Day: December 14, 2023

Local elections candidate for the Ezzouhour Bach Hamba council in Tunis 1 Rabeb Ben Ayed promised to upgrade road infrastructure and improve lighting and sewerage.

She further undertook to coordinate actions with the region’s municipal services so as to find a radical solution to stray dogs, which have become an exasperating phenomenon for the local residents.

The candidate said her programme mainly focuses on the environment aspect by endeavouring to provide bins for household and plastic waste through the recycling waste sorting mechanism, while ensuring that laws are enforced to protect the environment.

Ben Ayed also expressed interest in improving sports facilities in the region and setting up cultural and leisure clubs to better mentor young people.

She further confirmed that if she won the local council elections, she would set up a support fund for unemployed young people’s projects.

Ben Ayed also pointed out that as a candidate, she represents young people and is ready to bet on the youth segment
and share their concerns and demands.

She stated that it is legitimate to provide mechanisms and programmes that stimulate private initiative and generate funding sources.

At the social level, the candidate promised to work in coordination with stakeholders to provide for needy families.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The authorities in Murang’a South Sub County have expressed concern over increased cases of suicides and homicides’ in the area.

Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Gitonga Murungi blamed the menace on domestic squabbles and depression occasioned by excessive use of illicit brews, drug abuse, lawlessness, and the general moral decadence of the societal fabric.

Speaking at Thaara Primary School in Kamahuha Ward during Jamhuri Day celebrations, Murungi noted that the Maragua area has many ex-convicts who are the same people implicated in the most heinous of crimes in the area.

‘As a society, we must start talking now. As your administrators, we are coming to dialogue with you because we must reclaim sanity and sobriety in our society,’ he said.

The DCC blamed parents and guardians, saying, ‘It is unfortunate that we know these young men; they are our children, but we swore to see no evil and hear no evil until the snake bites the very hand that has been feeding it!

‘A man beheading his own mother has everyth
ing to do with the societal fabric that has decayed over the years,’ he said.

Perturbed by the incidents, Murungi now opines that it has everything to do with the morals of society, and the conversation must start now.

‘We must get to the root cause of this moral decay and find a remedy for the evils that are crippling our development as a society,’ he added.

The DCC revealed that it was time for dialogue between the people, the authorities, and other stakeholders so as to establish the root cause of the homicides and suicides.

This comes barely two weeks after irate residents of Nginda in Maragua lynched a 40-year-old man after he allegedly killed his mother and covered her body with a heap of manure in a shallow grave outside her house.

The man, an ex-convict, had just returned home after serving a jail sentence, where he had been convicted after being found guilty of insulting and threatening to rape his mother.

In the same ward, another young man had been lynched by a mob in Gathera village after he
hacked and killed his mother over a plate of ugali.

According to family members, the 36-year-old had demanded to be served ugali by his late 68-year-old mother, who had cooked bananas.

An argument ensued, and the man is said to have grabbed a machete and beheaded his mother.

Murungi noted that the situation is so dire that children as young as 11 years old are committing suicide. ‘Why would a child as young as 11 commit suicide?’ he posed.

In Kamahuha Ward, nine young people aged between 12 and 29 committed suicide in the period between December 2022 to October 2023.

The most recent incident involves a 11-year-old girl who committed suicide on the eve of Jamhuri Day, an incident that was confirmed by the DCC.

Evon Wambui Muthoni, aged 11, who was under the care of her grandparents, is reported to have been playing outside their Gathaite village, Makuyu house, with her siblings when she ostensibly got inside the house at 1730 hrs.

‘Her 14-year-old brother, prompted by her unusually longer stay inside th
e house, went to check on her only to find her body dangling from the roof top, lifeless.

On her part, the area member of Parliament, Mary Wamaua, has previously decried such unfortunate incidents while calling on the residents to stop protecting criminals who do not belong to society.

‘The people doing such heinous acts even to the women who bore them are our children you know them but have decided to turn a blind eye to it just because it has not happened within your inner family circle,’ she said.

‘Security starts with you, so if, as a parent you protect your wayward child, eventually they will turn against you, and it will be too late,’ she added.

The MP called on members of the society to embrace dialogue with the administrators so that the root cause of the suicides and homicides can be identified and a solution found.

‘Help us fight drugs and illicit brews so that we can save our sons and daughters from the imminent ruins of over-indulgence,’ implored Wamaua.
Source: Kenya News Agency

Cooperatives Development Principal Secretary Patrick Kilemi has expressed the government’s commitment and dedication to strengthening cooperative societies.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Commissioner for Cooperatives, Samwel Kiptoo, during the training of 35 ward cooperatives, Kilemi emphasized the bottom-up transformation agenda’s focus on boosting agricultural production and value addition to increase manufacturing contribution from the current 7.8% to 15% by 2027.

The Western region is poised to significantly contribute to economic transformation, particularly in agricultural production and promoting MSMEs, with cooperatives playing a crucial role as economic enablers and value chain elevators.

He added that collaboration between Strathmore University School of Business and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to build the capacity of cooperatives and other sector players in selected seven counties will augur well with the government’s efforts to promote and transform
agriculture through cooperative business models.

