Day: April 16, 2024

The government has, in collaboration with Equity Bank, intensified its tree planting efforts in Wajir, underscoring a collective commitment to bolster the country’s forest cover.

The exercise, which was conducted within Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in Wajir town, is set to help in the process of conserving the environment and promoting better climatic conditions across the country, thus curbing the drought.

Speaking on Tuesday during the event, Wajir County Forest Conservator Ms. Ambiya Osman noted the importance of the initiative in alignment with President William Ruto’s directive to elevate the nation’s forest cover from 13 per cent to 30 per cent.

She emphasized the multifaceted benefits of trees, highlighting their role in fostering environmental resilience and mitigating conflicts stemming from resource scarcity exacerbated by drought.

The event saw the planting of 115 trees as a foundational step towards a more ambitious goal of planting 1,000, initiated by Equity Bank.

Ms. Osman urged st
akeholders to not just participate in planting but also in the in the diligent nurturing of seedlings to ensure their growth into robust trees.

The Operational Manager of Equity Bank in Wajir Abdihakim Garad reaffirmed the bank’s dedication to environmental stewardship.

He said that beyond immediate tree planting efforts, Equity Bank unveiled plans to plant a million trees in the coming years, demonstrating its long-term commitment to sustainability and community prosperity.

‘This collaborative action underscores the potential for addressing pressing ecological challenges. As the seeds take root and flourish, the impact of this collective effort is poised to reverberate positively across Wajir and beyond, fostering a greener, more resilient future for generations to come,’ said Garad.

The tree planting exercise signifies a proactive approach towards combating climate change and promoting sustainable development in Wajir. With continued efforts and collaboration between the government, private sector, and
communities, the vision of a greener and more prosperous Wajir is well within reach.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Electric Mobility Taskforce has hit the ground running to solidify Kenya’s commitment to clean energy through finalisation of public participation in the draft National Electric Mobility Policy.

The policy is geared to play a pivotal role in the adoption of e-mobility in the transport sector through the provision of a transition framework from the use of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs) to Electric Vehicles (EVs).

Kenya’s e-mobility policy is in line with the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) 2023-2027, Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) 2022-2050 and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) through which Kenya targets a 32 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030.

Taskforce Vice Chairperson Jerotich Seii said members are rushing against time to conclude public participation forums in Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru, Nairobi, Machakos, Mombasa, Isiolo and Nyeri.

Seii stated during a public participation forum for Mombasa, Lamu, Tana River, Taita T
aveta, Kilifi and Kwale Counties at the Ronald Ngala Hall Monday that the Coast region phase of public participation marks the penultimate drafting of the e-mobility policy.

‘The e-mobility policy in Kenya is overdue. We are happy as a task force to be the ones who are introducing this innovative approach to transport and its management,’ said Seii, adding that the policy looks at how the country can domesticate an EV approach.

She assured transport stakeholders that their views would be incorporated into the final document before it is handed over to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Roads.

‘This is a comprehensive policy that looks at the entire value chain of the EV mobility landscape in Kenya,’ said Seii.

She went on, ‘The policy will go a long way towards greening our country, taking us away from greenhouse emissions and toxic fumes that are emitted when we use ICEV and into a cleaner and more sustainable way of transporting ourselves.’

The policy, according to Seei, will create a profitable a
nd protective space for those who will move from ICEVs to EVs. She noted that some of the critical issues the policy is addressing with county governments are the range anxiety and affordability of EVs.

Seii further revealed that the country has had steady growth in the use of electric bicycles, motorcycles, TukTuks and buses since 2018. At the moment, the total number of EVs registered in the country stands at 4047. She urged boda boda operators to go electric to reduce their carbon footprint.

‘As a task force, we have moved hard and fast to get this work done. It will happen. This is part of a wider global commitment that Kenya has made through the president. We will ensure the policy becomes the bedrock of our move into cleaner and more sustainable transport throughout the country,’ she said.

Mombasa County Executive Member (CECM) for Transport Dan Manyala lauded the development of the policy, saying they have passed a policy on transport that focuses on charging infrastructure and ways of attracting in
vestors to assemble electric motorcycles and three-wheel motorcycles (TukTuks) in the coastal city.

‘The governor unveiled an industrial park where investors can set up shop to assemble EVs, which will result in a reduction in prices,’ said CEM Manyala.

He acknowledged that the charging points are few but said they are encouraging investors to set up charging points through incentives like tax rebates. They are also mulling the setting aside of road reserves for setting up charging points along the roads.

CECM Manyala advised the two levels of government to devise ways of reducing the prices of EVs, like through exemption of VAT on spare parts and tax rebates.

