KBC Channel 1

Author: Margaret Kalekye

  • Cholera death toll rises to five in Siaya

    Cholera death toll rises to five in Siaya

    The death toll from Cholera outbreak in parts of Siaya county has risen to five after two more people succumbed, county director of public health, Kennedy Orwenjo has said.

    Orwenjo said that all the deaths have so far been recorded at Bondo sub-county referral hospital, with the latest ones recorded yesterday.

    Speaking at Ruma while receiving a donation of health equipment from Fred Hollows foundation, Orwenjo said that 10 new cases have been reported, bringing to 104 cases that have been recorded in the last one month.

    The public health director called on the public to maintain high standards of hygiene which includes use of toilets.

    He advised that anyone who shows symptoms of acute diarrhea must be rushed to nearby health facilities for treatment to avoid loss of lives.

    Last week, the county executive committee member for health, Dr. Martin Konyango said that the department has identified Manyuanda in west Uyoma and Oyamo island in Lake Victoria as the epicenters of the diseases, saying that efforts were being made to contain the spread.

    He said that his department was using community health volunteers to help in the war against the spread of the disease, adding that they have also distributed chlorine to the communities to help treat water for domestic consumption.

     

     

  • Kindiki orders transfer of all police officers stationed at Isebania

    Kindiki orders transfer of all police officers stationed at Isebania

    Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has ordered the transfer of all police officers stationed in Isebania regardless of the positions. 

    The CS made the announcement during a security meeting with Nyanza region security and intelligence teams following security concerns in the area.

    The affected officers include those attached to Immigration and other government agencies namely the Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Revenue Authority and Anti-Counterfeit Authority within Isebania town.

    He however warned that the government will not tolerate incompetent officers.

    “ The government will lay off incompetent police officers, we shall not transfer problems to other regions ” he stated.

    The CS Wednesday morning visited Isebania town, Migori County to address security concerns following last week’s attack on the local police station by mobs armed with crude weapons.

    Five civilians were shot dead as police officers from the station attempted to restore peace through a public order management operation. A police officer was among those injured.

    The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is probing the incident, pledging to take appropriate action including recommending to the Director of Public Prosecutions the prosecution of any person found culpable.

    “The Independent Policing Oversight Authority on Thursday evening learnt of a shooting incident at Isebania Police Station in Kuria West Sub-County during which six people were reportedly fatally wounded and others injured during the evening of Thursday, May 25, 2023. Among the injured include police officers,” said IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori.

    “Our Regional office in Kisumu on its own motion dispatched a Rapid Response Team to launch investigations into the deaths and injuries,” read the statement.

    Tension has been high since the incident with residents taking to the streets to demonstrate against alleged deteriorating security.

    10 days ago, transport along the Isebania- Sirare road was brought to a standstill as locals engaged officers in running battles.

    The irate locals claim the spate of insecurity in the region has left scores dead. This is after three businessmen were gunned down by unknown assailants.

    CS Kindiki is later expected to address a public baraza at Isebania Town.

    DEVELOPING

    Additional reporting by Carolyn Necheza

  • Mandera County unveils Ksh8B master plan for water, sanitation

    Mandera County unveils Ksh8B master plan for water, sanitation

    Mandera has moved to solve the perennial water crisis in the County.

    The County Department of water services has developed a master plan for achieving universal basic access to water, sanitation, and hygiene.

    The master plan in which all water infrastructure expansion projects in the area have been anchored, targets to expand the piped water network and sewerage system in Takaba Town Mandera West sub-county by the year 2040.

    According to Deputy Country Representative UNICEF Mr. Mahboob Ahmed Ksh8.58 billion will be needed for the project completion which will be in five phases.

    Phase one of the Takaba Mandera west water plan will be done by rehabilitating and expanding existing water resources by the year 2029.

    Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif said water challenges facing Takaba town and other parts of Mandera County will end once phase one of the project is completed as such boost the population of Takaba town from the current 32000 to 87000.

    Mandera West was the hardest hit by drought for the last five years.

    Reporting by Adesh Macan in Mandera

  • Engineers to track, monitor projects through online portal

    Engineers to track, monitor projects through online portal

    Engineers in the country will now be required to log in and register the projects they are handling.

    Chairman of the Engineers Board of Kenya, Eng. Erastus Mwongera, says this will help to create a transparent and accountable system for tracking and monitoring engineering projects.

    The board explains that this will also serve as a centralized platform where engineers can conveniently register their documentation, a move that will rid the profession of quacks.

    Low registration rate, consumption, and delivery are some of the challenges that have rocked the engineering profession.

    The Principal Secretary for Roads, Eng. Joseph Mbugua, said through the improvement of infrastructure engineers play a pivotal role in reducing trade barriers, improving market access, and attracting domestic and foreign investments.

