KBC Channel 1

Author: Martin Mwanje

  • Drought mitigation boost as Japan donates water trucks

    Drought mitigation boost as Japan donates water trucks

    Kenya’s drought mitigation measures got a major boost after the Government of Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) donated brand new high-capacity water trucks worth Ksh. 26 million.

    This follows last year’s request by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) to JICA to support the country’s capacity to respond effectively to the water needs of communities affected by drought.

    East African Community, the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) & Regional Development CS Rebecca Miano has termed the donation a significant addition to NDMA’s water response fleet of trucks and a welcome boost to the country’s drought response capacity.

    “Access to safe and sufficient water is a big challenge in our arid and semi-arid regions, especially when drought strikes. Water trucking becomes the option of choice to fall back on when droughts happen,” noted CS Miano when she flagged off the water trucks in Nairobi Friday.

    “The water trucks will serve some of the counties that suffer the severest water stress during droughts.”

    She was accompanied by Masaya Nishimura, Secretary of Embassy of Japan to Kenya and Senior Representative, JICA (Kenya), Mari Kato, among other officials.

    Following the donation, CS Miano disclosed that two axes that require enhanced water trucking capacity have already been identified.

    The first includes Tana River, Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties while the second covers Baringo, Samburu, Laikipia, Isiolo and Marsabit.

    “For ease of access in each of the identified axis, one truck will be stationed in Garissa while the other will be stationed in Marsabit County, and both will remain available to support the other counties on need basis,” remarked the CS.

    That notwithstanding, she is of the view that drought response interventions such as water trucking are in themselves expensive and unsustainable.

    To that end, she indicated that the government is keen on investing in long-term resilience building interventions that progressively increase the capacity of communities to cope with drought.

    “Among our immediate priorities are high-impact multipurpose water projects in the ASALs. These will significantly reduce drought risk while presenting new opportunities for diversified livelihoods and expanded sources of income,” added CS Miano who underscored the need to forge strategic partnerships to make the dream come true.

    She called for support from JICA particularly in natural resource mapping and planning in that regard, an area in which Japan holds unrivalled expertise.

    CS Miano further lauded the Government of Japan, through the UNDP, for supporting initiatives aimed at mitigating the impacts of drought and climate change in Kenya.

     

  • Morticians up in arms over IG Koome’s dead bodies remark

    Morticians up in arms over IG Koome’s dead bodies remark

    The assertion that politicians allied to the Opposition hired dead bodies from mortuaries during recent public demonstrations with an intention of portraying them as victims of police brutality are untrue.

    Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome while addressing the media in Nyeri Wednesday intimated that the said politicians work in cahoots with morgue attendants to take pictures of the bodies.

    The pictures, he added, are later published in social media platforms with an aim of tainting the image of the police service.

    It was the first time he was responding to Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition police brutality claims since the chaotic public protests a fortnight ago.

    “The information I have is they go to some of the mortuaries, compromise the workers there, people who even died of some illness, people who died maybe out of an accident or other causes, they take photographs of such bodies and blame on police,” observed IG Koome.

    However, in a statement Thursday, morticians drawn from across the country said their work is governed by ethics that cannot permit them to venture into such a realm.

    “Mortuary Technicians are governed by ethics, chiefly among them being, respect and confidentiality of the deceased and respect for the loss, feelings and the right of the bereaved to mourn their loved ones in peace,” they stated through their Morticians and Allied Professionals Association of Kenya umbrella body.

    In the statement signed by the association’s Secretary Felix Odhiambo and two others, they are now calling on the Inspector General to make public the names of those involved in the scheme so that they can be held accountable.

    “The purpose of the press release therefore is to DEMAND the Inspector General to furnish both Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority and Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board; the two registering, regulating and licensing bodies of Mortuary Technicians and the Mortuary facilities respectively the particulars implicated for investigation and if found culpable, necessary disciplinary actions taken against them,” the statement reads.

    Azimio leader Raila Odinga, alongside others, has scoffed at IG Koome’s assertion terming it unfortunate.

     

  • Mudavadi urges Africa to reverse dismal performance of coffee sector

    Mudavadi urges Africa to reverse dismal performance of coffee sector

    Kenya has prioritized coffee as one of the quick turnaround key subsectors in economic development.

    Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi says the Government has developed various initiatives which seeks to increase Kenya’s coffee production from the current 51,000 metric tonnes realized in the year 2021/22 to 100,000 metric tonnes by the year 2025, thus contribute to an increase in Africa’s coffee production globally.

