Day: April 11, 2024

Ibrahim Ogada, chairman of Kisumu Muslims Association, praised the ongoing Idul Fitri celebrations as a way to unite the Muslim community, regardless of their differences.

Ogada talked in the company of the group’s treasurer Ratib Oitore who is also the MCA for Nyalenda ward and appealed to the government to institute urgent measures to end the ongoing doctors’ strike so that the sick can get reprieve

‘The doctors literally hold the lives of people in their hands hence it behaves on the government to speedily resolve the stalemate with them because even here in Kisumu patients are stranded and many are dying from lack of medical attention hence we plead with the government to sit and talk with the doctors’ plead Ogada.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Narok County Governor Patrick Ntutu has issued an alert to residents and motorists to exercise caution in their daily activities due to heavy downpours.

In a press release to the media houses, Governor Ntutu said several seasonal rivers were filled to the bank warning residents against crossing any swollen river or seeking shelter under trees during this rainy season.

‘Several seasonal rivers such as Noonkopit River in Nkareta ward, which joins Kaetoni River at Katakala Bridge along the Narok- Bomet highway have overflowed. Motorists plying this route should be careful when they approach this area,’ he said.

Flood-prone areas in Narok town, such as Kumi kumi junction, are advised to relocate to safer grounds during rainy seasons to prevent loss of lives and property. This comes at a time when a family of four was swept by mudslide at Ololulunga area, and an elderly man was swept by the water while trying to cross the Eramatishoreki Bridge in Narok East Sub County.

The governor extended his condolences mes
sage to the families that had lost their loved ones and prayed that God would comfort their families. He said the county emergency response systems had been activated and emphasized the need to contact the county emergency response team when in dispute, through the toll-free number 0800722984 or email at disaster@narok.go.ke.

The Meteorological department has predicted heavy downpour in the county in the next five days, hence the reason for every person to take caution to avert life and property loss.

Narok County Commissioner Kipkech Lotiatia asked village elders and chiefs to help in identifying people living in dangerous places and help them vacate to safer grounds. ‘We do not want to lose any other life in this rainy season. I request everyone to take caution as many seasonal rivers are filled to capacity,’ he reiterated.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the Government led by President William Ruto held two small roundtables at the State House in Nairobi on 12th and 25th March 2024.

Fifteen private sector leaders were present through KEPSA, to discuss global competitiveness in various sectors of manufacturing including ICT, agriculture, international investors, tourism, labour, and financial services. The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) joined in the second meeting.

According to KEPSA, the outcomes of the two roundtables address critical bottlenecks in each sector and proposed interventions.

‘Recognizing the businesses’ vital role in driving innovation, creating jobs, and stimulating economic growth, the President has affirmed the administration’s unwavering commitment to engage the private sector. This includes adopting the recommendations, including negotiating access to strategic markets to open up for Kenya’s exports. Leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will f
urther help expand market access within the continent, tapping into the growing demand for high-quality products and services,’ said KEPSA CEO Carole Kariuki in a statement to newsrooms on Thursday.

She said that other resolutions recommended include adopting the National Taxation Policy to provide predictability to Kenya’s tax system, increased support and financing to SMEs, and an overall supportive environment that incorporates stakeholder inputs into the process of policy and legal intervention across sectors, among others.

‘The third Presidential Roundtable will take place sometime in May, to go through the progress report and add two more sectors for discussion,’ said Kariuki.

She highlighted that over the last 20 years, KEPSA has rallied the private sector to engage and speak in one voice to the government through structured dialogue as a social and economic partner.

‘The Presidential Roundtables mark a major milestone and are a culmination of the ongoing deliberations under the Ministry of Industr
y, Trade and Investment that seek to collate different private sector issues affecting business costs, including the cost of raw materials, cost of utilities, labour productivity, logistics, and cost and tenure of credit,’ she said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Over 130 scout leaders from seven African Countries have congregated in Embu for a capacity building training aimed at propagating involvement of more young people in the scouting movement.

The one-week training organized by World Scout Bureau Africa Support Center has brought together leaders from host nation Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Eswatini formerly Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and South Africa.

The training is divided into two modules, one for Assistant Leader Trainers and the other for Leader Trainers, according to World Scout Bureau Africa Support Center Senior Manager Mostaff Matesanwa.

Matesanwa who is the course director said the training offers the leaders platform that serves as a cornerstone for nurturing the next generation of scout leaders in their respective countries.

Speaking at Embu Scouts Center on Wednesday where the training is taking place, Matesanwa said the participants are expected to cascade the skills learnt to unit leaders who will intern train young scouts.

‘The particip
ants’ role is to support their national scout associations in developing the capacity of unit leaders to strengthen the scouting movement,’ he said.

He said the key areas the training is focusing on is leadership, development of training programs, management of adults and implementation of youth programs.