    Engineering Partnerships Convention (EPC2023).

    The upcoming 4th Engineering Partnerships Convention will have discussions centred around technological advancements and their impact on engineering standards and practices to help in the development of appropriate legislation and policies.

    The theme is TRANSFORMING KENYA’S ECONOMY – ENGINEER’S CONTRIBUTION TO DEVELOPMENT

    Kenya Broadcasting Corporation is the official media partner in the three-day convention that will take place in Naivasha in mid-June.

    Ag KBC MD Samuel Maina (Centre)
    Ag KBC MD Samuel Maina (Centre)
  • Shakahola postmortems: 16 bodies remaining

    Shakahola postmortems: 16 bodies remaining

    The death toll from Shakahola tragedy has reached 243 after one of the victims rescued died at the Malindi Sub County Hospital.

    Chief government pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor confirmed that 36 autopsies had been done on Tuesday.

    The postmortem process of the 129 bodies recovered in the second phase of the exhumation exercise began last week.

    Odour said only 16 bodies were remaining to complete the exercise to pave the way for phase three of the exhumation.

    Interior CS Kindiki Kithure has revealed that more mass graves had been identified by the homicide detectives.

    The victims fell prey to cult-like teachings by Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, founder of the Good News International Church, who allegedly lured his faithful into starving themselves to death ‘to find God’.

     

  • WFP to support more Kenyans reeling from drought impact

    WFP to support more Kenyans reeling from drought impact

    The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up its emergency response to support hundreds of thousands of Kenyans affected by the impact of nearly three years of drought.

    WFP is ramping up to support more than 940,000 drought-affected people – an increase from almost 600,000 people it supported last year.

    The longest drought in the Horn of Africa’s recorded history has left 4.4 million people in Kenya facing crisis levels of hunger or worse. Almost 1.5 million young children and women are acutely malnourished and nearly 3 million livestock have perished.

    “The hunger emergency in Kenya is far from over. Years of drought has given way to rain, but flash flooding has washed away livestock, and destroyed farms, bringing yet more anguish for families,” says Lauren Landis, WFP’s Country Director in Kenya. “It will take years for farmlands and livestock to recover and humanitarian assistance remains a lifeline.”

    The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has contributed US$390 million in 2022 and 2023 – the largest contribution by any single donor – to WFP’s emergency drought response in Kenya.

    Dubbed ‘Lisha Jamii’ (Kiswahili for ‘feed families’), WFP’s response is providing families with cash transfers and in-kind food, as well as treating malnutrition in pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five years of age.

    “The generosity of the American people has enabled WFP to support the most vulnerable Kenyans through three years of drought and helped to prevent more people from falling into hunger and malnutrition – especially women and children,” says Landis.

    The Lisha Jamii response will support families for the next six months, or until the next harvest season, in ten of the most drought-affected counties1

    The United States Government is also supporting more than 600,000 refugees in Kenya with food and cash assistance in Kakuma, Kalobeyei and Dadaab refugee camps.

  • Impressive transition rates as 2.4 million learners join secondary

    Impressive transition rates as 2.4 million learners join secondary

    Kenya’s efforts at achieving universal basic education have yielded tremendous progress with transition rates hitting unprecedented levels.

    In the current academic year, five of the eight regions have either hit or surpassed their targets for the expected number of learners joining Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Form One, while the remaining three have posted near-perfect scores in this respect.

    According to the Interior Ministry, the significant progress has been attributed to sustained enforcement of the 100 percent transition policy by a multi-agency team coordinated by National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs).

    This has also resulted in low school dropout rates.

    The latest statistics indicate that a total of 1,263,156 pupils (641,270 boys and 625,518 girls) have reported to various JSS learning centers, with 984,622 in public schools and 278,534 in private institutions.

    Nyanza is leading the way with 102 percent transition, followed by Central Kenya and North Eastern, each of which has reported 101 percent rates.

    Nairobi and Eastern have recorded a perfect 100 percent transition each, while Coast, Western Kenya, and the Rift Valley have achieved 99, 97, and 95 percent reporting rates respectively.

    An impressive 1,154,246 students have also transitioned to Form One, while 15,874 have enrolled for vocational training, an alternative learning route that is increasingly attracting more funding from the government and donors.

    All learners in North Eastern have reported to high school, while each of Nairobi and Central has recorded 99 percent transition rates.

    Following closely are Western, Nyanza and Coast, each of which has achieved 98 percent Form One enrollments, while Rift Valley is at 92 percent.

    The 100 percent transition policy was introduced by the government in a deliberate effort to bridge the gap in education, especially for marginalized and underprivileged children.

