Day: March 23, 2023

At least 64,000 households in Maralal town and its environs in Samburu County will soon have access to clean and safe water as the construction of Yamo dam nears completion. Phase one of the Yamo dam, which has a capacity to hold 1.2 million cubic meters of water is complete and the dam can be filled in the two seasons of normal average rainfalls which occur in the county annually. The project, which is being implemented by the Northern Water Works Development Agency at a cost of Sh1.4 billion is expected to serve the immediate township up to the year 2038 beyond which experts expect new sources to be identified. Speaking after an inspection tour of the project, Water and Irrigation Principal Secretary Dr. Kiprono Paul said that the dam has an output of about 6,000 cubic meters per day which will be sufficient for the Maralal town residents. ‘The phase one construction works of the dam are complete and the second phase will include construction of a treatment plant which requires Sh1.5 billion which the government will allocate in the next budget so that this project can be completed,’ said Kiprono. ‘Together with the county government, we will also map other water projects in the county and give priorities to which a budget will be allocated in the coming years,’ he added. The PS further assured the country that the government has come up with comprehensive plans for water conservation going forward through a sustainable model by constructing 100 mega dams, construction of smaller dams and drilling of boreholes in the country. ‘From the weatherman, there is an indication that this rain will not last long, and as a government we have put measures in place to ensure that we store this water for use especially during dry seasons’ the PS said. Samburu Governor Jonathan Leleliit on his part said that the main challenge to access to clean water is to get a safe water source which can be piped to the residents. ‘We thank the government for choosing to host the World Water Day here. There have been water challenges in this county and we hope this day brings brighter days ahead in terms of provision and access to clean water by the people of Samburu,’ Leleliit said. Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda disclosed that less than 5 per cent of the residents in Samburu County are connected to clean and safe water and a lot needs to be done to improve the situation. Lesuuda urged the Ministry of Water to adopt the last mile electricity connectivity model used to connect households to power to make sure that every home is connected to water. ‘The same way we did the last mile connectivity to power, we need water connectivity which is clean and safe to every household in the country,’ Lesuuda said. ‘We need to put more resources and walk the talk, so that we make sure that all women get access to water,’ she added. The MP further lamented about delayed water projects which according to her, is a poor return of the investment of the projects. This year’s World water Day was marked in Samburu County under the theme ‘accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation crisis’.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Voice to the Voiceless has partnered with the Kenya National Library Services to offer Kenya sign language classes to interested members of the public. Rahab Wairimu, one of the trainers, who has a hearing impairment, and her interpreter Elizabeth Miringu told KNA that they launched the programme in Nyeri last month after realizing there was a gap between the hearing-impaired community and other members of the public. ‘We also felt the need to introduce sign language here because it is a challenge speaking to people in private since you need to have an interpreter. Another reason is that it is difficult to get easy access to government services or any other services in places like supermarkets, banks and health facilities because most of these institutions and organisations here do not have a sign language interpreter,’ she disclosed. Wairimu said that working with the Library has benefited them since they get access to free internet for research, computer classes where the deaf can come and learn. The arrangement also enables readers who visit the Library an opportunity to learn about the program. To reciprocate they offered a one-week free training to the KNSL staff on Kenya Sign Language. She explained that the classes are for anyone who is interested especially for the basics level but for the advanced level they prefer someone who is already in possession of a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. ‘In recent days, we have noticed that a high number of those interested are mostly young women in terms of gender and age bracket. The classes are part time because it is more of practical work where the lessons are usually three times a week, with each session taking two hours usually from 4pm to 6pm or from 10am to 12pm,’ Wairimu said. ‘We charge a little amount of Sh20, 000 for the basic level and Sh25, 000 for advanced level which runs for three months each and is inclusive of registration, tuition, attachment and exam fees,’ she noted. Dorcas Wanjiru, a Form-four leaver and currently a learner at the library said that she decided to enrol in the training since it will be an added advantage in her future professional career. Wanjiru who intends to pursue Law reckons that the skills will come in handy in assisting those in need of her services. ‘I have met some of the hearing-impaired in public and was able to communicate due to this training. Initially, this was not possible since I did not have such skills and therefore was not much of assistance to such persons,’ she said. In coming years, the trainers hope to reach a large number of Nyeri residents especially those in the service industry. Wairimu explained that doing so will help create awareness as far as those living with the challenge is concerned besides helping in reducing stigma for the affected. ‘In order to inform a large number of people about the sign language classes, we reach out to the public through the churches, public announcements and also talk to the relevant health authorities under the county government,’ she said. She urged the county government to consider sign language classes or get interpreters to help the deaf community in communication when they need their services. Wanjiru further explained that there is a difference between Kenya sign language (KSL), British sign language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) since in every country, they have their own culture and way of doing things. She however said there is no major difference between the three categories of sign language in terms of alphabet and numeric. International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is celebrated annually across the world on September 23 every year along with International Week of the Deaf. It is the same date that the World Federation of the Deaf was established in 1951. Currently, more than 1.5 billion people (nearly 20 per cent of the global population) live with a hearing loss; 430 million of them have disabling hearing loss. It is expected that by 2050, there could be over 700 million people with disabling hearing loss globally. According to the National Population Census of 2019, there are 153,381 hearing-impaired people in Kenya aged above five years. The report further shows that most of those people (129,518) were in rural areas compared to 23,843 in urban areas.