KBC Channel 1

Author: Margaret Kalekye

  • Ban on GMOs still stands

    Ban on GMOs still stands

    A three-judge bench has dismissed an application by the government seeking to allow Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods into the country.

    According to Justice Mohammed Warsame, Ali Aroni and John Mativo the application lacked merit and the public interest test had not been met.

    ” We see nothing for the court to preserve and it cannot be said that the substratum of the appeal will be eroded,” noted the court.

    This means that the order barring the government from importing or distributing genetically modified (GMO) crops and food stands until a case filed at the high court by the Kenyan peasant league is heard and determined.

    The state had argued that the adoption of biotechnology involving the use of GMOs will significantly contribute to addressing the challenges facing the country in terms of food security.

    It would also lower the cost of raw materials for the animal feed industry, an argument that was objected to on grounds that there was no public participation.

    The state argued that unless the orders are granted the appeal will be rendered of no consequence as the people of Kenya who are faced with hunger and starvation will be greatly prejudiced.

    Reporting by Ruth Wamboi

  • Ruto: Govt to enhance training on emerging threats

    Ruto: Govt to enhance training on emerging threats

    The National Defence College (NDC) will be equipped to train more decision-makers in the country.

    The move will ensure the development of more capacity to address contemporary challenges facing the world.

    President William Ruto said the training will also help in countering the evolving and mutating threats that run through today’s globalised world systems.

    He spoke on Thursday in Karen, Nairobi County, during the College’s graduation.

    The President noted that the country must be vigilant and analytical in detecting threats.

    “We must develop abilities to work together in a mutually supportive fashion to contribute to collective national security,” he said.

    He urged ministries, departments and agencies to take up the opportunity at NDC “as it is critical in the building of like-minded officials that will impact our country on policy”.

    “This is necessary to eliminate the silo-mentality in management of public affairs.”

    He added that the training will further enhance the government’s efforts to implement a Whole-of-Government and Multi-Agency approach.

    He asked the Ministry of Defence to prioritise expanding the facilities of the College and other training institutions to meet the growing demand.

    Present were Cabinet Secretary Defence Aden Duale, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Francis Ogolla, the National Security Adviser Amb. Dr. Monica Juma, Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru, the Vice Chief of Defence Forces (VCDF) Lieutenant General Jonah Mwangi, Service Commanders, General Officers (both serving and retired) and other high-ranking government and military officials.

  • More graves in Shakahola as death toll rises to 241

    More graves in Shakahola as death toll rises to 241

    The death toll from the Shakahola cult massacre had risen to 241.

    While giving an update on the exhumation progress in Shakahola forest, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki Thursday said the numbers went up following the discovery of five skeletons. This is after the suspension of the exhumation exercise on Thursday, May 18.

    “The team stumbled on the skeletons on two different days and they are part of the human remains that will be the subject of the postmortem process. Sadly also yesterday evening we lost one of the persons who had been rescued because he continued to resist eating even after trying our best to feed him in hospital” he said.

    The CS is in Malindi, Kilifi county to oversee the commencement of the second phase of postmortem examinations of 129 additional bodies exhumed from the Shakahola mass graves.

    At the same time, government has extended the dusk-to-dawn curfew at the Chakama ranch by a further 30 days.

    He however regretted that there was evidence of more graves in the vast forest.

    The cult leader Paul Makenzi of Good News International Church who remains in police custody is said to have lured his followers to death through starvation and dehydration in the name of religion.

    The CS said so far 91 followers have been rescued (1 succumbed) while DNA tests have been conducted on 93 relatives and another 19 have been reunited with their families.

    Detectives who are leading the exercise have arrested 34 people.

    The number of people reported missing stood at 613. The exhumation of bodies was suspended to allow an autopsy on 129 recovered so far in the second phase.