Benson Njoroge, Chairman of Mombasa Tuktuk Operators, said Mombasa has more than 20,000 Tuktuks that will play a pivotal role in the transition. He wants the policy to address the affordability and durability of electric Tuktuks.

‘We want the government to also look into the power outages so they do not affect the work of our members,’ said Njoroge
.

Agnew Omanga Secretary General Tuktuk Association said Mombasa is on the right trajectory in embracing e-mobility.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth has called on the government to offer reasonable solutions to doctors to entice them to return to work so as to resolve the health crisis facing public hospitals.

Kenneth said it was disheartening for both the government and the doctors to hold a hard stance yet patients cannot access medical services and others are dying in their homes as they cannot afford treatment at private hospitals.

Speaking during the burial of a local farmer in Gatanga, Murang’a County today, Kenneth who was accompanied by Gatanga MP Edward Muriu said the government should offer leadership and have a sitting with doctors and resolve the impasse.

‘Many Kenyans are dying in their homes for lack of medical services. The two factions should drop their hardline stand and resolve the impasse through negotiations. Show some seriousness in addressing the doctors’ pay,’ he said.

Muriu on his part called on doctors to take the government’s offer and get back to work saying the country does not have enough mo
ney to give in to the doctors’ demands.

He said if the government offers to pay intern doctors their demand, all other sectors will demand a pay rise which will sink the economy into a huge wage bill.

‘If the government gives in and pays intern doctors their demand of over Sh200, 000 monthly, every other civil servant will ask for a pay raise, including the police, MPs among others. Where will the government fund this? Drop those demands and return to work?’ posed Muriu.

On threats by some governors to sack the striking doctors, Muriu said it is the wrong approach and amounts to highhandedness.

‘Threats to sack the striking doctors are not the solution. You need dialogue and give them reasonable proposals; otherwise, if you sack them, where will you get their replacements?’ he posed.

The doctors strike has today entered its fifth week with no end in sight as both the government and the medical professionals maintained hardline stances.

The government said it will not budge on its offer to pay intern med
ical doctors Sh70,000 stipend per month while the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) said they will accept nothing less than the pledges contained in their 2017 CBA.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Community Road Empowerment (CORE-Kenya), a non-governmental organisation in collaboration with the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF), through the funding of the World Bank, is working to boost the status of Meru youth through the creation of job opportunities as well as skills development for self-reliance.

The project mainly focuses on young people from the underserved communities of Gitimbine, Mjini and Majengo who are improving 26 kilometres of access roads connecting the 23 kilometres of existing Eastern and Western bypasses.

According to the project manager, Ms Yuka Iwamura, the project’s first component entails capacity building and sustainability of labour-based road maintenance technology in the targeted communities.

The other components are the enhancement of livelihood opportunities, effective project and knowledge management, and monitoring and evaluation.

‘We are not only aiming at improving the road network but also the creation of job opportunities for young people.’

‘We are also targeti
ng the creation of self-reliance in the community and we want to give confidence to the community that they can do it on their own,’ said Iwamura.

She said all the feeder roads will be rehabilitated through a labour-based technology known as ‘Do Nou’ technology.

Do Nou technology means using gunny bags with materials to improve sections of roads that are in dire need of repair or have been rendered impassable.

The focus of rehabilitating the access roads, she added, is to avert a situation whereby people living in underserved areas can’t get access to the roads as they go to their schools, hospitals, and markets, among other areas of interest.

‘We want to revitalise the community by teaching them how to make their roads and we are targeting beneficiaries of about 1,250 people having 25 people for each of the 50 groups,’ said Ms Iwamura.

She said they have already done the first-year Do-nou construction training programme and have already repaired 10 kilometres of road using the technology.

She added tha
t they are currently training 375 people in Gitimbine for the second year where they are targeting to have eight kilometres of access roads rehabilitated.

‘We usually give our trainees 40 days of on-the-job training so that community members get to know how camber is made, dig drainage, and other skills that they will be using in future to rehabilitate their roads in the community,’ said Iwamura.

She said the good thing about the training is that they don’t abandon their trainees after the 40 days but try to boost their social and economic status by encouraging and supporting them to form companies and small micro-enterprises (SMEs) and registering them through the Huduma centres.

‘After they are certified and registered with the National Construction Authority (NCA), they can then start tendering for road construction and utilise the skills they have learned to build roads in their communities,’ said Iwamura.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Motorists plying the Sakas road within Kapenguria Municipality are an elated lot following the proper marking of recently erected speed bumps that posed a traffic threat.

The motorists had hailed the government for erecting standard speed bumps on the road although they raised concerns over what they claimed was lack of markings to signal their presence challenging the concerned authorities to label them for safety since they had been used to the earthly ones that would be easily identifiable.

Speaking to KNA, they said that the move by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) was welcome and added that it will go a long way in improving the status of the road thus making motoring comfortable and safer for both motorists and other road users on the road characterised by sharp bends.

‘With these proper road markings, everybody is now safe for they can know when to slow down and when to overtake,’ said Alfred Nyongesa.

Nyongesa added that the markings should be done periodically since the road has become quit
e busy and fading is inevitable.

He added that motorists new to the road had been tempted to speed oblivious to the existence of the new speed guards because of the lack of markings.

‘It has been very risky especially at night because the road has no street lights to illuminate it, making it difficult for a rider or a motorist to identify the depressions occasioned by the new speed bumps,’ the motorist highlighted.

He pitied motorcyclists fond of speeding on the road noting that if the speed bumps had not been marked, there would have been likelihoods of increased accidents.

Speed bumps also called traffic thresholds or speed breakers for sleeping policemen, are a class of traffic-calming devices that use vertical deflection to slow motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve safety conditions.

The motorists had initially condemned initial illegal bumps saying they were non-uniform hence a threat to the road users but then standard ones were erected with no proper markings.

A spot-check by KNA revealed th
at residents’ appeals for establishment of zebra crossing zones owing to increased human and animal traffic have also been honoured on the main road leading to the county headquarters.

Source: Kenya News Agency

A three-year peacebuilding process has been initiated to unite the warring Tugen, Illchamus and Pokot communities living in Baringo County.

The initiative dubbed ‘Dialogue and not guns, is the path to peace,’ which is being spearheaded by Anglican Development Services (ADS-Kenya) seeks to promote dialogue and reconciliation among the three communities that have been at loggerheads for long .

Speaking during the commissioning of over 100 opinion leaders selected from the warring communities at Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI) in Marigat town, Anglican Churches of Kenya (ACK) Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit stated that the perennial conflict will end when residents learn to love and value each other.

Sapit noted that the church has a leading role in guiding members of the affected communities towards healing and reconciliation following renewed animosity which has made thousands flee their ancestral homes as others become widowed and orphaned due to senseless killings by armed bandits.

The archbishop, w
hile receiving a 19-point memorandum from the group, which will become peace ambassadors at the grassroots, advised residents to do good at all times and shun practices that hamper their development.

‘I hope that soon the criminals will turn the guns into farming tools because when we are peaceful, we can do positive things,’ he said.

Sapit was accompanied by Rt Rev Musa Kamuren (Baringo), Rt. Rev David Lebarleiya of Mararal and other local leaders including County Executive for Devolution Peninah Bartuin, her Youth Affairs counterpart Maurine Limashep, Saimo Soi Ward MCA Michael Chebon and John Aengwo of Saimo Kipsaraman, who joined the Archbishop in touring Moinonin IDP camp in Baringo North and Chepilat in Tiaty East Sub-counties thereafter the laying of a foundation stone for ACK Lorecho in Marigat Ward.

The ACK church leader stated that they are working closely with both the county and national governments as well as other peace actors to champion the community-led dialogue process.

Limashep, who urg
ed residents of Tiaty to embrace churches, also advised parents to enrol all the children in school as a way of transforming the region.

She argued that the county will not develop if residents don’t change their mindset and forgo harmful retrogressive cultural practices, which will not benefit them in the long run.

Bartuin challenged residents to avoid the negative tagging of an entire community but instead identify the few criminals amongst them because they are the ones causing the county to lag behind in terms of development compared to other regions.

Some of the proposals raised by the peace steering committee include fostering peace and cohesion meetings, psychosocial support, provisions of bursaries to affected families, respect for colonial boundaries and a forced schooling campaign as a long-term solution to banditry in Baringo.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Cases of femicide have continued to be a growing concern in Kenya with reported murders targeting young women in different parts of the country.

According to the National Demographic Health Survey (2022), 34 percent of women experienced physical violence which translates to one out of every three women in Kenya being at risk of femicide.

Further, according to statistics from Femicide Count Kenya, an organisation that documents stories of women and girls whose lives have been ended through violence, Kenya recorded 150 known femicides in 2023.

These multiple cases of femicide have also included female university students on various campuses whose lives have been cut short by people well known to them.

For instance, in January 2024, 20-year-old Rita Waeni from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology was brutally killed at an Airbnb apartment in Nairobi, Kenya.

