Day: June 2, 2023

The Uasin Gishu County Administration has put proper mechanisms in place to create employment opportunities for the majority of the unemployed youth in the county.

In his speech during the 60th Madaraka Day Celebrations in Eldoret, the area Governor Jonathan Chelilim acknowledged that unemployment for the youth is a serious issue in the country and that his administration has put in place mechanisms to address the challenge by undertaking significant projects like the setting up of the County Aggregation and Industrial Park.

The project is part of the national government’s commitment to construct industrial parks in all the 47 counties in order to enhance the country’s productivity, particularly through consolidation, processing, and value addition.

The governor indicated that the project is designed to promote trade, economic growth, and development within the counties.

He added that once complete, the project is expected to employ thousands of youths, thereby helping to reduce the number of unemployed youth and at the same time earning them a source of income to improve and transform their livelihoods.

He revealed that his government will allocate Sh 100 million to add on the other Sh 100 million from the national government towards the construction of the industrial parks.

‘As a sign of commitment, the park has been gazetted as an Export Promotion Zone (EPZ), and my administration has allocated a budget of Sh 100 million for its establishment. Once complete, we expect it to employ thousands of youths,’ said Chelilim.

Chelilim further noted that the county is actively engaged in market rehabilitation projects aimed at creating conducive spaces for trade to support business people in getting self-employment through small businesses like trading fresh farm produce, cereals, and others.

These markets include Cheptiret and Karandili, as well as the ongoing cabro works at Cherame and the construction of additional shades at Kimumu-Bahati wholesale market.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Residents of Kisii County have been asked to back the government’s Affordable Housing Programme, which seeks to address the existing housing gaps by increasing the number of homeowners and transitioning more Kenyans from rent-paying to homeownership.

Speaking during the Madaraka Day celebrations held at Gusii Stadium, Kisii County Commissioner Tom Anjere said the programme aims to improve the living standards for millions of Kenyans living in unhygienic environments with inadequate amenities and poor sanitation.

Anjere noted the government will roll out a public participation exercise in the wards within the county next week to educate the residents on affordable housing and the tenant purchase scheme and told the residents to attend the sessions.

The County Commissioner pointed out that the affordable housing plan will be beneficial to the county, where several cases of land disputes that have led to the separation of families, torching of property, and even the deaths of individuals have been witnessed.

As a result, Anjere encouraged the residents to embrace urbanisation and support the government in building affordable houses within the small towns so that residents can stay there and pave the way for agricultural land.

He added that the programme will support the local construction industry by creating direct and indirect employment opportunities for young people in the region, such as engineers, electricians, and plumbers.

According to government estimates, a single-house unit is capable of employing 3-5 workers directly and an additional 8 indirectly in the manufacturing of construction products, transport, and logistics.

Anjere said the experience of working with the programme will open the way for young people to seek future job opportunities in neighbouring countries.

The Affordable Housing Programme is an initiative by the government that targets the delivery of decent and affordable housing to low- and middle-income households.

The affordable houses will be financed and built by private developers on both public and private land across the country and will cost Sh 1 million for one-bedroom houses and up to Sh 3.5 million for three-bedroom houses.

Currently, 9935 units of affordable housing are ongoing across the country, while another 31,000 units are set to be launched in Makongeni and Thika towns in the coming weeks.

Additionally, the government has allocated another Sh4 billion towards the construction of 200 units in every constituency, which will see 58,000 affordable units put up in rural areas while creating employment opportunities for the youth.

At the same time, the government has rolled out the social housing programme to benefit low-income earners, where the lowest unit, a studio apartment, will be priced at Sh 550,000 with a flexible rent-to-own option for owners.

It is estimated that by the year 2030, at least 65 per cent of Kenyans will be living in urban areas, and there is a great need to promote the uptake of affordable and decent houses under a collective approach.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Murang’a County Commissioner Patrick Mukuria has ordered chiefs from avocado growing zones to crackdown on unlicensed avocado buying centres.

The commissioner, speaking during Madaraka Day celebrations held at Kahuro grounds, observed that the centres have perpetuated theft of the avocado, thus subjecting farmers to huge losses.

He noted that there is increased theft of avocados from farms in Kandara and Gatanga sub-counties.

Currently, farmers are harvesting their avocados, and thieves are invading farms at night and when the owners are not around to steal the fruits.

‘Chiefs are aware of brokers who are not licensed and are thriving through buying stolen avocados. Those buying centres have to be closed immediately, and the owners face the law. There are procedures for buying and selling avocados set by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA),’ said Mukuria.

Murang’a is among the top producers of avocado, especially the Hass variety, which is fetching good returns in the international market.

The increased theft, Mukuria noted, can demotivate farmers to abandon the plant which is giving them lucrative returns.