‘The curriculum is designed to equip the attendees with the tools and knowledge needed to strengthen the scouting community and ensure its continued growth and success,’ he said.

On his part, Kenya Scouts Association Assistant Chief Commissioner Francis Mayakula underscored the importance of scout movement as a tool for molding young people into responsible adults in the society.

‘Scouting has proven to be the world’s leading educational movement empowering young people to be active agents of change in their communities,’ he said.

He said scouting helps young people develop academic, ethics, leadership and life skills that influence their adult lives and those around them.

The participants are also exp
ected to travel to Nyeri to pay tribute to the founder of the World Scouting Movement Lord Baden-Powell who was buried there.

Source: Kenya News Agency

To bolster nutrition and enhance food security, Elgeyo Marakwet Deputy Governor Prof. Cheserek spearheaded the flagging off of 20 metric tonnes of ‘Nyota’ iron-rich bean seeds.

The distribution targets vulnerable communities, including People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs), among others.

Prof. Cheserek underscored the multifaceted benefits of the endeavor, stating, that the initiative not only targets improving the nutritional status of our communities but also serves as a strategic step towards enhancing food security within our county.

‘We want to ensure that families are food secure and also as an income-generating activity,’ she noted.

The distribution is part of a five-year partnership with HarvestPlus and World Vision, aiming to benefit more than 10,000 households in the region.

Echoing the sentiments of collaboration, Agriculture and Livestock CEC Mr. Edwin Seroney who urged beneficiaries to prioritize the cultivation of the iron-rich beans.

He emphasized the importance of actively participatin
g in the agricultural initiative to ensure its success and long-term benefits for the community.

Source: Kenya News Agency

A 24-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to trafficking five rolls of bhang valued at Sh150 was on Thursday fined Sh20,000 by a Kenol Court.

Rosemary Ngaruiya, who appeared before Murang’a Resident Magistrate Jackinda Rennah was charged with having been found with the five rolls of bhang not in medical prescription on April 8, 2024 at her rented house in Wempa, Murang’a south.

Prosecutor Millicent Oduor told the court police from Wempa police post acting on a tip off from members of the public went to her house and conducted a search.

The prosecutor said the five rolls of bhang that were presented in court as evidence were found in Ngaruiya’s back pocket wrapped in black polythene bag.

The accused pleaded guilty to the charges and gave no statement in mitigation hence was convicted on her own plea of guilty.

Resident magistrate Jackinda ordered the accused to pay a fine of Sh20,000 or in default she will serve four months in prison.

And in the same court, a 37-year-old man who pleaded guilty to cutting do
wn two Eucalyptus trees from a private investor’s plantation to sell and earn money will await sentencing on April 24.

The accused Boniface Kioko committed the offence on April 10, 2024 at 3pm in Gituamba forest, Murang’a south where he cut two eucalyptus trees belonging to Kakuzi PLC firm.

According to the facts presented in Court prosecutor, Millicent Odour, the company’s guards and officers from Kakuzi while on patrol found the accused and two others cutting down the trees.

His accomplices managed to escape but the accused was apprehended and taken to Kakuzi police post.

The accused in mitigation said he wanted to sell the firewood to put food on the table for his children. He prayed the court for clemency.

Source: Kenya News Agency

An 18-year-old Ugandan national who confessed before an Eldoret court that she murdered her six-month-old baby boy has been sentenced to serve six years in jail.

The convict confessed that she brutally murdered the child in an attempt to free herself from the burden of taking care of the child.

Eldoret High Court judge, Justice Reuben Nyakundi sent the teen mother, coded B M to serve the six-year jail term without the option of a fine after she pleaded guilty to the charges.

The teen mother shocked the packed court when, without any sign of remorse, explained her reasons for murdering the child.

She caused a stir in the court when, given a chance to defend herself ahead of her sentencing, she stoically stood in the dock facing the judge without blinking an eye and said she was forced to terminate the life of her son as she was in deep stress, frustration and agony and wanted to lessen the burden of taking care of the baby alone after the responsible man allegedly abdicated his responsibility.

She recount
ed how she strangled her son to death, then wrapped his body in a gunny bag before dumping it into a shallow well in broad daylight.

‘I indeed killed my son who was by then aged six months, wrapped his body in a gunny bag, and then dumped it in a well as I was unable to take care of the deceased on my own,’ she told the court.

After committing the offense, she added, she went underground for three days to evade arrest by the police who were looking for her after being informed about the incident by locals.

She later resurfaced and presented herself to the police station and confessed to the disappearance and killing of her son. She was detained and later arraigned before the court charged with murder.

The accused was defending herself in a case where she was charged with killing her son Junior Nesero Butsetse in the hope she would be set free.

She allegedly committed the offence on October 28, 2023, in Kabogo area in Kapseret sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.

She was represented by Lawyer Robert Makori wh
ile the prosecution was led by Mark Mugun.

