• The stories making headlines in the Star this morning.
Good morning,
Operatives in Harambee House and others who ran President Uhuru Kenyatta's campaign are said to be holding meetings to counter Deputy President William Ruto's wave in Mt Kenya.
It is said that the operatives have brought on board some Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and heads of state corporations.
Their plan, according to those familiar with the plot, is to tame the influence of pro-Ruto MPs in the region while promoting the handshake between Uhuru and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Here are the other stories making headlines in the Star this morning.
Today's top stories in the Star. See stories https://bit.ly/2XtTA1K
Beware of Stars, Wanyama tells rivals
Harambee Stars skipper Victor Wanyama has cautioned Harambee Stars’ opponents at the Africa Cup of Nations against underrating the team which will be making their return to the tournament after 15 years.
Kenya is deemed as one of Group ‘C’ and the tournament’s underdogs but the experienced holding midfielder, who plies his trade with English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, has warned their challengers to brace for a tough encounter.
CBK defends weakening shilling, rules out demonitisation factor
CBK governor Patrick Njoroge has defended the weakening of shilling, saying the current sway could have been caused by normal high demand for dollar by importers.
On Tuesday, the shilling sunk veered into 102 margin for the first time since early January to trade at Sh102.05 compared to Sh101.55 the previous day.
Ruto allies retreat ahead of Uhuru visit to Eldoret
Deputy President William Ruto's lieutenants have retreated to forestall a showdown when President Uhuru Kenyatta prepares to visit the DP's political bastion tomorrow for the first time this year.
The visit comes after Uhuru on Sunday rubbished Ruto's Tangatanga squad as"criminals" busy politicking instead of focusing on development.
Mass bar exam failures questioned by MPs
MPs put the Council of Legal Education on the spot Thursday over the mass failure of students sitting the Bar examination at the Kenya School of Law.
The law mandates the CLE to administer the professional exams on behalf of the Kenya School of Law.
Results released on Wednesday by CLE for students who sat the exams in November showed that only 308 out of 1, 572 students passed.
VCs oppose state plan to merge universities
A row is brewing over the proposed drastic university reforms that could result in closure and merger of some institutions.
Mergers will result in some of the 27,000 staff in public universities, including 9,000 lecturers, rendered jobless.
The proposal sprung from Jogoo House and has gained backing, with Treasury CS Henry Rotich last week giving a strong indication the government is determined to down size as a way to manage the cash strapped institutions.