Month: May 2024

The Machakos Law Courts on Friday held a court open day that brought together all the stakeholders in the justice sector and the public.

The event held at the court grounds saw judges, magistrates, lawyers, the police, prosecution, criminal investigators, mediators, probation and children officers interact with members of the public and share information on the services they provide as stakeholders.

Chief Magistrate and Head of Station -Machakos Law Courts-Francis Andayi said the initiative is meant to achieve Social Transformation Through Access to Justice (STAJ) through legal information and public education.

Andayi said the courts intends to achieve STAJ through people centred strategies that are independent, accessible and efficient to protect the rights of all especially the vulnerable.

He added that the open day also seeks to demystify court proceedings to the public and enhance access to justice.

‘This forum is meant to bring our clients close and understand what goes on in court.Members of the pu
blic think that court proceedings are shrouded in mystery and middlemen take advantage of them,’ said chief magistrate.

Andayi also added that the judiciary has rolled out e-filing of cases to enhance transparency and urged members of the public to take advantage of the system to track their cases.

‘Members of the public can now access their files and know how far they cases have gone, documents required adjournment and reasons for adjournments so long as they are registered,’ he said.

The chief magistrate called on the public to embrace mediation especially for cases related to succession to reduce case load and fasten resolution of matters.

‘Many of the cases in Machakos are succession cases where litigants can use a neutral arbitrator and agree amongst themselves what can be done to reduce the backlog,’ he said.

Andayi also asked the public to make use of the small claims court to settle matters.

Pauline Muthoka, a mediator asked residents to embrace mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mec
hanism instead of going to court saying mediation is cost effective and helps reduce case backlogs.

‘Mediation takes about two months, it reduces the amount of resources and time used and also save relationships especially for members of the same community,’ she said.

Also present was County Children’s Coordinator Rhoda Mwikya who dissuaded the public against settling defilement cases outside courts.

‘Kangaroo courts are not allowed and defilement cases are dealt with in a court of law,’ said Mwikya.

She noted that many defilement cases go unreported and called on members of the public to report such cases to protect children.

‘Many cases are not reported and if they are, the reporting is done late when the evidence has been lost. We call on members of the public to be vigilant and report such cases to safeguard the rights of children,’ noted the children’s coordinator.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Journalists in Kisumu County have appealed to governmental authorities and all relevant stakeholders to respect, protect and promote press freedom for effective reporting to combat environmental crises.

Speakers at the World Press Freedom Day 2024 organised by Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) in partnership with Article 19 Eastern Africa, Media Council of Kenya, and Kisumu Journalists Network (KJN) underscored the importance of independent press on advocacy and public understanding of environmental issues.

As heavy rain and frequent floods continue to disrupt lives across the country, the role of media has become even more crucial in highlighting the impacts of climate change.

‘Journalists play a crucial role as the link between scientists and the public when it comes to reporting on environmental issues,’ asserted John Oywa, Kisumu County Chief Officer of Communications.

‘They help simply complex scientific research findings into understandable language for the general audience,’ he highlighted.

‘
Journalists bridge the gap between science scholars and the indigenous people by effectively communicating environmental stories that seek to educate, raise awareness and inspire action, ‘observed Oywa.

Kevine Omollo, Chairperson, KCA Nyanza Chapter, observed that reporters serve as watchdogs, exposing corrupt and illegal activities fueling climate change and environmental degradation.

‘The floods being experienced in Kisumu and other parts of the nation are as a result of environmental undoing through natural resources over exploitation by greedy individuals,’ pointed out Omollo who is also the Managing Editor at Lake Region Bulletin.

He pleaded, ‘We are calling for authorities to create an enabling environment for media freedom and access to information to enable journalists to effectively report on climate change issues devoid of threats and intimidation from the culpable parties who are hell-bent on protecting their interests.’

In the meantime, KCA National Chairman Hadson Araka in a press release iss
ued on Friday, acknowledged that the World Press Freedom Day this year was dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the face of the global environmental crisis.

Despite the gains towards attaining press freedom, Araka stated that freedom of speech, access to information and media independence are increasingly under attack globally.

He decried, ‘journalists in Kenya face numerous challenges in their work. They are often attacked, both physically and online, some are arrested and charged with various offenses, in a bid to intimidate them because they report on corruption, bad governance and demands for accountability by citizens.’

