Top news items in Kenya media outlets

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

-- A U.S. transport safety team is expected in the country in May to assess the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi to pave the way for direct flights between Kenya and America. The airport was granted Category One status by Washington last week following assessment audit by the Federation Administration Aviation and other agencies. (Daily Nation)

-- Storm in ruling party Jubilee after President Uhuru Kenyatta signs a pact with an opposition party without involving his deputy William Ruto, a move interpreted as a wider scheme to slowly neutralise or even isolate his assistant. (The Star)

-- Kenya's public pension bill is set to rise 29.1 percent to 697 million U.S. dollars in the coming fiscal year, marking the first in a series of sharp increments that will see taxpayers fork out over 1 billion dollars in 2019/20 to keep retired civil servants comfortable in old age. (Business Daily)

-- The government has doubled relief food rations to feed three million people, up from an initial 1.3 million Kenyans under its feeding programme. It has also enhanced water trucking across the country, especially in the 23 arid and semi-arid counties that have adversely been affected by drought. (People Dialy)

-- Kenya's Wilson Kipsang and little known Sarah Chepchirchir stormed to victory on Sunday in the Tokyo Marathon in the fastest race ever run in Japan. (The Standard) Endit