Author: staff reporter

Nyota Njema real estate firm on Saturday launched a mobile app that will enhance its customer experience.

Perminus Kariuki CEO of Nyota Njema told journalists in Nairobi that the Njema app is already on playstore but will be available in appstore in a month.

“The mobile app will enable customers to see which plots are available as well provide real time information on the balances of their accounts,” Kariuki said during the award ceremony of 300 title deeds to new owners.

He noted that customers can also use the mobile app to refer new customers to buy plots and make commissions in the process.

Kariuki also urged the youth to invest in real estate instead of indulging in betting.

Nyota Njema which was founded in 2019 has so far handed over 600 title deeds to its customers and last year alone the real estate firm did another 300 titles.

“My greatest joy is to deliver our promise to customers,” Kariuki added.

By Eric Ogott

Naivas supermarket today  launched  their annual seasonal campaign. The campaign promises to  be authentically Kenyan while delivering memorable experiences through thematic campaigns while exceeding customer’s expectations.

This inaugural campaign comes  barely a week after  Kenyans took to the street to protest over the High cost of living.

Therefore, Kenyans are already feeling the heat and inflation is only getting worse due to high importation cost and supply chain disruptions.

“It is moments like this that define our character and with the odds stuck against the Kenyan people, as a homegrown retailer and supermarket of choice for Kenyan people ,we have  to set up and truly live to our promise,saves you money.

We understands that the baskets are shrinking every single day,but this should not be the case at our stores and for this this reason we have launched our seasonal campaign dubbed “Naivas Kikapu Kibonge” with the tagline being ” Kiextra offers,Kibbigie discounts and Kibunda Choices,” Said Willy Kimani,Naivas Chief Commercial Officer.

“As a brand that understands customer’s  needs,this is our small bidding in  making the long holiday  a little more bearable,affordable and memorable.

The campaign promises  9 weeks of the very best everyday price and exceptional sales promotion covering
Ramadhan,Easter,Eid ul Fitr, Labour Day, Back to School  and Mother’s Day.

Therefore, what we are saying is,this   holiday period does not have to be grim ,we have got you covered, no need to downsize or downtrade  your shopping because  at Naivas Kikapu ni Kibonge.

This has been  made possible through support from our partners, who have seen to it that our customers enjoy great value across all categories ranging from fresh produce,daily groceries and household, ” Concluded Mr. Kimani.

By ERIC OGOTT.

The National Council of Kenya Churches (NCCK)  held a meeting at Jumuia Conference and  country home,Limuru  to reflect on the state of the nation in the context of the rising tensions due to politically  instigated disillusionment.

The meeting took note that the desire  of Kenyans to have a healthy environment to “Lead a quiet life,to mind your own business and work with your hands.” Said Rev Kinyanjui.

He further said that all Kenyans  are obliged to adhere to the Constitution in all activities and engagements,for without this , the nation  will .

In addition, he requested His Excellency   the President of Kenya  Dr. William Ruto  to  lead the Government in adhering to the Constitution and laws of Kenya in all operations,policies and pronouncements.

He also urged the President to embrace dialogue and promotion of public participation to ensure all Kenyans contribute to betterment of our nation.

He further appealed that,the President should rivet the attention on the nation crippling drought and famine that continue to ravage the country ,which has increased  the cost of living radically,stating that Kenyans are suffering and the situation is worsened by a government that’s is focused on politicking rather than providing solutions.

In addition, he urged the opposition leader Rt Hon Raila Odinga to ensure that all the actions and pronouncements are in accordance with the Constitution and Laws of Kenya.

Therefore,people should take opportunity to hold leaders accountable so as to forestall corruption and ensure they deliver on their mandates with justice and equity .

“Dear brothers and sisters, we commend you for maintaining peace and cohesion in the country.” Rev Kinyanjui Concluded.

Dedan Kimathi Foundation has continued to be a champion in matters Afforestation. This was evident during celebration to mark
The International Day of Forests. The main celebration was held in Kereita Forest Station in Kiambu county.
In addition to the 15,000 seedlings planted in Kiambu county, 73,010 seedlings were also planted in Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Murang’a, Laikipia and Nyandarua couties.

