), were illegal for not subjecting them to public participation.
Justices Alfred Mabeya, Robert Limo and Fred Mugambi, however, suspended their judgment for 120 days to allow parliament to undertake sensitisation and sufficient and inclusive public participation before enacting the laws.
The Ministry through Senior Counsel Fred Ngatia submitted that the 120 days would not be sufficient to undertake public participation so as to save the Acts.
Further, Ngatia wondered whether the post-enactment public participation which the High Court directed can in fact validate laws already found to be unconstitutional.
“It, therefore, seems to us that if stay is not granted, then there is a real likelihood that the 120 days will lapse and the default declaration of unconstitutionality will automatically kick in,” the judges said.
The Court of Appeal judges observed that the three statutes commenced on November 22, 2023, upon repeal of the NHIF Act, and all functions of the NHIF were to be taken over by the Social Health Insurance Authority
“We reach this decision because the statutes have been with us for nine months and to allow the framework under which the health sector is operating to revert to the old framework with the possibility of it returning to the current framework (in the event of the appeal succeeding) is to put this undeniably crucial sector in a state of flux and uncertainty,” the judges added.
3. Taifa Leo
An MP who had promised to marry only after obtaining his PhD might finally break his singlehood after graduating.
Gideon Kimaiyo, 37, the MP for Keiyo South, graduated with a PhD in International Relations during the graduation ceremony at the University of Nairobi.
"In this department, we had seven students, and Gideon was one of them. I am impressed with their hard work, and they have graduated successfully," said the Dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Gideon Maluki.
He won the parliamentary seat in 2022 while still a bachelor, despite holding three master's degrees.
In an interview, he stated that he was now ready to end his bachelorhood and face those who had mocked him.
"Now I can get married, even if it's this Saturday or even Friday. I made a promise, and I am happy to have fulfilled it. People have mocked me a lot for not having a wife in politics, but now they will have to find another reason," said the first-term MP, elected under the UDA party.
Opponents had referred to him as a leader unfit to guide those who are married.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
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