Category: General

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) Western Region programme officer George Kasera has urged county governments to support the establishment of rehabilitation centres.

Speaking to KNA, Kasera noted that Kakamega is already equipping a rehab centre for drug addicts in Lurambi sub-county.

He said Busia County has one rehab centre in Nambale adding that NACADA is engaging with Bungoma and Vihiga Counties to set up similar facilities.

Kasera noted that the rehab centre will support the recovery of drug addicts while decrying the shocking statistics of 23.8 percent of Kakamega residents who consume illicit brews despite the dangers.

At the same time, the Nacada programme officer urged the County and National government to set aside a kitty specifically for supporting drug addicts who seek rehabilitation services instead of county and national government officials dipping into their pockets.

He observed that Uasin Gishu and Bomet counties support those seeking rehab services by
subsidizing the cost of rehab and allowing them to use the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Kasera was speaking during a sensitization forum at Network for Persons with disabilities hall in Lurambi, Kakamega central sub-county.

He noted that NACADA has special programmes targeting students, workers and teachers to sensitize them against drug abuse.

‘We also sensitize parents on positive parenting to note any change of behaviour in their children that may enable them to understand if they are abusing drugs,’ he added.

Source: Kenya News Agency

OPUWO: Hundreds of mourners gathered at Opuwo for a candlelight vigil in memory of President Hage Gottfried Geingob, who died on Sunday in Windhoek at the age of 82.

The gathering was organised by the Opuwo Town Council and drew a large crowd who shared hymns, scriptures, and prayers.

The majority of the speakers hailed Geingob as a kind leader who cared about the elderly, a passion he demonstrated by boosting the monthly pension grants and announcing another increase not long before his death.

According to Tjivindikua Zatjindua, an Otjikako Traditional Authority councillor, Geingob was a staunch leader who believed in and pushed for the equitable distribution of the country’s resources. Under Geingob, hunger and destitution among the less fortunate were lessened, he said.

Opuwo Mayor Rosa Mbinge-Tjeundo lauded Geingob as an inspirational leader whose legacy reverberates through the nation’s plans and who was devoted to the prosperity and togetherness of Namibians.

She noted that Geingob’s leadership wen
t beyond rhetoric, laying the basis for Namibia’s long-term prosperity.

‘As we remember him tonight, let us not forget his commitment to the people. He served with a heart dedicated to all Namibians, irrespective of background or circumstances,’ noted Mbinge-Tjeundo.

In his pursuit of connection, Geingob walked among Namibians, touring and visiting all areas of Namibia, demonstrating his dedication to becoming a people’s leader.

‘As we light this candle in his memory, let us not only remember the man but also carry forward the torch of unity, prosperity and inclusivity that he so passionately lit. His legacy lives on in our hearts, and may his vision continue to guide Namibia towards a brighter future for generations to come,’ Mbinge-Tjeundo concluded.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan has called upon public servants to shun corruption in the management of resources.

Lilan who was speaking today during the County service delivery meeting within Homa Bay Town said they had received a circular from the head of public service concerning corruption in the region.

He cited land and education sectors as among those that have raised questions pertaining to corruption.

Lilan informed of an impending crackdown especially in schools with the tendency of forming their own fee structures contrary to the President’s order on fees payment.

‘This week we are doing a serious crackdown, many people will have a lot to answer some questions,” he affirmed.

The Commissioner also called on the public servants to be prudent while managing allocated resources for service delivery.

He noted misuse of motor vehicles by drivers and urged the stakeholders to exercise their authority on the use of the vehicles.

‘We have been receiving calls of motor vehicles being impoun
ded by security officers due to carelessness by our drivers. If this continues then service delivery would be most affected,’ Lilan noted.

The County Director Education, Diana Anyango Ongere on the other hand feared that the resources allocated to the education sector cannot be optimally used because of low enrollment in schools.

She stated that the government is funding public schools based on enrollment which she noted is inclined towards certain formations like clans, leaving some schools without pupils.

She encouraged stakeholders to work together and support schools saying, ‘lack of schools in the society is a good recipe of this society going backwards.’

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kenya is set to host the 6th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), scheduled for 26th February 2024 to 1st March 2024, at the United Nations Environment Programme Headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi.