The PS further disclosed that the government plans to aid farmers in the value chain through cooperatives, enablers, and aggregators to boost economies of scale, increase incomes, and create employment opportunities.

Kilemi also reported an increase in Sacco’s growth, with 359 registered Saccos currently having a membership of 6.4 million.

The government is also promoting cotton cultivation in the county, aiming to increase national annual production from 20,000 bales to over 100,000 bales by 2027.

The PS stated that the decision will decrease the need for cotton imports and provide support to local cotton mills, hence the need to invest in cotton production by enhancing the capacity of cotton cooperatives, providing farm-level resources, processing facilities, and credit.

Meanwhile, the Busia County Government has been urged to collaborate with the private sector to boost the Muluanda cotton industry by increasing value addition through animal feeds, edib
le oils, and other byproducts.

The PS also said the government had invested in the new Kenya Cooperative Creameries to acquire and improve on its machinery and increase its processing capacity from 300,000 litres five years ago to 850,000 litres per day currently.

This financial year, the processor has received an increased monetary allocation to handle excess milk produced during rainy seasons and convert it into powder to stabilise milk prices, he added.

On his part, Busia Governor Dr. Paul Otuoma welcomed the move, adding that it will equip the local farmers to prepare for the long-awaited Nasewa Industrial Park and Export Promotion Zone, whose construction is currently ongoing.

The programme targets other counties, including Kakamega, Kisumu Nakuru, Isiolo Makueni, and Kilifi.
Source: Kenya News Agency

Taita Taveta County has scored a quick economic goal by initiating a rigorous programme to market cultural, tourism, and gemstone products at designated shops at the Voi SGR station.

Gertrude Shuwe, Executive for Trade, Tourism, Industrialization, and Cooperative Development, visited and praised a robust multi-sectoral campaign at the station to generate revenue and showcase the county’s wealth to passengers.

Shuwe expressed admiration for the impressive display and plans to collaborate with stakeholders to boost revenue and market the potential to the thousands of travellers through the Voi SGR station.

Plans to promote Taita baskets, also known as Vidasi, as the primary product in the expansive and unexploited market aim to revive the centuries-old weaving and preservation craft.

Vidasi’s cultural products have the potential to support weavers, particularly women, and market the county to the rest of the country and the world.

The county’s Tourism Director, Brian Lewela, highlighted the administration
‘s efforts to promote the devolved unit as a top tourism destination through a bottom-up marketing approach.

‘As a county with massive potential for unique products and breathtaking attractions, we’ve executed an elaborate plan to market and position Taita Taveta as a top global tourist destination,’ said Lewela.

According to Lewela, the county is in talks with SGR management to place signages within the Voi station to direct thousands of travellers to the shops.
Source: Kenya News Agency

The World Health Organisation has donated essential medical supplies and equipment to the Garissa County Health Department to strengthen its capacity to handle the emergencies brought about by the El Nino rains, which caused flooding in the area.

Speaking during the handing over of the supplies at the Northeastern regional offices, WHO’s risk communication officer, Ibrahim Gedi, said that the supplies are part of the organisation’s goal to build emergency preparedness responses in counties.

‘The WHO has been supporting the counties in public health emergencies for preparedness and response. Today, we are donating assorted medical items and other commodities worth Sh 10 million to the Garissa County health department,’ Gedi said.

‘Initially, we trained the health workers on surveillance, case management, and risk communication for laboratories for any public health emergencies, and we will continue to do so and build their capacities,’ he added.

Gedi further said that the WHO has already constructed a sta
bilisation centre at the Garissa Referral Hospital for malnutrition cases as a result of the ongoing El Niño rains and other emergencies.

While acknowledging the receipt of the supplies, County Director for Health Aden Hussein expressed his gratitude for the support from the WHO and other development partners, which has been crucial in dealing with emergencies.

‘We acknowledge the receipt of the essential medical supplies and related equipment from the WHO in support of the Kenya Red Cross, who are helping in transportation, and these supplies will go a long way in helping the emergency response during the floods,’ Hussein said.

‘We are anticipating to have disease outbreak because of the floods, and thus there is a need to reposition all necessary medical supplies and related logistics to our health facilities across the county. If by grace there is no outbreak, then we will use these supplies for routine services to strengthen our service delivery,’ he added.
Source: Kenya News Agency

The Principal Secretary of the State Department of Transport, Mohamed Daghar, has announced that the government has allocated Sh1.1 billion for land compensation to facilitate the rehabilitation of the Mombasa Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) to Miritini.

The Sh4.2 billion project that commenced in September 2022 was derailed by land acquisition challenges. The project had stopped at 65 per cent.

The Ministry of Roads and Transport has allocated the budget to the National Land Commission, and the compensation process is expected to start.

‘It was supposed to last for 12 months and be completed by August, but unfortunately we had a challenge with land acquisition because of the right way of doing this project,’ said PS Daghar.

About 1.4 kilometres had to be acquired, and because of that, my ministry has given the money that was needed through Kenya Railways to the NLC, said Daghar when he inspected the rehabilitation of the MGR line.

