On Wednesday, December 31, national newspapers covered the funeral of former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo in Lumakanda, where grief mixed with politics, as leaders used the sad ceremony to make strong statements, revive claims, and signal a change in the coalition.
Source: UGC
1. Daily Nation
According to the newspaper, Kenya’s education sector is preparing to face a severe shortage of teachers as the country prepares to start secondary schools in 2026, with the low funding of the Teachers Services Commission (TSC) emerging as a major risk to the success of Competency Based Education (CBE).
A new report by Usawa Agenda and Zizi Afrique shows a system under pressure, citing a shortage of more than 100,000 teachers at all levels, from early childhood to technical institutions.
The shortage has already led to overcrowding of classes, teacher fatigue and a lack of academic specialists, especially in high school.
Despite having nearly 40,000 qualified teachers aged 45 and over who are still unemployed, officials TSC they say that their ability to hire has been limited by budget constraints.
The commission received KSh387.7 billion this financial year, leaving important needs such as replacing full-time students unfunded.
The crisis worsened after the administration of Kenya First moving Grades Seven through Ninth to elementary schools, reversing earlier plans that had seen significant investment in high school infrastructure and staff.
The TSC now admits it was not prepared for the sudden demand in primary schools, where at least 72,000 teachers are still needed.
Concerns have also been raised in parliament about how teachers handle subjects outside their training areas, thereby affecting learning outcomes.
With the government planning to hire 24,000 teachers by January 2026 and prioritizing STEM professionals, budget constraints continue to slow progress.
Intern teachers are still an obstacle, with extended contracts, low morale and court cases due to perceived unfairness in certification.
2. Nation Today
According to the newspaper, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) decided to block the court challenge that sought to annul the election of Mbeere North Member of Parliament Leo Wa Muthende, insisting that the November 27 by-election was conducted legally and reflected the wishes of the voters.
In the filings submitted before the High Court, the election body and the election officer of the state ignored the allegations of fraud and irregularities made by two voters shortly after the results were published in the government gazette.
The petition targets Wa Muthende’s victory, saying that he contested the vote by using two different names, a move which the petitioners say affected the credibility of the election.
They want the results to be canceled and an independent audit of the election equipment to be organized.
Wa Muthende, formerly known as Leonard Muriuki Njeru, legally changed his name before the appointment.
However, his old name continued to appear in the voter’s register and some election documents. Petitioners say this has caused confusion and undermined transparency.
IEBC it says the name difference was unavoidable because the voter register was legally closed once the by-election was announced.
Under the electoral law, no changes, including name changes, can be made to the register at that time. As a result, the register remained as it was on June 21, 2022.
Through their lawyer, Charles Mwongela, the respondents say that the use of two names did not affect the identity, eligibility or qualifications of the candidate. They insist that no voter or opponent was affected and that the results were not affected in any way.
The IEBC insists that the by-election fully followed the Constitution and electoral laws, adding that the case is baseless and should be dismissed.
3. The Standard
According to the newspaper, what started as a casual social media interaction ended his 13-year career at the Kenya Highways Authority (KeNHA), after the Facebook employee’s activity was deemed gross misconduct.
Dismas Kungu Kira, who worked at KeNHA as an assistant supply management officer, lost his job after liking and commenting on Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai’s Facebook post, which alleged corruption within the authority.
Kungu was the first to comment and introduce his colleagues, a move that got him arrested and later fired.
Before the Employment and Labor Relations Court, Kungu said the incident on social media was just an excuse to punish him for giving false information.
“The employer must distinguish between minor misconduct and major misconduct that merits dismissal. Facebook’s response did not affect the respondent’s business, nor did it endanger national security, nor did it endanger anyone’s safety. No evidence was ever provided by the respondent to show that the thumb emoji undermined the activities of the authorities,” said Kungu.
He told the court that he had previously written to KeNHA director general Peter Munindia and the management bodies, alleging bid rigging, coercion of evaluation committees, falsification of documents and favored bidders and promised bribes to staff.
He claimed parts of his complaint were leaked to bloggers, sparking an online debate.
Kungu stressed that the thumbs up emoji could not be a serious misconduct, stressing that it did not affect the activities of KeNHA nor endanger the public interest.
He said he deserved a warning, not firing, and accused his employer of retaliating against him for exposing corruption.
“The strong response of the respondent was clearly motivated by the desire to remove the complainant as revenge for giving confidential information and not maintaining discipline or protecting his reputation,” said Kungu.
However, KeNHA defended the decision, saying Kungu violated its Human Resources Guidelines and Social Media Policy.
The authority said the case was wrongly framed as a constitutional petition rather than an employment dispute.
In her decision, Judge Jemimah Wanza dismissed Kungu’s case, considering the dismissal to be legal and fair.
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