Day: March 18, 2024

Environment, Forestry and Climate Change Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has reiterated the need to conserve the environment by planting trees.

Tuya challenged every Kenyan to grow at least five tree seedlings in their localities this year, owing to the favourable weather, as one way to mitigate the effects of climate change and better the environment.

‘It is the will of God for man to conserve the environment. When God created man, according to the holy book, He placed him in the garden of Eden that was full of trees. This shows that God is interested in the conservation of the environment,’ she said.

The CS spoke on Sunday in Trans Mara West Sub County, Narok County during an Interdenominational prayer meeting and homecoming thanksgiving service for Tourism Principal Secretary John Ololtua.

The prayer meeting led by Apostle William Kimani of Kingdon Seekers was attended by President William Ruto and First Lady Mrs Rachael Ruto.

Ms Tuya, who also hails from Narok County commended the residents of Trans Ma
ra for planting over 30, 000 tree seedlings in various schools within the sub county, to mark the day.

‘I am happy because a good strategy has been put in place to ensure that all these seedlings planted grow. The schools where the trees have been planted have enough water and the school management has committed to take care of the seedlings,’ she said.

She said that the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) is building a good relationship with the people so that they can help in offering seedlings and technical support to plant the seedlings to ensure they grow.

‘Over 95 percent of climate change is as a result of human action. We can reverse the situation if we all embark on planting trees,’ she reiterated, saying everybody has a role in conserving the environment.

The CS also reported that her Ministry is collaborating with County Governments to protect the environment and all the forests in the country.

While speaking during the tree planting exercise, PS Ololtua underscored the importance of planting trees say
ing they have direct impact on the survival of wildlife.

He said tourists visiting the country had grown from 1.4 million in 2022 to 1.95 million in 2023, representing a 34 percent growth, adding that the county governments are collaborating with national government to exploit untapped tourism scenes in the country.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Murangá county Government has been urged to invest in extension services, research and innovation programs to ensure farmers are equipped with the necessary skills and resources to thrive in their farming activities.

In a report on farm inputs subsidy policy 2022- 2032, which was tabled by the chairperson of Committee on Implementation, Hilary Muchoki, the members of county assembly (MCA) said that the county government in partnership with the stakeholders needs to establish strong extension networks to support farmers in accessing the latest information and technology.

The committee observed that extension networks provide training on the best practices for farming, access to credit and financial services and assistance with market development and they will enable farmers to benefit fully from the county’s mango and milk subsidy program.

‘Farmers are faced with technological challenges as most of them still use old technologies which are not sufficient enough to meet market demands,’ he said,

The chairma
n stated that the government should put more efforts towards ensuring that the farmers are also equipped with the skills to identify and control pest and diseases effectively and sustainably.

He said that subsidy program has some challenges that include missing beneficiary names and incorrectly beneficiary names resulting in poor quality information on the number of beneficiaries targeted in the villages.

‘The requirements for identification documents made some of the most vulnerable groups to be excluded from access to the subsidy,’ he stated

Seconding the motion, Chefman Njoroge, MCA Kahumbu ward, however noted that the county government needs to put measures in place to ensure accountability from the farmers by ensuring real-time monitoring and keeping records of estimates of each farmer’s production ability to avoid fraud.

The report also recommended that the county should improve roads and transportation networks to enable mango and milk farmers take their produce to the market promptly.

The report
recommends that the county government put in place structures that will create a level playing field for dairy farmers and establish structures and policies to enable them access ready market for their products.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Children stakeholders in Narok County have expressed confidence that the Alternative Justice System (AJS) will help resolve the backlog of children cases that are reported almost every day.

The County Children Director Pilot Khaemba said out of 1733 cases of children reported last year, 1260 were child neglect cases, which can be resolved better through AJS than going through the formal court system.

He said the cases will be referred to AJS because their nature is not criminal but social-cultural motivated, saying the interest of his office is to ensure the rights of the child are catered for.

