Author: staff reporter

The Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET) on Sunday castigated the Salaries and Renumeration Commission (SRC) for their unfair treatment of their members.

Lawrence Otunga National Chairman of the KUNOPPET said that there is currently an inhumane, unfair and illegal job evaluation and salary structure for the Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teachers in Kenya.

” We have noted that the commission has instructed all governor’s to ensure that the teachers’ salaries are reduced to around 7000 shillings,” Otunga said.

Otunga noted that no employee should be paid below the gazetted minimum wages levels prescribed by the employment act.

He added that the revised entry grades by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority, for the ECDE courses has negatively impacted the preschool sector.

Samuel Opiyo, the Secretary General of the KUNOPPET said that his organizatiob is the only existing union for early childhood teachers.

“In all the stakeholder meetings, the government has never involved us,” Opiyo noted.

He revealed that the sector has been undermined and neglected ever since the introduction of the 8-4-4 system.

“Now under the new CBC system another problem is looming. We have information that our learners have been sent away to learn under trees in order to pace way for Junior secondary school students,” Opiyo added.

by Maximilla Wafula

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 3 – History was made at the Baobab course in Vipingo where top Kenyan amateur Naomi Wafula became the first Kenyan player to make a cut in the Ladies European Tour (LET).

Wafula, who teed it up in the company of leader Aditi Ashok and Alice Hewson of England, was among the 63 players who made the cut into the final two rounds.

The Kenyan went to bed with a two-day total of 9 over par 155 but her presence in the money bracket caught the attention of the highflying two-times Indian Olympian Ashok.
“Yes, she (Wafula) is a good player. I was just talking to her about her round. She played well, save for a few holes where she made some mistakes. We have had a good two days together and I believe Wafula can go far if she continues in similar spirit and fashion,” expounded Ashok.

Naomi Wafula in action at the 2023 Ladies Open
Naomi savoured her fairy tale experience: “It’s such a good feeling to make the cut in the Magical Ladies Kenya Open for the first time. I can’t say I played much better than Thursday, nonetheless, I had a great time on the course especially playing alongside competition leader Ashok”

Wafula wasn’t lucky to score a birdie but she was happy that her +3 round two score was better than the first day where she posted a +6.
“Since I came to Vipingo I have been doing lots of gym and the fact that I play here everyday has also contributed to my great knowledge of the course which was an added advantage on the pitch,” Wafula added..
Aditi Ashok of India follows her tee shot during the first round of the 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open.

Meanwhile, leader Ashok has vowed to hit the greens and fairways of the Par-73 PGA Baobab course in Vipingo with the much-needed precision and gusto heading into the weekend.

The two-times Indian Olympian fired a round of 70 to close day two proceedings on the summit with 9 under par 137.

Chanelle Wangari has so far won the Kenya Ladies Open Amateur Championship and Faldo Series Kenya Championship
16-year-old Chanelle Wangari will be the first Kenyan to tee off in the first round of the 2023 Magical Ladies Kenya Open, set to start at 8:00 AM at the par-72 PGA Baobab Course, Vipingo Ridge.

The groups of Helen Tamy Kreuzer (GER), Agathe Laisne (FRA), Clara Manzalini (ITA) off the first tee and that of Maria Hernandez (ESP), Louise Duncan (SCO) and Tereza Melecka (CZE) off the tenth, will get the first round underway.

Highly ranked amateur, Wangari, who has so far won the Kenya Ladies Open Amateur Championship and Faldo Series Kenya Championship, will get her round underway at 8:11AM from the first tee, alongside Lucie Malchirand of France and Sara Kjellker of Sweden.

The other four Kenyan players will all tee off in the afternoon with Naomi Wafula teeing off the first at 1:31 PM in the company of Alice Hewson of England who was ranked 19th in last year’s Race to Costa Del Sol, and Aditi Ashok of India.

Mercy Nyanchama, Jacqueline Walter and Nancy Wairimu will all tee off between 12:58 and 1:42 PM off the tenth. Botswana’s Nobuhle Dlamini, the only other African in the field, will also be teeing off within this time band, on the tenth.
Two-time winner Esther Henseleit will have Johanna Gustavsson of Sweden and Christine Wolf of Austria for company as she gets her campaign off to a start for a third Magical Kenya Ladies Open title at 1:20PM. Pia Babnik of Slovenia, who is the highest ranked player in the field, will get her round underway at 9:06 AM, from the tenth tee, in the company of Sanna Nuutinen (Finland) and Sophie Witt (Germany).

Highly ranked amateur Avani Prashanth (India), with 25 top ten finishes and ten wins, will tee off at 8:22AM on the tenth, with Felicity Johnson (England) and Lisa Pettersson (Sweden).
The field of 96 will be playing for a total prize fund of 300,000 Euros, with the field set to be cut at the end of round two.

