Author: staff reporter

Kenya Assemblies of God Nyahururu District Bishop Simon Kieru has expressed support for the step that his excellency the President took in appointing men of God in leadership positions.

On Friday, his excellency Dr William Ruto announced the appointment of ex-CITAM presiding bishop David Oginde as Ethics Anti-Corruption Commission.

Bishop Kieru termed this as a step in the right direction saying:

“Indeed his excellency the President has been forthright in settling for nothing less other than the best capable people to form his government.

The appointment of Bishop Oginde is quite welcome at a time when corruption has become a big monster bedevilling the progress of our Nation.

Bishop Kieru concluded by wishing Bishop Oginde the very best in his new appointment and also thanked His Excellency The President for calling upon the Church to participate in Governance.

The Union of Veterinary Practitioners Kenya has suspended the nationwide strike which was set to begin today 11th March 2023 for a period of 60 days.

Dr Benson Kibore is the
National Chairperson
Union of Veterinary Practitioners Kenya (UVPK) says the decision to suspend the strike is meant to pave way for engagements with the 48 employers.

The call for action had been occasioned by among other grievances:

(i) delayed signing of the recognition agreements by the state department of livestock development and respective county governments and negotiation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

(ii) Failure to remit the union dues

(iii) lack of employment, promotion and succession management

(iv) non payment of extraneous, non-practice and risk allowance
(v) Delayed posting of veterinary interns and lack of in-service post-graduate training.

The Union however cautioned that should the employer fail to sign the Recognition Agreement which has been pe ding since 2019 within the next 60 days window period then it will not hesitate to invoke the provisions of the Constitution and the Labor Relations Act No 14 of 2023 and call for a fresh Strike.

The Women In Real Estate (WIRE) on Friday held the 7th Annual Legends and Leaders forum in Nairobi. The event brought together well-known female executives in Kenya’s construction industry to emphasize the value of gender inclusion in the sector.Legends
and Leaders event also gave WIRE Kenya the chance to honor and celebrate the achievements
of women leaders in the built environment of Kenya while exhibiting their successes and
contributions to the sector. The event also marked the launch of WIRE Kenya’s 4th Women
Representation in the Built Environment Report on gender inclusion in the built environment.
The event’s theme was in line with the International Womens Day – ‘DigitALL: Innovation and
Technology for Gender Equality’.

The Permanent Secretary, the State Department for Housing and Urban Development (SDHUD), Hon. Charles Hinga Mwaura CBS, CA(SA) said in a speech that was delivered by Lilian
Kieni, Deputy Director (SDHUD) said that Kenya has charted a path for the women artisans to utilize their skills and earn a living through work in the affordable housing projects.

“We are not overlooking the importance to also expand representation of the professional women,’ Kieni said.
She noted to that people who work in non-formal, informal and formal sectors gain knowledge, skills, expertise, and attributes through practice.

“Consequently, all people should have the opportunity for the recognition of their acquired knowledge and skills as well,” she observed
Chief guest Hon. Farida Karoney, Former Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Lands & Physical planning, in her keynote address recognized the contribution and importance of technology as an enabler to gain equality.
“The digitisation of land records that was unveiled while I was in office will go a long way in eliminating land grabbing.It seeks to promote transparency, equity non-discrimination and
protect the rights and responsibilities of property owners,” said Ms. Karoney.

Kenya Tea Development Authority Chairman David Muni Ichoho has taken a moment to mourn Yasin.

In his condolence message he notes

“I have this morning received the sad news of the passing of Mr Haji Mohamed Yasin the chairman Vital group Pakistan with sadness. Yasin and Vital Group have been partners with KTDA in tea business.I wish to convey my condolences , Board KTDA, Tea Fraternity on the passing of Yasin. I pray to Almighty God to grant the Yasin family, Vital group, peace and grace during this period of mourning.
May Almighty grant His soul eternal peace.
Rest In Peace Brother Yasin.”

Nairobi City County Environment team and informal traders in Eastleigh 1st Avenue combined forces to remove illegally dumped waste on the median. The joint exercise entailed street sweeping and garbage collection.
According to Eastleigh Hawkers Chairman David Kinuthia he said that they want to lead by example in implementation of His Excellency The Governors development blueprint of making NAIROBI work.

The Honorable Beatrice Elachi has demonstrated her commitment to uplift education in her constituency.
“This morning, she launched bursaries worth Ksh 52 million for 7,000 beneficiaries in high school, universities, and tertiary institutions.”
Beatrice Elachi believes that’s education equalises the poor and the rich.

Dr Hassan Adam will move to the court of Appeal to challenge the high court’s declaration of Ahmed Abdullah as the elected Governor of Wajir County.

” Our decision to appeal is informed by our believe and is backed by material facts that elections were bundgled in three constituencies which in the end affected the outcome of last August’s election results, ” Dr Adam said.

Fai sub-clan of the larger Degodia clan in Wajir county settled on Nairobi South Hospital proprietor Dr Hassan Mohamed Adam to fly its flag in the Wajir governorship contest.
Abdullahi of ODM won the Wajir governor contest by 35,533 votes followed by Hassan Mohamed Adam of Jubilee who garnered 27,224 votes while Ahmed Mukhtar of UDA finished third with 21,859 votes.

Dr Adam said that he has asked his lawyers to prepare for the appeal the high court provided certified copies of it’s ruling and judgement.

He noted that his petition was against individuals and not the county government and thus no one should use the court petition to the people of Wajir services.

