Tama Roberie
On Friday, December 19, 2025, the Kenyan newspapers highlighted plans by the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to form a broad-based political party ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The newspapers also reported on the lavish expenditures by the State House and President William Ruto’s office in the first quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year.
The top stories in Kenyan newspapers on Friday, December 19. Photos/screengrabs: DN, PD, The Standard, The Star and Taifa Leo.
Source: UGC 1. People Daily Ahead of the 2027 elections, a plan has been hatched to create a broad-based political party that will unite ODM and President William Ruto’s UDA.
Plans are already in place for the ODM’s National Delegates Council (NDC) to support a legally binding agreement with UDA and to approve certain issues within the party.
The NDC is also expected to endorse Ruto’s reelection campaign, to the dismay of several prominent Opposition figures and alleged rebels in the outfit.
Ruto is relying on ODM for his reelection in the upcoming elections by expanding his support base and making up for possible vote losses in other areas, particularly the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.
“If you organise ODM to be a strong party, I will organise UDA to be a strong party so that we can unite and form a government through mutual agreement,” Ruto said during the Piny Luo Festival in Migori county. ODM leader Oburu Oginga (l) with President William Ruto, who leads UDA. Photo: William Ruto.
Source: Facebook 2. The Standard The publication revealed that the State House spent a whopping KSh 4.5 billion in three months despite President Ruto’s austerity measures.
Dominating the expenditures are travel expenses, salaries and hospitality.
The Controller of Budget (CoB), Margaret Nyakang’o, noted that KSh 3.1 billion of the KSh 4.5 billion was reported as having been spent for other expenses during the first quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, from July to September 2025.
The State House spent KSh 98 million on fuel and lubricants, KSh 292.7 million on domestic travel, KSh 199.2 million on hospitality, and KSh 689.83 million on salaries.
In the report, she noted that the State House spent KSh 55.1 million on normal vehicle maintenance, KSh 3.43 million on international travel, KSh 4.19 million on communication, supplies, and services, and KSh 25.69 million on utilities, supplies, and services.
The Executive Office of the President spent KSh 1.04 billion during the period under review.
These included KSh 463.21 million on salaries, KSh 49.93 million on domestic travel, KSh 8.34 million on foreign travel, KSh 40.41 million on hospitality, KSh 12.35 million on fuel and other expenses (KSh 275.1 million).
3. Daily Nation As the Ministry of Education releases the first-ever placement into senior school under Competency-Based Education (CBE) on Friday, December 19, the 1.13 million applicants who took the first Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) are filled with both hope and anxiety.
Placement information, including where the pioneer Grade Nine applicants will spend the following three years, will be available via SMS and the ministry’s portal.
In contrast to the past, when secondary school placement was only determined by a school’s category and achievement on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam, pathways will have a significant impact on school clusters.
As a result, the pathway and school where the learner will be placed will be specified in the admission letter.
4. The Star For three months, the Kenyan government quietly borrowed billions of shillings from the domestic market.
Ruto’s administration borrowed an average of KSh 4.58 billion every day from the local market to maintain its operations in the three months to September 2025.
By September, that daily borrowing habit totalled over KSh 412 billion.
This saw the value of domestic debt rise to KSh 6.6 trillion.
According to data shared by the Central Bank of Kenya, the country’s overall debt at the end of the period was KSh12.05 trillion, while external borrowing stood at KSh 5.4 trillion.
5. Taifa Leo The publication delved into an alleged KSh 5 billion scandal that has rocked Ruto’s administration.
This follows the stalling of the construction of the industrial parks across several counties after former Trade CS Moses Kuria launched them.
The parks were the Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s pet projects, and Kuria described them as the easiest path to Kenya becoming the Singapore of Africa through job creation.
However, no single park has been completed three years later, with implementation levels below 30%.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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