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A young person being informed of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund in Nyeri on November 18, 2014. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI |
NATION MEDIA GROUPBy JEREMIAH KIPLANG'AT More by this Author
In Summary
The Ministry of Devolution Wednesday announced that the new companies will be given preference by the government.
In
a statement outlining the ministry’s achievements this year, Ms Waiguru
said there was rising appetite for tenders by the youths and persons
with disabilities despite earlier reports of disinterest.
The battle for lucrative government tenders worth billions of
shillings has intensified following registration of 6000 new companies,
most of them belonging to the youth and the disabled.
The Ministry of Devolution Wednesday announced that the new companies will be given preference by the government.
Devolution
Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru said the government was eager to ensure
that the previously sidelined groups benefited from the tenders.
“As
of December 2014, the Treasury has over 6,000 companies registered. We
will continue to work with ministries and semi-autonomous government
agencies to realise greater allocation of government tenders and
contracts to these registered companies” Ms Waiguru said in a statement
yesterday.
The youth groups will battle it out with
established companies for the contracts that cover road construction,
office supplies among other services. The exact value of government tenders is not clear but it is estimated to run into billions of shillings every financial year.
So far, the two groups have benefited from over Sh6 billion worth of tenders since the Jubilee government took over last year.
RISING APPETITE
In
a statement outlining the ministry’s achievements this year, Ms Waiguru
said there was rising appetite for tenders by the youths and persons
with disabilities despite earlier reports of disinterest.
“We
are seeing modest success in the 30 per cent allocation of all public
procurement to youth, women and persons with disabilities, with over
4,000 registered companies benefiting in the past twenty months from
public procurement of over Sh6.4 billion,” she said.
President
Uhuru Kenyatta has made it mandatory that 30 per cent of government
tenders must be allocated to the youth and other sidelined groups. Former President Kibaki had set the pace by setting the figure at 10 per cent.
Ms
Waiguru also said that 13 Huduma Centres have been established across
the country this year in a bid to decentralise service provision.
Four
of the centres are in Nairobi and others in Machakos, Mombasa, Nyeri,
Embu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kakamega, Kisumu, Kisii and Kajiado counties.
Each provides a range of services including processing of ID cards,
birth and death certificate and driving license.
The
ministry also seeks to recruit 20,000 young Kenyans to join the National
Youth Service before June 2015, up from 4,000 in 2014.
Wildlife guide Manny Mvula fends off the elephant in Zambia
A
Zambian wildlife guide who stood in front of an aggressive elephant and
commanded it to "get back" has been widely praised by the British school
pupils he protected.
Footage of Manny Mvula taking on the elephant who was
threatening to charge the group he was leading has recently been
uploaded on to YouTube.
"My instinct was to run away but Manny's calming and
authoritative presence reassured me - we figured he knew what he was
doing," a pupil from a secondary school in England told the BBC.
"But for Manny's heroism we could have had a memorable encounter with this gigantic beast in more ways than one."
However, Mr Mvula says that his defence of the students was all in the line of duty.
"I realised I had to do something to stop it because they were in imminent danger," he told the BBC. Remonstrating tone
The unusual standoff happened at the Kasanka National Park in
August when Mr Mvula and a group of 23 schoolboys aged between 16 and 17
spotted a group of female elephants with their young in the bush.
Mr Mvula is a trained African wildlife guide with more than 20 years of experience
After viewing the elephants for some time, Mr Mvula, 46, and
his party set up camp at a designated spot once the elephants had moved
on.
But they did not know that a bull elephant was trailing in
the wake of the female elephants until it appeared a few minutes later.
It weighed an estimated five tonnes (787 stone) and was in the prime of its life at about 40 years old.
At first it seemed that it too was moving on, but suddenly it turned and stared at Mr Mvula and his party.
The trained guide knew immediately that it posed a danger
because he could see fluids coming out of its temporal glands which were
running down its cheeks - a sure sign that the bull elephant was in a
state of heightened sexual activity called musth.
"When they are in this condition, they are liable to charge
anything that gets in their way," Mr Mvula said, "especially if it
something or somebody that they are not certain about."
"I know that standing in front of it and telling it to go
away is not an officially recognised procedure for dealing with this
kind of a situation," he said.
"But I knew instinctively that it was worth a try even if there was no guarantee that it would work.
