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The Omuthiya Town Council has appointed 221 unemployed youth in various temporary positions and on a contract basis since July this year.

The town council’s public relations officer, Ottilie Shingenge, on Wednesday told Nampa the aim is to empower residents of Omuthiya town and surrounding villages through employment provision.

The first group recruited on 11 July consisted of 78 locals while the second group consisted of 70 people who started working on 26 July. The third group of 73 people were employed on 08 August.

“The council has created an unemployment database that works on a ‘first come, first served’ basis as per the council resolution and through its recruitment policy of hiring on a temporary and contract basis,” Shingenge said.

The council will continue to recruit temporary workers on a weekly basis for two months and when the need arises in order to give everyone registered on the database a fair chance at employment.

Shingenge explained that the contract labourers are responsible for debushing, picking up litter, cleaning and the removal of broken glass, amongst others.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Leaders from Elgeyo Marakwet have called on residents to jealously guard their privacy, saying the responsibility of protecting one’s data starts with the individual.

Led by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Grace Cheserek, the leaders regretted that Kenyans and especially the youth carelessly share their personal data on social media without giving a thought to how the information may be used against them.

Speaking during a sensitization seminar on data protection in an Iten hotel, the leaders said while the government is doing all it can to protect one’s data through setting up institutions like the Office of Data Protection Commission (ODPC), once information is released, it becomes difficult to control how it could be used.

Principal Data Protection officer in charge of Advocacy and Collaboration at ODPC, Abdullahi Ali, advised Kenyans to beware when opening links sent to their smart phones and also allowing apps downloaded from the internet to access information on their phones.

He called on Kenyans to report to the Commission any calls or organisations they suspect may be misusing their data so that they could be investigated.

Nicholas Kipkoech, also from the Commission, said any organisation, both private and public that processes data, citing schools, health facilities and churches, among others, must register with the Commission so that they can be regulated.

Saying that Kenyans are asked for their personal data regularly, which is normal, Kipkoech said they have a right to have the same information expunged after they are through.

‘We are normally asked to provide our personal data that is our names, IDs, and phone numbers, when entering some buildings due to security reasons. We have a right to request to have our personal data expunged once we leave the building,’ he said.

The Deputy Governor said going forward, any company doing business with the county must register with the ODPC since they would be using data from the county and therefore need to safeguard the same according to the law.

The County Commissioner, John Korir, said while collection of data is as old as mankind, technology has made it dangerous to share the same due to the possibility of it being misused.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Ministers, Heads of Delegations and representatives of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states have embarked on the path to discuss and share collective understanding of the region’s state of risk transfer mechanisms and transboundary pest management and affirm shared commitment to promote proactive risk management.

Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Cabinet Secretary (CS), Mithika Linturi, lauded the initiative by IGAD through its climate prediction and application centre (ICPAC) and the support provided by the United States of America in the role of risk transfer and microinsurance mechanisms in building the resilience of societies against various risks.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Agriculture Principal Secretary at the State Department for Crop Development in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Josephat Muhunyu, the CS said, ‘There are many risks like climate-related disasters and disease outbreaks that transcend national boundaries and there is a need to explore opportunities for cross-border collaboration in order to effectively address shared challenges.’

Linturi expressed his concerns over the region’s increased vulnerability to climate change and observed intensification of extreme climate events, including droughts and floods and their impact on food security and livelihoods.

He further recognised the crucial role of technology and data to enhance efficiency of risk transfer and microinsurance corporations, which will recognise the need for awareness campaigns and educational programmes to promote the benefits of risk transfer and microinsurance organisms.

‘I urge Member states through the IGAD secretariat to be proactive in sharing information and best practises to coordinate and build the necessary capacities in combating the locust menace to predict, monitor and control the spread of new swarms,’ Linturi said.

In addition, the CS declared joint commitment to develop a comprehensive road map that prioritises the strengthening of the region’s food systems and enhancing resilience to the multi-dimensional risks that impact food security across the region to promote their wellbeing and sustainable development, which will lead to peace.

