People Daily ePaper

How the State gives with one hand, takes with the other

It is difficult running a small business in Kenya. If it is not the high operating costs that are gnawing you to the bone, then it’s the complex tax regulations, such as ETIMS compliance, and limited access to affordable credit. Normally, the...

Ksh 3.6trn Ksh 43.6b Grants

Total revenue

Governors who don’t see eye-to-eye

Shifting political interests is causing friction between some governors as clock ticks fast towards 2027 elections. People Daily has learnt that some of these county chiefs are experiencing deep rifts over power, succession and regional dominance,...

Devolving ‘One term’?

Hardly a year before Kenyans head to the polls, several vocal first-term governors are already fighting for their political survival as their rivals, disgruntled allies and ambitious lawmakers have launched early campaigns to unseat them. From...

Fire on the mountain?

In the country’s political history, Mt Kenya has stood out as one of the most politicallyorganised voting blocs, a region whose grievances could be managed through political negotiation and persuasion, economic promises and strategic appointments to...

Ruto’s bumpy road ahead as 2027 beckons

Slightly more than a year to the 2027 General Election, President William Ruto is confronting a growing list of political, economic and governance challenges that will shape his re-election bid. Although the President maintains he is on a...

Why Ebola threat still haunts Africa

The resurgence of Ebola across parts of Africa continues to expose the fragile state of public health systems, weak border surveillance and the social and economic vulnerabilities that allow deadly diseases to spread rapidly. In Kenya, Health Cabinet...

Governors quietly assemble political networks ahead of 2027 elections

As Kenya gears up for the 2027 General Election, a number of governors are quietly building political machinery to enable them to continue being relevant beyond their counties, in what is shaping up to be an early scramble for regional kingpin...

Will we ever learn?

Kenya’s education sector is once again under national scrutiny following the tragic fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, that claimed the lives of 16 students and left dozens injured. The heart-breaking incident has...

Inside Gachagua’s 2027 campaign think tank

Hardly a year before the 2027 general election, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has put together a team of loyal and youthful politicians, grassroots leaders who are not only his foot soldiers but have been pushing for his election...

Higher taxes, fewer jobs, harder days for Kenyans

The fuel crisis has revealed just how bad things are going to get for Kenyans as the country limps from one crisis to another in 2026. As President William Ruto’s administration prepares to adopt the Finance Bill 2026, which introduces several taxes...

How State’s appetite for taxes created fuel crisis

Cost of government’s addiction to taxes in hidden charges and securitised levies deepen country’s debt burden and take a toll at the pump

Fuel crisis: Deaths, chaos amid State inaction

The full wrath of Kenyans came to the fore yesterday as nationwide protests over skyrocketing fuel prices brought transport to a grinding halt, leaving commuters stranded at home as both private and public service vehicles remained grounded. Since...

Can coastal Kenya break its cycle of political dependency?

Leadership from the coastal leadership has found new comfort in drifting closer to the centre of power ahead of the 2027 election, unlike in the past, where the region historically stood as an opposition stronghold. The leaders have shifted their...

The Anger Vote: Will young Kenyans elect out of rage in 2027?

For many young Kenyans, the 2027 General Election may not be about hope, it may be about frustration. Expensive rent, rising food prices, joblessness and daily financial pressures are increasingly shaping how Gen Z is thinking about politics. For a...

Swapping the pen for the sword: Journalists running in 2027 polls

From the Fourth Estate, a growing number of journalists in the country are pivoting towards the executive and legislative arms of government as the nation inches closer to the General Election. Should their bids succeed, Kenya could witness a notable...

Kitui and Garissa counties seek State help over banditry The governors said they will strengthen inter-county coordination

Speaking on Thursday in Mwingi town, the two governors, Julius Malombe from Kitui and Nathif Jama from Garissa said they have resolved to organise joint security meetings to develp coordinated strategies to flush out bandits. While the two counties do...

MPS want tougher penalties for animal, crop theft in new law

Lawmakers have called for tougher penalties, as well as legal and administrative reforms to curb rising cases of livestock and produce theft. This follows concern that the vice is crippling rural livelihoods and fuelling insecurity. While debating the...

