The newspapers on Sunday, February 15, covered an array of topics, including the United Opposition’s preparedness for the 2027 presidential election.
Source: UGC
Elsewhere, the newspapers reported on challenges faced by the Grade 10 learners weeks after transitioning from Junior School.
1. Sunday Nation
The newspaper reported on the concern of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i about the opposition’s pick for the 2027 flagbearer.
He warns that the opposition coalition must be careful in nominating a joint presidential candidate.
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He said the Jubilee Party led by (retired) president Uhuru Kenyatta is pushing for a scientific system to find a single presidential candidate for the United Opposition, warning that a secret agreement by a few leaders could break the alliance before 2027.
Already, a crucial meeting that began today in Naivasha has been postponed until next week, with reports indicating tension over the best way to nominate a joint presidential candidate.
Matiang’i told Sunday Nation that the method used to select a joint candidate will determine the fate of the opposition coalition or give President William Ruto an easy path to return to power for a second term.
He repeatedly referred to one main point: leadership. “Kenya’s problem is leadership, then,” he said. “We have a self-serving leadership focused on plundering the country’s resources and lining their own pockets.”
He promised to fight corruption “as if my life depended on it,” referring to his time in government, where he says he implemented reforms within existing legal systems and successfully defended his decisions in court.
He also called for public service employment to be based on merit and merit, and an end to what he called political favouritism.
“The youth are not asking us to cook for them. They are asking us to do our job so that opportunities arise,” he said.
As opposition leaders plan their consultative session, the expectation is that they will lay out their policy direction as well as a roadmap for the nomination of a candidate.
Matiang’i described the session as an opportunity to reflect and align priorities.
“We will discuss how to move forward, how to engage Kenyans and our priorities,” he said.
Stakeholders say the session could either strengthen the already clear path towards unity or expose unresolved differences.
If Matiang’i’s vision is accepted, the coalition can adopt a selection system based on statistics and evidence, aimed at giving support to supporters from different regions and parties.
Matiang’i stressed that the process should be scientific, transparent, participatory and credible.
He warned that the decision made through a “secret room agreement” between a few people will not last once it is made public.
“You cannot push parties, leaders and voters to a certain decision without fully involving them. The consequences will be dire,” he said.
His statement comes as the opposition tries to unite parties and influential politicians, including former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, PLP leader Martha Karua, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa and DP leader Justin Muturi – all said to be interested in flying the banner of the alliance.
Matiang’i said if four or five candidates vie for the ticket, then those who lose must be able to return to their supporters and explain with arguments and evidence why they did not win.
Without a fair and credible process, he warned, the situation will turn into a winner-take-all competition, with the remaining ones losing the incentive to support the winner.
2. Taifa Jumapili
The Kiswahili newspaper covered the challenges by the Grade 10 learners who took the STEM pathway.
Learners who chose the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) stream have yet to receive their textbooks, confusing schools as they prepare to close for the mid-term break on February 25, 2026.
Secondary school principals have warned that the delay is hampering teaching during a sensitive transition period under the Competence-Based Education (CBE) model.
According to the principals, although students have already started to adapt to their chosen tracks, the lack of approved STEM textbooks is forcing teachers and students to rely on summaries and temporary references.
“Grade 10 classes have received textbooks for Kiswahili, Business, Literature, History and Civics as well as Social Services from Oxford University Press this evening. However, not a single STEM textbook was delivered two weeks before schools closed for the mid-term break on February 25, 2026,” a school principal from Samburu County told Taifa Jumapili.
The concern comes as schools are also facing the challenge of low enrolment in some language subjects.
“We are in the second month of school, and STEM classes do not have official textbooks. Teachers are forced to use 8-4-4 textbooks that may not be fully compatible with the new curriculum. What was the need to change the curriculum if there are no textbooks? This situation cannot be sustained,” said another school head.
The headmaster from Turkana added that the delay is widening the gap in equity between urban and rural schools.
3. The Standard
The newspaper reported on the goings-on in ODM, with Ida Odinga weighing in.
She cautioned party officials against expelling secretary general Edwin Sifuna amid growing internal rifts.
In a social media interview, she questioned the rationale behind the move, noting that Raila Odinga himself had never attempted to oust Sifuna.
She compared the decision to forcing a child out of his father’s home after the father’s death, stressing that Sifuna remains central to the party’s identity.
“Edwin Sifuna is the SG of the party. He is Raila’s son in ODM. He is not going anywhere. If a father has died, should the children be chased from the house? When there is disagreement in a home, people sit down and resolve it,” she said.
Her remarks came after the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Mombasa voted to replace Sifuna with his deputy, Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo.
The resolution was later suspended when the Political Parties Tribunal reinstated Sifuna pending a full hearing.
Sifuna has resisted efforts to form a pre-election coalition with President William Ruto’s UDA, putting him at odds with a faction aligned to Oburu Odinga.
Sources say the NEC meeting was marked by heated divisions, with Kisumu woman representative Ruth Odinga strongly backing Sifuna, while Oburu Odinga and Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir rallied support to push through the resolution.
Sifuna has vowed to uphold Raila’s principles and reject what he calls attempts to subject the party to external political influence.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
