On Saturday, December 6, local newspapers focused on President William Ruto’s visit to the United States, detailing important meetings and new health and trade agreements that have shown how the trip strengthened Kenya’s relationship with the United States and signaled a new partnership with the administration of President Donald Trump.
Source: UGC
1. Weekend Star
According to the newspaper, the Milimani Commercial Courts ordered the Kenya Laboratory Technicians and Technology Board to pay former CEO Abala Wanga KSh 5 million for defamation, ending a decade-long dispute over a notice that the court found to be false, malicious, and damaging to his reputation.
Senior Chief Magistrate Stephen Onjoro ruled that the public notice published on August 20, 2014, claiming Abala was no longer an employee and warning the public against dealing with him, exceeded the normal notice.
The court noted that those words implied that Abala was a danger to the public, a suggestion that would naturally damage his reputation among his colleagues and potential employers.
Evidence showed that the notice caused confusion and concern within Abala’s academic circles, with many trying to question what had happened. The judge said, this had a real impact on his reputation.
The board insisted that the publication was made in good faith to protect the public, saying it was a true reflection of his employment status.
However, the court rejected this defense, saying that the severity of the defamation was not in the fact of his departure, but in the insinuation of the mistake. The board’s attempt to justify the notice by referring to unproven allegations of fraud failed after the court found that Abala had since been acquitted.
The defense of due rights also failed. The judge found that publishing such a notice in a national newspaper—nine months after Abala left office—was disproportionate and suggested malice rather than administrative necessity.
The court awarded Abala KSh4 million as general compensation and KSh1 million as increased compensation, citing the conduct of the board throughout the case, making a total of KSh5 million.
2. Nation Today
A Kiswahili publication reports that Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru directly attacked the former vice president Rigathi Gachaguaaccusing him of crowning himself king of Mt Kenya without local authority.
During the launch of the Medical Training College project in Kerugoya, he challenged Gachagua’s claim to regional leadership, asking who entrusted him with the authority to defend Mlima.
Waiguru reminded residents that the former president Uhuru Kenyatta he remains the recognized leader of the region, noting the gravity of the Mt Kenya election and the historic role that Kenyatta played.
He said that Gachagua’s influence had faded, pointing to the reception of his Democratic Party for the People (DCP) movement and saying voters had rejected it because its founder was no longer in power.
He also dismissed growing rumors that he may defect from the UDA and join the Gachagua political party.
Waiguru said he had no intention of leaving the ruling party, stressing that he could not align himself with a movement he believes has no direction.
Accompanied by the Member of Parliament for Kirinyaga Central Gachoki Gitari, the governor urged residents to stay close to the government to get the benefits of development.
He said that Gachagua does not have a clear plan for the area and has no way to return to government, making him unreliable as a political leader.
According to him, Mt Kenya tends to gain more by supporting the Ruto administration and focusing on projects that can uplift the community.
3. Saturday Nation
According to the publication, President William Ruto’s diplomatic fortunes in Washington have taken a surprising turn, turning from uncertainty at the start of his second term Donald Trump to a new engagement driven by geopolitics, conflict mediation, and US-China strategic competition.
When Trump returned to the White House, Kenya’s privileged position under Joe Biden appeared to have disappeared, with aid programs suspended and Kenya’s prominent non-NATO status suddenly under scrutiny.
Pressure mounted further when powerful US senators accused Nairobi of aligning too closely with Beijing, putting Ruto’s foreign policy on the defensive.
However, the events in the Great Lakes region slowly brought Washington back towards Nairobi. After the planned visit of the US vice president to Kenya was canceled, the tide turned again as the conflict escalated in eastern DRC and Sudan, areas that Trump now wanted to influence as part of his new international position and conflict resolution campaign. Ruto got his opening.
On December 5, he was invited to Washington for the signing of the peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda, a forum that enhanced his importance and allowed him to demonstrate Pan-African leadership.
Along with the peace agreement, Ruto signed the Kenya-US Health Partnership Framework, an important agreement that replaces traditional US aid and data sharing cooperation in exchange for KSh1.6 billion annually for a period of five years. You signaled a new start: Washington gets disease surveillance, while Kenya gets a lifeline with US help.
Behind the scenes, Kenya’s role in Congo, which had previously been marred by accusations of supporting rebels and being excluded from peacekeeping missions, was revived through the mediation of Qatar.
Doha insisted that regional neighbors be part of the deal, putting Kenya back in the lead despite initial tensions with President Tshisekedi.
Washington welcomed Kenya, Burundi and Uganda as guarantors, while former presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Olusegun Obasanjo were also included in the agreement for continuity.
Diplomats say Ruto benefited from the regional power shift, while neighboring leaders were distracted by their own conflicts.
Trump did not hide America’s interests: peace in the DRC opens up access to rare minerals. Ruto, in turn, promised Kenya’s commitment to ensure that the agreement lasts and urged Kenyan investors to take advantage of emerging opportunities.
In the end, Ruto’s time in Washington became a combination of diplomacy, timing, and geopolitical importance, restoring Kenya’s position.
4. The Saturday Standard
The newspaper reports that public university lecturers may resume industrial action in January, amid growing uncertainty over the government’s commitment to pay debts and finalize the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The total of KSh3.85 billion owed to the lecturers by December 31 has not yet been completed, while the parliamentarians are preparing to go on recess without approving the additional budget needed to provide the funds.
Education Minister Julius Ogamba had previously warned that the additional allocation was necessary, making the additional budget the only viable way to pay workers.
UASU Coordinating Secretary Onesmus Mutio warned that failure to pay the December salary will leave lecturers with no choice but to strike early next year.
“If the money is not available by December 31, we will have no choice but to resume industrial operations early next year,” he said.
Tensions are exacerbated by stalled CBA talks: the 30-day window set aside for negotiations is closing without progress.
A November 30 letter from Taita Taveta University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Fred Simiyu Barasa, chairman of the IPUCCF Collective Bargaining Committee, revealed that the process remains at an early stage.
The public universities asked for a counter-proposal after three lecturer unions rejected an earlier offer of a 3% salary increase.
The matter now awaits the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to issue revised advice, stalling negotiations beyond the November deadline.
The lecturers’ agreement to return to work stated that the arrears should be paid in two installments: Sh3.85 billion by December 31, 2025, and the rest in July 2026.
Minister of Finance John Mbadi he cited financial constraints, warning that a one-time payment could weaken a weak economy.
Universities, which are already looking to make up for the lost time of the September-December semester, are considering extending the academic calendar to the end of December.
With financial uncertainty, stalled negotiations, and an impending congressional recess, public universities face the risk of paralysis in teaching and learning, threatening to undo efforts to stabilize the academic calendar.
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