‘In AJS, discussions are done outside the court but results brought to court. The case is handled by a children’s officer who is recognized by the judiciary, and a panelist that ensures the child gets justice,’ he said.

Nevertheless, the children’s officer said cases like defilement, early marriages, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child labour that expose the children to body harm will not be referred to the A
JS as they are grievous and harmful to the child.

He called on immediate investigation and prosecution of these criminal cases so as to avoid corrupting evidence in court of law.

‘Children are easily compromised to give contradicting information if their cases are prolonged. We recommend that children matters be resolved within two weeks, so as to give justice to the minors,’ he reiterated.

The Narok head of Office of Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) Gitonga Murang’a said his office will collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure AJS was successfully implemented in the county.

‘We will be looking at the nature of the case and witnesses before referring it to AJS. Children matters that can be resolved outside the court will be referred to the Children’s office so that they can take the necessary action,’ he said.

He reminded that AJS should be done within the constitution framework hence the panelists should be well trained on what they are expected to do when handling the cases.

They spoke during
a Children Advisory Committee meeting attended by Narok County Commissioner Kipkoech Lotiatia and County Executive Member in charge of Education Robert Simwoto and sponsored by We- World organization.

Source: Kenya News Agency

About 400 farmers stand to benefit from a 100-acre irrigation project in Katilu in Turkana South Sub- County.

County Government, through the Department of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, has finalized the rehabilitation and expansion of the Katilu Irrigation Scheme, paving way for enhanced agricultural production by farmers.

During an inspection tour of the site, a team led by County Chief Officer (CCO) for Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Jane Rose Tioko, declared the project, completed after the contractor met all the requirements proposed by the project’s scope of works.

‘The principal objective for the rehabilitation of the project is to facilitate the production of food and also contribute to the production of 300,000 bags of cereals to the realization of the food security agenda, as envisioned by the Governor,’ she said.

The project, whose scope of works included, bush clearing along main and Sub-main canal corridors, construction of earth line compacted canals, 10 division boxes, complete with s
luice gates and five bridges, have been inspected, awaiting handover to the community.

The CCO informed the farmers that the County Government would train them on the best farming practices, as well as distribute seeds and pesticides.

These activities were to ensure the farmers benefit from the project thus leading to a county that is food self-sufficient aided by irrigated agriculture.

Tioko also urged farmers to invest in groundnut farming as there is a high market demand for quality nuts.

While recognizing the pivotal role that irrigation plays in advancing food security agenda, the CCO announced that the Governor would commission the handover of the project to the community.

Sub-county Agricultural Officer, Sammy Erumu, raised concern for the invasive prosopis plant (Mathenge), noting that it reduces arable land and urged farmers to assist the Department to clear the bushes.

He also requested farmers to keep livestock away from accessing the Scheme.

The CCO was accompanied by several department’s c
ounty officers and the area village Administrator.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Tree nursery attendants in Murang’a have called upon the government to fully engage them in the national programme on tree planting.

The attendants who spoke to KNA observed that the government could provide them with incentives to help them propagate more seedlings to support the tree planting programme.

The county government is currently implementing a programme targeting to plant more than 10million seedlings in a period of five years as a way to mitigate climate change.

The programme thus needs steady supply of seedlings to residents with the attendants’ claiming locals were shunning from purchasing seedlings due to increased prices.

They noted most seedlings were going for more than Sh50 per piece, an amount they said make customers shy away from buying the seedlings.

One of the attendants, Peter Maina, explained that the high price is occasioned by lack of some materials needed to propagate the seedlings such as polythene papers.

‘We used to purchase polythene papers to plant seedlings at Sh10 per
piece but currently, the amount has gone up to more than Sh20. Those coming to buy our seedlings are few and we call upon the government through the ministry of environment to buy seedlings from us and distribute to residents to plant,’ stated Maina.

Another attendant, Jane Mwangi said that as the onset of long rains draws near, plans should be made to ensure locals have enough seedlings to plant in their farms.

