On Thursday, January 15, dailies covered the political heat as leaders across the country reshuffled alliances, made strategic moves, and quietly maneuvered ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Source: UGC
1. Daily Nation
According to the newspaper, two families in Kirinyaga county are mourning after their sons, close friends, drowned in the Sagana River in a tragic incident that happened on the same day.
The tragedy occurred on Saturday afternoon, January 10, when a 16-year-old form three student Josphat Njuguna and his 21-year-old friend John Gachiani went swimming in the river, unaware of the danger ahead.
Shortly after the dive, the two were overwhelmed by strong waves and washed away as helpless villagers watched.
Residents who witnessed the incident alerted and attempted rescue efforts, but the fast-flowing water proved to be too powerful.
The loss devastated families in Gakindu and Kinji villages in Ndia State, and plunged the community into mourning.
The bodies of the two friends were found floating in the river two days later. Police officers took them and moved the remains to the Kibugi Burial Center in Kutus town while the investigation continues.
Njuguna’s mother, Gladys Wangari, said she held onto hope that her son was still alive until she saw his body.
He described him as a smart and disciplined boy whose future was suddenly cut short. Mrs. Wangari revealed that he traveled on the day of the incident and only learned of the tragedy when he returned home.
He added that he had given his son KSh400 to buy school supplies before the reopening, money which was later found to have come out of his pockets.
Gachiani’s parents, Peter Githinji and his wife Nancy Wangari, said worries grew when their son failed to return home that evening, prompting a frantic search. Villagers described the two as inseparable friends, who are often seen together.
2. The Star
According to the newspaper, two families in Limuru, Kiambu county, are living in pain after their relatives went missing in Russia under mysterious circumstances related to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
The center of the tragedy is Samuel Mwaura, 38, a father of two children who is believed to be one of several Kenyans allegedly recruited into the Russian army.
His sister, Winnie, said Mwaura left Kenya after being promised a good security job paying about KSh250,000 a month.
Having traveled extensively in his previous work with an international organization in Iraq, Somalia and Djibouti, Mwaura is said to have believed the opportunity was not too risky.
The family only began to raise concerns after learning that he traveled on a visitor visa issued for a short stay between September 5 and 11, 2025.
Winnie said a woman identified as Julia is suspected of facilitating Mwaura’s trip to Russia with her friend, John Kang’ethe.
Attempts to seek clarification from Julia later led to conflicting claims, including claims that Mwaura had failed to pay for services and was wanted by a Russian court.
Before communication stopped in October, Mwaura contacted his family regularly, sent money and shared his work details, including his military number.
In his last messages, he described the task as difficult and warned that he would be offline for several weeks. His last contact on October 21 put him in the woods.
Kang’ethe’s family is facing similar uncertainty as his brother, Paul Kabue, said the two traveled together and later confirmed their arrival.
Travel records showed that Kang’ethe was meant to stay for 16 days, but instead he was given military training and sent to work.
3. Nation Today
The Kiswahili newspaper reports that senior politicians from the Mount Kenya region are cautiously heading towards the 2027 General Election, with many first-term governors and MPs deciding to “test the waters” before declaring allegiance.
Leaders such as Murang’a governor Irungu Kang’ata, Kimani Wamatangi of Kiambu, Nyandarua governor Kiarie Badilisha, and Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro, all pre-elected on President William Ruto’s UDA ticket in 2022, are considering their options amid the conflict between Ruto and his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua.
This political tension has left several leaders on alert, eager to avoid decisions that could affect their re-election prospects.
While a few counties, including Nakuru and Embu, publicly supporting Ruto, most of the first term governors in six of the ten Mt Kenya counties are still undecided.
Appearing in public, such as Kang’ata speaking at the funeral of his mother MP Embakasi The North, James Gakuya, shows careful words, emphasizing the will of the people rather than political obedience.
“People ask which political side I am on. I am your servant, and it is you who will give me the direction. I only have one vote, and you understand that the people’s choice is God’s choice,” said Kang’ata.
Similarly, Badilisha insisted on respecting the agreement with the voters, leaving observers unsure about his position.
“I signed a contract with the people of Nyandarua in 2022, and they know what they told me. Whatever they order me to do in the future is what I will follow, because we are people who respect the agreement,” Governor Badilisha said.
Ndindi Nyoro, a so-called “political loner,” has openly criticized the current administration but has avoided taking sides, focusing instead on governance issues.
The ban has led to public criticism from Gachagua, who has pressed Mt Kenya leaders to clarify their political positions, warning of possible ostracism for those who delay.
4. The Standard
According to this newspaper, Kenyan taxpayers will pay at least KSh1 million in compensation after the High Court accused police officers of illegally arresting and torturing an innocent woman in a botched criminal investigation.
Judge Emily Ominde ruled that the attempt by an officer of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to force a village elder to pay KSh250,000 using a crowbar was a serious violation of constitutional rights.
The court found that the officers had arrested the wrong person and later tried to blackmail him. The victims reached an out-of-court settlement as soon as it became clear that the case could not stand.
The petition was filed by Emily Jepkemboi and her daughter, Peris Jelimo, who told the court that they were illegally detained, threatened and brutally treated by Corporals Florence Kameri and Veronicah Munami.
Jepkemboi testified that the officers handcuffed him to force him to confess, despite phone records showing that he did not receive any money.
He was arrested on June 14, 2021, along with another person, after being assumed to be a suspect in a fraud case.
Her daughter told the court that she was slapped and chased out of the police station, while officers allegedly threatened to shoot her mother.
The women were later released on cash bail after being forced to sign an agreement, while Jepkemboi’s identity has so far been withheld.
An investigation by the Independent Policing Authority led to recommendations for prosecution, although the officers were initially given the chance to settle the matter out of court.
In their defense, the Attorney General, police authorities and officials denied wrongdoing and questioned the legitimacy of the request.
Judge Ominde dismissed the allegations, ruled that the victims were truthful and ordered the government and officials to pay compensation to the family together, warning that such violence undermines the rights and public confidence in the law enforcement agencies.
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