Day: June 21, 2023

A section of leaders in Homa Bay County have called on the government to strengthen existing umbrella bodies and allow for self-regulation of religious bodies. The leaders said that giving the institutions more powers to self-regulate will curb radicalisation and indoctrination of the public. They gave the views in Homa Bay town when they presented submissions to a taskforce constituted by the government to look into how best religious activities can be regulated without causing harm to the society. The taskforce was formed in the wake of the Shakahola cult deaths linked to Preacher Paul Makenzie whose Church is said to have indoctrinated followers. Those who presented their views opined that religious activities should be regulated to prevent recurrence of similar cases. Homa Bay County Interfaith council Chairman Abrahams Odongo said despite religions having coordinating bodies, the institutions were not effective in their work. Among the bodies include the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops. He proposed to the task force that the State should give powers to the umbrella bodies to come up with regulatory frameworks that will incorporate all religious organisations. ‘The umbrella bodies should take their activities to the grass-root for close monitoring and should be allowed to de-register denominations that propagate wrong doctrines,’ Odongo said. Bishop Odongo said the government lacked the competencies to detect early illegalities in places of worship. He suggested that the governing institutions should review the laws to deal with the emerging issues in the religious sector. ‘Many things have changed in the society and you still find that we use laws which were made in 1968. We need reviews to the laws for proper governance,’ he said. Odongo pointed out that for religious groups to win the confidence of Kenyans, each place of worship must be registered to an umbrella body that is recognised by the government. Homa Bay Supkem Secretary Nuhu Abdul accused some politicians of being behind some of the challenges bedeviling places of worship. He said most religious leaders tend to side with politicians who have money. ‘Prayers have been commercialised. The law should disallow politics in places of worship,’ Masud said. In his submission, Homa Bay Education Network Coordinator Julius Omuga said there is need for introduction of a state department for religious activities. ‘We have religious leaders who cannot help the society because of their teachings. There are churches which share places of worship with clubs and bars,’ Omuga said. Human rights activist Evans Oloo said suspects who will be found guilty over the Shakahola massacre should be taken to the international criminal court (ICC) for prosecution. He proposed amendments in the constitution to regulate religion. The taskforce in Homa Bay was led by Catholic Archbishop Maurice Muhatia and High Court Advocate Charles Kanjama. Kanjama said most religious leaders are concerned about abuse of the church where some clergy men hide in religion to engage in questionable activities. ‘A lot of Kenyans have died because of radicalisation and violent extremism. We are looking at ways of addressing this,’ Kanjama said. Although religion is free for all Kenyans, the task force wants to find out why some places of worship threaten national values.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kenya is hosting the Africa Energy Forum 2023 which is Africa’s premier annual power and gas investment and business forum. The forum brings together governments and state utilities to address the international energy community on opportunities available in Africa’s power and gas sectors. Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary (CS) Davis Chirchir said that this forum is one of the most meaningful gathering of decision makers in the African energy sector and brings together governments, utilities, regulators, development finance institutions, commercial banks, power developers, technology providers and professional services. Speaking at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) during the forum’s official opening, Chirchir said that over the next three days they will seriously engage and look at several topics including: Insights from ministers and heads of utilities on energy and mining from the continent, increasing pace and scale of Africa’s renewable energy projects, the growing role of Africa’s gas within today’s GeoPolitical context, breaking down barriers to energy transition in mining among others. ‘We need to improve power generation and connectivity to our people. With 600 million people in our continent not having access to electricity and an average per capita of 180 kWh electricity against an average of 8,000 kWh in the developed world, we have a lot of work to do,’ explained the CS. He added that on the energy mix, Africa has great potential in geothermal, solar, wind, and hydro generation. ‘In the field of geothermal exploration, Kenya stands as a global leader. We have tapped into the vast geothermal potential of the Great Rift Valley,’ said Chirchir. He highlighted that the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, located in the northern part of Kenya, is one of the largest wind power projects in Africa and the world with a capacity of 310 megawatts. ‘Africa has vast hydro generation potential from the Congo River Basin, the third largest river in the world to the Nile Basin in Ethiopia. In Kenya, we have developed our hydro power plants in the renowned Seven Forks hydropower complex including Masinga, Kamburu, Gitaru, and Kindaruma in Tana River, which contributes 700 MW to our energy supply,’ explained the CS. He added that smaller hydroelectric plants, such as the 2 MW Gogo Power Station, in Migori County plays a vital role in electrifying rural and remote areas, where grid connectivity may be challenging. ‘We have vast potential of solar energy in Africa. Solar power will also witness tremendous growth with photovoltaics (PV) improved technology today and the cost of Solar PVs coming down coupled with battery-swapping station (BSS) which will address the challenge of intermittence,’ said Chirchir. The CS said that through innovative approaches such as solar mini-grids and off-grid solutions, Africa can extend electricity access to remote areas and marginalized communities. ‘The Garissa Solar Plant, located in the north-eastern region of Kenya, is one of our largest solar power plants today with a total capacity of 54 megawatts, it has the capability to power approximately 625,000 households, bringing clean and affordable electricity,’ he said. Chirchir said that to enhance connectivity and efficiency in Africa’s energy sector, Kenya has to expand transmission and distribution infrastructure, build cross-border infrastructure, regional power grids and interconnections to facilitate energy trade and foster regional integration and economic growth. ‘By embracing hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, wind power, solar energy, and gradually reducing our reliance on thermal power, we will create a diverse and resilient energy sector,’ said the CS. Chirchir said that through Africa’s diverse energy mix, the continent will achieve remarkable progress in meeting its energy needs while reducing its carbon footprint and contribute to the global efforts in combating climate change and creating a greener planet. ‘We invite international partners to join us in this journey as we continue to shape a brighter and more sustainable energy future,’ said the CS. ‘As we gather here at the African Energy Forum 2023, we will learn from one another, share our experiences, and collaborate to create a brighter and more sustainable energy future for Africa,’ he added. He explained that as a continent, Africa must work hand in hand to develop innovative financing mechanisms, create favourable policy frameworks and promote technology transfer and capacity building. ‘In the just concluded International Energy Agency Conference in Paris, Kenya was nominated to host next years’ conference on energy conservation. The summit of African Heads of State and Government on Climate will be co-hosted by Kenya and the Africa Union in Nairobi from 4 – 6th September 2023 alongside this years’ Africa Climate Week,’ said the CS.