KBC Channel 1

Author: Muraya Kamunde

  • KMPDU issues two-week strike notice at KNH

    KMPDU issues two-week strike notice at KNH

    The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has issued a two-week strike notice at the Kenyatta National Hospital starting next week.

    The Union is accusing the hospital of discriminating against some health workers by paying them half of what others earn.

    While decrying what it has termed as a declining state of healthcare in the Counties, the Union has also put Busia, Kakamega, Machakos, Kiambu Garissa and Nakuru counties on notice. Beginning next week, doctors in Kakamega and Busia are set to embark on a go-slow over what the Union has termed as mishandling of the health workers.

    Machakos County on the other hand has been given a strike notice of 7 days.

    Garissa County has been accused of unceremoniously stopping the salaries of health workers contrary to existing labor laws.

    Nakuru County has continued to be on the receiving end following the dismissal of over 500 doctors. 

    KMPDU is also demanding a salary increment for doctors to match the high cost of living. 

    The Union, is in the meantime calling on the National Health Insurance Fund, to have mechanisms in place to ensure accountability before the monthly contribution is adjusted upwards to 2.75% of the gross salary.

    Reporting by Timothy Kipnusu

  • Gatundu: Police seize bhang worth over Ksh 1M in a private farm

    Gatundu: Police seize bhang worth over Ksh 1M in a private farm

    Police in Gatundu on Wednesday seized bhang worth over one million shillings planted at a private farm at the border of Gatundu North and Thika constituencies in Kiambu County.

    The police officers who were acting on a tip off raided the firm where they found the outlawed crop inter-cropped with other plantations.

    According to Gatundu North Sub-County Police Commander Ellen Wanjiku, 500 brooms of the outlawed crop were netted at the private farm where maize plantations have been planted in large-scale.

    The bhang netted inside the farm and which was set for processing for sale to unknown markets is worth a market value of Ksh 1.1 million.

    Wanjiku told journalists that the seizure was part of an ongoing rapid response initiative which seeks to zero-rate outlawed substances including chang’aa and other illicit substances.

    During the operation that involved police from both Gatundu North and Thika, chiefs and investigative officers, three suspects were arrested and taken to Mwea Police Station for grilling.

    Wanjiku blamed the plantation of the outlawed crop at the private farm to failure by sleuths to have a breakthrough in the fight against high uptake of bhang but vowed to work extra hard to eradicate the challenge.

    She revealed that police were considering spraying the farm to prevent growth of other germinated bhang crops alongside instituting other measures to prevent further production.

    The officer warned outlawed substances manufacturers that police were on the lookout and would not hesitate to arrest anyone found on the wrong side of the law.

    On his part, Thika West Sub-County deputy police commander Moses Sirma said police will intensify patrols to weed out crooks still hellbent to continue with the illegal activities.

    Gatundu North Deputy County Commissioner Julius Kavita told journalists that sleuths got a tip off from the public and acted promptly to raid the farm.

    Kavita who revealed that the officers bought information about the matter said that security officers will begin guarding the entire farm while conducting further interrogation to ascertain possibility of other outlawed crops.

    Reporting by Antony Kioko

  • Climate and security conference to kick off Thursday in Nairobi

    Climate and security conference to kick off Thursday in Nairobi

    Stakeholders in climate security from all over the continent will today (Thursday) assemble for the 2023 Berlin Climate and Security Conference (BCSC) in Nairobi.

    This will be the first ever African edition jointly organized by the Ministry of   Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the German Federal Foreign Office, and adelphi.

    Since its inaugural edition in 2019, the annual conference has become the global forum connecting governments, international organizations, experts, and practitioners working to better address the impacts of climate change on international peace and security through diplomacy, development and defence approaches.

    BCSC-Nairobi will focus on sharing best practice examples from Africa, progress in multilateral engagement on climate security, and strengthening synergies between multilateral initiatives like Climate Responses for Sustaining  Peace  (CRSP)  and Climate  for  Peace (C4P)  to  ensure climate,  peace and security risks to Africa are a top priority on international agendas going into COP28.

