Top news items in major Kenyan media outlets

The following are news in Kenyan media outlets on Tuesday.

-- As the election fever rises, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga have taken drastic measures to contain their troops and lock out aspirants who engage in violence. Odinga said Monday he was ready to invoke his powers as the party leader to punish aspirants who engage in violence in their campaigns. At the same time, Jubilee Party, which is headed by Kenyatta, announced that it had summoned politicians who have been involved in violence to appear before its disciplinary committee on Tuesday. (The Standard)

-- Kenya's Treasury officials have downplayed the perception that despite the much vaunted economic growth, the effects are not being felt by ordinary Kenyans. At a meeting ahead of the reading of the Budget statement on Thursday, officials downplayed the perception that the growth of the Kenyan economy, which at 6 per cent is double the global average, is not trickling down to citizens. (Daily Nation)

-- The government wants to tighten the noose on all convicted hatemongers -- politicians, journalists, bloggers -- by sending them to jail for five years, fining them 48,503 U.S. dollars, or both. (The Star)

-- Flat or declining sales coupled with growing concern over the Aug. 8 general election have left dark clouds hanging over the labour market, forcing the majority of employers to freeze plans to hire or raise workers' salaries, a newly-released report says. (Business Daily)

-- Central Bank of Kenya Monday retained the base lending rate at 10 percent for the sixth month running. What this means is that banks will lend at a maximum 14 percent for the next two months and pay term depositors not less than seven percent. (People Daily) Endit