The event themed ‘Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity, loss and pollution’, will be attended by Heads of States and Government, ministers of environment and other high-ranking dignitaries.

UN official and multinationals will negotiate on plastic agreement, marine climate and other climate agreements.

Briefing the press on the Conference at a Nairobi hotel, Thursday, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Soipan Tuya, said currently Kenya is reviewing its regulations, laws, programmes and strategies, to reflect Africa’s climate action priorities, as documented in the Nairobi declaration to back-up the country’s environment.

The CS said President William Ruto, who is the President and the Chairperson of the
Committee of the African Union Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, will deliver UNEA-6 National and welcoming statement on 29th February 2024, at the high level segment.

She said through the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agendas (BETA), the government is putting in place measures to address the environment challenges the country has been facing, citing the recent effects of drought, floods and other development activities.

‘We have put in place carbon market registries, have set up demonstrations and are accelerating waste management,’ said Tuya, adding that Kenya is keen on embracing the circular economy and will pilot with five counties, to actualize the programme.

The CS at the same time stated that the government is working on a raft of regulations that will operationalize and deal with waste and pollution, noting that the Ministry has put in place a number of associations that will create a robust process for waste collection.

‘We welcome investors interested in investing in the carb
on markets economy. We have active indigenous community groups who want to know the sharing, we will finalize the regulation when parliament resumes,’ she assured.

Tuya said during the UNEA-6 there will be various bilateral meetings and side events where the participants will pull together to enhance resolutions that are badly needed following the environment challenges being experienced globally.

She singled out mining, water, agriculture among others, as the key themes of Kenya, of which the country expects good resolutions.

The CS said that in the past one year, the government has put effort in dealing with forest crimes, which has been rampant, disclosing that crime has reduced significantly, assuring that the Ministry is working on restoring the ecosystem and deforestation.

‘We are helping communities affected by climate crisis by taking a number of actions to reduce pollution, as we ensure we have adaptive measures that communities have to take to shift from the traditional ways,’ she stated.

The E
xecutive Director, UN Environment Programme, Ms. Inger Andersen, said the Assembly UNEA-6 has been organized around six thematic areas that were considered by members in developing the draft resolutions to compel more effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral action.

Ms. Andersen said 22 resolution have been developed and are being negotiated by the Member States along five clusters.

‘This will include two pollution action regulations, minerals, metals, hazardous pollution, water, ocean and seas, climate justice and sustainability, said Ms. Andersen.

She said countries attending the Assembly are expected to tackle the triple climate crisis, pollution and waste that is affecting the global south and the continent, which has led to deaths due to explosion and pollution.

The meeting was also addressed by Ms. Radhika Ochalik, Director, Governance Affairs, UN environment Programme.

The UNEA-6 will also be preceded by the sixth meeting of the open-ended committee of Permanent representative who will la
y the groundwork for the Assembly from February 19th to 23rd, 2024.

UNEA is the world’s highest level decision-making body for matters related to the environment.

It sets the global environment agenda, provides overarching policy guidance and defines policy responses, to address emerging environmental challenges.

Source: Kenya News Agency

OTJIWARONGO: The Swapo leadership of the Otjozondjupa Region on Wednesday held a candlelight vigil to pay their respects to the late President Hage Geingob, who died on Sunday at the age of 82.

Nearly 200 residents turned up at the event to remember and celebrate Geingob’s legacy with speeches, bible verses and religious songs by different denominational choirs.

Swapo’s Otjozondjupa Regional Coordinator, Immanuel Namaseb, at the event said the session was organised for residents to come together and remember Geingob’s visionary leadership.

Several speakers recalled Geingob’s youth in the Otjozondjupa Region in the areas of Otjiwarongo, Grootfontein, Tsumeb and Otavi, where he had attended primary school.

Namaseb said similar candlelight vigils will take place Thursday night at the Otjiwarongo Municipality, Otavi Town Council and Grootfontein Municipality.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Smallholder farmers in Taita Taveta County have been urged to take up oil crop cultivation, whose huge unmet demand guarantees a ready local and international market.

The Taita Taveta County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, Eric Kyongo said although the oil crops are drought resistant and adaptable to many ecological zones, Kenya is currently producing less than 50 percent of her needs.