Currently, the government relies on tree nurseries owned by Kenya Forest Service which the attendants claim could not be enough to be distributed to many parts of the country.

‘Here in Murang’a, we have a number of tree nursery attendants and also some groups have ventured in propagating seedlings. We hope the government will consider us and purchase seedlings we have to support the programme of tree planting,’ added Mwangi.

She continued ‘if we are also supported with some incentives which can help us get manure and water for the seedlings, prices can come down and many people will be encouraged
to purchase and plant the seedlings.’

Mwangi said seedlings of common varieties of trees being planted in Murang’a, were selling at not less than Sh100.

‘The Sh100 price is quite expensive, especially for one who needs many seedlings. The returns we are raising from seedlings have come down, that is why we are appealing for support from the government,’ said another tree nursery attendant, Grace Wambui.

The attendants further urged the county government of Murang’a to assist them with piped water to help in nurturing the nurseries.

They noted that they depended on water from local streams which was not enough especially during dry seasons.

‘With various water projects being implemented by the county government of Murang’a, they can also consider providing untreated water to help in growing the seedlings. The water can be tapped at upstream and be distributed to areas the nurseries are located,’ remarked Wambui.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Homa Bay County Government has flagged off Ward-based seed distribution programme for this year’s planting season in the county.

The initiative is aimed at enhancing food security and is set to benefit 54,000 farmers across Homa Bay.

County Governor Gladys Wanga who led the distribution exercise, said that the programme was aimed at empowering the agricultural sector and fostering growth through sustainable food security.

She said that the farmers will receive 94,480 packets of seeds including 196,440 bags of maize and 116,000 bags of sorghum.

In comparison to the previous year seed distribution, she noted an increase in the packets of seeds by 14,440.

The governor expressed her confidence in the crucial role the initiative would play in boosting food security and economic well- being of the county.

She expressed her government’s commitment to supporting farmers and commended their pivotal role in ensuring food sustainability and economic prosperity.

‘This exercise underscores the county’s commitment t
o supporting its agricultural community,’ she noted.

In addition, she urged the farmers in Homa Bay to utilize the support and contribute to the effort in transforming the county into a regional breadbasket.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The government will redeploy minerals’ testing laboratory services to regions across the country to help small scale miners test their products before sale, even as they joined cooperatives to keep away exploiters.

Principal Secretary in the State Department for Mining Elijah Mwangi noted that eight laboratories had been procured to be redeployed across the country, as a way of cushioning the artisanal miners against exploitation and having them get value for their minerals.

He noted that the laboratory service was a way of having the miners ascertain the quality of their commodity before selling, to avert being exploited by buyers, who demanded lower prices as a result of non-verification of the content of their products.

‘We are calling upon anyone dealing, mining or exploiting minerals to have mineral rights, permits and licenses. The biggest threat to this sector is illegal mining that denies the government revenue, while invading licensed areas,’ said Mwangi, who noted that the mining police unit had
been launched to help enforce the law.

The PS noted that the Artisanal Miners had the potential of helping the government fetch up to 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current one percent, if the potential of these artisanal miners was exploited fully, urging the miners to also pay royalties.

‘We want to ensure that they aggregate their commodities and negotiate for better prices, as we work towards decriminalizing their operations by licensing them and giving them documentation that will serve as collateral for loans and asset financing.

‘We want to bring more investors into the sector to add value to our strategic minerals. We have so far identified one for Fluorspar exploitation in Elgeyo Marakwet as well as granite and gold in the Western region.

‘If we continue exporting raw ore and minerals we may not grow. We therefore have a policy in place to ensure in-county mineral processing that will ensure all gold will be value-added locally as we account for every production within th
e country,’ added Mwangi, noting that plans were underway to get value addition investors for copper and iron ore.

The PS spoke in Nakuru today when he launched the Rift Valley Regional sensitization exercise for the artisanal cooperative’s leaders.

The leaders will be capacity built and sensitized on the various laws and policies, with an Artisanal Mining Committee to be established to act as a bridge between the miners and the government.

