Month: August 2023

Busia Governor Paul Otuoma has appealed to President William Ruto to consider establishing a police post at Marachi Estate to improve security.

Speaking during President Ruto’s development tour of the county on Saturday, Otuoma said that the area has been ungovernable due to the presence of an illegal gang.

‘We do not want hooliganism in this county,’ he said, adding that a number of residents have been killed by the illegal gang.

He insisted that Marachi would remain part of Busia and that those destroying property would not be entertained.

‘I promised to give 30% of government contracts to the youth and women and I had already given the youth from Marachai area the contracts for garbage collection and Securicor,’ he said, adding that there was a need to include the youth from all seven subcounties.

The governor urged the youth to refrain from acts of hooliganism and destruction of property, blaming a section of youth from Marachi estate for destroying Busia Stadium during the anti-government demonstrations.

President William Ruto issued a stern warning to those engaging in acts of hooliganism, warning that they would face the full arm of the law.

‘Anybody engaging in acts of hooliganism to the extent of creating his own police station in Busia will not be condoned,’ he warned, directing the Western Regional Commissioner to ensure that the said police station is closed immediately.

Ruto emphasised that there was need for a peaceful and conducive environment so that local residents could carry out their economic development activities smoothly.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Only close to 30 percent of students who sat Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education last year in Nandi County have applied for placement in various colleges and universities.

Nandi Hills Member of Parliament Bernard Kitur regrets that out of the 22,000 KCSE candidates who sat for the exam last year, only close to 7,000 have applied for various courses under Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, but the rest couldn’t be traced and were believed to be idling in villages.

Kitur urged Nandi County residents to support their KCSE children who qualified to join various institutions to ensure they don’t forfeit government support under KUCCPS.

He said unaccounted-for students do not know that they could be placed at various levels of colleges through government support.

The MP said it was unfortunate that some of these students who qualified to join universities and colleges are still at home and do not know what to do.

‘I want to encourage locals to let us engage KUCCPS and help our children apply to various courses provided by various universities and colleges so that they don’t remain at home,’ Kitur told the press in Kapsabet town.

However, Kitur asked KUCCPS to continue to give young people time to submit their applications because access to the internet in rural Kenya remains a challenge as most of them do not have smartphones.

‘So KUCCPS still needs to do a lot of work, particularly in Nandi County, to keep the lives of young people from getting ruined,’ he said.

The legislature further tasked KUCCPS with explaining to Kenyans what students should do if they don’t get admission to the courses they applied for.

Kitur wants KUCCPS to utilise modern technology and advise young people on whether to change courses or what direction they should take.

The MP thanked Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu for extending the quest for scholarships and funding among students joining universities and colleges from early next month.

He exuded confidence that students who had either applied for scholarships or any other category of funding from the government would be sorted out, as the Minister for Education has already written a circular to all university and college management asking them to give the students time.

On the other hand, Kitur asked the Teachers Service Commission to expedite the transfer of delocalized teachers to areas of their choice according to the policy the President himself and various leaders across the country supported.

The MP spoke during a press briefing after Kenya National Union of Teachers Nandi Central Branch’s annual general meeting held at St. Peters High Class Academy in Kapsabet town today.

He assured that he and other leaders would support Nandi teachers to ensure education standards are uplifted through continuous improvement of school infrastructure and any other form of help.

Source: Kenya News Agency

As part of efforts to boost learning, research and reading culture, Kwale county government is operationalizing community libraries and ICT centers across the sub counties.

Area Governor Fatuma Achani says that the initiative was aimed at promoting learning and reading culture as well as the acquisition of literacy and digital skills, especially among youths.

Achani says the community libraries are aimed at promoting literacy, education, and lifelong learning among the citizenry.

The Governor has urged residents to take advantage of the new community libraries to broaden their knowledge.

She says as gateways to information, knowledge and culture, libraries could play a fundamental role in the coastal county.

She also emphasized the importance of reading in fostering critical thinking, creativity, and personal growth, and urged the public to take advantage of the library’s resources and services to further empower their capabilities.

Achani was speaking at the commissioning of a new public library at the Kwale cultural centre in Kwale town.

She says the library, which is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and a vast collection of books, was expected to serve as a hub for learning, research, and community engagement.

The county boss says the community libraries which are funded by the county government through the Department of Social Services and Talent Management features a spacious reading room, a children’s section and a technology center.

‘Inculcating a culture of reading amongst our children, youths and Kwale residents at large is crucial to improving literacy and the quality of life in our community,’ she said.

She went further ‘this library project is among other community library projects that are aimed at growing a competent society that can effectively contribute to the county’s development agenda’.

The opening of the libraries were warmly received by the public, who expressed their gratitude to the governor and other stakeholders for their vision and commitment to improving the quality of life in the community.

Many residents noted that the libraries would provide a safe and welcoming space for people of all ages and backgrounds to access knowledge, explore new ideas, and connect with others who share their interests.

Achani was accompanied by the County Executive for Social Services and Talent M Management Mrs. Francisca Kilonzo.

The Governor said the department of social services has built five libraries so far in the six sub-counties of Kwale.