During the same month, Harriet Nyaboga who was a first-year student at Machakos University died after her boyfriend allegedly stabbed
her to death following a heated argument.

In November 2023, 22-year-old Lucy Boke from Kisii National Polytechnic was murdered by her ex-boyfriend who trailed her to her home near the school’s premises.

Similarly, Faith Owino was reported to have been fatally stabbed by unknown people at Pwani University in October 2023.

Following this trend of multiple murders among young women especially female university students, Healthy Communities for Wealthy Nations (HECOWENA), a community-based organisation in Kisii County, has partnered with International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) to sensitise students on sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) in institutions of higher learning.

Speaking during a sensitization forum at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Kisii Branch, HECOWENA Executive Director Alex Ontiri decried the rampant cases of sexual gender-based violence being reported among young people in universities and colleges.

According to Ontiri, most of the students are not knowledgeable on matters of GBV
and this has slowed down the efforts being made to curb the rising cases of violence among them.

‘The rising number of femicides and killings among this cohort is due to the fact that they are not aware of how to identify perpetrators of GBV and how to prevent themselves from being survivors of the same,’ he said.

The Executive Director called for more collaboration from partners to ensure they support and educate young people on how to prevent GBV in institutions of higher learning.

ISF’s Project Manager Gerishom Boiyo said that through their Grassroots Initiative programme, they are supporting partners to implement strategies and actions aimed at eradicating GBV in Kisii and Nyamira counties.

‘Our partners are currently engaging students on issues of sexual gender-based violence, how they can prevent the vice and encouraging those affected to report, get psychosocial support and use other referral pathways for assistance,’ noted Boiyo.

Kisii County Nurse Psychologist Margaret Mogaka encouraged the stud
ents to establish healthy relationships and conduct background checks on the people they are engaging with.

‘Trends of femicide, murder and homicide have become high and students should know that they have the ability to make decisions and the freedom to make choices,’ Mogaka said.

She urged the students to be cautious when attending social gatherings and parties adding that they should inform friends and relatives where they are going and confirm their safety.

Ms Mogaka called upon the students to negotiate for safe sex practices to avoid cases of unwanted or unintended pregnancies, infections and other diseases.

According to the nurse psychologist, the government was spending a lot of resources annually to address issues of SGBV in health facilities, and the funds could be channelled to other healthy causes.

‘We all need to take responsibility and build trust with the people we have established intimate relationships with and in case the relationship does not work, walk out and ensure you are safe,’ Mo
gaka said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kisumu county government has released bursaries and full scholarships worth Sh51.2 million to support bright and needy students in the county.

Through the initiative, some 1,050 students will benefit ahead of school’s reopening for second term in May.

Kisumu County Governor Anyang Nyong’o said the move targets to cushion parents and learners who are struggling to raise school fees amidst tough economic times.

‘We are here to put smiles on the faces of needy students who have been spending sleepless nights agonising where their school fees will come from,’ he said.

This, he said was part of the financial year 2023/2024 bursary allocation by the county adding that despite the huge investment, some 350 learners were left out.

The demand for bursaries and scholarships, he added was huge calling on partners and stakeholders to chip in and bring on board those left out of the county programme.

In a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Governor Mathews Owili during the issuance of the bursaries and scholarships
, Prof Nyong’o lauded the support from Equity Bank, KCB, Family Bank, Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company (KIWASCO) and the national government for rolling out similar initiatives to support needy students.

His government, he said, was committed to scaling up the kitty to ensure 100% transition and boost education standards in the county.

Since 2017, he said, the county government has issued Sh308,245,862 in scholarships to 2,310 students and Sh723,847,841 in bursaries to over 78,572 successful applicants.

This brings to Sh1,032,093,703 the money the county government has disbursed in scholarships and bursaries.

‘We have helped thousands of students and we are going for more needy but bright children. We promised to do this as a strategy to ensure a smooth transition from class eight to secondary education and into universities,’ he said.

To ensure transparency and accountability, he said County and Ward Education Bursary and Scholarship committees have been established to vet applications and ensure tha
t only deserving cases are considered.

He asked school principals to acknowledge receipt of the funds and issue receipts to the department of education to enhance transparency.

Beneficiaries, he added have been notified to also submit to the Department of Education report forms, fee structures, academic transcripts and fee statements in good time.

The county government, he added has invested heavily in vocational training to spur economic development in the area.

From 2018 to date, the number of vocational training centres in Kisumu has increased from 20 to 26.