    According to Foreign Affairs PS Dr Korir Singoei, Climate change remains the biggest challenge of our time as it compromises the integrity of the eco systems we depend on, and pose an existential threat to humanity and biodiversity.

    He said climate change is a threat multiplier and has become a major threat to peaceful co-existence among communities, within and across borders.

    “Kenya has made significant strides in the efforts to combat climate change and is confident that partnership with the Berlin Climate Security Conference holds great potential, both in augmenting locally-led initiatives to combat climate change and climate-related risks, as well as in opening new frontiers for collaboration. African countries can be a substantial part of the solution to the climate crisis, as they are well endowed with natural resources for deploying green manufacturing and industrial capacity, and removing carbon at scale,” he said.

    According to Janani Vivekananda, Head of Programme, Climate Diplomacy and Security, 70pc of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world are the most fragile.

    “And 28 of the top 32 of these countries are in Africa. This confluence of vulnerability and capacity constraints should mean that countries in conflict are prioritized by climate finance. Yet, the reality is that these countries remain the most neglected by climate finance,” said Janani Vivekananda.

    BCSC-Nairobi will bring together experts to better understand these challenges and aims to promote outcomes and agreements that incorporate better climate financing that is conflict-sensitive, climate-risk informed, easier to access to reach those most affected, find better linkages across sectors and regions and scale up intra-regional learning

  • Senate urged to resolve Pokot and Turkana border dispute

    Senate urged to resolve Pokot and Turkana border dispute

    The Senate has been urged to fast track resolution of border disputes between Pokot and Turkana counties in order to bring stability to the devolved units and thereby attract local and foreign investments.

    The aggrieved counties have further been advised to resolve their differences in accordance with the Constitution to avert more damage.

    Speaking after holding a closed door meeting with Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Dr. Abdi Hassan on Wednesday in Nakuru, members of Turkana Community in Diaspora Association said both the Pokot and Turkana county governments ought to seek a lasting solution by petitioning the Senate to shed light on the issue.

    Through their spokesman Mr. Justus Ekeno the group observed that the Constitution gives the counties a forum to seek a solution from the Senate, which is bestowed with mechanisms instead of engaging in killings and destruction of property.

    “The locals involved should end the vice and address their concerns through the Constitution. After 60 years of independence, Kenyans should not be killing each other due to boundary issues. The Constitution is clear that the Senate has the wherewithal to solve the stalemate as per the law,” he said.

    The incessant conflicts between Pokot and Turkana communities have been attributed to the long standing boundary and resource tussle in the area.

    Pokot community has been laying claim to land in Lami Nyeusi area, which emanates from Marich Pass area, 194 kilometers to Lodwar and Kainuk that is joined with the Turkwel River, which is rich with fertile soils that have seen Non-Governmental organizations attempt to woo both parties to subsistence farming.

    Areas around Turkwel, including Amolem, Takaywa, Sarmach, Nyangaita, Alale, Lokiriama and Ombolion are among the worst hit by conflicts over the Lami Nyeusi dispute.

    Turkana leaders on the other hand are battling it for land situated in Kapedo.

    Leaders from Baringo East have constantly claimed that Kapedo and Lomelo regions belong to them, but have been annexed unfairly by the Turkana community.

    Mr Ekeno indicated that local leaders from the two communities must understand that colonial demarcations still exist but, more importantly, there existed county boundaries, which recognize all people within the county irrespective of tribes.

    The conflicts have also been attributed to slow development pace in the semi-arid counties with investors shying away from the region due to high levels of insecurity.

    The spokesman called on leaders from both communities to desist from issuing negative press statements that could undermine various peace initiatives rolled out in the North Rift Region.

    “We ought to watch what we say as leaders so as not to aggravate the peace that we often seek. Negative statements and bad publicity tend to scare away investors hence retarding development,” Mr Ekeno added.

    The Association further condemned Uganda Military for arresting 32 pastoralists and sending them to jail.

    The Members said to stave off an imminent diplomatic spat between the two countries, President William Ruto should move swiftly and secure the release of those jailed.

