Author: staff reporter

Siaya County Senator, James Orengo, has begun pushing for the enactment of widows’ charter into the County laws and lobby legislators to make it a national law.

If passed into law, it will protect widows against harmful practices like cleansing, Inheritance, physical assault and property disinheritance that remain key challenges facing widows in the County.

“Women rights require that we treat women with dignity and the people who need dignity most are widows because many times their rights are being violated in the homes and within communities. We must make sure that when the husband dies, the widow will be in charge of the family and all the property. I think we can make the law better,”

The Charter developed by Rona Foundation incorporating views of over 8,000 widows from six Siaya Sub County was submitted to Siaya County Assembly in May 2021.

It calls on the County Government to adapt into law and implement the widows charter to legislate a Widow’s Protection Bill- that will make the violation of Widows rights unlawful

“Part of the law of Siaya County in the next County Assembly, will be the widows’ charter and am challenging Otiende Amollo and other national assembly legislators to make it a national law as their first duty in the next parliament,” said Orengo.

The charter also calls for establishment of the Office of Widowed Persons within the department of Gender & social protection to address policies, strategies, and implementation mechanisms including frameworks and formulated schemes to enable widows access resources and support on priority to attain UN Sustainable Development Goals, more specifically Goal No. 5.

Come Together Widows and Orphans Organization (CTWOO) Founder, Dianah Kamande said pursuing justice has been a major challenge to widows especially those who are already victims of gender-based-violence since it requires a lot of money for the justice process, which they lack.

“Poverty has made it hard for them to afford lawyers hence the lack of representation also results in difficulties in the pursuit for justice where they end up not getting justice at all,” she said.

CTWOO is a nonprofit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that creates a safe space where widows and survivors of gender-based violence can share their experiences and ideas. It has nationwide network working with over 1 million widows in all the 47 counties

Orengo who spoke when he officiated the commemoration of International Widows Day (IWD) 2022 said Kenya needs more women leaders for women rights to be honoured.

 The theme for this year’s IWD is ‘Dignity – Economic Empowerment and Social Justice for Widows’ in recognition of the extricable link between economic empowerment, poverty and social justice for the dignity of all widows.

During the event, a Ksh. 30 Million kitty was unveiled to spur growth of small businesses run by widows and enable them to venture into new income generating activities.

The funds pooled from Women Enterprise Fund, Uwezo Fund, Youth Fund and National government affirmative fund will support among other initiatives, like fish caging, poultry farming and table banking.

Siaya County Women Representative, Dr. Christine Ombaka said, “Widows have a history of working hard to improve the well-being of families and children. That is why the government has set aside funds to boost your businesses and strengthen your socio-economic initiatives.”

Rarieda Member of Parliament, Otiende Amollo, said if Azimio-one Kenya Alliance forms the next government, widows- ranked among the most vulnerable, will be the first beneficiaries of Ksh 6,000 monthly stipend.

“What you may not have known is that in the order of listing, that will be done in conjunction with county commissioners, we start with the most vulnerable, and the most vulnerable are the widows,” said Amollo.

The 2019 Census confirmed that there are over 1 million widows living in Kenya and the number is expected to be on the rise due to challenges such as the Covid-19 and increasing incidences of accidents.

 Fairtrade international is enhancing market access by working alongside farmers and workers to strengthen their businesses, take greater control over their lives, and generate solutions that alleviate poverty, assure human rights, and build climate resilience.

Fairtrade is working with farming co-operatives, 6,500 businesses and governments to make trade fair, and trigger a catalytic effect through providing livelihoods for farmers and people employed along the food supply chain while also contributing to reducing food insecurity across the globe and boosting the African economy.

There are more than 1.9 million farmers in the Fairtrade system represented by 1,880 producer organizations across the globe.

Growth of Fairtrade farmers and workers from the year 2015 to 2020 stood at 389,324. Top 7 products include coffee, cocoa, bananas, sugar, flowers and plants, tea, and cotton, which represent more than 90 percent of the farmers and workers in the Fairtrade system.

“Challenges of climate change are too big and urgent to be tackled by individuals. Fairtrade is expanding its model and engaging people and organizations to power our impact. This is Fairtrade’s most ambitious strategy to date, and it reflects the gravity of the challenges we face. Additionally, Fairtrade is an enabler to farmers and workers in developing countries to secure better livelihoods through tackling the injustices of the global value chain,” says Fairtrade International Global CEO, Ms Sandra Uwera.

