• The stories making headlines in the Star this morning.
Today's top stories in the Star.
Good morning,
Secondary school heads want the age of consent for sex to be increased to 20 when young people have finished secondary school.
That still doesn't mean their brains are mature, their judgement and impulse control are sound. Couple that with a blast of hormones and you know what to expect.
The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association on Monday said the current debate about lowering the age of sexual consent to 16 years of age portrays the country as losing its morals and direction.
Here are the other stories making headlines in the Star this morning.
Cash crisis looms as MPs fail to agree on revenue bill
County governments are staring at a cash crisis after mediation talks on the key revenue sharing law failed to reach a conclusion yesterday, exactly three weeks before the next financial year gets underway.
The stormy session of the crunch talks aimed at unlocking the impasse surrounding the Division of Revenue Bill, 2019, failed to strike a deal as both the Senate and National Assembly teams maintained hard line positions.
Maize crisis looms from July as Cabinet urged to allow imports
The country could experience a maize shortage of four million bags come next month.
Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri on Monday said Kenya needs 10 million bags of white maize and 2.5 million bags of yellow maize from July to December.
He said the stocks stored by the National Cereals and Produce Board are slightly over four million bags.
Kilifi pupils use tippy taps to promote hygiene
It is a warm Monday morning as I walk towards Mwaeba Primary School in Kilifi county. The school is located in an isolated village in Magarini constituency.
Arriving at break time, I expect to find the primary school pupils huddled in groups, shouting and relaxing.
However, something strikes me. There are a few pupils outside, not playing but collecting litter. Most are in class, revising for the next lesson.
Sh48 billion needed to increase forest cover
A plan to increase forest cover from the current 7.2 per cent to at least 10 per cent by 2022 shows Kenya needs Sh48 billion for the purpose.
Kenya Forest Service provided technical input to the draft strategy.
Other key agencies that took part in the initial development of the strategy include Kenya Water Towers Agency, Kenya Forestry Research Institute and the National Environment Management Authority.
MPs decry 'neglect' of African envoys
African envoys are not visible in Nairobi compared to their counterparts from European countries, a parliamentary committee observed yesterday.
The Defence and Foreign Relations committee castigated the Senegal ambassador nominee Purity Muhindi – currently a director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying her office has sidelined the diplomats.