    The protest came after a Ugandan military court sent to prison 32 Kenyans after they were allegedly found in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition in the northeastern sub-region of Karamoja.

    According to an article by Xinhua, the Ugandan Military said the pastoralists   were arrested in an operation on April 8, where 31 guns and 751 rounds of ammunition were recovered.

    “They are subject to the ongoing disarmament operations in the Karamoja sub-region and national laws of the Republic of Uganda,” said the statement.

    The group was arraigned in the 3rd Division Military Court Martial based in Moroto District in the Northern region.

    Xinhua’s article indicates the 32 were convicted on two counts, illegal possession of firearms and illegal possession of ammunition, each carrying a sentence of 10 years. The convicts will serve their sentences consecutively.

    According to Ugandan military law, any person found in possession of military weapons, equipment or ammunition is subjected to and tried by the court martial.

    Reporting by Dennis Rasto

  • South Africa: Suspected gas leak leaves 16 dead

    South Africa: Suspected gas leak leaves 16 dead

    A suspected nitrate oxide gas leak in South Africa has led to the deaths of 16 people, local officials say.

    The victims – including women and children – died from gas inhalation at an informal settlement in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.

    Wednesday’s leak has been linked to illegal gold mining in the area.

    Nitrate oxide gas is often used by illegal gold miners – known locally as zama zamas – to extract gold from soil stolen from abandoned mine shafts.

    One of the gas cylinders was found leaking in Boksburg’s densely populated Angelo shanty town.

    The victims were found within a 100m (328ft) radius of the scene.

    No one was taken to hospital, emergency service officials have told the BBC.

    But they fear more bodies could be found overnight as search and rescue teams continue their work.

    This tragedy comes just six months after a gas tanker explosion on Christmas eve which claimed 41 lives in the same town.

    By BBC

  • MP Nimrod Mbai released on Ksh 50,000 cash bail

    MP Nimrod Mbai released on Ksh 50,000 cash bail

    Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai has been released from Kitengela Police Station on a cash bail of Ksh 50,000.

    This is after the Kitui East MP surrendered to the station Wednesday morning following uproar over allegations of assaulting a Kenya Power official in Kitengela on Monday.

    The officers also withdrew his gun before he was released from police custody.

    The scuffle is said to have erupted after a Kenya Power official disconnected illegal power connections at the MP’s home in Kitengela, Kajiado County.

  • State rolls out laboratories to scale up digital literacy

    State rolls out laboratories to scale up digital literacy

    The Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy has embarked on the establishment of laboratories across the country to scale up digital literacy.

    ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo said the initiative targets to enhance digital literacy and skills amongst the youth and members of the public as the government moves to accelerate access to the internet through the digital superhighway project.

    A total of 23, 000 devices, he said are set to be installed in schools, universities, Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions, Vocational Training Centers (VTC), and village ICT hubs to facilitate the training.

    The digital literacy programme, he said, was critical for the government to achieve its bottom-up economic transformation agenda adding that through the laboratories, the youth and other segments of the population at the bottom of the pyramid were set to benefit.

    “We want our youth and the public at large to uptake digital skills so that they are relevant in the current operating environment,” he said.

    Speaking during the launch of a digital laboratory at Maseno School in Kisumu County, Owalo said the move was in tandem with the government’s agenda to digitize services.

    So far, he said over 6, 000 services have been digitized with additional services set to be uploaded on the E-citizen platform before the end of the year.

    “As we do this we must correspondingly facilitate digital literacy amongst our youth and the Kenyan public and public sector officials to facilitate optimal uptake of the digital infrastructure we are putting in place,” he said.

    The CS asked traders at the bottom of the pyramid to take advantage of the digital laboratories and training and leverage of the free public Wi-Fi being installed at various markets and bus parks across the country to venture into e-commerce.

    “We are setting up a total of 25, 000 free public Wi-Fi hotspots spread equally across the country targeting segments of the society operating at the bottom of the pyramid,” he said.

    He disclosed the Government’s plan of rolling out a national addressing system and digital identification cards to make e-commerce a reality.

