Top news items in major Kenyan media outlets

The following are news highlights in Kenyan media outlets on Thursday.

-- A Chinese company that is set to operate business on the standard gauge railway has committed to employ up to 3,000 Kenyans when it starts commercial operations in January 2018.

The firm will employ drivers, technicians and station operators, offering employment to those laid off by Kenya Railways when it transferred rail operation to a new entity, Transport ministry officials told MPs Wednesday. (Daily Nation)

-- Some 434,000 refugees at Dadaab and Kakuma camps face starvation in the wake of severe funding cuts. The UN's World Food Programme on Wednesday said 14 million U.S. dollars worth of food aid is required to ensure survival of the refugees but it has run out of resources. (The Standard)

-- Kenyans have cut the average number of transactions done using bank cards to one per month from three, as they prefer to transact on mobile phone, new data shows. (Business Daily)

-- Doctors walked out of negotiations with the government Wednesday aimed at ending ongoing strike after a court order was issued to arrest their union officials for contempt. The strike, which enters its four day today, has paralysed the public health sector, causing death and pain. (The Star)

-- President Uhuru Kenyatta asks the Opposition to shun divisive, tribal and abusive politics, which he noted were counter-productive. He said Kenyans were yearning for development and leaders are required to come up with policies that will transform and unite the country. (People Dail