Month: May 2023

The National Irrigation Authority (NIA) has requisitioned a modern electric pump for installation at the West Kano Irrigation Scheme in Kisumu County to boost rice production.

NIA Acting Deputy General Manager in charge of operations and irrigation management services Joel Tanui said the agency has allocated funds for the initiative in the 2023-2024 financial year’s budget.

This, he said, was set to maximise pumping efficiency and open up more land for irrigation in the 5, 000 acre scheme to scale up rice production.

Located in the Kano plains, the scheme established in 1974 serves over 900 farmers producing about 7,900 metric tonnes annually.

The scheme’s irrigation water is abstracted by pumping from Lake Victoria with the water drainage also pumped back into the lake.

Tanui said the pump which used to serve the scheme was moved to Ahero Irrigation Scheme in 2006 to stabilise water supply.

The decision to install a new pump at the scheme follows a public outcry from farmers who petitioned the NIA to return the pump to open up blocks of the vast scheme which have been cut off following the recent floods experienced in the area.

Appearing before the National Assembly Public Petitions Committee sitting at the scheme, Tanui said the move to relocate the pump to Ahero was arrived at to save a crop worth millions of shillings.

“At that time we were experiencing a big challenge at Ahero Irrigation Scheme which threatened to destroy rice worth Sh. 600 million. That is why we decided to move the pump,” he said.

The NIA, he said, was aware of the plight of farmers in Kano adding that the procurement process for the new pump is set to begin in July to ensure that it is fitted before the end of the year.

“The pumps are not available locally. We source them from South Africa and Germany which takes three to four months,” he said.

Returning the old pump to the scheme, he said, was untenable since it was set to be decommissioned.

NIA, he said, was committed to scaling up irrigation to boost food security in the country adding that measures have been put in place to modernise operations at the scheme.

The Public Petitions Committee Vice Chairperson Janet Sitienei asked NIA to expedite the procurement process and ensure the new pump is fixed to support farmers in the area.

“These farmers are ready and willing to produce rice. Rice is a very important food crop in the country and we must support them fully,” she said.

Sitienei who is also the Member of Parliament for Turbo was accompanied by Eng Benard Muriuki (Mbeere South) and John Bwire (Taveta).

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kenya is accelerating the adoption of a circular economy as part of its sustainable waste management so as to create green jobs alongside a safe and clean environment, Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary (PS) Festus Ng’eno has said

Speaking when he addressed the third Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO 2023) at a Nairobi hotel, Eng Ng’eno regretted that the country had not fully mainstreamed a circular economy despite over 90 percent of the 8 million tonnes of waste generated annually being either organic or recyclable.

“Kenya’s interventions are informed by the realisation that we are not circular. In areas such as waste management, our national approach has been linear whereby all waste is mixed together and destined for dumpsites.

Studies show that what is dumped is 60% organic, 30% recyclables and 10% others. While this is disappointing, it implies that there exists a huge space for circularity and sustainable consumption and production to bring rapid and extensive gains,” PS Ng’eno told the international audience.

Eng. Ng’eno noted that Kenya’s traditional linear model of industrial production coupled with the country’s low uptake of circularity had led to massive environmental pollution, and advocated for the full adoption of circular economy as a sustainable fix for the sorry state of affairs.

“Circular economy provides an opportunity to reverse this trend through reduction, re-use and recycling. Enabling circular economy and environmentally sustainable use through extended producer responsibility, life-cycle assessment, reuse and recycling of waste in Kenya is a very fundamental shift,” the PS said.

Eng Ng’eno spoke in great detail on the steps Kenya was taking towards the full uptake of circular economy covering policy and legislative reforms as well as structural adjustments in the country’s production systems including last year’s passage of the Sustainable Waste Management Act and the 2017 ban on single-use plastics.

“Sustainable Waste Management Policy and Act (2022), proposes a transition from linear to circular economy. The Policy and Act also includes provisions for the development of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes.

Consultations with the private sector and other stakeholders on the EPR regulations (2022) has been finalised and the regulation will be enacted soon. The regulations call upon producers to ensure their products and packaging are reusable and recyclable as well as embrace being ecological life cycle friendly,” the PS said.

Other reforms cited by Eng Ng’eno include the 2020 ban on the use of single-use plastics in parks and nature areas; an ongoing baseline study on waste water management; curricula on sustainable waste management; and a green growth and circular economy toolkit developed by his state department.

Alongside ensuring that the country draws optimal economic and environmental value from its waste resources, Eng Ng’eno said Kenya was pursuing a circular economy and sustainable waste management as part of its international obligations on climate change mitigation.