"I have seen such a technique successfully used by two other
guides and have done in myself twice previously in such emergency
situations."
The guide's remonstrating tone led to the elephant stopping
in its tracks. After a moment's pause, it opted to make a strategic
retreat. Plan B
"Obviously it was a huge relief," he said, "such an incident is highly unusual in this part of Zambia."
The elephant had been trailing a group of female elephants
Mr Mvula - who with his wife runs a responsible tourism company
from their home in the English county of Kent - has for many years led
safaris in his home country of Zambia.
He said that he had learnt as a professional safari guide always to have a second plan if the first does not work.
"But in this case I didn't have many other options - the only
thing I could have done if it didn't back off would have been to order
the boys slowly to walk back to the truck - parked about 10m (32 ft)
away - while I would run towards it while swerving in between the trees
and swinging my arms wildly to distract its attention solely towards
me."
The guide said that in the worst case scenario the elephant
could have charged the teenagers, even though he remained confident that
he could handle the situation successfully.
"That is the importance of always using fully trained safari guides, who understand animal behaviour," he said.
"Looking back on what I did, I guess you can say it was a bit of a stupid thing to do," Mr Mvula said.
"It took me three weeks to pluck up the courage and tell my wife what happened."
The international centre for policy and conflict want IEBC chair and
several officials sent packing. This is after a london court found two
britons to have corruptly got tenders from IEBC in what has become known
locally as chicken gate. The Chairman of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission
(IEBC), Mr. Ahmed Issack Hassan must take full responsibility and held
to account on high-level corruption in the electoral body. After British Crown Court found the printing company Smith and
Ousman directors guilty of paying immense bribes to IEBC high-level
officials, it strips Mr. Hassan any iota of integrity and credibility to
hold position of Chairman of the discredited IEBC. The reputation and
integrity of IEBC and Commissioners has sunk so low. It fails to master
integrity and leadership threshold of Chapter Six of the Constitution. Elections are the indispensable root of healthy democracy.
However, to be credible, we need to see high standards before, during
and after votes are cast. When vast majority of electorate believes that
elections have been free and fair, they can be a powerful catalyst for
better governance, greater security and human development. For elections to embody democracy, further development and
promote security, they must be conducted with integrity. Where elections
have integrity, the bedrock democratic principle of political equality
is honoured. As Election Management Body, credible IEBC has a very crucial
role to play in the conduct of electoral processes and more importantly,
to ensure electorate confidence in the system. A weak corrupt IEBC
institution leads to environment where elections results are easily
manipulated to favour the manipulator. Free and fair elections that underpin political stability and
social cohesion are closely linked with development. That is because the
electoral system has profound consequences on the political and social
life of the population of a country in terms of promoting political
pluralism, promoting and protecting human rights, strengthening the rule
of law, and improving governance. A credible Electoral Commission is indeed indispensable organs of
any democratic government and should be independent of the Government
machinery. The quality and character of their leadership should also be
vital for the success and credibility of the electoral system. IEBC does
not meet this threshold. Existence of effective, independent and untainted Commissioners
who are fully committed to democratic government and to economic
development are unmistakable indicators of the credibility of any
electoral undertaking. Mr. Hassan and fellow Commissioners are not
beyond reproach. They should vacate public office. Elections are a major factor in the stabilization,
democratization and societal progress of emerging constitutional
democracy. They are a core part of the understanding and practice of
democracy and democratic values. More importantly, they are considered
as a defining and unavoidable element of all peace-building process.
Democracy is not just the right to live. It is the right to live in
dignity, peace and harmony. Therefore, an impartial, competent, independent and professional
electoral management body staffed by qualified personnel must have the
responsibility for all phases of the election process covering the whole
spectrum from the registration of voters to the proclamation of results
after satisfying itself of the fairness and transparency of the entire
process. Electoral legitimacy is essential for the stability of democratic
and constitutional government and for social and economic progress of
the nation. ENDS//.
A HIV test kit displays a negative result. Kenyans can now get a full
range of tests for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) through the
Internet or mobile phones without sharing their personal information.
PHOTO | FILE
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Kenyans can now get a full range of tests for Sexually
Transmitted Infections (STIs) through the Internet or mobile phones
without sharing their personal information.
