Focus on Kenya

Thursday, 15 October 2015

COUNTIES FROM THE COAST TO BENEFIT FROM GOOD GOVERNANCE PROJECT

Mombasa, Kilifi and Tana River are amongst the beneficiary counties to
a 116 million project that seeks to raise the capacity of the County
Governance Systems in Kenya.

The European Union and German Embassy backed project at the same time
aims at raising public awareness on how to participate in governance.

During the launch that happened in Nairobi Mombasa Senator Hassan
Omar called for leaders to involve citizens on issues affecting them
directly.

‘It is unconstitutional to ignore citizens in development projects as
this goes against the spirit of devolution.The people could be the
ones offering solutions to their challenges since they understand
their problems better. Good governance ensures participatory measures
on the leader’s side to ensure all voices are heard,’ continues Omar.

Mombasa Women Representative Mishi Said has scolded those in
leadership positions who overlook citizen’s input saying that some
proposals made by the people are altered before they reach the floor
of Parliament.

‘We have the Community Land Bill and there was a taskforce formed to
work on this Bill. There was a lot of stakeholder meetings and people
their voices on this document.It is unfortunate that the Bill does not
reflect the people’s opinions in terms of land issues. There is need
to offer capacity building to the citizens,’ says Mishi.

The German Deputy Ambassador Friedo Sielemann noted that devolution
should be used to strengthen democracy and development as citizens are
provided with platforms to influence the quality of development at the
county level.

‘There is need to go beyond Civic Education to a more citizen
inclusive approach. The use of scorecards will make county governments
more accountable and make the projects more locally acceptable,’ Mr.
Sielemann said.

Head of Development for EU Eric Haber has said the union has aligned
its development agenda to the goals set by Kenya in its development
blueprint, Vision 2030 and is keen to see the implementation of the
Public Financial Financial Management Reforms and Devolution, which
are identified as priority areas in the second Medium Term Plan
2013-2018.

‘The EU delegation to Kenya is working with both National and County
governments in strengthening institutions of devolution to be more
responsive to the needs of the citizens, while at the same time
enabling citizens to actively participate in identifying and
implementing developmental projects,’ he adds.

Monday, 12 October 2015

KENYAN CULTURE GETS DIGITIZED

The Google Cultural Institute, in collaboration with the Kenya
National Archives, has launched the digitised National Archives - an
initiative that celebrates and promotes Kenyan history, Africa’s
heroes and cultural heritage.

With the digitised national archives, artefacts and historical
documents will now be accessible at the click of the button.

This means that anyone interacting with the artifacts online will not
only come face to face with the history of Kenya and other African
countries such as; Ethiopia, Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of
Congo and Nigeria, but also celebrate African heroes, art and culture.

'It is very ironic how culture is an ancient and traditional aspect of
human life then technology is something that is modern and both are
fused together to ensure the conservation of African
history.Technology plays a great role in promoting culture in the
world we live in today. Not only does it help to conserve art and
culture in digital forms that can be accessed from any part of the
world, it creates new, interactive and educational ways of
storytelling and brings local heritage and history to the fingertips
of a global audience. This will go a long way in promoting Kenya as a
favourable destination,” said Dr. Hassan Wario - Cabinet Secretary,
Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts.

Communications Manager for Google East Africa and Francophone
countries Dorothy Ooko has said this is a way of telling the African
narrative without fear of distortion.

'Many times our stories are told by people from the West however
finding these items online will help Africans in telling their own
story.When we talk about Dedan Kimathi the globe will get to know that
this is the person who struggled to fight for Kenya's
independence,'says Ms Ooko.

Critics have questioned whether the presence of Kenyan artefacts being
displayed online will dampen the interests of those seeking to visit
Kenya National Archives.

'You can see something online however the full experience is only felt
when you physically visit the place,'Ms. Ooko tells critics.

“The Kenya National Archives owns important material that tells a
story about a period of time or event that is rarely put on display.
The online exhibitions, therefore, provide a way through which
cultural institutions can tell a story around historical material and
bring to life a particular event, theme or topic relevant to our
history and culture,” said Google Country Manager, Charles Murito.

