Day: June 13, 2024

The Ministry of Mining and Blue Economy has deployed geologists to conduct a seismic assessment to landslide-prone areas within Murang’a County.

Already, a team of senior geologists has commenced the assessment in parts of Kangema Sub County where earth faults have been witnessed.

Mining Principal Secretary Elijiah Mwangi said on Wednesday that the assessment will help in making well-informed decisions on the utilisation of the land, which has been prone to landslides.

He noted that the geologists were deployed following a request by the Murang’a County Government to develop a long-term technical report after the assessment that will help prevent deaths and destruction of property occasioned by landslides.

In many parts of the upper zones of the county, the PS said they were affected by land and mudslides during the recent rains, leaving a trail of destruction.

‘A team of senior geologists is already doing the seismic assessment at parts of Kangema. More geologists will be deployed to carry out the asses
sment in parts of Kahuro, Mathioya, Kigumo, and Gatanga that have been experiencing landslides during rainy seasons.

‘Their report will guide the government in making decisions on the utilisation of land. We will be in a position to decide whether to relocate people from the areas and utilise the land by either planting trees or for other purposes,’ added Mwangi.

Early on, a landslide hit Kiganjo village in Mathioya, killing six people and displacing more than 30 families.

‘After the assessment, people who will be found living in risky areas, will be relocated. This is to ensure the safety of our people,’ added the PS.

Meanwhile, Mwangi said his ministry is working in partnership with the local county government to invest in the value addition of local soils used to manufacture tiles.

‘Murang’a has a kaolin type of soil. This soil is the raw material for tiles and is currently being mined, transported to other areas of the country, and even exported. We have asked the county government to get us a piece
of land where we can bring investors and set up a tile manufacturing plant,’ Mwangi said.

‘Manufacturing the tiles locally will boost the economy of Murang’a and also provide employment opportunities to local youth. The kaolin soil is available in Gaturi and Mugoiri wards, and it can also be accessed from neighbouring counties.’

The Ministry, he noted, has launched the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI), targeting individuals who are mining in the country but do not have a license.

He said they are getting grassroots to have all artisanal miners registered and issued with mining licenses.

‘The RRI is also to ensure anyone mining, buying, processing, or doing other business with minerals is fully registered to do away with illegal mining. This is to streamline the sector and ensure all miners are in cooperatives to benefit from government incentives, among other forms of support.

‘I urge local artisanal miners, especially those who mine construction stones, to join cooperative societies. By doing so, they can
apply for financial support from various government funds,’ PS Mwangi added.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Government will spend Ksh54.6 billion in 2024l25 financial year to finance various agriculture activities in the sector,

National treasury and planning Cabinet Secretary Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u while reading the 2024/25 budget statement said the Government will continue to focus on agricultural transformation and inclusive growth through the value chain approach.

He added that the aim will be to provide adequate and affordable working capital to all farmers through cooperative societies and deploy modern agricultural risk management instruments that ensure farming is profitable and income is predictable.

‘ The government aims at transforming farmers from food deficit to surplus producers through input finance, subsidies and intensive agricultural extension support, raise the productivity of key food value chains, reduce dependence on basis food imports, revamp underperforming export crops and boost tea value chain through blending and branding’, Prof. Ndung’u said .

In order to attain food and nutrition sec
urity, the CS proposed an allocation of Ksh 54.6 billion for various programmes under the sector.

This includes Ksh 10 billion for the fertilizer subsidy programme, Ksh 6.1 billion for the National Agricultural Value chain development project, Ksh 2.5 billion for emergency locust response, Ksh 2.4 billion for the enable youth and women in agriculture , Ksh 747. million for small scale irrigation and value addition projects and Ksh 642.5 million for the food security and crop diversification project.

On livestock, Prof. Ndung’u has proposed Ksh 2.4 billion for de risking, inclusion and value enhancement of pastoral economies programme, Ksh 1.5 billion for livestock value chain support project, Ksh 1.5 billion for Kenya livestock commercialization programme , and Ksh 192.5 million for the embryo transfer project .

‘ I have also proposed Ksh 300 million for the development of leader industrial park while at the same time proposed an allocation of Ksh 340 million towards ending drought emergencies project as t
his will raise agricultural productivity and enhance resilience to climate change risks in targeted smallholder farming pastoral communities’, the CS said

During his remarks , Prof. Ndung’u said that the Kenyan economy is susceptible to the ranging impact of climate change as demonstrated by the prolonged drought in 2021/22 the severest in the last 40 years and the recent floods that led to loss of lives and damage to property and infrastructure across the country.

Source: Kenya News Agency

All public land in Iten acquired illegally and currently being occupied by individuals should revert to the government with immediate effect, the Rift Valley Regional Commissioner (RC), Dr. Abdi Hassan, has directed.