A person
can use a fake name or number to have samples collected in health
centres across the country for testing. You will get your results in a
few hours or days, depending on the nature of the test.
Results can be sent to an individual through a secure web portal or phone without revealing their identities.
Pathologists Lancet Kenya, a specialised laboratory, launched the ‘Better2Know’ testing initiative, on Friday.
Tests offered include HIV, gonorrhoea, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis, chlamydia and pap smear for cervical cancer.
The
Kenya National AIDS & STI Control Programme shows that most
Kenyans, especially the youth, prefer confidentiality and would not want
to run into family or neighbours in health centres.
LACK OF PRIVACY
Lancet
Group CEO Ahmed Kalebi said the new approach puts confidentiality at
its core. “Demand for STI services is high but lack of privacy has kept
many away. We want to change this,” Dr Kalebi said.
The
client is identified through an anonymous code or a false name during
testing and treatment. Alternatively, kits for collecting samples can be
send to clients in sealed packages through courier services. Those
whose results turn out positive will be linked up with doctors for
treatment privately.
“The tests have no age restriction but underage clients will be required to sign consent forms,” said Dr Kalebi.
Also, doctors will email prescriptions for drugs without having to meet the patient.
At
least 1.6 million Kenyans are living with HIV, according to the 2013
Kenya HIV Prevention Revolution Road Map report sponsored by the Health
ministry.
Peter and Winnie Craig in their Kahawa Estate home, Nairobi. They met on
Facebook after Craig had been involved in a serious motorcycle accident
back home in Australia. COURTESY | DAILY NATION
In Summary
Winnie Thuku is Kenyan, while Peter Craig is Australian.
Theirs is a love story like no other. It was woven on Facebook and four
years later, has blossomed into a happy marriage, blessed with two
children.
Peter, who was in Australia, was having struggles of
his own. His life had almost been cut short by a terrible motorcycle
accident that left him with serious injuries to the spine. He was
bedridden for two years. As a result, he quit his job and moved back to
his parents’ house.
Peter says coming to Kenya to marry a woman he had never met was the greatest leap of faith he has ever made.
When we meet the Craigs at their home in Kiamumbi in Kahawa
West, we are immediately reminded of an old saying, “Love knows no
reason, no boundaries, no distance”.
Winnie Thuku is
Kenyan, while Peter Craig is Australian. Theirs is a love story like no
other. It was woven on Facebook and four years later, has blossomed into
a happy marriage, blessed with two children.
It began
in 2009 when Peter sent Winnie a friend request on Facebook. Winnie
accepted the request, assuming that Peter was just one of her many fans.
Her first book, Broken To Be Made Whole, telling her story of pain and
triumph, had made a big impact and she had many online fans.
Peter,
who was in Australia, was having struggles of his own. His life had
almost been cut short by a terrible motorcycle accident that left him
with serious injuries to the spine. He was bedridden for two years. As a
result, he quit his job and moved back to his parents’ house. “Our
friendship began when I started ministering and encouraging him because
he was constantly in pain. A few months later, he began expressing
interest in me, though I really wasn’t interested,” Winnie says.
But
Peter convinced Winnie that he was serious. He introduced her to his
parents and family by asking them to send Winnie friend requests on
Facebook.
Shortly after, the two began an online
relationship until Peter visited Kenya in June 2011. A week later, they
had a civil wedding. Peter says coming to Kenya to marry a woman he had never met was the greatest leap of faith he has ever made.
“It
was a long journey coming to a country and a people that I knew nothing
about. I, however, felt that I knew Winnie. Her core values matched
mine and that was all that mattered,” he says.
Winnie’s
family did not understand how she was getting married to a man she met
on Facebook though that did not bother her. What did was the stigma that
followed.
The society generally perceives black
Kenyan women in relationships with white men as two-timing gold diggers.
Society thinks the women are simply looking for money and a free ticket
to a better life abroad.
Winnie bore the brunt of this misconception whenever she was with her husband on Nairobi streets.
“People
assumed I was a prostitute yet I couldn’t defend myself. I was treated
with suspicion but once we had our first child, they began appreciating
that we were a family. Only then did I start enjoying my marriage,” she
says.
Peter also says he has been a victim of the
perception that a mzungu man is superior to his black counterpart and
therefore more moneyed. He says he has been approached on several occasions by women who probably thought he was not committed to his wife.