  • Thugs masquerading as beggars rob revellers in Ruaraka

    Thugs masquerading as beggars rob revellers in Ruaraka

    Detectives are looking for three suspects who raided a drinking joint at Ruaraka’s Kasabuni area, before ransacking all revelers of their pockets and fleeing.

    The three suspects who were armed with a firearm initially posed as vagabonds of unsound mind carrying sacks on their backs, before entering the club to seek for alms.

    The thugs then ransacked the revellers pockets stealing their mobile phones, cash and other valuables.

    “The three miscreants who were armed with a firearm initially posed as vagabonds of unsound mind carrying sacks on their backs, before entering Reke Marie pub to seek for alms. All this while, the revelers who were unperturbed by the trio’s presence continued corroding their esophageal glands with impunity as they downed cold swallows, until one of the presumed madmen whipped out a riffle from his sack and ordered everyone to lie down!” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement.

    However one reveller abused them prompting the thugs to fire two rounds in the air attracting the attention of police officers on patrol, who immediately rushed to the scene.

    However, by the time police arrived, the thugs had vanished into darkness.

    According to DCI sleuths two empty cartridges were recovered at the scene. The spent cartridges have since been sent to the DCI National Forensic Laboratory for scientific analysis by ballistic experts.

    Meanwhile, police are pursuing leads into the whereabouts of the thugs masquerading as beggars.

    The spent cartridges have since been sent to the DCI National Forensic Laboratory for scientific analysis by ballistic experts.

  • Former Mungiki leader grilled by DCI in Nakuru

    Former Mungiki leader grilled by DCI in Nakuru

    Former Mungiki leader, Maina Njenga was on Wednesday evening briefly held at the Nakuru County Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) where he was interrogated for 45 minutes before being released.

    Detectives at the offices directed Mr Njenga who was accompanied by his lawyers Ndegwa Njiru and Steve Biko to report to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi at 8.am Thursday where he is listed as a wanted person in relation to the recovery of two firearms and over 90 rolls of bhang at a home linked to him.

    The self-confessed ex-Mungiki boss was grilled by DCI officers after Nakuru Senior Resident Magistrate, Emmanuel Soita declined to issue clear orders on Maina’s re-arrest.

    His lawyers had pleaded with the court to interpret orders issued by Nairobi High court which stated that Maina should not be arrested until charges are preferred against him.

    Maina moved to the Milimani Law Courts and was granted an anticipatory bond of Ksh100,000 on May 17, 2023.

    Mr Soita indicated that Mr Njenga had appeared before a different court from the one handling his case therefore the magistrate could not issue orders or give bail and bond for the applicant.

    Mr Njiru had submitted before the Senior Resident Magistrate that they had presented their client before the after DCI issued a communiqué on Monday putting their client on its wanted list.

    The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through a post on its Facebook account, made the announcement on Monday night saying; “Detectives in Nakuru County are looking for ex-Mungiki leader Maina Njenga in relation to the recovery of two firearms and over 90 rolls of bhang at a home linked to him.”

    The recovery was made on May 12 when the police raided Maina’s in Ngomongo village in Bahati, Nakuru.

    “Officers arrested eight suspects, aged between 37 and 58, during the raid. They also found three rounds of 9mm blank ammunition hidden in one of the rooms,” the DCI said in the post.

    According to the police, one of the firearms was a homemade pistol, capable of firing, and the other was a Tokarev with defaced serial number.

    “Any information on the whereabouts of the ex-Mungiki leader who has since gone into hiding may be volunteered through the #FichuaKwaDCI anonymous hotline 0800722203,” the DCI announced.

    Detectives raided Maina Njenga’s three homes in Nakuru Nairobi and Laikipia on the morning of May 12.

    According to sources privy to the investigations, the police intended to charge Maina with allowing his residence to be used as a venue for the meeting by the group.

