Day: June 10, 2024

Bomet Governor Prof. Hillary Barchok has directed education officials in the region to closely monitor the contractors undertaking the construction of Early Childhood Development and Education centres.

The Governor said this was to ensure quality work so as to ensure not only value for money but also provide a conducive learning environment for the pupils.

The order was followed by a rigorous inspection led by the Director of ECDE, Thomas Bii, and the Public Works Department officials who conducted the exercise at Kapkoitim, Ngocho, Kapletundo, and Judea centres, among others, last week.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The government is on course to actualize its ambitious goal of universal access to clean cooking energy by 2028 by facilitating the establishment of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) bulk import handling and storage facilities to bridge the supply gap in the country.

The government’s interventions in the LPG sector are guided by the Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy (KNCTS) 2024-2028.

The 2022 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) shows that there is a high dependence on traditional cooking fuels. ‘In total, 68.5% of the population, or 9.1 million households (1.7 million in urban areas and 7.4 million in rural areas), rely on traditional cooking fuel,’ reads in part the DHS report.

The Principal Secretary for the State Department for Petroleum, Mohamed Liban, made an extensive tour of LPG bulk import facilities in Mombasa and Kilifi County on Monday to assess their level of preparedness to handle and supply LPG.

PS Liban toured the Kenya Pipeline Refinery Limited (KPRL) in Changamwe, where the Kenya Pi
peline Company Limited (KPC) is constructing an LPG import, storage, and handling facility.

The project will provide existing shippers and other new entrants with bulk storage, road/rail tanker loading, and cylinder filling facilities for LPG gas, thus boosting supply in the local and export markets.

According to KPC, the proposed new facility is to be designed as a ‘common user’ facility for dispensing LPG to interested parties through rail siding, truck loading, and bottling facilities. The facility will mainly receive LPG from pressurized LPG ships berthed at Kipevu Oil Terminal (KOT-2) Jetty into the storage tanks using a product import line.

The PS also toured private LPG investments, including Gapco (Total Energies) Terminal, Africa Gas and Oil Limited, and Lake Gas.

Liban said that the Regulation Policy is currently in its final stages of development, a collaborative effort between the State Counsel and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA). This comprehensive policy aims to streamli
ne the sector’s operations and ensure greater transparency.

Alongside this, the implementation of an open tender system, similar to the one utilized in the fuel sector, is also nearing completion. This new system is expected to enhance competition and efficiency, ultimately benefiting consumers and stakeholders alike.

Addressing the challenge of gas cylinders being lost and misused by middlemen, the Principal Secretary announced that the Ministry is developing an advanced ICT system. This project will assign unique tracking numbers to each cylinder, linking them to specific supplier companies to simplify record-keeping and enhance traceability, ensuring that cylinders remain within the legitimate supply chain and reducing the risk of unauthorized use.

He noted that they are now working on the regional mapping for assigning the companies to distribute the cylinders.

The PS said that it is important to closely monitor and support the operations of these facilities to ensure the main Key Performance Indicato
rs (KPI) of the government regarding the supply of LPG are achieved.

The KPIs he said were the accessibility of the LPG. He stated that more than 12 million Kenyans are not yet accessing LPG. On affordability, he noted that LPG is meant to be very affordable for Kenyans to utilize. The safety and security of the LPG supply is also one of the key aspects the government is working on.

‘Many Kenyans are either partially using LPG or relying entirely on firewood, this includes institutions such as public boarding schools, prisons, hospitals, the National Youth Service, and the police. Our goal is to eliminate the negative environmental and health impacts associated with these practices,’ Liban said.

He assured that over the next ten years, the Ministry aims to ensure that 40 per cent of the 12 million people currently without access to LPG will be served through the Gas Reticulation Initiative. This initiative, championed by the President, aligns with efforts to provide affordable housing and improve living st
andards across the country.

‘We are looking at the value Chain of LPG from the common user facility (infrastructure) so that private players can chip in, leading to consistent distribution and how it can be accessed. We are also focusing on the value chain of the production and the impact it will impose on Kenyans,’ Liban said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Human rights stakeholders have encouraged more men to raise awareness about reducing the stigma associated with period poverty among women.

Speaking in Nanyuki over the weekend after a 10-kilometre race organised by Binti Mwangaza, a Community-Based Organisation (CBO) that aimed to sensitise Laikipia residents about menstrual hygiene, many of the speakers said a majority of women and girls, especially those from poor families, need support to break taboos and discrimination due to period poverty.

Binti Mwangaza is a Nanyuki-based CBO that targets to support rural women through menstrual hygiene.

‘It’s very important to support women in eliminating period poverty stigma through awareness and make men understand it’s a normal thing. Please ensure there is no shame in speaking about it,’ said James Maina, a 10km run participant.

Additionally, Maina noted that creating safe forums for young girls to speak out about menstruation was crucial in eradicating the challenges they undergo in their daily lives, inclu
ding dropping out of school due to lack of basic commodities like sanitary towels.

‘Young girls drop out of school, and others are taken advantage of by men, and as a result, they get pregnant when trying to get sanitary pads. As men, this is something we should all partner on and eradicate,’ he urged.

Data from the Ministry of Education shows that girls from poor families miss about 20 per cent of their school days due to lack of sanitary towels.

According to Binti Mwangaza, CBO Ann Gakii, availing sanitary pads for girls and women was one way of ensuring they are not left out since the majority can’t access them as a result of poverty, hence being taken advantage of by a section of men.

‘In our society, young girls and women feel shameful about menstruation, and creating a safe space for both men and women to come together openly to discuss it is important,” she said.

She added that for the past 13 years they had been in operation, they had supported over 30,000 women and girls with free reusable sani
tary pads in the county in a bid to have dignified lives for them.

Meanwhile, according to the Africa Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), only 50 per cent of girls openly discuss their menstruation cycle at home.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Bomet Senator Wakili Hillary Sigei has urged Bomet residents to make their contribution heard on the finance Bill before it is presented before the National Assembly.

Sigei said the Finance Bill was to be passed after incorporating the views of the common Mwananchi through public participation.

He said this at Kapletundo Ward Sunday during a church service as well as a fundraiser for Chebilat Catholic Church in Kapkatet Parish.

The Senator said the Bill was meant to make legislation that would allow funds to trickle down to counties so as to enhance socio-economic development as well as welfare programmes such as bursaries, among others.

At the same time, Sigei urged leaders to work together for the benefit of the people, since they voted them in.

Others present at the function included Immigration PS Prof. Julius Bitok, who was the chief guest, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot; and a host of Members of Parliament, as well as Members of the County Assembly led by their host, Dennis Busienei.

Sour
ce: Kenya News Agency