Day: May 24, 2023

Residents of Mwangala in the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone (SZE) want the government to review the land compensation mechanism.

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) developed a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for Dongo Kundu. KPA will resettle 1648 residents from Dongo Kundu, Mwangala, Mrongondoni, Kaya Mtongwe, Mbuta, and Siji villages on 357 acres of land.

The RAP has a compensation component for 2,585 structures that will be affected by the construction of the SEZ.

The residents are calling for the intervention of both the national and county governments to convene a meeting and listen to their grievances.

‘We are not against the project, but the project is shrouded in secrecy. A person who has built a house, but when he goes there to follow up on compensation, he is told that there is no house and that he will not be paid anything,’ said Lilian Nabwire, a resident of Mwangala.

Nabwire lamented on the unruly behaviour of officials handling the compensation, saying their cries have fallen on deaf ears.

‘There are people who have received an award of Sh 2,000. How will this help a person who has been farming here all these years? A person with two plots is chastised even though he bought the plot himself,’ lamented Nabwire, appealing to the head of state to intervene.

Philip Nzioka echoed Nabwire’s sentiments, saying the National Land Commission did not have consultative meetings with affected residents to inform them of how the valuation was done.

‘We should know how much money a fruit tree is paid; we ask the NLC to involve all departments such as agriculture and housing to know the value of our trees and houses. If we inquire, we don’t get favourable answers; people answer as they want,’ said Nzioka.

Pastor Benson Savai planted more than 3,000 trees on a five-acre parcel of land, but the compensation was awarded to another person who laid claim to the parcel of land near the Mteza Bridge.

‘When I went to receive my NLC award, I was told that it had been given to someone else whom we do not know. I wonder where we will find justice,’ said Pastor Savai.

Pastor Sivai added that places of worship have been allocated small pieces of land in the resettlement plan, hindering future expansions.

Salim Kilo said they have been shortchanged as the money they have been awarded is paltry in comparison to the investments in their lands.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Ekaterra Tea Kenya PLC has suspended its operations following the recent protests and looting by suspected criminal groups at their tea estates in Kericho and Bomet counties that led to the loss of property valued at Sh120 million.

The large-scale tea producers have decried the increasing insecurity plaguing Kericho, Bomet, Nyamira, and Nandi counties, where violent confrontations between armed groups and security personnel have been witnessed, leading to injuries and impeding the tea industry’s ability to thrive.

In a press briefing at the ITC Center Ekaterra Tea PLC in Kericho County, the Chairman of the Kenya Tea Growers Association, Mr. Silas Njibwakale, said following violent protests, the large-scale tea producers lost tea harvesting machines worth approximately Sh50 million and an additional Sh120 million in 4.5 million kilos of green leaf.

‘What began as a daytime raid and theft of tea leaves and machinery in October 2022 has now escalated into organized assaults of business premises and deliberate destruction of crucial assets, and these criminal activities and breakdown of law and order have severely disrupted business operations, hampering the growth of the tea industries,’ said Njibwakale.

He further said that the safety of their people is of paramount importance to them, and that is why they have suspended their operations until the law enforcement agencies confirm their safety and they can resume normal activities.

‘Large-scale tea producers will therefore reduce operations until adequate security measures are guaranteed,’ stressed Njibwakale.

He, however, noted that suspension of the operations will drastically affect Kenya’s economy, saying that the tea industry contributes significantly to the growth of Kenya’s economy, thus the need for insecurity to be addressed to avert negative economic impacts that could even affect the value of the Kenyan shilling.

‘Despite the ongoing engagements with county security teams and Interior Ministry local chiefs and elders, the situation has unfortunately worsened, and it is imperative that swift action be taken to hold accountable those inciting these acts and restore peace and security to the tea estates,’ added Njibwakale.