In Eastern Conservancy, 3,320 seedlings were planted with the Governor of Makueni County His Excellency Mutula Kilonzo Jr taking part in the activities while a total of 6,110 were planted in Western Conservancy.

The KFS coordinated activities attracted dignitaries and leaders of different stature and partners from different organizations including among others.

By Jeff Kizzilah

The Founder of the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) Rev Ock Soo Park said this initiative will be a milestone in the development and adoption of mind education in kenya.

The launch which was attended by different mnistry including ICT and Ministry of eduction in partnership to expand the national mind program.

Speakjng during the event Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo who was represented by Director of Administration Mr.Maritin said its important kenya orient the young generation through education as well as value systems.

He said the broad mandate is to formulate,administer, develop information that can be utilised by the young generation.

The Vice Chancellor Kisii University Mr John Akama said the more youths open their mind the more they expand knowledge and peace to a greater heights.

Mr Soo said that since International Youth Fellowship was founded many youths have benefited through broadcasting program and that also help raising a God fearing nation.

The event was attended by also various different government institutions.

By Fred Maingi
Kenya Defense Forces (KDF ) proved their might when they emerged winners of the one-day Nairobi County five-two aside Taekwondo Junior Championship held at Kasarani over the weekend.
The 10-teams tournament that attracted a foreign team from Burundi (Team Jaguar ) lived up to its billing with plenty of fireworks and upsets.
KDF led by their coach John Ireri were a joy to watch. They amassed 15 Gold and a similar number of bronze.
Regional team led by Master Voiya Lumwach who doubles up as the Chairman of Taekwondo Nairobi region finished second overall with 10 Gold and similar number of silver. Shofco team finished third with 10 Gold followed by Black Kings and Mathare North in that order.
In his speech, Voiya thanked participating teams for showing discipline and sportsmanship. He particularly thanked Burundi for being a regular participant.
He said the state of Taekwondo in the country is good but the major challenge remains funding and lack of adequate sponsorship.
Voiya further pleaded with the Ministry of Sports to step in and fund counties but not the National level alone.
“I ave approached friends in Europe for sponsorship for our future events. It’s expensive to host a tournament without funding. I had pledged some uniforms for winning teams but I have issues with clearance. Next event in our calendar is the International coaching seminar for referees whose dates will be announced in due course. “Observed Voiya who is one of the top Taekwondo instructors in the region.
He added” We have also a junior tournament in April which is among the many events in our calendar. We need true support and sponsorship to boost our future events”
Other future events include the Presidents Cup donated by Major Suleiman Sumba slated for April in Mombasa at KPA makande hall, Madaraka Cup, Labour Day, Jamhuri Cup, Mashujaa Day and the All Africa games qualifiers set for next year among others.
Other participating teams apart from the winners included NYS Nairobi, KDF engineers,
Mks County, St. Teresa, Lions Gate Korogocho, NMN, Shofco, and Kayole Taekwondo.
Other teams included Rahamani club from machakos, and others from Meru, Awendo and the visiting Burundi team.
The colourful event was graced by Taekwondo Grandmaster Ngala Hastings, Instructors Isaac Kamau and Coach John Ireri both from KDF among other Administrators.
A volunteer Mr Spider donated Ksh. 20,000 to be shared among the top three finishers. Winners were also rewarded with medals, trophies and a small token of appreciation.

by Ronald Njoroge

The second edition of the data training workshop for protected areas for Africa opened in Nairobi at Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD).

Director General, RCMRD, Dr. Emmanuel Nkurunziza said that the second edition of the Data Training Workshop on Protected and Conservation Areas under the Regional Resource Hub will run from 20th to 24th March 2023.

The participants were drawn from Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Nkurunziza observed that the Regional Resource Hub acts as one of the regional observatories implemented by the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme and hosted by the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) in Nairobi covering Eastern and Southern Africa.

BIOPAMA aims to improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, in protected areas and surrounding communities. It is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States financed by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund, jointly implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC).

It’s now without any doubt that Kenya Tea Development Authority Chairman David Muni Ichoho has proved that he is equal to the task.

He is the gentleman who has sought the best interests of our farmers. He has been out and about seeking new markets and calling for value addition so as the tea can fetch better prices.

Mr. Ichoho notes

“Good news to our tea farmers! The government of Pakistan has honoured our request to consider tea as an essential commodity.

