Day: July 25, 2023

A ballast processing factory is causing distress to the residents of Mirira village in Kiharu sub-county, Murang’a, amid claims that the explosives being used to carry out operations are causing irreparable damage to nearby houses.

According to the residents, the factory that was constructed in the area to process ballast to be used during the ongoing construction of the Kenol-Sagana-Marua and Mau Mau roads has now become a nightmare.

They claim that the explosives being used for large boulders were very powerful and caused tremors that have led to some of their houses crumbling down, while others have developed cracks, rendering them unsafe for habitation.

One of the residents, Beatrice Njeri, whose house has been destroyed by the explosives, said she needed compensation so that she could put up a new one.

‘The explosions are very strong to the extent of causing tremors, which affect our houses,’ Njeri said.

The distraught residents also lamented that, other than the tremors, there were also huge clouds of dust emanating from the exercise, which could have adverse effects on their health, due to excessive air pollution.

The residents have also attributed the recent increase in cases of local women having miscarriages to the undesired effects of the facility, saying their efforts to reach the factory owners have so far been futile.

Another resident, Peter Mwangi, claimed that the livestock in the area has been dying mysteriously after consuming water from a nearby river, adding that they suspect it may have been contaminated by the factory’s waste water trickling into it.

Clouds of dust at the ballast processing factory in Mirira, Murang’a

However, Mining PS Elijah Mwangi, who toured the area recently, promised the residents that they would get sufficient compensation for any damage that may have been caused by the company.

While addressing concerns of the residents, Mwangi called upon the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment and file a report with his office for further action.

‘All those whose houses have been affected will be compensated in order to help them rebuild their homes,’ he said.

‘We have also agreed with the factory management that they will be switching on the siren to alert the residents when they are about to use the explosives so that they are not caught unawares,’ he added.

The PS also insisted that all people involved in mining should obtain licences from the relevant government agencies, saying this will help in checking their operations and ensuring they follow the laid down guidelines.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Boya Kenya, a Kenyan technology firm, in partnership with the Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) and VISA company, has launched a virtual expense card for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to help them manage their operational expenses and payments.

Speaking during the launch, Communications Authority Director General (DG), Ezra Chiloba, said that communication has moved to a digital platform that provides meaningful connectivity to Information, communications, and technology (ICT) services.

He added that strategies are in place to ensure digital access for all, foster competition in emerging technologies, protect ICT services and promote meaningful connectivity.

Chiloba remarked that connectivity is not all about the act or signs of connecting cables but all about ensuring that reliable connections, products and services are available to citizens to consume in the manner that is deserved.

‘If you look at the communication sector over the years, the evolution has been moving in such a way that we innovate in a more digital world, looking at a future where we have digital access for all; where each citizen of this country, regardless of their status, can be able to enjoy the power of digitization,’ observed the DG.

Also speaking at the event, Boya Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Co-Founder, Mr. Alphas Sinia, said that the company is excited to introduce cutting-edge Virtual Card Expense Management solutions to Kenyan businesses.

‘Our aim is to empower businesses with a comprehensive tool that simplifies expense tracking, enhances financial control, and drives operational efficiency by automating time-consuming tasks and providing valuable insights,’ he explained.

Further, Sinia cautioned that traditional expense management processes often fall short of meeting the demands of modern businesses.

‘Cumbersome paperwork, manual reconciliation, and time-consuming expense reporting can hinder productivity and impede financial visibility and in recognition of these challenges, Boya has developed an advanced virtual card solution designed to streamline and simplify expense management,’ expressed Sinia.

At the same time, DTB Managing Director and CEO, Ms. Nasim Devji, said that innovation and collaboration will drive real change in the realm of financial services and the goal is to accelerate the development of innovative fintech products and services by serving as the link between banking and technology.

‘This collaboration will give customers access to personalised, secure, and user-friendly financial solutions, and position us at the forefront of the industry,’ Devji reiterated.

Some key features of the expense management solution include easy expense tracking, powerful reporting, mobile accessibility, seamless approvals, integration and automation.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Nakuru County Government has partnered with ElsMed Ltd. Group, a renowned International Medical Equipment supplier, to equip Nakuru County Referral Hospital with high-technology diagnostic equipment.

