Day: April 10, 2023

Principal Secretary for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Ms. Susan Mangeni has underscored the need to nurture sports talents among the youth.

Speaking during the Busia Border Marathon race at Busia Polytechnic on Sunday, Mangeni said that talents and sports are the new frontiers for economic development all over the world.

‘These budding athletes will be our future sportsmen,’ she said, adding that the County has produced several champions like Ferdinand Omanyala among others.

She urged the organizers of the event to ensure that the activity takes place thrice a year so that it can offer the county a comparative advantage.

‘I want the organizers of this event to register the participants in different groups so that we can train them on how to venture into business activities,’ she said.

She further stated that Sh3 billion will be set aside for establishment of Nasewa Industrial Park which will serve East and Central Africa.

Teso South MP Ms. Mary Emase pleaded with the County government to decongest Busia County Referral hospital.

Emase argued that the facility is congested because almost all patients within the County go to the hospital for treatment instead of referrals.

‘We can upgrade at least one health Centre in every Sub County with enough capacity and resources so that local residents can only be referred to Busia,’ she said.

The legislator noted that a number of health centres are not operational currently hence the need to revive them.

She urged the organizers of the Border Marathon to have the activity run at least twice a year and engage leaders early enough for its preparation by lobbying for resources.

Busia Border Marathon Vice chairperson Ms. Sarah Martha said that the event that was launched in 2018 has continued to attract an increasing number of participants.

‘We started with 50 athletes in 2018, 92 in 2019 and 136 in 2023,’ she said, expressing confidence that the number will be much bigger in 2024.

Martha explained that the first edition of the marathon in 2018 addressed teenage pregnancies, second edition addressed (2019) early marriages and this year’s event addressed health and wellness among the local residents.

‘We have decided that we will use the Marathon as an avenue to complement what our health practitioners are doing in hospitals,’ she said.

She appreciated all the partners for their support adding that the event was organized through local resource mobilization.

The official urged the County government to allocate an appropriate budget towards the event since it nurtures talents and promotes wellness among the youth.

The forum attracted adult male and female athletes who participated in 10 and 15 kilometers races alongside 5 kilometer fun race for children and other interested adults.

Participants also had a chance to access free cancer screening, blood donation, eye checkup and nutrition screening.

Source: Kenya News Agency

It is a reprieve for Kajiado livestock farmers as they begin moving the remaining herds of cattle back to their homes as the March to May long rains season continues.

The herders who relocated in search of pasture to Nakuru, Makueni, Machakos, Kitui and Taita Taveta counties are now streaming back to their homes in Kajiado albeit with reduced herds.

Though their livestock numbers have greatly reduced, the farmers are grateful for the rains and are praying that the rain continues till the pasture for their livestock is fully replenished to help them restock.

One of the livestock herders, Mzee Peter Naikuni from Isinya Sub County said that he had 400 head of cattle while moving to Nakuru County in search of pasture in August last year but his herd has reduced to 200.

‘I relocated to Nakuru county in August last year but I ended up losing 120 cows due to the different climatic conditions there which affected the cows. I later had to move to Kibwezi in Makueni County in January this year when the pasture depleted in Nakuru. I lost 80 cattle in Makueni due to diseases,’ said Naikuni.

Naikuni lamented that he has spent over Sh 1million trying to ensure his herd survives as he was forced to buy pasture for his livestock to consume in the respective counties they relocated to.

Another farmer, Mzee Sapur Leyian shared the same fate with Mzee Naikuni. Leyian owned a hundred head of cattle before the ravaging drought commenced and has now been left with 20 cows.

‘I relocated to Magadi in Kajiado West in June last year. I later moved to Narok in September. By December, I shifted to Taita Taveta county all in making sure my herds survive. I have spent about Sh 800,000 on the cattle now as I had to lease the parcels of land they grazed on. Due to their frail nature, I also had to use lorries and the train to transport them from Narok to Taita Taveta which was quite costly,’ said Leyian.

Asked whether they plan to change their source of livelihood, the pastoralists said that the government should train them on modern ways of livestock keeping, fodder growing and build mega dams for them to have adequate water.

‘We do not know any other means of sourcing for our livelihood, if the government can help us improve on what we already know concerning livestock keeping, we would appreciate it,’ said the aged herdsmen.