She pleaded with the court to give her a non-custodial sentence in the event she is found guilty of the murder charge to enable her to get medical treatment for the trauma she went through after the horrific incident.

However, the judge turned down the offer and sent her to prison.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Parliamentary Committee on Education has called on universities to communicate about the new funding model in time to allow admitted students and their guardians to prepare.

The Committee Chairman, Julius Kibiwot Melly underscored that parents and students should be notified on time over the categorization of the new funding model to enable them prepare for role they are expected to play.

‘As a committee on education, we will ensure that there is communication between High Education Loans Board, the University Funding Board and other government agencies to ensure that any challenges facing the funding formula are fully ironed out,’ said the Committee Chairman.

Addressing the press after a projects inspection tour at Chuka University yesterday, Mr. Melly disclosed that the committee’s aim was to find out the challenges that are affecting the university performance and specifically to look into how the new funding formula is impacting over university management.

He expressed concern over some of the pro
jects that are not completed which include the male hostel, the administration block and the industrial hub citing the industrial a vital project that is expected to promote better programs that are aligned to the bottom up economic transformation.

‘This is the hub where would be innovators will actually come to develop their novelties and commercialize them. The Central Region will benefit in line with the government’s objective of empowering business and job creation especially among the youth,’ said the Committee Chairman.

He also pointed out that as a committee they will look into the accreditation of the programmes to avoid a conflict between role of Professional bodies, Commission of University Education and the role of the University Senate and ensure they all speak with one language.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Gafsa: The 13th edition of the three-day International Festival of Mountain Caves opened on Thursday in the mountain village of Sened, Gafsa governorate.

The opening ceremony kicked off with a play in solidarity with the Palestinian cause entitled «Doors of Return,» produced by the Youth House in Sened, followed by a performance of the country’s spirituality, singing about the customs, traditions and Sufi spirituality of the region, as well as an animated carnival.

According to the director of the Sened Caves Festival, Rachidi Sindi, rich musical performances have been programmed throughout the days of the festival, including a musical performance by the artist Abderrahman Sheikhaoui and an artistic evening hosted by Samah Jalloul and Zaier Rachidi. The closing ceremony will feature an artistic performance by artist Raouf Maher, he added.

The festival has dedicated a space for women artisans from the region to display their traditional products in order to promote their marketing.

In a statement to TAP, R
achedi Sindi said the festival was an opportunity to showcase the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Sened village. It also aims to highlight its characteristics in order to attract tourists, especially since it has been declared a Tourist Area of Excellence.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Farmers who bought fake fertilizer will be compensated with top dressing to help address nutrient deficiencies in their farms.

The assurance was made by Senate Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries during a fact finding tour at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depot in Kipkaren _ Selia in Nandi County where the data of farmers who were affected by the scam was taken.

The committee led by its chairman Kamau Murango said supplying fake farm inputs to farmers was equal to economic sabotage or terrorism adding that all perpetrators should be brought to book to face full force of the law.

Murango directed NCPB to move ahead and facilitate farmers by capturing the data and ascertaining information for swift compensation plan

‘Every farmer who bought fake fertilizer will get the correct one free of charge. Those who were involved with the illicit trade to sabotage food security in the Country will be arrested and prosecuted. The government is committed to safeguarding the agricultural se
ctor and safeguarding farmers from fraudulent practices,’ he said.

The chairman called upon NCPB across the region to fast track the distribution of subsidized fertilizer to enable farmer’s plant on time during this rainy season.

Already eight senior officials at the Kenya Bureau of Standard have been suspended over the fake fertilizer fiasco with various stakeholders calling upon the government to crack the whip to avoid repetition of the same in future.

Some 2,247 bags of suspected fake fertilizer had been sold at the depot with farmers asking the government to compensate them immediately

A foul smell of strange chemicals combined with animal manure and stones rendered the air when farmers opened parcels of fake fertilizer they had brought as evidence during the inquiry

Wycliffe Kirwa from Cheptil, Mosop Sub County narrated to the committee how his planter broke down after using the fake fertilizer adding that he still has 90 bags in store.

‘Since the fake fertilizer has combination of stones and manu
re, it destroys the planter. I have about 50 acres of land and l cannot use manpower. We are stressed, stranded and devasted. Joke with anything else but not efforts and sweat of farmers. We have suffered a big loss and we demand for proper compensation,’ he said

Daisy Chepkosgei, a single mother of three who bought 12 bags said she was forced to use the fake fertilizer because she had no money to buy another fertilizer.

‘I spent all my savings to buy a mixture of sand and salt in form of fertilizer. We don’t know if we will be able to harvest anything this season,’ she said adding that she depend on the produce to educate her children.

She called upon the government to ensure farm inputs not only the fertilizer being distributed meet the required standard.

Source: Kenya News Agency