Day: May 12, 2023

Deputy Speaker of Isiolo County Assembly David Lemantile and the leader of Majority Abdirashid Diba have both decried the poor learning environment for Junior Secondary Schools in the county.

The leaders said that the local schools do not have laboratories, libraries and have inadequate classrooms while 85 per cent of the schools lack JSS teachers.

Mr. Lemantile said that schools had been hit by shortage of teachers following suspension of delocalization of the teaching staff where most of them went back to their home counties.

The Deputy speaker who made the remarks at the launching of Sh. 1.26 million of National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) bursary, said the County Government would also increase its bursary allocation from sh. 35 million to sh. 50 million in 2023-24 financial year.

During the event, 250 students benefitted from NGAAF where the needy secondary students were going to get Sh. 5,000 while those in universities would pocket Sh. 10,000 each.

He praised the NGAAF bursary disbursement plan which he said represented the face of Isiolo where a chairman of the committee charged with the payout is drawn from the minority groups and has ensured there was fair distribution of the cash.

The Leader of Majority in the County Assembly Mr. Abdirashid Diba said that the Women Rep. Ms. Mumina Bonaya has picked five committee members from every Ward and ensured that only the disadvantaged students benefited.

Mr. Diba challenged youths to register with Technical and Vocational Education Training Institutions (TVET) to get skills to enable them take up alternative employment opportunities since the white colour jobs are minimal.

Wabera Ward MCA Mr. Salesio Kiambi called for investigation of the chiefs and their assistants who are alleged to have been stealing relief food meant for the poor and urged the local administration to take swift action.

Source: Kenya News Agency

A total of 90 sheep and goats have been reported dead in Kang’ing’olemong’in, Turkana South sub county.

Experts are trying to establish the cause of the deaths. Water and soil samples from a well where tens of livestock were reported dead after drinking water yesterday have today been collected for lab testing.

County Chief Officer for Livestock Development Dr. Ezekiel Etelej on Friday led a team from the Veterinary and Public Health Department to Kang’ing’olemong’in area of Lokichar Ward where the 90 goats and sheep reportedly died to collect the water samples.

Dr. Etelej said the County Government was concerned over the unfortunate incident and called for calm as the samples are taken for laboratory chemical analysis.

County Director for Veterinary Services Dr. Benson Long’or noted that postmortem examination on lungs showed extreme hemorrhage and emphysema which could have led to low oxygen supply to vital organs leading to death.

Dr. Long’or pointed out that definitive diagnosis of the water sample would help rule out any possibility of water contamination within the area.

Area MCA Samwel Lomodo called for proper analysis of the water samples.

Tullow Oil operational supervisor Ken Ogutu said they will cooperate with the county government and support the affected families.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The government, through the Ministry of Regional Development, will spend Sh450 million to establish 30 water projects in counties under the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA).

Noting that water was one of the causes of conflicts among the pastoralist communities, Principal Secretary Salim Dakota said the projects, which would include the sinking of boreholes and the construction of water pans, would go a long way in solving conflicts that have affected the area for decades.

Speaking at Rokocho in Keiyo South Sub County when he commissioned the Rokocho honey processing factory and a borehole, the PS said once the projects are complete, his ministry will partner with the Ministry of Water to supply the water to the community.

He noted that with adequate water, communities could start projects that would provide a sustainable livelihood, which would in turn transform their lives as the water would not only be for domestic use but also for irrigation and livestock.

‘We want to move away from rain-fed agriculture to irrigation, and we are sure that with water, this area will be transformed economically,’ he said.

The PS added that plans were underway to expand the honey processing factory to enable it to serve more farmers by expanding the capacity to process 350 tons per year from the current 120 tons per year.

‘Once expanded, we are hoping that more people from neighbouring counties will deliver their honey to the factory for processing,’ he said.

The KVDA MD, Sammy Naporos, said the organization bought honey worth Sh. 60 million and mangoes worth Sh. 30 million from the locals in the last one year.

The PS added that KVDA had procured 2 million tree seedlings to be distributed to farmers for planting, which would contribute to the national agenda of planting 15 billion trees.

Saying that Elgeyo Marakwet had all the indicators to be included under the arid and semi-arid areas, the PS wondered why it was left out, saying he would review and see that it was included.

KVDA operates in Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Baringo, Turkana, parts of Samburu, and Nakuru counties.

Source: Kenya News Agency