Meanwhile, the Vipingo Ridge’s team of caddies received special mosquito repellant polo shirts from No Malaria Kenya (NoMAK) as part of their sponsorship of the 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open.

NoMAK, whose aim is to reduce the spread and effects of malaria in the country, manufactures mosquito-repellant-infused products including bedsheets and clothing, under the Mozzi brand, for everyday use.
Speaking during the ceremony, NoMAK CEO, Asher Owino, said; “At NoMAK, we are working towards mitigating the risk of malaria and mosquitoes in the country. To do this, we manufacture Mozzi, a mosquito repellant, which is infused in textiles, like the polos we are giving out today, that can last up to three years.”

NoMAK Chairman, Chris Opar spoke on the brand’s association with the 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open; “We are proud to partner with the 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open to make an impact on young people and the community through sports. The caddies form an important part of the sport of golf and we are looking forward to partnering with this tournament for a long time to come.”

Speaking on behalf of the caddies, Joseph Odonde; “I want to thank NoMAK for this kind gesture, which will go a long way in helping us fight against malaria, which is quite rampant in these areas.”
Action at the 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open is set to start on the 2nd of February 2023 at Vipingo Ridge. Spectators can purchase tickets to the four-day tournament through the online platform www.ticketsasa.com which are retailing for KES 500 per day.

by Maximilla Wafula

Two-time Olympian Aditi Ashok of India took command of 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open on Day One at Vipingo Ridge in Kilifi with a score of six under par, 67.
The 2019 runners up hit birdies on holes 2, 5, 6, and 9 on the front nine. She added more birdies on holes 11, and 13 on the back nine, giving herself a 4-shot lead heading to the second round of the tournament on Friday.

“I hit some really good shots and got some good birdies which have helped put me in this position. I missed a couple of putts because I hit them really close, and so that’s what I am going to be looking to improve on in the next three days,” said Ashok.

Tied in second position are seven players including Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta and Ana Trivino of Spain, Kylie Henry (Scotland), Isabella Deilert (Sweden), Marta Sanz Barrio (Spain), Alice Hewson (England) and April Angurasaranee (Thailand) who finished on two under par, 71 each.
However, it was a bad day in the office for defending champion Esther Henseleit of Germany who is looking for her third title here in Kenya.

The German ended the day in 41st place alongside Kenya’s Chanelle Wangari on four over par, 77. Henseleit bogeyed holes 9, 14, 15, and 17 during her quest for the title defence.
Wangari was the best placed Kenyan on the day. She cruised well in the front nine but lost shots on holes 16, 17 and 18 to go over par. Wangari had birdies on holes number 2, 7, 9, and 15, but bogeyed holes 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 16, 17, and 18.
Despite the disappointment, Wangari is still optimistic that she will make the cut on Friday. Commenting on her round, she said; “I have been doing my practice and so I was quite confident going in to the round. The greens were faster than I thought they would be, but overall, I am happy about my performance. I am hoping to play better tomorrow and make the cut after round 2.”

Meanwhile, former Kenya number one Naomi Wafula finished her round on six over par, 79. She was followed by Mercy Nyanchama and Jacqueline Walter who both fired ten over par, 83 as Nancy Wairimu finished last in Kenya’s ranking order on 12 over par, 85.
Round Two of the Magical Kenya Ladies Open begins tomorrow at 8:00am. Spectators are encouraged to buy tickets via Ticketsasa and come to support the ladies on the second and pivotal day of the tournament.

The tournament is sponsored by among others, the Ministry of Sports, EABL through its Johnnie Walker brand, Safaricom’s Mpesa, Huawei, KCB Group and Visa.

by Maximilla Wafula

Making her third appearance at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, Kenya’s Naomi Wafula says she is wiser and better prepared for the third edition of this DP Tour leg compared to the previous times.

Ahead of this prestigious event at the PGA Baobab Golf Course at the Vipingo Ridge in Kilifi, Wafula says she has been putting an extra shift in training.
“I am looking forward to it…I am really excited. I’ve been doing a lot of practice; I have been going to the gym … five days a week. I have been with my coach who has been helping me through my daily routine. I am also grateful to Vipingo Ridge who have helped me in this journey to prepare for the Magical Kenya Ladies Open,” she said.

Wafula is one of five Kenyans who will battling 91 other competitors for top honour at the five-day event, the others including Mercy Nyanchama, Naomi Wairimu, Chanelle Wangari and Jacquelyne Walter.

She adds that she cannot wait to put into action what she has practiced in training, noting that she has noticed immense improvement in her game since last year’s edition.

“I am confident with (sic) my game at the moment. Since the last edition, it has improved very much so I believe this time I am going to perform better than last year so I am really looking forward to it,” Wafula said.

