Day: June 29, 2024

The Principal Secretary for the State Department for Tourism John Ololtuaa has announced the government’s plans to roll out a national hotel classification programme to attract more tourists.

In 2009, the East African Community (EAC) developed common classification criteria to standardise accommodation facilities in the region bloc.

The EAC criteria cover town and vacation hotels, lodges, tented camps, motels, villas, cottages and serviced apartments.

Speaking in Diani, Kwale during the 20th symposium for the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC), PS Ololtuaa stated that the programme to classify all hotels would be done in the financial year 2024/2025.

‘Classification is essential because it gives you (hotels) the mark of quality and makes it easy for those visiting the country to be able to know what we have,’ said PS Ololtuaa.

He lauded the tourism players for job creation which he noted has a ripple effect on the economy and has led to growth in the tourism sector as witnessed in the
number of accommodation establishments being opened.

‘In tourism that is a plus because for us to be able to attract international and domestic tourists, there must be proper accommodation and conference facilities that they are going to use,’ said PS Ololtuaa, encouraging investors to invest in the country to contribute to the growth of the economy.

The PS noted that tourism has recorded a significant growth from 2022 when 1.4 million tourists visited the country and earned the country Sh268 billion.

‘Currently, we are at about 2 million but our aim and focus is to grow the number of tourists from the current 2 million to probably 3 million by the end of this year and by 2027 to 5 million tourists,’ said the PS for Tourism.

He added that it’s achievable since tourism is private-sector driven and when the country has investors coming to invest in different sectors of the economy, ‘that alone will become a very big impetus to be able to attract more tourists’.

The PS said the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) wou
ld work with Kenyans in the diaspora to be the champions of inviting the world to visit the country.

The PS further revealed that they have unveiled a programme with County Governments to develop unique tourist attraction sites in the counties.

The PS assured Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani of the government’s commitment to supporting the construction of a convention centre.

The State Department of Tourism is working with other State Departments in the development of infrastructure and legislation in a bid to provide a conducive environment for investments and tourism.

On her part, Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani said they have invested heavily in developing Kwale as a prime tourist destination through the opening up of beach access roads, construction of washrooms, and pedestrian walkways and enhancement of beach safety through the employment of Lifeguards and Tourism Enforcement Officers.

‘I wish to acknowledge the National Government in putting efforts to support the growth of the tourism sector in the coun
ty through expansion of Ukunda Airport, tarmacking of Kinango-Kwale road and construction of the Dongo Kundu bypass about 95 per cent done,’ she said.

The establishment of a Conference and Cultural Centre christened Bomas of Kwale is one of Governor Achani’s flagship projects.

‘We also intend to put up a tourist market in Diani. In addition, we are optimistic in developing Kongo Beach into a Halal Beach to boost religious Tourism,’ she added.

KAHC Chairman Chris Musau extolled the government for Sh4.9 billion to the Tourism Fund and 2.2 billion to the Tourism Promotion Fund in the 2024/2025 budget that was returned to parliament by the Head State.

Musau said though the tourism sector showed robust performance, the government should increase the air capacity to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Moi International Airport and construction of convention centres in Nairobi and Mombasa.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Tens of students from Migori Teachers Training College donated blood at the institution as more youths from Migori County were encouraged to actively participate in blood donation exercises to help boost Kenya’s Blood Bank.

The event that collected over 100 pints of blood in a five-hour record was organized by the Rotary Club of Suna Migori in partnership with the Migori County referral hospital.

The President of Rotary Club of Suna Migori Mr. Lawrence Otieno emphasized the need for regular blood donations, saying the Rotary Club family in the country was keen to help in addressing the dwindling blood reserves and sustaining medical services countrywide.

‘We aim to address the acute shortage of blood in various hospitals in the region and elsewhere by facilitating the collection of over 200 pints of blood from donors today before heading out to other western region counties to do the same,’ he revealed.

He added that by conducting the exercise at a learning institution such as Migori Teachers Training Col
lege, more young people get to be informed about the importance of donation blood to save lives of those in urgent need.

Dr. Catherine Adera, who coordinates blood transfusion services in Migori, highlighted the importance of adequate blood supply, noting that a shortfall could be disastrous to critically ill patients.

‘We usually have a goal to collect and store 12, 400 pints of blood yearly but a target that has not been achieved. It is good to donate blood to help anemic patients, those suffering from sickle cell disease and even cases of post-partum hemorrhage,’ said Dr. Adera.

Additionally, she pointed out the practical advantages for donors, which included a donor card that acts as surety of receiving immediate blood whenever they, or their patients needed donation.