Violations and abuses suffered by media practitioners include physical attacks, torture, unlawful surveillance, extra-judicial killings, judicial harassment, enforced disappearances, cyber harassment, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions.

The World Press Freedom Day is commemorated annually on May 3. Besides Kisumu, the event was also held in Kisi
i, Busia, Bungoma, Kakamega, Turkana, Nairobi, Isiolo, Meru, Tharaka, Makueni and Mombasa Counties.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has challenged residents to prioritise technical training, which he said has been ignored for a long time.

Speaking at the County Headquarters after receiving a torch to commemorate 100 years of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in Kenya, Natembeya said more enrollment for vocational courses will ensure enough technical personnel in the country, reiterating that lack of it is a setback for development.

‘For our nation and country to compete effectively with the rest of the world we need plumbers, electricians and enough personnel in technical fields.

For our health sector to run smoothly doctors need nurses, for architects to achieve what they do, they rely on other people with technical skills,’ he said.

The Governor said that since its inception the sector has been a crucial element in combating unemployment in the country by equipping learners with skills for self-employment, adding that the achievements made are worthy of celebration.

‘Through te
chnical training our country has seen growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES),’ he said urging the public and learners to discard the long held believe that technical training is meant for failures.

Trans Nzoia county Executive Committee Member in charge of Education and vocational training Stanley Kirui urged more students to enroll in the 32 vocational training centres across the county to acquire skills and knowledge which will help improve their livelihoods.

‘I wonder why we are not getting the numbers required in our TVETs and yet the government has made the training more affordable,’ he said.

Present during the function were representatives from TVETs led by Trans Nzoia County Director of TVETs Chief Principal Martha Wekesa among other county officials.

Source: Kenya News Agency

In a display of community solidarity and environmental stewardship, Kericho Town residents joined the Kericho County officials and Rotary Club members in a general clean-up exercise to transform the urban landscape into a beacon of cleanliness and sustainability.

Hundreds of volunteers participated in the Saturday morning noble activity that involved collecting garbage and litter that caused environmental pollution, posing a hygienic danger to the residents within the extensive Kericho Market and the main bus terminal vicinities.

Speaking during the exercise at the Kericho main bus stage, the Kericho County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Water, Environment, Forestry, Energy, and Natural Resources Rosemary Rop who led the exercise said a policy will be established to solve waste pollution at the source by encouraging separation of garbage at source, recycling of organic wastes, plastics and glass metals in the county to make the county a green county with less pollution.

Ms Rop congratulated
the Rotary Club for their partnership with the county government to clean up the town voluntarily and their dedication and passion for community service which has been a driving force behind the clean-up initiative.

‘As a county, we want to demonstrate and embrace the principles of sustainability and a clean environment and this is not something we can do by following people. Everyone must take responsibility for their immediate and value hygiene, cleanliness, recycling, reducing and reusing all waste in the environment,’ said Ms Rop

Also present was the Kericho County Environment and Natural Resources Director Ms Doreen Cheruyiot who encouraged the residents to make sure that their wastes are disposed of and disintegrated at the source as a sustainable management of the waste to maintain cleanliness in the town.

At the same time, the Kericho Rotary Club Project Director Oscar Buita Lumire stated that the club had partnered with other stakeholders to sensitize the community to the importance of waste manag
ement and cleanliness in the town as well as educate them on proper waste management to improve the environment.

‘By empowering individuals with knowledge and resources, Rotary Clean-Up Day inspired a collective commitment to building a cleaner, greener future for Kericho Town,’ said Lumire

He said the club will continue organizing such clean-up exercises more often to foster a renewed sense of pride and responsibility for the surroundings.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Busia based journalists have been urged to articulate climate change issues.

Addressing the press during a forum to mark the World Press Freedom Day at Busia County Commissioner’s office premises on Friday, the chairman of Busia press club Joseph Abuje stated the issue of climate change was real and it was affecting everybody across the globe.

‘It is therefore my clarion call that we try to take our positions as journalists so that we can articulate issues in terms of environmental coverage,’ he said pointing out that the role of media is to educate and inform the public.

Abuje hailed the press for offering coverage of the floods in Bunyala adding that both the County and national government had to support the flood victims.

‘We have seen on many occasions that there is a lack of good plans despite the early warnings, our governments have not heeded, hence disasters lead to loss of lives,’ he said.

