Day: June 1, 2023

The Ethiopian government’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), the Somali region and the UN Refugee Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen inclusion and local integration of refugees in Kebribeyah Refugee Camp of Somali region.

In its press release sent to ENA, Refugees and Returnees Service said the MoU is vital to support the efforts of integration of refugees in Kebribeyah Refugee Camp of the Somali region.

Over 16,000 refugees from Somalia have been living or were born in Kebribeyah for the past 30 years, according to the press release.

It added that the MOU would serve as a roadmap for refugees’ inclusion and local integration in Kebribeyah and surrounding refugee camps.

“The signed MoU, the first of its kind in Ethiopia, defines a roadmap for refugees’ inclusion and local integration in Kebribeyah and surrounding refugee camps. It provides a framework to transforming Kebribeyah refugee camp into a part of the Kebribeyah town, requiring further strengthening of services such as sustainable public services, water systems, housing, energy and environment, livelihood and infrastructure development.”

Director General of Refugees and Returnees Service, Tesfahun Gobezay said at the occasion: “The Memorandum of Understanding lays a cornerstone of a bold move to ensure refugees’ self-reliance and inclusive services.”

It contributes to the implementation of the pledges made by the Government of Ethiopia during the Global Refugee Forum 2019, the director general recalled.

Somali Region’s Vice President Ibrahim Ousman Farah said on his part the MoU with Refugees and Returnees Service and UN Refugee Agency was a sign of a good collaboration.

He added the implementation of the MoU will formalize Kebribeyah residents, refugees and hosts as one community.

The MoU builds on the boundless hospitality of the communities in the Somali region and the continuous support of donors and partners; and can be transformative, UN Refugee Agency Representative in Ethiopia, Mamadou Dian Balde highlighted.

Balde also reaffirmed the long-standing partnership between Refugees and Returnees Service, the Somali region and the UN Refugee Agency.

The signing of the MoU would enhance cooperation between the three stakeholders by bringing together global and regional expertise and combining it with local knowledge and leadership in harnessing innovative capabilities and solutions for refugees and host communities, it was learned.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The restoration of Kakamega forest has received a major boost from the Kakamega Forest Heritage Foundation that is facilitating the restoration and conservation of deforested areas in the rain forest.

The Foundation has established a Conservation Fund, whose purpose is to facilitate the restoration and conservation of the Forest.

Through the conservation fund, the Foundation has distributed over 30,000 seedlings of both exotic and indigenous species to schools, churches, mosques and to individuals to establish woodlots on their lands that upon maturity would provide both firewood and timber for own use to reduce the need and propensity of raiding the forest for those needs.

The Fund has also, in collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) adopted over 100 hectares of the deforested area to restore and rehabilitate with strictly indigenous seedlings in an attempt to restore the forest to its original pristine condition.

The organization is working in partnership with Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, (AGRA), Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Kenya Prisons and The Department of Defense, Kenya Forestry Service (KFS).

Others are the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya(ICIPAK), Kenya Commercial Bank, World Rally Championship (WRC), Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), local forest associations and local schools.

The Foundation was established in 2015 as a charitable organization with the objective of complimenting the efforts of the Government of Kenya of restoring and conserving the Kakamega Forest for the welfare of the forest ecosystem.

Ahead of a major planting exercise to be presided over by the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi at Iloro, Shinyalu sub-county, Kakamega County, so far the Fund has managed to plant 29,400 trees on 62.3 acres of the deforested areas.

The theme of the tree planting is ‘Restoring the Green Canopy’ with a call to other like-minded institutions to partner with the Foundation in restoring the Kakamega Forest canopy.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Nairobi City County government plans to refurbish Joe Kadenge Stadium formerly known as City Stadium to International standards.

Nairobi City Governor Johnstone Sakaja said the stadium that will be revamped at a cost of Shs. 525 million will have all disciplines for an international stadium.

Sakaja who was addressing Nairobians who had gathered at Joe Kadenge Stadium in Makadara Constituency to celebrate the 60th Madaraka day announced that his government has contracted contractors to construct 17 kitchens that will be used to prepare food for all public schools.

‘The process of grounding has already started. Learners will start eating their first meal when schools open in third term,’ assured the Governor.

‘We are aware that most of the children go to school when hungry, this is the reason we want to have a school feeding programme in all public schools,’ he stated.

Sakaja said following the shortage of both primary and secondary schools in the County, he will partner with the Nairobi County Members of Parliament and the Women Representative to deliberate on how they can increase the number of learning institutions to avoid congestion in schools.

‘We cannot depend on schools that were constructed by the colonial government, we need to add more, since the population of learners has increased,’ he added.

He announced that the county government managed to collect Ksh. 1 billion as revenue between the months of January to April which it used to equip health facilities with medicine, pay Early Childhood Development and Nairobi Deaf Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre teachers and to rehabilitate roads.

Governor Sakaja at the same time announced that his government has unified business permits and aligned all the different licenses with the aim of facilitating a single business permit.

Regarding health, Sakaja said the City County put in place an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Mama Lucy Hospital and will install the second one at Mbagathi Hospital besides a renal unit and a new born unit.

He revealed that for the last 3 years, health facilities in the county were not receiving drugs due to the huge bill of Sh. 1.8 million it was being owed, noting that he had already paid some money of which the county had received drugs worth 200 million.

Addressing members of the public who had gathered for the celebrations, the Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna congratulated the Governor for bringing together all Nairobi leaders to walk and work together as leaders.

He also called on the Governor to hold discussions with the residents of Nairobi where the county wants to construct residential houses to hear their views before demolishing their houses.

The leaders who attended the celebrations among them Nominated Senators Tabitha Mutinda and Hamida Kibwana, Members of Parliament George Aladwa (Makadara) and Mark Mwenje (Embakasi West) congratulated Sakaja for the changes he has done, his good leadership and vowed to support him in his endeavor to change Nairobi City.

‘You have taken a bipartisan approach, we are ready to support you,’ they said.

Mwenje said Members of Parliament in Nairobi will assist the Governor to build school through the Constituency Development Fund to avoid congestion in classrooms and asked him to allocate them parcels of land for the purpose.

Aladwa told the Governor to only employ residents of Nairobi in the county government while commending him for including people from all tribes in his government.

The event was also graced by the Nairobi County Commissioner Susan Waweru who read the President’s speech.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Igembe South have been asked to get registered with National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to benefit from various services including business grants provided by the government.

Meru NCPWD officer Gabriella Ogom made the remarks Thursday when she enlisted over 100 persons with various disabilities including physical, visual and intellectual disabilities to the council at Nyambene level 4 hospital in Igembe.

She said without being registered one cannot benefit from government grants and other crucial services that other registered persons enjoy.

She called on the families hiding children with disabilities because they are ashamed of being associated with them to ensure that their children enjoy their rights including education.

She further noted that registration of PWDs helps the government to design appropriate programmes which meet diverse needs of the disabled.

‘Through registration to NCPWD, one is able to be exempted from paying taxes, get assistive devices such as clutches, wheelchairs, white canes, and hearing aids among others,’ she said.

Source: Kenya News Agency