Malawi Wire

Addis Ababa: The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) has predicted that there will be a higher probability of wetter-than-normal conditions in the upcoming March to May 2024, across most parts of the Greater Horn of Africa.

In its press release sent to ENA, ICPAC said that notably, the areas expected to experience these wetter conditions include Kenya, Somalia, southern Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and north-western Tanzania.

The highest probabilities for wetter than usual conditions are indicated in central to western Kenya and in the cross-border areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

The expected enhanced rainfall is likely to positively impact agriculture, water resources, and overall livelihoods, according to the center.

The press release also added that an early to normal rainfall onset is expected in several parts of the region.

These include parts of northern Tanzania, eastern Rwanda, Southern and Western Uganda, Western Kenya, South-western Somalia, and pa
rts of South-central Ethiopia.

” Due to the increased rainfall recorded in the October to December 2023 period, along with the forecast of wetter-than-normal conditions from March to May, there is an elevated risk of flooding in areas prone to floods,’ the ICPAC director Dr. Guleid Artan noted.

The director added the forecast underscores the urgency for coordinated action and preparedness, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to mitigate potential impacts and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the forecast rainfall.

He also stressed the need for uniting in our commitment to leveraging climate information for resilient and sustainable development across our region.

Artan further added that, ‘while the food security situation may improve with wetter than usual conditions, it is important to remember the multiple challenges faced by the region, including the historic 2020-2022 drought, conflict in various parts of the region such as Sudan, and the El Nino-induced floods at the end of 2023.

T
his has weakened communities’ coping capacity, making them highly susceptible to food insecurity. The likelihood of flooding during the 2024 MAM season in parts of the region could lead to a deterioration in food security in localized areas.’

The objective temperature forecast indicates an increased likelihood of warmer than normal surface temperatures over the entire region.

Probabilities for warmer than normal temperatures are most enhanced over Sudan, northern South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and southern parts of Tanzania.

In line with the World Meteorological Organization’s guidelines and recommendations, ICPAC has adopted an objective seasonal forecast method to generate climate forecasts for the Greater Horn of Africa.

February 2024 initialized seasonal forecasts from nine Global Producing Centres (GPCs) were utilized and processed using three calibration techniques to develop the MAM 2024 seasonal climate outlook

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) has urged parents to monitor the kind of content their children watch on television and the internet.

KFCB Western Regional Manager Josephine Gitiri pointed out that it is a collective responsibility to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful film and broadcast content.

‘I want to urge parents to be keen on what their children consume in the media as the mid-term break draws closer,’ she said, while also urging parents of day school students to be alert and cautious as well.

Speaking today at a Kakamega hotel during an outreach programme, Ms. Gitiri noted the importance of media content in character development.

She said that media consumption should also align with our cultural beliefs, giving an example of the infiltration of Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) issues in society, which she noted do not reflect African beliefs.

She said that whereas KFCB has the mandate to regulate the creation, broadcasting, distribution, and exhibit
ion of film and broadcast content, parental controls on the kind of content children watch on television and mobile gadgets are important.

Boniface Mwaura, the KFCB Western Region Deputy Manager, said the board issues four classification categories that include GE (General Exhibition), PG- (Parental Guidance), 16 (Unsuitable for Persons Under the Age of 16), and 18 (Adults Only).

He urged film exhibitors to adhere to the regulations.

KFCB has the mandate to regulate the creation, broadcasting, distribution, exhibition, and possession of film and broadcast content by: Classifying TV and radio programmes as stipulated in the Programming Code for free-to-air Radio and TV Services in Kenya.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Water experts have raised a warning over the increased abstraction of underground water in major Kenyan cities arising from the pressure to quench demands by an ever-growing metropolitan population.

In recent years, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Nakuru have recorded a rise in the extraction of water from underground aquifers to meet domestic, industrial, and upcoming infrastructure, which continues to pose a threat if not addressed on time.

