KBC Channel 1

Author: Christine Muchira

  • New KEMSA board go for induction to reposition organisation

    New KEMSA board go for induction to reposition organisation

    The newly reconstituted KEMSA board is currently engaged in a three-day induction exercise.

    The induction is purposed to appraise them on the various concerns and challenges facing the Authority; as well as steer management towards developing a robust road map aimed at repositioning the organization on the right track.

    Speaking at the meeting, KEMSA Board Chair Irungu Nyakera emphasized on the need for a paradigm shift that will re-position KEMSA.

    Kemsa Board Chair Irungu Nyakera

    “We need to have an open, frank and honest conversation for the next three days.” Said Nyakera.

    Dr. Andrew Mulwa, the Ag. Chief Executive Officer observed that it’s important to appraise the board on KEMSA’s operations so that they can make informed decisions from a point of knowledge.

    Kemsa
    Dr. Andrew Mulwa, the Ag. Chief Executive Officer KEMSA

    To improve on Order Fill Rate, Dr. Mulwa, observed that we must work closely with the Ministry of Health to get current essential medicines list, share with the counties and source for capital to ensure we are fully stocked.

    “It does not matter how sophisticated a facility’s diagnostics are, without medicines matibabu ni bure,” Dr Andrew Mulwa.

    The directors are keen on ensuring that KEMSA is able to maintain end-to-end visibility of Health Products and Technologies.

    Last week the new board directed that all staff be put on target-based performance to hold them accountable and ensure productivity.

    Irungu Nyakera, the new board Chair reiterated that individual actions can affect all staff collectively hence the need to re-evaluate our strategies and recommit ourselves to uphold ethical practices in discharging the Authority’s mandate.

    “We cannot accomplish the vision by our President, if we do not put our house in order, do business unusual and go the extra mile to create a brand that can be trusted. A brand that people will be proud of,” said the chair.

     

  • Invest in export markets to unlock AfCFTA,  Equity CEO urges

    Invest in export markets to unlock AfCFTA,  Equity CEO urges

    Equity Bank CEO Dr. James Mwangi has urged governments to focus on opening up real market, which is the mass market and which today is not serviceable.

    He said the continent cannot have the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) without logistics.

    “Given the massiveness of the continent and the level of physical infrastructure, air transport would be the most versatile and most agile form of carrying out logistics.” Said Dr. Mwangi.

    Speaking during the third Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO 2023) at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi,  Dr. Mwangi said for Africans to unlock the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), there is need to have massive investments especially in markets for exports adding that Kenya ticks the bill because of its positioning.

    Similarly he said Kenya is making strides in its policy development to help the continent realise the aspirations of the AfCFTA.

    Dr. Mwangi said that the countries technological advancement and a vibrant services sector is a major boost for Kenya as the main driver of the realisation of AfCFTA.

    While noting that Kenya is in good stead to be the gateway into Africa, Mwangi said that Africa need to integrate well into the global trade arena hence requires a gateway that provides the opportunity as a society that gives everybody a chance.

    “We are part of a global trade circuit and as a result we must bear in mind the need to interlink with global capital, global investment and global trade.” Said Dr. Mwangi.

     

  • MPs vet CBK governor nominee Kamau Thugge

    MPs vet CBK governor nominee Kamau Thugge

    The nominee for the Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya Kamau Thugge says there is a need to amend the banking act to suite Islamic banking in Kenya following collapse of Gulf African Bank and Community Bank.

    He said he supports of the housing fund noting that it is a saving.

    Dr. Thugge said the fund will create and increase employment, adding that more savings will lead to more investments leading to growth.

    Speaking during the vetting at Parliament, Dr. Thugge said explained about the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling,  saying inflation and high prices of commodities were due to an increase in interest rates.

    Dr. Thugge has also recommended the issuance of dollar dominated bond with a better rate that will build foreign exchange in the Central Bank.

    Additionally, Thugge stated that the impact of agriculture in Kenya cannot be understated.

    “Agriculture has a huge impact on growth of our economy, job creation, cost of living, reserve and accumulation.” Said Dr. Thugge.

    He was amongst six candidates shortlisted by the Public Service Commission after President William Ruto nominated him on May 15, 2023, following the imminent retirement of Patrick Njoroge, whose two terms end next month.

    The governor assumes the role of CEO and spokesperson of the bank and is responsible for its overall management.