According to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), more than 2.6 million livestock deaths have been reported in the country as a result of the drought with losses from the deaths estimated at Sh226 billion.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Residents of Kapedo in Turkana East, have a reason to smile this Easter festive season as they become the first community to benefit out of the Phase II relief distribution exercise in the County.

County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Gender and Youth Affairs Ms. Elizabeth Loote who passed the Governor’s Easter Season wishes to Kapedo residents said that the Governor is passionate and caring to the Kapedo people.

She said despite the Easter Break, the Governor insisted that the Kapedo people must be the first to get relief food assistance amid several challenges affecting Kapedo/Napeitom Ward.

Loote said the Governor will endeavour to deliver the 9-point development agenda to all residents of Turkana County. In the next FY 2023/2024 Budget, the Governor said all projects enlisted for Kapedo/Napeitom Ward will be fully executed.

Loote led the distribution of 330 bags of maize(50kgs),150 jericans of cooking oil (3 litres) and 30 bales of salt (1 kg) to 350 beneficiaries.

Besides this, the CEC revealed to the Kapedo residents of the disbursement of Sh 250,000 to each of the 25 groups Countywide as Youth and Women Fund to be launched by the Governor after Easter holiday.

She clarified that the money to be released to the groups during the launch will be a revolving fund payable within two years.

Kapedo residents decried the state of insecurity in their area and asked the Governor and his Administration to ensure there is sustainable peace between Turkana and the neighbours to pave way for general development in Turkana East.

Additionally, they have asked the County Government to renovate the Kapedo Sub-County Hospital and ensure it is always stocked with adequate medical supplies for their benefit as it is the only facility within their reach.

They also requested the Governor to find time from his busy schedule to plan for a familiarization visit to Kapedo, so that they would have time to share their challenges with him.

However, they appealed to the Governor to ensure the Geothermal resource in the area is well protected as well as exploited for their benefit.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Over 250 families in Bunyala who were displaced by floods in 2020, are still living in camps fear for their safety amid the start of the rainy season, and now want the government to take urgent intervention measures.

The families have decried the high cost of living in the camp as they were hampered by floods over three years ago and now they rely on humanitarian interventions from NGOs and the government, which does not sustain them for long.

Speaking at Budalangi Primary School during the visit by Busia Women Representative Ms. Catherin Omanyo to offer second-chance bursaries to teenage mothers and less privileged in the county under NGAF, they now want the government to prioritize construction of dams in Budalangi to address perennial floods.

Led by Bunyala floods victim Mr. Godfrey Wanjala, they urged the county and national government disaster committee to avoid playing mind games during floods by providing affected families measures amounting to painkillers to flood problems instead of finding a lasting solution.

‘We only feel the presence of the government when the situation is worse, we are tired of blankets and relief food, we need a permanent solution,’ said Wanjala. ‘We moved here three years ago and it appears that we have been completely forgotten,’ he added.

His sentiments were echoed by the Omanyo who asked the government to consider constructing affordable housing in Budalangi to save the families who are struggling with hard economic times in camps for the past two years.

‘In Kenya, the right to housing is embedded in the constitution, which provides that every person has the right to accessible and adequate housing, and to reasonable standards of sanitation,’ noted Omanyo.

The lawmaker added that little attention has been given to producing affordable housing to the poor segments of the population, who form the bulk of Kenyan society at 57 percent of the population.

‘In Busia, affordable housing should be constructed in Budalangi. This will save the government billions used in disaster management yearly and also will boost the economy of this area through job creation and open up investment avenues,’ she added.

The worst hit were families from Bunyala South location and Rukala Location. Musoma primary school and Mau Mau market, who had started recovering from havoc are most likely to be overrun by floods once again.

Flood victims camps where over 250 families call home include Membee, Bunyala, Budala, Rukala, Khadundu, Igigo and Runyu.

Most families here depend 90 percent on fishing and sand harvesting, the job that has given them more life risks and challenges they face from the lake including harassment from Uganda policemen in the lake.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Angolan power forward Bruno Fernando scored 19 points and recorded 10 rebounds and with that achievement he was one of the players who was prominent in the last game of the NBA regular season, played on Sunday night in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Despite his team´s defeat, the Atlanta Hawks, who lost to his former team Celtics by 114-120, the Angolan player only played 22 minutes.

Bruno Fernando had an efficiency of 72.7% (8/11) in field shots and 75% (3/4) in free throws.