The Fairtrade’s Base wage is set at a minimum of 70% of the take-home pay needed for a living wage, which has been established by the Global Living Wage Coalition of standard setters for more than 30 countries and regions. The changes mean wages will increase by up to 15 % for thousands of workers in origins where workers currently earn less than the Fairtrade Base Wage. In East Africa, introduction of the base wage in the floriculture industry has already resulted in significant increase in incomes for workers.

Fairtrade producers’ coffee sales remained stable globally. This was due to lack of travel restrictions within producing regions and a lack of shipping containers limited transport. Out-of-home sales have been slowly recovering and Fairtrade producers have been able to hold competitions, such as the Golden Cup, which have showcased the high quality of Fairtrade coffee in 14 countries, either virtually or in-person. The top markets for Fairtrade coffee in 2020 were Germany, the UK, the US, Canada, and France.

In 2020, producer sales for flowers remained almost stable, declining only two percent, despite massive logistical challenges due to the pandemic restrictions. Fairtrade flower producers showed resilience and determination during a very difficult time in spring 2020 when exports ground to a halt. The top markets for Fairtrade flowers and plants in 2020 were Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland, while the most significant growth was seen in Germany, Austria, Sweden, and France. Fairtrade is working with its producers to deliver carbon neutral flowers – like in the case of Wild Flower Ltd. 

“Farmers and workers are embedded in all levels of our governance and decision-making. Understanding the impact of our work requires transparency and traceability, with the data to back it up. We unlock the power of Fairtrade supply chains with data-led insights that provide producers and companies with the tools to demonstrate Fairtrade’s impact and support learning,” adds Ms Sandra Uwera. 

Some of the global brands that support Fairtrade include Guylian Chocolates, Maltesers Chocolates, Ben n Jerry Ice Cream among others. Some key customers and partners include Mars group, Carrefour Hypermarkets, Coop Supermarkets, Ben n Jerry (part of Unilever), Cargill, Barry Callebaut, B-Lab among others.

Locally in Kenya – Fairtrade Africa has supported leading brands like Kericho Gold and Dormans Coffee to source sustainable coffees and teas from Fairtrade certified value chains. Other brands include Zawadi Coffee (a women grown and owned coffee brand), Lecom from Machakos, , Umoja and Sireet Tea from the Rift Valley among others.

Global changemakers including Eliud Kipchoge, David Beckham, Pierre Aubameyang, Yemi Alade, Eliud Kipchoge, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie came together with youth voices from across the globe to demand urgent action to end malaria, as they delivered the Zero Malaria Starts with Me – Draw The Line Against Malaria campaign petition to world leaders at the Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Kigali, Rwanda.

Global leaders, led by African Heads of State have made the first in a series of significant pledges to accelerate progress against malaria and NTDs, with commitments totaling to more than $4 billion, including funding from governments, international organisations, philanthropists, and the private sector.

Presented at the Summit by acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the campaign petition is a rallying cry to wipe out the disease that now kills a child every minute and is the culmination of the multi-award-winning Draw The Line creative campaign, created and executed by dentsu who are activating mass media as a catalyst for global change.

Through this campaign, youth from all over the world were invited to visit zeromalaria.org and send a message to leaders through a unique piece of crowdsourced artwork – a striking visual representation of the Zero Malaria Starts with Me youth commitment to end one of humanity’s oldest and deadliest diseases within a generation.

David Beckham, Malaria No More UK Leadership Council founding member, says: “I have supported the fight against malaria for many years and am proud to be a part of this amazing campaign, alongside many inspiring artists, athletes and champions from across Africa. This is a year of big opportunity and there is a way of curing this disease. World leaders have the power and responsibility to make change and create a safer, healthier, fairer world for all.”

Held on the side-lines of the 26^th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the Kigali Summit is a milestone moment in the malaria fight, and one where game-changing political decisions are needed to save hundreds of thousands of lives, predominantly children, under renewed threat due to the perfect storm of economic, pandemic and political pressures.

Decisionmakers have the opportunity to put renewed momentum behind this fight, by building on the commitment to halve malaria across the Commonwealth by 2023, and by galvanising the record funds needed ahead of the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment in New York this Autumn, totalling US$18 billion to get progress back on track.