    He said coffee production in Kenya has been declining over the years due to challenges like climate change, perennial price volatility, market access and low domestic consumption among others.

    “The decline in production has adversely affected farmers’ earning and their livelihoods. Kenya has prioritized coffee as one of the quick turnaround key subsectors in our economic development model popularly known as the Bottom-Up Economic Transformative Agenda (BETA) as espoused in the Kenya Kwanza Government Manifesto 2022-2027,” said Mudavadi.

    He was speaking in Uganda on Tuesday during the second African Coffee Summit, running under the theme ‘Transforming the African coffee sector through value addition.

    The declining production is compared to historical performance where coffee attained remarkable progress soon after independence leading to growth of an all time high production of 129,637 metric tonnes in 1987/88 during the famous coffee boom.

    African coffee accounts for about 12 per cent of the world’s coffee production, making it the second-largest most traded commodity in Africa after oil.

    In 2021/2022 for instance, Africa’s coffee production registered a dismal performance of 19.27 million bags of coffee compared to a global production of 167.2 million bags in the same period.

    This is a paltry 11.5 per cent against a potential of 40 per cent attributable to Africa’s comparative advantage in land acreage, rainfall and fertile soils.

    “As a continent we must develop appropriate strategies to reverse this negative trend and reclaim our position on the global coffee platform,” he noted.

    Mudavadi assured that Kenya has come up with various initiatives to reverse declining performance of the coffee sector which include e-voucher fertilizer input subsidy programme for coffee farmers, rollout of coffee revitalization program and establishment of cherry advance revolving fund.

    Other initiatives the Government is undertaking include coffee credit financing through establishment of Commodities Fund to provide affordable finance credit for coffee farming and other agricultural produce as well as reviewing the subsector’s legislations.

    “Kenya is a good example of promoting intra-African coffee trade. Kenya’s coffee imports from African countries has grown tremendously over a five-year period from 3 metric tonnes in 2019/2020 to 857 metric tonnes in 2022/2023,” said Mudavadi.

    Also during this period, Kenya’s coffee exports to African countries reduced from 1,064 metric tonnes to 212 metric tonnes, a decrease of 80 per cent.

    He said this is an indication that Kenya is in the fore front of promoting intra Africa coffee trade while majority are not embracing the spirit of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides opportunities for acceleration of inter-African trade.

    “We must take advantage of this vast market potential for Africa by promoting domestic consumption of and boosting African grown coffee besides boosting trading position in the global market,” he stated.

    Mudavadi explained coffee is grown in 33 out of 47 counties by an estimated 800,000 smallholder growers aggregated into 590 cooperative societies and 2,700 coffee estates with a total acreage of 109,384 hectares dedicated to coffee production.

    He said Kenya recognizes the strategic role the coffee subsector plays towards the country’s economic growth and vertical integration.

    Kenya hosted the first G25 African Coffee Summit in Nairobi last year, which was attended by 41 African countries.

    During the Nairobi Summit, the African Coffee Producing Countries made the declarations on the Africa coffee sector, which called for inclusion of coffee among the strategic agricultural commodities.

    The countries also agreed to support production and research, enhance access to finance through Government-backed schemes to address value addition and domestic consumption by opening up markets.

  • ECDE divide as Kiambu launches Uji Feeding Program

    ECDE divide as Kiambu launches Uji Feeding Program

    Divided opinion has emerged over who between the National Government and counties should manage Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE).

    Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) had in its recommendation to the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER) proposed that the National Government takes over the function.

    Kiambu County Governor Kimani Wamatangi however differs. He says under the 2010 Constitutional dispensation, ECDE is a devolved function that cannot in any way be supervised by the National Government.

    He avers that there is need to have conditional grants put within a proper framework that will ensure ECDE teachers are paid salaries.

    As a county, he contends, Kiambu is in fact prepared to roll out modern ECDE centers by the end of the year with 120 classrooms earmarked for completion.

    “Our dream is to have all schools equipped with modern ECDE centres by the year 2027,” said Wamatangi who spoke while launching the county’s Uji Feeding Program.

    KNUT Deputy National Treasurer Kennedy Nyamwanda says their proposal and recommendation to the PWPER was to have ECDE managed by the National Government, a proposition vehemently opposed Kiambu Assembly majority leader Godfrey Waiyaki and Chief Whip Nelson Munga.