‘The donors receive a card that helps them know their blood group. If you have a patient who needs blood, you can also come with your donor card and get the privilege of receiving blood easily,’ she added.

Joshua Ochieng, a student at t
he college who donated blood during the exercise, expressed his motivation for participating and encouraged fellow youths to come out in large numbers to donate blood.

He dismissed miss-information around blood donation and urged the youth to ignore and keep donating blood.

The initiative not only aimed to meet immediate local blood needs but also sought to instill a culture of regular blood donation among the youth, ensuring sustained support for healthcare services in Migori County and beyond.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kilifi County Government through the Department of Lands, Energy, Housing, Physical Planning and Urban Development has launched a high-up vehicle that will help in lowering electricity and fuel usage in the county.

The high-up vehicle, acquired at a cost of Sh16 million marks a significant stride towards ensuring the efficiency of public street-lighting across Kilifi.

Addressing the media during the flagging off of the vehicle, Kilifi County Governor Gideon Mung’aro stated that the initiative aligns with the National Energy Policy 2018 which underscores energy as a cornerstone for realizing Kenya’s Vision 2030.

He said that the installation and maintenance of public street lighting is essential for enhancing business activities, security, and revenue generation in the county.

‘The public street lighting has seen a tremendous improvement in business activities, security, and expansion of the revenue resource base for Kilifi. This has resulted in increased working hours in the business community, hence buil
ding a 24-hour economy,’ Mung’aro said.

He pointed out that proper maintenance of public lighting infrastructure ensures that street lighting systems and high mast floodlights are preserved for as long as possible and the original conditions of the system are sustained while compensating for normal wear and tear.

Governor Mung’aro highlighted the benefits of purchasing a high-up vehicle as cost reduction in maintenance and the elimination of expensive framework agreements with prequalified contractors, among others.

‘The high-up vehicle will also facilitate the county’s ability to respond promptly to emergency situations, such as power outages, thereby ensuring continuous and reliable public lighting,’ the Governor added.

Governor Mung’aro further stated that the improved maintenance capabilities would save the county up to approximately Sh100,000 per day, previously spent on leasing and maintenance of vehicles hired from the private sector.

The Governor concluded his address by reaffirming his commitmen
t to a sustainable energy supply and its role in economic growth and poverty reduction.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has held a ministerial meeting to strengthen and accelerate national and regional efforts to address food insecurity in the region and long term development to enhance the resilience and livelihoods of vulnerable communities.

The meeting attended by ministers and head of delegations from IGAD member states also aims to identify common opportunities, gaps in implementing and accelerating sustainable national pathways for food security system transformation in the IGAD region.

The forum’s objective including facilitation of sharing practices and knowledge exchange between Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan, identifying common priorities to accelerate food security system transformation, secure ministerial approval and consolidate a harmonized and coordinate approach to food systems strengthening regional commitment.

Speaking at the event in Nairobi, IGAD Head of Mission in Kenya Dr. Fatuma Adan said that the agenda of the meeting was to discuss strategies,
policies and systems on how to improve the food security in the region since the region has been having crisis including climate crisis, conflict and floods among others.

She noted that 21 percent of the 300 million people in IGAD were food insecure and the vulnerable people affected were women, children and adolescent girls specifically adding that IGAD convened to have a strategy system so that it could build food secure communities, countries and region.

‘The food situation is not getting better due to climate crisis but countries are also investing heavily to ensure that they are able to cope up and build a resilient system that helps to cope with shocks,’ she stated.

Resilience team leader for Eastern Africa Cyril Ferrand said that food security was an issue across the borders, but the region has made an effort in the past 20 years in bringing capacity to collect information, share and take some information.

He said that the translation of technically sound information into intervention that is basic
and implementable is where IGAD is facing a little challenges but have made progress in the last 20 years.

‘United development system is lacking a little bit scale, often there is investment in life saving that is significant when we face a crisis which unfortunately we do not see the same level of investment at scale for resilient investment,’ he noted.

Ferrand said that if one wants to be transformative, they have no option but going faster in that scale adding that was missing in the region when they look to climate adaptation.

‘This needs to be fixed now and the linkage between the UN activism and peace activism is going to be fundamental in changing the ways of doing business at the moment,’ he said.

Programme Manager Ethiopian Union (EU) Delegation Stephen Wathome noted that food security was a cross border issue, creating a scenario where it was no longer a confining aspect to do with availability and accessibility of food to a specific country.

