Day: August 4, 2023

The Council of Ministers in its 23rd regular session today has unanimously passed decision to declare a state of emergency in the Amhara region.

The council noted that the illegal activities in Amhara Regional State backed by arms has reached a point where it cannot be controlled by the regular law enforcement.

The situation in the region is seriously disrupting the peaceful socio-economic activities of the public, affecting the peace and safety of the public and it has threatened the constitutional order of the nation. Hence, to ensure the peace and safety of the public, the situation requires a state of emergence and take appropriate measures.

The council further recalled that the Amhara Regional State has made request to the federal government noting that the destabilization in the region is causing large scale of humanitarian, social and economic losses and cannot be controlled through regular law enforcement.

Accordingly, the council of ministers has passed decision for a declaration of state of emergency in the Amhara Regional State and take proper measures in accordance to article 93/1 of the Federal Constitution.

Hence, the Council of Ministers has unanimously passed decision for a state of emergency to be declared in the Amhara region.

Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers has also discussed on the draft proclamation of Addis Ababa University establishment.

The proclamation that enables the University to become autonomy and carry out its research activities and teaching and learning process without any interference. The bill will be effective. The council thoroughly discussed and approved it to become effective from the date of publication on Negartte Gazette.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The state of emergency declared to be implemented in the Amhara Region will remain in force for the next six months, Justice Minister Gideon Timotios announced today.

The decree issued to be implemented in the Amhara Region will also be implemented in other areas of the country as needed, he added.

The justice minister gave clarification on the State of Emergency Proclamation No. 6/2015 issued by the Council of Ministers to protect public peace and security at the 23rd regular meeting of the Council of Ministers today.

According to him, it has become impossible to control the armed activity being carried out in the region by the regular law enforcement and has immensely disrupted the economic and social activities of the region.

The minister further pointed out that the Amhara regional administration has faced a breach of security that cannot be dealt with by the regular law enforcement system.

Stressing that the violation of security has caused pressure on the inhabitants of the region, Gideon said the appropriate legal framework was established and the necessary steps taken by the federal government based on the Constitution.

Based on this, federal security institutions and the Council of Ministers have reviewed and concluded that it is necessary to declare a state of emergency in order to protect public peace and order, the minister elaborated.

He explained that it is clearly indicated that the state of emergency is primarily applicable to Amhara region.

However, Gideon pointed out that measures taken to maintain public peace and tranquility will be implemented in any part of the country when necessary to stop any activity that aggravates the security problem at the region or national level.

The minister disclosed that a State of Emergency Command Post has been established for the implementation of the proclamation.

The command post will be headed by the Director-General of the National Intelligence and Security Service, and it will be accountable to the Prime Minister.

The members, structure and organization of the command post will be decided by the Prime Minister, according to the justice minister.

The command post is given the authority to declare curfew, block road for a certain period of time, close down or terminate service facility and transport.

It has also been given the authority to arrest suspects that attempt or prepare to commit crimes against the government and the constitutional system and violate the emergency decree and obstruct its implementation without a court order.

The state of emergency, which will remain in effect for the coming six months, can be terminated before the expiration period if the House of People’s Representatives determine so.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Youth in West Pokot County have been urged to embrace painting technology as a means of earning a decent livelihood.

Speaking during training for painters in Kapenguria, Basco Paints Kenya Limited trainer Ben Osoro said the art of painting is currently a lucrative venture owing to the numerous construction projects in the country.

‘Youth who are not employed can try their skills in painting which is currently a well-paying venture. With just little training one is able to secure contracts in the construction industry,’ urged Osoro.

He said Basco Paints Kenya Limited Company has been initiating trainings every year targeting old and new painters for effective use of their new products on the market.

Osoro also said that they do partner with the technical institutions to offer training as the art of painting is part of the technical skill needed for self-reliance.

‘We do partner with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVETs) institutions to offer the training because painting is also needed all around and we produce new products on the market that painters need to be informed about,’ he explained.

The trainer said that painting is the end result of any new construction and that painters should apply the best knowledge to make construction work more appealing using the best products for the building to last longer before doing any renovations.

Daniel Ruto, a beneficiary of the training, lauded the Basco paints company on the efforts they make to train painters.

‘We thank Basco Paints for their efforts to educate us on the new products every time they release them on the market,’ he stated.

He also added that the company has been providing them with personal protective equipment (PPEs) for their safety while painting.

Another painter, Daniel Wekesa appealed to the county government to consider awarding them tenders as a form of empowering them at the local levels.

‘The county government of West Pokot should consider giving us the first priority whenever there is any construction works around. This will be one way of marketing us and creating more opportunities even outside the county,’ he appealed.

