Category: Uncategorized

By Jeff Kizillah

The ECOSOCC Annual Citizens Forum 2023 held in Nairobi,Kenya highlightedj principles, such as citizen participation, accountability, transparency, and the protection of human rights.
The Role of Digital Governance:The forum highlighted the concept of digital governance and its relationship with democracy. Discussions held around digital technologies and the internet transforming citizen-government interactions and created new opportunities for democratic participation.
Empowering Citizens through Digital Technologies

The meeting highlighted Access to Information,the importance of access to information as a fundamental aspect of democratic governance and how digital technologies enable citizens to access public information, promote government transparency, and make informed decisions.In Participation and Engagement Ecosocc
examined the role of digital technologies in enhancing citizen participation and engagement. Discussions around examples of digital platforms that facilitate public consultations, citizen feedback, and collaborative decision-making processes.

Accountability and Transparency:Serious debate around the impact of digital technologies on promoting government accountability and transparency. Explore mechanisms such as open data initiatives, e-procurement systems, and online reporting platforms that enable citizens to monitor government activities.The

Challenges in Digital Governance included
Inequality in Digital Access:
Address the issue of the digital divide, emphasizing how unequal access to digital technologies can exacerbate existing social and economic disparities. Discuss strategies for bridging the digital divide and ensuring inclusive digital governance.About
Privacy and Data Protection:The forum
examined the challenges related to privacy and data protection in the digital age and the importance of safeguarding citizens’ personal information and explore regulatory frameworks and best practices in this domain.

Around Misinformation and Disinformation:The forum
analyzed the spread of misinformation and disinformation online and its impact on democratic processes and the role of digital platforms, social media, and algorithms in amplifying falsehoods and propose strategies for combating misinformation.

The forum also highlighted the best Practices in Democratic Digital Governance and
Open Government Initiatives,such as successful open government initiatives that promote transparency, citizen engagement, and collaboration between government and civil society including the benefits of open data, open policy-making, and citizen-centric service delivery.The E-Participation Platforms discussed ways to explore digital platforms that facilitate citizen participation and engagement in decision-making processes for successful e-participation platforms that enable citizens to voice their opinions, contribute to policy development, and hold governments accountable.On Digital Citizen Education:ECOSOCC
emphasized the importance of digital citizenship education in promoting informed, responsible, and ethical use of digital technologies and initiatives that empower citizens to navigate the digital landscape and critically evaluate information.

ECOSOCC’s Efforts in Promoting Democracy and Digital Governance include:
Awareness Campaigns and Advocacy:ECOSOCC’s efforts in raising awareness about the importance of democracy and digital governance and campaigns and advocacy initiatives undertaken by ECOSOCC to promote citizen empowerment and digital inclusion.

By Jeff Kizzilah

The world is awakening to the environmental imperative of extending the life of clothing through reuse and reducing textile waste.

Speaking during the launch of East Africa report on Mitumba, Association Chairperson Mrs. Terresiah Wairimu said that Mitumba is not a waste but a big contributor to the East Africa’s economy,she said that more than 3.4million hard working individuals and families in EA depends on this Mitumba Sector for their daily living.

She also said that,every ton of Second hand clothing imported into EAC states generates an impressive 7.5% jobs a significant source of income for many people.

“Come together and work together to create a unified sector,lets not succom to those or be swayed by those who wants to impose barries and restrictions but lets create a prosperous mitimba economy and consumer welfare,”she adds

Mitumba Association has come out to respond to the ministry of trade that said the Mitumba trade be stopped.

“Mitumba can help supply enough shoes for every kenyans because at the moment kenya doesn’t have enough machinery of Labour ,” she said

The sector alone contributed to around US?$419million across EA in 2021,she also said the revenue without a doubt used to fuel public sector development,improve infrastructure and also provides essential services for citizens.

By irene mwende

The first private security training institution Miale has been launched today in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county

Speaking during the launch principal secretary internal security and national administration Dr.Raymond Amollo who graced the launch stated that private security industry aligns to the government’s national security agenda that is focused on addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the sector

“The launch of the first private security training institution is a ground breaking initiative that not only signifies a paradigm shift in the private security sector but also spells a whole new aspect for our national security” said PS Amollo

He highlighted that digitization and automation of process to enhance government service delivery also form a big part of the ministry’s key priorities and an area that needs more cooperation between private security service providers and national security organs

The principal secretary further stated that private security firms play a very crucial role in complementing security services

“Private Guards are part of the first line of emergency response hence their actions make a significant difference in the outcome of critical situations , highlighting their crucial role in ensuring public safety and security” said Amollo

In conclusion he further noted that the launch recognizes the contribution of unsung heroes,and their is need to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to continue serving as a dependable and effective presence in times of need.