Senate panel unearths ‘ghost’municipalities, fiscal rot in counties

ASenate committee has unearthed how municipalities in the counties have failed to fully operationalise their municipality charter, have weak budgetary control and revenue under-realisation, and lack of operational autonomy from the County...

Is Ruto an incumbent under siege?

With just 15 months to the 2027 general election, President William Ruto is perhaps staring at a more formidable and coordinated opposition, which has in the recent past been holding triumphant rallies across the country. After months of disagreements...

Living on credit: Why Kenyans can’t save

FIGURES 68.1pc Rate of savings dropped to 68.1 per cent in 2023, from 74 per cent 17.1pc lack of savings has led to decline in longterm savings from 39.5 per cent in 2021 to just 17.1 per cent 18.3pc only 18.3 per cent of Kenyans are considered...

Orengo vs Oburu

The Orange party’s unity historically relied on the singular charisma of the late Raila Odinga. Six months after his death and without him acting as the gravitational force, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has now splintered into competing...

Politics in the Pulpit: How churches are shaping the 2027 race

Wetang’ula: Cornered by law, losing ground

The decision by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula to suspend Bumula MP Jack Wamboka as chairperson of the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education over bribery allegations has yet again raised questions over how the Speaker has...

Why Ruto wants a new political vehicle for 2027

Political survival, control, stability and the quest for more numbers are the reasons why President William Ruto is pushing parties to fold up and join United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 General election. Ruto, who is keen on retaining...

How reality is forcing Ruto’s retreat

Clear signs that the struggles of incumbency could be fast catching up with President William Ruto, as the home stretch to 2027 approaches, are beginning to emerge. This is even as the president appears to openly renege on some of the defining...

Rising impunity under Ruto’s leadership

With the 2027 general election drawing closer by the day, various camps across the political divide are employing a range of chess-like tactics as they strive to pull even smarter manoeuvres aimed at gaining strategic advantages, anticipating opponent...

Kitale’s surging teen gangs, politics, and the fight for peace

Kitale, once celebrated as a sanctuary of peace, as of late, plunged into a state of fear, overshadowed by rising insecurity. The breadbasket town of Trans Nzoia has been shaken by a wave of violent crime. Informal settlements like Matisi and Tiwani...

Inside National Police Service Crisis

94 gazetted Police STATIONS ARE OPERATING WITHOUT motor vehicles 1,704 PARCELS of LAND Do not have Documentation 5,445 STAFF were PAID net SALARIES below The one-third BASIC PAY

Inside the G2G deal now backfiring on Ruto

The government-to-government (G-to-g) fuel deal was crafted in early 2023 as an emergency measure to stabilise a rapidly depreciating Kenyan shilling and address a severe shortage of US dollars. The arrangement was formalised through the Petroleum...

Inside the Judiciary crisis

The Judiciary has 496 cases at the Kwale Law Court that have been ongoing for more than three years on the day it emerged that it has ongoing capital projects worth Ksh6.3billion stalled due to underfunding. Auditor General Nancy Gathungu in her...

ODPP: Weak link in fight against crime, graft?

The performance of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has lately come under intense scrutiny following a sharp increase in the number of cases, either withdrawn or collapsed between 2022 and 2023, particularly those regarded as...

Ruto Cabinet graft crisis

The Ksh4.8 billion fuel scandal in the Ministry of Energy, headed by Opiyo Wandayi, has yet again raised questions about governance and political survival for some of the Cabinet Secretaries ahead of the 2027 General election. While President William...

How political parties’ funding crisis may derail 2027 election

Plagued by staff shortages, skeletal fleet of vehicles, and cramped offices, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) is sounding the alarm. With the countdown to the 2027 general election ticking, the office warns that time is fast...

Petition filed to oust Energy CS

petition Pressure is mounting on Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi after a petition was filed at the Milimani High Court seeking his suspension over alleged involvement in the controversial importation of substandard fuel. The...

Cracks emerge in Ruto’s housing project as workers protest delayed pay

President William Ruto’s flagship affordable housing programme is facing mounting criticism after workers at several construction sites staged protests over delayed wages. Ogembo and Masimba housing project in Kisii is the latest zone where disgruntled...

Fireworks at a funeral

The funeral of the late Ol Kalou MP David Kiaraho turned into a significant political showdown between President William Ruto and his former Deputy Rigathi Gachagua. This was their first public meeting since their fallout, with Gachagua openly...

