Category: Production

Vihiga County Government has opened an eye clinic unit at the county referral hospital in Mbale town. Governor Dr Wilber Ottichilo said the facility has been equipped with modern equipment and over 20 staff have been trained and certified to provide eye care. This is the second optics clinic unit after the other one at the Sabatia Eye Hospital in Sabatia Sub County. Ottichilo said the project has been put in place through a partnership between his administration and the Christian Blind Mission, (CBM, Kenya), Sabatia Eye hospital and the Kenya Society for the Blind (KSFB). The governor lauded the development partners for their commitment to eye care which is an area that had been neglected for a long time. He expressed the commitment of his administration to ensuring the promotion of health care services as outlined in the 2023-2027 County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP). The county head asked residents to enroll with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) scheme to enable access treatment without extra charges. The CBM Global Director Dr Kuresh Babar commended the county government for using the Community Health Workers (CHWs) to provide eye care services.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Non-governmental organizations involved with charitable donations are asking the government to relinquish taxes imposed on charitable aids destined to help the vulnerable communities in the country. The organizations now claim donations worth millions of shillings are stuck abroad after the government started taxing charitable donations bestowed from the UK and Germany. They said the majority of Kenyans who depend on donations, especially wheelchairs, hospital beds and sanitary pads are suffering due to the situation. All firms making donations to charitable organizations should be registered under the Companies Act, the Societies Act or the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Coordination Act for them to qualify tax exceptions. Speaking in Mombasa during the commemoration of the NGOs week, Mr. Habib Hakim Secretary of Helping Hand (Pwani), a charitable organization in the Coast, requested the government to give tax waivers to charitable donations so that the needy can benefit. ‘As you know, the government has stopped all tax waivers on donations, they don’t give us waiver on duties and taxes on donations, we want to ask the NGOs Coordination Board to intervene because we have a lot of valuable stuff stuck in Germany and UK,’ Hakim said. ‘We brought a container of wheel chairs and hospital beds last month and we paid duty, when it reached here they told us the government has removed waivers,’ he added. They were speaking during the 2023 NGO week held at Serani grounds in Mombasa where different NGOS showcased what they do. The event was graced by the NGOs Coordination Board Executive Director Mutuma Nkanata. ‘The donations we get from abroad, especially wheel chairs from Germany are very durable, there are patients who are bedridden and need beds at home, sanitary pads that can be supplied to more than 50,000 learners in schools per month, they are now stuck because of taxes,’ Hakim said. The organization also requested for tax waiver on the date fruits used by Muslims during the month of Ramadhan as the holy month approaches. Kenya has made significant strides in the regulation of Non-Governmental Organizations. The NGO’s Coordination Board Executive Director Mutuma Nkatana said that the board is committed to assist all the NGOs that need assistance from the Government Agency. ‘We can sit down, reach out to the treasury on behalf of the organizations to look at specific issues, I don’t see why this cannot happen, we will make a follow up especially on tax exemptions, and assist where possible,’ said Nkanata. Nkanata said NGOs bring in more than Sh 170 billion to the Kenyan economy on an annual basis. He said the agency is keen to facilitate work permits where necessary so as to grow the economy. ‘As you know NGOs contribute towards development, they contribute over Sh170 billion annually, so we are ready to facilitate their activities, and we are ready to help them,’ Nkanata said while lauding the Non-Governmental Organizations for complementing government services. Nkanata asked NGOs to solely focus on sustaining livelihoods of the vulnerable communities in the country, as per their mandate as it promised to conduct a countrywide crackdown on defaulters.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The ongoing renovation of Embu Stadium is on course in readiness to host this year’s Madaraka Day Celebrations, the project undertakers have assured. The refurbishment work is being carried out by Modern Precast K. Ltd. under the supervision of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) at a cost of Sh300 million. KDF Deputy Commander Construction Engineer, Colonel Maurice Owende, speaking on during an inspection tour, said the work was on schedule towards delivery of the stadium by mid-May. He said most of the foundation work on the main pavilion and public terraces had been done and the structures are expected to be complete by end of April. ‘We have no choice, the stadium has to be ready because Madaraka Day is a date cast in stone,’ Owende said. He also said work of levelling the pitch including backfilling of red soil to be followed by grass planting had also commenced. He said with production of materials done using the new precast concrete technology where beams and benches were being made and cured elsewhere and only shipped to the site for