  • Over 200 youths in Isiolo complete free vocational training course

    Over 200 youths in Isiolo complete free vocational training course

    At least 207 youths from humble backgrounds in Isiolo County have completed free vocational training courses that have been ongoing for the last four months. They have  additionally received start-up kits courtesy of the NAWIRI Project that is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the County Government of Isiolo.

    Beneficiaries took up courses in tailoring and dressmaking, hairdressing, masonry, driving, plumbing, mobile phone repairs, electrical engineering and motorbikes repairs under a programme dubbed “Nawiri na Ujuzi”.

    Addressing the media during the graduation and handing over of the start-up kits to the beneficiaries, Isiolo County Deputy Governor Dr. James Lowasa hailed the initiative as transformative to the lives of the graduands, as the skills acquired will enable them to work and earn a living to fend for themselves and their families.

    NAWIRI Project Deputy Chief of Party in-charge of programmes Margaret Kahiga noted that the beneficiaries of the skills transfer initiative hail from households that have children under the age of five years and who have malnutrition challenges, with most of them being young parents.

    The training was conducted at their respective villages, where experienced artisans were identified and given the role of caring for their families, without necessarily having to travel to establish vocational training centers and polytechnics.

    The graduands also received start-up kits for the various skills they have received to enable them work and earn a living.

    27-year-old Monica Ekiru from Kiwanja in Ngaremara ward who has successfully completed a course in hairdressing courtesy of the initiative lauded the programme terming it life changing to the beneficiaries. She said that the newly acquired skills will enable her to establish her own small business which will in turn reduce her overreliance on parents and relatives in a bid to raise her kid.

    The 207 graduands were the first cohort to benefit from the “Nawiri na Ujuzi” programme, with the next cohort set to start their learning activities in October this year.

     

  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gets new leader

    Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gets new leader

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a new leader for the Africa Central Area of the Church which covers 17 countries.

    Elder Ian S. Ardern has officially begun his duties as the president of one of the Church’s 23 geographic areas worldwide.

    He will be assisted by Elders Thierry K. Mutombo and Paul B. Pieper.

    Upon assuming his new duties as area president, Elder Ardern  pledged his commitment to working hard to build up the church together with other faithful in the Africa Central Area.

    “The work of the Lord rolls forward through the effort of His faithful disciples. I count myself as one of those faithful disciples and with so many others in the Africa Central Area, I am committed to building up the Church, and teaching and testifying of Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world,” he said upon assuming his new role on August 1, 2023.

    The Africa Central Area of the Church has nearly  180,000 members  63 percent of whom live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,  DRC followed by Uganda  with 13 percent,  Kenya 11 percent while DRC has 7 percent membership. The remaining 6 percent of members live, in descending order, in Tanzania, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Gabon, and the Central African Republic.

    The Africa Central Area is growing rapidly on average at 9% per year from 2018 to 2022. It has 14 missions, and one operating temple in Kinshasa, DRC, two under construction in Nairobi, Kenya, and Lubumbashi, DRC.

    The new assignment marks the third time Elder Ardern has served as president of one of the Church’s 23 geographic areas worldwide.

    Shortly after his calling in 2011, he was appointed as second counselor in the Philippines Area presidency, where he served until 2016, the last two years as area president.

    During 2017 to 2022, he served in the Pacific Area presidency, the last three years as president.

    Prior to his current assignment, Elder Ardern had been serving as second counselor in the Africa Central Area presidency since August 2022.

    Elder Ardern has devoted his entire life to the service of Jesus Christ.

    He earned a BA in Education in 1982 and MA in Education in 1994, both from University of Waikato New Zealand.

    In 1981, he joined the Church Educational System as a teacher. He later became principal of the Church College of New Zealand. In 2004 he became director of the Church Educational System in the Pacific Area.

    Elder Ardern was married to Paula Ann Judd in the Hamilton, New Zealand Temple on January 17, 1976, and they are blessed with four children.

     

     

     

  • CS Owalo says attempted cyber attacks thwarted

    CS Owalo says attempted cyber attacks thwarted

    There have been several cyber attacks attempts targeting both the Government and the Private sector in the past one week. 

    Information, Communications and Digital Economy CS Eliud Owalo says the attacks were however unsuccessful.

    He says the e-Citizen portal, which has been onboarded with over 5,000 government services, was among the targets of the unsuccessful attacks.

    “The attack on the e-Citizen platform entailed an unsuccessful attempt to overload the system through extraordinary requests, with the intention of clogging it, but our technical teams blocked the source IP address where the requests were emanating from,” CS Owalo said in a statement dated July 27, 2023.