World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says: “The World Health Organization welcomes a new host of scientists, youth, and champions to join the malaria fight at a crucial time when progress against the disease is lagging. Draw The Line provides a platform for Africa’s most powerful narrators to change this trajectory, disrupt political apathy, and lead the fight to end this treatable and preventable disease which kills a child nearly every minute.”

Interim CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, Dr Corine Karema, commented: “The RBM Partnership to End Malaria welcomes the incredible commitments that will be made at today’s Summit and urges further action. The message from African youth is loud and clear – global leaders are responsible for ensuring we end malaria within a generation. Only by working together can we truly unlock the potential of countries to build a healthier, safer, and stronger world.”

With close to three-quarters of Africans aged under 35, youth are vital and powerful agents of change. The ground-breaking Draw The Line campaign, first launched in early 2021, is the first global malaria campaign targeted at young people. Dentsu International are renewing their commitment to malaria at the Kigali Summit, unlocking $5 million worth of pro bono media support to help accelerate progress by inspiring action and commitment, and delivering an urgent appeal to leaders to improve the lives and futures of millions of people. 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chief Storyteller at the Summit, says: “Malaria has been a frequent and terrible scourge in my life and in the lives of so many people. It doesn’t have to be. Malaria is preventable and has no place in our world today, shackling the health and futures of the next generation. I ask leaders at the Kigali Summit to please be bold and make zero malaria and neglected tropical diseases their legacy.”

Alongside the high-level delivery of the petition, the fast-paced Draw The Line Against Malaria film, backed by the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and fronted by a stellar cast of young people, activists, scientists, and stars, was screened at the Summit to highlight that the fight against malaria is one that we can win with the right arsenal of tools, strong funding commitments, and renewed political will.

“We are faced with the greatest human challenge of our time, as we race towards achieving the UN SDGs by 2030. We believe that global media will be a core contributor towards creating change on this scale and we intend to be a leader in creating this purposeful progress,” says Roxanne Boyes, Strategy Director, and Regional Sustainability Lead for dentsu Africa.

The Zero Malaria Starts with Me – Draw The Line Against Malaria campaign now turns its focus to the Global Fund Replenishment summit in New York in September, in support of the African Union’s (AU) Catalytic Framework to end AIDS, TB, and Eliminate Malaria in Africa by 2030, and ALMA’s Malaria Youth Army.

Merck Foundation (https://Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany released the Sixth Episode of their TV program – ‘Our Africa by Merck Foundation’ at 2 pm on Sunday, the 19th of June 2022 on GHOne, Ghana, repeated at 1:30 pm on Monday; the 20th of June. The rest of the 15 episodes will be aired on GHOne TV Ghana every Sunday at 2 pm and repeated every Monday at 1:30 pm.

The TV program is also being broadcasted on KTN, Kenya and NTV, Uganda, and also posted on all social media channels of Merck Foundation and of KTN, NTV & GHOne TV.

The Sixth episode addressed a sensitive issue to the African communities: Ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The past episodes of the show have addressed diabetes prevention and early detection, breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education and the importance of promoting a Healthy Lifestyle respectively. The TV program has been receiving phenomenal reviews from viewers of these channels as well as social media followers across Africa and beyond.

Binance (www.Binance.com), the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, today announced that it has kicked off an exclusive, multi-year NFT partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game. Through this partnership, Binance will launch a global campaign aiming to give Ronaldo’s fans an introduction to Web3 with a compelling entry point into the world of NFTs.

Over the course of the agreement, Cristiano Ronaldo and Binance will create a series of collections for sale exclusively on the Binance NFT platform. The first collection will be released later this year and will feature designs created in collaboration with Ronaldo.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the world’s best footballers, and has transcended sport to become an icon in multiple industries. He has amassed one of the world’s most dedicated fan bases through his authenticity, talent, and charity work,” said Binance Founder and CEO “CZ” (Changpeng Zhao). “We are thrilled to provide his fans with exclusive engagement opportunities to connect with Ronaldo and own a piece of iconic sports history.”

“My relationship with the fans is very important to me, so the idea of bringing unprecedented experiences and access through this NFT platform is something that I wanted to be a part of,” said Ronaldo. “I know the fans are going to enjoy the collection as much as I do.