She says that the facilities at the community libraries were equipped with ICT services which provided unlimited access to information and knowledge.

The Governor reiterated the devolved government’s commitment to having an educated and literate population through ensuring access to general knowledge.

Achani says that she wants to be known for her desire to promote reading habits amongst the population and that the libraries will serve as a repository of knowledge and information to the people of Kwale.

Mrs. Kilonzo said the community libraries were meant to encourage residents to read and carry out research and that the devolved unit was committed to ensuring the longevity of the projects.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The 10th edition of the Kenya Inter-Counties Sports and Culture Association (KICOSCA) came to an end yesterday, with various leaders praising the display of talents from participants as well as good management of the event.

The Association’s Chairman Mr. John Ang’awa said there would be no other place to display the various talents from county workers if KICOSCA would not have been formed.

He said the active participation by the staff was a great encouragement to the Association’s National Executive Council and the National Governing Council to think of ways the yearly events could even be made more successful.

‘We shall continue with the games because KICOSCA is engendered in purposeful and meaningful social fabric which brings Kenyan people together,’ said Ang’awa.

He also made a special request to the Council of Governors (CoG) to become an active participant in the KICOSCA events to enable it meet its purpose.

‘We are requesting the Council of Governors to make KICOSCA an agenda, discuss and adopt it, and have the procedures so that all the 47 counties would compete under the auspices of the CoG because we need all the counties in the network we are creating,’ said Ang’awa noting that 10 counties did not participate in the event.

KICOSCA Secretary General Daniel Kimutai Sitienei said though they have been having challenges during the event, it was the most successful of all other previous editions.

He said KICOSCA was unique from other sporting activities in Kenya considering that it is the only one meant for Counties’ workers brought to a platform where they participate in 28 disciplines meant for both men and women.

On the quality of performance, Sitienei noted that the 10th edition was outstanding considering that some of the winners in the previous editions were outdone by new entrants.

‘This is a clear indication of competitiveness and this is what we envisaged. We also had 37 counties participating, the highest from the previous editions,’ said Sitienei.

CoG sports Chairman who is also West Pokot Governor Mr. Simon Kachapin said the council would wish to see to it that every County participates in the events in future.

KICOSCA Chairman John Ang’awa.

‘We have agreed that we will discuss the issue of KICOSCA at the CoG to ensure that every County participates as this plays a key role in bringing Kenyans together, which will result to a united country as well as display of our cultural diversity which is our strength as a country,’ said Kachapin.

He said they would also sit and talk to ensure counties allocate enough money for sports to curb unemployment through talent development.

‘At the moment, 75 percent of the participants are young people below 35 years and this is the area we should be investing a lot to create employment,’ said Kachapin.

He added: ‘Youth unemployment is a great problem in Kenya and I therefore urge all our counties to put enough money for sporting activities because sports also pay.’

The host Governor who was this year’s KICOSCA patron Kawira Mwangaza thanked the organisers of the event adding that it was one of the greatest economic boosts for Meru County.

‘As we mark the end of the unforgettable 10th KICOSCA edition, I am grateful that you have put Meru on the map for the last one week and more so in terms of economic boost,’ said Mwangaza.

She added that devolution should be fully supported as it has opened up the counties for development and spurred economic growth.

‘As CoG, we shall continue supporting each other to forge lasting connections and collaborations in all aspects,’ said Mwangaza.

Laikipia Deputy Governor Reuben Ngatia said the event was a great chance to learn from the display of cultures from different communities in Kenya.

He said it was a good platform for all the counties so that the country could be united, and that this is all that they were asking for in devolution.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Iran’s enrichment of uranium continues based on a framework established by the country’s parliament, nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Sunday when asked about reports regarding Tehran slowing down its 60% enrichment.

“Our nuclear enrichment continues based on the strategic framework law,” Eslami said, referring to a related legislation.

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had significantly slowed the pace at which it was accumulating near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and diluted some of its stockpile, moves that could help ease tensions with the U.S. and revive broader talks over Iran’s nuclear work.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Human rights activist and head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, Mustapha Abdelkebir, warned of a renewed African migrant crisis at the border after a group of 140 migrants entered Tataouine on Saturday night, where they were given shelter, while another group remained stuck at the border.

Abdelkabir said dozens of migrants were crossing the border into Tunisia every day. He reported the death of two migrants who fell into one of the deep pits of the salt company in Ben Guerdane while crossing the border.

The head of the Observatory believes that such a situation could worsen due to the lack of coordination between the Tunisian and Libyan sides and the latter’s failure to implement the recent agreement between the two sides to rescue African migrants and prevent them from crossing the border, whether from Tunisia to Libya or from Libya to Tunisia.

Hundreds of migrants from African countries were stranded at the border during the summer, and with the intervention of the Tunisian and Libyan official authorities, all these groups were admitted after the organisations provided for their food and medical needs, especially through the Tunisian Red Crescent, and no migrants remained at the border.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunisia’s Olympique de Beja were knocked out of the CAF Confederation Cup after a goalless draw with Libyan side Abu Salim at a first preliminary round second-leg game in Tripoli on Sunday.

Beja had suffered a 1-0 home-defeat in the first leg in Rades.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse