Day: April 22, 2024

Nakuru County has embarked on an exercise of beatification of all Health centers and hospital compounds by planting trees and fruits in their commitment towards promoting healthier communities and combating climate change.

The County Public Health Officer, George Gachomba, along with healthcare workers, have been actively planting fruit trees in hospitals throughout the week.

Speaking at the Menengai Crater Dispensary, the officer said each tree planted signifies the commitment to a greener, healthier future for the county.

He noted that the rainy season was a perfect time for all residents to take up the challenge of assisting the government to achieve its ambitious plan of planting 15 billion trees in the next ten years.

He urged the students who are on holiday to plant at least ten trees in their compounds and on the roadside, not only for their sake but for posterity, saying that by so doing, the current generation would be doing everything possible to improve the environment, enable the country to ac
hieve food security, and preserve the rivers.

Gachomba said more than anybody else, Nakuru residents knew the struggles they underwent during the dry months that start from November to April annually, when the sun becomes extremely hot and the water scarcity that follows.

He observed that, unlike the past generation, the current children have grown up watching and seeing the realities of climate change, such as prolonged droughts, floods, pests, and drying rivers in their neighbourhoods.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has appointed Dr. Alice Wairimu Kande as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Authority for a five-year term.

Dr. Kande has been the acting Director General at KNQA since December 7, 2022, following the exit of Dr. Juma Mukhwana, who now serves as the Principal Secretary of the Department for Industry.

Before her appointment as Acting Director General, Kande served as Deputy Director in Charge of Planning, Research, Outreach, and Policy at the Authority.

In a press statement sent to newsrooms, the KNQA Council Chairperson, Stanley Kiptis, said Dr. Kande was the successful candidate out of the 12 shortlisted candidates who were interviewed for the position that had attracted a total of 36 applicants.

The position was advertised on November 28, 2023, and the interviews commenced on February 27, 2024, to February 28, 2024.

‘Following deliberations and careful consideration, the Council appointed Dr. Kande for the position,’ said Kiptis.

While congratulating her on the appointment, Kiptis expressed the Council’s confidence in her leadership and hoped that she will steer the organisation as well as she did in an acting capacity.

Dr. Kande holds a doctorate degree in Business Admiration in Strategic Management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, a Master’s in Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Education both from Kenyatta University.

She has been instrumental in the development of various national policies at the Authority among them the recognition of the Prior Learning Policy that was launched in March this year by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, she coordinated the development of the Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer System; and the Registration and Accreditation Policy Framework.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The National Fund for the Disabled in Kenya (NFDK) is sparking hope and opportunity in the Coast Region with their newly unveiled Empowerment Programme, which is set to ignite business start-ups and provide crucial educational grants to institutions supporting learners with disabilities.

NFDK has a mandate to enhance the social and economic empowerment of persons with disabilities, achieved by supporting individuals with disabilities with assistive technology, as enablers of inclusion and economic empowerment.

The toolsets they offer serve to bolster the social and economic independence of disabled individuals. These livelihood opportunities play a crucial role in dismantling both physical and attitudinal barriers associated with the capabilities of persons with disabilities.

Speaking at the Coast Regional Commissioner’s Office, Mombasa, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees (NFDK), Kristina Kenyatta Pratt, said that the Fund strives to challenge the misconception that individuals with disabilities are
either incapable of working or cannot be integrated into the workforce.

Pratt highlighted the distribution of grants to eight educational institutions throughout the region, amounting to a total of Sh 1,600,000. Additionally, trade tools valued at Sh 724,040 were provided to disabled individuals from Nyali and Mvita sub-counties.

‘The flagship of the NFDK has brought significant benefits to the Coast Region, with 18 institutions catering to learners with disabilities receiving projects valued at Sh 44,873,300. These projects encompass essential facilities such as dormitories, dining halls, ICT labs, and classrooms, enhancing the educational landscape and fostering inclusivity within the region.’ Pratt said.

During their visits to different counties, Pratt noted a concerning trend of parents concealing their disabled children, seemingly hesitant to expose them to public view.

However, she underscored the significance of the advocacy programme designed to encourage parents to openly acknowledge and present
these children, so that they can receive the necessary assistance and support.

‘I want to appeal to all beneficiaries, as you receive the assistance you applied for, whether a grant, tool of trade, or assistive device, please use it for the intended purpose because we shall follow-up and monitor your progress in business or start-up, and for the institutions, you will be held accountable for the utilisation of the grants received today,’ she said.

The Coast Deputy Regional Commissioner, Mbogho Majioe, said the Government conducted thorough vetting to ensure that no imposters posing as disabled individuals benefit.

‘We have implemented a robust monitoring tool to track and assess how those who have received assistance are utilising them to improve their livelihood,’ Mbogho said.

He encouraged parents to expose their disabled children to the support that the government is providing because many of the kids are disabled but very intelligent and talented.

Hellen Mwithana, one of the beneficiaries who receive
d a salon business toolkit, expressed her gratitude to NFDK.

‘This salon kit will greatly assist me in managing my livelihood, especially since I have been unemployed for quite some time,’ Mwithana said.

Although her knowledge of salon operations may be limited, she pledged to pursue further training to enhance her skills.

‘My goal is to eventually open a salon and employ others, so we can mutually support each other in seeking sustenance,’ she concluded.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) has partnered with education institutions in an afforestation campaign that will see some 500,000 fruit seedlings planted within a year.

NDMA Chairman of the Technical Committee, Koome Kiragu, says schools and tertiary institutions are targeted in this campaign supported by the European Union, which will see some 10 primary and secondary schools from semi-arid areas receive twenty 10,000-litre water tanks to support rainwater harvesting.

Koome, who was accompanied by NDMA CEO, Lt Col (Rtd) Hared Adan, spoke at Nkando Primary School, where some 5,000 mango tree seedlings are set to be planted in some 62 schools in Laikipia County, during the current rainy season.

‘We have decided to grow fruit trees for the benefit of our schools in terms of nutrient uptake among learners and also as a way of generating income. It’s now the responsibility of the schools to take care of the trees until maturity,’ said Kiragu.

Adan revealed that NDMA has a target of planting f
ive million trees, including fruit trees, by 2032, in order to implement the presidential directive of planting 15 billion trees in ten years.

‘We have come up with an initiative to partner with institutions, including schools, to inculcate the culture of protecting the environment among young people. This will also ensure that by the time children are completing grade nine, they will have reaped the benefits of the fruit trees,’ said Lt Col (RTD) Adan.

He said NDMA officials would be monitoring the seedlings after every three months to ensure their survival, citing this as the main reason why they have also distributed the water tanks for rainwater harvesting.

‘If each household is able to harvest water that will support domestic usage and also grow trees, we encourage each family to plant at least five trees aimed at protecting our environment,’ he said.

Beatrice Wachira, from the office of Laikipia County Director of Education, said that school heads have been directed to ensure the survival of the see
dlings.

She said the fruit trees would improve nutrition uptake for the learners besides generating income for the targeted institutions.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The British High Commissioner to Kenya, Neil Wigan, has commended Maasai culture and the historic relationship of the community with the British Government.

While speaking during the Maasai Council of Elders meeting that drew all the elders from Maa counties, Wigan said Britain appreciates the Maa communities and their culture.

The meeting held at the Chairman of Maa Council of Elders, Keleina Nchoe’s home, at Naisuyia in Narok, was attended by Governor Joseph ole Lenku of Kajiado County and Governor Patrick Ntutu of Narok County, Narok North Law Maker, Agnes Pareyio, Narok Woman Representative, Rebecca Tonkei, and Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Jackson Sapit.

Wigan lauded a team that was led by Archbishop Sapit, together with the Maasai Council of Elders, where they visited the British High Commissioner’s home in Nairobi and discussed the history and issues affecting the Maasai people.

However, Wigan said they will continue talking about Maasai history, both in the present and the future, in
order to keep the relationship going together and forward.

‘About the history, we will continue talking about the present and the future in order to keep the relationship going together, promising to go back to Nairobi and see what they can do more, to help the Maasai communities,’ said Wigan.

Additionally, Wigan said that the Maa Communities are the guardians of the conservation of nature, landscapes, and natural resources in the country.

Wigan urged the Maasai to keep working together and making sure they benefit from Tourism and other economic activities.

Governor Lenku applauded the community for conserving culture, adding that through culture, the Maasai people have benefited so far.

Lenku also said that the Maa Economic Bloc has continued to bear fruit on the economic perspectives of the member counties, Narok, Kajiado, and Samburu.

Lenku recognised the initiative of conserving the environment, where he mentioned the adoption of the Maasai Mau forest name as the ‘queen’s canopy’.

Governor Ntutu c
ongratulated the Maasai Council of Elders for the occasion that brought all the elders from the Maa counties to share their experiences and ensure that the community is heading in the right direction.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Mombasa County Government has embarked on the restoration of grave sites in the area through the construction of boundary walls and the removal of mounds of garbage.

Most grave sites were not manned and lacked perimeter walls, paving the way for unscrupulous traders to set up shacks.

Deputy Governor (DG), Francis Thoya, who is also the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Environment, Solid Waste Management, and Energy, is supervising the gravesite restoration.

Mbaraki Cemetery, a historical gravesite where the remains of First and Second World Wars soldiers are interred, has already been renovated.

Restoration of Kongowea Cemetery, which was on the verge of being turned into a dumpsite by traders from the nearby Kongowea market, is now in high gear.

County trucks are removing heaps of trash while construction of a boundary wall has started. Some insensible traders were drying fish on top of the tombs and roasting groundnuts.

The gravesite was an eyesore for years, and the devolved government’s
intervention is timely, as it will go a long way to relieve the anguish of relatives seeing their loved ones’ graves being slowly turned into a marketplace.

‘As a government, we want to accord our departed loved ones a dignified place to rest. Part of the restoration of dignity is to beautify this place,’ said the DG in Kongowea.

DG Thoya pleaded with traders to remove their belongings from the gravesites lest they be forcefully evicted.

‘If we are not careful, people will be trading on top of tombs. I have come to inform you to move away so that we can put up a perimeter wall. Whoever will disregard my advice shouldn’t blame me,’ said the DG.

‘It is wrong to do business on someone’s tomb; it is disrespectful to those resting there. What if it were your relative? How would you feel his grave being turned into a marketplace? We must be humane,’ he added.

The churches, he stated, are lamenting that they have neglected the graves. He wondered why traders dare to build shacks where people have buried their l
oved ones.

Albert Mutua, a Kongowea resident, echoed Thoya’s sentiments, saying traders should vacate graves in peace and find alternative places to do business.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The government is working on policies and strategies to guide the introduction of electric mobility, which involves electric vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles, as a way of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and reducing the use of fossil fuels in line with the Paris Agreement of 2015.

Speaking during a public participation forum held at the Garissa government guest house, Michael Muchiri, a member of the Electric Mobility Taskforce, said that the policy will also seek to address some of the challenges faced currently in the sector, which is slowly picking up.

The draft national e-mobility policy for 2024 will further seek to promote local manufacturing and assembly of Electric Vehicles, develop and enhance e-mobility infrastructural and technical capacity, among others.

‘There have been challenges, especially in terms of the distance an electric vehicle or motorbike can cover per charge and the time for fast charging, which is about 2 hours. However, this is a new technology, and new improvem
ents are being made every day. For example, today you don’t need to wait for 2 hours to charge your motorcycle battery; you just need to swap with a fully charged one and continue with your business,’ Muchiri said.

‘For vehicles, the researchers are working on ways to increase the distance covered by a single charge from 200 kilometres to 500 kilometers. This will help our people to easily embrace the technology and buy more EVs,’ he added.

Muchiri further said that the ministry of energy and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) will introduce a special tariff for owners of electric vehicles which will be cheaper to enable them to cut charging costs.

On the affordability of electric vehicles, Muchiri said that although the vehicles are almost twice the cost of normal fuel vehicles, as the technology improves and more production is done, the cost will eventually drop.

‘Currently, we have a total of close to 4000 electric mobility vehicles and motorcycles in the country. Having a reduced tar
iff for these owners is part of the strategy to increase the uptake of the Electric Mobility and go green,’ he said.

Garissa County Director for Environment Mulki Mohamed welcomed the draft recommendations and called on the government to find a way to enable the Garissa solar power plant, which is the largest in East and Central Africa, to be used locally in Garissa.

Mulki disclosed that the solar power produced at the plant is enough to enable the state to set up charging stations in Garissa and help the people to acquire more electric vehicles.

She, however, called on the government to work on constructing more roads in Garissa, especially those connecting sub-counties, to ensure smooth movement of electric vehicles since, without proper roads, they are likely to be damaged.

Maxwell Otieno, Garissa County Boda Boda Association Chairperson, said that although they have not received any electric bikes in the county, once charging stations are fully constructed, they would be willing to venture into electr
ic motor cycles, which will help them cut down on operation costs.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Residents living in landslide-prone areas in Murang’a County have been urged to be on the lookout as many parts of the county continue to experience heavy downpours.

The County Director of Meteorology, Anthony Kinyua, said the soils are saturated and steep areas can have land or mudslides. He noted that some parts of the upper zones have witnessed mudslides, saying that, unfortunately, the mudslides have caused huge destruction of property.

Mudslides have been reported in some parts of the county due to debris blocking roads, prompting residents in steep terrain to be vigilant for potential landslides. ‘Murang’a has witnessed huge landslides in the past, causing loss of lives and destruction of property, thus the need to take caution.’ Added Kinyua.

In the month of April, the director noted it’s the peak of the ongoing long rains, saying some areas have recorded above-average rainfall. He also cautioned people living in urban areas against splash floods, saying some residential houses, especially in towns
in the lower parts of the county, have experienced floods.

‘Areas in lower areas of Murang’a are likely to experience floods. Rivers are swollen, and there has also been spillage at Ndakaini Dam in Gatanga Sub County. Residents in areas like Ithanga and Kaguku, which neighbour the Thika River, should be on the lookout for possible floods.’ Noted Kinyua.

The Ndakaini dam has experienced over 2.5 cubic meters per second of water spillage in recent days, which is discharged into the Chania River, which connects with the Thika River. On Saturday night, Kinyua said the Kiambicho forest weather station recorded 53.1 mm of rain. ‘Some areas are even recording more than 100 mm of rain in a day.’ He added.

Kinyua called motorists to exercise caution as some roads have witnessed mudslides with debris blocking sections of the roads. ‘Last week, some roads like Murang’a-Kiriaini and Nyoka Nyoka were blocked by debris as a result of mudslides, but the county disaster team removed them,’ he said.

On her part, the Count
y Red Cross Coordinator, Ms. Immaculate Iteba, said three houses in Kiharu and one in Kangema subcounties have been destroyed by mudslides.

Iteba said a trained team from the Red Cross is monitoring the situation in villages and advising locals on precautions to take.

‘We have a team spread to various parts of the county to monitor the effects of the rains. In landslide prone areas, they are advising the locals to move to safer areas.’ She stated.

Source: Kenya News Agency