Day: June 25, 2023

The four Ajira Digital centres in Mathioya constituency are set to get additional equipment in order to support those venturing into online jobs.

The area MP Edwin Mugo has stated each of the centres will get an additional 10 computers and free Wifi within the next month to enable local young people to venture into online jobs.

The centres which were established during the former regime, Mugo divulged, lack enough computers among other essential equipment which can also promote the training of computer literacy.

He spoke on Friday at Kiriaini when 195 young people graduated with computer literacy, a programme which was sponsored by the local NG-CDF in partnership with Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT).

‘One way to provide our young people with employment is to provide a platform where they can venture into online jobs. The NG-CDF will fund the provision of free WIFI at the centres which are located in Gitugi, Njumbi, Kiriaini and Kamacharia areas,’ he added.

He added so far, they have trained a total of 400 young people in computer literacy underscoring the programme saying it will be of benefit considering most services have gone digital.

Mugo continued, ‘With the move to digitize all services, those with computer skills will be engaged in offering digital services.’

The lawmaker called upon the local youth to take advantage of the digital centres and explore ways of improving their livelihoods through exploiting digital opportunities.

‘Once the digital centres have the essential equipment, we expect local young people especially those who are in colleges or universities and also the graduates to fully utilize them to make money,’ Mugo noted.

One of the youths who trained on computer literacy Damaris Nyambura lauded the programme saying she will establish a cybercafé.

‘I want to invest in a cyber café and look forward to accessing the free Wifi that we have been promised by our area MP,’ said Nyambura.

Meanwhile, Mugo said the Finance Bill 2023, will unlock economic potential asking Kenyans to be patient as the proposed raised funds will help the government to invest in programmes which will improve their living standards.

‘The bill which is awaiting to be signed into law by the president, will greatly support farmers and, in this case, tea farmers where some taxes attached to the crop have been exempted. My appeal to Kenyans is to be a little patient as the cost of living will come down within a short period,’ he argued.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS), Eliud Owalo has challenged Nyanza residents to create a conducive environment for the government to deliver on its development mandate in the region.

Owalo said it was time for a paradigm shift from rhetoric politics to a tangible transformation and development-oriented agenda that will see the region realize fast economic development.

He was speaking at his Asembo home in Rarieda, Siaya county when he met religious leaders from the Nyanza region.

The cabinet secretary said that development can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace but not perpetual noise and distraction.

‘We have done politics year in, year out. We cannot continue like this. We must change the politics of this region,’ he said.

Owalo said that the government was committed to delivering on its promise to all Kenyans, adding that for the first time, the country has got a president who is keen on rolling out tangible development programs in Nyanza.

‘Let us be part of the government. Those who do not want, we shall bring the government to them by way of development,’ he said.

The cabinet secretary assured the church that the Kenya Kwanza government considers the church an integral stakeholder of its administration and will integrate it into its programs.

Siaya county commissioner, Jim Njoka who also addressed the meeting called on church leaders to support the presidential task force on religious affairs by giving their views.

‘This is a historical moment for you and you should participate fully by giving your views to the task force,’ said Njoka.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage Peninah Malonza has held a discussion with Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani to find an amicable solution to the challenges of human-wildlife conflict that have affected the county in the recent past.

CS Malonza who was accompanied by her Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs counterpart Salim Mvurya noted that it is important for the national government to have a dialogue with devolved units over the issues of human-wildlife conflict.

Ms. Malonza said she was in the coastal county to hold discussions with various stakeholders to appreciate the problems of human wildlife.

She noted that human-wildlife conflict is a key issue in dealing with wildlife conservation as there are a number of communities living near and around protected areas in the country.

She asserted the major causes of human-wildlife conflict in the country are human settlement in wildlife corridors, stream bank cultivation, deforestation, expansion of arable land into forested areas, and poaching.

CS Malonza added the national government is committed to working towards reducing cases of human-wildlife conflict across the country.

‘We are in Kwale to discuss with the local leadership ways of mitigating the perennial human-wildlife conflict in the region,’ said Malonza, adding that the government is working on robust strategies to control human-wildlife conflicts.