When the project is completed, passengers using the Madaraka Express passenger
service train and the seven stations along the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) arriving or departing from Mombasa can use the MGR line.

‘As a government, we are going to give concession rates to this, and you will be ferried all the way regardless of the time you arrive by train, whether it is early in the morning, afternoon, or evening,’ said PS Daghar.

The second part of the project will involve the rehabilitation of the Mombasa Central Railway Station and the setting up of four mini-stations in Changamwe East, Changamwe West, Miritini, and Shimanzi.

This, PS Daghar says, will enhance commuter movement for Mombasa residents, who will have an alternative mode of transport, thus easing pressure on road transport.

‘Commuter rail is part of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT) that the Ministry of Roads and Transport is determined to establish alongside other MRT, including the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT), so that people are moved in a safe and efficient manner and they can save time and other commuter-relat
ed costs,’ added Daghar.

The PS stated that no entity or person is going to frustrate a government project. This sentiment comes in the wake of a court case by the Mombasa County Government to stop the project over a lack of public participation and county approval.

‘There is no instruction from the government or court that warrants frustration if a project has fully complied with the law and the due process has been followed,’ said the PS.
Source: Kenya News Agency

Handicap 4.6 Kevin Anyien led from the first round to the last to claim the 2023 Royal Junior Strokeplay Championship at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club in Nairobi.

Anyien had a one-stroke lead on day one after shooting 74 to lead by one stroke over three other junior golfers. It was tight at the top after the first round, with Kanana Muthomi, Mwathi Gicheru, Audrey Gachora, and Junaid Manji all tied for second on 75.

The second round was not as close as the junior golfers were now separated into the top ten positions. Kevin Anyien was again the best player of the day with a score of 73, two shots better than Kanana Muthomi, with Mwathi Gicheru right behind her by only one stroke. Audrey Gachore, with 155 points, was not so far off going into the last round.

It was a tight dog fight at the top in the last round, with Kanana at one point closing the gap to one stroke. In the end, they both shot 78, and Anyien finished at the top with a score of nine over par 225. Kanana finished second on twelve over par 228.

‘
For me, it means a lot because I have been trying to win a lot, but I have been losing going to the 3rd or 4th position. At least now I have gotten my first win; I’m so happy,’ said a beaming Anyien.

On Kanana moving to within one stroke earlier in the day, Anyien said, ‘I wasn’t that worried. I was just like, just enjoy, just do your routine and it will come. If it is yours, it is yours.’

On the other hand, 11-year-old Kanana Muthomi was proud of punching above her weight and getting scores she never expected.

‘The first day it was wild; I didn’t know I would play 75; I knew I would play in the 80s, but, you know, things were working out. Then today my putting was, I guess, ok, then it started getting worse somehow,’ she explained. That led her to drop back to three strokes behind Anyien.

Meanwhile, Mwathi Gicheru finished third, but he could have done much better had he not changed his style of play.

‘I started (the last round) badly because I really wanted to chase Kevin (Anyien), and I lost my focus
on the first nine, but then in the second nine, I just tried to enjoy, go through my routine, and do my best. So it went well in the second nine but not in the first nine.

Ultimately, Tanish Gudhka finished with 18 over to settle for fourth overall, tied with Junaid Manji.
Source: Kenya News Agency

Kisii County Commissioner Tom Anjere wants residents to use local barazas as a platform to address insecurity issues affecting their communities.

He told a Jamhuri Day celebration at Cardinal Otunga grounds in Mosocho that the significance of community engagement encouraged the residents to actively participate in local barazas to address and discuss issues of insecurity rather than bringing up concerns during national events.

‘Barazas are specifically organised to provide a platform for you to voice concerns, with a focus on various issues, including security,’ Commissioner Anjere reminded residents.

Anjere assured the community that government offices dealing with insecurity in the county are accessible to everyone, providing a conducive environment for reporting incidents and seeking assistance.

‘Government offices dedicated to handling insecurity matters in the county are open to everyone. These offices provide a conducive environment for reporting security incidents and collaborating with authoritie
s to find lasting solutions,’ he emphasised.

Responding to a political leader who urged security agencies to swiftly act on evidence related to perpetrators of insecurity, Commissioner Anjere cautioned against politicising security matters.

He stressed the importance of collaboration between political leaders and security organs to address challenges effectively.

‘Security concerns should not be exploited for political gain. We urge leaders to be part of the solution rather than using it as a tool for political populism,’ Commissioner Anjere stated.

He further encouraged political leaders to respect and support the work of security organs, emphasising the need to foster a positive relationship between residents and the police.

The Commissioner’s remarks come amid a backdrop of local political leaders expressing concerns about rising insecurity, particularly targeting them and their associates.

Anjere called for unity and cooperation in addressing these challenges, highlighting that creating animosity be
tween residents and law enforcement is counterproductive.

As Kisii County grapples with security issues, Commissioner Tom Anjere’s call for utilising local barazas as a platform for addressing concerns emphasises the importance of community involvement in fostering safer neighbourhoods.

The plea for non-politicisation and collaboration between leaders and security agencies reflects a commitment to finding lasting solutions to the security challenges faced by the county.
Source: Kenya News Agency