He urged the national government to put plans in place so that they can assist county governments in terms
of financing.

‘It is very painful to lose lives simply because somebody is not prepared to take care,’ he said.

Busia Press Club Secretary Elias Iteba said that there was need to capacity build journalists especially on the use of the digital platform and also urged the government to protect journalists when they are discharging their mandate.

Busia Deputy County Commissioner Chaka Nyamawi thanked the journalists for the good work they do, noting that journalists had taken the lead in exposing the ills in the society thereby complementing the work of the National Government Administrative Officers.

‘Let me congratulate them for sharing information and giving updates on emerging issues within the County,’ he said, adding that the media in Busia County have been very effective in information sharing and urged them to continue working closely with government agencies and exercise professionalism.

‘I also want to urge you to continue advancing media freedom and be professional in your work as you seek and di
sseminate information to the public,’ he said.

The DCC at the same time challenged the scribes to grow their career as they focus on greater appointments in both the County and National governments.

Busia county governor Paul Otuoma on his part commended the journalists for their good work and extended sympathy to journalists who have lost their lives while in the line of duty.

He observed that journalists are part of the governance system arguing that freedom of speech is the foundation of democracy, and this must be properly gated through the kind of work done by them.

‘We must create an enabling environment where you are able to do your work freely and be recognised as an institution that is part of the governance structure, ‘ he said.

The journalists engaged in a peaceful procession towards the County Commissioner’s office before being addressed by the relevant stakeholders.

This year’s theme is; a press for the planet: Journalism in the face of the Environment Crisis.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Zachary Mwangi Njeru has restated that the Government is mapping out 100 mega dams and 1,000 small and medium dams and will also rehabilitate the existing social and economy dams in order to harvest water for the future and help stem the raging floods that have pounded the country in the last few weeks.

Mr Njeru divulged that out of the 100 proposed mega dams, 34 of them have already been earmarked for development, adding that the funding of the projects will be done through Public / Private Partnership (PPP) and the Government will be engaging various private organisations to help fund the projects.

The CS admitted that most dams in the country are full and spilling at this time but the Government is taking precaution by giving advisories to those living in low lands where necessary.

‘Let’s take precaution and move to safety to save lives when we get these advisories and take shelter from the current flooding,’ Njeru appealed to Kenyans, adding that the G
overnment was using the whole Government approach in assessing and handling the ongoing flood disaster in order to ensure minimum loss of lives and property.

Njeru was speaking in Maai -Mahiu in Naivasha on Friday when he visited the victims of last Monday`s flooding in the area and brought them some food and non-food items for support.

Briefing the CS and his team, Nakuru County Commissioner Lyford Kibaara said so far, the death toll from the tragedy now stands at 52 people but over 26 people are still missing since Monday`s tragedy.

The tragedy occurred in the wee hours of Monday morning after a seasonal dam on the upper part of the Kijabe hills burst its banks, sending gallons of flash flood water gushing downstream and decimating hundreds of homes in the Mai Mahiu area of Naivasha.

About 112 people were hospitalised in different hospitals after the incident, with only 32 still admitted to date. A total of 120 households who are being accommodated at Ngeya Girls Secondary School which has been acting a
s a temporary shelter will be moved by this weekend to a different location in order to allow the school management to prepare for reopening of schools to be announced at a future date after Government postponed it from next Monday in order to assess the flood situation.

Mr Kibaara said hundreds of rescued victims continue to receive medical attention at the health facilities in the area with government, church, and private counsellors deployed to offer psychosocial support to affected family members.

Over 200 people have been confirmed dead in the floods around the country with over 170,000 others displaced and many missing in 33 affected counties and the situation is still looking grim as the Meteorology department warns of more rain and the marauding cyclone Hidaya said to be approaching the Kenyan Coast from the South.

The Culture Director of the Kiama Council of Elders from Mount Kenya Kigochi Waimiri advised Kenyans to take advisories being given by experts about the weather very seriously in order t
o avoid loss of lives. His team also brought with them lorry loads of assorted food items, mostly fresh farm produce and non-food items to help the victims of Mai -Mahiu floods.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining held a public participation forum in Kericho town where residents had the opportunity to submit their views on two mining bills presented before the committee for amendment.

According to the Chair of the 15-member committee David Gikaria, who is also the Nakuru East Member of Parliament, the two bills presented for amendment include the Mining Amendment Bill 2023 and the Gold Processing Bill 2023.