    If approved by the National Assembly, Thugge will become Kenya’s 10th CBK governor after trouncing Dorcas Mutonyi, Haron Sirima, Edward Sambili, Nancy Onyango, and Adan Mohamed, who were shortlisted by the Public Service Commission early this month.

    If approved by Parliament, he will face the daunting task to stabilise the shilling which has sharply depreciated against the dollar, and a heavy government debt burden, which is threatening to upset years of macro stability.

    Thugge was forced out of his position at the National Treasury over his alleged role in the multibillion-shilling Kimwarer and Arror dams’ construction in Elgeyo Marakwet.

    He was, however, cleared of any wrongdoing in 2021.

    More to follow…..

     

     

  • Residents demand allocation of 7,400 acres Delmonte land

    Residents demand allocation of 7,400 acres Delmonte land

    The protracted land dispute between Del Monte Kenya Limited and Kiambu and Murang’a residents has escalated after the residents demanded the allocation of some 7,400 acres.

    The locals, represented by the Kandara Residents Association have been pursuing allocation of part of the land that’s occupied by the multinational fruit juice processor.

    The association represents 5,000 squatters, including victims of historical injustices, from the two counties.

    They have been laying claim to the land, accusing the company of occupying the government land illegally.

    The aggrieved residents raised concerns over delays in implementing recommendations by the Parliamentary Lands Committee in the previous government that recommended that they should be settled on the land.

    The residents led by Ng’ang’a Njoroge are also up in arms against the National Lands Commission (NLC) for failing to heed to its Gazette Notice that ordered the allocation of the land to the residents and the respective county governments at a ratio of 70:30.

    A gazette notice dated, March 1, 2019, said 70 percent of any excess land ceded by Del Monte should be given to members of the community and 30 percent to the county governments.

    In July 2020, former President Uhuru Kenyatta had directed a win-win solution to be pursued for the interests of both residents and the multi-national fruit firm.

     

     

  • Waiguru calls for enhanced quality management of agricultural produce

    Waiguru calls for enhanced quality management of agricultural produce

    Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has called for enhanced quality management and control of agricultural produce in order to enable them fetch better returns for farmers.

    She said that beside managing and controlling the quality of produce, farmers must also comply with the laid down food safety standards especially in the international markets where there are prohibitions of export produce containing certain herbicides.

    The governor who is also the Chair of Council of Governors (COG) was speaking on Monday during a Madaraka Day- Pre-event expo hosted by Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire at Embu University. The forum brought together county farmers in a panel discussion with the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Mithika Lintruri and other government officials in the agriculture sector.

    Waiguru was responding to an enquiry made by Manyatta Member of Parliament, Gitonga Mukunji, seeking to understand how Kirinyaga coffee was able to fetch good prices for the farmers.

    “The secret to our farmers fetching good prices for their produce is having a good working relationship between the county government and the farmers to ensure that the latter are constantly educated on good agricultural practices that ensure quantity and quality production,” the governor said.

    She said that her county has managed to get in the world map for producing some of the world’s best specialty coffees, citing Kii Coffee Factory under Rung’eto Farmers’ Cooperative Society that had its AA-grade of unroasted coffee sold at 14 dollars per kilogram, recording the highest price in Kenyan market for the past five years.

    “We have an elaborate extension services network that continually educate farmers on many aspects of agricultural production ranging from land preparation, planting, use of herbicides, harvesting and post-harvest management that include value addition or processing where necessary,” the governor said

    The governor underscored the importance of constantly building the capacity of agricultural extension officers in order to equip them with contemporary trends and practices in the agricultural sector.

    Waiguru also stressed the importance of having a strong cooperative system that enables farmers access agricultural literacy, farm inputs as well as mechanisms to ensure that produce aggregated for common marketing meets the required quality standards.

    “The County Aggregation and Industrial Parks that we are establishing in the counties will provide an avenue for farmers to sell their produce to processors who will set factories at the industrial sites or even set their processing plants through their cooperatives thus earning them better prices for the produce. The industrial parks will also create direct and indirect employment to thousands of people in the counties,” the COG chair added.

    She pointed out that apart from hosting big factories, the Industrial Parks will also host small and medium enterprises in the spirit of Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

    The farmers who represented value chains such as coffee, tea, khat, mangoes, avocados, milk, macadamia, and poultry sought to know from the agriculture minister what the government was doing in order to reduce the cost of production, prohibitive cross-county levies, value addition and processing and marketing of their produce.

    The CS Linturi said that the government has put in put various strategies to ensure that farmers’ grievances are addressed.

