Kenyan Newspapers Review: Babu Owino, Other Rebel MPs to Snub Ruto-Raila State House PG Meeting
On Friday, August 15, the Kenyan newspapers highlighted the upcoming joint Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting convened by President William Ruto and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga.
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The dailies also revealed how governors are spending millions at the Homa Bay Devolution Conference with nothing to show.
Source: UGC
1. The Star
On Monday, August 18, ODM leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto will chair their first-ever combined Parliamentary Group meeting, marking a historic political convergence and a potential deal for 2027.
MPs from the Kenya Kwanza coalition and ODM are expected to be present at the State House meeting.
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The goal of the two leaders is to unite lawmakers around a single legislative agenda.
This comes after Ruto formed a joint team to oversee the execution of his Memorandum of Understanding with Raila and committed to paying compensation to victims of police violence.
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Despite its historic significance, the planned meeting is already under siege as rebel MPs from both sides have pledged to boycott it, calling the pact a betrayal of their political ideals.
"This meeting should take place at a neutral location, such as Uhuru Park or Jacaranda Grounds, where MPs can openly express their opinions if it is genuinely about unity and reforms," Embakasi East MP Babu Owino said.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi dismissed Ruto, arguing that the president is not the leader of his party.
According to him, the meeting ought to have taken place in Chungwa House, the ODM headquarters.
Other MPs who vowed to snub the PG meeting are Gatanga MP Edward Muriu and Kitutu Chache's Antony Kibagendi.
2. The Standard
A Devolution Conference brings together county and national officials, experts, investors, and the general public to discuss the accomplishments made thus far, compare notes, learn from best practices, and showcase the best that a devolved unit has to offer the nation.
However, at the current Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, governors and high-ranking county officials demonstrated extravagant expenditures yet had almost nothing to present in their exhibition stands.
At the event, politicians and their entourages displayed the luxurious fleet of vehicles, which cost taxpayers millions of shillings.
Counties have received over KSh 4 trillion since 2013.
3. Daily Nation
The intact bullet that had been stuck in Samuel Kinyanjui's body for almost 400 days was eventually removed during a successful surgical procedure on Wednesday, August 13, giving him the vital evidence he needed to pursue justice.
Kinyanjui was shot by police on June 16, 2024, during the Gen Z protests.
His life has been drastically changed by the bullet, which entered through his right foot and ended up in his gluteal area, costing him his livelihood and making him dependent on others.
"Today is my happiest day because I have been yearning for this moment," he said after the 20-minute treatment at Ladnan Hospital in Pangani, Nairobi.
4. People Daily
President William Ruto's recent decision to scrap the 60-year-old national ID application vetting process, which has been in place in Northern Kenya and other border regions, has sparked both admiration and scepticism.
While advocates praise the action as a long-overdue step toward ending long-standing discrimination, opponents view it as a risky political ploy with "2027" written all over it.
The demand for vetting acted as the gatekeeper for decades.
It was first implemented in the 1990s and targeted groups like Asian, Arab, Somali, and Nubian minorities.
Applicants were required to submit detailed family histories, sometimes going all the way back to their grandparents.
5. Taifa Leo
Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has cut short his political trip to the United States (US).
Although Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi claimed that Kenya pressured America to cut the trip short, Gachagua insisted he decided on his own to return home.
Gachagua left the country on July 9 for what he had described as a two-month trip to America.
He had planned to return to Kenya on September 8, 2025, but now he argues that he is returning home early “to lead the campaigns for the upcoming by-elections.”
In a post on his Facebook page, the former DP stated that his trip benefited him as he made significant progress for Kenyans abroad.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