‘We spent approximately Sh206 million in capitation grants and we commit to increasing the allocation. We urge the youth to enrol in vocational training centres near them since the county guarantees partial payment of applicable fees of Sh15,000,’ he said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

National Youth Service (NYS) graduates have been given priority during recruitment of rangers’ officers in West Pokot by the Kenya Wildlife Services.

Out of the 16 rangers recruited in the county, 11 were NYS graduates, while the remaining five were members of the public.

Addressing the press at Makutano Stadium in West Pokot during the recruitment exercise, Mr Bakari Chongwa, the Senior Assistant Director in charge of rangers’ recruitment in the region stated that the decision was made in accordance with President William Ruto’s directive, which stated that 80 percent of all security recruitment should be from NYS, forming part of the Kenya Defence Forces, Kenya Wildlife Services, and Kenya Forest Service.

He explained that they prioritised recruiting a large number of NYS-trained and graduated youths, as per the president’s directive.

‘Out of the 16 slots available for West Pokot youths, 11 were filled by NYS graduates, while the remaining five were members of the public. Additionally, two slots were re
served for NYS-trained women, and one slot was reserved for a woman who had not undergone NYS training,” he explained.

Mr Chongwa further clarified that out of the 16 slots, 13 were reserved for men and three for women.

He said the recruitment process was conducted across the six sub-counties of West Pokot, including Pokot North, Pokot South, Kipkomo, West Pokot, Kacheliba, and Pokot Central.

The Assistant Director emphasised that the recruitment process went smoothly without any issues or complaints from the participants or the public observers.

He also assured the public that the recruitment exercise was free of charge, transparent, and not influenced by any external factors or political leaders.

One of the candidates, Titus Yatich, informed KNA that the recruitment process was conducted fairly and transparently by the recruiting team.

Yatich, who was eventually hired, revealed that he was selected because he was the sole applicant who had undergone NYS training from Kipkomo sub-county, and the recru
iting officer aimed to recruit one NYS graduate from that specific area.

Yatich expressed his gratitude to the recruitment officers for organizing a fair process and was pleased to have been chosen.

He encouraged other youths without formal training to consider joining NYS, as it would give them an advantage in government security recruitment.

Thomas Meriareng, another applicant from Pokot South Sub-County, shared that he had high hopes of being recruited when he left his home. Upon successfully securing a spot, he felt a sense of joy and a breakthrough in his life.

‘Being recruited has provided me with an opportunity to support my struggling parents and siblings through education and other needs,” Meriareng said.

He appreciated the president’s directive to reserve 80 percent of security personnel recruitment slots in Kenya for NYS graduates.

David Plimo, the Chairman of Nyumba Kumi Initiative in West Pokot County, observed that the recruitment exercise proceeded smoothly, leaving both the public and r
ecruits satisfied with the results.

Plimo mentioned that the youths who were turned away from the exercise acknowledged that they did not meet the necessary requirements and were content with the decision.

The exercise concluded at 4:30 p.m. without any issues, as both the public and recruits were pleased with how it was conducted.

Source: Kenya News Agency

A key witness in the murder trial of a police constable accused of killing her estranged husband was stood down by the Presiding Judge in an Eldoret Court citing work overload.

A house help Sharon Jepchirchir who was working for the accused, Lilian Biwott at the time of the incident, had been called to the dock to give her evidence-in-chief against her former employer but was stood down by Justice Reuben Nyakundi.

Justice Nyakundi explained that he could not proceed with the hearing of the murder case since he had more than 50 rulings and judgments, he had to deliver during the day hence the need to stand down the witness until June 4, 2024.

Jepchirchir is among five prosecution witnesses lined up to testify in the murder trial.

The 32-year-old female police officer is accused of fatally shooting her husband, Victor Kipchumba on October 9, 2023 night at their rental house in Kimumu estate along the Eldoret-Iten highway in Uasin Gishu County.

Biwott was attached to the Critical Infrastructure Protection U
nit (CIPU) in Uasin Gishu County where she served at the Kenya Bureau of Standards Eldoret branch when the crime was allegedly committed.

The accused denied the murder charge and is being held at the Eldoret GK women’s remand since she was arrested and arraigned in court last year.

Earlier family members of the victim protested outside the court against the move by the key witness to meet with the suspect in the high court cells.

They complained that it was wrong for Jepchirchir to interact with the accused person in the cell and yet she was scheduled to testify against her in the murder trial expressing concern that the accused was attempting to influence the witness on what to say during the trial.

However further conflict was averted when a police officer rushed to the holding cells and asked the witness to leave until the new hearing date when she will appear in court.

Source: Kenya News Agency