    “Kenya Kwanza Government is committed to ensuring that farmers reap from their sweat through streamlining the chain of market as well as reducing the cost of production by increasing access to affordable farm inputs,” the CS said.

    Linturi added that the government will provide Ksh. 25 million per ward to enable farmers undertake agricultural value chains specific to their wards.

    Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire said that her administration will form strategic partnerships with other counties and the national government to support farmers in enhancing production, processing and marketing of their produce.

    She said that in order to maximize on the oncoming industrial parks, neighbouring counties will partner so that each county establishes a factory that can serve other counties and vice versa.

     

     

  • Government targets new law to manage migrants 

    Government targets new law to manage migrants 

    The government intends to entrench in law a stakeholders’ forum on migration to give it the requisite powers to effectively coordinate migrants in the country.

    The Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services Julius Bitok said the envisaged legislation will also help secure funding for the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration (NCM).

    Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting on the management of migrants in the country, the PS said the envisaged legal framework will be complemented by policies targeting the integration of skilled labour and other resources possessed by migrants into Kenya’s economic development ecosystem.

    He said the absence of a legal foundation has handicapped the NCM’s primary role of coordinating migration among state agencies, the UN and development partners despite the forum being in existence for nearly six years.

    “For the last six years, NCM has been hanging without a proper legal framework. We are going to create it within the law for it to be able to properly coordinate activities by state departments and across agencies and development partner.”

    Citing examples across the world, the PS said Kenya stands to benefit from a deliberate and structured management of the more than a million migrants in the country.

    “Many countries have excelled because of how they manage migration. It is not just natural resources which make a country great. It also about the kind of people that a country can attract and its migration management.”

    He added that the envisaged migration policy will seek to harness the ‘unique talent, opportunities and resources’ among other assets possessed by migrants.

    The government intends to entrench in law a stakeholders’ forum on migration to give it the requisite powers to effectively coordinate migrants in the country.

    The NCM which brings together representatives from the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Labour, Tourism and Gender among others, the UN and other development partners was formed to pool resources and synergise migrant management. It also aims at avoiding costly duplication and wastage of resources.

    Speaking at the meeting, Gender PS Veronica Nduva called for better protection of migrant women and children saying they were more vulnerable to sexual exploitation and other forms of violence.

    The meeting was also attended by Tourism Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa, his ASAL counterpart Idris Dakota and Mohammed Hassan who is a member of the President Council of Economic Affairs.

     

     

  • Media urged to create content that aligns to needs of youth

    Media urged to create content that aligns to needs of youth

    Legacy Media owners, editors and content generators have been challenged to learn the consumption habits of the Millenials aged between 25-35 and Generation Z (Gen Zs) aged between 18-24 in order to capitalize on viewership and readership of this demographic that constitutes a large of the country`s population.

    ICT and Digital economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo who presided over the launch of a report dubbed the launch of millennials and digital natives says the millenials provide challenges as well as opportunities that the media can benefit .

    He has further called on Media houses to plan their products and tap on their spending with competitive bouquets of content offerings that they can afford.

    “The CS noted that there is need for further interrogation on how legacy media can position themselves with this generation adding that it still remains the most respected  and trusted source of news.” CS Owalo noted.

    According to the report, over 50pc of the young consumers are interested in news that is timely, trending and not time consuming hence the need to shift ideas on how legacy media disseminates information.

    Being exposed to digital date also poses a risk of exposure to fake news, hate mongering and age inappropriate content which has raised the need for correct checks and balances to ensure content regulation.

  • Kenya-Russia to boost trade relations

    Kenya-Russia to boost trade relations

    Kenya is set to deepen its relations with Russia to increase its trade volumes.

    President William Ruto said trade between the two countries is still low despite the huge potential. He said Kenya and Russia will sign a trade pact that will give business the necessary impetus.

    He spoke on Monday at State House, Nairobi, when he hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

    The two leaders agreed on the need to reform the United Nations Security Council to make it more representative and more responsive to the needs of the 21st Century.

    President Ruto said Africa should be represented at the Security Council, the UN’s top-decision making organ.

    “The continent can bring to the table rich ideas, suggestions and experiences that would serve the globe well,” he explained.

    The President observed that Kenya and Africa count on friends like Russia in the creation of a new architecture at the Council.

    Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Others are the United States, United Kingdom, France and China.

    The Security Council also has 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.

    On the raging Russia-Ukraine War, President Ruto reiterated Kenya’s steadfast position on respect for territorial integrity of member States as outlined in the UN Charter.