The country has about one million artisanal miners that the government targets to group in cooperatives, for bargaining power as well as self-regulation. So far 206 cooperatives have been formed with 200 more expected to be brought on board.

The PS noted that 970 mineral occurrences were identified across the country with14 strategic minerals such as copper, chromite, coltan and layer earth. Others include 56 construction and industry minerals such as granite and gypsum; with the government targeting more.

‘With the right intervention, we are targeting Sh118 billion i
nvestment to this industry that will employ up to 26, 000 people. The Artisanals will be able to grow their revenue from Sh600 per head to around Sh1, 600 per head, daily,’ added Mwangi.

Alice Apua, a Gold Miner from Napuslup Mining and Marketing Cooperative Society in Turkana County, lauded the move to have them grouped, noting that the cooperatives had enhanced their market reach, with revenue streams expected to go up.

Apua, who decried lack of modernized equipment to increase their productivity, noted that the crude equipment they employed only served to fetch little, as hard rocks were difficult to crack.

‘Artisanal Miners do not have a cover against accidents and losses. It is our hope that this move will open us to have insurance covers as well as collateral for loans,’ added Apua, Chair to the group based at Noiman Location.

The miner, who added that the group of 50 members had been mining since 1982, decried discrimination against women miners.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Residents in the rural areas of Turkana County are set to benefit from a new technology, that will enable them access piped water, that is safe and clean from boreholes, equipped with hand pumps.

The project has been made possible through partnership between the County Government and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The technology described as ‘elevated hand pump’ works by raising the normal hand pump by three to four meters above the ground, fitting it with a reservoir tank, and connecting homesteads and communal water points, to a pipeline through which water is supplied by gravity.

Prior to the technology, piped water was only possible from boreholes equipped with solar energy or connected to electric power.

JICAs’ team Leader in Turkana, Fumiaki Murakami, said the technology provides the residents with clean and safe water, without necessarily having to walk long distances or using energy to pump water.

‘We have already installed the ‘elevated hand pump’ technology at Kawarnaparan Prima
ry School and Nakitoeakwaan village near Kakuma,’ JICA’s Murakami said.

The County’s Director of Water Services, Paul Lotum, described the technology as a low-cost approach to upgrading hand pump-equipped boreholes, without having to rely on solar.

He urged beneficiaries of the new technology to protect the installations from misuse and vandalism, so as to serve them longer.

‘As a department, we welcome innovations aimed at ensuring residents access clean and safe water for their use,’ Director Lotum said.

Jacob Bobei, a beneficiary of the technology at Nakitoeakwaan, acknowledged the technology had saved the residents of the area from dirty water resulting from direct pumping from the water point.

‘We no longer have to struggle and compete with our livestock for water access at the pump. Once the water is pumped into the reservoir tank, we access it in our taps near our homes for both human and animal use,’ Bobei excitingly said.

While the technology protects the hand pump from overuse and the potentia
l for breakdowns, it also has the advantage of allowing the borehole time to recharge, thereby, increasing the water yield.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Regular consumers of bulb onions also known as red onions in West Pokot County have been forced to dig deeper into their pockets owing to the unprecedented increase of the prices of the commodity occasioned by decrease supply in the local markets.

A single bulb is retailing at Sh10, a quantity that has never been part of the minimum packaging standards before the shortage that has hit the market.

The situation has affected food vendors that rely on the commodity to make vegetable salads preferred by fast foods’ consumers with households also bearing the brunt as the price of the commodity continues to soar.

For a long while, West Pokot County has been known for being one of the huge suppliers of fresh red onions grown on both small and large scale in the slopes and valleys of Ortum areas in Kipkomo Sub County.

Mercy Cheruto, a grocer at Makutano market in Kapenguria Municipality told KNA that the vegetable has become scarce unlike before when suppliers used to visit the market and plead with them to buy t
he produce fresh from the farmers.

Cheruto explained that though the consumption had increased owing to the expansion of the town, the supply has remained low despite the onion farming still being vibrant in the region.

