KBC Channel 1

Author: Muraya Kamunde

  • Meru leaders castigate classification of Miraa as a drug

    Meru leaders castigate classification of Miraa as a drug

    A section of Meru leaders has castigated the classification of Miraa as a drug by National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Control (NACADA).

    Led by Meru senator who doubles up as Senate Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi, the leaders said that they will table an amendment Bill seeking to struck out Miraa from the list of drugs in the country.

    Speaking in Maua Town Senator Kathuri further said that the region fully depends on miraa and the government should in turn help them find new markets.

    Mwenda Ithiri, Minority leader at Meru County Assembly echoed the calls urging Meru Mps to ensure that they protect the crop.

    Miraa has been rated third in the latest report by NACADA on up scaling the fight against alcohol and drug abuse in Kenya.

  • Stakeholders call for partnership to address period poverty

    Stakeholders call for partnership to address period poverty

    As the world gears towards the commemoration of menstrual hygiene on Sunday, stakeholders have cited lack of public awareness, culture, climate change and high cost of living as a major threat contributing towards an increase of period poverty among many women in Kenya.

    According to The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), period poverty is a situation where teenage girls and women can’t afford to buy period products or don’t have access to them and as a result they suffer in silence.

    Menstrual hygiene that is marked on May 28, annually seeks to raise awareness on the need for empowering women and dispel the myths and taboos about menstrual health hygiene since it is a normal fact of life as this year’s theme denotes “Making menstrual a normal fact of life by 2030.”

    Laikipia county governor’s wife Grace Wakahora Irungu speaking during a menstrual hygiene summit in Nanyuki, said that her office is committed in supporting local communities in making accessibility of menstrual health and products possible in the region and ensure young girls and women regain their menstrual dignity.

    “We will partner with like-minded stakeholders to ensure our adolescent girls regain their menstrual dignity in bid to achieve menstrual health for our girls,” said the governor’s wife.

    Laikipia East Assistant County Commissioner Kimberly Champagne said local women and women with disabilities were the most affected by lack of access to sanitary hygiene products.

    She noted they suffer in silence because they believe it is a taboo for them to speak out publicly about periods hence denying them quality of life.

    Ms Kimberly called for partnerships from stakeholders to support women and girls access pads since it was their basic reproductive health right.

    Drawing Dreams Initiative, a community based organisation in Laikipia county Director Grace Wanene said that 65 percent of women and teenage girls in Kenya could not access or buy sanitary products and 72 percent of boys lacked awareness about reproductive health   education which had led to an increase of period poverty.

    “Our goal is to bring all prayers together aimed at getting solutions and ideas to address period poverty since the majority of women in Kenya can’t afford menstrual products,” she said.

    Wanene blamed climate change as a major concern that is making period poverty skyrocket.

    She noted that, lack of access to sanitary products among girls and especially in Arid and Semi-Arid areas counties in the country, had led to increase of teenage pregnancy and school dropout.  She said it was the high time the community acknowledged periods among women as a normal way of life.

    Drawing Dreams CBO supports teenage girls in Laikipia and neighbouring counties of Isiolo and Samburu access sanitary products to avoid school dropout and early marriages.

    Laikipia county assembly speaker Lantano Nabaala said that it was important to formulate policies in the government that could help uphold women’s rights on reproductive health and ensure they are not stigmatised for lack of support in addressing their menstrual needs.

    “This is a taboo to speak out publicly in my pastoralists communities. They are things shrouded in secrecy, however, it is a serious thing and this summit is a good foundation for the formulation of policy and then legislation because period is something with us and natural,” said Nabaala.

    On her part, Laikipia County chief education officer Beatrice Wachira said that boys should also be involved in menstrual health education and should not be left out, and when girls are being offered sanitary kits, boys too can be given underwear since most of them come from humble backgrounds and cannot afford to buy undergarments.

    The two-day event dubbed Nanyuki menstrual hygiene summit was sponsored by the Drawing Dreams Initiative and partners.

  • Kilifi County employees in trouble over contentious recruitment process

    Kilifi County employees in trouble over contentious recruitment process

    Four members of the Kilifi County Public Service Board are fighting to keep their jobs after an employee petitioned the local County Assembly to remove them from office.