    “Kenya calls for a resolution of the conflict in a manner respectful to the two parties,” he said.

    Lavrov praised the 60 years’ friendship between his country and Kenya, saying Russia’s relationship with the continent has a new momentum after the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit.

    He said science cooperation between the two countries has been growing.

    Lavrov was in Nairobi on his way to a meeting of the BRICs Ministers of Foreign and International Relations in Cape Town, South Africa.

  • Court extends orders to freeze Amadi’s bank accounts

    Court extends orders to freeze Amadi’s bank accounts

    High Court  has extended orders to freeze Chief Registrar of Judiciary Ann Amadi’s bank account pending a ruling on June 2nd 2023.

    The court had been urged to open the bank accounts on grounds that the plaintiffs never dealt with Amadi.

    Amadi’s lawyer Ochieng Oduol said that it had not been shown that the monies were paid or even moved to Amadi’s personal account.

    The court further heard that Amadi does not operate in any law firm and does not engage in private practice.

    Oduol said that the impression that his client is trading gold is false and urged the court to discharge it’s earlier orders which were to let the plaintiff’s sue the 5 and 6 defendant’s whom they admitted they gave the money to.

    Last week, the Milimani Commercial Judge David Majanja froze personal bank accounts belonging to Amadi and her son, Brian Ochieng who are implicated in a Ksh 89M fake gold syndicate.

    Majanja made the orders following a suit filed by Bruton Gold Trading Company based in Dubai.

    Justice Majanja has recused himself from hearing the graft case against Amadi.

    He said he could not continue hearing the case since he sits in the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) where Amadi is the secretary to the commission.

    “l am a member of JSC where Amadi sits as the secretary and CRJ and I granted the order on that basis it was the law firm- Amadi & Associates Advocates registered in her name. I note that there are issues pertaining to my partiality and the impression created to the members of the public. I, therefore, disqualify myself from hearing the matter and refer it to the High Court Commercial Division Presiding Judge Alfred Mabeya for hearing on Wednesday morning,” Justice Majanja said.

    Amadi who dismissed the allegations levelled against her together with her son Brian Ochieng petitioned the court to vacate the freezing orders pending the hearing and determination of the case before Justice Alfred Mabeya on May 24th.

    The top court official has been sued by a British National who claims he paid the registrar’s firm (Amadi and Associates) $742,206 (Ksh102,090,435), for the supply of 1,500kg consignment of gold bars which were never delivered.

    Amadi termed the accusations that cast aspersions on her integrity as untrue, malicious. She vowed to defend herself in court including suing for defamation.

  • PS Hinga calls for sober discussion on housing fund

    PS Hinga calls for sober discussion on housing fund

    State Department for Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has called for a sober discussion on the housing fund saying some of those fighting it were supporting it during campaigns.

    Speaking during an interviews with Spice FM, PS Hinga said the Azimio coalition and its presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga had relentlessly voiced their support for the housing levy during the campaigns and shouldn’t change tune just because they lost the elections.

    Hinga recounted a meeting with the former Prime Minister way back in 2012 where they discussed the housing deficit in Kenya saying Raila was very passionate about the plight of Kenyans living in informal settlements in the Country.

    According to the PS, a majority of Kenyans live in rentals not because they want but because they can’t afford to own.

    “We may disagree on how we want to solve a problem but we must start by agreeing we have a problem. 4m Kenyans living in informal settlements. These are Kenyans living in places where they lack basic services, and when the Government comes up with a solution to the same, the affluent and wealthy want to decide for the less fortunate,” He said.

    Under the Affordable Housing Program, the Government provides land for free, waives taxes for the developer and standardizes cost of production for materials.

    These waivers therefore mean the cost of the housing units go down considerably compared to the market value by private developers.

    PS Hinga said the while they are solving the housing deficit by ensuring decent and affordable units for Kenyans, they are at the same time addressing unemployment among the youth.

    “Behind the program, behind the noise there are people with testimonials. When you believe in something, you will help the likes of the 55 home owners from Ngokomka who own houses in Parkroad,” He said.

    Ngokomka association did 8500 doors for the Parkroad project at a cost of Ksh 120m and some of the members used their proceeds to buy houses.

    The PS welcomed the debate on the finance bill saying recommendations from Kenyans during public participation will be incorporated.

    “We have a broken Housing system. We have 1141 informal settlements in our Country while over 65pc of Kenyans living in urban areas live in slums. If we leave the housing deficit problem to the private sector, they will only provide for 3pc and informal settlements will continue growing,” He said.