BY NJOKI KARANJA

The Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) has
today launched the Young Environmentalist Innovative Challenge (YEIC), an environmental
innovation fund that aims at developing action-oriented young individuals committed to the
conservation of the environment.

The finalists of this challenge will be awarded in two categories; the first category will see three
young environment champions awarded a grant of between Ksh. 800,000 to Ksh. 1,500,000, while
the second category will have six organizations awarded a grant of between 3,000,000 to Ksh.
5,000,000 each implementing their unique environment conservation-based ideas.

YEIC is an environmental innovation fund established by KCDF through the generous gift of
Mackenzie Scott to support innovative ideas and solutions that promote environmental conservation,
sustainable resource management, and community resilience. KCDF has partnered with the National
Environment Trust Fund (NetFund) and Green Generation Initiative.

In a ceremony that brought together, youth representatives, the private sector, environment
champions, advocates and enthusiasts, the event highlighted the importance of conserving the
environment as part of the efforts to mitigate the current global challenges like drought and climate
change.

Speaking during the event, the Chief Guest Mr. Samson Toniok, CEO – National Environment Trust
Fund (NetFund) applauded the initiative as timely when the world today is faced by unprecedented
environmental crisis including the global phenomena of climate change, pollution and biodiversity
loss.

“The effects of these global challenges remain stark realities in our day-to-day lives such as frequent
droughts, rising waters, extreme weather and flash floods that continue to take the toll on Kenyans
and their livelihoods. For this reason, I would like to applaud KCDF for this noble initiative and
encourage you continue fostering partnerships for future and continued success of this challenge.”
He said.

On her part, the KCDF Executive Director highlighted the need to embrace and promote innovation
in the development sector.

“When you give organizations unrestricted funding, innovation comes about. People are able to take
the money where it is most needed. One of the key innovations we came up with is YEIC, that
challenges the youth and youth organizations to come up with environmental solutions that would
advance livelihoods and education. The narrative in the community has been that if we are
conserving the environment, livelihoods suffer, and our intention is to burst this myth.” Said Ms.
Grace Maingi.

Gordon Odundo, a Board Director at KCDF challenged the youth to take lead in conserving the
environment. “The youth, this environment is your future, you need to protect it, look after it and
participate in the good work of preserving it.” He said.

Elizabeth Wathuti the Founder of Green Generation Initiative (GGI) said that the YEIC challenge was very timely as an empowering platform for the Kenyan youth who continue to face a stiff competition
for resources against bigger organizations.

Michael Waiyaki, C.EO and Founder Miti Alliance said
that as a community we need to know the difference between tree planting and tree growing and
embrace the latter which is more effective.

Josephine Wawira, the Communications Lead,
Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya insisted on the need to avoid using complex jargon on issues
of environment and climate change and come down to the community’s level and communicate
effective contextual strategies towards climate change mitigation.

Ebenezer Amadi a Program
Manager at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) said that the private sector continues to play
a pivotal role in advocating for proper pro-environment policies and regulations in the country.

This Young Environmentalist Innovative Challenge is built on KCDF’s environment work that began
in 2016 under the Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund.

By Jeff Kizzilah

Almost 69% of kenyans do not support the housing levy while 54% of kenyans feel that those housing will not get to own house,according to TiFa research.

The TiFa data was collected before the first budget and shows that 24% of kenya terms the budget as the worst ever while only 4% supports education and 4% is for housing levy,with a modest minority of kenyans supports government’s programmes at 21%, 56% terms them worst with the rise taxation by Ruto government.

Speaking during the release of the survey, Tom Wolf, TiFa Director said the government should come clean and explain more to kenyans in its first budget.

“We spoke to many kenyans and a big number dont trust this government at all but the trust opposition more and ready to join in demonstrations if necessary,” Tom said

However, their is a minimal contrast between these two groups of supporters would be voters in the next election this is because the opposition supporters are more negative than the ones who are pro-government.

In his next survey, Tifa Research said they will carefully consider which of these issues are worth tracking again and which should be replaced.

By Irene Mwende

According to the study, only one-quarter (24 per cent) of the respondents support the housing levy.

The economic survey conducted between June 23 and June 30, 2023, indicated that 7 per cent of the 1,530 respondents remained undecided on the matter.

Speaking Tuesday during the release of the findings, TIFA Research Analyst Tom Wolf highlighted that a majority of the Opposition supporters are against the housing levy suggesting a correlation between political alignment and public opinion.

“By contrast, and unsurprisingly, nearly all Opposition supporters oppose it (84%), suggesting that to a large extent, such opinions are more a reflection of political alignment than of the details of the program itself (which are to become better known in due course, with whatever impact on the public’s opinion about it),” he said.

The survey also revealed that 54 percent of Kenyans believe that those who contribute to the Housing Levy will not have the opportunity to own a house.

In contrast, only 11 percent of the respondents expressed confidence that levy payers would eventually become homeowners.

“Expectations that those who pay the new housing levy will ever get a house are quite most, with nearly five times as many of all Kenyans certain that they will not compared to those who certain that they will (54% vs. 11%),” TIFA said.

According to the pollster, such expressed expectations are markedly shaped by political alignment, however, with five times more Government supporters (20 per cent) certain they will get a house as compared to Opposition supporters (4 per cent).

by Ronald Njoroge

The National Assembly Committee on Sports and Culture on Thursday called for the immediate opening of the Jamhuri Sports Complex.
Led by Mary Emasse the legislator for Teso South they urged the Ministry of Sports to pay the contractor the pendings bills so that the sport facility can be operationalized.
“This project should have been handed over more than one year ago so that the public can utilize it,” Emasse said during a tour of the grounds.
The purpose of the visit is to determine the state of the grounds which were constructed and completed in 2022.

The complex is mooted as one of the training facilities to be used in Kenya’s bid for jointly hosting the African cup of Nations.
She revealed that the fact that the sports complex has not been operationalized means that taxpayers are losing money.
The legislator noted that the contractor Dallo Holdings is incurring additional liabilities everyday the project is not opened.

By Jeff Kizzilah

The Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani, has urged the stakeholders in the creative economy to leverage technology and innovation to create more jobs and spur the nation’s economic growth. Speaking on Tuesday at the Konza Technopolis Creative Economy Conference in Nairobi, PS Kisiang’ani noted that the government is working to streamline the creative sector for favourable tax regimes and financing policies.The PS said that the government will spend KES 15.1 billion in developing the digital superhighway in a bid to position Kenya as a unique creative economy hub destination. He also said that they are seeking financial support from the private sector to further develop the creative as the private sector seeks to leverage government facilities such as the digital superhighway and the Konza Technopolis Data Centre. “The government is ready to support the creative economy so that it can create more jobs at individual and institutional level. This sector presents a positive opportunity for more job opportunities for Kenyans because we don’t have capacity in government to give everybody a job,” said PS Kisiang’ani. “At the moment, we are looking at the tax regimes with a view to optimise and streamlined. We would like the creative to be promoted and bot to be punished by some of these tax regimes. We are also looking at the legal issues to ensure checks and balances in the sector to avoid infringement on privacy while advancing the creative economy,” added the PS. The PS noted that they are looking at the possibility of giving upcoming creatives more support such as data storage and financial support from private partners. On his end, John Paul Okwiri, Ag. CEO Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) noted that they are supporting creative startups at the National Tier III data centre with one year free hosting in view of building a sustainable media city project. He said: “You will realise that the youth are asking for opportunities. With our state of the art data centre, we are providing an opportunity for the youth in creative economy with storage. For all the startups, we are providing one year hosting and that’s why we are convening this conference so that we can showcase the opportunities.”He noted that KoTDA is in the process of developing the Digital Media City which will focus on developing a media hub at Konza Technopolis. The Konza Digital Media City is envisioned to provide an ecosystem that promotes training, research and innovation in the digital media and entertainment industries in Kenya and the African region.During the event, Roy Gitahi, Founder and CEO of Art at Work Limited stressed the need to strengthen the partnerships and collaborations in the creative sector for more opportunities.“What we found at Konza (National data centre) is something the private sector cannot build easily. But is it important because all this content can be placed at the centre and we can explore avenues of monetizing the data. This is something that the private and public sector must partner to drive,” he said.The conference was convened by Timothy Owase, CEO, Kenya Film Commission, Joel Omalwa, Ag. CEO, Kenya Film Classification Board and Wesley Maritim, Director Administration, State Department of ICT. Art At Work and Thunderbird School of Global Management seeks to identify strategic interventions which address the players who will enable the monetization of the creative economy through digital superhighway, specifically the role of Konza Technopolis and its partners in supporting a vibrant creative economy in the Country.

