Press Review: Today’s top stories
Today is Tuesday, January 17, 2023.
You can read the Daily Nation e-paper here; https://epaper.nation.africa/
Here is what is making headlines.
Grade Six results to be announced today
The results of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) will be released today, with 1,253,577 learners having sat the test in 32,555 centres across the country.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced that schools can access the KPSEA reports through the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) portal today.
Machogu has also directed Knec to collaborate with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to assist schools in interpreting the reports for learners and parents, and to hold joint discussions with the KICD and TSC on the national KPSEA reports to provide feedback on the CBC curriculum that can inform ongoing curriculum reviews.
30-year jail term for boda boda man hatching plan to blow KICC
A boda boda rider, Victor Odede Bwire, has been found guilty of collecting information for use in the commission of a terrorist act.
He is said to have been on a mission to gather intelligence on police roadblocks, surveillance of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), and other areas including parking lots, in order to blow up the building. All this information was geared toward blowing up KICC sometime in mid-2019.
The information is suspected to have been relayed to a man in Somalia, identified as Mohammed Yare Abdalla, through three Facebook accounts that Bwire had been instructed to open secretly.
The police were able to prevent the attack from taking place and arrested Bwire.
He was sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Top KCPE candidates placed in national secondary schools
Education Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu, announced that 38,972 candidates from the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination have been admitted to the 106 national schools available.
Of these, 20,178 are male and 18,794 are female. The majority of students will attend county and extra-county schools, as the government aims for a 100% transition rate from primary to secondary education.
This year, county schools will admit 199,027 form-one learners, while extra-county schools will have 228,160 new students.
Machogu also announced that the government has capped the school fees for national schools at KES 53,554 and county schools at KES 40,555.
Additionally, the Ministry of Education has approved 13,221 schools to host junior secondary education, starting at the end of January, out of 14,598 public and private schools assessed up until January 13, 2023.
Chebukati leaves IEBC
The outgoing Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Wafula Chebukati, highlighted the achievements and challenges of the Commission during his tenure.
In a statement issued upon his departure from office, Chebukati highlighted the effective transfer of Commission operations from 17 regions to 47 county election manager offices, complete with key staff on hand to conduct elections at any time.
He also mentioned the creation of various policy manuals and standard operating procedures (SOP) to address systemic issues with the Commission’s systems and operations.
However, Chebukati also acknowledged the difficulties the Commission faced while he was chairman, including getting funding from the government and opposition from some political actors and stakeholders.
He claimed that misinformation had a serious negative impact on the commission and described it as the biggest threat to elections.
Chebukati’s last day in office was yesterday January 17, 2023, after six years in charge of the Commission.
He exits alongside two other commissioners, Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu.
Kenyan arrested in connection with DRC church bombing
At least 14 people were killed and 63 were injured in a bombing at an evangelical church in Kasindi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday.
The DRC government has blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which the Islamic State group claims as its central African affiliate. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack, according to monitoring group Site Intelligence.
A Kenyan national was arrested on Monday in connection with the attack, and several more people have been arrested as investigations continue.
President, William Ruto, condemned the attack and praised DRC forces for their swift action in the arrest of suspected terrorists.
MoH begins posting interns
The Ministry of Health has begun posting the first batch of 874 medical interns to various public hospitals in the country as part of their commitment to resolve the pending issues with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists and Pharmacists Union (KMPDU).
The move comes after a series of meetings between the ministry, the KMPDU, and the Council of Governors, in which a framework was created to implement all issues within 60 days by March 5.
The KMPDU had previously threatened to withdraw their services if the demands of their 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement were not met, but have decided to give dialogue a third chance for the sake of Kenyans.
Cash transfer standoff, Bank could face contempt charges
Commercial banks are still awaiting formal communication from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to suspend charging customers for money transfer services to mobile money wallets, following a court order issued on December 19, 2022.
The case is scheduled for mention on January 23, and the banks, including KCB, Standard Chartered, Equity, Stanbic, and I&M, have told customers that they will continue with the charges in the absence of CBK clarification on the matter.
The court order was issued as a result of a case filed by Moses Wafula, a Nairobi resident, who argued that it was a contravention of the law for banks to continue making money from members of the public using the M-Pesa Paybill infrastructure.
Sports
County stadiums crucial for AFCON 2027 bid, CS Namwamba
Youth, Sports and Arts Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has challenged county governments to allocate more funds in their budgets to support sports infrastructure and activities as the country looks to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with neighbouring East African nations.
Namwamba said county governments play a critical role in participation and involvement of the corporate sector in the development of sports.
Part of the plans by Namwamba is to have the continental tournament played in Kisumu, Kakamega, Meru, and Mombasa counties.
He added, “We are determined to make sure that sports is monetised and that we can earn from it. From our projection we have realised that the grassroots talents search is the answer to reviving sports.”
Klopp is staying put
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hinted at changes at Anfield during the summer, stating that either his position or other things will change, in the wake of a run of poor form for the Reds, who are currently ninth in the Premier League and 10 points off a top-four spot.
Klopp reiterated that it is unlikely any more signings will follow Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo in January, while midfield trio James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be out of contract in the summer along with forward Roberto Firmino.
He also denied being too loyal to some of his players, stating “I am loyal. I think everybody should be loyal, but I am not too loyal.”