Author: staff reporter

Charles Karangwa, Kenya Country Representative at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

by Maximilla Wafula

Global conservationists on Wednesday said that it will partner with African banks in order to combat climate change.

Charles Karangwa, Kenya Country Representative and Regional Head of Land Systems Africa at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) told a banking forum in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya that banks play a critical role in determining how finance is used to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.

“IUCN will continue to explore opportunities to work with banks and other financial institutions to deploy various instruments including green and   resilience bonds for the benefit of local communities,” Karangwa said during the KBA Banking Research Conference.

Karangwa added that IUCN will contribute to creating awareness and building capacity of the banking sector on sustainable financing principles.

He said that IUCN has already supported the development and implementation of  nature-based solutions  as well as climate related risk management for banking sector.

He noted that in recent years, extreme weather phenomena such as rising temperatures and the increasing frequency of droughts and floods are affecting lives and livelihoods in Africa.

He observed that banks have incentives to promote use of sustainable finance given that natural disasters affect infrastructure and other investments funded by banks.

“The financial sector in delivering a net zero biodiversity loss can help reduce and manage natural disasters and related impacts to investments,” Karangwa added.

by Maximilla Wafula

The International , non- Profit economic development organization TechnoServe has today officially launched a program that aims to widen the variety of Fortified foods , ensuring Kenyan consumers continue to have access to nutritious meals .
TechnoServe , with the support from a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , has launched the technical Assistance Accelerator program ( TAAP) which aims at increasing the level and variety of Fortified foods by working with stakeholders to Increase compliance
TAAP will provide technical assistance and advocate for high – quality inputs to , among others , large and small -scale miller’s , action are aimed at motivating these stakeholders to comply with national fortification regulations.
The Covid- pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict have disrupted supply chains upending the global trade of Agricultural goods , while three consecutive years of drought in East Africa has resulted in growing levels of food and scarcity and hunger . Mounting increase in the price of food staples has also forced households to alter their diets , likely impacting their consumption of essentials nutrients . The prospect of lower calorie intakes increases the importance of fortifying staple food such as maize flour , rice and edible oil, said Dominic ( Schofield ).

TAAP will strengthen African Processors on fortified Foods (SAPFF) program launched in 2017 which worked towards to increase food fortification compliance levels in two staples in Kenya -wheat and Maize flour .
TAAP will work with various stakeholders including the ministry of Health , the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS ), Cereal Miller’s Association (CMA) , Kenya Association of Manufacture’s (KAM), United Grain Miller’s Association (UGMA), development partners and a academic institutions .
Food fortification has been widely identified as a cost effective strategy for addressing micronutrients malnutrition at scale .In Kenya , more than one in four children under the age of five is stunted , with poor nutrition a prime factor in nearly a third of deaths of children under five . Malnutrition also contributes to poor growth and physiological deficiencies in children , birth defects , high rates of disability and illness , and overall lower productivity , which can reduce Counties GDPs

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By steve sabai
Kenya Chapter, Women Mediation Network Kenya,
Democracy Trust Fund and Echo Network have today congratulated President Elect Dr. William Samoei Ruto together with his Deputy,
Rigathi Gachagua as the newly elected Fifth President of the
Republic of Kenya.

This is the voice of the Kenyan people who spoke on Tuesday, 9th August 2022 through their ballots and endorsed by the Supreme Court decision of Monday, 5th September 2022.

“We have no doubt that you will embrace all Kenyans and unite our
nation so that together, we can tackle the myriad challenges affecting our nation. As you set the agenda for your first 100 days in office after being sworn in, we urge you to priorities the women’s agenda including actualising the commitments for girls and women contained in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance Women’s Charter which articulates the comprehensive agenda for the women of Kenya.” Said African Women leaders Network Kenya.

They further noted that, they
appreciate the call for reconciliation that was made to other 2022 Presidential contenders and all Kenyans in General irrespective of their political persuasions. Indeed, this is the only way to get the country back on track.

Congratulations your Excellency!
We applaud the message of hope and reconciliation by our 4th
President H.E. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta in which he committed to hand over power to President – Elect and ensure a smooth transition.

We appreciate the stately leadership that President Uhuru supported by
our First Lady. H.E. Margaret Kenyatta have provided for the last Ten years and especially your contribution to supporting the cause for girls and women (Male Gender Champion) and promoting the peace agenda in Kenya and the East Africa region.