What many don’t know is that Craig has not yet been cleared to work by his doctors.
FOOT THE BILLS
This means Winnie has to take care of the family and foot all the bills.
“I
do it out of love for my family. When I got married to Peter, people
thought I would move to Karen, Runda or other posh estates. I have
disappointed a lot of people, and many wonder what I am doing with him,”
she says.
Peter’s health is getting better and he is looking forward to taking his family to Australia next year.
“I
am yet to meet a man who is comfortable to sit back as his wife does
all the work and pays the bills. I am eager to begin working,” he says.
The
couple believes that it is possible to have a successful inter-racial
marriage, because all it takes is understanding the other person’s
culture and personal preferences. Winnie adds that it is possible for an
African woman to truly love a white man without strings attached.
“I
look at where he was when we met, and I usually tell him that I don’t
think there is a Kenyan girl who would have loved him the way I loved
him, given how money-minded many Kenyan women are,” says Winnie Says Peter,
“You
have to be loving and caring and willing to work with each other
towards a common ground because what could be normal to one person could
be abnormal to the other person - you also have to put each other first
and be patient and understanding,” says Peter. Oh, and it is true, Winnie confirms, that White men treat their women better, if her experience with Peter is anything to go by.
“I
would never think of dating an African man, now that I am married to a
white man. To a white man, there are no specific chores for men and
women. My husband helps out in the house with the cooking and with the
children, especially when I was on bed rest during my two pregnancies.
He is always taking care of me,” she says.
A sample of the Standard Gauge Railway. After dithering in the first
year in office, the Jubilee government has finally started implementing
big projects. FILE PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT |
NATION MEDIA GROUPBy MWANIKI WAHOME More by this Author
After dithering in the first year in office, the Jubilee government has finally started implementing big projects.
Among
the projects that have started is the standard gauge railway. The year
has closed with the start of compensation for way-leave in parts of
Coast.
About Sh8 billion has been set aside to be
given to people who will be displaced. The new railway is expected to
reach Nairobi by 2016.
Upgrade of Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport and airstrips in the country is ongoing. The plan
is aimed at providing wider space to travellers.
As the
year comes to an end, the government has been scouting for contractors
to undertake public-private partnership in tarmacking 10,000 kilometres
of roads.
“The projects have potential benefits to the
economy but most of these are not immediate for they will be felt in
three to five years when they are completed,” said Mr Gitau Githogo, an
economist.
It is expected that the start of the road
projects will further increase borrowing from commercial banks. However,
the projects will create jobs across the country.
The
alternative funding sources are expected to provide Sh260 billion for
the construction of the first 2,000 kilometres spread across the
country.
The ambitious infrastructure project, that is expected to create about 137,000 jobs in three years, was mooted in August.
The
roads project will be implemented through annuity financing. This means
contractors will access loans guaranteed by the government from banks,
enabling them to design, construct and maintain the roads.
The government is also expected to continue undertaking massive road construction works across the country.
Among
the key projects that the government is expected to undertake is the
expansion of Outer-Ring Road whose funds have been provided by the World
Bank. The other is the double-decker road running from JKIA to
Westlands and the expansion of Ngong Road.
Public-private model
Lappset
project that seeks to connect Kenya with South Sudan and Ethiopia is
expected to start from several fronts through public-private model. The
construction of Lamu port is, however, crucial among these projects.
“When
the projects kick off, there will be more money in circulation bringing
the possibility of increased inflation. On the good side there will be
mass employment,” said Mr John Mutua, programme officer incharge of
budget at the Institute of Economic Affairs.
Components
of Lappset project are Lamu port, roads, crude oil pipeline,
electricity network, two airports at Manda in Lamu and in Isiolo. Others
are an oil refinery and three resort cities.
The government hopes that private investors will participate in building these facilities through public-private partnerships.
Building
of Konza ICT city that was launched by former President Mwai Kibaki, is
expected to commence soon. This month, Deputy President William Ruto
launched the first phase of the city with a promise to create 17,000
direct jobs.
Galana/Kulalu irrigation project is expected to realise the first crop harvest from the 10,000 acres in February 2015.
The
government is expected to upscale the project from next year and
progressively cover the one million acres set aside under the plan.