    Ms Zena Mohamed, a senior officer in the county department of environment, wants the board members fired for allegedly violating her constitutional rights during the recruitment of the County Director of Environment.

    Ms Zena, who was the acting director prior to the commencement of the recruitment process, is challenging the appointment of Mr Jimmy Kahindi Yaa to the position at a time when the Employment and Labour Court had placed a permanent injunction on the recruitment process.

    On Friday, the four board members, led by Chairperson Rose Ngowa, put up a spirited defence before the County Assembly’s Committee on Devolution, Public Service and Disaster Management, which took them to task over the recruitment process.

    Through lawyer Njoroge Mwangi, the board explained that it re-advertised the position after the court placed an injunction on the first process and that it was just a coincidence that the candidate who had been recruited in the first process emerged the winner in the second.

    Mwangi explained that Ms Zena had petitioned the Public Service Commission, which upheld the board’s position, but she sought the intervention of the Employment and Labour Court, which quashed the board’s decision and placed a permanent injunction on the process.

    He said in the second process, Zena applied for both the positions of director and assistant director and that since she did not qualify for the former as she did not have a master’s degree, she was shortlisted for the later, but did not appear for the interview.

    Members of the committee however challenged the lawyer to explain why the requirement of a master’s degree was included as an added advantage in the first advertisement but made mandatory in the second, saying this could have been made deliberately to lock Zena out.

    They challenged him to explain why the board did not appeal against the court judgment but instead re-started the process in total disregard of the injunction against its earlier decision.

    They wanted to understand why the same person whose appointment had been quashed by the Employment and Labour Court was subsequently appointed to the position in the second process that was done without the board appealing against the injunction.

    Mwangi explained that the board found it wise to commence a fresh process instead of taking the “long and expensive route of taking the matter to the Court of Appeal.”

    “I actually filed a notice of appeal but the board in its wisdom decided not to follow that route as it was long and expensive. We therefore opted to start a fresh process,” he said, adding that the judgment had not barred Mr Yaa from being recruited.

    Deputy Leader of Majority Martha Koki (Mariakani) put the board chairperson to task over the board’s failure to submit annual reports to the County Assembly as required under the County Governments Act 2012.

    Ms Ngowa explained that the board faced serious budgetary challenges since its budget was always slashed by the executive, noting that that made it difficult for it to print the reports and submit them to the assembly.

    She also wondered why only four of the board members were being targeted even though the decision was collectively made by six board members.

    Two of the board members left the board and are currently serving as County Executive Committee Member and Chief Officer respectively.

    “When we were doing the recruitment, we were six board members and a secretary. Now, the petition is seeking for the removal of four members while the people concerned were six. For me, I feel that there is witch-hunt in the whole thing,” she submitted.

    Committee Chairman Samson Zia Kahindi said the committee would make a decision after interviewing all interested parties and assured the residents of Kilifi that the committee would arrive at a fair verdict.

  • Plans for holding mass weddings for police officers on-Pastor Dorcas

    Plans for holding mass weddings for police officers on-Pastor Dorcas

    The Spouse of the Deputy President Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has reiterated her commitment to the annual mass wedding for uniformed and disciplined forces.

    Speaking when she graced the annual central region uniformed and disciplined forces at Our Lady of Consolata Cathedral Nyeri, Pastor Dorcas said the move is meant to safeguard family values within the forces.

    The program will be conducted in collaboration with the office of the Inspector General of Police and the clergy.

    “Together with the office of the IG (Inspector General of Police) we will be conducting uniformed matrimony every year. And we will see how we can fund it, so that there is no excuse. All you will need to do is to wear your uniform and come with your wife,” she said.

    On January 18 this year Pastor Dorcas held a meeting with the Inspector General of Police Japheth Koome in his Jogoo House office. The IG committed to support the program.

    Uniformed servicemen are currently registering for the wedding in their various stations.

    Pastor Dorcas said many families are left in destitute situations when their bread winners who are serving in the uniformed service pass on.

    She said many officers indicate their parents as their next of kin when they join the service at an early age and rarely do they change to their wives when they get married while still in service.

    “And when you join the service the person you had indicated as your next of kin is your parents, unfortunately when you die, your wife and children are left in destitute, because in many instances they may not be given what you worked for cannot be given to them, because they are not legally recognized ,” he said.