He said that all countries around were going to supp
ort each other in availability and accessibility, noting the major challenges affecting the countries in terms of food production included aspect to do with climate nexus, biodiversity among others.

‘More less of governance aspect and coordination is increasingly becoming a concern where people are unable to have the resources for purchasing food even if the food are available,’ he noted.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The National Government through the Ministry of Labour and Social Development has unveiled 300,000 job opportunities abroad through the National Employment Authority Portal.

Speaking during a tree planting exercise at Taita Taveta University on Saturday where over 5,000 tree seedlings were planted, the Principal Secretary (PS) for Labour and Skills Development at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development Shadrack Mwadime highlighted significant progress in Kenya’s employment sector.

The PS stated that the National Employment Authority portal currently boasts 300,000 job opportunities uploaded by private recruitment agencies as a result of the Ministry’s insistence on transparency and accessibility in job postings.

Mwadime encouraged Kenyans interested in establishing private recruitment agencies to seize the opportunity, emphasizing that this is a promising avenue for creating employment opportunities abroad.

He acknowledged the mistrust among the youth, who often dismissed overseas job offers as scam
s due to past experiences with fraudulent conmen.

‘There are many job opportunities opening up abroad, but when you try to advise a youth, they think these are scams. Many youths have been cheated by conmen and have lost their money. That might be the reason they shun online job opportunities because they have lost confidence,’ said Mwadime.

To counter this, Mwadime reiterated that the government has taken stringent measures to ensure that labour migration is organized and secure by ensuring a thorough vetting process of private recruitment agencies, which he said has reduced the number of overseas employment agencies from approximately 1,000 to about 500.

‘This is what we are telling our young people, when you access the National Employment Authority website, you will see recruitment agencies marked with red. Leave them. Their legal status is questionable. But the ones that are in black are okay. You can apply through them and get the job abroad,’ said the PS.

Mwadime stressed that the government’s strat
egy is not to encourage permanent migration but rather temporary employment abroad.

He said that this approach aims to boost the domestic economy, as returning workers invest their earnings in local projects, benefiting sectors such as construction and small businesses.

‘We want them to go for two or three years and bring back the money to their country. When they construct houses or start businesses, our children who have remained here will also benefit. A Kenyan who is abroad and thinking of constructing a mansion or warehouse will hire a mason from here, use sand from here, and buy building stones from here. The money will circulate in our economy,’ he added.

The PS stated that by sending youths abroad for two to three years, the initiative seeks to emulate traditional exports, such as tea and coffee, positioning the Kenyan workforce as a valuable economic asset.

‘It is a deliberate strategy of sending our youths abroad. It’s like export. The way we export tea and coffee, it’s how we are sending our yo
uths, a major export. They go, look for money abroad, and bring it back to their home country,’ he noted.

The Principal Secretary’s speech emphasized the government’s commitment to fostering organized labour migration, enhancing economic growth, and restoring confidence among the youth in pursuing legitimate job opportunities abroad.

Source: Kenya News Agency

In an effort to reduce cases of teenage pregnancy and to champion girl’s rights, the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Kenya (FAWEK) in partnership with Mastercard Foundation held a boys and young men’s sensitization conference in Thika, Kiambu County.

FAWEK Murang’a and Kiambu County Coordinator Pauline Masese said the sensitization exercise sought to create a pool of boys and young men with changed attitudes and behaviors, advocating against teenage pregnancy in the country.

‘Male engagement is pivotal in creating changed attitudes and behaviors among young men,’ said Masese adding that this would have a ripple effect in getting more positive young men more involved in advocating against teenage pregnancy.

Addressing the over 50 participants drawn from stakeholders, including government representatives, community leaders, boda-boda operators, chiefs, religious leaders, and students Masese said despite significant strides in gender equality and human rights, many cultures still harboured retrogre
ssive practices that perpetuated discrimination and inequality.

‘The societal landscape is constantly evolving, and it is imperative to involve all members of the community in fostering an environment of equality and progress,’ said Masese adding that boys and young men played a critical role in this transformation.

She said empowering boys and young men to speak against inequalities and challenge retrogressive cultures is a vital step toward building a more equitable and progressive society.

‘This exercise will provide them with the tools and support needed to become advocates for change and champions of equality,’ said Masese, while speaking during the two days’ boys and young men’s sensitization conference in a Kiambu Hotel.

She said men were expected to shift from negatively being responsible for teenage pregnancies and instead tap into their potential to prevent pregnancies through abstinence from sex and/or practicing safe sex.

