Day: August 27, 2021

The National Super Alliance (NASA) now stands formally dissolved after the Registrar of political parties, Ann Nderitu, confirmed the official dissolution of the coalition, today.
In a letter seen by the press, copied to ODM leader Raila Odinga, ANC’s Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka of Wiper, FORD-Kenya’s Moses Wetangula and Isaac Ruto of Chama Cha Mashinani, Nderitu noted that the resolutions of parties were executed as per set requirements.
“This Office shall, in line with Regulation 22 (2) of the Political Parties (Registration) Regulations, 2019, publish a notice of the dissolution in two newspapers,” Nderitu said in part.
According to Article 15 (1) of the Coalition Agreement, the coalition shall stand dissolved where any three of the coalition parties decide to leave the coalition.
NASA Coalition, remained dissolved after Wiper, ANC, Ford Kenya and Chama Cha Mashinani wrote to her office announcing their withdrawal from the coalition.
Earlier, this month, three NASA principals – Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula signed a formal exit pact from the opposition coalition and announced countrywide rallies to market their One Kenya Alliance (OKA).
“Political party coalitions are built on trust. Once that trust is eroded, the partnership cannot survive. Mindful of this trust deficit, our three parties transparently informed the Kenyan people of their individual decision to leave the NASA Coalition,” ANC, Wiper and Ford Kenya leaders said while announcing their resolve.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The National Government through the State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Blue economy has supported fish farmers in Homa Bay County with materials worth Sh 50 million. The materials that included fishing nets, pond liners, laptops and six motorbikes were issued to agricultural extension officers in six Sub-counties.
The materials will benefit over 400 fish farmers and support aquaculture extension services through the Aquaculture Business Development Programme (ABDP).
The launch of the distribution in Homa-Bay town was officiated by Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS), Lawrence Omuhaka.
He said that the ABDP programme had been launched in 15 counties across the Country, including Migori, Siaya, Kisii, Nyeri, Embu, Machakos, Homa Bay, Kiambu among others.
“This programme will ensure an overall economic transformation of the fish farmers in the country as well as fast track the realization of vision 2030,” said Omuhaka.
The CAS encouraged farmers to invest in fish feeds which will enable an increase in the quantity and quality of fish produced, adding that the demand for fish is expected to increase to over 360,000 metric tons by the year 2025 and that fish farmers needed to take advantage of the same.
The Principal Secretary, State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and the blue economy, Dr. Francis Owino, explained that the programme was part of the Big Four Agenda by the government to ensure food and nutrition security.
“The Government support will go a long way in ensuring small-scale farmers in the country have money in their pockets and we hope six months from today, the quantity of fish harvested by farmers within the County will improve,” said Owino.
The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, Aguko Juma, called on the farmers to take advantage of the programme to boost fish production and ease the pressure on Lake Victoria for fish supply.
He urged the security agencies to provide adequate protection for the farmer’s fish ponds to curb theft.
Aguko told the beneficiaries to ensure that the materials were used prudently and for the intended purposes.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The National Safety Net Programme (NSNP) that was launched in 2012 by the government to assist ,consolidate and enhance the four public cash transfer programmes that assist the needy in society, currently covers over 1.3 million vulnerable households.
The four programmes are the Older Persons Cash Transfer, Orphans and Vulnerable Children Cash Transfer, Persons with Severe Disability Cash Transfer and the Hunger Safety Net Programme.
Cabinet Secretary Ministry for Labour and Social Protection Simon Chelugui said the benefiting households receive a monthly cash transfer of Sh 2000 which has helped to improve their livelihoods.
He added that the government through the Hunger Safety Net programme which has helped to reduce poverty as articulated in Vision 2030, provided Sh26.3 million top-up payments to 12,054 in July, 2021 to beneficiaries who met the eligibility criteria for nutrition through Cash and Health Education Programme under the Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Project (KSEIP).