The women of Kenya owe you a great debt of gratitude. We urge the
President Elect Dr. William Ruto to be the 2nd President to be a Male
Gender Champion.
The women of Kenya are particularly proud of our Judiciary and specifically the Supreme Court under the leadership of the Chief
Justice Martha Koome. We applaud your ruling on the Presidential
Petition that was before your Court in respect to the August 2022
Presidential Election. Your Team demonstrated fidelity to the rule of
law and the Team of Judges acting independently and professionally.
You have restored our confidence in our Constitution and in our
independent institutions. On behalf of the women of Kenya, we want
you to know that we are truly thankful. Asanteni Sana.

In addition they thanked the people of Kenya who have remained
peaceful and patient throughout this electioneering period. In the end, Kenyans are the real winners! We have proved to the world that ours is a nation that respects the rule of law and democratic practices.

As Charles Pickering, the Veteran United States Court of Appeal Federal Judge once said: ‘A healthy democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerable and respectful’.

The women of Kenya under AWLN commit to pray and support our
incoming administration under the leadership of President elect, H.
E. William Samoei Ruto and work together to make our country a
better, safer and more secure place for girls, women and all Kenyans.

by Jeff Kizilah

The private sector operators in the food processing industries as well as governments regulating agencies have pledged commitment towards increasing optimal levels in food fortification compliance.
According to Mr. IKE ILEGBUNE, Lead Consultant MFI Project, the essence of the MFI ranking, is that members of the public would have access to information about the fortification of the four staple foods, and help encourage companies to meet their fortification targets.
He also noted that food fortification will help prevent nutritional deficiencies within the population, and to replace nutrients that were lost during food processing.
The MFI is an industry-led initiative that seeks to simplify complex quality parameters on the efficacy and consistency of compliance with mandatory food fortification standards by participating processors of wheat flour, salt, sugar and edible oil in Africa.
“The Covid_19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine conflict have disrupted supply chains ,unpending the global trade of agricultural goods while three consecutive years of drought in East Africa has resulted in growing levels of food scarcity and hunger”. He added Mr.Ike Ilegbune while speaking in Nairobi during a workshop organized by TechnoServe.
Poor nutrition has continued to rob Nigeria of its growth potential, making investments in tackling malnutrition critical to the country’s future.
TAPP will provide technical assistance and advocate for high quality inputs to among others, large and small-scale millers actions are aimed at motivating this stakeholders to comply with the national fortification efforts to ensure access of nutrition by the consumers.
1993, Nigeria implemented the salt iodization policy and since then, goitre and iodine deficiency have been drastically reduced from a high prevalence of 67 percent in the 80’s to less than six percent in 2015.

by Maximilla Wafula

Kenya’s number one retail chain, Naivas Supermarket will be opening doors of its
newest outlet in Eldoret town
The new store will be the retailers 85th store
in the country and the 4th in Eldoret town. The outlet covering 39,999 square feet of trading space is
located along Stendi Kisa-Yala Road at Elgon View Mall in Elgon View Estate, a suburb in Eldoret.
“We are very delighted to be making a grand return to the city of champions, a town that we as a
homegrown brand take great pride in being a part of. Eldoret has seen the success of three of our
outlets; Referral, Sokoni and the year old, Zion Mall. A factor that influenced this new development.

Over and above that, this opening was motivated by the need to continually offer shoppers an
experience that compliments their lives by being a one stop premium shop. Our greatest pride and
joy is that with every support accorded to us as a brand, we get to grow our contribution to the
Kenyan economy by supporting industries, farmers and creating jobs both directly and indirectly,”
said Willy Kimani, Naivas Chief Commercial Officer.
Willy Kimani also added “This new store will deliver nothing short of an authentic Kenyan hospitality
something that is part of our Kenyan DNA, and which underscores our standing as “the ndonyo for
champions”. Our customers know that each time they walk through our doors they can trust us to
deliver on our promise; saves you money. This is cemented by our mantra; we exist to make other
people’s lives better, which underpins each of our undertakings.”
The new store will carry a wide range of product categories including but not limited to fresh
produce, commodities, electronics, and other general products. As is tradition, the retailer will run
exclusive store opening offers to celebrate the milestone with the shoppers who are the true driving
force behind the success experienced in the region.
The retailer has a busy first half of financial year 23 ahead, as it sets its eyes on several store openings
which include Ojijo Road in Parklands, Meru and Ruai.

by Maximilla Wafula

The RIC 2022 conference opened in Nairobi.

