Day: July 21, 2023

The functions of the Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) have now been transferred to the county governments.

Uasin Gishu County Director of Human Resources, Josephat Rotich, said the transfer of KNLS services will broaden the functions of the county governments.

Speaking while receiving files and records of KNLS staff based in Eldoret, Rotich said the transfer of KNLS was advantageous to the County government, saying it will add muscle to the rollout of Information Communication Technology and youth empowerment programmes.

In a Kenya Gazette notice dated August 9, 2019, the Inter-Governmental Technical Relations Committee (IGTRC) approved delineating KNLS functions and distributing libraries between the National and County Governments.

‘The County under the leadership of Governor Jonathan Bii has a keen interest in ICT and youth empowerment; KNLS will therefore be key in rolling out ICT incubation for our youth,’ said Rotich.

He added that 18 staff under KNLS have been transferred to the County with effect from July 1, 2023, and that the library service will be a section under the Department of ICT and e-Government.

Acting Secretary for the County Public Service Board, Silah Rono, said the board will expedite the integration of transferred personnel into the county employment systems as per the established structures.

IGTRC representative Martin Kuelekho said the committee is finalising all functions meant to be devolved as per the constitution to counties.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Virhembe Sublocation residents have asked the Kakamega County government to divert funds meant to construct a modern slaughterhouse to build a dispensary.

Speaking during a public participation forum at Shipalo Market in Shinyalu Sub County, the residents said they would benefit more from a dispensary than a slaughterhouse whose sole purpose is to supply meat.

They also wondered why the county government decided to build a slaughterhouse in the village, asking where the county would obtain cattle to be slaughtered and who would consume the meat.

Market chair Henry Mukisiwa said it is good to interrogate in order to avoid having a project that would be of little benefit to the community.

He said it is surprising that, about 10 kilometres from Shipalo, the county is also repairing a slaughterhouse at Shiyalu market and another at Khayega market.

‘The slaughterhouse at Shipalo would rely on Khayega to supply cattle for slaughter but with the establishment of another slaughter house at Khayega, it poses a challenge to the viability of this project,’ he noted.

A youth representative, Eric Shinali, said a dispensary was important since, apart from providing medical attention and first aid, the facility would offer employment to locals.

Isukha Central Ward Administrator Emily Asiko wondered why residents have changed their minds yet approved the establishment of the slaughterhouse through two public participation forums that were held in 2021.

‘We did public participation twice, and you unanimously approved the project,’ the Ward Administrator said.

She said she will follow up with the Project Management Committee to fast-track the Project so that it is completed once residents agree for it to continue.

According to the Ward Administration, the county government allocated Sh26 million for construction of the modern slaughterhouse in 2021.

The Project is currently at a 25 percent completion rate, with the contractor asking for review of the Bill of Quantities due to the increasing cost of construction materials.

The contractor has already been paid Sh4 million for the work done on site.

Member of the County Assembly for Isukha Central Ward Danstone Mukofu urged locals to allow the project to continue, promising that he will follow up with relevant departments to ensure another land is available for the construction of a dispensary.

He noted that with the planned elevation of Shinyalu market to a Municipality, the slaughterhouse at Shipalo will be of value to them.

The legislator noted that he will organize a proper sensitization forum for Butchers around the area and farmers who rear cattle for meat to make the project a success.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Two people were shot dead and scores of others injured as police engaged protestors in the lakeside city of Kisumu.

One of the deceased, who was shot in the chest at Nyawita, died at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital as medics tried to resuscitate him.

The second victim, according to the hospital’s management, was brought in already dead and taken directly to the morgue.

This brings to four the total number of lives lost in the three days of protests called by the Azimio coalition to protest against the high cost of living.

Five other people sustained serious gunshot wounds on various parts of their bodies and are currently admitted to the facility.

A nurse at the facility who requested anonymity said medics were overwhelmed by the high number of victims rushed to the facility with gunshot wounds and other injuries as a result of the ongoing protests.

According to records, the victims were shot at Kachok, Manyatta, Nyawita, Obunga, Nyamasaria and Ofunyu areas.

As the protests enter day three, tension remains high in the lakeside city as businesses within the central business district and residential areas remain closed.

For the third day in a row, day schools remained closed, with parents fearing to take their children to school out of apprehension for their safety.

At MM Shah Primary School, the gates remained closed, with security personnel patrolling the compound.

The situation was the same at Highway Primary School and Junior Secondary School, Victoria Primary School, Kibuye Primary School and Kisumu Day Secondary School.

Police officers lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse protestors at Kondele and parts of Nyalenda early morning as they regrouped to embark on day three’s demonstrations.

At Nyalenda slums, residents complained of police officers using brutal force and lobbing tear gas canisters into people’s houses.