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) launched a digital platform that aims to link and connect startups, innovators, researchers, tech hubs, partners and investors in the Lake region. The launch of the Kenya Innovation Bridge (KIB) was held at the LakeHub Foundation in Kisumu on Wednesday. The digital marketplace will make it easier for the aforementioned groups from Western Kenya to network and scale up their innovations. The platform further provides startups and businesses with the opportunity to access mentorship, capacity building and training. Strathmore University developed KIB which seeks to enhance the discoverability of young innovators and connect them to a virtual marketplace. The initiative was funded by the UK government through the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO). Mr. George Masila in his remarks on behalf of Dr. Tonny Omwansa, CEO KeNIA during the launch said that the linkages in form of investments, partnerships and capacity-building opportunities would catalyze the process for the youth to commercialize their talents. ‘The KIB Platform aims at bridging the skill gap among innovators through capacity building which will be offered by hubs, universities, and other stakeholders,’ stated Omwansa. At the same time, he stressed that the KIB will work to bridge the inclusivity gap by ensuring innovators in the whole country get access to funds, partnerships, and customers for their innovations. ‘We established this platform to address the needs of people who don’t have access to potential partners, but can access the digital market to link and network with various collaborators like the County Governments,’ stated Omwansa. In addition, he revealed the Agency’s plan to upgrade all 260 Youth Empowerment Centers (YECs) across the country into Innovation Hubs. The Agency in partnership with other stakeholders will set up programs and capacity-building activities in these innovation centers to attract the youth. ‘KeNIA working with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Arts and Sports is keen to ensure innovators from all regions of the country get exposure through this platform,’ he added. The process was initiated in 2020 and in the initial stage, it attracted participants from 20 Counties. The Agency is committed to expanding the uptake of KIB across the country and it is in this regard that the team has held regional launches in Nakuru for the Rift Valley region and Kisumu for the Lake and Western region. They will be heading to Mombasa for the Coastal region and culminate the exercise with Nairobi in the coming weeks. ‘We have had 400 successful connections so far in the platform. Some of these are still in the engagement stages while others have reached the final stage of sealing agreements between the innovator and the investor or a funder,’ Omwansa disclosed while addressing the participants at the launch. Also present at the occasion was Mr. John Awiti, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education, Technical Training, Innovation and Social Services joined by a host of Kisumu County leadership who endorsed the KIB platform in the region. In his remarks, Awiti underscored the importance of promoting innovation which is a precursor to job creation among the youth and a key driver to economic growth in the area. ‘As a government, we want to create a cohesive environment for innovators and the establishment of the KIB platform will provide capacity building for startups to scale up their activities,’ stated Awiti. On his part, the British High Commission – FCDO Advisor, Western Kenya Region, Mr. John Manyolo expressed his satisfaction with the Kisumu-based LakeHub organization to ensure a high number of individuals onboard onto the platform. ‘Our goal is to coordinate different players and work with local government to move the ecosystem forward through developing guidelines on commercialization and taking innovative ideas to the markets,’ stated Manyolo.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Iten County Referral Hospital (ICRH) has commissioned an eye theatre, a move set to revolutionize access to eye care in Elgeyo Marakwet County. The facility was established courtesy of ‘Operation Eyesight’ donors in partnership with the county government and the Ophthalmic Services Unit at the Ministry of Health. The newly established operation theatre will provide the much-needed space and equipment required to offer sight-restoration surgery to patients. This development is a welcome relief to the people of Elgeyo Marakwet, who previously had to travel to Kijabe Mission Hospital and Sabatia in Western Kenya, incurring huge expenses. During the commissioning of the Eye Unit operation theatre, Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Mr. Wisely Rotich noted that eye patients from humble backgrounds had been suffering due to a lack of treatment. He decried the fact that only retired teachers and some working-class retirees had access to spectacles in the villages. However, the governor declared that going forward, Operation Eye sight was a reality at the Iten Referral Hospital. He assured everyone in Elgeyo Marakwet with eye problems that they would be attended to, diagnosed, and supplied with glasses free of charge. Ms. Magrine Kiplimo, a beneficiary from Kipsoen health centre, gave her testimony following her sight restoration, thanking God that she could now see. This sentiment was echoed by Mr. Kashinath Bhoosnurmath, the organization’s Chief Executive Officer, who expressed his satisfaction with the beneficiary testimonies. ‘Healthy eyes and vision care change lives,’ said Operation Eyesight’s Country Director for Kenya, Alice Mwangi, reiterated this fact. She said that the organization was bringing quality eye health care to people’s front doors, and the new operation theatre built on the success of other eye services recently added to the community. Operation Eyesight is a Canadian-based international development organization working to prevent blindness and restore sight in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. With the establishment of the Eye Unit operation theatre at the Iten County Referral Hospital, the organization is set to make a significant impact in the lives of the people of Elgeyo Marakwet County.

Source: Kenya News Agency