‘𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗦, 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝟳𝗕𝗡 𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗡 𝗟𝗜𝗠𝗕𝗢: 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗬𝗔’𝗦 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦’

Good morning.

If you think your Friday morning is chaotic, spare a thought for Kenya’s education ministry. Today’s front pages are a turbulent mix of stalled learning, justice priced to the highest bidder and political fireworks that threaten to reshape the nation’s landscape. From a textbook tender teetering on the brink of collapse to magistrates pocketing staggering bribes, here is your essential digest of the stories driving the national conversation.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗗: ‘𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝘀’ – 𝗔 𝗦𝗵𝟳𝗯𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝘁

An intense internal battle at the Ministry of Education has suspended a colossal Sh7 billion textbook tender, placing next year’s rollout of Grade 11 learning materials in serious jeopardy. According to the paper, award letters remain unsigned and critical timelines are slipping, prompting publishers to warn that any restart would derail supply chains. The stand-off, they argue, exposes the government to expensive lawsuits and risks leaving classrooms completely unprepared. The underlying friction stems from a long-standing Sh11 billion debt owed to publishers, which has choked the printing of essential materials. As deadlines evaporate, fears are growing that the new school year could begin without the necessary books.

𝗗𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: ‘𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲’ – 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

A damning new report has laid bare the rot at the heart of public service, revealing the counties where officials demand the fattest bribes. The national average bribe paid to public officials now stands at Sh6,724, a significant jump from Sh4,878 in 2024. However, the most shocking figure emerges from the judiciary: magistrates received the highest average bribe at a staggering Sh164,367. Police officers remain the most frequent culprits of corruption encounters, with 35.5 per cent of all reported incidents. The report also ranks Kakamega as the county with the highest average bribe payments at Sh79,305, followed by West Pokot (Sh16,400) and Isiolo (Sh13,912). In related news, three suspects have been arrested in connection with the brutal attack on Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, though detectives are still hunting for more.

𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗙𝗔 𝗟𝗘𝗢: 𝗢𝗯𝘂𝗿𝘂 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮’𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸

In a significant political development, Oburu Odinga is stepping into the political arena, following the path of his brother Raila. He has been receiving high-profile guests at his office, drawing comparisons to the late veteran opposition leader. The paper also reveals that Kakamega has been named the top county for bribery, reinforcing the Nation’s corruption report. Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo to resign following the attack on Senator Osotsi. Opposition leaders, including Kalonzo Musyoka, have visited Osotsi in hospital and are demanding accountability at the highest levels of the security ministry.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥: 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽’𝘀 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝟭𝟬𝗯𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀

In an unexpected move, the paper reports that Donald Trump has declined to fund Kenyan sex life initiatives and male circumcision programmes, a decision buried deep in the budget pages. More critically, the Auditor General has revealed that Sh10 billion in bad loans has sunk the Youth and Women Enterprise Funds, with the debt remaining unserviced for over three years. The story also highlights that magistrates receive the highest bribes, averaging Sh165,000, while more men than women are reported to bribe police officers. In infrastructure news, the Nairobi Expressway operator has vowed to demolish a State House wall allegedly built on riparian land.

𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗬: 𝗜𝘀 𝗜𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴’𝘄𝗮𝗵 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗥𝘂𝘁𝗼–𝗚𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗲?

The political temperature is rising as the paper questions whether National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah is standing in the way of a truce between President Ruto and his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua. Meanwhile, cracks are emerging in the President’s flagship housing project, with workers protesting delayed pay. In the Senate, new strategies are being devised to deal with truant governors who have ignored past summons.

𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗬: 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮’𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚-𝘁𝗼-𝗚 𝗙𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹

In a major business revelation, the paper reports that BE Energy, a firm where the Odinga family owns a 35 per cent stake, has become a beneficiary of the government’s government-to-government fuel supply deal with three Gulf-based companies: Saudi Aramco, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Emirates. This comes as the High Court paved the way for the conclusion of Diageo’s sale of its 65 per cent stake in EABL to Japan’s Asahi Group. The paper also profiles veteran financier Vincent Rague, whose career has spanned the World Bank’s IFC and the boards of MTN and JamboJet, offering a rare insight into the mind of a man who never blinked.

𝗣𝗨𝗟𝗦𝗘: 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆

Away from the heavy news, Pulse explores corporate fashion and features Anita Wawuda in the spotlight. However, a sobering piece on the unseen stories of Kenya’s film industry reveals that while the sector is growing, persistent struggles with funding and distribution continue to hold it back.