“Circular economy provides for enhanced value extraction from resources and can turn economies around by ensuring optimal resource use with minimal demand for virgin raw materials and reduced pollution.

“This ideal is the basis of the Paris Agreement climate change aspirations towards a below 1.5-degree temperature moderation. Kenya has already domesticated these aspirations in the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the UNFCCC in December, 2020,” Eng Ng’eno noted.

At the same time, Ng’eno rallied African countries to develop common positions on environmental protection, calling for the inclusion of an environment and climate change provision in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

We should be intentional to cooperate, build capacity and discuss opportunities to strengthen our respective commitments in this area, and to consider international agreements necessary to protect the environment and provide for a pillar on Environment and Climate Change in AfCFTA,” added the PS.

Source: Kenya News Agency

A team from the United Kingdom (UK) is touring Nakuru County schools of People with Disabilities (PWDs) intending to partner with the institutions.

The team which is led by Anthony Mwaura, who was a former teacher in one of the schools in the county, and Ms Tania Myres, said they are benchmarking on how special schools conduct their games, and share ideas on how their sporting activities would be improved.

Mr Mwaura said the benefits of physical activities for PWDs are enormous since they improve their stamina and muscle strength.

He added that sports reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, increases general feelings of well-being, and controls the swelling of the joints associated with arthritis.

Ms Myres said sports are vital for all learners irrespective of their status as they enhances character development hence the need for the inclusion and involvement of PWD students in the same.

The Nakuru County Chief Officer for Resource Mobilisation, Alex Maina, hailed the UK group and assured them of support from the county government in their endeavor to improve extra-curriculum activities for PWDs schools in the region.

Also, the officer applauded Mr Mwaura for remembering the needs of local schools and wanting to assist and improve them, despite having migrated to the UK, where he currently teaches.

Mr Maina assured the UK delegation that they are ready to remove all barriers to sports participation, and physical activities will be prioritised in all the special schools adding they also intend to create awareness of the health benefits of sports for special learners.

However, he noted that the major challenge for effective sporting activities in special schools was limited equipment, adding that the envisioned partnership with the special schools in the UK would greatly assist in alleviating the shortage.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Women representatives drawn from Aldai, Nandi Hills and Tinderet sub Counties in Nandi County have been trained on the importance of promoting national values and principles of governance.

The training that took place in a hotel in Nandi Hills was organised by Kafawe Women Group which is undertaking a project dubbed ‘ Women Voice and Leadership’ funded by Care Kenya through Uraia Trust.

National values and principles of governance are the fundamental beliefs of a nation, guiding the choices, actions and behaviour of all Kenyans as presented in Article 10 of the Kenyan Constitution.

Speaking during the engagement, the Group Coordinator Francis Ngeny noted that promotion of national values and principles of governance will help achieve the necessary socio- cultural, economic and political transformation that is key to timely realization of the Country’s development agenda.

Ng’eny urged the participants to be at the fore front in advocating for these values and principles as a way to develop their localities which in return will contribute to realization of Kenya’s development agenda.

“National values create a strong sense of belonging, pride and national identity. With these values there will be harmonious coexistence among diverse groups in the society,” he said.

He further revealed that such values lead to equitable allocation of resources opportunities at both national and county levels thus reducing socio-economic inequalities.

This, he added, contribute to effective representation as well as development of virtuous leadership.

Ng’eny said these values and principles if exercised effectively enhance promotion of open, accountable and participatory management of public resources which in the long run guarantee availability of resources and opportunities for future generations.

On her part a civic educator Ms Tecla Sawe called on the fellow women to extend the knowledge gained on the national values and principles to their communities.

She applauded the group’s initiative noting that women play a great role in the community and thus contribute to national development. She said equipping them with such knowledge is very important for the nation.

“Now that t we have been equipped with knowledge on national values and principles, let us be ambassadors of our society,” pointed Sawe.

Kenya’s national values and principles include, patriotism, national unity, sharing and devolution of power, the rule of law, democracy and participation of the people, human dignity, equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality, human rights, non-discrimination, protection of the marginalized, good governance, integrity, transparency and accountability and sustainable development.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The County Government of Nakuru and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) have initiated joint scientific research to probe an association between the use of beauty products and the rising prevalence of cancer in the devolved unit.

Executive Committee Member in charge of Health Ms Jackline Osoro disclosed that various research findings in Nakuru have raised the red flag over the increasing cases of cancer particularly among women aged over 15 years due to potential links to cosmetic products such as dyes and relaxers.