    “On diverse dates between May 12 and May 18, 2023, in Nakuru North sub-county, Nakuru County, jointly with others not before the court upon the reasonable ground were identified as members of an outlawed organized criminal group to with links to Mungiki,” the charge sheet for the twelve reads in part,”

    Reporting Dennis Rasto

  • JLAC wants IEBC allocated more funds to clear pending bills

    JLAC wants IEBC allocated more funds to clear pending bills

    The National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs committee now wants the National Assembly to allocate an additional Ksh2.6 billion to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for settling pending bills owed to lawyers.

    Committee chairperson, George Murugara, Wednesday told the Budget and Appropriations Committee that failure to clear the legal fees will put the electoral agency at risk of being taxed.

    Chairpersons of various national assembly departmental committees appeared before the Budget and Appropriations Committee to defend the budget estimates of state departments that are under their watch.

    On his part, Trade Committee chairperson, James Gakuya, urged MPs to allocate more resources for expanding infrastructure in the special economic zones.

    Health committee chairperson, Robert Pukose, pushed for enhanced allocation of funds towards universal health coverage and employment of community health workers.

    The 2023/2024 budget aims to allocate the lion’s share of resources to agricultural production, education and industrialization.

     

    Additional reporting by Kevin Wachira

  • Accurate data will shape government policy, says President Ruto

    Accurate data will shape government policy, says President Ruto

    The Government is committed to documenting all citizens to enhance service delivery.

    President William Ruto said effective and inclusive governance of public services requires accurate citizen data.

    The Government, he added is working towards the implementation of a vital statistics system that meets the demands of a new digital era.

    He said the Government has also instituted measures to ensure 100 per cent registration of births and deaths by 2026.

    “We need accurate information on essential attributes of citizens to accurately allocate resources,” he said.

    Speaking during the 7th Identification For Africa Conference held in Nairobi, President Ruto said proper identity systems will boost democracy in Africa.

    President Ruto asked African national identity management agencies to work together and share knowledge on identity management innovations.

    He called on development partners to support Government’s identity management programmes.

    “We operate in an environment of escalating resource constraint and yet, at the same time, we cannot postpone or downgrade our identity management endeavours,” he said.

    Present were Cabinet Secretaries Kindiki Kithure, Eliud Owalo, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, the Executive Chairman of ID4 Africa Joseph Atick, several ministers from African countries and Principal Secretaries.

  • Senate to probe former governor Nanok over ownership of water company

    Senate to probe former governor Nanok over ownership of water company

    Former Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok has been invited by the Senate Investment Committee to shed light on the ownership of Lodwar Water and Sewerage Company.

    Senators are probing why the water company partially owned by private entities is yet to fold up four years after a law was passed prohibiting operations of public-private owned water companies.

    Nanok who is the Deputy Head of Public Service is on the spot for allegedly failing to dissolve Lodwar Water and Sewerage Company in 2019 as required by the law.

    Additionally, the Senate watchdog committee wants the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to conduct a forensic audit of the company’s books.

    The senate county public investment committee has also invited the current Governor Jeremiah Lomurukai to give information on the ownership status of the water company that has been operating unprocedurally since 2019.

    The 2016 Water Act directed all counties to dissolve public-private owned water companies in three years.

    But the Josephat Nanok administration never complied with the law and instead registered two other water companies.

    The Committee now wants the county government to take over operations of the water company in accordance with the water act within 90 days and the ethics and anti-corruption commission commences investigations into its operations.

    Reporting by Christine Muchira

  • Scare after suspected Influenza outbreak at Rapogi school

    Scare after suspected Influenza outbreak at Rapogi school

    Over 100 students from Rapogi School in Uriri in Migori have been diagnosed with flu-like symptoms, sending panic at the institution.

    Confirming the incident, the senior principal Mr Erastus Nyagwa said the students showing signs of dry cough and flu were taken to various hospitals within the county for further tests and treatment.

    He said Covid-19 has been ruled out after tests conducted returned negative. It was however feared it could suspected influenza outbreak.

    However, two students who were diagnosed with malaria were admitted at St Joseph’s Ombo hospital as the entire school staff and students remained under observation.