She went further, ‘We are going to meet all stakeholders in the counties to find lasting and amicable solutions to the conflicts between communities and wild animals’.

Ms. Malonza said her ministry is stepping up efforts to ensure that wildlife is contained in their habitats in a bid to minimize deaths, injuries, and crop destruction, especially during drought seasons.

She said there is a need for government agencies to collaborate across departments and ministries to effectively handle the longstanding problem of human-wildlife conflict.

‘As human-wildlife conflicts soar around the country, so do calls for compensation and that is why my ministry has developed an insurance scheme to compensate victims killed by wild animals,’ she said, adding that it’s not the government’s desire that communities live in endless conflict with wild animals.

CS Malonza said the recent severe drought has pushed wildlife from their natural habitats into human settlements searching for water and pasture exacerbating human-wildlife conflicts.

The CS urged the people not to resort to killing the wild animals when they spot them but asked them to report to the KWS.

On his part, CS Mvurya said the discussion centered on how KWS is dealing with the human and wildlife menace, and training of beach operators to boost tourism in the region through partnership with county governments.

He said enhancing the protection of natural habitats for wildlife species is key to sustainable tourism and the livelihood of communities around conservancies.

Governor Achani who received the delegation that included the Principal Secretary (PS) for Tourism John Ololtua and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Board of Trustees Chair Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Walter Koipaton among other government officials said elephants have been killing and maiming people and destroying crops making the situation susceptible to food insecurity.

‘Together with my Deputy Governor Chirema Kombo, we have discussed several issues with the two CSs, the PS, and the team from KWS on matters of tourism in Kwale county, and ways to solve human-wildlife conflict cases that have been reported,’ she said.

She said human-wildlife conflicts have been on the increase exacerbating food insecurity and negatively impacting the well-being of the local communities.

She went further, ‘The CSs assured us that they will collaborate with my administration to ensure that Kwale fully benefits from its resources in the blue economy and tourism sectors’.

The county boss noted that often, human-wildlife conflict is borne out of competition for limited resources, including water and pasture, and space to live.

Achani says the county encompasses a sizable portion of nature reserves which are also hotspots for human-elephant conflict.

She said drought has become a major cause of human-wildlife conflict in the region and the high-level meeting sought to find ways of safeguarding the coexistence between wildlife and communities around game parks.

Kwale County has several national parks, game reserves, and marine parks and in almost all these, local communities have voiced their concern over the increasing human-animal conflict.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, human-wildlife conflicts are becoming more frequent, serious, and widespread because of human population growth, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, climate change, and other drivers of habitat loss.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Senate Ad hoc Committee on the proliferation of religious organizations on Saturday raided the Holy Ghost Coptic Church of Kenya in Kisumu and rescued eight mentally ill patients detained at the premises.

The victims who were chained and locked up in dingy cells were taken to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital for counseling and treatment.

Committee Vice Chairperson Senator Shakila Abdalla said more patients are believed to be locked up within the church premises adding that the security team has been tasked to secure the necessary orders and do a door-to-door search to rescue the victims.

Senator Abdalla said it was illegal for the church headed by Father John Pesa 1 to illegally chain and detain patients under the guise of praying for them to heal.

The church, she said, has no permit to hold or treat patients adding that the cells where the victims are detained were unhygienic.

‘We have asked Father Pesa to release all the patients. No church is allowed to detain or hold patients in the name of praying for them to heal,’ she said.

Security officers and Kenya Red Cross personnel had a difficult time convincing some of the patients to board an ambulance.

‘We have seen the patients and they need urgent medical intervention. They were locked up in dingy cells with a bucket to relieve themselves. They also receive one meal per day,’ she added.

The committee which visited Kisumu and Vihiga counties to hear testimonies of families whose kin were victims of the Shakahola massacre will push for investigations into the church’s activities.

Nominated Senator Veronica Maina said the committee shall not relent until all the victims are rescued and taken for treatment.

The Ministry of Health, she added, would take care of the medical expenses of the victims who will later be reunited with their families.

He asked Kenyans to be on the lookout for any religious organization involved in similar acts and report to the authorities so that the victims are rescued and assisted.

Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli said the committee which is currently going around the country to look into the proliferation of religious organizations will ensure that all activities of the church and other entities are in tandem with the law.

In February this year, the County Government of Kisumu filed a petition in court seeking to demolish the church for illegally detaining 23 mentally ill patients.

However, the matter was thrown out of the case for lack of merit.

Kisumu Acting County Commissioner Hussein Alassow Hussein said the matter has been appealed adding that every effort shall be made to deter illegal activities at the church.

‘I want to assure you that this is the last day people are being held captive at this church,’ he said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Malaba municipality in partnership with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), county government of Busia, forest department and learning institutions Saturday sensitized the public on the need to keep urban areas clean by getting rid of solid waste.

Through the Linda Mazingira Initiative, representatives from these organizations participated in a cleaning exercise at Malaba town before planting over 3,000 seedlings within the municipality.

The Linda Mazingira initiative targets to ensure urban areas are free from pollution caused by emission from trucks and solid waste dumped inappropriately, and in order to achieve this, they partner with the public.

And in support of the initiative, residents of Malaba Municipality planted trees at the Railway Station and six learning institutions.

Speaking to the press during the exercise Malaba Kenya Revenue Authority Manager Mr Aquilino Mwithalii urged the community to advocate for proper disposal of solid waste in towns and embrace the culture of planting trees along river banks to mitigate effects of floods while conserving water catchment areas.

‘The way we handle waste within urban areas will determine the kind of environment we want to live in. If you are dumping litter everywhere, it shows how disorganized you are,’ noted Mwithalii.

Mwithalii added that, there will be no need for tents if county residents embark on planting trees in institutions and homesteads to improve on the county’s tree cover which remains pathetic.

‘As KRA, we support environmental conservation and planting of trees. Protection of society and environment and facilitation of Trade are our key priorities with tax collection being the other function we execute,’ he said.

Acting Manager, Malaba Municipality, Brian Abwaku said as the second Municipality after Busia and with a population of 102,000 residents, they want to make the municipality environmentally friendly to attract investors.

Abwaku said the municipality covers 129 square kilometers and is composed of four wards which include Malaba Central, Malaba South and Amukura West.

‘The most preferred method of disposal has been to throw the used diaper or sanitary pad in a pit latrine or a garbage bag. Most places, especially in the urban areas, no longer have pit latrines and if they exist, they aren’t deep enough hence the disposed diapers and sanitary pads still end up in the open,’ noted Abwaku

He exuded confidence that as a municipality, they will meet the World Bank’s conditions to benefit from Kenya Urban Support Programme funding to the tune of Sh 200 million annually.

Linda Mazingira Initiative Managing Director, Patrick Ikwara on his part said they have already planted 52,150 tree seedlings in various hilltops and learning institutions in Teso North, Teso South, Matayos, Nambale, Bunyala, Samia and Kumi in Uganda which is part of Mt Elgon Trans-boundary.

Ikwara said Linda Mazingira achieved this feat by partnering with SSSI0- USA environment Wing, adding that they are targeting to plant one million trees by 2027.

‘We planted 3,000 trees today with 95 percent being indigenous and the rest assorted. The primary schools that benefited from the program include Malaba Township, Kajei, Model Junior Academy, Railways, Ekisegere, IsegereToto and Amoni.

On his part Teso North Sub County Kenya Forest Service Officer, Kennedy Ombati said Long Distance trucks carbon emission was putting border residents in danger, thus the urgent need to plant trees along the road from Malaba to Kocholia.

‘This will also be in line with President William Ruto’s clarion call of planting 15 billion trees by 2030,’ he said, noting that Busia County has very little tree cover and is ranked among counties with low tree cover.

A recent study by NEMA on waste management showed that most towns and cities in Kenya have inefficient waste collection and disposal systems. For instance, the study indicated that about 30-40 per cent of the waste generated in Nairobi is not collected.

Plastic bags remain the biggest nightmare to urban settlements within Busia town owing to the fact that Uganda has no restriction on the same.

Source: Kenya News Agency