    Central Regional police boss Lydiah Ligami said many times people don’t understand the uniformed forces.

    “Many are times people just see the faults in us (police), but we are very human and before God we were created like any other person, and we have our weaknesses but we have our strengths,” she said.

    The mass was conducted by Rev. Peter Kairo-Archbishop Emeritus, Archdiocese of Nyeri who challenged the officers to serve Kenyans with integrity. The annual service brings together officers from Kenya Police Service, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Administration Police, Kenya Prisons, Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service.

  • Nigeria: Uhuru urges President-elect to unite Nigerians

    Nigeria: Uhuru urges President-elect to unite Nigerians

    Former President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday graced the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Lecture held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria.

    In his keynote address at the event, themed Deepening Democracy For Development, Uhuru pointed out the importance of democracy in spurring development in any country, especially in the African Continent.

    The former Head of State shared his experience as a head of state for two terms, where he acknowledged the successes, failures, and opportunities of embracing democracy, articulating the importance of getting to the root causes of conflict within the continent and our African countries for the continent’s development. The former President further pointed out the three most fundamental issues weaponized to the detriment of our democratic growth as ethnicity, tribalism, and economic greed.

    “I feel the three most fundamental issues that are easily weaponized to the detriment of our democratic growth. The first is negative ethnicity or tribalism, followed by religion, and lastly, economic greed,” Kenyatta said.

    He expressed his confidence that if the continent addressed these issues in earnest, it would begin to harness its mineral wealth, agricultural potential, and abundant human capital to propel the people’s well-being and strengthen the continent’s voice in the global community of Nations.

    He called on President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to unite all Nigerians irrespective of religion, tribe, political and other affiliations.

    He further urged him to embrace the inclusivity of all parties for a better Country.

    “I speak to you as a brother and an elder statesman in leadership. The contest is now over, and the hard work of building a prosperous and unified Nigeria begins”, he said.

    Acknowledging the President-elect’s task once he assumes office, Kenyatta urged Tinubu to transcend an election’s tactical politics and become Nigeria’s vision bearer.

    “I encourage you to surround yourself with the voices of those who will counterbalance the hardliners that feel entitled to a piece of your office. You will lose nothing and gain everything from reaching out across political, ethnic, and religious lines to those who may feel aggrieved by your victory in one way or another. Allow them to exhale and to be a part of your vision for a greater Nigeria,”He encouraged the President-Elect.

    The former Head of State congratulated the people of Nigeria for holding peaceful elections, overlooking the challenges, and embracing the lessons from a maturing democracy.

    Furthermore, he commended all the contestants for expressing their political differences within the provided framework of constitutional order urging them to shun divisive politics and embrace finding strength in their diversities.

    Other speakers who delivered their lecturers on different aspects included; His Eminence Mohammed Sa ád Abubakar III, C.F.R. Sultan of Sokoto & Most Rev. Dr. Mathew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, who spoke on Tolerance and Inclusiveness, Ms. Amina Jane Mohammed, G.C.O.N., Deputy Secretary-General (Security and Development), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President, African Development Bank (AfDB) who emphasized on the importance of strengthening the Nigerian Economy and Mr. Dayo Israel, National Youth Leader, All Progressives Congress who spoke on the importance of youth inclusiveness in governance.

    The outgoing President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, who also attended the ceremony, noted that democracy was not merely a system of governance but a way of life that requires active participation, inclusivity, and relentless pursuit of justice and fairness.

    Also present was Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, Deputy Speaker of the Nigeria National Assembly, Hon. Ahmed Idris, among other dignitaries.

    The Inaugural Lecture organized by the Nigeria Presidential transition council aims to bridge the divisions prevalent in Nigerian society, foster dialogue, and promote collective responsibility toward national development.

    The Presidential Inauguration Lecture is part of the activities organized to commemorate Nigeria’s Seventh consecutive civilian transition.

  • Sharp division among Siaya residents over plans to impeach Oduol

    Sharp division among Siaya residents over plans to impeach Oduol

    Plans to impeach Siaya Deputy Governor, William Oduol by the local County Assembly has received mixed reactions from the area residents, some of whom are demanding that Governor James Orengo also relinquishes his seat should the impeachment motion sail through.