    Mr Nyagwa is appealing to other schools to take precautions to avert such an outbreak.

    With the cold season setting in, Kenyans have lately been complaining of suffering serious symptoms of the flu including high fever, cough, sore throat, watery eyes, headaches and body aches.

    The flu (influenza in full) is different from a cold and can cause mild to severe illness and death.

    Most people who get the flu recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people develop complications (such as pneumonia), some of which can be life-threatening.

    Mukumu girls

    Meanwhile, learning at the Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls in Kakamega County has fully resumed with over 1800 out of 2028 learners having reported back.

    School Principal Jane Mmbone told a multi-agency team led by the Western Regional Commissioner Samuel Irungu Macharia that some of the students, especially from form one and two had sought transfer to other schools while a smaller number were still expected to report to school.

    The multi-agency team was tasked to provide recommendations for improved sanitation at the institution, has however declared that there was no new disease outbreak at the institution, contrary to information circulating on social media.

    Speaking to the media after an extensive tour of the school accompanied by members of the multi-agency team among them officials from the Ministry of water, Public health, parents’ representatives and the Principal, the RC told off those peddling lies about the school and asked them to let students concentrate on their studies.

    The RC however asked parents to continue communicating with the school management about the welfare of their children and called for support from all stakeholders to ensure smooth running of learning activities at the school.

    Sacred Heart Mukumu girls was closed for about a month in April after four students and a teacher died following a disease outbreak.

    Public health officials diagnosed salmonella typhii (a bacteria that causes typhoid) and amebiasis (a parasitic infection of the intestines that causes stomach pain and diarrhea).

    Irungu said the school has been connected to a new water supply by the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency (LVNWWDA), new water purification and chlorination plant nearing completion and establishment of additional hand washing points.

    “This is meant to provide safe drinking water for the students, the water which was previously stored by the school was also flashed out, with a borehole now sunk to provide additional water to the institution,” he added.

    “Corrective measures recommended by the multi-agency team had been put in place, including the renovation of the food store to increase ventilation and the improvement of the flooring in the store.

    “New maize stock was also brought in, which was dried for four days to ensure there was no moisture before storing,” he added.

    Weighing in on the 100 per cent transition to secondary education, the Regional Commissioner noted that it came with challenges among them congestion in classrooms, dormitories and exerted pressure on the school sewage system.

    He however, assured that the government was committed to improving infrastructure in schools through working in collaboration with Non- Governmental Organization (NGOs) and other partners to improve infrastructure and sanitation in schools.

    “This includes the Water Resource Management Authority working in partnership with The Water Project and Friends of Timothy to provide water in schools in Mumias West, East and Navokholo sub-counties” he noted.

    Reporting by Celestine Mwango and KNA

  • Raila blames State for perennial flooding on Lake Victoria basin

    Raila blames State for perennial flooding on Lake Victoria basin

    The Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has accused the government of failing to construct dams on rivers Nzoia, Yala and Nyando respectively to contain the perennial floods in Lake Victoria Basin.

    Speaking at Siagonjo Stadium in Budalangi during the distribution of relief food to flood victims, the former Prime Minister stated that the plan to construct the dams on the flooding rivers could have reduced the suffering of the people.

    He observed that the waters from dams could also be used for irrigation to produce enough food and export the surplus.

    Busia Governor Dr.Paul Otuoma noted that the lower Nzoia irrigation project will be an economic game changer through the increment of land acreage under rice from 3000 to 20,000.

    Budalangi Member of Parliament Raphael Wanjala urged the government to consider constructing four dams in Nyanza and Western province among the scheduled construction of the 100 dams.

    On the other hand, minority leader in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi has demanded the government charge high-ranking officials behind the theft of the condemned sugar and Kenya Medical Supplies Agency KEMSA scandal on mosquito nets.

    He threatened to name the official next week if the government fails to take action.