Irate demonstrators at Brooke Center on the outskirts of Kericho Town invaded the Ekatera Tea Limited and torched tea harvesting machines, demanding the employment of the tea plucking casuals who were laid off at the multinational tea company as a result of mechanization.

The demonstrators engaged police officers on Monday and Tuesday after they barricaded the Kericho Nakuru road, destroying properties from the neighbouring Multinational Tea Estate companies.

A heavy presence of anti-riot police officers has been deployed around the centre to maintain law and order as the protestors vow to continue protests until their grievances are addressed.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Kericho County Governor Dr. Eric Mutai condemned the malicious invasion and damage of property by demonstrators, urging the locals to allow the County and National leadership to handle their grievances in a legally acceptable manner.

Source: Kenya News Agency

In a remarkable move to support early childhood development education (ECDE), Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim of Uasin Gishu County, in collaboration with the Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC), unveiled a pioneering initiative to provide ECDE milk to young learners.

The launch, held at a local primary school, was attended by key figures including Dr. Bellio Kipsang, the Principal Secretary of the State Department of Basic Education, who commended Governor Bii for his dedication to improving educational outcomes.

During the ceremony, Principal Secretary Bellio Kipsang delivered a speech expressing his admiration for Governor Bii’s vision and commended him for initiating such a transformative programme.

‘We thank you for making it easier for us to continue in ensuring that we increase success, increase retention and transition. One meal per day is so important to children mainly when we are dealing with milk,’ he said.

He praised the Governor’s decision to make ECDE teachers permanent and pensionable, a move that would enhance their motivation and commitment.

Dr. Kipsang also took the opportunity to urge local farmers to increase milk production to meet the demands of the programme, stressing the importance of their contribution in ensuring the success of the initiative.

Governor Jonathan Bii, in his address, emphasized that the launch of the ECDE milk programme marked the realization of one of his key campaign promises where he pledged to ensure the nutritional wellbeing of the young learners in the ECDE.

The programme aims to provide nutritious milk to 40,000 young learners in 687 ECDE centres across Uasin Gishu County twice a week.

‘This programme will benefit more than 40,000 children in our public ECDEs ensuring that they have access to a regular supply of nutritious milk,’ he said.

He underscored the significance of combating malnutrition among students from disadvantaged backgrounds, asserting that the programme would level the playing field and contribute to the overall success, retention, and transition of school children.

‘This programme addresses the pressing issue of malnutrition that affect many of our learners. We understand that not all children come from the same background,’ added Chelilim.

The Governor extended his support to local farmers, promising to ensure a steady supply of animal feed to boost milk production. Creating a favorable environment for dairy farmers, will to foster economic growth and alleviate poverty within the county.

In his remarks, Deputy Governor Eng. John Barorot indicated that the programme will have a transformative impact in promoting learning in the ECDEs.

He praised Governor Bii’s initiative and encouraged teachers to handle the milk with care and ensure it is consumed within the school premises.

Eng. Barorot expressed his belief that Uasin Gishu County’s forward-thinking approach to ECDE would serve as a benchmark for other counties to emulate.

Former Governor of West Pokot, Prof. John Lonyangapuo, lauded the leadership demonstrated by Governor Bii and emphasized the need to prioritize education without political interference.

He emphasized that a strong education system is crucial for national development and commended the ECDE milk program for its potential to attract and retain children in schools.

Nixon Sigey, the Managing Director of the Kenya Cooperative Creameries, expressed gratitude to the Uasin Gishu County government for spearheading the ECDE milk program.

Sigey highlighted the program’s positive impact on dairy farmers and encouraged them to seize the new market niche as a means of improving their livelihoods.

‘This is a very noble program which will support the nutrition of our children in this county and will also go a long way in supporting our dairy farmers,’ noted Sigey.

Various stakeholders including county KNUT and KUPPET representatives and the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) lauded county boss for the implementation of historic milk programme for the ECDE, as they assured of providing a convenient environment to ensure proper security of the milk.

Source: Kenya News Agency