Top news items in major Kenyan media outlets

NAIROBI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The following are the news highlights in Kenyan media outlets on Friday.

-- Civil servants are set to get a pay rise within weeks as the government races to bring sanity to the labour market ahead of Labour Day celebrations on May 1.

MPs have awarded doctors, lecturers, teachers and the disciplined forces 450 million U.S. dollars, a move that could see university students back to class. The changes are contained in the last review of the spending plans -- Supplementary Budget 11 -- for the financial year expiring June 30, meaning the increments could be effected in May. (The Standard)

-- President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga on Thursday criticized those who are opposed to their unity deal, noting that it had nothing to do with 2022 succession politics. (Daily Nation)

-- The amount of money held by banks dropped sharply in the last quarter of 2017 as Kenyans took out loads of cash for keeping at home in response to the uncertainty surrounding the general election, new data showed. (Business Daily)

-- Up to 70 percent of Kenyans are still at risk of suffering from malaria, according to the health ministry, as the government committed to supply drugs across the country. (The Star) Enditem