Governor Malombe Vows To Cut Illegal Sand Harvesting To Conserve Environment

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July 27, 2023

Kitui governor Julius Makau Malombe and his colleague Machakos governor Wavinya Ndeti engaged the Senate Committee on Lands, Environment, and Natural Resources about the need for sustained efforts in environmental conservation in the country.

According to Malombe, in the proposed policy and sand bill which is already in the County Assembly, the county has proposed measures that will ensure it gets revenue properly.

“There were no proper effective enforcement mechanisms and therefore in 2018, 2019, and 2021 when I was not governor there was a lot of sand that was carried from rivers in Kitui and that is the reason why we have said we are going to put legislation,” Malombe said adding that he has proposed various measures that will ensure lorries of a certain carriage will not be allowed to transport sand.

Asked whether he still collects revenue from those harvesting sand illegally, Malombe said there is a lot of sand collected during the day and ungodly hours hence not easy for enforcement officers to be at the site at 3:00 am.

He requested NEMA to assist in the enforcement of sand regulations.

Wavinya on her part emphasized that there is a need for synergy between the State agency responsible for the conservation of the environment, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and the County Government in ensuring that the environment is conserved in line with the existing policies and regulations.

“My Government remains firm on the resolve to support all efforts towards environmental conservation, which is critical in safeguarding the natural ecosystem and mitigating the effects of climate change,” she stated.

KEMSA Ordered To Pay Employee Sh1.5 Million Over ‘Illegal’ Transfer

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Cyrus Kimanga

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July 27, 2023

The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has been ordered by the High Court to pay Ksh.1.5 million to one of its employees as compensation for an improper transfer from Nairobi to Mombasa.

Christine Mwangi, an authority accountant, filed a lawsuit in December 2022, disputing the decision of the then-KEMSA CEO to transfer her from Nairobi to the Mombasa Regional Depot after she raised a red flag about a financial impropriety.

She told Court that the CEO issued an order on October 27, 2022, to transfer her to the Mombasa Regional Depot shortly after she revoked the CEO’s decision to accept payment of Ksh.8.7 million to a law firm.

Further, the petitioner claimed that she canceled the payment after learning she had been duped by the CEO into making an unusual payment.

She also told the court that the person in charge of assigning her work at the Mombasa depot where she was transferred was her junior.

Additionally, she claims that her services were not required at the Mombasa depot because there was no accounting work at the station because it exclusively held third-party stocks.

Christine claims that the only reason she was transferred to Mombasa was because the CEO wanted to get rid of her at the headquarters.

Delivering the judgement, Employment and Labour Relations Court judge Justice Stella Rutto ruled that the KEMSA CEO violated Christine Mwangi’s rights and that the concerns raised in the petition were valid and not far-fetched.

The court agreed with the petitioner that the timing of the transfer was suspect and that it amounted to victimization or discrimination of a public officer.

Court Saves Sakaja’s School Feeding Program, Throws Out Petitions

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Cyrus Kimanga

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July 27, 2023

A High Court sitting in Nairobi has declined to stop Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s school feeding program.

Justice Mugure Thande stated that suspending the feeding program would not be in the best interests of the children.

“I decline to grant any conservatory orders at this stage. To suspend the programme at this stage will be against the best interest of the children who are targeted to benefit from this program,” she said.

A lobby had gone to court earlier this month, seeking to halt Nairobi County’s Sh1.2 billion primary school feeding program.

Tunza Mtoto Coalition executive director Janet Muthoni Ouko, whose lobby represents privately owned informal schools, had petitioned the Constitutional and Human Rights Court to halt the program until her case was heard and resolved.

Ms. Janet said the move would have denied over 250,000 students and pupils the opportunity to eat a meal in schools at the expense of the County Government.

She requested that the court issue conservatory orders blocking and/or postponing the release and spending of funds allocated to the “Dishi na County” school-feeding program, which is intended to help public schools.

‘Wanted’ Nakuru Senator Appears In Court After Arrest Warrant

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Cyrus Kimanga

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July 27, 2023

A Nairobi court has lifted a warrant of arrest issued against Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja.

This is after the senator voluntarily appeared in Court today after being placed under warrant by the same Court on Wednesday.

The senator was appearing in Court to answer charges of Sh14.5 billion tax evasion an offense alleged to have been committed when she was the former Keroche CEO.

Karanja stepped down as CEO a month ago and handed over the mantle to Chief Financial Officer Potas Anaya.

Milimani senior principal magistrate Esther Kimilu gave the defence a warning of proceeding for hearing in the absence of the accused should she fail to attend.

“I adjourn this case and lift the warrant of arrest for Tabitha Karanja. Let it be noted that the trial will proceed if she fails to attend court as provided under Article 50 of the Constitution,” the magistrate said.

Kimilu also cautioned Tabitha from changing advocates to delay the case.

We will not take the journey of delaying the case again, she said.

The magistrate further said the matter is a 2019 case and she is answerable to the public if she doesn’t proceed.

“I refuse adjournments as I don’t want Kenyans to say I m lazy. Don’t put me in a situation where I am not able to explain my case. The case must proceed” she said.

The court was also told that in case the parties want to settle out of court, the case will be taken for mediation.

The hearing will proceed on October 2.

Niger’s Army Command Declares Support For Military Coup

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John Mutiso

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July 27, 2023

Niger’s army command on Thursday declared its support for a coup instigated the previous day by soldiers of the presidential guard, saying its priority was to avoid destabilising the country.

The army needed to “preserve the physical integrity” of the president and his family and avoid “a deadly confrontation… that could create a bloodbath and affect the security of the population,” it said in a statement signed by the army chief of staff.

President Mohamed Bazoum and Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou earlier urged democratic forces in the country to resist the power grab, as western officials said the status of the coup attempt was unclear.

The soldiers said in a late-night televised address that Bazoum had been stripped of power and the republic’s institutions been suspended, marking the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020.

They earlier cut off the presidential palace in the capital Niamey, with the president inside.

Bazoum, in a social media posting on Thursday morning, vowed to protect “hard-won” democratic gains in a country that is a pivotal ally for Western powers helping fight an insurgency in the Sahel region.

Massoudou also called on “democrats and patriots” to make the “attempted coup” fail, according to a posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Niamey was quiet on Thursday morning as citizens awoke to heavy rain, closed borders and a nationwide curfew imposed by the coup instigators.

Massoudou said not all of the army was involved in the coup attempt, and a number of Western officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters there was no evidence on the ground that the armed forces supported it.

Copia Fires 350 Employees In Third Round Of Layoffs

By

John Mutiso

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July 27, 2023

Kenyan e-commerce platform, Copia, which caters to low-income households, has recently let go of 25% of its workforce.

The reason cited by the company for these layoffs is primarily due to high labor costs and the desire to enhance profitability.

The company’s website did not have any published news about the layoffs. However, in a statement to TechCabal, the company confirmed that the third round of layoffs affected 350 employees.

According to Copia, the majority of its employees will not be affected by the upcoming changes.

However, in accordance with Kenyan labour laws, those who are impacted will receive a one-month notice and will leave Copia before September.

The management at Copia will assess the affected staff during this one-month period and communicate their employment status to them afterward.

Copia has reduced its workforce for the third time this year. They laid off 50 Kenyan workers earlier in the year and closed their Ugandan operations in April 2023, which affected 300 employees. In total, 700 people have been let go by Copia in the year 2023.

Organisations lay off employees for various reasons such as financial difficulties, restructuring, changes in business strategies, or other factors. In Copia’s case, it was due to the costs of maintaining its 1,800 employees, although it secured $50 million early last year in a Series C round. The new change will see Copia Kenya reduce labor costs in order to focus on improving profitability. It’s important to mention that the affected employees will receive a severance package and other benefits.

The Kenyan-based e-commerce platform targets middle-to-low-income African consumers providing access to a smooth shopping experience in the underserved market. The company had sought to expand to the African retail market and first expanded to Uganda after successfully raising funding.

Sudanese Hackers Paralyse Kenya’s e-Visa Applications

By

John Mutiso

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July 27, 2023

Following a challenge on the country’s portal, foreigners travelling to Kenya will be able to process their visas upon arrival, according to the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.

Foreign Affairs Ministry PS Korir Sing’Oei has cited a “technical problem”, but this comes just hours after ICT Cs Eliud Owalo confirmed that government websites have been hacked and that they are working to restore them

According to a statement issued by the ministry on Thursday, July 27, visas will be issued at entry points, and airlines are urged to accept all passengers bound for Kenya.

“There is currently a challenge in the government’s e-Citizen platform that is impacting the processing of e-visas. Consequently, travellers will be issued a visa upon arrival at all entry points in Kenya,” the statement read in part.

The government expressed regret for those affected by the cyber attack, particularly foreigners who are unable to file e-visa applications through the E-citizen portal.

Nairobi stated in a memo sent to all Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations that new technological approaches are being developed to ensure that service provision continues despite the cyber attack.

“The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya avails itself of this opportunity to renew to all Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations in Kenya the assurances of its highest consideration,” the ministry stated.

Kenya Power Announces M-Pesa, USSD Code Hitch Gives Alternatives

By

John Mutiso

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July 27, 2023

The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has confirmed that it is experiencing a system glitch due to a network breakdown of its service provider.

Some of the services that have been affected are the purchase of prepaid tokens through M-Pesa and USSD Code *977#.

In a statement on Thursday, July 27, Kenya Power asked their clients to purchase tokens through their banking halls, Airtel Money, and authorised banks as the issue is resolved.

“We are working with our service provider to restore the affected services as soon as possible. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused,” read an official statement.

Netizens, on Thursday July 27, took to social media to express their frustrations over service disruption experienced for most part of the day.

EACC Releases Two Corruption Reports On Siaya County Government

By

John Mutiso

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July 27, 2023

Following reports of rampant corruption, including alleged embezzlement of public funds by senior officials in the Siaya County Government, EACC embarked on various interventions in accordance with its mandate.

Besides investigations for possible prosecution and asset recovery which are now at the tail end, the Commission, in February 2023, undertook an in-depth audit of Siaya County Government systems, policies, procedures and practices to identify and secure the sealing of systemic weaknesses and loopholes that allow corruption in the County Government.

Having completed the Corruption Risk Assessment targetting the County Executive and County Assembly, the Commission has today handed over two Corruption Reports to Siaya Governor Hon. James Orengo and County Assembly Speaker Hon. George Okonde to implement the EACC reform recommendations therein.

The reports were launched by EACC Commissioner John Ogallo in a function held at Siaya County Government Offices. The Commission also launched a Corruption Prevention Committee to be established in the County Government to spearhead corruption prevention.

EACC will monitor the implementation of the Reports which is expected to boost systems integrity and alleviate theft of public funds, as the Commission finalizes investigations on the criminal aspects of the matter initiatives.

Ministry of Health Determined to Completely Eradicate TB

By

Vanessa Kariuki

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July 27, 2023

Kenya has adopted evidence-based and data-driven interventions in policy decisions and the implementation of TB programmes, and the results have been encouraging, outperforming key impact measures for TB during the previous few years.

Recent statistics claim that, between 2015 and 2020, Kenya significantly reduced the number of new TB infections by 32%, substantially exceeding the global objective of 20%. The nation also outperformed the global target of 35% within the same time frame by reducing TB-related mortality by an astounding 44%.

Mary Muthoni, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, stated that Kenya is now the first nation to adopt and implement improved child-friendly TB medicines and injection-free regimens for the treatment of drug-resistant TB cases during the opening of the 4th Africa TB Summit 2023 in Nairobi.

Kenya has also taken proactive steps to improve TB diagnosis by adopting and expanding the use of WHO-approved molecular tests for TB diagnosis across all counties, an essential step in guaranteeing accurate and effective disease detection.

As stated in the National Strategic Plan, Ms. Muthoni emphasized the Ministry’s steadfast commitment to the eradication of TB and the significance of ongoing efforts at the local, regional, and global levels.

In order to properly address this public health issue, she advocated for greater collaboration among stakeholders, recognising TB as a social illness.

The Africa TB Summit 2023 has played a significant role in uniting TB control efforts across different regions of the Global TB Caucus in Africa.

It has provided a vital platform for stakeholders to explore strategic collaborations, aiming to ensure a comprehensive and impactful response to TB in the country.

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