    “For clarity, both the privacy and security of data were not compromised. The system was not hacked,” he added assuring the country that the attempts have been rebuffed by the security systems and applications in place.

    This notwithstanding, the CS says the system has as a result been experiencing intermittent interruptions that are affecting the normal speed in accessing services on the platform.

    So much that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that all travelers be issued visa upon arrival at the entry points of Kenya.

    In a statement issued Thursday, the ministry advised all airlines to on-board travelers destined to Kenya.

    “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents its complements to all Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations in Kenya and has the honor to inform that there is currently a challenge in the Government e-Citizen platform which is impacting processing of e-visa,” read the statement.

    “Therefore, travelers will be issued visa upon arrival at all entry points to Kenya. The Government also wishes to advise all airlines to on-board travelers destined to Kenya.”

    Also not spared by the interruption was the country’s utility firm, Kenya Power.

    In a statement Thursday, the firm announced that it was experiencing a hitch due to a network breakdown from its service provider.

    “Consequently, some of our services such as the purchase of prepaid tokens through M-Pesa and USSD Code *977# are unavailable,” said Kenya Power which moved to assure customers that it was working with its service provider to restore the affected services as soon as possible.

    It said customers can however purchase tokens from its banking halls, Airtel Money, and authorized banks.

    In his statement, CS Owalo assured the country that the relevant agencies of the Government are on high alert and have enhanced the security of the e-Citizen portal and all Government Services Sites.

    He says the Government will continue its cyber surveillance efforts and called on the Public and Private sectors to follow suit so that jointly, the country’s Cyberspace can be secured.

     

  • DP Gachagua in Rome, to address UN Summit on Financing Food Systems Monday

    DP Gachagua in Rome, to address UN Summit on Financing Food Systems Monday

    Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua will Monday address a high-level United Nations Summit+2 Stocktaking on Financing Food  Systems.

    He will represent President William Ruto at the significant Summit, whose participants are mainly Heads of State and Government and key organisations seeking lasting solutions to hunger, malnutrition and mitigating the impact of Climate Change.

    Gachagua, who is accompanied by his Spouse Dorcas Rigathi, Cabinet Secretaries Mithika Linturi of Agriculture and Ezekiel Machogu of Education, among other senior government officials, arrived in Rome Sunday afternoon and was received  at the  Fiumicino Airport by Kenya’s Ambassador to Italy, Jackline Nyong’a.

    The three-day high-level talks will kick off with Kenya setting the stage with a keynote address by the Deputy President on Financing Food Systems.

    The address will focus on Kenya’s Food Systems Transformation Initiative, as part of stocktaking of the commitment of States, Governments  and other Stakeholders in allocating resources to  end hunger and malnutrition.

    The Deputy President  address will take part in the discussions on sustainable food security  at the Heads of State session, to be attended by Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

    The Summit will also discuss, at length, the school meals programme in which States also work with other partners in ensuring pupils in public primary schools receive food and in balanced rations, to promote health  and education.

    At the plenary, which will be attended by several Heads of State and Government, as well as UN agencies including the World Food Programme, and the Food Agriculture Organisation, the Kenyan delegation will highlight the progress made in Kenya since 1980, when the school meals programme was rolled out.

    Currently, the programme benefits over 1.6 million pupils across the country, especially in arid and semi-arid lands. In this year’s budget, the Government has doubled  funds for the school meals programme to Ksh. 5 billion.

    Kenya’s Ambassador to Italy Jackline Nyong’a says participation at the Summit is key as the country takes a raft of measures on enhancing food security in the context of vagaries of Climate Change.

    “This is a high-level meeting. It is significant to Kenya to shine and also seek partnership on fostering food security,” she said.

    Among other initiatives, Gachagua will also speak to measures of sustainably lowering the cost of living especially subsidising production, as opposed to consumption; the case of the subsidised fertiliser.

    On Monday evening,  the Deputy President will engage with Kenyans living in Italy, at a dinner at the Westin Hotel in Rome. He is expected to hold  talks with  Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with the aim of strengthening the bilateral relations of the two  nations.

    At the meeting with Kenyans, the Deputy President intends to understand their needs and the kind of support they may require from the Government.

    The Kenya Kwanza Administration is keen on supporting  Diaspora investment back home through structured frameworks.