Ruto, Gachagua in scramble for Mt Kenya votes

The battle for the control of the vote-rich Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 General election has intensified further after recent projections by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) showed that the region could have more than seven...

How Ruto turned defiance into compliance

There was a time in Kenya’s political cycle when the air would tighten almost on cue. Usually, just over a year before a general election, the atmosphere would usually grow heavy with anticipation. In those moments—when the late veteran opposition...

Why Nyanza, Western and Mt Kenya will decide 2027 polls

As the country gears up for the 2027 General election, three regions have emerged as the battleground that could determine the country’s presidency as well as shape how Kenya’s politics play out. Mt Kenya, Western and Nyanza regions have in the recent...

Inside the harsh reality of Ruto’s ‘Silicon Savannah’ dream

Since his election in 2022, President William Ruto has championed digital jobs as a cornerstone of his strategy to eradicate youth unemployment. In his pre-election manifesto-the Kenya Kwanza Plan, President Ruto promised a “Digital Superhighway” and...

Is social media Kenya’s most powerful political tool?

Uhuru–gachagua meeting boosts opposition unity push

Kenya’s fourth president Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday met former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other opposition leaders, in a signal many interpreted as a united front ahead of the 2027 General Election. Those present at the burial service of the...

Inside Joho’s push for deputy presidency

The push to position Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs Hassan Joho as a 2027 running mate has gained significant momentum. The move seems to be shaping into a formidable political agenda, particularly in the Coast region...

Why Rift Valley is silent as nationwide campaigns intensify

At a time when political activities are intensifying across much of the country, the Rift Valley has slipped into an unusual silence, with both the government and the opposition directing their efforts elsewhere, leaving a region largely on the...

Loyalists who fell out with Ruto

Former nominated senator Millicent Omanga became the latest high-ranking politician to ditch President William Ruto barely months before the 2027 General election. Omanga who had been a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) loyalist and a vocal supporter of...

ODM cracks play out in public

The future of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, is now at crossroads after two camps held separate National Delegates Convention (NDC) meetings, ostensibly each eager to prove they are the “bonafide owners” of the party. The party, which is...

Inside the deplorable state of Mathari mental hospital

Lawmakers have raised concerns over the deplorable status of Mathari National Referral Hospital after it emerged that some patients were still sleeping on the floor while others were being forced to share beds. This came on the day the MPS heard that...

Why Ruto is losing the silent majority

As the country pivots toward the 2027 election cycle, public frustration with President William Ruto’s administration has become increasingly nuanced. There is a growing sense that a significant section of Kenyan voters is quietly exhausted by constant...

KAA land worth KSH 986.5 billion illegally occupied

Land belonging to Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) valued at Ksh986.5billion has either been encroached on by illegal individuals or lacks the necessary documentation, a new report shows. The said land comprises freehold land balance of Ksh900,763,000...

Kenya’s coffee: Will revival efforts finally pay off?

Questions over Affordable Houses built on land with no title documents

About 269 Affordable Housing Projects (AHP) have no land documentation even as it emerged that only 3,611 housing units have been completed. According to the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, only 14 projects have title deeds, nine have letters of...

King of Cotu

Veteran trade unionist Francis Atwoli was once again re-elected Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu), extending his decadeslong leadership of the country’s most influential labour federation. Atwoli secured another...

Bursaries scandal

There are questions surrounding massive irregularities and anomalies that led to unsupported disbursements of Ksh2.1 billion to 86 constituencies, managed by the National Government- Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF). A damning report released...

Will 2027 polls end political old guard era?

The 2027 general election will mark the end of an era for the old guard who have long dominated Kenya’s politics and grown to be the kingmakers, shaping the national discourse and determining who in one way or another end up in the House on the...

How Ruto’s spectacle of ‘shiny’projects masks broken promises

President William Ruto seems to show up anywhere and everywhere the government’s side glitters. Whether it is mega-infrastructure projects like the upcoming Talanta Stadium or smaller community markets, the president is there, cameras in tow, ready to...

Can an unlikely alliance redraw Kenya’s 2027 electoral map?

Missing numbers that cost taxpayers billions every year

Missing numbers that cost taxpayers billions every year