    Speaking at Musunguru grounds in Kadenge Ratuoro, members of the Kadenge clan where Oduol hails from said it was improper for the County Assembly to impeach him simply because he was performing a duty that should have been done by the county law makers who, however, chose to look the other way as things go wrong.

    An elder, Paul Olendo said that they will be forced to take to the streets to demand for Orengo’s resignation should the Siaya County Assembly send their son home.

    “Orengo will not remain on the seat if Oduol is impeached. He will also have to go” said Olendo who added that as Kadenge clansmen, they gave Orengo sympathy votes because their kinsman was the running mate.

    However, Orengo’s supporters from the same Kadenge clan are accusing the deputy governor of fanning trouble by failing to respect his boss.

    Kadenge stakeholders’ forum chairman, William Choka Ongwek said antagonism does not solve problems and urged the deputy governor to respect authority.

    Ongwek distanced the community from the deputy governor’s actions, saying that the Kadenge clan must not be dragged into the war between him and his boss.

    His sentiments were echoed by Fredrick Oluoch Ongaro who said that they were fully behind the governor, adding that Oduol must apologies to both the governor and the county assembly faiure to which he must be impeached.

    Siaya County Assembly is set to consider a motion for the impeachment of the deputy governor on Monday, 29th May, 2023 following a notice published in the Kenya Gazette by speaker George Okode.

    “Pursuant to standing order number 26 of the County Assembly of Siaya standing orders, and following a resolution by majority of members of the county assembly, it is notifies for the for the information of members of the county assembly and the general public that there will be a special sitting of the county assembly which shall be held in the county assembly chambers, in Siaya on Monday, 29th May, 2023 at 9.30 am for the purposes of: Consideration of motions for the removal of William Oduol, Deputy governor, Siaya county by impeachment” read the gazette notice dated 24th May, 2023.

    Last week, East Asembo ward Member of the county assembly, Gordon Onguru gave the notice immediately after the Assembly threw out corruption allegations that the deputy governor had raised against Orengo administration, terming them as unsubstantiated.

    The war of words between Oduol and his deputy has been dragging from March this year when he accused his boss of keeping quiet as an alleged syndicate was milking the devolved government dry through corruption.

    The erstwhile buddies, who campaigned together under the “Nyalore” (It is possible) manifesto are no longer seeing eye to eye, with Oduol accusing his boss of locking him out of cabinet meetings.

    Orengo, through his director of communication, Benjamin Agina has denied the allegations, saying that contrary to the charade, his deputy has been attending the meetings.

    Two weeks ago, youths allied to the two engaged in a fist fight that disrupted the funeral of Siaya county public service board chairman, Peter Achoch at Ulafu in the outskirts of town.

  • CS Duale calls out Raila over his secession remarks

    CS Duale calls out Raila over his secession remarks

    Defense Cabinet secretary Aden Duale on Saturday called out opposition leader Raila Odinga over his secession remarks.

    Azimio leaders, who converged for prayers at Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s Yatta farm in Machakos County, declared they will on Tuesday next week launch a collection of signatures from Kenyans dissatisfied with President William Ruto’s leadership style to petition the United Nation into splitting the country into two republics.

    Odinga said that the Kenya Kwanza administration had failed to deal with the issues they had raised and that it was time to pursue self determination.

    But speaking in Masalani town, Duale scoffed of at Odinga accusing him of always wanting to destabilize the government of the day whenever he loses elections.

    “I want to tell Raila Odinga that you went to the election to aspire to be the next president of the republic of Kenya and to be the commander of armed forces. It is very irresponsible for leaders of your stature to stand on a podium and call for secession and division of our country. It is very unfortunate; I did not think you can go that low.”

    Duale revisited the 2017 incident where Odinga swore himself as the people’s president saying president Ruto will not give in to the opposition leaders tactics and intimidations to be accommodated in government.

    According to Duale, issues like lowering the cost of living which the opposition has been advancing has been delt with by the Kenya Kwanza government noting that he has since changed goal posts and was now calling for secession.

