KBC Channel 1

Tag: Tessie Musalia

  • Tessie Musalia calls for concerted efforts to improve welfare of street children

    Tessie Musalia calls for concerted efforts to improve welfare of street children

    The spouse of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Tessie Musalia has called for stronger collaboration between the government, civil society and the private sector to support vulnerable children across the country.

    Mrs Musalia on Saturday joined hundreds of participants from different walks of life in Mombasa during the annual Wemathon held at the Butterfly Pavilion Forest Trail and organised by the Wema Centre to support healthcare for street-connected children.

    Funds raised from the event, which featured running, walking, cycling and Zumba dance competitions, will go towards establishing a clinic at the centre to provide medical services for street children.

    She affirmed that children’s rights in Kenya are protected by the Constitution and various legislations. She cited Article 53 of the Bill of Rights, which guarantees every child fundamental rights and freedoms that “safeguard their dignity and future.”

    Mrs Musalia said the government has taken bold steps to strengthen child protection systems through the publication of the Public Finance Management Fund Child Welfare Regulations aimed at establishing the Children Welfare Fund.

    “It is therefore encouraging to see institutions such as the Wema Centre living out these principles every single day through their commitment to rescuing, rehabilitating, educating and reintegrating children back into society,” said Mrs Musalia.

    She lauded the work of the centre, noting that its efforts go beyond service delivery to restoring dignity, hope, love and opportunities for children who deserve a chance to dream and thrive.

    “It reminds us that protecting children is not the sole responsibility of the government. It is a collective responsibility shared by families, communities and institutions,” she said.

    On Friday, Mrs Musalia’s Ushiriki Wema organisation, in partnership with the government, Equity Afya and the Wema Centre, enabled children from the centre and surrounding communities to access various Huduma Centre and healthcare services.

    “At the heart of this partnership is one single truth: no single organisation can meet the needs of our children alone. When we come together, we can reach further, serve better and restore dignity where it is needed most,” stated Mrs Musalia.

    “This is what true partnership looks like. Government, private sector and civil society coming together not just in principle, but in action, to improve the well-being of our citizens, especially our children,” she added.

    Mrs Musalia further emphasised that partnerships are essential for growth, innovation and sustainability, enabling organisations to achieve more collectively than they would working alone.

  • Tessie Musalia: Include PWDs in the national forest restoration campaign

    Tessie Musalia: Include PWDs in the national forest restoration campaign

    Tessie Musalia has called for the involvement of People with Disabilities (PWDs) in the national forest restoration campaign.

    Musalia who was speaking at the National Police College main campus in Kiganjo, Nyeri during the launch of a tree planting campaign for police training colleges in Kenya, noted that PWDs had not been co-opted in the nationwide tree planting exercise which is aimed at attaining a 15 billion tree target by the year 2032.

    “As we strive towards conservation of our environment, we should not forget or sideline Persons with Disabilities. They are a vulnerable part of our society and when resources are strained, they bear the bigger part of the negative effects of change. In this regard, we have to involve them in efforts to preserve our environment,” said Musalia.

    During the exercise, Musalia together with Deputy Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, rallied officers from the Kenya Police Service, Kenya Forest Service and the visually impaired community from Nyeri to plant 3,000 tree seedlings at the Kiganjo Police College grounds.

    Speaking at the event, Kanja said that the campaign dubbed Kuzingatia Mazingara Yetu was aimed at mitigating the negative effects of climate change. The DIG of police said that the college had already supported President William Ruto’s Jaza Miti campaign by planting 14,000 tree seedlings last year and plans were underway to double the numbers before the end of this year.

    To further support the restoration agenda, Kanja said that all police training colleges throughout the country will set up tree nurseries and act as suppliers of seedlings for police stations and government institutions.

    “We have asked police officers to not only plant trees in the training institutions but also in all their duty stations. We have agreed that these particular colleges are going to host big tree nurseries so that other police stations and other neighboring government institutions can actually get readily available seedlings in the next few months,” said Kanja.

    According to Ahadi Trust Kenya Chief Executive Officer Dr Stanley Kamau, a similar campaign will be launched in Embakasi A and Embakasi B training colleges. He said that more than 20,000 seedlings had already been set aside for the campaign.

    Dr Kamau also asked national and county government stakeholders to consider bringing the PWDs on board in their campaigns. He said that despite their vulnerabilities, they had proven themselves capable of making a positive contribution if supported.

    “The PWDs have given their testimony that the trees help them with shade among other benefits. I would also like to urge other stakeholders in the national and county governments to consider bringing on board the PWDs in their campaigns because their disability doesn’t necessarily mean they cannot contribute in other ways,” said Kamau.

    Daniel Kagema, one of the visually impaired persons could not hide his joy after being involved in the tree planting exercise. He at the same expressed the commitment of PWDs in supporting community initiatives.

    “Before, no one would have bothered to engage the visually impaired persons because it is assumed that they cannot do anything. But today, we have felt appreciated as we joined other Kenyans in complimenting their efforts in planting trees and we pledge our support in other community activities,” said Kagema.