The legislator who was accompanied by other members of the committee including the Kericho Woman Representative Beatrice Kemei and Nominated MP Joseph Wainaina explained that the Gold Processing Bill 2023 provides for the establishment, composition functions, and management of the Gold Processing Corporation.

Mr Gikaria explained that the bill also provided for the application, cancellation, and renewal of a gold processing license and connected purposes.

He further explained that the Gold Processing Bill 2023 seeks to establish a legal and institutiona
l framework for collecting, smelting, fabricating, homogenising, sampling, registering, monitoring, and transporting gold or products of gold.

Gikaria also took time to expound the contents of the proposed amendment of the Mining Amendment Bill 2023, which seeks to amend the Mining Act No. 12 of 2016 and to provide for the separate implementation of the three key functions in the Act: policy formulation, administrative, and dispute resolution functions.

‘Through these Bills, the policymakers aim to promote sustainable development, resource management, and environmental preservation for the benefit of present and future generations. We want to enhance professionalism in exploration and mining that is safe in an environmentally conducive manner,’ he said

Participants who included the Association of Miners, civil society, human rights organisations, mining graduates, the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO), farmers, and business people among others raised concerns about the employment of the yo
uth at the mining sites and the sharing of revenue from minerals calling for more allocation to the community.

‘The government will receive 70 percent, the county government 20 percent, and the community 10 percent of the royalties from the minerals. The government has the largest share to facilitate development agenda in all parts of the country especially regions that have no minerals,’ explained Gikaria

He also disclosed that the government was keen to ensure the promotion of value addition through the establishment of processing plants for the minerals before they are exported.

The legislator therefore said the government will establish state-of-the-art mineral testing laboratories spread across specific counties in the country to bolster the efficiency and quality of mineral mining and value addition in Kenya.

‘We are also urging the artisanal miners to get registered in Societies for them to benefit. We have already registered 70 Artisanal miners’ societies in the country,’ said Gikaria

A national
geophysical survey successfully identified 970 mineral occurrences with confirmatory of quality of resources discovered in 24 counties including Kericho, where deposits of strategic minerals among them gold, which has been discovered at Cheplanget area in Bureti Sub-County.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Regional Development has expressed concerns over the stalled Sh1.4 billion Kisumu International Convention Centre.

The 6,000 seater capacity facility which was commissioned in 2021 to host the Afri-cities conference held in the lakeside city has stalled due to lack of funds.

The project which was being implemented jointly between the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, State Department for Devolution and the County government of Kisumu was expected to be Kenya’s largest conference facility to help the country regain its foothold in conference tourism.

It comprises the main auditorium, 15 breakaway rooms, 60 exhibition spaces, outdoor amphitheatre, VIP lounge, cultural centre, health and fitness centre, press rooms, picnic area and a children’s park.

The committee was told the contract was signed on July 16, 2021 and was expected to be completed and handed over in 38 weeks.

However, the contract was reviewed and extended to 73 weeks ending
December 2022.

State Department for Public Works Representative Eng Peninah Mwangi told the committee that a section of the project which was being done by the State Department for Housing and Urban Development comprising the plenary and VIP lounge was ongoing.

However, works on the main auditorium, which was being undertaken by the State Department for Devolution has stalled.

The contractor who is not on site, she said was demanding Sh300 million from the State Department for Devolution to resume work.

Auxiliary works including the perimeter wall which was supposed to be done by the county government of Kisumu has also not taken off.

The Committee led by the Vice – Chair Mary Wamaua said it was unfortunate that the project whose benefits are immense had stalled after gobbling millions of tax payers’ money.

‘The project on the side of the state department for devolution has stalled and this is not economical. We cannot see value for money,’ she said.

Wamaua said the government was likely to lose more m
oney in contract variations if urgent steps are not taken to have the contractor back on site.

‘We must look for funds to pay the contractor so that he can resume works as the government looks for funds to complete the project,’ she said.

Even if the section of the building under the state department for housing is completed, she said the facility cannot function as envisaged.

The committee, she said was concerned about the status of the project adding that the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Devolution will be summoned to Parliament to give a way forward on the matter.

She challenged the county government of Kisumu to also play its part by channeling funds to complete auxiliary works at the site.

Source: Kenya News Agency