Day: April 3, 2023

Posted on

CS Ndung’u Encourages Farmers To Fully Utilize Subsidy Programmes

The National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary (CS) Professor Njuguna Ndung’u has encouraged Murang’a farmers and industry players to fully utilize subsidy programmes being offered by the government.

Ndung’u on Sunday said subsidy programmes offer support to farmers towards increasing their production and add value to attract maximum returns.

Speaking during the launch of Murang’a County Government Guaranteed Minimum Return (GMR) Subsidy for mango and dairy sector at Gatunyu Field in Gatanga Constituency in Murang’a, the CS said that it is immensely encouraging that 86 percent of dairy farmers have already met the requisite conditions of the subsidy programme.

‘So far 16,504 dairy farmers out of the potential 19,254 farmers have met the required conditions of the subsidy programme,’ he said, adding that the county government is putting in place measures to ensure that the remaining 2,750 famers are not left behind in utilizing the subsidy support.

Ndung’u revealed that the same benefits are being felt in mango farming through targeted cooperative organization and sensitization strategy. ‘I wish to encourage all farmers to consolidate on these gains and be part of our national and regional transformation agenda,’ he said.

The CS observed that the county has already put in place a well-established fertilizer subsidy and incentive fund to bolster GMR Subsidy for the mango and dairy sector and build up on the transformation agenda.

‘This initiative is one of the most transformative agriculture revival strategies that will greatly transform the economic fortunes of Murang’a and its people,’ said the CS.

He underscored the need of the county government to build on these agricultural investments by providing extra support in terms of technical assistance, and field extension services.

‘Murang’a County takes the lead in launching GMR Subsidy for the mango and dairy sector,’ he said adding that the government’s aim is subsidizing production and promoting food security.

Meanwhile, the CS reminded the farmers that climate change is a real threat to food security and nutrition, and hence they should diversify crop production by focusing on drought resistant crops such as sorghum, millet, sweet potatoes, cassava and other fruit trees for domestic and commercial purposes.

The CS said the national government is committed to supporting the county governments, farmers and stakeholders whenever it is called upon.

‘I am confident that by working together, we shall transform our people and country,’ said Ndung’u, adding that this initiative is a clear testimony of the government’s bottom-up economic transformation agenda.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

300 Needy Students Benefit From Bursary

Busia County Women Representative Ms. Catherine Omanyo has disbursed bursary worth Sh. 2 million to bright and needy students.

Speaking at Matayos South Sub- County during the disbursement exercise, Omanyo said that the funds aim at keeping the needy students in school adding that all sub-counties in Busia will receive the funds.

‘I am committed to ensure that my office gives sufficient educational support to the children from poor background, so as to unburden the struggling parents in our county,’ Omanyo said.

Omanyo noted that a number of children are experiencing fee challenges due to the high poverty rate being experienced in Busia County. She assured the local residents that her office will ensure that children from financially challenged families attain their academic goals through bursaries.

The Women Rep reiterated that education is the only means through which the community can use to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich in the society.

‘If you want to kill the society, deny children education. For this reason, our set objective is to ensure that we shape children so that we have future generations full of professionalism,’ added Omanyo.

The woman MP added that the bursary kitty allocated for her office is still inadequate, calling upon other leaders to offer more support.

She urged the parents together with local leaders to ensure that students concentrate in school and work hard as it’s the main benefit the parents can bestow on their children.

Her sentiments were echoed by the area Chief Makena Benerd who said that there is a need to consider more children when funding to ensure that they attain education in order to create a better community enhanced with professionals.

‘Poverty has affected the education level in our society and we ask that more children are supported bearing in mind the fact that they are the future generation,’ noted Makena.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

Japanese Government To Plant Over 400, 000 Trees In Three Ecosystems

The Japanese government is targeting to plant over 400,000 trees in three ecosystems under the Forest and Land Restoration Action for Kenya (FLaRAK) programme.

The programme implemented by Community Road Empowerment (CORE) will benefit three ecosystems namely: Kaptagat in Elgeyo Marakwet, Suswa-Magadi in Narok/Kajiado and Kakamega tropical forest with an aim of conserving the environment.

Principal Secretary, State Department for Environment and Forestry Dr Chris Kiptoo said the trees will help to combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen back into the air.

In a speech read on his behalf by one of the directors at his office Mr. John Elungata, the PS said the project entails putting up 20 tree nursery beds that will be the source of trees to be planted.

The chairman of CORE, Prof Kiptanui Too said that Matonyok primary school is one of the twenty selected primary schools to implement tree nurseries projects that will be planted in the Suswa-Magadi ecosystem.

He noted that lack of appropriate tree seedlings, mismatch sites and inappropriate tree species that are not suitable to the particular environments is the main challenge to restoration of degraded lands in Kenya.

‘FLaRAK project aims to produce quality tree seedlings and develop the capacity of school learners at an early age in tree growing activities through environmental club and 4-K clubs’ programmes in schools,’ added Too.

The project is set to produce 400,000 tree seedlings in selected schools annually that translates to restore 500 acres of degraded lands by tree planting every year and contribute toward the national target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.

Environment club members will be given tree seedlings to plant in their homes, and the remaining tree seedlings will be sold by the school management to the local communities at affordable prices so as to sustain the project for some years to come.

Ewaso Ngiro South Development Authority (ENSDA) Managing Director Mr. Ngala Oloitiptip said that human beings are the cause of land degradation and asked residents to plant trees to restore the degraded land.

He added that the siltation from the escarpment’s areas in Suswa is a great threat to lake Magadi and if nothing was done, the lake would disappear within a few years.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

KFS Engages Farmers’ Field Schools In Tree Planting

Mitigating effects of climate change is one of the key current programmes in all walks of life after the government ordered that trees should be planted before all state functions.