    “He started with the issue of the soaring prices of commodities which the government has dealt with. Then he brought in the issue of opening the servers and he was told that there are no commissioners. So all this games Raila and his team are playing are well known to us and he won’t succeed this time round. Ruto and I know him very well. He thinks he can intimidate us but he won’t succeed,” he said.

    The constitution article 1 under the pre amble of the preamble of the constitution of Kenya talks about a unitary state called Kenya and 47 counties units. Mr Odinga please go back to the preamble of the constitution.

    On the issue of re-opening the boarders ,Duale said the issue was being actively  handled at the highest level in government disclosing that once everything has been put in place, the borders will be opened with specific areas where goods will be passing through.

    He was, however, quick to warn those with intentions of using ‘panya routes’ to smuggle in goods that the government will treat them as criminals.

  • Government urged to resettle all IDPs in Nakuru

    Government urged to resettle all IDPs in Nakuru

    More than 500 IDPs from Nakuru have asked the government to resolve land conflicts that have persisted for years.

    Speaking in Nakuru the group made up of people displaced in the 2007 clashes said although previous administrations of Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta’s had made progress, a few people had been left out.

    “Many of us were promised Land but never received any. There are a lot of areas where we can be resettled in Central and Rift Valley. We just want an end to this homelessness,” said Kenya Internally Displaced Persons Organization (KIDPO) Patron Peter Tena.

    Mr Tena at the same time urged the government to remedy historical land injustices countrywide which he said started in the pre-colonial era way back in the 1960s.

    He said the nature of the injustices are the same across all the regions  in the country and follow specific patterns that relate to colonial displacement, inequitable land adjudication, incomplete land acquisition, natural resources conflict, evictions and natural disasters.

    Mr Tena said some IDPs left the displacement camps in 2008, but had nowhere to call home.

    He pointed out that officials in the Provincial Administration including then district commissioners, district officers and chiefs who handled the initial phases of resettlement were the main beneficiaries in the first cash disbursement following the poll violence.

    Lack of checks, added Mr Tena ,meant the officials would include non-existent people, cronies and family members in the list of beneficiaries, ensuring the compensation programme started on a wrong trajectory.

    An estimated Ksh 1.5 billion was spent in the first phase dubbed ‘Operation Rudi Nyumbani’ targeting people who owned land to go back even though most had their homes razed during the chaos.

    The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was also urged to reopen a probe on former members of National Coordination Consultative Committee (NCCC) on IDPPs over alleged loss of billions of shillings meant for resettlement of people displaced in the 2007/2008 post-election violence.

    Mr Tena said criminal charges had not been preferred against three prominent members of NCCC despite detectives having probed them and unearthed massive theft of funds.

    He claimed that though the committee was expected to play a crucial role in enabling the government to discharge its functions by facilitating the resettlement of the IDPs, its former members responsible for the loss had not been brought to account.

    Lands Chief administrative Secretary Kimani Ngunjiri assured the group  that the state will  audit all land bought by taxpayers money for purposes of settling IDPS.

    At least 660,000 people were displaced during the 2007/2008 post-election violence as per reports from human rights organizations.

    The Kibaki government started an elaborate Ksh 20.7 billion compensation scheme for the thousands of Kenyans affected by the violence, which was concluded by the Jubilee administration.

    The National Treasury was in charge of the fund, but the payment was overseen by the National Coordination Consultative Committee (NCCC) under the Devolution and Planning ministry.

    County commissioners that work under the Interior ministry coordinated the county payments.  In 2013, the Jubilee administration took over the compensation scheme.

    The government through the Devolution ministry disbursed more than Ksh17.5 billion as compensation for the IDPs.

    Later, corrupt cartels infiltrated the process and registered bogus IDPs at a fee. The fake IDPs later benefited from the fund at the expense of the genuine ones.

    It also emerged that some 27,000 persons countrywide had been omitted from the Ksh 50,000 compensation package.

  • Former Jubilee Party MPs pledge to support Ruto’s administration

    Former Jubilee Party MPs pledge to support Ruto’s administration

    Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Saturday hosted former Jubilee Party MPs from Central Kenya who expressed their full support for Kenya Kwanza administration.

    The DP held consultations at length with the lawmakers who lost in the last elections at his official residence in Karen, Nairobi.

    Mr Gachagua said he was grateful to host the ex-lawmakers he served with in the last Parliament adding he was ready to work with anyone to ensure the success of President William Ruto’s government.