The Atlanta Hawks although already defeated are qualified for the “Play-In Tournament”, in which they will face the winner of the match between Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors.

Bruno Fernando, 24 years old, is the first and only Angolan to reach the NBA. He is 2,6 meters tall and was graduated at the 1º de Agosto school.

Bruno has also played in Houston Rockets and Maine Celtics teams.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

The macabre discovery was made by neighbors at about 3:00 AM this April 10 2023 at a place called Gabon Bar in the Banengo neighborhood of Bafoussam. The witnesses say they heard the incessant cries of a baby coming from the pit toilet and immediately alerted the fire fighting brigade.

Once there, the baby was removed from the toilet wrapped in a towel and left in a bucket. The baby’s mother has been identified as 32-year-old Raissa Moukoua, who happened to have had 6 children prior to this one. One of her sons testified that his mother handed him the bucket and asked him to dispose of it in the latrine.

The baby’s mother declaredd she was unaware of her pregnancy. Many wonder how she managed to have a baby all alone in her house and yet claimed she did not know there was a baby.

The new-born is currently under intensive medical care at the Bafoussam Regional Hospital while its mother has been arrested by forces of law and order.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Inhabitants of Bamenda III subdivision and some road users have expressed dissatisfaction and growing fears concerning the condition of the Mile 4 bridge with the intensification of the rainy season.

The bridge which links Mile 3 to Mile 4 Nkwen is known for overflowing during heavy rains causing a halt in traffic on the road which also links Bamenda to Ngoketunjia, Boyo, Donga-Mantung and Bui divisions.

According to some business persons around the area, they are traumatized each time it rains because they already know that at anytime they may be forced to lock up their business premises.

“I’m always ready each time it is raining my eyes have to be on the bridge and when I see that it has overflown I just asked customers to leave and I close. It is a very difficult situation. We have been looking up to the council for more than 5 years but they’re unable to resolve the situation,” a lady who sells food around the bridge recounts.

Meanwhile some drivers plying the road have regretted that at times they are bound to spend about 3 hours on the spot, waiting for downpour to reduce before vehicles can cross over the bridge.

The situation usually causes uneasy traffic along the highway because there is no other road which can be used.

During one of the annual meetings organised by the Bamenda III council held in April, Mayor Fongu Cletus revealed that the council can not construct the bridge because it is on a national road. He added that they have played their part by cleaning up the drainage with an excavator, while waiting on the government to solve the problem completely.

“It is true that the issue of floods is really serious, especially the Mile 4 bridge and other areas. We have struggled at our own local level, which has greatly reduced the floods, but we are still calling on the government and other development partners to help us construct the bridge so that the area will be safe and void of floods,” Mayor Fongu said.

The situation has also been blamed on the improper disposal of waste by locals living around the bridge, which blocks the water way causing overflow each time it pours.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

“I say thank you, but this amount is insignificant for people who have lost and abandoned everything in Tunisia where they lived waiting for a better tomorrow. I am a trained cook and will be glad if I can have something significant to start up a business,” a beneficiary stated.

The ministry of external relations (MINREX) announced that the first wave of Cameroonians had arrived on board a Royal Air Maroc flight that had been chartered by the government and guaranteed that they would receive immediate care. According to a source from MINREX, only 75 emigrants out of the 161 Cameroonians recorded in Tunisia agreed to return to Cameroon.

The 75 returnees, aged 4 – 52, were housed in a makeshift facility for migrants upon arrival in Yaounde on April 6th. Reports reveal each of them received a cheque of F CFA 65,000 from the government as assistance.

The migrants also lamented that going back to their families would be a big failure since they were already financially established in Tunisia and so need a more substantial financial assistance in order to be able to start afresh.

“I want to open a restaurant that sells pizza but I need money to start and I don’t have any. Going back to my family is a big failure. Psychologically, I haven’t yet adjusted to it…my predicament is intolerable,” another stated.

Many of them said they had spent yers in Tunisia with the hope of getting to Europe but were not successful.

Cameroon is one of the last sub-Saharan African nations to repatriate some of its citizens seeking to leave Tunisia following the vioelnce recorded against them in the country.

A report released on March 10th by the Human Rights Watch (HRW), noted that a 2021 study estimated that more than 21,000 foreigners from African countries outside the Maghreb were discovered in Tunisia, a nation with a population of over 12 million.

Source: Cameroon News Agency