‘I commit to working with Desert Locust Control Organisation of Eastern Africa (DLCO_EA) and Food and Agricultural Organisations (FAO) to collaborate and synergize their activities in combating desert locust and other transboundary pests and provide technical support to member state to enhance early warning systems,’ he noted.

The IGAD Executive Secretary, Dr Workneh Gebeyeh, said that the recent assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that climate change is a threat to all future development efforts in Africa due to high vulnerability of local communities and their low capacity to address the impacts of climate variability and change.

‘Food insecurities caused by extreme weather events, transboundary pest infestations, violent conflict and microeconomic challenges in the IGAD region have reached unprecedented and alarming level,’ he said.

Gebeyeh emphasised the need to come together as a unified force to address vulnerability more effectively, promote sustainable development and build resilience among pastoralists and subsistence farmers.

‘The integration of risk transfer and microinsurance services into community-based approaches is vital for promoting social cohesion and mutual support, which will improve access to education and health care for the vulnerable population within our region,’ he added.

He noted that to maximise the impact, they should address challenges such as limited awareness, financial literacy and regulatory barriers through United efforts so as to ensure implementation and long-term success.

Gebeyeh emphasised that implanting integrated pest management (IPM) practises across the region will reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and promote sustainable pest control since pest control regulations will facilitate smooth movement of Agricultural commodities, thus increasing trade opportunities and ultimately enhancing food security.

Source: Kenya News Agency

St. Anthony Boys High School from Kitale is leading pool B in the National Secondary School Soccer competitions after overpowering Serani from the coast with a 2-0 victory during Wednesday’s matches in Kakamega.

They now have 10 goals and six points after they thrashed Khorof from North Eastern 8-0 during yesterday’s opener.

Dagoreti High follows the solidarity boys in pool B with 3 points and six goals. Serani have not scored any goals but were beaten 1-0 by Dagoreti and 2-0 by St. Anthony’s on Wednesday.

Matiliku closes the list in pool B with no goal with Tuesday’s humiliating defeat of 8-0 from St. Anthony’s and today’s defeat of 2-0 from Dagoreti High.

In Pool A, Shanderema leads with a total of 4 points and 8 goals, and Agoro Sare follows with 4 points and 1 goal. Kiringari is third with 3 points, while Khorof closes the list.

In the soccer girls category, Butere girls are leading in pool A with 4 points and 5 goals, followed by Dagoreti girls with 4 points and one goal. Njambini comes in third with 3 points and 1 goal, as Kombani trails.

Madira Girls are leading pool B with 4 points and 7 goals, with Wiyeta Girls coming in second with 4 points and one goal. Lwak girls have 3 points with 2 goals, as Mbitini comes last having suffered a blow of 10 goals.

Shanderema High will now play Kiringari High School in soccer boys pool A while Agoro Sare will have an encounter with Khorof.

In Pool B, Dagoreti High will meet St. Anthony Boys as Serani High squares off with Matiliku Boys.

In volleyball, Anderson defeated Ruthimitu 3-0 with 25 sets to 22, 25-20, and 25 sets to 19.

Furaha School lost to Tumaini 0-3 after a series of 8-25, 10-25, and 9-25 attempts. Namwela defeated Vitengani 3-1 after a 23-25, 25-19, and 25-22 encounter.

Onjoko High lost to Tetu 1-3 after leading 25 sets to 21, 21-25, 20-25, and 22 sets to 25.

In the volleyball girl’s category, Kesogon thrashed Nyakach 3-0 after a 25-19, 25-17, 25-10 encounter. Senior chief girls lost to Kwanthanze 0-3 with 5 sets to 25 sets, 2-25, and 3 sets to 25 sets.

Viambani lost to Soweto 0-3 after 11-25, 10-25 and 14-25 sets. Mwitoti from Western Kenya defeated Karima Girls 3-0 with a series of wins of 25 sets to 14, 25-13 and 25-13.

Source: Kenya News Agency