Naivas Supermarket chain Chief commercial manager Willis Kimani addressing the gathering in a previous meeting
By Fred Maingi
Nairobi’s Karen residents were offered a perfect “Fathers Day” treat after leading shopping outlet Naivas Supermarket opened their 95th branch amid thunderous cheers and massive celebrations.
This is the second branch within the Karen upscale suburb after unveiling their first outlet in 2020 at the Waterfront Mall.

The outlet sits at the busy inter section of Langata and Langata south roads covering 10,000 square feet of trading space. The new facility bears the elevated road market model which Naivas first introduced in Naivas food market Greenspan early last year.
Addressing the audience that included esteemed customers, suppliers, Media and families that came for shopping, Naivas chief commercial officer Willy Kimani said they were elated to be back at Karen following the success of their first outlet in the area.
“We do not take it for granted that the brand has not only been accepted but is now a valued addition to the celebrated Karengate community. As we celebrate the opening of the 95th branch, we are also officially kicking off the countdown to the 100th branch in which we are calling the # Road to 100. We are delighted that as a home grown Kenyan brand, we have reached heights previously unprecedented in the retail industry . It is not lost on us, the responsibility we bear to society as a business whose DNA is Kenyan, a responsibility that we fulfil”Kimani noted.

The Automobile Association of Kenya ( AA Kenya) and the AMREF Flying Doctors have signed a partnership agreement in Nairobi, to provide Emergency Air and Ground Medical Evacuation services.

The partnership, will offer Maisha Membership, an air and ground ambulance scheme for its members. This partnership is an integral part of AA Kenya’s commitment to road safety and prioritising the well-being of its members and their loved ones during unforeseen accidents or emergencies.

The Automobile Association of Kenya (AA Kenya) with a rich history spanning 103 years, is the leading motoring association in Kenya dedicated to promoting road safety and providing motoring services and solutions and continues to play a vital role in improving road safety and ensuring positive motoring experience for all in Kenya.

On the other hand, the AMREF Flying Doctors is a subsidiary of Amref Health Kenya, the largest Africa-based International NGO founded in 1957 in Kenya, and has since been involved in health care project throughout East Africa one of which is their Air Ambulance Services.
AMREF Flying Doctors provides air evacuation services in medical emergencies as well as air ambulance transfers between medical facilities.
It has a fleet of five fully-owned dedicated ambulance aircraft, patience can be evacuated from anywhere on the African continent to anywhere in the world.

Under this partnership, AA Kenya Premier members will receive complimentary access to AMREF Flying Doctors’ services. Other AA Kenya members will have the option to pay an annual fee of Ksh 2,500 to receive unlimited air and ground ambulance services in case of medical emergencies.

In addition, AA Kenya members will have direct access to AMREF Flying Doctors’ 24 hour control centre, staffed by qualified medical practitioners who can offer invaluable medical advice.
At the premium level of membership refered to as Maisha Diamond, clients will receive air medical evacuations and upto US$200,000 of post-evacuation hospitalization coverage in Nairobi or South Africa including return flights to Kenya.

This partnership marks a significant milestone in enhancing the safety and well-being of AA Kenya members.
By joining forces, the two organizations are poised to make a positive impact on emergency response and save lives across Kenya.

The Maisha Medical Evacuation Plan will be offered in five packages, including Maisha Bronze, Maisha Silver, Maisha Gold, Maisha Platinum, and Maisha Diamond, with prices starting from as low as Ksh2,500.
The packages are designed to cover evacuations thoroughout Easy African region, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.

” This is a partnership between two institutions that have been offering similar kind of membership schemes. AA has been offering membership for vehicles and AMREF Flying Doctors has been offering membership for humans and so the merger is timely, it’s due to offer complete solution for the person with a vehicle…” said Dr Joseph Lelo, the Medical Director AMREF Flying Doctors.