Day: April 25, 2024

Taxi-hailing app company, Uber has rolled out fast food delivery services in Kisumu city.

Christened Uber Eats, the service will enable customers in Kisumu and its environs to enjoy their favourite breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack from the restaurants delivered to their doorstep after placing an order.

Nakampe Molewa, the General Manager of Uber Eats for Sub-Saharan Africa reiterated that the move comes with the realisation of an awesome opportunity for the young vibrant market which is growing in the country.

‘We see the potential to have a stunning business in Kisumu and shall bring our unique offering of on-demand commerce, selection and affordable offering to the residents across the country,” said Molewa during Wednesday’s launching ceremony at a Kisumu Hotel.

He stressed that they are seeking to enhance the overall service delivery experience and contribute to the growth of economic opportunities which will be created for the locals.

The other important parties in this cycle, he revealed, are the
merchants and the Western partners themselves.

‘The company is expressing its joy in expanding into new cities and satellite towns. We shall be keen on the Locals’ Favourite that the residents consume and that’s what we are trying to discover and our merchants’ ability to provide them,” he assured.

Farida Salim, County Executive Member (CECM) for Trade, Tourism, Industry and Marketing expressed her delight with the entry of Uber Eats to Kisumu County.

‘We highly anticipate significant value being created for restaurants and small businesses. This is a great example of a collaboration between the private and public sector, which will yield benefits for individuals, businesses, and the local community,” Salim observed.

Kui Mbugua the General Manager of Uber Eats-Kenya, said that the app will connect consumers to merchants and facilitate anything at the touch of a button.

‘This means food, groceries, retail, pharmacy and liquor items all at the touch of a button. We have already rolled out the services in
Nairobi. Over the past six years we have expanded across the country,” Mbugua explained.

She revealed that the services were first rolled out in Mombasa, Nakuru, Naivasha, and Eldoret.

Uber Eats will focus its business selection on where the merchants and stores are located which are largely found in the Central Business Districts (CBD) and hub of Kisumu.

‘Overtime we will move to get to the smaller towns but we have to ensure that the economic conditions work. That’s a combination of the consumer having the digital capacity, and the merchants having the selections with stores being available,” Mbugua clarified.

She added that another key player will be the availability of the boda boda guys (service delivery men) who will be able to transport to and from the stores. They are looking forward to growing the rider base alongside the consumers and the partners.

In addition, they have started with the smaller areas in the CBD and new hubs in the neighbourhood and are looking to expand their area of scope.

‘
It’s our joy to partner with the merchants for the fruitful deliveries across the country,” Mbugua noted.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Residents of Igembe South Sub County have been warned against taking the law into their own hands following an incident which saw a 25 year old Dennis Matheta burnt to ashes by an angry mob.

The suspect was believed to have been stealing livestock and poultry around Kimongoro, Ankamia and Akachiu in Igembe South sub-county.

According to the angry residents, the man has been caught severally and escaped with minor beating but on Wednesday morning, the situation escalated when he was caught red handed escaping with around 20 chickens from the neighbourhood, where angry residents beat the man and set his body ablaze.

The area OCS Samada cautioned the residents not to be taking laws into their hands maintaining that, ‘We strongly condemn this act of violence and lawlessness and we urge the residents to allow justice system to perform its mandate’.

The law enforcement officer said they would not tolerate such acts which compromised the law and justice in the community.

He reiterated the importance of law, pea
ce and order and urged the residents to report any suspected criminal incident for the law to take its course.

The OCS maintained that his office is doing all it could to crack down any incidence of crime including smoking out illicit brewers.

He further called the community policing to be extra vigilant and to continue liaising with the security agencies in ensuring law and order is maintained.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Turkana County Government in partnership with GIZ, has contracted Koxcloud Digital, a consulting firm to develop the Turkana County Energy Database website, which will give the Energy Directorate access to all Data regarding Energy and its available resources in the County.

This website will be a one-stop shop whereby any investor or partner can easily get access to the Turkana County Energy status from any part of the country.

Director for Energy and Petroleum, Jackson Lojore, said that the website will address absence of data hindering decision-making processes in the Energy sector.

‘As a County, we do not have enough and orderly arranged data on what resources are available, their distribution or utilisation patterns. Ideally, we have been working with very limited information. This has accounted for slow growth within the sector,’ the Director said.

Team leader for Koxcloud Digital Consultancy Wilfred Ayieko highlighted the need for a consolidated database for players in the energy sector especially i
n decision making.

According to Mr Ayieko, there was need for the county to adopt a digital and dynamic software with a wide range of data functionality to allow for inclusion of all relevant variables.

Director Lojore emphasised that the intended database had been designed to give real-time reports, and status of interventions by stakeholders in the sector so as to avoid duplication of efforts.

‘In a county where resources such as Solar, Geothermal, Hydropower, Biomass and Wind energy are abundant, there is need to coordinate sector partners’ involvement through data informed evidence. This technology will assist us in achieving that goal,’ added Director Lojore.

The Directorate of Energy and Petroleum Production in partnership with GIZ through a project called Energy Solutions for Displacement Settings (ESDS) have so far supported the Directorate in developing four legal documents awaiting approval by the Cabinet and will later be forwarded to the County Assembly: Turkana County Energy Sector Plan 2022-
2026, Turkana County Energy Policy, Turkana County Energy Bill and Regulations 2024, and Turkana County Energy Database.

GIZ through ESDS Project has offered to capacity build 20 county staff on matters Renewable Energy, Environment and Climate Change mitigation measures and adaptation.

Senior officials from the Directorate of Energy and Petroleum were present including Geoffrey Eregae, Areman Elim, Hosea Emeripus, and Eng Samuel Ebei.

The GIZ focal person for Energy Solutions for Displacement Settings (ESDS), Veronica Teranoi, and Dr Jeremiah Onunga, a Lecturer at Turkana University College were also present in the meeting.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Police in Imenti North, Meru County, have nabbed 1,000 litres of changáa in the Majengo area of Meru town in an operation meant to end the manufacturing and sale of illicit brew in the region and the county.

Led by area Police Commander Mr Abdulllahi Adan Alio, the officers raided the home of a notorious brewer in the area whose reports indicated that he has a wide web of people mainly bodaboda riders who distribute it to various corners of the sub-county.

‘We were lucky to find the brewer at his home where he carries out his business and what surprised us is that he is a disabled person and did not seem to be surprised by our presence,’ he said.

‘We were able to ransack his homestead and seized changáa as well as various tools of his trade,’ said Alio.

He added that he also got credible information about the other three notorious brewers within the town who were continuing with the business despite various warnings from the police and other leaders.

‘The arrest of their colleague should be a warning to
the other three since we will not relent in this noble duty of saving the future generation from being wiped out through consumption of brews that are being prepared using weird materials including inner wears,’ said Alio.

He said some of the brewers had a habit of continuing with the business even after being charged in court but said that on such occasions, he would not be tired of re-arresting and taking them to court.

‘We are calling on members of the public to be open to us in terms of sharing vital information about other brewers so that we can work together for a safe future,’ said Alio.

Source: Kenya News Agency

At least 52,000 needy students in secondary schools and Vocational Training Centres in Kisii are set to benefit from a Sh245 million County Bursary Fund for the year 2024.

The Bursary kitty has been increased from Sh145 million to Sh245 million and each of the 45 electoral wards has been allocated an average of 5 million shillings.

Speaking during the distribution of the bursary cheques at Gusii Stadium in Kisii town, Kisii Governor Simba Arati said that despite the late distribution of the bursary which was occasioned by delays in the approval of the County Budget, the students will receive their cheques in time for the schools’ second term.

‘Our quest to support needy students is out of the need to finance their education which is a worthy equaliser that enables all to scale the socio-economic, political and leadership ladder,’ noted Arati.

The Governor pointed out that this year’s bursary fund had factored in vulnerable students from Vocational Training Centres who were not previous beneficiaries of th
e fund.

In order to ensure the exercise was transparent, Arati said that he had led the distribution of the bursary forms in all the wards and ensured his team drafted individual cheques to the beneficiaries.

The County Boss urged the benefiting students to work diligently and post impressive academic performance so that the county can realise value for money spent on the bursary programme.

In addition, Arati said the county had absorbed all the ECDE teachers under permanent terms and the ECDE centres will receive a face lift to help boost performance in the education sector.

‘We are gearing to revamp out Vocational Training Centres and our plan to have our training colleges mentored by centres of excellence in technical training is well on course,’ he concluded.

Source: Kenya News Agency

At least 15,000 tree seedlings will be planted in Makueni County during this rainy season, Makueni County Commissioner (CC) Mr. Henry Wafula has said.

Wafula said this at Makueni Boys High School where he launched the national tree planting where 1,000 tree seedlings were planted by the government officers and wananchi on Thursday.

The administrator called upon the residents to plant trees in their homesteads and ensure the trees are nurtured into maturity in a bid to contribute to the Presidential Directive of planting 15 billion by 2032 in the country.

‘Through various stakeholders in Kibwezi, Makindu and a multi-agency approach in government, we are going to plant 15,000 trees across the county,’ said Wafula said.

Makueni County Forest Conservator Mr. Martin Mutie said that his officers in Mbooni, Kilungu, Makuli and Kibwezi Forest Stations, and members of public were planting trees in a bid to achieve the target.

He noted that logging has greatly reduced incidences of fires and attributed it to the g
ood relationship with the community that has taken up the protection of the forests as their resource.

‘We have formed a network with the community through community forest associations. Logging has reduced greatly and issues of fire incidences have gone down after the community realized the Kenya Forest Service is a custodian and they have taken it upon themselves to protect the forests,’ said Mutie.

Those who graced the occasion included departmental heads from both levels of government and teachers among others.

Source: Kenya News Agency