    Affordable locally assembled smart mobile phones, he added, were set to be launched in August to ensure that as many Kenyans as possible make use of the digital infrastructure installed by the government.

    The devices to retail at Ksh 5, 600, he added will scale up consumption of online government services and online work.

    The government, he said, has opened talks with global digital technology giants to link them with Kenyan youths for opportunities to work online.

    Reporting by KNA

  • Govt to empower and protect plight of children-PS Kipsang

    Govt to empower and protect plight of children-PS Kipsang

    The Government is committed to continue investing in education to empower young people and build a labour force that will underwrite the country’s development.

    Principal Secretary of Education, Ministry of Education Belio Kipsang assured that the government will continue to focus more on enhancing education systems in the country for quality learning.

    Speaking while opening a three-day children’s devolution conference at Mpesa Foundation Academy in Thika, Kiambu County, Kipsang noted that the government has shown tremendous interest to empower young people through education for posterity.

    He singled out that the government had in the 2023/2024 budget allocated Ksh 628 billion towards expenditures in the education sector.

    These, among other initiatives, PS Kipsang reiterated were meant to better the environment of learners for the future.

    He lauded the collaborations that the national government has been having with local governments in various sectors such as early childhood education insisting on the need for the two levels of government to work together to ensure that learners access quality education.

    The PS upheld that the government is working towards addressing the challenges in the education sector including tooling teachers and employing enough of them, infrastructural issues, social-cultural gaps that learners have been facing among them, and teenage pregnancies among others.

    Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi who was joined by his Wajir and Mombasa counterparts Ahmed Abdullahi and Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir respectively revealed that his government had embarked on an ambitious ECDE school feeding program to keep learners in class.

    Under the program, Wamatangi noted that children will be getting eggs and porridge daily to retain them in school.

    Following an upsurge in the number of street families in the county, the governor noted that his administration will begin putting up safe homes for the neglected children

    During the conference, Robert Simiyu, the UNICEF representative, called on the government to increase budgetary allocations for education systems, insisting that all children remain in school and continue studying uninterrupted.

  • KPLC breaks silence over assault incident

    KPLC breaks silence over assault incident

    Kenya Power and Lightning Company (KPLC) has condemned an alleged assault on one of its employees by a Kitui legislator on Monday.

    This comes after Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai was captured on video assaulting a KPLC officer in Kitengela who were on a routine surveillance of the power network.

    “As an entity that prioritizes the welfare of its staff and the public, we condemn this incident and we wish to categorically state that we do not condone any form of violence, at least not on our staff while on official duty,” KPLC said through a statement.

    Explaining what transpired, KPLC said that it was carrying out routine surveillance of the network, to ensure that it is safe and free from any illegal activities that endanger the lives of members of the public.

    “While working to weed the network off these illegal and dangerous connections, we regrettably note an emerging trend of violent attacks against our staff. The latest of these incidents happened on Monday, 3rd July 2023 in Kitengela where our staff were attacked by the Kitui East Member of Parliament, Nimrod Mbai,” said KPLC.

    The Company said that it will intensify network surveillance and continue to work closely with the National Government Administration Officers and other security agencies to stamp out all illegal activities.

  • Azimio to launch signature collection drive to reverse tax increment

    Azimio to launch signature collection drive to reverse tax increment

    The Azimio la Umoja One Coalition is blaming what it claims to be unbearable cost of living to the hike in taxes.

    The coalition led by Raila Odinga says it will rally Kenyans for a signature collection exercise during a meeting on Friday in Kamukunji, Nairobi to have the tax increment reversed.

    The Azimio la Umoja one Coalition, led by their leader Raila Odinga claims it will stay mum as the cost of living in the country goes beyond the roof.

    Raila cites what he alleges to be a threat of 30pc increase in fares as a motivating factor to rally Kenya to collect signatures to reverse the trend.

    Azimio notes that it will engage in its protest within the confines of the law and advocates for peaceful means of agitating for its demands.

    The coalition added that the time has come for Kenyans to unite in one course and exercise their constitutional right to point out when things are wrong.

    Reporting by Michael Mwandigha