‘As a security team, we will not sit back and watch farmers being exploited by thieves and unscrupulous business people. The law must be adhered to. Those who are stealing are, unfortunately, our young people, and especially those who have indulged themselves in excessive alcoholism,’ stated the commissioner.

Last year, avocado farmers petitioned the local county assembly, seeking the enactment of policies which would streamline the buying and selling of avocados.

Among the policies was that any buyer should have proof and clear details of the source of avocados. The policies also prohibited transporting avocados using open pickups.

Meanwhile, the commissioner warned local residents against falling for the tricks of some religious cults.

He observed that due to social and economic difficulties, some people fall prey to some groups hoping to get better lives.

‘No one should tell you not to take your sick child to the hospital or educate your children. The government will take action when we find you have not taken your children to school,’ he cautioned.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Security agencies in Kisumu city have rolled out an operation to curb runaway insecurity in the area.

Acting County Commissioner (CC) Hussein Alassow Hussein said the joint operation involving police officers and members of the Nyumba Kumi initiative was in force to round up criminal gangs terrorizing area residents.

He said the gangs, which use crude weapons to attack and rob innocent members of the public, were using boda boda as a getaway means of transport, adding that the operation would be extended to the sector to weed out the criminals.

Hussein said the lakeside city had remained calm and peaceful during and after the 2022 general elections, adding that isolated cases were slowly eroding the image.

The county security team, he added, has called for a meeting with boda boda operators and members of the jua kali sector in a bid to smoke out criminals.

Speaking at the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Grounds complex in Kisumu during Madaraka Day celebrations, Hussein cautioned boda boda operators against colluding with criminals, adding that every effort shall be made to bring those involved to book.

The gang, he added, was recently involved in looting and destruction of property during the anti-government protests, adding that security officers were on high alert and would soon close in on them.

‘I want to assure all the investors that every effort has been made to secure their businesses. We will not allow criminals to take advantage of protests to loot and destroy property,’ he said.

Hussein further decried the rising number of street children in Kisumu, calling on all stakeholders to come up with modalities to address the issue. Most of them, he added, have turned into criminals, posing a danger to the security of the city.

His office, he added, has called for a meeting next week to see how best the children can be rehabilitated and reintegrated back into their families.

He asked the county government to relocate all the dumping sites within the Central Business District (CBD), which act as breeding grounds for the street children.

Kisumu Acting City Manager Abala Wanga called for a speedy resolution of the street child menace, which he blamed for the rising insecurity in the area.

‘Some of them are no longer children; they have grown up and turned into criminals who are now attacking innocent residents,’ he said.

He said most of the children were not from Kisumu, adding that his office was planning to round them up and ferry them back to their home counties if an urgent solution was not found.

To tame the wave of insecurity, Wanga said the city management has banned boda boda from operating within the leafy Milimani estate, where some of the mugging cases have been reported.

Boda boda operators who wish to do business in the area, he said, must register with taxi mobile phone applications so that they only pick up and drop off passengers on request.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Siaya County Security Committee has decried the rising number of murder cases in the area, with the local county commissioner, Jim Njoka, urging the residents to embrace alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to sort out differences.

Addressing this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) grounds in Siaya town, Mr. Njoka lamented that most of the murders are occasioned by land disputes.

‘As the security committee, we are getting concerned over the increasing murders,’ said Njoka, who urged the locals to follow the law.

The county commissioner said that apart from the murders, incidents where members of the public take the law into their own hands by administering mob injustice to suspects were also on the rise.

He named Bondo, Gem, and Siaya sub-counties as the areas that have recorded a high number of mob injustices in the recent past.

The commissioner, who was flanked by top security officials, among them county police commander Michael Muchiri, deputy county commissioner Robert Ng’etich, and sub-county police commander Benjamin Mwangangi, among others, said anybody who has a dispute with a family member or a neighbour must follow the law.

‘If you do not want to use the court, then use the alternative dispute resolution mechanism,’ he said, adding that the national government administration offices were always open and ready to assist.

The administrator challenged senior citizens to help bring down the number of disputes by distributing land to their children early.

Siaya Governor James Orengo, who was represented by the county executive committee member for governance, Agunda Ochanda, said his government has embarked on the implementation of the recommendations of a task force led by former Auditor General Edward Ouko to look into financial and management deficiencies.

‘We have begun implementing the recommendations of the task force led by Edward Ouko that proposed a raft of measures to improve governance, financial, and management systems for the better needs of the Siaya people,’ said Orengo in a speech read by the CECM.

Others who attended the celebrations were county executive committee member for health, Dr. Martin Konyango, and the county chief of staff, colonel (retired) Cyrus Oguna, among others.

Source: Kenya News Agency