The RC said he had given firm instructions to the county security team to ensure that all public land is repossessed, fenced, and protected by security personnel, saying they will not allow public land to continue being used for private or group interests.

He warned that the government will not recognise title deeds on the plots as they were illegally acquired, saying they used shot cuts to acquire them without following the laid-down procedures.

He dared the grabbers to go to court if they believe they are the rightful owners, but said they should first vacate the land as they follow up on the cases.

Speaking in Iten during a tour of the grabbed land, Hassan said the grabbers had all the time to vacate the plots since the time the president directed them to leave in January, saying their tim
e was now up.

‘We will not entertain any debate, negotiations, or discussion over the directive as the time has come to reclaim and repossess what rightfully belongs to the government,’ the RC said.

He expressed satisfaction that 70% of the grabbed plots had been repossessed but said the government will not relent until the remaining 30% is repossessed to enable the government to undertake various development projects.

The RC said the team undertaking the exercise was facing a few challenges, citing absentee grabbers who could not be traced, but said that will not deter them and directed them to fence off the land whether they were there or not.

‘Those thinking that we will backtrack on the exercise are dreaming. We will ensure that all the grabbers are evicted and the land reverted back to the government to be used for the intended purpose,’ he warned.

Hassan said while Iten town had gained fame internationally for being a training ground for athletes, it had no room for expansion as most of the public
land was in private hands, adding that some of the grabbers had even the audacity to grab the county commissioner’s premises.

He expressed outrage over the insatiable greed displayed by some unscrupulous people who wanted to own everything, saying it was against our values as Africans.

The RC was accompanied by the regional and county security teams led by Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner John Korir.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Principal Secretary, State Department for Social Services, Joseph Monari, speaks to members of the public at the Nakuru Regional Commissioner’s Plenary Hall.

He noted that the government had budgeted Sh32 billion to be disbursed in the next financial year for the elderly, people with disabilities, and vulnerable orphans in society.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The National government intends to invest in the technology and financial sectors at Konza Technopolis City during the implementation of the 2023-2027 Medium Term Plan IV, Secretary Devolution Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations Alfonso Munyali has said.

Mr. Munyali disclosed that the government will invest resources from local and international revenues to turn around the economy during the period under review.

He revealed that the government will establish a centre of technological development where people will use technology to access degrees from the Open University from the comfort of their homes.

Consequently, people will do businesses and get cheap credit from the financial services at Konza City to enhance their businesses and transform their lives, he added.

Munyali, who represented Principal Secretary (PS) for State Department for Devolution Teresia Mbaika, said that people’s ability to carry out digital transactions to do business and access government services in the area will be boosted.

‘
Through technology, people will earn degrees from the already established Open University from the comfort of their homes. Entrepreneurs will get cheap credit to improve their businesses besides creating jobs for the unemployed youths,’ said Munyali during the dissemination of Medium-Term Plan IV of 2023-2027 at a hotel in Wote town on Wednesday.

He further said that the government will construct hotels to boost the hospitality industry, besides installing a high-voltage power line between Isinya and Konza City.

Also to be constructed will be a metre-gauge railway to help in transporting goods to markets, hence revitalising the cotton industry to ensure farmers benefit from value addition in the area.

Munyali said that there will be the establishment of a cold storage facility to preserve fruit, tomatoes, and milk in order to improve agriculture in the county during the period.

The event was officially opened by Secretary Wildlife Shadrack Ngene on behalf of the Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, Dr.
Alfred Mutua, on Wednesday at a hotel in Wote town.

Speaking at the same event, Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. urged the national government to share revenue realised from the parks in Makueni County.

‘Kajiado and Taita Taveta counties are benefiting from resource sharing from national parks. I ask the national government to consider Makueni,’ said Mutula.

On disaster, the governor lamented that his government is overwhelmed by accidents that occur along the busy Mombasa-Nairobi highway and challenged the national government to assist in the construction of a hospital to handle the tragedies that occur.

Those who attended the function included Makueni County Commissioner Henry Wafula, County Executive Committee Member for Devolution Japheth Mang’oka, his Finance and Education counterparts Damaris Kavoi and Elizabeth Muli, departmental heads from both levels of government, and non-government organisations, among others.

Source: Kenya News Agency

State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action Principal Secretary, Anne Wang’ombe, keenly listens to proceedings at Langalanga High School. The PS called on the students to protect one another and desist from gender-based violence.

Source: Kenya News Agency

State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action Principal Secretary, Anne Wang’ombe, keenly listens to proceedings at Langalanga High School. The PS called on the students to protect one another and desist from gender-based violence.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary (CS) Prof. Kithure Kindiki has urged Kenyans to support President William Ruto, even as the government seeks to rebuild public trust in its service delivery to the citizenry.