This comes after the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) issued an alert on the rising imports of harmful cosmetic products into the country.

In October last year, the standards watchdog said some of the makeups it has banned including bleaching products have found their way back into the market, despite containing harmful components that endanger users’ skin.

“Most of the harmful makeups being sold are coming from neighbouring countries. They remain popular in the market despite their harmful effects notwithstanding. We have seen products that we have banned are also quite preferred by the people, they prefer the bleaching (products) that contain mercury, hydroquinone and such,” KEBs indicated in a statement.

Ms Osoro who was flanked by Deputy Director of the Centre for Community Driven Research (CCDR) at KEMRI, Dr. Esther Matu, County Chief Officer for Medical Services Dr. John Murima and his Public Health counterpart Alice Abuki further said public health awareness initiatives are essential to educate residents about research outcomes related to beauty products and cancer risk.

“We should all be able to trust that the products we use on our bodies are safe. It is deeply worrying that not enough is being done to inform women using some of these beauty products of the potentially serious damage that may be caused by their long-term use,” she stated.

A 2015 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that Lindane, an ingredient in lotions imported from Asia causes cancer.

While stating that after assessing the impacts of cosmetic items, the joint research team will recommend interventions to prevent cancer linked to use of cosmetic products, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) also urged manufacturers of beauty products to invest in research on the long-term use of cosmetics and their impact on the health of women.

Osoro noted that usage of makeup in Kenya has grown rapidly over the past few years, surpassing many other commodities to rank top among those brought in.

According to official statistics imports of the products last year rose past the Sh20 billion mark.

KEBS has warned that some of the harmful health products are not coming into the country through the normal border entry points, but come through porous borders carried by people who travel to neighbouring countries.

One of the least doubted products is the ordinary hair shampoos and conditioners, whose ingredients list include parabens, salt lauryl sulfate (SLS) and perfume/fragrance.

Reports by the non-profit organization indicate that Breast Cancer contain Parabens that can be absorbed through the skin and act like weak estrogen in the body with the potential of developing breast cancer positive receptors.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is commonly used as a preservative in cosmetics that contain oil or fats, such as lipstick, eyeliners, lip balms and moisturizers.

Several groups including the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, the U.S. National Toxicology Program and California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment consider BHA a potential carcinogen.

Studies in rats (the findings of which do not always apply to humans but can suggest areas for human research) have linked BHA to stomach cancer, damage to kidney cells, and to the development of reproductive systems in males and females.

Benzene, a toxin associated with cancer and its derivatives including aldehydes and phthalates, is a common ingredient in perfume synthetic fragrances.

In April, an American multinational known for developing medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged Johnson and Johnson (JandJ) agreed to compensate about 70,000 people with Sh10 trillion (USD8.9 billion) after they sued the firm’s talcum powder products on grounds that they were laced with cancer-causing asbestos.

The win for the claims, which would be settled over a period of 25 years, was described as “milestone” and a “momentous success” in a legal tussle that spanned a decade.

Individuals who litigated against JandJ were survivors and families of some consumer who had succumbed to effects of gynaecological cancers and mesothelioma, a type of cancer that develops in the lining covering the outer surface of some of the body’s tissues and organs.

Questions relating to the safety of using talc powder have been raised frequently since 1970s with various studies linking the application of talc powder by women to their genital area to ovarian cancer.

Research findings posted on the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) have found that, in its natural form, talc may contain asbestos, a substance known to cause cancers in and around the lungs, and throat lining when inhaled.

Talc is a natural mineral mined from rock and earth deposits. Apart from baby powder, talc is an ingredient in personal care products such as loose and pressed powders, blush, eye shadow and liquid makeup. In the food industry, it is added to rice to give it a whiter, cleaner appearance and to chewing gum as filler. In pharmaceuticals, it is used as an anti-caking agent in tablets.

In Kenya, it is not uncommon to find barbers using baby powder to mark their customers’ hairlines during a cut. In salons, baby powder is used to protect the scalp when relaxing hair.

Other health effects upon inhalation or ingestion, according to NCBI, include chest discomfort, pain or tightness, coughing or spitting up blood, body chills, cough with thick mucus, dizziness, fainting, fast or irregular heartbeat, general feeling of discomfort or illness.

In February, over 60 lawsuits against a French personal care company L’Oreal were consolidated in a Chicago federal court claiming hair relaxer products sold by the firm and other companies caused cancer and other health problems.

The lawsuits allege that the companies knew their products contained dangerous chemicals but marketed and sold them anyway.

Source: Kenya News Agency