‘Boys and young men, as future leaders and influencers, need to be empo
wered to challenge these practices,’ she said, adding that they have provided them with the tools and support needed to become advocates for change and champions of equality.

On his part, Thika West Deputy County Commissioner James Wanyoike said as an administration, they were making sure that all school going children were in school despite their backgrounds.

Wanyoike said that the government is ensuring that there is one hundred transition percent of the pupils from one class to the next by working with the chiefs, assistant chiefs and school head teachers in putting measures to ensure no child drops out of school.

‘The community is faced with challenges including teen pregnancy, drugs and substance abuse, gender based violence among others,’ said Wanyoike adding that the government is taking measures to curb such menace to ensure learners stay in school.

On his part, Rurii Secondary School Tuseme club patron Dickson Mugo said FAWEK advocates for gender equity and equality in education in Kenya by foste
ring positive policies, practices and attitude towards girl’s education.

Mugo said that since the introduction of Tuseme club, the school has seen positive changes in the students’ behaviours in terms of curbing the matter of teen pregnancy.

He said that from the year 2021 to 2023 they started sensitizing the boys on their role in preventing teen pregnancy and empowering the girls and they have seen the number of cases reduce.

‘After Covid 19 in 2021 when our pupils sat for their KSCE, we had seven girls who were pregnant,’ he said adding that in the year 2022, they had two cases and the next year they had none.

FAWEK is partnering with Mastercard Foundation in the Imarisha Msichana programme which aims to significantly reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy in Kenya.

The Imarisha Msichana Project is being implemented in select schools through Tuseme Clubs and other key interventions.

The programme is being implemented in 20 counties in Kenya namely; Murang’a, Kiambu, Nakuru, Nairobi, Machakos, Elgey
o Marakwet, Garissa, Bungoma, Kakamega, Nyeri, Migori, Kajiado, Narok, Homa-Bay, Trans-Nzoia, Nyandarua, Busia, Meru, Siaya, and Turkana.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Tunis: Tunisia was awarded three prizes, including two for National Television productions, in the 24th Arab Radio and Television Festival’s competition for TV and Radio Programmes Exchange, hosted in Tunis on June 26-29.

The award ceremony was held on Friday evening at the “Thétres des Créateurs” in the City of Culture.

Iraq took the lion’s share of this year’s awards, winning eight prizes in the various categories of the television and radio programmes exchange competition.

The Tunisian programme “Musée National du Bardo trésors des civilisations,” broadcast on the National TV channel, won second prize in the documentary programme category dedicated to “museums in the Arab world.”

A special mention was awarded to the documentary “Bint Sejnan. La plante sauvage” (The wild plant) in the category for joint Arab TV production “La version 7” (Version 7) of the programme “L’histoire d’une lutte” (The story of a struggle).

Tunisian Radio was awarded second prize in the radio programme exchange competition.

T
unisians were also among the personalities honoured by the ASBU festival management, including radio presenter Adel Chabchoub, in addition to the members of the juries for the radio, official and parallel competitions: Khaled ben Feghir (Tunisia), Ala Mohsen (Iraq), Yacoub Erroussi (United Arab Emirates) and Adnene Saidi (Saudi Arabia).

Members of the official and parallel TV competitions are Hajer Ben Nasser (Tunisia), Faouzi Ghouil (Libya), Ines Yacoub (Bahrain), Chadi Fakhrani (Egypt), Ali Rahri (Morocco), Salem Ali Mansour (Sultanate of Oman) and Mowadfak Matar (Palestine).

This year, the ASBU Festival received 289 entries, including 147 TV programmes, with 108 in the official competition and 39 in the parallel section. These entries were submitted by 20 television channels, including 6 private channels, in addition to 18 production companies.

As for radio, 142 radio programmes were submitted, including 125 in the official competition and 17 in the parallel section, an unprecedented number in the histo
ry of the festival. A record number of radio broadcasters participated in the official competition, with 20 entries, including 8 private and other international radio stations broadcasting in Arabic, as well as production companies in the parallel section.

ASBU is a pan-Arab institution set up in February 1969 in Khartoum (Sudan) to foster cooperation between Arab broadcasting organisations.

The Asbu Festival aims to promote Arab radio and TV production and to showcase the latest technological innovations in audiovisual production. It seeks to contribute to the development of Arab radio and TV production and to improve the quality of audiovisual content.

The winners of the official and parallel television and radio competitions will be announced at the closing ceremony scheduled for Saturday evening at the Thétre de l’Opéra in Tunis. The ceremony will be broadcast live on various public and private Arab TV and radio stations.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Kenya Internally Displaced Persons Organization (KIDPO) has called for a national conversation between the leaders and the young people who went to the streets to protest against the Finance Bill 2024.