‘Kenyan oil manufacturers are grappling with huge deficits in production of sunflower, canola, soya beans, and linseed. The key players who manufacture edible oils have resorted to importing sunflower and soya beans from other countries like Uganda and Tanzania to meet the high processing demand,’ said Kyongo.

Kyongo stated that the County government has earmarked the sunflower value chain to boost local production of edible oils.

‘Sunflowers do not need a lot of rain, they don’t require a lot of fertilizer nor do they need a lot of farm inputs, hence suitable for most of our farmers,’ h
e said.

According to the researchers, sunflowers grow well in areas with sparse rainfall, and the soil should be slightly acidic with a pH of between 6.0 and 7.5. Two main categories of sunflower-Hybrid Variety and Open Pollinated Variety (OPV) are grown in the country.

Several hybrid varieties which include Mammoth, Sunbeam, Autumn Beauty, Kenya Fedha and Teddy Bear are grown in different parts of the country and take up to four months to mature.

Hybrid varieties of sunflower are preferred as they have higher oil content and better yields per acre averaging 25 bags, while open-pollinated varieties have the advantage that their seed can be recycled four times.

‘We have been contacting willing farmers who grow sunflowers and we assure them of a ready market. We want to boost the supply of the raw material to our processing plant in Mahandakini, Taveta sub-county,’ added Kyongo.

According to him, farmers in the county face the problem of mono-cropping that has led to build-up of diseases and pests, resulti
ng in declining productivity and profitability of farms.

He further urged farmers to compare the profitability of sunflower and maize adding that sunflower has proven to be more profitable compared to maize grown in the same acreage of land, hence urging farmers to embark on sunflower cultivation.

He disclosed that the county government is set to distribute about 15 tonnes of sunflower seeds across the county as farmers in Taveta Sub County get four tonnes.

According to him, the seeds are expected to be planted in 1,300 acres of land in Taveta with a projected production of about 700 kilograms per acre, which translates to about 700 tonnes from one harvest.

In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the county government of Taita Taveta launched an oil hot press machine stationed at Mahandakini, Taveta sub-county aimed to ease the processing of the product and to promote sunflower farming in the county.

The CECM noted that one litre of processed sunflower oil goes at Sh. 350, adding
that from a tonne of the harvest, about 159,000 liters can be produced and subsequently help bridge the gap in the demand of the edible oil.

According to data from the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), Kenya’s import bill of edible oils has been increasing at an annual rate of 15 percent due to increasing demand locally.

In order to ensure compliance to standards and health requirements, Kyongo added that the county government will invite relevant departments like Public Health, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), and KRA to offer education to the farmers and ensure the end product is fit for human consumption.

‘As a county, we want to take our farmers to the second step of involving all the relevant bodies to help our farmers attain the required standards for edible oil like public health, KEBS and KRA who will enlighten the farmers on how they can utilize the commodity to raise their living standards,’ said Kyongo.

Onesimus Musyoki, a sunflower farmer and a leader of the Mahandakini Farmers’ Cooperati
ve Society said that they are working on ensuring that every sunflower farmer puts at least one acre under sunflower farming in order to reap from the already launched and working machine.

He lauded the county government and FAO and agricultural offices for giving sunflower seeds to farmers and the donation of a hot oil press machine, which he said will not only serve the residents but also sunflower farmers from outside the county.

‘We thank the county government, FAO and agricultural offices in Taita Taveta for making sure sunflower farmers have this machine. We have been incurring high costs on transport to go all the way to Tanzania to process our sunflower seeds, but now we are relieved,’ added Onesimus.

Apart from sunflower oil, the by-products such as sunflower cake have a high demand and ready market as animal feed and farmers can make more profits as they incorporate value addition in the enterprise as compared to selling the raw seed.

On her part, Jane Muthoki, one of the farmers at Mahandakini
said that since she embarked on sunflower farming, she has gained profits compared to when she was venturing into other crops like maize and beans.

She called upon the government to provide the farmers with farm inputs and more machines for processing sunflower for farmers to benefit from the crop.

She also urged the county government to ensure that there are no cartels who will interfere with their produce prices and make their efforts go in vain.

‘We are pleading with the county and national government to provide us with farm inputs, and more machines as well as ensuring farmers are regularly trained so as to gain more knowledge on how to handle post-harvest processes to avoid losses,’ said Muthoki.

Source: Kenya News Agency