Malawi Wire

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

Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of East African Community, ASALs and Regional Development, Penina Malonza (right) shakes hand with President Uganda Local Counts Association, Richard Rwabuhinga on 24th April, 2024 at Kenya School of Government during the official closing of the East African Local Governments Forum (EALGF). The meeting brought together Permanent Secretaries and representatives of the County government umbrella bodies and local government associations. The meeting was meant to deepen democracy for the East Africa community and strengthen devolution within the region. In the meeting the participants insisted on unity for the region and embracing on one another to fasten development for the region.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The creation of a whole of Africa uniform digital identity that fits into each country’s digital infrastructure will be a key ingredient in fostering intra Africa connectivity.

Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo said that having a uniform digital identity would ensure that Africa as a continent moves together in growing its digital economy and fulfilling the aspirations of The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Speaking in Nairobi during the launch of the Transform Africa Summit (TAS) 2024, Owalo said that African countries needed to have a discussion on digital public infrastructure, digital skilling and digital jobs, digital entrepreneurship, data centers and digital identities.

‘We have been doing our own initiatives at individual country level but we need to move forward in tandem as one united Africa digital economy,’ said Owalo.

He further said, ‘When it comes to policies, laws and regulations, we need to have them in a way that we speak
to each other as opposed to being discordant to each other.’

The CS explained that the net total of such an initiative is that Africa would think and act jointly and leverage each other’s strength, enjoy economies of scale, reduce the unit cost and have better bargaining power in the global digital market.

‘I want to give you the assurance that the Kenyan government is committed to host the Transform Africa Summit (TAS) 2024. We have got the highest level of commitment from our President William Ruto who is our key digital transformation change agent leading from the front,’ said Owalo.

Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary (PS) Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani said that the idea of a single digital market for Africa was critical since it would help the continent blur boundaries.

‘Boundaries push African countries into silos making it difficult to tackle our common problems,’ said Prof. Kisiang’ani adding that having a single digital market for Africa supports the calls of the African Union 2063
as well as Kenya’s local digital economy agenda.

The PS said that there have been talks that Africa is the future but with the digital transformation taking place in the continent, Africa is fast becoming the present because of its dynamic nature.

ICT and the Digital Economy PS Eng. John Tanui said that the Summit was a great platform for the Kenyan, East African and Africa’s enterprises to address the most challenging issues facing them.

‘Initiatives such as this summit will ensure that the continent is not left behind in the adoption of emerging technologies. We want to see African governments addressing the issues of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the growth of digital platforms and how to work together in emerging areas such as the semiconductors industry, cloud infrastructure among others,’ said Eng. Tanui.

He called for synchronization of policies to enable the correct use and sharing of resources across the continent.

Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Board of Directors Chairperson Mary Wambui
Mungai (in yellow) and Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo (in checked suit) in Nairobi on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 during the launch of the Transform Africa Summit (TAS) 2024. Photo by Joseph Ng’ang’a.

Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Board of Directors Chairperson Mary Wambui Mungai said that the pace at which Kenya and the continent as a whole adopts emerging and disruptive technologies would determine the quality of life of the citizens.

She supported the calls for a unified African digital infrastructure saying that it would enhance connectivity within the continent by lowering the cost of doing business.

Ms. Mungai who was recently elected as the Vice Chairperson of the Council of African Regulators (CAR) in Malawi said, ‘When I was in Malawi and wanted to call Nairobi, I was informed that the call will cost me an average of Sh450 per minute which is very expensive and a hindrance to African interconnectivity and intra business.’

CA Director
General David Mugonyi said that the summit would offer an opportunity for peers, industry regulators and policy makers to interact and discuss ways of creating value and impact on communities through ICT.

‘It is through sharing ideas and experiences that we are able to converge at a common ground and agree on what we have to do to achieve our collective aspirations as a continent,’ said Mugonyi.

The Transform Africa Summit (TAS) 2024 will be held on August 28-30, 2024, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.

Source: Kenya News Agency