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Over 20 Women Groups benefitted from New Ushanga Initiative Centre in Narok Town that will increase their business potential and build their business capacity. Ushanga Women have reason to smile after the county government opened a new Ushanga Centre for their business in Narok Bus Park, Narok town. Addressing the press, the area governor’s wife Agnes Ntutu who is also the patron for the Ushanga Initiative Narok County, said women had gathered to celebrate a new milestone in their ushanga business with the opening of a new centre which would help them build capacity amongst themselves. ‘Today, we are gathered here to celebrate a new milestone in this ushanga business as we open this new center which would help promote this business and strengthen our women,’ said Ntutu. She expressed appreciation to the county government for dedicating the new Ushanga center for women to promote their art and advance their business. ‘The county government will support you in your businesses, and we will make sure you have a safe working environment in this place,’ said Ntutu. Ntutu lauded Ushanga women groups for the effort that are continuing to show towards Ushanga business, hence urging them to register cooperatives in order to enable them access funds. ‘This is good work you are doing especially in this industry, as you are playing a very important role in the economy of our county,’ she said. Pisoi Sonkoi, a nominated member of the county assembly said women deserve these shade centers in order for them to conduct their business without going through many challenges. ‘The county government is considering women, and that is why women are being included in this new development in the county, and through these women are going to be of benefit,’ said Sonkoi. Sonkoi said the county government is targeting to open such Ushanga centers in different parts of the county so as to ensure all women benefit with this initiative. On her part, Lorna Nkowua, the chairperson of the Maendeleo ya Wanawake Narok County, thanked the county government for the Ushanga center that would benefit women groups in the county, thus a major boost to women empowerment. ‘Women go through a lot in the Ushanga markets, today they have got the shade which would be of great benefit to them, it will prevent them from harsh climatic conditions,’ said Nkokua. Nkowua called on women to utilize the new opportunity and take the advantage of the market and not leave the space to be occupied by other businesses, thus it was meant for Ushanga purpose. Sarah Kudate urged the women to take advantage of the initiative and target even foreign markets for their beads. She lauded the county government for the efforts, saying that the Ushanga centre will be a major boost to the women who depend on Ushanga business. Rebecca Nkowua, the director of Ushanga initiative programme Narok, said one Ushanga shade has a space installed with tables and chairs that the women would use to carry on their businesses. She added that the station is also staffed with one teacher who has undergone training, and would help in educating the women in new designs and ensure that quality and high standards are met for the international market. Chairlady of Narok town ward Women group, Josephine Teeka encouraged women who are working in the ushanga industry to join groups so as to benefit from the initiatives and be able to use the allocated centres. ‘I would like to encourage all women in the industry to join the groups registered under the initiative so that they can be able to reap the benefits of the programme,’ said Teeka. She also encouraged the women to register Ushanga Cooperatives, which will enable them to access funding from the financial institutions.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The International Committee for the Development of People (CISP) has launched Tetea project funded by the European Union to protect women and children against violence in Kakamega County. The Project will be implemented by CISP in partnership with a local Non-Governmental Organization, Kakamega County Widows Empowerment Project (KCWEP) and Men Engage Kenya Network (MENKEN). The three-year project seeks to reduce cases of teenage pregnancies and protect children and women against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Shinyalu and Malava Sub Counties of Kakamega County. The Programme Officer for CISP Ms. Esther Waduu said a rapid assessment that was done by the organization together with data obtained from the department of children services showed that Malava and Shinyalu sub counties are leading in child abuse cases, SGBV, teenage mothers, teenage pregnancies and early marriages. The project will be implemented through Community dialogues with communities undergoing training for 13 weeks after which they will make a public declaration on how they will protect children and women. Partners will also establish Child rights clubs in schools in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to empower children to understand their rights to easily report or seek help when abused. ‘We shall not leave survivors behind, because there are those already with children and others with pregnancies; for them, we shall establish groups to ensure they are supported and also avail dignity kits so that we make sure we link them up to go back to school and others taken to vocational schools to support themselves and those children they have,’ she added. In strengthening the systems for survivors to get better services, partners in the project will capacity build stakeholders and coordinate them in order to ensure the cases are handled effectively. KCWEP, which works with widows, will be involved in bringing on board female headed households in the targeted project implementation regions to stand firm and take care of their families. The Director of KCWEP Mwanzi Jerry said female-headed households are easily targeted by perpetrators of sexual violence for lack of a father figure. ‘We want them to understand that as female-headed households, their children also go through abuse because, if a family is vulnerable and can hardly provide for their basic needs, you see that men who are first priority perpetrators, take advantage of those children. So we are sensitizing the women to take their position as a female headed household to ensure that they reduce cases of gender based violence,’ he added. Men will also be involved during the project to be champions to defend the rights of women and children and also to protect them against any form of abuse. According to Amos Simpano from Men Engage Kenya Network (MENKEN), the organization will look at the policies and adapt them to capacity build men to fight GBV cases. ‘We believe that as men, we are leaders in the family and the culture gives us the highest position and we believe that when men decide to defend the rights of women and children it will be easier to address the problem,’ he noted.

Source: Kenya News Agency