Mercy Nyanchama in past action.
On her part, Nyanchama, also making her third appearance in the tournament, hopes it will inspire more Kenyan female golfers to break into the top level of the game in the world.
“It is a significant step for Kenyan women golfers and provides a platform to showcase our talents at the highest level. I am confident the competition will inspire young female golfers to pursue their dreams,” she said.

Defending champion Esther Henseleit will be seeking a hattrick of titles when the competition proper tees off on Thursday, all through to Sunday.
The event boasts an overall prize fund of Kes 41 million (€300,000).
Spectators can purchase tickets to the four-day tournament through the online platform www.ticketsasa.com which are retailing for KES 500 per day.

By Bernard Mulwa

The leaders have protested a new regime of Lesbians, gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and others terming it evil and warned if this is freely and openly embraced as diversity of sexual and identity, the society will find itself accepting bestiality on the same ground.   

The constitution of Kenya through Article 32(1) guarantees that “every person has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion” on this basis, the leaders said their collective conscience, opinion and belief that they believe in what is right and they will defend what is right so that everything is not left to windful destruction at the whims of sexuality liberals.

The Chairman of national Muslim leaders forum Abdulahi Abdi, said “this is a problem already with us, probably we are coming in late, today indoctrination is going on in schools” LGBTQ rights which he said is being blown into Kenya by winds from the West sweeping across the African continent.

In his speech at a news conference today in Nairobi, the Chairman of Inter-religious council of Kenya,Dr. Faridijn Abdala said there are books in the market with content encouraging same sex relations “We will not silently watch as our valued cultural moral fabric get pierced and shredded eternally disfiguring the fundamental pillars of and family unit. As interreligious leaders, we are prepared to face the modern times with rare hostility, uncompromising truthfulness and relentless defence of morality” they said.

PREVALENCE OF HIV/AIDS

In a study by the University of Nairobi faculty of health Science on Geographic Transmission of HIV among men who have sex with men {MSM}in Kenya as well as other majority studies show the prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men in Kenya has been on the rise . Specifically, HIV prevalence among men having sex with men in Kenya is at 17.8 percent in Kisumu, 24.5 percent in Coastal Kenya and 26.4 in Nairobi.

The United Nations estimate that 20 per cent of men having sex with men are infected with HIV. HIV/AIDS prevalence is higher among the LGBTQ than the normal heterosexual relations.

Section 162 of the Penal Code penalizes “carnal knowledge against the order of nature” with up to 14 years in prison, while section 165proscribes “indecent practices between males” and makes it liable to up to five years in prison.

The religious faith leaders are there for pleading with the President William Ruto and the State to protect children and teenagers from LGBTQ indoctrination by activists, individuals or any organization.   Also they call upon the ministry of education to conduct an audit of books by various authors and publishers on book encouraging same sex relations, and ban their circulations in Kenya.

The leaders have urged the national police service to introduce reporting desk for cases where minors are suspected of being introduced to LGBTQ so that action to be taken against the culprits.  

In their recommendations the leaders have also called upon the ministry of education and the ministry of youth, culture and heritage to conduct civic education on acceptable cultural behaviors and unacceptable books or learning materials that contains LGBTQ advocacy.

-End-

By Bernard Mulwa

The university of Nairobi student leaders led by secretary general Vincent Nyakwach moturi today expressed their concerns of the nullification of the west kasipul ward election results by the court. He categorically blamed the court by being influenced by the petitioner who was being used by the ODM party to deny the incumbent hon.vickens bondo to represent the people of kasipul. His sentiments were seconded by ms fridah mongare that it is the time for the youth to lead this country and nothing is going to stop them. This was a show of solidarity from the student leaders since hon vickens bondo was once a student leader at the institution.mr Nyakwach further warned the ODM cocoons to desist from their foul play and not to interfere with elections since it is the will of the people that have spoken. The secretary general said there was need for the court to review its decision, since they have confidence in the capability of his leadership.

By Bernard Mulwa

Bar and hotel owners association have come together to speak on the ongoing national conversation on alcohol abuse across the country.

From the onset, Bahlita would like to acknowledge that the menace of alcohol abuse in our communities is a matter of concern both at the family and societal levels alike. While the recent move by the government to contain alcoholic abuse is welcome, there are some aspects of its implementation that we consider are not aligned with our expectations.

It is our considered view that the problem of illicit and counterfeit alcoholic drinks has largely been caused by the availability of cheap alcohol manufactured by dealers of fake products. This was further compounded by the laxity of security officers to heighten surveillance and enforcement mechanisms during the electioneering and transition period, especially during the 2022 General Elections. The result was that unscrupulous entrepreneurs took advantage of this lapse to conduct illegal business.