IBL Group, the largest conglomerate in Mauritius, is the lead investor of a consortium that
has signed an agreement to acquire a significant minority stake in Naivas International
(Mauritius), with private equity firm Amethis exiting its investment. Naivas International
owns 100% of the shares of Naivas Limited, a leading supermarket chain in Kenya. IBL’s
partners in the consortium are Proparco, a subsidiary of Agence Française de
Développement (AFD) and DEG, a subsidiary of German KfW Group. This agreement is
subject to regulatory approvals.
The investment in Naivas International is the biggest investment in IBL’s history. IBL also
has significant expertise in the retail sector, operating the leading supermarket chain in
Mauritius, Winners.
“This is an exciting partnership by our shareholders that will drive us to the next phase
of growth. We appreciate the immense knowledge and capacity in the retail industry that
IBL brings to the table”, said David Kimani, Managing Director of Naivas. He further
added, “This transaction is testament to the hard work by Naivas’ management and
shareholders of having put in place strong governance and controls, enabling the
business to grow sustainably to become one of the leading retailers in the region.”
“I am proud that our partnership with the shareholders of Naivas International marks IBL
Group’s first investment as part of our expansion in East Africa. This is a symbolic move
for us. This family business created in 1990 is an example of success story that has
continued to grow despite the pandemic thanks to its strong business model. With 84
outlets in 20 cities and towns across Kenya, it has put modern grocery retail within
everyone’s reach. Naivas also contributes to the Kenyan economy, notably by employing
over 8,000 people. IBL Group has expertise in the retail sector with our chain supermarket
Winners – a flagship of the Mauritian economy.” said Arnaud Lagesse, IBL Group CEO.
Andreas von Paleske, Head of Strategy at Naivas commented, “Amethis invested in Naivas
International in 2020, and their strength in partnering with family-owned businesses has led
to a demonstrable step-up in governance and growth. Amethis sale of its stake in Naivas
International represents the successful culmination of their partnership with the business.
We are now thrilled to embark on the next phase this journey and welcome an exciting
partnership with IBL.”
Frank-Astère Ndiyo Butoyi, Investment Director at Amethis, added “We are proud to have
been in the Kenyan retail landscape and supported a very successful Kenyan business who
understands best the Kenyan consumer. As we exit our investment, we wish IBL and the

Naivas International team the best for the future”.

By Jeff Kizilah

It is estimated that 3000 pediatric cases per year in Kenya is based on population of 49.7million.

Speaking during the Heart to Heart run organised yearly held in Nairobi Dr. Dan Gikonyo ,the founder of H2HF, say the foundation has initiatives and programs throughout the calander year to train teachers on prevention of rheumatic heart diseases and lifestyle diseases.

This help to identify children with heart ailments in their schools promptly basis,he adds

The congenital heart diseases affects children from all classes.

However, each year over 10,000 babies are born with congenital heart defects.

Gikonyo said the only way to address the issue, is by upgrading cardiac services and increase of medical personnel at various hospitals.

EIB Global Report: The Impact (https://bit.ly/3n3Oq89) details the results and numbers behind development activities outside the European Union and discusses the many challenges facing the economy and societies worldwide, including climate change, the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic; EIB Global Report: The Story (https://bit.ly/3QOXoDU) illustrates the foundations of the European Investment Bank’s (www.EIB.org) new development arm and discusses ways to fill investment gaps in areas such as gender equality, innovation, vaccines and green energy.

The world is beset by crises that are reshaping societies, economies, healthcare systems, transport and workplaces. Many parts of our lives are changing. The greatest challenges, such as COVID-19, climate change, poverty and equality, will require larger investments and more partnerships as this decade progresses. No single institution can meet the world’s needs for innovation and cooperation.

There is a lot of work to be done. Africa needs to increase spending on climate action by several hundred billion a year. The continent is running far behind other parts of the world in COVID-19 vaccinations. In renewable energy in homes and clean drinking water, developing countries are struggling to make big leaps. Hundreds of millions of people in Asia, Latin America and Africa have no power in their homes and no easy access to good water. The EIB Group brought green electricity to 2.6 million households outside of the European Union in 2021 and improved water for 4 million. We helped provide nearly 800 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases. But we need to work together to do much more.