‘It is believed that traders from other regions across the country have realised the presence of the best quality onions from this county and are making steady visits to farmers to get the commodity at cheaper prices. This has left the local traders in limbo with very little to supply,’ stated Ms Cheruto.

She said that to keep her grocery with a similar alternative spice; she has resorted to stocking green onions which are currently in abundance, although apprehensive due to their high perishability.

Cheruto added that those who purchased the green onions were now individuals for their domestic consumption but majorly hotel owners who were afraid of cutting short their profits.

‘We used to get huge orders from hotels but with the scarcity and the increased prices where unlike before when
we used to measure in terms of kilograms, the hoteliers have resorted to green onions to maintain their returns,’ she observed.

Mercy Nekesa, a grocer at Chepareria Market, said she wrote red onions off her grocery stock because they were now quite elusive to source and her customers may not consent to any price hikes.

Nekesa said that since the shifts in supply of the commodity around two months ago, she opted out of the stocking of the red onions replacing it with green ones despite their high perishability.

‘My recipe for different meals are never free of any onions, I have resorted to the green and they are equally palatable. However, getting very fresh ones is a challenge because they don’t sell as fast because of the low demand,’ said one Ms. Priscillah Mnang’at.

Ms. Mnang’at noted that with the shrinking supply of the red onions which were demanding in terms of production, it was high time she started her own kitchen garden to enhance her daily dietary needs.

‘Green onions are easy to establish an
d manage because of the easy availability of propagation materials. With worn out items such as plastic containers and other waste materials, one can produce enough for their daily subsistence since every part of the vegetable is edible,’ she explained.

She challenged that with a small garden, one could produce enough for their own use and even afford surplus for the local markets.

Onions are members of the Allium genus of flowering plants which also include garlic, shallots and leeks. They are highly nutritious vegetables that may have several benefits including improved heart health, better blood sugar regulation, and increased bone density.

They are also considered delicious, versatile and relatively cheap and boast a range of healthy vitamins, minerals and plant compounds necessary for the human body.

According to some sources, athletes in Ancient Greece supposedly used onions to purify their blood, while traditional and medieval doctors prescribed them to help treat headaches, heart diseases and mout
h sores.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Football and volleyball enthusiasts in Meru County were thrilled by classical skills displayed by various teams that participated in North Imenti Constituency ball game tournaments under the patronage of area MP Rahim Dawood.

The tournament kicked off on Saturday and ended Sunday where teams from various corners of the constituency were represented.

While addressing the media, Mr Dawood said he was impressed by the talents displayed by the participants adding that there was need to hold more of such events not only to identify them but also to have ways of nurturing them.

‘I am very happy to see that our young people have got great talents that can lead them even to participate in international events. We need to sit down as stakeholders and find a suitable way of having these talents nurtured and transformed to sources of income for our young people,’ said Mr Dawood.

Unlike usual tournaments where football is the only game that is emphasised, Mr Dawood also enlisted volleyball teams in the tournament who
also attracted many fans from all over the county.

The MP said despite the fact that the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) directing that sports should no longer be sponsored by the fund, he will seek other partners who will sponsor such tournaments in future to give young people a platform to display their prowess in sporting activities.

‘I am already engaging various partners who will in future be sponsoring these tournaments so that we can also keep our young people busy and deter them from engaging in unlawful activities,’ said Mr Dawood.

Mwiteria volleyball club won in the men category while Sports club, Gitimbine and YMCA took position two, three, and four respectively.

In the women category, Gachanka carried the day while in men’s football, Al Azizia and RCC participated in the finals and had to go up to penalties after ending up in a draw of 0-0 in the normal time.

However, a disagreement arose between the two teams over a disputed penalty and therefore an outright winner
could not be determined at that time.

In all the categories, the winners took home Sh100,000, while position two, three, and four got Sh60, 000, Sh40,000 and Sh10,000 respectively. All the participating teams were given full kits which include t-shirts, shorts and socks.

Source: Kenya News Agency