Kenya Forest Service (KFS) is engaging the locals and farmers through Farmers’ Field Schools (FFS) by offering them training and knowledge on the best practices towards increasing forest cover and environment conservation.

Beatrice Mbula, Deputy Chief Conservator of Forest in charge of Forest Advisory and County Liaison, said they are teaching practical and implementation of activities toward the betterment of livelihoods and environmental conservation.

Speaking in Kirinyaga County during the graduation of over 100 farmers from Kirinyaga, Murang’a and Nyeri counties who have undergone one-year training under FFS,Ms Mbula said during the period the graduates were imparted with technologies and skills that will help them conserve the environment as well as extend to others.

She expressed optimism that the 30 per cent forest cover by 2032 is achievable if everyone can take part in growing trees.

The conservator called the public to get the seedlings from Kenya Forest nurseries plant and take care of them, noting that KFS has over 12 million ready seedlings.

‘The graduates have been learning for a period of one year on various technologies and skills which will assist in the implementation of environmentally friendly practices and improving livelihoods. Achieving 30 per cent forest cover by 2032 is on course is very possible if every individual plants 10 trees,’Ms Mbula said.

She added trees will not only mitigate climate change but also ensure food security.

Jerome Mwanzia from Green Forest said the reason they choose farmers in the training is because they are the ones affected most by the periodic change in climatic conditions and they are able to experiment with different species of trees based on existing conditions.

He said the farmers are easier multiplier effect as they can teach other farmers at their local areas every time. ‘We opted to engage farmers because they are the ones who suffer most because of climate change. They are also in position to experiment with different species of trees in their farms,’ he said.

Mwanzia said the existence of community forest associations which are proximal to various forests in the region are key in doing environmentally friendly economic activities such as bee keeping and fish farming which is a source of income.

‘Community forest associations, of which most of their members are farmers living around the forest, will help in doing economic activities which are environmentally friendly such as construction of fish ponds and bee keeping. These can be sources of income to them,” Mwanzia said, adding that the income will motivate individuals to plant more trees.

Kerugoya Ward MCA Eric Muchina urged the locals to take advantage of the rains not only to plant food crops but also trees. He said he will join hands with FFS in raising awareness and distribution of seedlings.

‘We will offer support to the Farmer Field Schools through public awareness and distribution of tree seedlings as well as urge the residents to take advantage of the rains to plant both food crops and trees,’ said Muchina.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

Kiambu Residents Express Joy As Protests By Azimio Are Called Off

Residents and small business owners in Kiambu County have lauded the decision by Azimio la Umoja One coalition party leader Raila Odinga to call off country wide political protests that have been going on for the last two weeks.

The protests, which were staged every Monday and Thursday, had seen a lot of disruption in the everyday running of small business and livelihoods of residents

Although in Kiambu town, the chaos was minimal, business owners around Kiambu town said they were affected especially when it came to the confusion on opening up their businesses and the uncertainty of getting clients.

Alexander Sila, a grocer in Kiambu town expressed his joy after yesterday’s announcement by the Azimio leader saying not only will he be able to concentrate on his business without looking out for riots within, but he will also be able to go and get supplies that he usually sources from Nairobi City County without a hitch.

‘My business has for the last two weeks been affected in a major way. I do purchase my wares from Marikiti (Wakulima) Market in Nairobi where protests have been happening. I could not restock my business properly because I ended up with only what I could get from within my county’, he said.

Sila is also hoping that both the government and the Azimio leader will be able to meet and come up with a solution in order for the country to move on and businesses to go back to normalcy.

‘As Kenyans we only need an agreeable solution by both parties. The opposition leader Raila Odinga was not elected by the Kenyans in any of seat therefore he has no reason for protesting while the government in turn should listen to his demands and find an amicable solution so that the country can move forward,’ he said.

Maureen Wanjiku, 24, a resident in Kiambu who sells secondhand clothes in, Kirigiti area of Kiambu County expressed her gratitude to the Azimio leader Raila Odinga for calling off the demos saying she had not made any sales for the last two weeks since she gets her stocks from Gikomba Market in Nairobi.

‘As a business person I am so happy for the Azimio leader calling off the protests. I have been making very few sales, which have affected my business. This is because people are afraid to get out of their houses to come and shop but at the same time I would not be able to get any new stocks because of the weekly protests and skirmishes.

She hoped that talks between the opposition and government will reach an understanding and that Kenyans will not have to experience any more demonstrations in the country.

Ann Mumbi from Kiambu market who is a distributor of commodities to various supermarkets expressed optimism that all will go on well now that the Azimio leader has called off the protests and the President has agreed to sit on a table for consultations.

‘I am happy for the Azimio leader Odinga calling off the demos in the country. In Kiambu County we have not experienced the riots as compared to Nairobi but our businesses have been affected since most of the business people source their goods from Nairobi,’ she said.

Mumbi added that for the past two weeks she has been worrying and contemplating on what to do next if the protests were to continue.

‘I have not been making any profit in my business. As a distributor am required me to restock my business twice a week. Even wherever I normally buy my merchandise, they had closed up their business for fear of invasion by mobs. My hope is that both parties will come to an amicable solution to the stalemate,’ she added.

Even as the Azimio leader accepted the olive branch extended by President William Ruto on dialogue, in his remarks he noted that if the talks do not come to a win-win situation, the protests will continue in a weeks’ time.

Among the subjects that the two parties will discuss is the high cost of living and also address the matter of reconstituting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Source: Kenya News Agency

Proudly powered by WordPress