    Enforcement of the policy was assigned to government administrators, who command an expansive network of influence and knowledge of the grassroots social structures.

    During his security tour of Kilifi County in late February, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki directed the officers chiefs and assistant chiefs to lead a door-to-door operation to ensure every school-going child is accounted for.

    The undertaking is complemented by progressive investment in education infrastructure and implementation of other inclusive policies.

    Disbursement of funds

    Meanwhile, Education Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu, says public schools will receive Ksh28 billion by this Friday.

    Machogu said the government will release the monies to all Primary schools, Junior and Senior Secondary schools in the country.

    Machogu who spoke Tuesday at Kametho Primary and Junior Secondary School in Rarieda, Siaya County.

    Machogu said each pupil in primary school will receive 1,450 shillings while those in Junior and Senior Secondary schools will receive 15,040 shillings and 22,240 shillings respectively.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Safaricom hands over Pastor Ezekiel’s M-Pesa statements to DCI

    Safaricom hands over Pastor Ezekiel’s M-Pesa statements to DCI

    Detectives will now have access to M-Pesa accounts belonging to embattled Kilifi Pastor Ezekiel Odero who is under probe over alleged money laundering and potential links to cult leader Paul Makenzi.

    This is after Mobile service provider, Safaricom complied with a court to disclose pastor Ezekiel’s M-Pesa statements and those of his church

    Safaricom senior manager and liaison officer, Weldon Syongok, told the court that all financial statements with respect to seven Mpesa accounts have been handed over to the investigating officer Chief Inspector of Police Martin Munene.

    Safaricom senior manager and liaison officer Weldon Syongok
    Safaricom senior manager and liaison officer Weldon Syongok

    The DCI on May 8 obtained orders compelling Safaricom and five banks to supply account transactions of Pastor Odero and his New Life Church and Kilifi International School.

    Through Munene, the police sought summons claiming that Safaricom is yet to comply with the orders even after it was officially served with a court order to allow them access to the books accounts of the M-Pesa lines belonging to Odero.

    Syongok, however, told trial magistrate, Ben Ekhubi, that the documents were bulky and the information required by the investigating officer was backdated from 2017 to 2023 and it was therefore not possible to download the statements within a short period of time.

    Last week, the court directed Safaricom to provide the information by Tuesday at noon.

    Shakahola massacre

    Elsewhere, Mijikenda Kaya elders have urged the government to deregister cult-like religious institutions that take advantage and prey on vulnerable Kenyans to prevent the recurrence of incidents like the Shakahola massacre.

    The elders said allowing preachers like Paul Mackenzie to propagate cult-like teachings was a threat to the lives of Kenyans.

    The elders led by Saidi Chitanda, were speaking in Marafa during a meeting attended by Magarini MP, Harrison Kombe. The legislator, on his part, condemned the Shakahola tragedy, saying proper mechanisms should be put in place to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Plans underway to decongest busy Eldoret-Malaba road

    Plans underway to decongest busy Eldoret-Malaba road

    The government of Kenya in partnership with Uganda has announced plans to transport cargo efficiently by decongesting the busy Eldoret-Malaba highway which is the gateway to East and Central Africa.

    Speaking after the inspection of Malaba dry port, the CS for Roads and Transport Kipchumba Murkomen noted that Kenyan government has plans in place to install more improved and digital scanners at Malaba and Busia One Stop Border Posts(OSBP) as a way of reducing time wasted to clear trucks at the border.

    The CS made his remarks when he played host to Uganda’s state minister for Works and Transport Musa Ecweru who was in the country to deliberate on possible solutions to the road transport that has caused uproar among road users.

    The two East African Community member states at the same time said an agreement had been struck to open auxiliary roads at the border to eliminate traffic jams along the Malaba-Bungoma highway.

    “After much deliberation, the scanning process has been identified as the main challenge that has contributed largely to the heavy traffic witnessed within the border and we have suggested increasing the number of scanners within three months to boost the efficiency thus enhancing trade,” noted CS Murkomen.

    “However, this will be a temporary measure as we advance talks with our sister countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi to extend SGR up to DRC Congo as a permanent solution,” added the CS noted that the government of Kenya will shift the operation of dry port from Naivasha to Malaba to expend trade.

    Malaba Border is the busiest OSBP where over 2500 trucks are cleared daily generating over 15 billion revenue annually.

    The move comes weeks after the Ugandan government continues to record an increasing number of empty trucks heading back to Mombasa that build a stretch of over 15KM from Malaba waiting for clearance along Malaba-Jinja Highway.

    “Our objective is to make sure the SGR in the fullness of time is taken all the way to DR Congo so that it can foster faster movement of goods and people and deepen integration as a region.  We will engage further to bolster the partnership on transport and trade,” Murkomen said.