“Equation the government to two individuals must be seen for what it is; it’s an excuse to divert public resources for personal use through different activities other than those that would have met the needs of the people of Wajir,” he added.

Dr Adam observed that Wajir county has receive a whopping 4 billion shillings in the last six months yet services are not in tandem with such huge disbursement.

He noted that there have been cases of nepotism in new recruitment and dismally of others based on where they come from in county owned firms such as the Wajir Water Sewerage Company (WAJWASCO) and Wajir Referral Hospital.

Zetech University has entered into a pact with the Water Services Providers Association (WASPA) to promote innovation, research and best practices for the provision of efficient and sustainable water and sanitation services.
The partnership will focus on climate change and sustainability through innovation, research on water and sanitation services, corporate training in human resource management, leadership and governance. The collaboration will also involve a baseline survey to identify areas of focus and assess the current state of water and sanitation services.
This partnership between is not only significant for promoting efficient and sustainable water and sanitation services but it is also in line with Sustainable Development Goal 6, which advocates for the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Kenya, Africa, and the world at large are grappling with the effects of climate change, drought, hunger, and starvation; and the water and sanitation sector has not been spared, with access to clean and safe water becoming increasingly difficult for many people.
Speaking during the MoU signing, Zetech University Vice Chancellor Prof. Njenga Munene noted that Zetech University was set to be a major conduit for information, innovation and knowledge creation to identify areas of focus and assess the current state of water and sanitation services in Kiambu and Nairobi Counties and Kenya at large.
“Through our iZET Hub and our experienced faculty, Zetech University has the capacity to conduct research and use the data to find sustainable solutions to the water accessibility and waste management in our cities.
On his part, WASPA CEO remarked that industry-academia pacts such as these were pivotal in providing an enabling environment for its stakeholders. “ We’ve had numerous challenges with our water service providers because we are losing 45% of water due to lack of adequate research and innovation on sustainable management of water and sanitation.

by Maximilla Wafula

Dr David Amudavi Executive Director of the Biovision Africa Trust
Decried the dire cases of starvation facing millions
Of Kenyans against the backdrop of large untapped agricultural
Resources.

Speaking during the launch of its first Eastern africa agro ecology conference in Nairobi he says

‘It’s a crushing disappointment that we have people sleeping hungry
In Kenya and only less than a quarter of our land being put under
Productive use,’ said Dr Amudavi.

Embracing sustainable food production mechanisms and re-
Adoption of local inputs like farmer managed seeds – traditional – in
Agriculture will boost the drive towards food security in africa and
the world. Players in the sustainable farming systems under the umbrella of the
Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) have urged the public and
Private sectors to be cognizant of the negative effects of artificial
farming inputs that have continued to increase the pace of climate
change and hindered the regeneration of soils for agricultural
purposes.

He noted that adoption of safe farming methods and use of farmer-owned seeds that were traditionally used in the country is the only way to ensure that we can have continuous supply
of food for the population.

‘We have witnessed even our rivers drying in areas like Baringo yet they would be flowing with fresh water!’ said Dr Amudavi during the launch of the Agroecology Conference.

This conference aims to invoke consciousness and motivate regional and continental communities to dialogue how to invest in interventions which can ameliorate the negative
impacts of the current unsustainable food systems by
transitioning towards more environmentally friendly solutions
with long-term vision and planning.

Speaking during the launch, Ms Grace Mugo from the Ministry
of Agriculture noted that there is an urgent need to scale up and ensure sustainability of farming systems based on
environmentally friendly technologies and methodologies and
that the ministry was very much involved in
the drive towards ensuring food security in the country and urged all players in the private and public sector to consolidate efforts to ensure interventions towards food sustainability and
adopted and put into practice.
Ends …

Kenyans have been complaining about the high cost of tariffs with the government being called upon to cushion Kenyans from such.
Isaac Ndereva is the Executive Director … Electricity Consumers Society of Kenya. and he has lamented the high prices that continue to impoverish Kenyans.
Mr Ndereva also called upon the government to explore newer energy sources such as wind power or solar.
“98% of our power comes from hydroelectric and this is risky. For example during the dry seasons we have to undergo constant rationing and the high cost of Electricity which has continued to soar
He spoke in the sidelines of a public participation of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority
Laikipia woman representative Jane Kagiri In a notice motion, Kagiri says that the Kenya Power and Lightning Company (KPLC) has been buying large quantities of power from IPPs at exorbitant prices.
Instead, she argues that charges would have been lower if the utility company had bought electricity from the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).
“Kenya Power has in the past procured a larger quantity of power from the IPPs at a greater cost, rather than from KenGen, leading to higher cost of power; cognizant of the fact that, there is need to put in place policies, strategies and regulatory measures for better planning to moderate the cost of electricity and enable access to energy by all particularly in the manufacturing sector to ease the cost of production and doing business,” Kagiri says.
KPLC has proposed a new tariff for domestic consumers that will see power charges rise by between 13 and 20 percent.
Consumers with a life-line consumption band of below 30 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month will pay Sh20.5 per unit, up from the current Sh18.14, representing a 13 percent jump.
Out of the Sh20.5, Sh14 is the consumption charge, meaning Sh6.5 is on taxes and levies.
The MP wants the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy to investigate Kenya Power’s agreements with IPPs and stop new IPP contracts, among others.
“The Departmental Committee on Energy undertakes an inquiry into the operations of Kenya Power in relation to agreements entered into with IPPs, factors affecting the cost of electricity, including over-reliance on IPPs against available renewable and other energy sources, and measures to reduce it and submits a report to the House within one hundred and twenty (120) days