The partnership, which is part of Google’s efforts to preserve
Africa’s cultural heritage, will also serve to boost the tourism
sector by availing novel ways to showcase the country’s culture and
history to visitors.

The Google Cultural Institute - a high-profile world culture project
that hosts the world’s cultural treasures online through partnerships
with major museums and institutions - will now host more than 1,000
archives and artworks as well as 15 curated exhibits that curators,
historians and everyone anywhere can now virtually access the cultural
treasures housed by the Kenya National Archives .

The Google Cultural Institute currently supports over 850 cultural
institutions from over 60 countries and hosting the digitised Kenya
National Archives, biggest digitization effort in Africa so far on The
Google Cultural Institute will not only enable users to discover
Kenya’s historical treasures in new ways but will help the cultural
sector to make the most of digital opportunities.

“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it
universally accessible and useful. There is so much rich and important
material in the cultural sector to do with art, history and heritage
which can only be seen by those lucky enough to visit these
institutions. The Cultural Institute is an effort to make important
cultural material available and accessible to everyone and to
digitally preserve it to educate and inspire future generations.,”
concludes Pierre Caessa, Google Cultural Institute's Program Manager.

Friday, 2 October 2015

Teachers’ strike Dominates September Google Search Trends

Google Search Trends reveals that the just suspended teachers’ strike was highly searched in the month of September in Kenya.

The five week strike show many Kenyans surfing online to seek information on its status.
Actress, blogger and Kenya Airways stewardess, Nana Gichuru – also known as Kanana Gichuru – was the second Google trending search.

Nana, died in a tragic car accident on the Eastern bypass after her BMW convertible saloon car had a head-on collision with an oncoming lorry.

A week prior to her death, she had posted a quote on social media that was viewed by many as a premonition of her death.

Dr Mugo wa Wairimu, also known as James Mugo Ndichu, is accused of allegedly sedating and raping women in his clinic, and was the third most trending search in the month of September.

This was after an investigative series that exposed the alleged happenings in Wairimu’s clinic.

The Capital One Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, came in fourth on the top 10 trending searches.
The league, which is a football competition played by teams in England and Wales, drove football fans online as they wanted to keep up with the league’s match fixtures and results.

The Rugby World Cup, which is men’s rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams, was the fifth most trending search.

Google Logo History, after Google launched a new logo on September 1, 2015 and Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar following the release of hit television series Narcos.

The “What is” question category seems to be pushed more by searches by students for meaning. Most of the questions are classroom-driven . What is weed captured the first position under the trending ‘What is’ searches category followed by: What is liberalism - as they sought to understand the meaning of this political philosophy; What is humanitarian - as they went online to find out more about the moral concept; What is climate - as users went online to gather more information on climate change; What is mitosis - as they wanted to find out more about the biological process through which cells separate into two identical sets of chromosomes and What is poetry - which points to the need for internet users to understand the form of literature. Other queries under this category included: What is composition, What is voltage, What is tumblr, What is dope and what is refugee.

In the ‘How to’ category, the trending searches , ‘How to focus’ featured as the number one search while How to photoshop was number two. Kenyans also searched for How to write, How to trust, How to print, How to incorporate, How to trade, How to apologise, How to save and How to lie.

Friday, 25 September 2015

EMPLOYERS' FEDERATION LAUDS SUSPENSION OF TEACHERS' STRIKE BY COURT

The Federation of Kenya Employers has welcomed the ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court to suspend the teachers' strike and for public schools to be reopened by Monday September 28th.

FKE said that the ruling would provide for negotiation between Teachers Service Commission TSC and teachers' unions; therefore get a lasting solution as it suggested there be dialogue between the parties.

'This has been one of the longest strikes in the country and had confined millions of school going children to miss out on their rights to get an education. The impact of this strike on the future of these children has been felt by everyone as it relates to the quality of our future workforce,' Gilda Odera Deputy National Chairperson FKE.

Ms. Odera reiterated FKE’s position that all avenues of resolving the dispute using alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for mediation have not been exhausted.

'FKE welcomes the call for dialogue by the Court and has already been in talks with the highest levels of government and the TSC with a view to mediate in this dispute', she continues.

During an exclusive interview Baraka FM Executive Director Jacqueline Mugo said she was angered by the fact that issues of pay raise and strikes would adversely affect children's opportunity to get an education.

'We insist that those who will lead these mediation talks should take responsibility of bringing wholesome solutions so that teachers do not go back to strike after 3 months. Th talks should start immediately to avoid any time wastage. This will also reduce chance of the parties going back to court to resolve their issues, Ms. Mugo told Baraka FM.

On Friday morning the Employment and Labour Relations Court has ordered teachers to suspend strike for 90 days and report to duty.

During the ruling Justice Nelson Abuodha also ordered the government to pay teachers their September salaries.

Thursday, 24 September 2015

KENYANS GEAR UP FOR THE NEW SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Hundreds of citizens have participated in a peaceful demonstration in Nairobi dubbed ' Light The Way' as a way to sending a message to the leaders that the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs should be achieved by 2030.

The Civil Society in Kenya has taken leaders to task to involve its citizens in order to achieve the yet to be unveiled SDGs.

Led by Action 2015 a consortium of NGOs and Government Agencies, Co-ordinating Chair Stephen Cheboi has insisted that the Millennium Development Goals MDGs were not achieved in 2015 as stipulated because of alienating citizens during development projects.

'Leaders did not give priority to MDGs Goals. May be the citizens also did not take these targets seriously also.Poverty and social injustices are still a problem in the community.So leaders need to embrace more action and less talk,' continues Cheboi.

Head of Policy from HelpAge International Jamillah Mwanjisi has blamed thee leaders for contributing in the failures to reaching the MDGs targets.

'They lacked political commitment. They did not evaluate much the strategies to be taken to achieve the set targets. I urge the leaders tostep up and not let us down in this SDGs journey,' she advises.

Senior citizens also do not want to be left out in this post 2015 Development Agenda.

"Not much emphasis is not given to older persons. Stakeholders should remember that we are still alive and we are still pushing the wheel of life. We are the ones who gave birth to the youth of this country.We are the ones who teach our children life skills. Leaders should set aside funds for us to take our children to school,' says 69 year old Mary Wanjiru.

In 2000, the Millennium Summit of the United Nations adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration requiring all United Nations member states and partner organizations to implement the global Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Today, progress towards the goals remains uneven. Some countries achieved many goals, while others are not on track to realize any. Dr Prafulla Mishra, HelpAge International Regional Director, East, West and Central Africa said subsequent reviews of the progress resulted in the adoption of a global plan to achieve the eight MDG’s by their target date.

According to the United Nations On September 25th, countries will have the opportunity to adopt a set of global goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of anew sustainable agenda.

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

15000 families in Taita Taveta benefits from Barclays Eco Energy Entrepreneurs’ program 21st September, 2015 Wundanyi, Kenya

Over 15000 families in Taita Taveta County have benefited with renewable clean energy project from Barclays Bank of Kenya in partnership with Center for Environment Action (CEA) dubbed Barclays Eco Energy Entrepreneurs’ (BEEE’s) program. Under the partnership, CEA has been training households in the county on the benefits of solar based products; not only to provide lighting but also as a business opportunity.

The partnership that started two years ago has created job opportunities to over 145 youth and women in the county. The youth and women traverse the vast county selling the solar based products such as lantern lamps, solar jikos and solar phone chargers.

The program has also seen families embrace the usage of solar lantern lamps and reduce reliance of kerosene lamps for lighting.

Speaking in her home in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County, Glady Mwangea a beneficiary said, since her switch to solar lantern lamp, her children health has improved.

“My last born child was unwell. When we sought medical help, we were advised that she had a lung and chest infection due to inhaling Kerosene lamp smoke. Today, she is fine and healed,” she explained.

The small kerosene lamps that light millions of home in Kenya have a dark side; black carbon-fine particles of soot released into the atmosphere. The black carbon is a harrzad for human health and the environment, affecting air quality both indoors and out.

Speaking while visiting the families, Barclays Head of Community Investments, Regina Gichuhi said, “As a bank we want to give youth and women a fairer chance. We have partnered with manufacturers to provide solar based products to budding start-ups at a discounted rate in order to boost job creations.”

Ms Gichuhi added, "Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity and a healthy environment."

In 2015, access to affordable and clean energy became the 7th of 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that world leaders will adopt next week at a special summit at UN Headquarters. These Global Goals are intended to stimulate action over the next 15 years in areas of critical importance towards building a more equitable and sustainable world for all.

Via Agencies

TECNO UNVEILS THE FLAGSHIP PHANTOM 5 DEVICE– A PERFECT MIX OF TECHNOLOGY AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR CONSUMERS

· 4G LTE enabled

· Fingerprint identification sensor

· DOLBY surround Digital and HIFI 2.0 sound effects

· Superior 13.0MP back and 8MP front low light performance cameras

Tecno Mobile Limited has today delivered on the promise of optimized smartphone innovation by introducing its flagship device, the Phantom 5 that provides 4G LTE capability coupled with entertainment features that offer consumers an opportunity to experience more on the go.

With many consumers looking for a fashionable smartphone that they can use both for work and leisure, the Phantom 5 provides a perfect balance of features, power, build, while providing the best Android experiences with the Android 5.0 and access to the latest apps.

Phantom 5 is a powerful Octa core smartphone that offers consumers a premium design, 32GB inbuilt memory, a 3000mAh battery giving more talk time, 3GB RAM that makes the device faster and a spacious 5.5 inch Super IPS screen display with an intelligent second generation fingerprint identification sensor.

Available for a premium price,the Phantom 5 marks a new milestone for Tecno Mobile being the first 4G LTE enabled smartphone and epitomizes the brand values of the company; experiencing more out of life, exactly what a consumer desires out of a smartphone.

Making the announcement in Nairobi, Mr. Livingstone Migwi, General Manager TECNO Mobile Kenya said that Tecno will maintain its brand philosophy by unveiling high quality devices to meet the growing needs of consumers across the region and globally.

· Experience the full capability of 4G LTE networks with the Phantom 5

· Fingerprint identification sensor - Using the second generation fingerprint identification algorithm of Swedish FPC company enjoy 360 degree no dead angle recognition with a false acceptance rate of as low as 1/100000, a false rejection rate at 1% and fingerprint identifying speed of just 0.7 second.

· Superior low light performance camera - Capture photos quickly and easily with the 13.0 MP back camera with dual restore natural color flash and F2.0 large aperture, 8.0 MP front camera with natural light level lights flash with a super stack sensor ISOCELL and Finland Visidon extraction algorithm that brightens you photos up to 50% and reduce noise reduction up to 75%.

· Superlative music reverberation effects based on HIFI 2.0 and DOLBY Surround Digital - Enjoy music and videos with ultra-low noise, high output density on Dolby surround digital technology with smart music analytical chip TFA9890 and high capability loudspeakers (AAC181).

· Keep your photos, videos and documents safely backed up with 32 GB free inbuilt memory

· Handle multiple processes faster on your device with the 3GB RAM.

· Enjoy longer technology and entertainment experiences with the powerful 3000mAh Battery

· View videos, photos interact with apps and browse the internet optimally with the 5.5 inch FHD Super IPS screen displaywith 404 PPI.

· Octa Core with the latest Android 5.0 platform

“Tecno Mobile is committed to ensuring customer satisfaction and with the launch of Phantom 5 in Kenya today, we are setting a benchmark of what the public desires in an evolving mobile technology space and a highly competitive market. We will continue providing world class quality products that deliver positive change in customers’ lives” added Mr. Migwi.

On her part, TECNO Mobile Public Relations Manager, Karroumi Hanane said, “Tecno Mobile is the fastest growing mobile brand in Africa we have continued to prove this with innovation in design, quality and product pricing. By making quality a core focus for continuous improvement in the sector, we have won global awards and are now leaders within just the 5 years we have been in Africa.”

The Phantom 5 will be available across the country starting today in all Tecno and Tecno official distributor shops in black and gold at a retail price of KES 39,999.

Via Agencies