Emmanuel Nkurunziza was delighted to see representatives from various partners, institutions, organizations, government agencies, private sector and the academia meet once again to discuss issues pertaining to how best we can optimize resource utilizations in the face of social challenges.

“I hope that we will continue exchanging ideas on the application of earth observation information and geo-spatial technologies for societal benefit,” he said.
 
The conference will look at theplanning aspects that guides the utilization of the resources in achieving the global goals without losing track of individual goals.

He said that in a world of growing concern for access to information, security of information and authenticity of the information, the.process from acquisition of data to the transformation and generation of data to information that we usable and useful has to be based on sound theoretical background and knowledge not forgetting the indigenous knowledge. “Therefore, I do hope that RIC 2022 will also provide a platform for sharing and receiving feedback on methods, tools, products and services that we have developed in the recent past.

 For most people in northeast Nigeria, agriculture is the predominant source of livelihood and income. However, the persistent conflicts have disrupted farming activities drastically, with farmlands becoming insecure and inaccessible as communities are forced to abandon their ancestral homes. Besides insecurity, communities are also experiencing the pronounced impact of climate change, which has significantly affected agricultural and fishing activities, leading to a shortage of food supplies; exacerbating hunger and loss of livelihoods.

In Borno State, Ngala, a border town created in 1976 and situated between northeast Nigeria and Fotokol town of Cameroon, is among communities in northeast Nigeria targeted by interventions through the Regional Stabilization Facility (RSF) phase two for the Lake Chad Basin region, having been cleared of insurgents. With resettlement still ongoing, agriculture and other socio-economic activities are also restarting. Despite the challenges, Ngala has enormous agricultural and livestock development potential; In addition to farming, the access to River Ngadda which flows into Lake Chad, some community members have taken up fishing to supplement their primary source of livelihood.

Like other parts of Nigeria, one critical challenge farmers face is reduced productivity due to unpredictable weather patterns. Fear of possible attacks recurring also limits the extent to which farmers can utilize their farmlands to cultivate food crops. Another issue impacting farming in the area is inadequate access or lack of fertilizers or climate-resilient seedlings that could boost food production. These challenges are pushing the community members further into poverty and increasing hunger in the area. 

In partnership with the state government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported the community to boost local food production by distributing agricultural inputs to the farmers across the community in preparation for the year’s planting season in anticipation of the much-awaited rains. This effort is in line with UNDP’s vision of revitalizing the socio-economic activities of the conflict-affected communities in northeast Nigeria to ensure they are future resilient and sustainable. 

The 2022 farm implements distribution support targets 3000 farmers in Ngala and 1000 in Banki, another community in Borno State. The materials provided, including farming equipment, fertilizers, and improved seeds such as maize, cowpea, millet, sorghum, groundnut, and sesame, will enhance the overall farming process and food production. Besides the implements, farmers will also receive training on how to utilize smart agriculture techniques, such as new methods of planting, harvesting, preservation and storage of harvest, to ensure that they are maximizing the productivity of their farms while also minimizing post-harvest losses. 

by Maximilla Wafula

HAKI Africa today hosted pan African forum for unity around human rights and security in Tamarind Tree Hotel Nairobi . Many African countries including Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, human rights were being violated flagrantly in the name of enhancing security.

Extra judicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture are on the increase in these countries and across the continent. States are using extra legal security measures to silence dissent and critics.

Civil society now finds itself in an environment where civic space is shrinking. In this regard, HAKI Africa has sought partnership with the African Union to push for security sector accountability and promotion of human rights.

This convening forum has brought together leading grassroot human rights organisations in over 13 countries to work together with the African Union to enhance human rights and security.

HAKI Africa will also coordinate efforts to ensure Africa is liberated from human rights violations and insecurity.
Said Hussein Khalid
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Over 80 maternal and child health experts from around the world have concluded a meeting in Freetown aimed at improving midwifery education. The body of experts included health authorities of Sierra Leone, Malawi, Bolivia, Pakistan and India, WHO and other global health partners. Their deliberations focused on finding workable strategies that will help strengthen the quality of midwifery education and training with the to improve standards that will help curb preventable death of mothers and newborn babies.

Preventable death of mothers and young children is still a big public health challenge in many low and middle-income countries including the participating countries.