    His sentiments were echoed by Uganda state minister of Works Musa Ecweru who said the partnership aims at smoothening the transport sector that has witnessed a lot of hiccups.

    According to Ecweru, the government of Uganda has renewed its commitment in construction of SGR from Malaba to Kampala and rehabilitation of Tororo- Gulu- Pakwach meter gauge railway.

    “Our nature of engagement with Kenyan CsS for roads was aligned in ensuring the cost of business is effective and efficient thus boosting regional integration on matters of trade and transport,” noted Ecweru.

    The two governments agreed on the issue of empty trucks enrouting back in Kenya through Lwakhakha road as a temporary measure to improve services as the agencies at the custom will concentrate more on cargo-transits.

    Teso North MP Oku Kaunya applauded the move by CS Murkoment to respond promptly to the plights of truck drivers and residents of Teso by assuring the community that the government will prioritize dueling of the road from Kanduyi to Malaba OSBP to minimize traffic as well as mitigating accidents.

    “I am delighted by the move by the CS to address the traffic mirage and also to reduce dangers exposed to road users as a result of traffic. We have witnessed fatal accidents weekly along this road involving truck drivers and motorists, we believe the engagement will offer a permanent solution,” noted Hon. Kaunya.

    The lawmaker noted that even though trucks contribute to the business and development of Malaba town, measures need to be taken to mitigate risks the community is exposed to.

  • Private sector key to addressing debt problem in Horn of Africa

    Private sector key to addressing debt problem in Horn of Africa

    Ministers of Finance from countries under the Horn of Africa Initiative have underscored the importance of tapping into the private sector to address gaps in financing of priority projects in the region.

    The ministers from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan and a representative of Eritrea were reacting to a presentation on a roadmap for mobilising private sector participation in the region, during the 17th Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI) Ministers of Finance Roundtable, hosted by the African Development Bank.

    The event took place on the sidelines of the Bank’s Annual Meetings, which concluded May 26th in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

    The Bank’s Division Manager for Private Sector, Hazem Elwassimy, presented the roadmap, titled, Private Sector Mobilisation: A Roadmap for a Government-Enabled, Private Sector Led Green Growth In The Horn of Africa.

    He highlighted that debt sustainability in the region was a major issue leading to a gap in the financing of priority projects from public resources.

    The average total public debt-to-GDP ratio in East Africa reached 87 percent in 2021, from 79 percent in 2020, way more than the IMF’s recommended threshold of 40 percent for developing countries.

    High debt to GDP ratio limits the available space to finance the priority projects and programmes, including those under the Horn of Africa package.

    As such, the meeting underscored the importance of collaboration between government and private sector entities in shaping policies and regulations that will encourage the private sector to thrive and participate in debt reduction. “Private sector engagement leverages the capabilities of the private sector to drive economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction and addressing social and environmental challenges,” adds the report.

    For a start, the region must look at the low-hanging fruits, in this case being the collaboration with the chambers of commerce in the respective countries, said Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Economic Planning.

    “They are well connected. Let them cite their pain points in working in the region, then we can come together and agree on how to resolve the issues,” he stated.

    Djibouti’s Finance minister, Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, reiterated the importance of creating dialogue between HoAI governments with the region’s private sector. This, he said, “would ensure a harmonised process that would map out bottlenecks, priorities and challenges in private sector participation.”

    On his part, South Sudan’s Minister of Finance and Planning, Dier Tong Ngor, mentioned that it was critical to harmonise the movement of people and goods/trade in the region “to achieve economic integration with a strong private sector presence”.

    A communiqué following the meeting rubber-stamped the value of private sector, and called for the development of an operational plan.

    “Private sector has the potential to bring its knowledge and practical understanding of policy issues, and should be integrated in the public-private sector dialogue, formally and informally including through a regional platform”. We have requested that additional work be undertaken to develop an operational, implementation-oriented roadmap for private sector engagement, in order to facilitate cross-border investments in key sectors including digital.”

    The meeting was chaired by Ahmed Shide, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance, and co-chaired by Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, AfDB’s Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery. Other participants included officials of the World Bank, European Union, IGAD, and other Development Partners.

    During the event, the Minister of Finance for Djibouti, Ilyas Dawaleh and his counterpart from the Federal Republic of Somalia,  Dr Elmi Mohamud Nur, signed the financing agreement for the Djibouti-Somalia Nagad-Loyada/Lowyaddo-Borama transport corridor which is funded by grants from the Bank to the tune of USD72 billion.

    The project, which was approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors in March 2023, is key in enhancing transport connectivity between the two countries and neighbouring Ethiopia.

    It is also expected to promote cross-border trade, ease the movement of people and deepen regional integration, as well as alleviate fragility in the Horn of Africa.