We note with great concern that part of the government’s plan against the sale of illicit alcohol is the reduction of licensed bars as well as the regulation of operating hours across various towns. We find this to be an affront to the efforts of Kenyan entrepreneurs who have invested their hard-earned money in running legitimate businesses that have in turn supported the livelihoods of thousands of young Kenyans and their families. Other auxiliary services like car wash, kinyozi and salons also risk closure if the government makes good its intention to implement these proposals.

It goes without saying that most of the illicit alcohol being sold around is done through unlicensed establishments, and even if we say that licensed entities are selling such alcohol is because the government has let its guard down and allowed the manufacturing of such alcohol. It is therefore improper for the government to punish even those entrepreneurs who are legitimately doing their business and paying the requisite taxes and levies.

We also wish to appeal to some County Governments like Murang’a which has vowed to implement the directive by the Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua to reduce the number of licensed bars to reconsider their move. We are not opposed to any efforts to sanitize the alcoholic industry, what we are calling for is the involvement of all stakeholders during the implementation of some of these government policies. By bringing all of us to the table, we shall be able to have a deeper look at the grievances and get a way forward that serves all our interests without being seen as unfair to any party.

At the same time, as members of BAHLITA we wish to put it on record that a key component that has also led to the rampant alcohol abuse and increase in the production and sale of illicits is the continued increase of taxes on alcoholic drinks. A case in point is the proposed increase in the price of excise stamps through the Excise Duty Excisable Goods Management System) (Amendment) Regulations, 2023. If the amendments are approved as is, this will lead to an increase in the prices of beer and spirits with the common mwananchi bearing the brunt. It does not help matters that the rise comes just a few months after the implementation of the 6.3 percent adjustment for inflation that came into effect last October followed by a 10% increase in excise implemented in July 2022 following the 2022/2023 annual national budget.

The above amendments in law continue to push away millions of Kenyans from accessing safe alcohol because they have proved to be out of reach for many. On 28^th September 2022 BAHLITA urged the Government not to increase excise duty on alcoholic drinks and we highlighted the impact that the increase would have on the survival of businesses and employment. Unfortunately, the government proceeded and implemented a double increase in excise duty in 2022 and we are now facing a risk of an increase in the price of the products with the proposed increase in excise stamps.

By Jeff Kizzilah

Hon. Patrick Osero has asked the government to put off other endeavors and give concerns pertaining to education priority, noting the need to prioritize pupils’ education.

Speaking to the media,said that because other agendas were given priority, the additional cash intended for development, infrastructure, and missions could wait.

In addition, he stated that considering what transpired previously atleast those pupils are in need to return to class.

He says he expects the funds to be released on time, but if they are not, leaders will even cancel the parliamentary debates that was scheduled for Mombasa.

by Jeff Kizzilah

Ukosefu wa usalama na wizi wa mifugo katika eneo la Turkana umechangia pakubwa kusalia nyuma kimaendeleo katika maeneo hayo uku watoto na jamii izo zikisalia na makovu mengi kutokana na kuporwa kwa mifugo wao na kuuwawa kwa watoto na kina mama wakati wa mashambulizi ya wizi wa mifugo,hii imekua donda sugu na kitendawili ambacho serikali imeshindwa kutegua kwa muda wa zaidi ya miongo miwili uku jamii husika zikishiriki mashambulizi ya kulipiza kisasi ambayo kwa mwezi huu wa January pekee yamepelekea jumla ya takriban wakazi kumi na tano kuuwawa kwa mujibu wa mbunge wa eneo hilo.

Wakiongea mjini Mombasa wakati wa kongamano la wabunge katika hoteli Moja,mbunge wa Turkana ya kati na mwenzake wanaopakana wa eneo bunge la Loima Jeremiah Lomurukai wamesema kwamba ni sharti serikali ilinde maisha na Mali ya wakenya wote na kuhakikisha imekomesha mashambulizi ya mara kwa mara kwa kuongeza askari wa akiba wenye mafunzo ya juu ili kukabiliana na wahuni hao ambao kwa mda mrefu wameangaisha maeneo hayo.

Aidha wabunge hao wameilaumu jamii ya nchi jirani Uganda almaarufu karamojong kwa kushiriki uporaji mifugo na mashambulizi ya kulipiza kisasi ambayo yanauwa watoto na akina mama wasio kua na hatia.

Licha ya serikali kusema kwamba itakomesha milio ya risasi katika maeneo hayo
Hakuna hatua zozote zilizopigwa ili kuregesha amani maeneo hayo ivyo basi wananchi kubaki kuhangaika mikononi mwa wezi sugu wa mifugo uku viongozi wa eneo ilo wakikashfu vikali wanaoshiriki wizi wa mifugo ambao kulingana nao ni vigogo wa siasa na viongozi wenye ushawishi mkubwa serikali wakiongezwa na mbunge wa Tiaty William kamket ambayo mara kwa mara ametiwa nguvuni akihusishwa na wizi wa mifugo.