Category: General

The Member of Parliament for Nyando constituency Jared Okelo together with his Matayos Counterpart Geoffrey Makokha Odanga have visited Kakamega NCPB depot on a fact-finding mission on the alleged distribution of substandard fertilizer.

The MP’s who are members of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock met with NCPB Kakamega staff before listening to concerns from farmers.

They also toured the depot to see for themselves the supplied fertilizer and took some samples which will undergo testing at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and in other private laboratories for concurrence.

Speaking to the Media after the tour, Okelo said parliament will come up with drastic measures and recommend drastic actions to be taken against any culpable individuals who are subjecting the country into economic sabotage.

‘We intend to have two more weeks going around the country because we want a comprehensive report. So in the next three weeks we should be able to table a bill before parl
iament for debate,’ the MP said.

He assured farmers that the National Assembly will try to unravel the entire fake fertilizer expose’ and ensure justice is served and those found culpable face the law.

‘People spent money, people have wasted time, people have applied the wrong fertilizer on their farms, some of which have created coloring or discoloration of maize in the farms and other farm produce so it’s a mess that as a country we must address,’ he pointed out.

The MP also said with the findings, the National Assembly will come up with a raft of recommendations in order to ensure that the country does not experience a similar occurrence in the future that threatens the lives of Kenyans.

‘We have an agenda for food security in our country and when we have economic saboteurs such as what we witnessed here and in other places within our country then it goes against that wider vision, we must feed our country, we must be food sufficient going forward,’ he pointed out.

The Matayos MP on his part asked the
government to compensate farmers for all the costs incurred, which include transport costs and time wasted during the delays in planting.

‘We are also following up with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS), The Kenya Bureau of Standards and any other responsible quality assurance agency to establish the quality of the fertilizers and the quality of any other goods that we consume or use,’ Odanga noted.

Kakamega Senator Dr. Boni Khalwale who accompanied the Legislators asked the National Assembly to be firm and support farmers get justice as Kenyans are the ones who will grapple with high food prices if crops fail.

The Senator also said it was high time for the country to check on the governance system, which had allowed people of questionable character, who lack integrity and entrusted them with discharging important mandates.

‘There must be something fundamental with our governance system because it is that governance system which is wrong, that allows people who are actually saboteurs,
who are criminals, who are conmen to be in high office to the extent that they are doing this to the members of the public,’ he noted.

The Member of County Assembly for Kisa North Ward James Etabale said the County Assembly is also investigating to determine if fertilizer supplied to farmers by the County Government is substandard.

Etabale who is the chairman of the Agriculture committee in the county assembly said they have collected samples and taken them to KEPHIS, KEBS and the government chemist for analysis.

‘We have also visited the plant that supplied Kakamega County with the fertilizer. Once we get the results from these three agencies, we will be able to do our report and submit it to the people of Kakamega County,’ he added.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Close to one thousand illicit brewers identified in Nandi will receive support from the County Government to initiate alternative businesses.

According to Nandi County Deputy Governor Dr. Yulita Mitei, 1,196 illegal brewers have been identified across Nandi and plans are underway to support them to embrace income generating activities accepted by the law.

The Deputy Governor noted that illegal brewers will be made to understand the dangers associated with their continued outlawed brewing and how they can change into alternative legal sources of income.

Dr. Mitei expressed her satisfaction that the National Government with support from the County Government of Nandi have helped in implementation of recent laws to control sale and consumption of illicit brews across the county.

She was speaking during the distribution of County bursary cheques at Kipsebwo Vocational Training College, Aldai Constituency.

‘Together with the National Government, we have ensured laws related to bar businesses and illegal brews
are adhered to,’ she said.

Addressing the same event, Nandi South Deputy County Commissioner Mokin Ptang’uny warned that continued consumption of what he termed as ‘changanya’ pure mixture of ethanol and water will destroy lives of people especially youths who are supposed to be working.

Mokin revealed that reports indicate that areas dominated by heavy consumption of illicit brews and uncontrolled licensed bars are known for underdevelopment with high rates of crime.

‘I promise that the government will never relent on this war against illicit brew. All suspected brewing sides will be raided and destroyed,’ he said.

He pleaded with the parents and guardians to support their children to join government sponsored courses at different Vocational Training Colleges now available in almost every ward.

The DCC noted that children who are not in school or colleges normally become victims of illicit brew consumption due to idleness.

Mokin however regretted that the number suicide cases especially among the young
people are on rise.

He revealed that, Nandi South Sub-County alone, 12 people committed suicide in a period of six months, a scenario he described as worrying.

‘As a community we need to take action and see what we can do to reduce suicide cases which are steadily increasing,’ Mokin suggested.

On his side, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang expressed his concern over the rising suicide cases and challenged parents and guardians to assist their children while struggling with the pressure facing the youths.

He said allowing children to express themselves fully without before parents will help reduce cases certain challenges will be solved when open talk sharing comes from the parents.

Sang further noted that the National Government and County Government of Nandi had achieved a lot while solving most of the social challenges facing the people of Nandi.

The Governor revealed that the number of bars operating in Nandi County had reduced significantly following a government directive to close bars near schools and c
olleges.