The
Sh400 billion irrigation scheme has faced funding delays. However, an
Israeli firm, Agri Green signed a contract with the government to build
the “model farm” at a cost of $651 million (Sh55.3 billion).
When
completed, the project is projected to have 500,000 acres of land under
maize production, 200,000 acres under sugar cane farming, 150,000 acres
for beef and game animals, 50,000 acres under horticulture, 50,000
acres for dairy farming and the remaining 50,000 acres for growing
fruits.
The Ministry of Agriculture has said that many investors have shown interest in taking up part of the land for cultivation.
The
government signed a deal with Toyota Tsusho Corporation of Japan for
construction of Sh103 billion fertiliser plant in Eldoret, in September.
The construction is expected to start next year, with the first stock
of NPK fertiliser expected to roll out from the plant in 2016.
In
preparation for a rise in spending on infrastructure, the government
increased the ceiling of borrowing from Sh1.2 trillion to 2.5 trillion
last month.
Implementation of these projects is
expected to put pressure on the shilling with increased import of
equipment and other key inputs.
“The importation of
equipment for construction will increase demand for forex which will
pile pressure on the shilling, potentially weakening it,” Mr Mutua said.
The
government has already secured $750 million from International Monetary
Fund to cushion the economy against shocks that may come as a result of
increased demand for dollars as construction materials are imported.
National
Treasury Cabinet secretary, Mr Henry Rotich, said the expansion of the
debt ceiling would provide headroom for expanded external borrowing to
finance the Sh327 billion standard gauge railway, 10,000 kilometre road
annuity programme, the 5,000MW electricity plan and fund projects under
Lappset.
He said the government would seek massive
financing to meet the cost of the country’s infrastructure development
in the second medium term plan 2013-2017. The government raised more
than Sh160 billion in its maiden Eurobond during the year.
“The
National Treasury on behalf of the government seeks to tap the recently
issued sovereign bond for an amount not exceeding $750 million to
finance ongoing development projects.
Further, the
disbursements of the SGR loans are expected to accelerate having
satisfied the conditions precedent to disbursements and thereby paving
the way for implementation of the project,” Mr Rotich said.
Debt ceiling
He
said the funds, together with upcoming disbursements of cash for other
projects will drive the quantum of external debt beyond the current
Sh1.2 trillion ceiling.
The minister said debt ceiling
for external debt had been raised from $10 billion (Sh800 billion) to
$14 billion (Sh1.2 trillion).
By September 30, the
government had disbursed outstanding nominal external debt stock at
Sh1.045 trillion against the set statutory ceiling of Sh1.2 trillion.
This implies that the government had only Sh155 billion, an amount that would have starved projects of funds.
An image grab released by Jund al-Khilafa, or “Soldiers of the
Caliphate” shows Frenchman Herve Gourdel, 55, kneeling on the ground
with his hands tied behind his back. He was later beheaded. An Algerian
television network reported on Tuesday that the army has killed the head
of the Jund al-Khilafa jihadist group behind the beheading the
Frenchman. FILE PHOTO |
AFP
An Algerian television
network reported on Tuesday that the army has killed the head of the
Jund al-Khilafa jihadist group behind the beheading of a Frenchman in
September.
Abdelmalek Gouri, whose group has pledged
allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) organisation that has overrun large
parts of Iraq and Syria, was killed in Sidi Daoud, about 80 kilometres
(50 miles) from Algiers, Nahar TV said.
The army killed two other members of Jund al-Khilafa in the same operation, the channel said.
The security services confirmed Gouri's identity, according to the report, which could not be immediately confirmed.
On
Saturday, the army said it killed three Islamist gunmen in a
mountainous area near Sidi Daoud, and that one of them was a "dangerous
criminal" wanted since 1995, when the hunt for Gouri was launched.
Soldiers seized a large quantity of guns, ammunition and explosives during the operation.
On
December 11, Algerian Justice Minister Tayeb Louh announced that
soldiers had killed two members of Jund al-Khilafa implicated in the
murder of French mountain guide Herve Gourdel.
Gourdel,
55, was kidnapped in September and later beheaded by the group that was
formed at the end of August after splintering from Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb and pledging allegiance to IS.
Violence
involving armed Islamists has fallen considerably since the civil war
of the 1990s, but groups linked to AQIM continue to launch attacks in
the northeast, mostly on security forces.