Janet Auma, a resident of Nyalenda Kilo, said she has been unable to leave her house since yesterday due to the heavy bombardment of tear gas lobbed by police and gunshots.

‘It is very terrifying. My children have not slept. How I wish they could handle this in a humane manner,’ she said.

Meanwhile, human rights activists in the area have called for the immediate release of human rights defender Boniface Ogutu.

According to their statement, Ogutu was abducted on Thursday afternoon by plain-clothes police officers who were riding on three motorbikes at Kassagam Flyover in Kisumu East.

‘The circumstances surrounding the arrest of Boniface Ogutu raise serious questions about the state of freedom of expression and assembly in Kenya,’ read the statement in part.

They asked the government to immediately and unconditionally release the human rights defender.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Police in Busia have arrested nine members of an illegal group famously known as ‘jobless’.

Speaking to the press in his office on Friday, Busia County Commissioner Kipchumba Ruto said that the group that resides in Marachi Estate survives on criminal activities.

‘We told them to surrender themselves to security agencies, but they still continue to engage police officers,’ he said, adding that the group has resorted to recruiting some youth from Uganda to assist in looting, stealing from members of the public and burning tyres on the roads.

Ruto added that officers raided their hideouts, recovered crude weapons and stolen items and arrested nine of them, who will face several criminal charges, including economic sabotage.

‘They will be able to answer other serious charges as preferred by the police,’ he said, adding that the security team is pursuing the leaders of this criminal gang.

He pointed out that some of the group members have moved out of Busia to the neighbouring country of Uganda.

‘We are working closely with Ugandan security with a view to arresting them and soon we are going to catch up with them,’ he said.

The CC further said that the group is being sponsored by politicians at both local and national levels to loot, destroy property and cause mayhem in the town.

‘We are warning them and we are saying we are going to arrest them because we know where they are,’ he said, adding that some known officials from the County government are also sponsoring the illegal group.

Ruto disclosed that the names of the officials are already with the County police commander and they will soon be arrested.

‘We are requesting the owner of the premises where the jobless group is operating to come out and record a statement with the police because they have been harbouring criminal suspects,’ he said.

He further urged parents from within Busia town, especially Bulanda,Marachi and Estate 48, to warn their children against coming out in the streets to engage police officers in support of the illegal group.

‘The government has banned demonstrations across the republic of Kenya, including Busia and it remains so until otherwise,’ he said.

The CC at the same time stated that the goons attempted to loot some shops in Busia town during the early and late hours of Thursday night but police officers repulsed them.

‘Police have recovered the stolen items that were stolen by the goons,’ he said, adding that security officers will continue with their mandate of protecting the lives and property of the locals.

Ruto further dismissed rumours making the rounds that a police officer was killed during the Thursday demonstrations, adding that he has not received any report from the County Police Commander.

He warned police officers against taking advantage of the protests to loot from the public, adding that nobody is above the law.

The CC assured the local journalists that they would be granted security while discharging their mandate.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Blueberry hawkers in Nakuru city are counting losses due to lack of customers, occasioned by the Azimio opposition protesters, that has drastically reduced the number of people who visit the Central Business District (CBD) due to fears of being caught up in the skirmishes.

Faith Njoki, a fruit seller of the fast-perishable fruits, said due to increased temperatures and a lack of cooling centres or fridges, many of them have had to discard the rotten fruits.

Interviewed by Kna today at the CBD, where many of them hawk fruits, that are in season, she said they source the small, delicious fruits from Tanzania, where they are currently in plenty.

She added that the few blueberries that are grown near Lake Naivasha are mainly booked by hotels in advance, hence the need to source them from Tanzania, where they are grown in abundance.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which was signed by Kenya in 2018, promised broader and deeper economic integration and has benefited food traders in Nakuru County.

Njoki, who’s a university graduate and well-informed about the free movement of goods across East Africa, said a majority of the fruits eaten in the county, including bananas, pawpaws, and oranges, are mainly imported from Tanzania.

She noted that blueberries were popular because they are packed with a powerful punch in terms of health benefits; such as antioxidants, and flavonoids, which are good for the eyes, digestion, blood sugar regulation, and skin health.

However, a nutritionist in the city David Maina, said while blueberries and other fruits are beneficial, they are just one part of a healthy and balanced diet.

He urged the residents to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to ensure they get a broad range of nutrients and other health benefits.

Also, Maina disparaged the craze of making and drinking juices and smoothies, which he noted are popularized by social media influencers, and added that whole fruits were much better because they have fiber that the body requires for digestion.

The most noticeable small-scale businesses in the city are MPesa agents and fruit sellers, which are also hawked in plastic containers, which the nutritionists termed extremely unhealthy.

Source: Kenya News Agency