    Diaspora remittances into the country last year almost hit half a trillion Kenya shillings, with the country receiving Ksh. 185.9 billion in the first quarter of this year.

    On Tuesday morning, the Deputy President will speak at a breakfast side meeting on homegrown sources of food for the school meals programme.

    Gachagua will share Kenya’s experience on the impact of the school meals programme, which is supported by the World Food Programme and how it can contribute to combating climate change through structured contracting of farmers to produce food schools.

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE), the convener of the COP28 in December, will host the breakfast meeting where Kenya’s participation will be prominent.

    The host will seek to understand opportunities in homegrown sources for school meals programme to countering climate change.

    This is in addition to Kenya’s role in leading Africa on climate action, as the country prepares for the  Africa Climate Summit in September in Nairobi.

    Report by DPPS

  • Government assures of timely disbursement of Cash Transfer Funds

    Government assures of timely disbursement of Cash Transfer Funds

    The Government is doing everything possible to ensure there are no delays in the disbursement of Cash Transfer Funds. 

    President William Ruto said the Government will disburse funds for the vulnerable groups on time beginning this month.

    He spoke at a time last Friday released Ksh. 8.3 billion for the Inua Jamii program, covering four months from March to June.

    Under the program, each lnua Jamii beneficiary will receive Ksh. 8.000 for March-April and May-June 2023 payment cycles.

    Speaking during an Interdenominational Church Service at Mwatunge Ground, Taita Taveta County, President Ruto said the elderly and persons with disabilities will no longer have to wait for long to get their dues.

    “If there are people who deserve our support, it is the vulnerable in society,” he said.

    Present were Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime, Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and a host of MPs.

    The Head of State revealed that the Government has successfully managed to pull the country out of the threat of foreign debt.

    He observed that the Government has cut down on foreign borrowing in favor of resources from domestic revenue.

    “I want to confirm to the people of Kenya that we are doing everything possible to stabilise the economy,” he said.

    President Ruto noted that interventions in agriculture has boosted morale of farmers to improve food production.

    “The way to deal with the high cost of food is by increasing production so that we can increase supply and be able to manage prices,” he said.

    He maintained that the government is investing in housing and value addition to create jobs for the youth.

    “Jobs are created through deliberate Government policies,” he added.

  • Attacks against police won’t be tolerated, warns President Ruto

    Attacks against police won’t be tolerated, warns President Ruto

    President William Ruto has said violence against police will not be tolerated. 
    The President warned that those who were sponsoring attacks against the police, who were doing their work professionally, would be dealt with decisively.
    He remarked that a significant number of police officers are in hospital nursing injuries as a result of the well-organised attacks.
    “Our security agencies, in accordance with the law and the Constitution, must enforce the rule of law,” he said.
    President Ruto asked leaders to stop sponsoring the destruction of valuable public infrastructure to sabotage the country’s economy.
    He appealed to youth not to allow politicians to misuse them to cause violence and destroy property.
    “That will only land you in trouble,” he said.
    He spoke during an Interdenominational Church Service at Mwatunge Grounds, Taita Taveta County.
    Present were Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, and Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime, among other leaders.
    He made it clear that his administration was ready to work with all leaders from across the political divide to advance the country’s development agenda.
    The President said beginning this month, cash transfer for the vulnerable will be paid on time.
    “If there are people who deserve our support, it is the vulnerable people,” he said.
    President Ruto said the Government has invested in farmers to boost the country’s food production capacity.
    “The way to deal with the high cost of food is by increasing production so that we can increase supply and be able to manage prices,” he said.
    The President noted that the  Government and County government of Taita Taveta will share revenue from Tsavo National Park equally.
    “We want you to enjoy the benefits of the national park in your county,” he said.
    Mudavadi told off Opposition leader Raila Odinga for using his community as a shield against prosecution for his political crimes.
    “We should not use our tribes as shields from evil desires, greed and personal gains,” he said.
    CS Mvurya said the Opposition’s violent and disruptive protests were scaring investors.
    “How will we create job opportunities if we drive investors away?” he asked.
    MPs from Taita Taveta County, predominantly from the opposition, said they had made a conscious decision to steer clear of protests.
    Governor Mwadime said leaders from Taita Taveta County have set aside their political differences,  teamed up and collaborated with the Government.
    He said he was working closely with President Ruto to lift the people out of poverty.
    “It is me and you (Dr Ruto) who will transform this county,” he said.
    National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungw’ah lauded the people of Taita Taveta for shunning protests and focusing on peace and development.