Sang led Nandi County leaders and partners at Kipsebwo TVET college, in Aldai to launch Sh120 million bursary cheques to benefit 12,331 students spread in universities, TVET colleges, secondary schools, special need children and those under full scholarship.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Garissa residents are facing imminent supply shortages which is likely to increase prices of basic commodities following closure of the Garissa – Madogo highway as a result of flooding caused by the ongoing rains.

Since Friday evening, transport along the four – kilometre stretch has been paralyzed making it impossible for people and vehicles to enter or exit Garissa town to Nairobi.

Being the gateway to the larger North eastern region, all travellers to Wajir and Mandera through this route are also stranded at Madogo town.

This is the third time that this road stretch has hampered movement is the area since the road was destroyed by El Nino rains in December last year.

The affected areas are the Tana River bridge surroundings, Mororo and Kona Punda, where temporary diversions had been set awaiting full repairs.

The Kenya National Highway Authority through its social media sites has already announced the closure of the road and warned the citizens to be cautious and wait for the waters to subside before
making crossing attempts.

‘KeNHA wishes to inform the public that the road section between Garissa and Madogo is CLOSED to all road users until the water levels subside to safe levels and restoration works on damaged sections completed,’ a statement from the roads agency on social media handles read.

Garissa county Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo has called on the motorists and pedestrians to avoid crossing through flood waters and at the same time called on those living along River Tana to move to higher grounds.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kamung’ei Football Club (FC) from Sotik Sub County has won the much contested first edition of Wakili tournament beating Mogoywet Snippers 3 goals against 2 in penalty shootout.

Kamung’ei staged a strong defense against the Snippers who were largely more aggressive and had a significant percentage in ball possession.

The two teams did not manage any goal during the normal time forcing the referee to add 30 minutes extra time, resulting to no fruitful goals.

The tournament, which commenced on 10th December, 2023 at Ngererit, Mogogosiek, Bomet Central, brought together about 437 teams drawn from the five sub counties in Bomet.

The competition, which was initiated by Bomet Senator Wakili Hillary Sigei was aimed at identifying and nurturing talents among the youths.

The tournament attracted over 30 000 fans filling Bomet IAAF stadium to the brim, while also attracting guests including local political leaders led by Bomet Deputy Governor Shadrach Rotich and other regional leaders including Senate Majority lea
der Aaron Cheruiyot among other leaders.

Mogoywet Snippers managed Sh 700 000 after losing out in the penalty shootout, while Kapsimbirir FC came in the third position grabbing Sh250 000 after beating their neighbors Chpkolon FC two goals to one in normal time.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Nyeri residents have called for a reconstitution of the Affordable Housing Board to include more representation from county governments.

During a public participation where members of the public had been invited to give their views on the Affordable Housing Regulation 2024, the residents argued that the county governments are underrepresented in the Affordable Housing Board.

In their submissions, the residents say that having a single representative in the board at the national level may not be enough to represent the individual interests of the 47 counties.

‘We feel that County Executive Committee Members in-charge of Housing are not involved in this process and at the county level, we don’t expect that the board will come and manage the affairs of the county,’ said Ndirangu Gachunia who is also the CEC Lands and Physical planning.

The Affordable Housing Act provides for the establishment of the Affordable Housing Board which will oversee the development of the affordable housing project.

According to t
he Act, the constitution of the board should comprise of a non-executive chairperson who will be appointed by the president, National Treasury Principal Secretary and a nominee from the Organization of Trade Unions and the Federation of Kenya Employers.

The Act also stipulates that the Council of County Governors shall also nominate a representative, something that Gachunia says may push counties away from the decision making table.

‘We need a board where the CECs housing sit as mandatory members and not as an adhoc so that they are part and parcel decision making,’ he said.

Gachunia also called for strict adherence of the law especially during the land administration process to avoid exposing county governments to legal battles in the future.

‘The county government is the custodian of public land on behalf of the citizens of Nyeri. We are asking that the process annexing public land be followed the letter to avoid future litigation. We want to be able to enter an agreement on every parcel of land and pro
ject, we don’t want blanket agreement so that we ensure that the due process is followed,’ he said.

The government intends to solve the housing problem by constructing 200,000 houses annually through the Affordable Housing project. The state hopes to achieve this by constructing at least 200 affordable housing units in every constituency.

According to the regional lead in charge of the Affordable Housing project, Albert Gakuru, a total of 350 housing units are currently under construction at Blue Valley in Nyeri town constituency.

But even as the project continues to take shape at Blue Valley, the residents also sought assurance that their houses will not be demolished by the future administrations. Citing incidents where the government has demolished residential houses, the residents have asked the government to ensure that the security of tenure of the beneficiaries of the project is provided for in the regulations.

‘What assurance do we have that years to come these affordable houses will not be demoli
shed by a different administration like we have previously witnessed demolition of government houses in places like East-lands in Nairobi?’ Posed Kimunyu Ndegwa.

The residents also want the regulations to spell out what should happen in the event that the owner of an affordable housing unit nominates another owner of an affordable housing unit as their successor in the event of death. According to Thomas Mundia, the Act in its present state only allows a Kenyan to own a single unit under the project and does not give special considerations during succession.

‘The Act prohibits an individual from owning more than one unit. I think it should state what should happen if say a parent wants their child who may be the owner of a unit under the Affordable Housing project,’ said Mundia.

Source: Kenya News Agency