Speaking during the launch of the Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP-IV) 2023-2027 framework, held at Chuka University, in Tharaka Nithi County, Kindiki explained that the government may seem to have done little in the first two years of Kenya Kwanza administration, mainly due to economic challenges facing the country.

‘In the first two years, we have not been able to do much in way of development projects. The government was mainly involved in paying debts and stabilizing the economy, but now going forward you are going to see the president and other top government officials come here, not just to visit, but also to launch and commission the various projects the government will be rolling out in the next financial year,’ he said.

In his remarks, the CS drummed up support for the Kenya
Finance Bill 2024, while giving a commitment that the government was working to ensure they revive and complete stalled projects as well as commission new ones.

He also noted that the government was on course to lower the dollar value even further, a move that will have a big effect in the economy and livelihoods of Kenyans, who depend much on imported products, since the manufacturing capacity of the country is still low.

‘I want to thank Kenyans for their patience and I bring a message of hope that the worst days are now behind us. Going forward, elected leaders will have something to tell the people. They will have a project to witness to completion, before the end of their terms, now that things are better. The country was in debt and was almost bankrupt, but now we are not in a bad place,’ reiterated Kindiki.

The CS called for unity, saying anyone who undermines the stability and unity of Kenya, was an enemy of the country.

He asked political leaders to prioritize peace and respect, and avoid incitin
g Kenyans along tribal lines.

Kindiki, who has mainly been meeting security officers in his first two years as CS, said his ministry would prioritize more Town Hall meetings as part of public participation now that the government was stable.

He further asked security and national government officers to be diligent in their service delivery.

‘I know many of you are doing a good job, but the few of us who are not aligned with public interest, we will have to ask you to look for something else to do. We will not transfer you because transferring you is transferring one problem from one county to another and that is not right’, the CS said.

He disclosed that the President would be visiting Tharaka Nithi County in three weeks’ time for a development tour of the region.

Tharaka Member of Parliament George Gitonga Murugara in his remarks criticized the ‘One Man, One Vote, One Shilling’ campaign saying every region has the right to progress and develop, not at the expense of others, but as integral part of the l
arger country.

Murugara, who also chairs the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, said 18 counties were at the risk of getting a reduced allocation if the formula was adopted.

‘Tharaka Nithi is a small county with a small population and a small county revenue allocation. If we implement the one man, one shilling, one vote formula, we will lose 1.4 billion as a county. The same will affect more than 18 other counties, which will lose what they have been receiving. We should be talking about county allocations going up. Let us continue giving counties the money they are receiving and even increase the allocations in the future,’ he said.

His Chuka/Igambang’ombe counterpart Patrick Munene said the President had given a directive that each constituency receive Sh50 million for rural electrification projects, where he asked Kenyans to support the Finance Bill to facilitate the implementation of these and even more projects.

Munene called on elected leaders to be accountable for public funds, which are sourced
from the taxpayer, and asked county governments to align their projects to the government’s ministerial budget allocations.

The MP also drummed up support for less developed counties to be considered in the revenue sharing formula and called for unity in the country.

‘Let us stop tribalism. The bottom-up model should improve counties which are less developed. We have come from bad times as a country and tribalism shouldn’t be a topic in Kenya anymore,’ he said.

Among the priority projects for Tharaka Nithi County in the Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP-IV) 2023-2027 framework are the completion of the county headquarters, digitalization of all payments into government to increase revenue collection, Financing Locally led Climate Action Programme, the Credit Guarantee Scheme, and Aquaculture Business Development Programme.

Also present were Principal Secretaries Patrick Kilemi (Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development) and Betsy Njagi (Blue Economy), who presented the County Specific pr
ogrammes in the MTP-IV that covers the period 2023-2027.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary (CS) Prof. Kithure Kindiki has urged Kenyans to support President William Ruto, even as the government seeks to rebuild public trust in its service delivery to the citizenry.

Speaking during the launch of the Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP-IV) 2023-2027 framework, held at Chuka University, in Tharaka Nithi County, Kindiki explained that the government may seem to have done little in the first two years of Kenya Kwanza administration, mainly due to economic challenges facing the country.

‘In the first two years, we have not been able to do much in way of development projects. The government was mainly involved in paying debts and stabilizing the economy, but now going forward you are going to see the president and other top government officials come here, not just to visit, but also to launch and commission the various projects the government will be rolling out in the next financial year,’ he said.

In his remarks, the CS drummed up support for the Kenya
Finance Bill 2024, while giving a commitment that the government was working to ensure they revive and complete stalled projects as well as commission new ones.