Through the Public-Private Partnership, ElsMed will also facilitate the automation of health services, as the county seeks to advance its systems for more accurate diagnoses and improved patient outcomes.

Speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the collaboration, Governor Susan Kihika said the cutting-edge technology will revolutionise diagnostic systems by enabling more precise and comprehensive analysis of samples for proper and early diagnosis.

‘This project will also facilitate the transportation of samples and enhance the efficiency of laboratory networking from the primary level health care facilities across Nakuru County to this Referral and Teaching Hospital,’ added Governor Kihika.

This monumental agreement follows earlier engagements that the Governor and other Healthcare Managers have had with this team to set the working framework and groundwork for the installation of a state-of-the-art Automated Laboratory Management System in Nakuru County.

‘With this advanced system, we can look forward to efficient workflow, data tracking, flexible architecture, data exchange interfaces, and analysis, all while optimising testing time and reducing resource requirements,’ added Kihika.

ElsMed Healthcare Solutions Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yaren Farachi, noted that the solution will come in handy for speedy diagnosis and ensuring data security.

‘The effective systems would facilitate easy record keeping, tracking, and reporting, thus eliminating the risks of human error and improving the overall turnaround time,’ he added.

‘The laboratory information and inventory management system is also expected to greatly reduce the need for manual data input, mitigating the risk of human error, in order to streamline workflows and significantly improve turnaround times,’ he said.

ElsMed Ltd. is a worldwide medical equipment supplier with extensive experience and knowledge of high-quality, fully refurbished diagnostic imaging medical equipment that it arguably offers at affordable prices.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Wheat farmers can now access affordable and professional services in National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB silos to avert post-harvest losses occasioned by poor storage facilities.

The NCPB is now offering drying, cleaning, grading, and weighing and storage facilities at their depots to cushion wheat farmers from the losses they incurred to ensure that their harvests met the standards required.

In a press statement the management of NCPB affirmed their commitment to resolve the perennial post-harvest challenges to wheat farmers by creating a conducive environment to minimize losses, maintain good wheat quality standards and enhance food safety.

The board targets predominantly wheat farmers in Narok County and its environs to offer them conditions to dry their produce noting that the agency will be opening up the warehouses at affordable rate to help farmers address such challenges.

Wheat farmers who are currently harvesting in Narok and other pockets are invited to utilize NCPB facilities to access affordable and professional services. The services are available in silos in Narok, Nakuru, and Nairobi’, NCPB managing director Joseph Kimote said.

According to NCPB, some of the services to support farmers to address post-harvest challenges included processing of wet grains, lack of adequate storage, use of unsafe drying methods to minimize cases of poor-quality grains that fetch low market prices, and use of sub standardized weighbridges which do not reflect accurate weights of wheat and defraud farmers of the true value of their grain.

The Board has both mobile and fixed driers and what the farmers require is just to visit the silo to utilize fixed driers while those who wish to have their wheat dried where it is convenient for them can contact the silo manager Narok so that the mobile drier can be taken to them.

‘We encourage farmers to come together or aggregate their wheat so that it can be dried collectively’ the MD noted.

Narok happens to be one of the biggest wheat producers in the country and produces up to 50 percent o f the wheat consumed in the country. Currently farmers in the area are harvesting their crop.

NCPB has assured the farmers that those using NCPB storage facilities will benefit from safe storage as well as have the wheat marketed on their behalf. The Board has both conventional stores and Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) intake facilities.

Kenya is one of the largest wheat producers in Africa, with wheat being the second most important cereal crop after maize.

According to Agriculture Food Authority, the country consumes about 2.4 million bags but with only 100,000 metric tonnes produced , the country has to import close to 2 million metric tonnes annually from Russia and Ukraine.

Wheat normally grows with an average yield of 20-25 bags per acre. One bag of wheat weighs 90kg, currently farmers selling the grade 1 are getting Ksh 5,200 while Grade 2 is going for Ksh5,100.