In 2010, Sierra Leone introduced the Free Health Care Initiative to enhance universal access to quality health care for pregnant and lactating mothers and children under the age of 5 years. The Initiative and other national strategies have contributed in improving coverage of essential services for these categories of beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (DHS 2019) showed that approximately 83% of all childbirth take place in health facilities, and about 87% of these are assisted by skilled healthcare providers.

However, statistics on the burden of the country’s maternal and child mortality rate is still grim and remains among the highest in the world. The rate of maternal mortality is estimated at 717 out of every 100,000 livebirths (2019), while neonatal mortality is estimated at 31 out of every 1000 live births.

“Sierra Leone has a lot of experiences to share on maternal and child mortality and at the same time has a lot to learn from experiences and lessons from other parts of the world to help curb the perennial and unacceptably high death of women in childbearing age and babies”, says Dr Steven Shongwe, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone.

“We can change this narrative now than later because we have the opportunity and tools to do so. We have evidence-based policies, strategies, guidelines, standards, and best practice. However, we now must be intentional and challenge ourselves to improve institutional capacities for midwifery education and training to transform health services delivery that will save the lives of women during childbirth and of children at the start of life”, Dr Shongwe added. He emphasized the need for strategic investment in human resources for health, equipment, medicines, and supplies.

Through the financial support of MSD for Mothers Foundation WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and other partners are providing technical assistance to countries to implement programmes aimed at enhancing public-private sector partnership to bolster investment in strengthening human resources, and institutional capacities to enable health facilities provide optimal quality health care including obstetric care when and where they are needed to achieve universal health coverage.

In 2019, WHO launched the Framework for Action to Strengthening Quality of Midwifery Education for Universal Health Coverage 2030. The Framework sets out steps to be adapted by countries to develop and strengthen their national human resources for health strategies including strengthening quality midwifery capacities.

WHO works very closely with multiple partners including the UNFPA, UNICEF, other UN agencies, Donors and Development partners to support the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to advocate, mobilize resources and act jointly to reach the required number of trained and qualified midwifes and related health professionals that Sierra Leone needs.

Some of the major outcomes of this meeting will lead to improved midwifery coordination, regulation, capacities and functionality in Sierra Leone and the other participating countries.

The Western Cape Cabinet this week visited Mossel Bay for a Cabinet Outreach and a Premier’s Coordinating Forum (PCF) meeting. The PCF was an opportunity for the Provincial Cabinet to engage with municipalities from across the province to further solidify provincial-municipal relations and review the work we are doing to make the Western Cape a better province to live and work in. The objective is to promote and facilitate intergovernmental work to ensure integrated, effective, and efficient service delivery.

The forum heard presentations from various Provincial Ministers and officials on key priority areas such as job creation, energy resilience and policing.

Provincial Treasury Head of Department, David Savage, gave an economic overview of the country and the province, giving an honest assessment of the economy. He said despite sluggish economic growth nationally, the Western Cape is still faring relatively well, thanks in part to the resilient growth of our agricultural sector. On the issue of unemployment, the HOD told delegates the Western Cape has the second lowest unemployment rate in the country at 27.5%, but the lowest broader unemployment rate (31.3%) with the smallest percentage point difference between these rates at over 3%.

His presentation showed the various pressures citizens are under, with the rising cost of living and the power crisis putting strain on residents, especially the poor. To offset these challenges Savage said: “The Western Cape Government (WCG) has to significantly reprioritise resources and look at new ways of financing services.”

The forum heard how the Western Cape has established and embedded a system of good governance. The Western Cape’s track record of good governance is attracting more and more people from other provinces. “This presents significant opportunities,” remarked Premier Alan Winde. The Premier added: “We as the WCG have to capitalise on this inward migration, and so sound infrastructure development – among other issues – has to be sustained and become smarter.”

Reflecting on the recent Cabinet Meets Business session and the WCG’s energy summit, Provincial Finance and Economic Opportunities Minister Mireille Wenger told the forum: “We must put in place the plans we need now to create the future we hope for. For me, the future is one of a rapidly growing economy, that creates jobs, that is resilient and private sector responsive.” Minister Wenger concluded: “Local government is at the coalface of meaningful change.”

Safety was also high on the PCF’s agenda. Police Oversight and Community Safety Minister Reagen Allen said ahead of the presentation of his department’s Provincial Policing Needs and Priorities: “I remain committed to seeing that the Western Cape Safety Plan is a success.  By utilising our resources optimally and steering in the same direction, our residents will not only witness how committed we are in fighting crime, but it will be easier for our partners, including municipalities, to join us. We are more effective if we work together.”