He also noted that the government was on course to lower the dollar value even further, a move that will have a big effect in the economy and livelihoods of Kenyans, who depend much on imported products, since the manufacturing capacity of the country is still low.

‘I want to thank Kenyans for their patience and I bring a message of hope that the worst days are now behind us. Going forward, elected leaders will have something to tell the people. They will have a project to witness to completion, before the end of their terms, now that things are better. The country was in debt and was almost bankrupt, but now we are not in a bad place,’ reiterated Kindiki.

The CS called for unity, saying anyone who undermines the stability and unity of Kenya, was an enemy of the country.

He asked political leaders to prioritize peace and respect, and avoid incitin
g Kenyans along tribal lines.

Kindiki, who has mainly been meeting security officers in his first two years as CS, said his ministry would prioritize more Town Hall meetings as part of public participation now that the government was stable.

He further asked security and national government officers to be diligent in their service delivery.

‘I know many of you are doing a good job, but the few of us who are not aligned with public interest, we will have to ask you to look for something else to do. We will not transfer you because transferring you is transferring one problem from one county to another and that is not right’, the CS said.

He disclosed that the President would be visiting Tharaka Nithi County in three weeks’ time for a development tour of the region.

Tharaka Member of Parliament George Gitonga Murugara in his remarks criticized the ‘One Man, One Vote, One Shilling’ campaign saying every region has the right to progress and develop, not at the expense of others, but as integral part of the l
arger country.

Murugara, who also chairs the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, said 18 counties were at the risk of getting a reduced allocation if the formula was adopted.

‘Tharaka Nithi is a small county with a small population and a small county revenue allocation. If we implement the one man, one shilling, one vote formula, we will lose 1.4 billion as a county. The same will affect more than 18 other counties, which will lose what they have been receiving. We should be talking about county allocations going up. Let us continue giving counties the money they are receiving and even increase the allocations in the future,’ he said.

His Chuka/Igambang’ombe counterpart Patrick Munene said the President had given a directive that each constituency receive Sh50 million for rural electrification projects, where he asked Kenyans to support the Finance Bill to facilitate the implementation of these and even more projects.

Munene called on elected leaders to be accountable for public funds, which are sourced
from the taxpayer, and asked county governments to align their projects to the government’s ministerial budget allocations.

The MP also drummed up support for less developed counties to be considered in the revenue sharing formula and called for unity in the country.

‘Let us stop tribalism. The bottom-up model should improve counties which are less developed. We have come from bad times as a country and tribalism shouldn’t be a topic in Kenya anymore,’ he said.

Among the priority projects for Tharaka Nithi County in the Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP-IV) 2023-2027 framework are the completion of the county headquarters, digitalization of all payments into government to increase revenue collection, Financing Locally led Climate Action Programme, the Credit Guarantee Scheme, and Aquaculture Business Development Programme.

Also present were Principal Secretaries Patrick Kilemi (Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development) and Betsy Njagi (Blue Economy), who presented the County Specific pr
ogrammes in the MTP-IV that covers the period 2023-2027.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The government has put in place measures to increase milk production from the current 5 billion to 11 billion litres per year by 2027.

Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has said there is a two-pronged approach that will see farmers being provided with sexed semen for herd growth and credit so as to produce enough nutritious feeds for dairy animals.

The CS said funds that farmers can borrow to grow fodder have been availed to the Agricultural Finance Corporation.

He said through the semen subsidy program farmers will be able to acquire semen that will only yield heifers at Sh2900 per insemination, compared to the current market rate of Sh7, 000 to Sh9, 000.

Linturi was speaking to tea farmers at Rukuriri Tea Factory in Embu, where he said it was the government’s intention to help the farmers to diversify so as improve their incomes and shield themselves from tea market shocks.

The CS assured farmers that the government will not interfere with their forthcoming electio
ns, saying that they will work with those the farmers will elect.

He said the sector reforms started by the government five years ago had yielded better governance in the sector. Among the reforms is the removal of weighted voting where people with more tea wielded more votes than those with a few bushes.

Linturi said the shift to the in-demand orthodox teas would increase farmers’ incomes and eventually boost the crop’s contribution to the GDP of the country which currently stands at 4 per cent.

Linturi revisited the fake fertilizer issue and distanced himself from the scandal.

He said the issue was clouded in lies and propaganda and that he had nothing to do with the fake product.

‘I do not manufacture fertilizer,’ he quipped.

The Kenya Tea Development Agency national Chairman Enos Njeru urged the government to remove all taxes on tea packaging materials, saying the taxes had hampered value addition in the tea sector and slowed down domestic tea sales.

Njeru said it was his board’s intention to raise
tea total farmer payouts from the current Sh60 to Sh85 in the near future and eventually to more than Sh100.

Source: Kenya News Agency