According to Agnes Mbugua, the CEO of the Regional Centre for Groundwater, increased and uncontrolled water abstraction poses a threat of building collapse in the future due to the exposed vacuum left underneath the surface.

Ms. Mbugua flagged Nairobi for its high urbanisation rates, which have led to the depletion of major aquifers due to over-absorption, equally affecting the quality of water due to high fluoride levels.

The CEO also sounded an alarm in Nakuru City, where 90 per cent of water sources are groundwater, leading to high levels of fluoride in water for domestic u
se, while in Mombasa, freshwater aquifers are being replaced with saline sea water.

Mbugua, at the same time, called for more scientific research to inform policy decisions on future water abstraction. It needs to strike a balance between increased demand and the sustainable growth of infrastructure in towns and cities.

Speaking in Naivasha during a water stakeholders’ workshop by UNESCO, Ms. Mbugua said the government has started to deploy artificial water recharge, which is geared towards refilling open spaces that have been left after underground water extraction.

In addition, she called for more funding from both the government and development partners for water resource management to ensure adequate protection of water sources and drive sustainability for future needs.

Ms. Mbugua reiterated her centre’s commitment to undertake necessary scientific research, deploy the right technology and innovation, and have a harmonised database to ensure policies and interventions are adopted to address the concer
ns raised.

‘Uncontrolled underground water extraction in our cities threatens the core foundations of buildings, risking future collapse,’ said Mbugua.

Sustainable water abstraction, she said, will be achieved through the adoption and implementation of the UNESCO intergovernmental Hydrological Programmes (IHP) strategy, including creating public awareness at a time when climate change continues to threaten the sustainable management of water resources.

Kenya National Commission for UNESCO Secretary General Dr. James Njogu said Kenya is a water-stressful country while calling for more research and data to ensure sustainable water use.

Dr. Njogu said more than 50 per cent of the country’s population lacks access to quality water, adding that there’s a need for more collaboration to control and manage future water abstraction.

Consequently, he said, as a commission, they are currently involved in tree planting exercises to increase the necessary tree cover and drive the conservation of the country’s water r
esources.

According to the Executive Officer of the Kenya Water Users Association, Enock Kiminta, there’s a need for more partnerships and an increase in funding for local water catchment areas, which are crucial to conserving water sources.

Kiminta at the same time called on the government to follow due diligence when undertaking high-infrastructural projects, including the construction of 100 mega dams in the next four years.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Chief Government Pathologist, Dr. Johansen Oduor, has revealed an autopsy report of the late World Marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum, confirming that the diseased died due to severe head injuries as a result of the fatal accident that claimed his life.

Addressing the media at the Eldoret Hospital on Wednesday, Oduor noted that the post-mortem revealed that Kiptum had severe head injuries and skull fractures, which were mainly at the base of the skull.

‘The spinal cord had intruded into the canal cavity because of the fractures. Further to that, there were fractures on both the right and left ribs, as well as raptures on the lungs,’ said Oduor.

‘We have taken samples for further analysis as the circumstances of the death are still being investigated,’ he said.

He noted that the samples taken for toxicology analysis would help determine anything that could have contributed to the accident.

According to Philip Kiplagat, a family representative, as a family, they were satisfied with the postmortem fin
dings.

‘As a family, we are satisfied, and we will proceed with the burial on Friday, and he will be laid to rest at his farm in Naiberi, Uasin Gishu County,’ said Kiplagat.

He noted that the body would be taken out of the morgue tomorrow and led through Eldoret streets on its way home in preparation for the burial.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The County Government of Homa Bay has launched a mentorship programme for schoolboys in a bid to cushion them from social challenges impeding their education.

This follows concerns that the boy child has been neglected, as nearly all focus has shifted to the girlchild over the years.

Governor Gladys Wanga launched the mentorship programme today in Wang’apala Secondary School in Kabondo Kasipul Constituency.

Wanga said over 5,000 boys drawn from schools across the County were targeted to be mentored in the programme.

The programme, dubbed Governor’s Mentorship Camp; Boys Edition, was being undertaken by Governor Wanga’s office in partnership with that of the spouse to the Governor, George Wanga.

The Governor said they started the programme after realising that boys were being neglected.

‘I had been carrying out mentorship programmes for our girls during my tenure as the Homa Bay County Woman Rep. However, it had become apparent that boys were being neglected,’ Wanga said.

The Governor observed that boys
engaged in vices such as drug abuse, defilement, and radicalization, which impeded their education, thus the need for mentorship.

‘It is prudent to protect the male children from such vices through mentorship programmes,’ she said.

The boys who represented their colleagues in the programme will share the knowledge they have acquired with their peers.

‘Boys are also vulnerable; hence, we have to mentor them. We want the boys and girls to interact for academic matters, not sexual relationships,’ Wanga said.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino encouraged the boys to exploit their academic potential to enable them to succeed in life.

Owino told the boys from underprivileged backgrounds to shun being discouraged by poverty in their families.

‘Let students work hard because they are the people who will emancipate their families from poverty. Those with financial challenges should not be discouraged,’ Owino said.

Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara said the programme will transform Homa Bay County.

‘This programme will ens
ure Homa Bay County has productive men in the future, and we will continue to support it,’ Dr. Obara said.

Homa Bay County Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Chairman Dickens Bula said the mentorship programme will reduce discrimination against boys in schools.

Bula argued that many boys have been yearning for the mentorship programmes for many years, but there was nobody to offer them the opportunity.

‘It had come to a point where boys in this County felt they were being sidelined. This programme is going to boost the morale of the boys and improve education standards,’ Bula said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Kericho County Commissioner, Mr. Gilbert Kitiyo, has directed Police officers to crack down on all illicit brewing dens in Kericho County, including licenced pubs and bars selling unregulated liquor.

The County Commissioner was categorical in saying that the security personnel would clamp down on all illegal liquor in all six Sub Counties in Kericho County until the vice was completely eradicated, saying culprits will face the full force of the law.

Mr. Kitiyo stated that consumption of illicit brew was detrimental to people’s health and could even lead to death, urging the youth in Kericho to abstain from drugs and substance abuse, which will eventually destroy their lives.

‘It was very sad to see many people dying due to the consumption of illicit brew in Kirinyaga County, and that is why here in Kericho we do not want a similar incident to occur.’ Said Mr. Kitiyo

At the same time, the CC said that operators of illegal gambling machines within Kericho County will also not be spared, urging the polic
e officers to confiscate the lotto machines and burn them, pointing out that many families have been impoverished due to gambling.

‘Lotto gambling machines have not been licensed to operate anywhere, and those claiming to have licenses, are fake. They are expensive machines, but we will continue destroying them until the vice is eradicated in our County,’ reiterated Kitiyo.

The County Commissioner speaking at Kapkatet Market in Bureti Sub-County called on area residents to be vigilant and report to the Police criminal activities within their localities for action to be taken against the culprits.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Wiper Democratic Party Leader, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, has advised the County Public Boards (CPSBs), to exercise professionalism, transparency, and accountability in carrying out their noble duties, including the recruitment of staff.

Kalonzo reiterated the need to establish autonomy for County Public Service Boards, in order to entrench good governance and, at the same time, urge CPSBs, to arrest issues of corruption in the management of county employees.

The Wiper Leader, who is also the Azimio – One Kenya Coalition Co-Principal, said although many achievements have been made since the inception of devolution and the subsequent CPSBs in 2013, there are still hitches that need to be resolved, to improve service delivery in both the National and County Administrations.

‘Widespread accusations of corruption, resource mismanagement, and discriminatory employment practices exposed in recent publications, cast a pall over the values of openness, responsibility, and justice that ought to guide our public insti
tutions,’ the wiper leader stated.

Kalonzo was speaking, Tuesday, during the official opening of a Four-Day County governments governance convention in Naivasha.

The convention, themed; ‘Professionalism and Good Governance in a Political Context,’ has been organised by the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries (ICPS), to train CPSBs from the 47 counties, on various issues of governance and recruitment.

Kalonzo noted with concern that the number of counties complying with the national recruitment standards, has decreased from 21 in 2016 to just 13 in 2022.

‘The Constitution’s values of inclusion and equality are undermined by the persistent disregard for the County Government Act’s provision, requiring the allocation of positions among varied communities,’ he observed, suggesting that the Code of Governance for the County Government, be created by the Institute of Certified Secretaries, adding that this will help to entrench best practices and standards for governance.

Kalonzo noted that the county go
vernment officials, must be unwaveringly committed, to corporate governance principles and follow established procedures and standards, in order to maintain balance.

The Wiper Leader observed that the vital role that County governments, County Assemblies, and County Public Service Boards (CPSBs) play in the governance of the county governments, impacted on how our county public service develops, such as in human resource management, among others.

‘Despite the challenges that our county governments face, let us all re-affirm our shared commitment, to preserving the highest ethical standards and advancing good governance practices. We must, therefore, guarantee that our officers have the appropriate tools, resources, and assistance to carry out their responsibilities successfully and transparently. Furthermore, the National government must ensure that counties have appropriate and timely resources, to carry out their tasks effectively and efficiently,’ he added.

Kalonzo noted that earlier this month, the Pub
lic Service Commission (PSC) released a report on falsified academic credentials, to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and other investigative agencies, which revealed that there are some 2,000 public servants in critical government parastatals and ministries, who acquired their positions using fake certificates and want these investigations extended to the counties.

The alarming revelation had shown that most of the individuals are in the Ministry of Interior, the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), and the Geothermal and Development Corporation, a parastatal under the Ministry of Energy.

‘I encourage CPSBs to cascade this and conduct verification in their respective counties. I urge all CPSBs to conduct due diligence during hiring, appointments, and promotions, to prevent this from happening again, as they try to weed out personnel with fraudulent documents at the county level as well,’ the Wiper leader said.

He added that although issues such a
s political interference and favouritism continue to contribute to non-compliance, the counties require honesty, and CPSBs should play a major role in instilling strong governance practices in the devolved units.

Kalonzo voiced concern about patterns of employment in the counties following a report by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission’s (NCIC) 2023 audit Report, that revealed patterns of employment diversity among Kenya’s 47 counties.

The Report, he noted, showed that only 10 tribes account for nearly 80 per cent of county employment, while 29 tribes account for just one per cent of county work prospects and urged the CPSBs to play a critical role in ensuring equitable hiring practices, across delegated activities.

He beseeched on the government to entrench good governance in its daily administration, while promoting meritocracy in public institutions and called on the National government to ensure timely disbursement of funds to Counties, to enable them run their activities timely and effec
tively.

Kalonzo castigated what he termed as ethnic bias in the recruitment of officers to the police service and defense forces, which he noted, was a threat to the security of the country and its missions in the continent, blaming it on increased corruption among some security service members, where Kenyans who are eligible are made to part with thousands of shillings, to secure a slot in the various formations.

The ICPS CEO, Jeremiah Karanja, said the training of County Public Service Boards is geared towards entrenching and promoting good governance in the running of counties.

Karanja welcomed the call for the autonomy of the Boards, to ensure they can lend decisions affecting counties, without interference from County Executive Arm, adding that giving the Boards financial autonomy, will ensure they run their activities smoothly during recruitment, disciplinary, and firing of county employees.

Former Chair of the National Transition Authority, Kinuthia Wa Mwangi, said the autonomy of County Public Ser
vice Boards, have been a major challenge that have bedevilled County governments since inception.

Wa Mwangi implored the Senate, to move a motion which will establish a constitutional framework, for the independence of county Boards, and enable them to withstand political interference, while making their decisions.

It emerged that key other challenges facing the Boards include, pressure to employ politically connected persons, poor co-ordination between County and National Service Boards and lack of harmonised databases for county employees.

Source: Kenya News Agency