The move will boost Kenya’s export earnings from tea.

This comes two weeks after our meeting with the Islamic Republic Minister of National Food Security and Research. This action will result in automatic allocation of dollars for tea import from Kenya.

The shortage of dollars in Pakistan has been a major hurdle to trade and we have overcome this challenge.
Pakistan is the largest buyer for Kenyan tea accounting for 42% of exports in the last year 2022 (191M Kgs).

On behalf of KTDA and tea fraternity I sincerely thank Hon Mithika Linturi CS of Agriculture and Livestock and by extension the GOK for this diplomatic engagement.

Our gratitude also to Government of Pakistan for accepting our request for this categorization of tea as an essential commodity.

Thanks to Pakistan Tea Association for your support in this endeavour.

This is a double blessing as the heavens open with rain which will enhance production of tea and other food crops. God bless our land.”

By Ronald Njoroge

23-year old university student Mack Marangu was declared winner
of Save the Children’s Digital Innovation Challenge, during a winner announcement ceremony
that took place on Friday evening.
Mack walks away with a cash prize of Ksh. 250,000 and an opportunity to collaborate with Save
the Children to customize and scale up his innovation and or get a 12-month fellowship program
to develop and implement it further.
The journalism and mass media communications graduate who is also pursuing a Bachelor’s
Degree in Computer Science from the University of London emerged victorious after
successfully pitching and convincing a group of select judges in the technology, education and
climate resilient and livelihoods space, that his innovation was indeed the best.
His innovation dubbed Toto Register, is a digital attendance system that is designed to take the
daily attendance of students in Kenya. The system utilizes a mobile app that allows teachers to
import student lists, mark attendance, and transmit the data securely to a backend server.
Speaking after he was announced winner, Mack said he was elated by the news.
“I hoped that I would win but never did I think that I would. It is such an honor to have this
opportunity to show you what we are doing in Tharaka Nithi to protect children and to ensure
they get constant and quality education. It is great to see what my fellow young innovators are
doing and how this will have greater impact for children,” said an elated Mack.
Hot on his heels were KCA University student Gift Mumbi who was 1st runner-up for her
innovation, Maoni Mtaani, a feedback mechanism system while Sydney Aurah was the 2nd
runner-up for his innovation, Mwalimu Smart, a chatbot and SMS-based learning platform
targeting children in pastoralist communities. The two will get Ksh. 150,000 and Ksh. 100,000
respectively.
“We received 163 submissions from across the country. From this, we were able to narrow
down to 12 innovators who got a chance to pitch their innovations to a panel of five judges. We
were extremely impressed by the caliber of entries we received for the digital innovations. It
demonstrated the remarkable talent and creativity Kenyan youth possess,” said Hellen Owiti,
Director for Programme Development and Quality at Save the Children Kenya and Madagascar
Country Office.
The judges of the innovation challenge included, George Owiso, I-TECH Kenya Country
Representative, Moses Okech, Masterspace Solutions Limited Chief Technical Officer, Mercy
Shitolwa, Business Intelligence Solutions Developer, Clara Njeru, Researcher & Product
Designer – Education Design Unlimited and Stephen Mutiso, Senior Climate Resilient
Livelihoods Advisor with Save the Children UK.
Speaking during the award ceremony, Yvonne Arunga, Country Director for Save the Children
Kenya and Madagascar Country Office expressed the oKenya and Madagascar Country Office expressed the organization’s commitment to leverage digital innovation in it’s programming.

Kenya Tea Development Authority Chairman David Ichoho on Monday paid a courtesy visit to Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi. On his page he noted:

“Today I paid a courtesy call to His Excellency Kiambu Governor, Kimani Wamatangi at his offices. On behalf of KTDA board members I appraised the governor on steps KTDA is taking to promote the welfare of tea farmers in the county. I also updated the Governor on the reforms progress in the smallholder tea sector.
Kiambu County is host to 6 KTDA managed factories: Kambaa, Kagwi,Theta , Ndarugu , Gachege and Mataara

In the last financial year ( 2021/2022) the factories processed 104 million kilos of tea, translating to a total revenue of Kshs 7.5 Billion that was distributed to 28,000 farmers.”