installation had saved on time that would have been taken if done on-site. The contractor, Chandreshbhai Babariya, said they had already done 90 percent of production and the technology had reduced time that would have been spent using the traditional method by 60-70 percent. Embu CEC in charge of Lands, Mining, Physical Planning, Housing and Urban Development, Raymond Kinyua, said they were satisfied with the progress and confident that the stadium will be complete on time to give to give KDF time and space to practice ahead of the national celebrations. ‘We have given the contractor up to May 15 to give the military adequate time to do their drills,’ he said. He said once complete, the stadium will have a sitting capacity of 8,700 with the main pavilion for dignitaries having a capacity to hold 1,700 people. He however said with proper utilisation of the remaining open spaces, the stadium has a capacity of holding more people.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Police at Sagamian area in Narok South Sub County destroyed over 3000 litres of illicit brew during a crackdown along River Amala at the border of Narok and Bomet Counties. Narok South Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Felix Kisalu said the Sagamian location Chief Patrick Koskei and his assistant chief Duncan Kones led the police to the brewing site where they discovered the illicit brew. The illicit brew, he said, included 3000 litres of Kangara and 20 litres of Chang’aa that were put in 20 and 50 litres tanks. ‘We thank the Nyumba Kumi representatives and village elders who gave the information that led to the crackdown. We will continue keeping vigil until we ensure no illicit brew business is done in this area,’ said the DCC. During the impromptu crackdown, no person was arrested as they fled the brewing den when the police arrived. Kisalu said they will intensify the fight to crackdown all illicit brewing points in the area so that the residents can only consume the recommended drinks that are authorized by the government. He called on those who engage in such illicit business to look for alternative productive jobs to do like rearing chicken, farming or bee keeping that will earn them an income. He called upon residents to work with the government officials to report those engaging in the outlawed business so as to eradicate the vice in the area. The crackdown comes only a few days after Narok Central Acting DCC Abdi Shakur Ali destroyed hundreds of litres of illegal brew that was being sold in local wine and spirit shops.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Uasin Gishu County earmarks to plant 21 million tree seedlings this year as part of increasing the county’s tree cover. Uasin Gishu County Forest Conservator Mr. Joseph Kingori said more than nine million tree seedlings, eight million in private tree nurseries and one million in Kenya Forest Service (KFS), were available for planting during the rainy season. Speaking during a public consultative baraza at Songoliet sub-location in Kapseret Constituency that was chaired by Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Dr. Eddyson Nyale, Kingori said the tree seedlings would be available for Sh 10 each for those interested in buying. ‘To combat climate change that has affected weather patterns, including prolonged droughts, every resident has a responsibility to take part in environmental conservation by supporting tree planting,’ he added. ‘In line with the government’s plan to plant five billion trees in five years’ time, the country has to at least plant 106 million tree seedlings annually to achieve the target announced by President William Ruto on October 20th 2022,’ said the CFC. The President during last year’s Mashujaa day celebrations announced that Kenya intends to plant five billion trees in the next five years through Special Presidential Forestry and Rangeland Restoration Programme. The President said this would eventually lead to 15 billion trees by the year 2032. The objective is the rehabilitation and restoration of 10.6 million hectares in the 290 constituencies, as well as selected ecosystems and water towers threatened by degradation and destruction due to human activity. In his remarks, the CC asked chiefs and their assistants in each sub-county to ensure they start tree nurseries where members of the public can get tree seedlings when they require. ‘It is also important that every farmer or land owners in Uasin Gishu set aside a section of their land to plant trees to increase tree cover in the county that was identified as one of the county’s with very low tree cover,’ said the CC. ‘It is the responsibility of every Kenyan to protect and conserve the environment for posterity, said Nyale. During the baraza, residents raised concerns over rampant illicit brewing and alcohol consumption, especially among the youth whom they claimed had been made dysfunctional by illicit alcohol. ‘We have lost young lives due to alcohol, the youth are no longer productive, the millions the government is putting in ECDE infrastructure will be useless since our youth can no longer sire children because excessive alcoholism is turning most into a vegetative state,’ they lamented. The National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) North Rift Regional Coordinator Ms. Eunice Arubia said to curb the brewing and sale of cheap illicit alcohol, residents and the National Government Administrative officers as well as the Police need to identify chronic brewers who can be assisted to start other legal businesses through social services.

Source: Kenya News Agency