    The former legislators, who have been strong critics of the Ruto administration and supported Azimio coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga in the last polls, told the DP they had accepted that the President won fairly and are ready to throw their weight behind the ruling administration.

    “Despite being in Jubilee, they have accepted that H.E Dr William Ruto was duly elected President; being Democrats they accepted the will of the people and congratulated him,” said the DP who was Mathira MP in the last Parliament.

    The Saturday meeting was an extension of the DP’s quest to ensure the leaders were not left behind in the development of the region and the country.

    Mr Gachagua said he was only interested in embracing everyone in spite of past political differences as they implemented the transformative Kenya Kwanza Plan.

    “We were best of friends but we parted ways when bad politics creeped in after the infamous Handshake on March 9, 2018. We have taken time to catch up and review the politics that divided us,” the DP said.

    The leaders led by Jubilee Secretary General Kanini Kega distanced themselves from the violent demonstrations by Azimio Coalition and attempts to revive Mungiki by some leaders in the region.

    “They have distanced themselves from Azimio La Umoja One demonstrations and attempts to revive criminal gangs to cause violence and mayhem in society,” he said.

    The leaders promised to respect the voters’ will in the last election and support elected leaders to serve the people.

  • CS Tuya rallies private sector to take up tree growing

    CS Tuya rallies private sector to take up tree growing

    Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has rallied the private sector to partner with Government in the 15 billion tree growing programme saying corporates have the financial and human resources required to make the initiative a success.

    Speaking at Nyayo National Stadium during the a corporate relay run organised by reinsurance company, ZEP-RE to launch a 30,000 tree growing campaign to mark its 30th anniversary, the CS said her ministry will soon enter a partnership with the insurance sector, led by Insurance Regulatory Authority, to shepherd the sector’s contribution to the 15 billion trees initiative.

    “As is evidenced, most of the targets in this 15 billion national tree growing programme is going to be private sector led. You are all aware that the private sector is able to mobilize both human as well as financial resources to complement the work of government,” CS Tuya said.

    The Cabinet Secretary said her Ministry had adopted a whole-of-society approach in tree growing initiative, and outlined progress made towards achieving the Kenya Kwanza administration’s flagship project including setting up of seed centres countrywide.

    “We have completed the construction of 11 seed centres across the country, and by end of June 2023, they will be 18 completed seed centres. We have enhanced the capacity of Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) both in terms of personnel as well as equipment, to ensure that the number of seeds and seedlings needed to make the 15 billion tree campaign possible are available,” she said.

    CS Tuya said Kenya’s national target of growing 15 billion trees in 10 years was achievable, and cited other countries in the region and across the world that had achieved similar or bigger targets including Ethiopia and Pakistan.

    “Since we launched the 15 billion national tree growing restoration programme, we have met other governments and states that make our 15 billion trees in 10 years look like a drop in the ocean.

    “Pakistan have on their part planted and grown 10 billion trees in the past 4 years. Ethiopia through their green legacy initiative have planted over 25 billion trees,” the CS noted, adding that each Kenyan need to plan 30 trees yearly to attain the target.

    CS Tuya congratulated ZEP-RE on its 30th anniversary saying the pan-African reinsurance company had been successful over the years due to its innovativeness.

    “I say steady, innovative and manifest leadership as evidenced by the things that you do. Your corporate social responsibility activities resonate with the time,” CS Tuya said, noting that ZEP-RE’s innovative product gives it an edge over its competitors.

    “I am aware of the livestock insurance project for pastoralists that you are implementing in the Horn of Africa, including Kenya. Building climate change resilience and climate change adaptation is the way out for Africa,” the CS, who was accompanied by Chief Conservator of Forests Mr Alex Lemarkoko, said.

    Besides setting up seed centres and recruiting institutions to drive the tree growing programme, the CS said her Ministry had developed the ‘jazamiti’ digital application to track the initiative’s progress as well as generate ‘green certificates’ for participating individuals and institutions.

    Other speakers at the colourful family event were Insurance Regulatory Authority CEO Mr Godfrey Kiptum and ZEP-RE’s MD Ms Hope Murera who recounted the reinsurance company’s journey over the three decades.