The efforts to restore long lasting peace in the DRC is on another stage as the process enters a crucial stages.
Professor Serge Tshibangu who is the special Envoy say this consultations is a follow up to the April inaugural peace meeting in Nairobi.
According to the , Professor Serge, this third Inter-Congolese dialogue aims to accelerate the ongoing regional efforts to attain sustainable peace and security in Eastern DRC as elaborated by various efforts of the EAC Heads of State.
“The peace talks reaffirm the commitment of the Heads of State of the EAC; Great Lakes region and Africa at large, to find a lasting solution to the security challenges in the Eastern DRC,” he adds.
Governance Expert Dr. Fred Ogola , today led other learned professional, prof. Charles Oloo , Dr. Churchil Saoke , Amorell Juliana and Dr. Baba Zuri of Kenya University Students Organization President and other Stakeholders during the Launch of Nationwide Signature Collection for the proposed constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill , 2022 at the Bomas of Kenya .
This Bill is a culmination of nationwide consultations and deliberations through forums as “Bunge LA Mwanachi “and town hall meetings with professional bodies , private sectors players , Civil Society and the Media . The discussions culminated into proposals for constitutional changes structure into the following thematic areas and spread across .
The proposed changes span across the following key thematic areas , namely accountability, youth and persons living with disability , leadership and integrity , representation of the people , Devolution and Public Finance . Food security , healthcare , education and other fundamental rights , and not for individual enrichment . We have entrusted some people , the public servants to look after these billions for the benefit of you and me feeling of pinch which comes when Kenyans sleeps hungry and not managed to pay school fees .
Operation Linda Ugatuzi believes that together we can form the Government of the people for the people, and not for the wolves , it is common knowledge that those who tried entering the government through the BBI and those who managed to enter the government by blocking BBI both used public resources. Fortunately for both parties they got positions with which to comfort themselves , while we , the common people of Kenya , went home with higher taxes , heavy bills and more and more debt to pay.
This proposed amendment bill will ensure that even the common man and woman comes comes out of election with something to divide rather than leaving divided .
Following the nationwide consultations and deliberations through forums of Bunge LA Mwanachi and town hall meetings with professionals , we therefore proposed the following amendments .
Prior to the 2022 World Cup, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua that football is not just a sport, its cultural value and influence can unite the world.
Infantino stated that China is an important part of the development of world football, and he also greeted football fans in China.
With just a few days to go before the start of Qatar World Cup, football fans around the globe are eagerly expressing their wishes and expectations over the sporting extravaganza.
Dayo executive director Saif Jira addresses disability groups’ stakeholders Image: James Mutua
By: James Mutua
Mombasa and Kilifi counties have been urged to develop a disability policy to end marginalisation.
Mombasa National Council for Persons with Disability coordinator Juliet Ruwa said that people with disabilities continue to suffer marginalisation in health, education and development due to legislative gaps.
She said the NCPWD, in partnership with Dream Achievers Youth Organisation and the Mombasa government, is drafting a policy to facilitate full disability mainstreaming in the devolved unit.
The policy seeks to strengthen legislation requiring at least a five per cent quota for PWDs in the public and private sector.
“In the previous county government, the policy was rejected and now we are making a new one that will inform data collection and the budget-making process,” Ruwa said.
Dayo executive director Seif Jira said PWDs in Mombasa have continued to suffer adverse socioeconomic outcomes due to discriminatory prejudice and stigma.
“In every county, there is a need to have a policy that will guide the budget-making process, but in Mombasa we have none. This has continued to marginalise special groups. We want to bring everyone on board so that we can produce an all-inclusive document,” he said. Jira said the county government has been unable to allocate enough resources to meet the needs of important groups, something which has led to a lack of reliable and desegregated data.
They said that the government relies on the data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data 2019, which is outdated considering the growing population.
They now want a quantitative study done to match the current dynamics.
Jira said their organisation is developing a policy to ensure the plight of PWD is captured by the end of November when the new draft will be out.
He said the nomination of persons with disability in Mombasa county assembly was discriminatory.
“We want to put all stakeholders together in developing a Mombasa policy because we have noticed that Mombasa has no desegregated data on people with disability for budget planning purposes,” he said.
White Ribbon Alliance communications director Angel Katusya said there has been a continued disregard for disability rights in Kilifi county.
She said the organisation is working towards championing disability rights in the county.