KIDPO has also urged the young people to give dialogue a chance while allowing President William Ruto to act on their grievances.

KIDPO Patron Mr. Peter Tena observed that further escalation, such as threats to occupy certain government offices were unnecessary at this point as the government had demonstrated commitment to initiate dialogue with Gen Z and communicate openly the next steps.

Tena indicated that President Ruto’s efforts of reviving the economy and unifying the country were dependent on peace and noted that absence of peace renders everything else impotent.

‘The government has acknowledged their unity and demands, and it is now time to allow the government to implement a fair Bill that does not burden citizens,’ stated the Patron.

Speaking to journalists in Nakuru, Tena affirmed that citiz
ens needed to uphold peace and respect rule of law as they could only enjoy legal or constitutional rights in a country that exists and functions.

He expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and emphasized that it was essential to focus on preserving stability and ensuring that any further actions are pursued through democratic and inclusive processes.

This approach, added the Patron, is vital to prevent the country from descending into a cycle of instability and authoritarianism, which could exacerbate corruption, and economic mismanagement, and worsen living conditions for its citizens.

‘To our young generation, the nation is yours and your families are our families and we thank you for being our children but we also have a nation which belongs to all of us. Let us all share by listening to one another and we want to listen to you,’ said Tena.

The Patron said young people should not go to the streets to demonstrate, as no protests have led to any good but loss of lives and property then violence, adding
that it starts small then it becomes uncontrollable.

Tena however said the exercise of this democratic right to demonstrate should be performed with decency and respect for the rule of law.

He welcomed the President’s stance saying that Gen Z constitute a large percentage of the population and their voice is critically important in seeking solutions to national issues.

Tena called on other leaders across the political divide to emulate the President and listen to the youth and urged Kenyans in general to embrace the divine invitation of ‘come, let’s reason together’ for the common good of all.

He reminded leaders that their power is derived from the people, stressing the importance of adhering to democratic principles. He urged leaders to exercise restraint and engage with the populace.

‘I call for calm and for the leadership to show restraint and do the right thing by listening to the people and not being antagonistic to them. Violence on either side is not the answer,’ he stated.

He acknowledged the c
hallenges of leading the country and called for wisdom and civility to prevail.

KIDPO Governing Council Member Reverend Harrison Kimani Mwangi also called for dialogue and understanding, reiterating the need for leaders to engage in constructive conversation with the people.

‘I pray for peace and understanding on the part of every Kenyan and for all of us to remember that Kenya is bigger than any one of us; there is nothing cast in stone that cannot be changed,’ he explained.

Rev. Mwangi further called on the elected leaders to realize that the people of Kenya are supreme and they should be accountable to them.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Tunis: The follow-up of the implementation of a project to put in place an integrated information system to manage vocational training activities and propose management methods was at the heart of a working session held Friday.

The meeting brought together Minister of Employment and Vocational Training Lotfi Dhieb, members of the project steering committe, head of “Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and Labour Mobility in North Africa-THAMM’ project Hélène Hammouda and representative of the French office of Migration and Integration (OFII) Saber Neffati.

The project, the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training said in a press release, is designed to put in place a system to monitor in real time the activities of private sector vocational training facilites so as to upgrade services provided to sector stakeholders.

The integrated information system will foster data exchange and provide statistics needed in the follow-up, appraisal and decision-making.

The project, Minister Lo
tfi Dhieb said, fits within international cooperation between the ministry, the European Union and the OFII.

It is a strategic project intended to secure the sector’s good governance to better meet the needs of all players.

It is also aimed to improve services and adapt them to international quality standards so as to enhance vocational training – seen as a pathway to success for several developed countries.

There is likewise need to speed up the implementation of the different components of the project and convene periodic meetings to address possible challenges.

OFII Representative in Tunisia said the office is fully committed to intensifying cooperation and technical coordination with the ministry in implementing this project.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tozeur: A second photovoltaic power plant is being built on a 100-hectare site on National Road 3 between the towns of Tozeur and Nefta.

This project, with a production capacity of 50 MW, will make better use of solar energy to produce electricity in the region, governor of Tozeur, Mohamed Aymen Bejaoui, told TAP.

To this end, a working session on the project was held on Friday at the governorate’s headquarters. It was attended by representatives of the private company that won the tender and of the departments involved, in order to examine the difficulties and problems that could hinder the implementation of the project.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse