Day: June 4, 2024

Machakos Woman Representative Joyce Kamene has launched the distribution of sanitary materials to 6,571 girls drawn from 863 primary schools in Machakos County courtesy of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF).

She further revealed that the initiative targets pupils from grade five to eight and each girl will receive eight packets.

Speaking at St. Mary’s Girls Primary in Machakos County, while launching the exercise Kamene said the free sanitary towels will ensure that the girls do not miss school during their menses and especially for those from vulnerable backgrounds.

‘Menstrual hygiene is a fundamental aspect for one’s health and dignity. Menstruation is a natural process and should never bring shame or embarrassment.’

Kamene also disclosed that NGAAF will distribute water-tanks to schools to ensure proper water storage that is essential for maintaining hygiene.

‘We will provide tanks in two schools in each ward to ensure proper hygiene and prevent issues like flooding,’ she added.

S
ource: Kenya News Agency

Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has called on Kenyans to actively play their roles to enable the government to achieve its economic plans.

Speaking in Meru County during the Medium-Term Plan IV (MTP IV) dissemination forums, CS Linturi said the government will only achieve its plans with all the citizens’ input in whatever sub-sector they were working on.

‘The government has an elaborate plan for its citizens and this is what we came to tell you today. It is however paramount that everyone helps us in achieving them, without which we will not go far,’ said Mr Linturi.

He said the Kenya Kwanza government’s main plan was to ensure that there was the creation of at least 1.2 million jobs per year, construction of affordable houses, construction of roads as well as balancing of the foreign exchange.

‘For us to talk of a stabilised economy, we should ensure that we have balanced our exports compared to imports. As it stands, we are importing more than we export and this
is what we are focusing to address,’ said Mr Linturi.

He gave an example of rice where he said that the country requires 1.1 metric tonnes of rice per year but produces only 100,000 metric tonnes which means that the rest is usually imported.

‘We want to expand exports of tea, and coffee and these will ensure that we bring in more foreign currency that we are taking out or at least balance it,’ said Mr Linturi.

He commended tea farmers in the country adding that they have been able to increase their exports from Sh139 billion to Sh196 billion in the last six months.

He said the government was also keenly focussing on dairy and leather value chains which will not only create job opportunities for Kenyans but also bring in more foreign currency in terms of exports.

‘We also want to increase our milk production from the current 5.1 billion liters to 11 billion liters and this will only be possible if we give our animals nutritious food.’

‘On the government side, we are providing sex semen to change our dai
ry cow breeds as well as financing farmers to put up feed mills which can produce adequate feeds to their dairy cows,’ said Mr Linturi.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Principal Secretary (PS) in the State Department for Parliamentary Affairs within the Prime Cabinet Secretary’s Office, Ms. Aurelia Rono has called on multi- sectoral approach to the tree growing activities in order to achieve a 30% forest cover by 2032.

Speaking during a tree planting exercise by the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary at Chuka Forest station, the PS disclosed that the office was not only committed towards the planting of tress, but also their growing and nurturing to maturity.

‘We shall be working with the County Commissioners, Kenya Forest Service and relevant stakeholders to ensure we get 100 percent survival chances for the trees. We will use the regular visits assigned to us by the Ministry of Environment to check on the progress planted trees and add more to ensure our forests are recovered,’ Ms. Rono asserted.

The PS urged members of the public and stakeholders including the County Government and the National Government to embrace the 15 billion tree initiative by President W
illiam Ruto as a way of ensuring restoration of national ecosystems and the nation’s landscape.

‘We want to have 30% tree cover by 2032. At the moment we are at 12% nationally, and at 26.98 % in Tharaka Nithi County, which is commendable,’ she said.

PS Rono revealed that towards the achievement of 15 billion trees, the Office of Prime Cabinet Secretary has planted 16,000 trees in forests around the county, and has donated 2,000 fruit trees to residents.

‘The forests have really suffered a great deal over the years. They have been razed down and cut down to create spaces for grazing and settlements among other reasons and that’s why the landscape has really changed in the world, causing the changes in climate and environment,’ the PS stated.

In his remarks during the exercise, Tharaka Nithi County Commissioner, David Gitonga said the government in collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service and 58 groups in the county has produced 1.6 million tree seedlings so far.

The County Commissioner noted that the d
evolved unit was on course to attain their target.

‘We have a target of planting 137 million trees in the next 10 years in line with the government’s target of 15b trees. That translates to 13 million trees every year,’ said Mr. Gitonga.

The Cabinet’s decision to assign each Cabinet Secretary specific degraded sites for full restoration has been termed as a demonstration of the Government’s deep commitment to climate action.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), has embarked on a three-day training for Corruption Prevention Committee (CPC) members and senior officers from the State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunication.

The training is meant to equip the senior officers with skills and knowledge that are necessary in fighting corruption in their departments.

Speaking at a Machakos hotel during the ongoing training, Solomon Atela Assistant Director at the EACC said that the training will help in assisting and strengthening the state department with corruption prevention mechanisms.

Atela added that the training is set to help to effectively mainstream ethics and anti-corruption practices in the state department.

‘The commission gave guidelines to assist ministries and state agencies to put structures and procedures in place which can detect and prevent corruption and bribery,’ said Atela.

On her part Juliana Yapan the Secretary Administrator from State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunication an
d Member of the CPC, pointed out that the training from the EACC will equip them with knowledge and guidance on various ways of enhancing corruption prevention strategies.

She added that by the end of the training, the participants are expected to have a better understanding of their role in fighting corruption in the state department and in the government as well.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Siaya county women representative Dr. Christine Ombaka has called on the National Government through Parliament to increase allocation of the National Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF).

She also called for more women groups to register in order to benefit from grants being issued by NGAAF.

She said this as she presided over distribution of bursaries to students from different schools in Alego Usonga constituency.

Dr Ombaka also oversaw the distribution of blankets and other items to the elderly and those who were recently affected by floods.

Part of the items included umbrellas to small scale traders who mainly consist of women who had no stalls to shield themselves from the scorching sun and rain, in a bid to empower them in their income generation activities.

While issuing cheques to some well performing self-help groups, Dr Ombaka called on Siaya women to form a united front in order to take full advantage of the financial assistance provided by the National government through her office.

‘If we can fo
rm groups of various ventures to empower ourselves such as table banking and agriculture, and make good use of such opportunities provided through NGAAF, then we have immense potential to empower our communities as well,’ she said.

The groups that benefited from the funding included Young Investors Group, a youth group from township ward, which engages in farming, table banking and empowering other youth through funding and conducting follow ups on their businesses.

The women representative said that it was her duty to empower the women, the youth and people living with disability.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Cabinet Secretary for information, Communications and The Digital economy, Eliud Owalo has called on Kenyans to own the Medium Term Plan document for ease of implementation.

According to Owalo, ownership of any development plan is a critical process which stakeholders have to embrace for it to be executed effectively.

He was speaking at a Siaya hotel when he presided over the Siaya county dissemination forum for the Medium Term Plan (MTP IV).

The CS called on the stakeholders to read and understand the contents of the MTP IV and be its advocates.

Owalo called for close collaboration between the county and national governments for the country to realize its development goals.

He at the same time announced that the government, through his ministry, will roll out 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic within the next two years as part of the strategy to take internet services closer to the public.

The CS said that already, the government has mapped all areas where fibre services are to be rolled out, adding tha
t it will leverage the existing Kenya Power infrastructure.

‘We are changing the model. As opposed to digging trenches to roll out fibre connectivity, we are leveraging the existing power lines,’ he said adding; ‘The net effect is that everywhere with power line will have a fibre line.’

Owalo said that his ministry has already signed a cooperation agreement with Kenya Power over the same and implementation of the exercise is expected to begin within a month.

The dissemination forum was also attended by Siaya county commissioner, Nobert Komora, county and national government officials and civil society representatives from Siaya.

Source: Kenya News Agency