“We are building the capacity of girls because they are always discriminated against when accessing sexual reproductive health. We are trying to sensitise them on how they can demand their rights because they have continued to be marginalised,” Katusya said.
Disability activists in Meru want the government to devolve medical assessments to reduce the backlog of unregistered persons. Of about 70,000 such citizens in the county, only 25,000 are registered with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), said Daniel Mwangangi, a disability activist in Meru.
There were 49,815 people with disabilities in Meru in 2019, the highest in the country, a Kenya National Bureau of Statistics report shows. Of these, 19,508 are visually impaired and 19,281 had mobility disabilities.
Speaking at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital during a medical assessment drive on Monday, county disability committee chairman Mike Makarina said the government should prioritise registration of people with disabilities to avert marginalisation.
“Government policy is very clear on the benefits that should go to a person with a disability, such as five percent of jobs and government contracts,” Mr Makarina said.
“These benefits can only be received if someone is registered. Putting barriers to the registration process is an attempt to marginalise persons with disability.”
He called on the NCPD to lobby for more medical assessment centres and doctors at the sub-county level to reach more residents. Mr Makarina welcomed the ongoing renewal of disability registration, arguing that impostors had infiltrated earlier registration drives to benefit from disability services.
“We welcome the plan by the [NCPD] to introduce smart cards because it will weed out impostors. This will ease access to services,” he said.
Dr James Kinyua, an orthopaedic surgeon at Meru Referral, said the monthly medical assessment of disabilities draws more than 300 people to the hospital.
“We normally do community medical assessment drives but this had been suspended for four months due to the political campaigns,” Dr Kinyua said.
“The assessment also takes time because doctors from various specialties such as hearing, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists among others must be involved to determine the level of disability.”
The NCPD announced fresh registration after it rolled out a new system aimed at curbing fraud and enhancing accountability.
It devolved the signing of assessment reports to counties and eligible citizens are expected to register afresh by the end of the year.
The equity bank plans to expand in 15 states in Africa by 2025.
At the moment equity have 6 offices cross Africa including DRC,Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Southern Sudan while plans to expand in Ethiopia and Burundi respectively.
Speaking during Equity 3rd Quoter performance report, Equity CEO Mr. James Mwangi said,our subsidiaries across Africa are doing much better efficiently than Kenya.
“The growth rate is very faster and currently Equity is a systematic,it’s not about opening many subsidiaries but credit penetration and financial access is our Kenya objective,” Mwangi said
The bank also was able to double 15% growth during the Covid duration.
Mr. Mwangi has said they are planning to expand their digital transactions to reach a trillion in 5years.
He also said he is happy to be involved in the Hustler Fund program being driven by the government.
He said it’s a very good program that will enable youths and Kenya practice saving mindset.
” Our fourth quoter will be dominated by agriculture with high volumes,”he said
Patients with blood disorders will be supported to get rapid access to care thanks to the recently launched Accelerating Access to Blood Disorders Care in Kenya and Tanzania Project.
The 3-year joint project is a joint collaboration of Kenya Haemophilia Association (KHA), Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation (NNHF), Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) and Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania.
” It will focus on supporting rapid access to care for people with haemophilia and will also benefit people with sickle cell disease”, Dr. Stella wazaula, Project Coordinator and Head of Haemotology at Muhimbili National Hospital Tanzania.
Haemophilia and sickle cell disease are two haematological disorders that are overly inherited and afflict a large population of Kenyans with devastating outcomes. Haemophilia is a bleeding disorder that has severe complications if unattended and inappropriately managed. It can lead to mortality due to uncontrolled bleeding.
Speaking during the 2nd Accelerating access to Blood Disorder Care in Kenya and Tanzania,De. Stella Rwezaula ,who is the Project Coordinator says that majority of the patients are male due to the nature of inheritance, with a prevalence of 1:10,000 in a population, Kenya should be having 5,000 patients but has only diagnosed 14% of the population. This disease is evenly distributed and all communities are equally affected.
De Stella says it’s therefore, envisaged that this program, in collaboration with the various stakeholders, will aid in boosting care for Kenyans as well as Tanzanians under an environment of shared learning. The objectives of this program will drastically promote attainment of universal healthcare for patients with bleeding disorders as well as those living with sickle cell disease.
She added that Patient care is mainly through infusion of factor concentrates replacement of clotting factors.