Chelugui who was speaking at a Nairobi hotel while officially opening the two-day Inclusive and Just Social Protection in Africa conference said currently the four programmes are reaching an estimated 12 per cent of vulnerable people across the country.
“This is a substantial increase from the 500 households of orphans and vulnerable children targeted at the start of the programme two decades ago,” said the CS.
He said despite the significant efforts put in place by various governments in Africa to cushion its citizenry from the negative economic consequences of Covid-19, unemployment challenge rate has increased by 0.7 per cent, resulting in about 40 million people in the continent living in poverty.
“Faced with common struggle and common desire to emerge stronger and reduce poverty, it is important as Pan African Community to deliberate, exchange ideas and build the Africa we want,” said Chelugui.
He reiterated Kenya government’s commitment to ensure that all Kenyans live in dignity and are able to exploit their full human capabilities for their own social and economic wellbeing.
The CS at the same time stated his ministry with the support from World Bank and the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office started the KSEIP project in March 2019 to strengthen social protection delivery systems.
He said the systems are aimed at enhancing access to social and economic inclusion services and shock-responsive safety nets for poor and vulnerable households, and added that through KSEIP, the government intends to roll out a nutrition sensitive cash transfer programme to counties with high levels of stunting and malnutrition.
Counties that also promote structures increase and enrolment of national Safety Net Programme beneficiaries under the National Hospital Insurance Fund and have pilot economic inclusion interventions will also benefit.
Chelugui said Africa Union’s Agenda 2063 Framework that is based on inclusive growth and sustainable development requires all countries in Africa to set three national targets by the year 2023 which include setting at least 30 per cent of vulnerable populations among them persons with disabilities, older persons and children be provided with social protection.
Other requirements are that all persons working in the formal sector be provided with social security and at least 20 per cent of the informal sector and rural labour should have access to social security.
“Despite remarkable success stories, many African nations remain a long way from achieving long-lasting transformation of the individuals and communities targeted by our social protection programmes,” observed the CS.
The conference that was convened by the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) themed ‘Innovative, Inclusive and Afrocentric Social Protection: Leveraging Voices and Representation in the Era of the Pandemic’ focuses on progressively refining the social protection agenda in Africa to realise the right approach that is sustainable and unlocks the continent’s transformative potential
The conference that had drawn the Pan African community delegates from across the continent will articulate the Post Pandemic Social protection agenda for Africa, deepen trust and understanding of social protection in the continent and identify strategic follow-up actions for Post Covid Social Protection Agenda.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kilifi County Government Thursday opened a modern public mortuary at the Kilifi County Referral Level-4 Hospital to offer decent send-off services to the departed loved ones awaiting burial. The Funeral home has been equipped with modern equipment and contains a 60 body capacity cold room, postmortem room, embalming chamber capable of stocking at most 6 bodies concurrently and a family viewing room.
The mortuary services had been suspended in March 2021 for upgrading, causing hues and cries by members of the public after they were advised to either take bodies of loved ones to Malindi sub county or private mortuaries.
While commissioning the launch of the Funeral Home Thursday, the area Governor Amason Kingi said the Mortuary had been in an improper state thus called for modernisation.
“When I visited the mortuary sometime back, I had purposed to enter the facility in order to see its state but it was difficult. The situation was unbearable because first even before getting inside, there was an unwelcoming foul smell. When the Mortician on duty opened the door, I saw bodies lying on the floor and that is when the journey of upgrading the facility commenced,” Kingi said.
The Funeral Home is meant to offer essential services not only for Kilifi County community but also Lamu, Mombasa, Tana River and any other in the Coast region.
Kingi said the county government intends to make a policy with the hospital on the number of days bodies should be kept in the facility such that when the period exceeded, a court order will be taken to allow the government to bury the bodies left for long to avoid overcrowding the mortuary.
He regretted the gap that has been there in lacking a proper government mortuary revealing the community’s grief over huge bills in preserving dead bodies in rather scarce private mortuaries.
“This will be among the best funeral homes in the country and will be operating at exceptionally low costs compared to the private ones. This is intended to reduce the heavy burden of losing loved ones and at the same time spending huge amounts of money in preparations for the burial. This however does not mean that we will encourage preserving bodies for more days due to the low costs,” Kingi added.
Speaking during the launch, Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo said he prides on the new Funeral Home stating that it will be an elaborate home of the departed loved ones before burial including himself when he will eventually lose his battle.
“We don’t wish to die but unfortunately death is inevitable. If that ever happens, then I will sleep here. Because of this Fancy Facility opened today, with the qualified pathologists and experts in this funeral home I am contented we will offer our deceased befitting send-off,” said Madzayo.
Kilifi County Health Executive Karisa Dadu thanked the Kilifi County residents for their patience during the period in which the old mortuary was closed for renovations.
“We know you were so inconvenienced when we closed the old mortuary in March to improve the facility as you can see it is now modernized. I would like to thank you for your patience, perseverance and understanding during that particular time because it was for the best interest of us all,’ he said.
Kilifi County has had only two mortuaries owned by private developers having one on Malindi town and another at Mavueni in the outskirts of Kilifi town.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Sustained infrastructure spending by the government and a rebounding construction sector as the economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic impact, are some of the factors that have driven Bamburi Cement Group half year profits.
The Company’s half year unaudited Financial Statements, have shown strong growth in both topline and pretax profit, as compared to the first half of 2020.
The topline grew by 21 per cent, while pretax profit grew more than five times over, to Sh.1.1 billion, up from Sh.213 million, reported in the same period last year.
Bamburi Cement Group, Managing Director (MD), Mr. Seddiq Hassani, said that of late there has been increased spending by the government on infrastructure projects, such as the Nairobi Expressway, Thwake Dam among others which have driven demand for cement.
“The Company cited ‘a higher proportion of sales of premium products in H1 2021’, Premium Cement is largely consumed by big projects requiring special quality cement like superior strength or waterproofing and fetches more favorable prices compared to ordinary cement,” said Hassani.
Hassani attributed the growth in profit to ‘carry-over cost savings’ following the implementation of their ‘Health, Cost and Cash’ (HCC) Action Plan, that was adopted at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The MD said that the Group recorded volume recovery in both the domestic and export markets, coupled with an increased demand for premium cement products, pushing up the average selling prices and driving up the Group’s turnover up to Sh.19.6 billion, compared to Sh.16.2 billion, recorded in the comparative period.
Hassani said that the Cost Optimization Agenda, has enabled the Company offset significant cost inflation on imported clinker and coal, which has been absorbed in the reporting period, compared to last year. Financing Costs have also reduced by almost 50 per cent.
“We have a renewed commitment to operate sustainably in line with Holcim’s Agenda of Building Progress for People and Planet. To achieve this, Bamburi has lined-up carbon emission control and circular economy initiatives, that will safeguard the environment and also deliver cost-efficiencies and add greater value to the stakeholders,” Hassani added.
The sustainability initiatives include, Houses of Tomorrow (HoT) project – an initiative on green building solutions, which includes; use of low carbon emission products, a growing portfolio of Green Cements, as well as continued quarry rehabilitation, water and biodiversity management and waste management, through co-processing partnerships with waste producers, to provide environmentally clean waste disposal options among other projects.
“The past year has been a learning curve that has enabled us to evolve towards more modern business practices, as we continue to set industry standards on quality, operational efficiency, and innovation. We maintain a positive outlook for the rest of the year, as the government continues to roll out the Covid-19 vaccination programs and ease-off containment measures, which we hope will continue to drive progressive economic recovery,” Hassani noted.
Dr. John Simba, Chairman of Bamburi Cement PLC, said that the Government’s continued commitment towards delivery of the ‘Big Four’ Agenda and the ongoing key infrastructure projects in oil and gas in Uganda continue to generate positive prospects for the Group.

Source: Kenya News Agency