Source: Kenya News Agency

There is a need for civil servants to embrace teamwork for the government to effectively deliver on its Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda, BETA, and development plan.

Uasin Gishu County Commissioner (CC) Dr. Edyson Nyale said it was only through high-level consultation and collaboration that civil servants could support the current government in delivering on the promises it gave the people of Kenya during the campaign period.

‘President William Ruto’s government devised the BETA plan premised on five key pillars, Agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME), Housing and settlement, Health and Digital and creative economy to spur development, and this can only be achieved if all civil servants worked through synergy and teamwork,’ observed the CC.

Dr.Nyale made the remarks on Friday while inaugurating the Uasin Gishu National Government Development – County Implementation and Management Development Committee (NGD-CICMC) at the Eldoret homecraft centre.

All county departmental heads and the county Presidents delivery service will be members of the committees whose role will include monitoring the implementation of projects funded by the national government at the county level, prudent utilization of funds allocated for projects to ensure wananchi get value for their money as well as identifying challenges and possible solutions during the implementation of the projects, and the impact such a project would have for the people.

The CC also asked departmental heads at the county to take development committee meetings seriously since they provide forums to exchange on how well resources availed by the government could be utilized to serve wananchi better.

‘Ministries, departments and government SAGA’s can pool the available resources to ensure they take services closer to the people at the grassroots level. Government officers must be able to sensitize and explain national government policies, programmes, and development plans so that the citizens are made aware,’ he said.

Dr.Nyale said there are several programmes being implemented by the national government that members of the public at the grassroots level were not aware of, ‘As civil servants you need to move out of the offices to meet with communities at their localities so that you explain what the government has for them, there are programmes such as the Youth Development Fund, Women Enterprise Fund, Hustler Fund phase two that the people need to understand how they can access.’

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kirinyaga County government has launched a three-week pilot programme to control a new migratory rice pest that has been ravaging rice crops at the Mwea irrigation scheme in Kirinyaga.

The programme being undertaken by the county government with the assistance of the national government aims at stopping the spread of an invasive snail commonly known as ‘Golden Apple Snail.’

The joint action plan led by the County Agriculture extension services team and the National government officers has been formed to deal with the snail menace.

The Ministry of Agriculture through the Pest Control Products Board (PCBP) has provided 2000 liters of Biograde 300 SL adequate to cover 8,000 acres of rice paddy on the three-cycle spray.

This is in addition to 40 sprayers, 40 PPEs full kit to support the pilot control exercise in Mwea.

‘These items have been delivered to the county headquarters and we have started distribution to the farmers for spraying during this trans-planting season,’ Waiguru said.

The governor said the pilot programme will be undertaken in selected farms using the organic pesticide.

Transplanting seasons is the most critical period for controlling the new migratory rice pest which has invaded farms for the last four years and therefore the delivery of the pesticide is timely.

‘Farmers have started trans-planting crop to the farms and over 90 percent of the transplanting exercise will be completed by end of this week and out technical team has embarked on the exercise in selected farms’

Mwea Rice is a national strategic food source that must be protected and efforts to eradicate the invasive snail are of great importance.

‘The snail is a threat to food security in the country as it destroys crops at the early seedling stage. Therefore, controlling the Golden Apple Snail is of paramount importance to both governments,’ she noted.

She said successful implementation of the pilot programme will prepare for possible upscaling of exercise in the whole scheme during the ratoon and double crop seasons.

Experts from the Ministry of Agriculture say that the snails mainly damage direct wet-seeded rice and transplanted rice up to 30 days old. Thus, for effective control pesticide is applied immediately after transplanting, with repeated applications at 7 and 14 days.

Rose Kamau from the Plant Protection and Food Safety Directorate says Biograde 300 SL is a biodegradable pesticide that is friendly to the environment and has no pre-harvest harm.

‘The product is working through corrosion of the digestive system of the snail, hence killing it within a short period after consumption. The pesticide has been approved for use in apple snail control and its efficacy has been tested,’ she said.

Rice farmers have lauded the initiative by the county government saying the snail has spread in the entire irrigation scheme.

Mwea Unit Five Chairman Samson Njuguna said that last season, the snails destroyed seedlings at the nurseries forcing farmers to do a repeat germination.

Njuguna said for the last four years, the number of snails has multiplied and efforts by farmers to handpick them and crush the egg masses has not borne fruit in eradicating them.

‘Snails have been destroying our rice crops in our farms right from the nursery stage, they follow the seedlings to the farm after transplanting. They lay eggs and multiply very fast. We have incurred huge losses since the invasion by the snail,’ he said.

Source: Kenya News Agency