Cereal Growers Association CEO, Antony Kioko said that production of wheat this year is projected at between 600,000-700,000 bags in Narok County.

‘There has been a drop in acreage over the years due to farmers dropping out of wheat farming following price fluctuations. There has also been increased cost of production and this normally eats into the margins of the farmers and those who cannot sustain it drop out. We are calling on government support to help increase production’, the CEO said

Source: Kenya News Agency

The forest fires which had broken out on July 12, 2023 in the Melloula forests in Tabarka (Governorate of Jendouba, north-west Tunisia) had ravaged 450 hectares of maritime pine, said Tabarka forest district head Noureddine Azizi in a statement to TAP.

He pointed out that the maritime pine forest covers 5,000 hectares on the Tunisian-Algerian border, deploring the enormous damage to the region’s ecosystems.

“We were on the verge of bringing the fire under control, but the wind and the sirocco made it easier for the fires to spread and made it more difficult to control them,” he lamented.

“Vegetation doesn’t usually ignite on its own, even in high temperatures. The first spark would have been triggered by accidental or deliberate human action,” he added, recommending that people should be made more aware of the importance of environmental ecosystems, which are a public asset that must be preserved, indeed an asset belonging to all of humanity, in view of the exacerbation of climate change and the resulting risks of global warming.

He called for firm penalties to be imposed on anyone found to be involved in these acts, and called for better preservation of the ecosystems in the regions of Tabarka and Aïn Drahem, home to the country’s densest forest, as well as in all regions of Tunisia.

He also commended the efforts of all stakeholders (civil protection, army, security forces, citizens, General Directorate of Forests, etc.) who had intervened on Tuesday to bring under control the pockets of fire that erupted earlier on Tuesday in the “Ain Al-Sobh” and “Melloula” areas.

“Priority was given to residential areas and human lives. We managed to avoid loss of life, but unfortunately we were unable to avoid environmental damage,” he regretted.

Tunisia’s forests cover 4.6 million hectares, or 34% of the national territory.

The forests are located mainly in the north and centre-west regions and are home to almost a million people. Its economic value is estimated at TND 932 million, according to data from the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.

The year 2020 was characterised by a record number of fires, with an average exceeding the number of fires recorded between 2011 and 2019, according to data from the General Directorate of Forests under the Ministry of Agriculture. 55 fires were recorded between July 22 and the first week of August 2020, with 18 fires in the regions of Béja, Jendouba, le Kef, Siliana, Bizerte and Nabeul.

The phenomenon of forest fires continued in 2022, with 88 fires ravaging almost 3,000 hectares over the period from June 1 to July 26, 2022.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

A report by the World Bank has shown that a billion-dollar increase in export exposure has reduced the female-to-male employment ratio in Tunisia by 6.8 percentage points, mainly because of married rather than single women.

The report entitled Exports: drivers of labour market improvements in the Middle East and North Africa” points out that, in addition, as exports increasingly concern male labour-intensive sectors, the most exposed Tunisian regions have seen relatively low growth in female employment.

Geographical segmentation is thus adding to gender segmentation to further hamper women’s participation in the labour market, according to the same source.

The North-East and Centre-East regions specialise in manufacturing, while the cities of the Greater Tunis region are mainly service-oriented.

Between 2006 and 2016, the provinces most exposed to the increase in exports saw a drop in the ratio of female to male employment. “This is not surprising, since most of the shocks induced by external demand (increases) were concentrated in male labour-intensive sectors, leading to an expansion in male employment and a contraction in female employment,” the report said.

The report reveals that greater exposure to international trade has no significant effect on the unemployment rate of either men or women. Given the fall in the female employment rate noted earlier, we can conclude that women (particularly married women) were leaving the labour market and that households appeared to be substituting their participation for that of men.

The theme of the report is “Exports: drivers of labour market improvements in the Middle East and North Africa”. It looks at the impact of trade policy on trade and its correlation with local labour market conditions in three low- and middle-income countries: Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia. Given the particular characteristics of their labour markets, the diversification of their exports and the evolution of their trade policy, these three countries offer important lessons for the economic development of the region.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse