Since the rise of water levels at the Nakuru National Park was announced early this year, it has become difficult to spot flamingos at the Lake. Yet the birds are the defining symbols of the Lake and the County of Nakuru. Does this ring a bell? Perhaps not any, but after a recent visit I felt like I should ‘Cry my beloved Lake’.
Behold, what remains now at what used to be the park is a forest of lifeless trees…
This bird resting at what used to be administrative offices at the Lake is what you have for the flamingos…
What used to be sight of the reddish flamingos has also been taken over by the reflection of these trees that are slowly dying…
Experts say climate change and environmental degradation might have contributed to the Lake’s current state…
And since it might take decades for the water levels to recede, the flamingo identity of the Lake might soon become history…
Even this family seems to be moving away…
Routes on which park attendants would see flamingos as they bathed at the shores of the Lake have been abandoned…
What we have in the park are baboons, plenty of them, but they too, seem to be praying to God to have back the flamingos…
They are crying my beloved flamingos. They are crying my beloved Lake…
All Photos by Kioko Kivandi…
Environmentalists and conversationalists will be scratching their heads what to do with this only Grade A national Park in Kenya. The current scene cannot attract the much needed tourists to boost the economy.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Chairman John Awiti. Photo courtesy of mobile.nation.co.ke
By Cyrus Kioko
The state of confusion on the ongoing national strike has left non teaching staff in public schools hopeless as they may lack their September salary.
One month after the official opening dates for term three, the government has not released free education funds which contribute to a higher percentage in paying non teaching staff.
The most affected are day schools which rely 100 percent on the government funds, while boarding schools equally suffering as they realized poor turn-up of student’s hence poor school fees payments.
On Tuesday 29, September School heads appealed to the Government to release free primary and subsidized secondary education funds.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Chairman John Awiti said they lack funds to pay staff employed by boards of management.
“The most affected are day schools, which rely on the money. School heads are helpless at the moment as staffs are demanding salaries,” said Mr. Awiti.
Primary and secondary and schools are supposed to receive a 20 per cent grant from the government. Fifty per cent was released in the first term while 30 per cent was released in the second term.
The same fate befalls special needs schools who are supposed to have got funds by July to pay for staff that take care of the students and also provide for the special needs of the students.
Arthur Injenga, Special Schools Heads Association chairperson said that 200 schools are not in position to provide essential services to the students.
“We have not paid our support staff that takes care of these children”, said Mr. Injenga.
The staff affected, speaking to Kenya Monitor, revealed how they are stack since they totally depend on the pay for survival mostly those living within Nairobi.
“I have to pay may house rent, electricity bill, and cater for other basics. I’m confused of what do come end month,”
exclaimed Joseph Kinyua, a resident of Shauri Moyo and a staff in one of the public schools in Nairobi.
Jane Nzisa from Eastleigh said they (with other non teaching staff employees) where paid half the August salary due to poor turn up of students this term and wondered how they will survive if the September salary is not processed.
Many of those who spoke to Kenya Monitor urged the government to hearken to the call by the Heads association and release the free education fund.
Devolution CS Anne Waiguru. Pressure is mounting for her to resign pitting Kenyans from both sides against each in the proposal for her to step down. Photo: Anne Waiguru/Facebook
Kenya is a country where every day is an intrigue.
When the calls for Devolution CS Anne Waiguru were made that she resigns, there has been a lot going in the blogosphere and on social media that cannot go without mention.
For starters, many people-especially women leaders- feel that the CS is being targeted unfairly for her ‘exemplary’ performance in her docket. Then there are those who feel that women are getting a raw deal when it comes to leveling the playing ground for public office holders.
It all started with allegations that hundreds of millions had been embezzled at the National Youth Service (NYS) and the most culpable was Waiguru because she was in charge.
In response at a press conference in her office on June 19, 2015, the CS said that attempts by fraudsters to steal Sh826 million from the National Youth Service (NYS) were thwarted and no money was lost.
“Those who have been stopped from benefiting from cartels that have long controlled the NYS are now fighting back, and are trying to indicate that there is a problem in the new management. The fact is that I have waged an onslaught against corruption and ineptitude and this is causing a lot of discomfort,” she said.
Waiguru added that she wrote the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) asking them to investigate any suspicious transactions at the NYS adding that cartels seeking to sabotage NYS operations had failed.
The allegations and her rejoinder saw a spat begin with the opposition Cord calling for her immediate resignation to pave way for investigations. Waiguru has stayed put.
This has spawned a war of words which have metastasized and pitting Kenyans on both sides of the divide against each other.
With the much hyped Cord rally at Uhuru which was meant to support teachers in their strike, Johnstone Muthama set the debate rolling and social media was ablaze due to remarks he made at the rally. Many were not particularly pleased.
Some of those who chose to defend Waiguru were none other than Digital Strategist at State House Dennis Itumbi.
I do not pay too much attention to the venom spewed by Muthama, but #IStandWithWaiguru because beyond being a CS she is a parent
But with all said and done, the Kenya Constitution 2010 is very clear on the requirements for public office holders. However, it seems that all reference and abiding by the Constitution hailed as the ‘most progressive’ in the world has not borne fruits five years later.
Chapter Six of the constitution on leadership and integrity says that
“75. (1) A State officer shall behave, whether in public and official life, in private life, or in association with other persons, in a manner that avoids—
(a) any conflict between personal interests and public or official duties;
(b) compromising any public or official interest in favour of a personal interest; or
(c) demeaning the office the officer holds.
(2) A person who contravenes clause (1), or Article 76, 77 or 78
(a) shall be subject to the applicable disciplinary procedure for the relevant office; and Oath of office of State officers.
Conduct of State officers.
(b) may, in accordance with the disciplinary procedure referred to in paragraph (a), be dismissed or otherwise removed from office.
(3) A person who has been dismissed or otherwise removed from office for a contravention of the provisions mentioned in clause (2) is disqualified from holding any other State office.”
And as Kenyans become more enlightened of the laws governing them, it remains a matter of time to see how the Constitution will be entrenched in Waiguru’s case as expressed here.
#WaiguruLiveCensure How exactly will EACC investigate while she’s still in office ? Is the list she handed majorly of sacrificial lambs ?
Teachers’ union officials. Photo courtesy of www.standardmedia.co.ke
By Cyrus Kioko
Teachers have despised the Employment and Labor Relations Court orders to suspend ongoing strike for 90 days and give room for negotiations and return to class. The order which directed all teachers to resume to classes on Monday September 28, 2015 saw no effects as teachers remained away from schools and public schools remained closed.
After the court orders, the government directed the re-opening of all public schools on Monday and announced new term dates running until November 20.
However, on Sunday night Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion directed teachers not to report to work the following day (Monday) claiming that the strike was protected and legal. Indeed as of yesterday, schools did not have teachers as they stayed away.
In his official twitter account, Mr. Sossion urged teachers to stay away from school until otherwise directed by KNUT.
TEACHERS IN KENYA HAVE KEPT OFF SCHOOLS, despite an order from ministry of education to open schools this morning pic.twitter.com/7bM18iKw53
This made public schools to remain closed for the fourth week since the strike begun early September despite the intervention by Teachers Service Commission (TSC), government and the Employment and Labor Relations Court. The KNUT secretary general on Monday went further to thank the teachers for harkening to his call not to report to school and urged for the same unity as they purge for the pay raise.
THANK YOU TEACHERS IN KENYA FOR HEEDING TO MY CALL TO STAY AWAY FROM SCHOOLS. indeed you have faith in us. @akhanyalabandu@KTNNews
Teachers’ disobedience to court comes moments after the President did the same where he declined pay rise court order for teachers claiming it was a ‘court error.”
In his lengthy speech addressing the country on the ongoing teachers’ strike, he revealed how his government was unable to pay the teachers the increment percentage they claimed.
“The fact of the matter is that to pay this award, we would have to raise VAT from 16 percent to 22 percent, OR borrow more money OR suspend critical development programs and essential services in health, in education and in security. Raising taxes, borrowing more money or cutting back on development programs will raise the cost of living, slow down our economy, and increase unemployment and poverty. None of these options is tenable. Our country must live within its means,”
claimed president Uhuru on his speech concerning the strike.
Other officials in the government backed up the president on the incapability of paying teachers despite the Industrial Court awarding teachers a 50-60 percent pay raise.
The two parties now (government and teachers) have disobeyed the courts orders seeing Kenyans left with a question of who should obey court orders.
Teachers who spoke to Kenya monitor anonymously due to fear of victimization claimed that Kenya is a democratic country but the leader directs the behavior of the rest.
“If the President and his government cannot obey court orders, we will also give a deaf ear to the order,” said a male teacher in Nairobi.
“We are all equal before the law. If the president cannot hearken to the court orders, we will not also,” said a female teacher who sought anonymity.
The result of the battle between the two bodies is yet to be predicted as the president is out of the country on official duty.
It is also unsure whether TSC will obey the industrial court order to pay the teachers’ September salary.
But perhaps the move by KNUT to seek guidance from the same court before deciding how to advice teachers, likely today, should provide better light on the matter.
US President Barack Obama. He launched the fellowship in 2014. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The Mandela Washington Fellowship 2016 applications open this week with the fellowship increasing the intake numbers from 500 to 1,000 participants.
The secretariat says that the selection process is conducted as a merit-based open competition. After the deadline, all eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection panel. Chosen semi-finalists will be interviewed by the U.S. embassies or consulates in their home countries.
In Kenya, this will be at the US Embassy in Gigiri.
The application for 2016 will be available online from October 1 through November 11, 2015.
In the guidelines, if one is selected for an interview, they must provide a copy of their passport (if available) or other government-issued photo identification to verify eligibility.
The secretariat says that applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, colour, gender, religion, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. Those eligible to apply should be between the ages of 25 and 35 at the time of application submission, although exceptional applicants younger than 25 will be considered.
They must not be US citizens or permanent residents of the US. In addition, they must be eligible to receive a United States J-1 visa and are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English.
Those interested in applying should have a proven record of leadership and accomplishment in public service, business and entrepreneurship, or civic engagement. They also must have a demonstrated commitment to public or community service, volunteerism, or mentorship.
The fellowship is also looking for those who can work cooperatively in diverse groups and respect the opinions of others, have strong social and communication skills and have an ‘energetic, positive attitude’.
Applicants must also have demonstrated knowledge, interest and professional experience in the sector/track selected.
And for any of the applicants who qualify, there should be a commitment to return to Africa and apply leadership skills and training to benefit the applicant’s country and community after they return home.
And for more on what is expected and how to win the competition, the fellowship says to check their tips on social media.
They had this on their Twitter account @YALINetwork.
Have you checked your email? Get tips on applying to @WashFellowship and get ready for Thursday when the application goes live! #YALI2016
For those who may not travel, the fellowship offers several opportunities including online courses which benefit the youth. Cynthia Nyongesa on @cynthia_oprah
Opportunities offered by the fellowship include free online training on various issues ranging from growing small businesses, improving networking skills and public speaking among others.
The fellowship offers online events every month where YALI Network members gather on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook for exclusive online events.
The fellowship also has spotlights and how-to guides every day.
There are also offline connections where interested parties continue with discussions offline and also host events. The networking helps members find like-minded leaders in their area and host events focused on the topics that matter most to them and their community.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders begun in 2014 and is the flagship programme of President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking.
The fellowship provides outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a US higher education institution with support for professional development after they return home.
Zacchaeus with a team from Qatar pose behind a mural in the city of Doha. Photo: Zacchaeus N Jairus
When in a foreign land, there is nothing as assuring as hearing a tongue you can relate to.
And when Nelson Mandela said,
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart,”
that was true.
It was when waiting for a connection flight at Dubai Airport coming home that I met Zacchaeus Njuguna Jairus. I’d been away for a month and with the hustle of conferences, new people and changed time zones, a familiar tongue can be so assuring.
The reason I was attracted to him was, of course, the language and my curiosity to understand some murals he had. When I spoke with him, I realized he was a Kenyan to the core and making a difference in a country where cultures melt.
On talking more, Zacchaeus told me he comes from Kirenga Location, Lari Constituency Kiambu County, where I also come from. From then, a bond was created.
He continues,
“I landed in Qatar in May 2011 and the challenges then were homesickness as being away from the family sometimes creates loneliness. Since I work under a contract, my vacation was after two years when the company pays for you air ticket.”
Zacchaeus adds that the cost of living was a major concern as starting a new life was hard.
“For the first year I struggled. Then, as the saying goes that when in Rome do as the Romans do, it was a big challenge to adapt to the culture. Imagine my shock when I realized that the weekend was on Friday and Saturday and Sunday was a normal working day!” he exclaimed.
He adds that climate in the region was totally different and in summer, it would get very hot while during winter it would be extremely cold.
On what he does and which is what caught my attention at the airport, Zacchaeus says he volunteers a lot. Before leaving Kenya, he worked with the Kenya Red Cross.
Zacchaeus with one of his murals in Doha. Photo: Zacchaeus N Jairus
“I use bottle caps to draw murals, polythene bags to make balls and newspapers to make ‘Green Books’. All this is under ‘Reuse, Reduce and Recycle’-the 3Rs of conservation. I volunteer most of the weekends to enlighten the community on the importance of taking care of the environment which keeps me busy most of the time. It helps keep my mind away from homesickness,” he adds.
Zacchaeus says the main reason he moved to Qatar was to seek greener pastures after
“‘Ku-hustle’ in our country in the name of Kibarua. I needed to get good capital to start a business that could create jobs for others and to maintain our family.”
He adds
“When I got to Qatar, I joined the Qatar Voluntary Centre where I met with people who had the same ambitions like mine. We started attending different events like environmental fairs where I got all the connections. I started sharing more about our country’s tourism, the environment and education. Then, I started inviting some of my Kenyan friends and we started a dance troupe where we dressed in Maasai regalia.”
“Wa Masaai became popular in Doha and we started being invited for different events. This helped me launch different environmental conservation voluntary projects like “Turning Waste to Art”.
The Wamaasai dance troupe in action in Doha. Photo: Zacchaeus N Jairus
The born again Christian who is a self-proclaimed graduate from ‘University of Nature’ is an environmentalist who would make the late Professor Wangari Maathai proud. He says that his hummingbird act is to do the most he can to conserve the environment wherever he is.
The un-acclaimed tourism ambassador started schooling at Kirenga Nursery School then proceeded to Kirenga Primary before joining Nyamweru High School. He later joined Limuru Skynet Business College. He said that one of the challenges was accessing education.
“Being raised in the rural area was one of the biggest challenges for me which meant not having good access to education. The infrastructure was poor, no electricity and such like issues. In addition, the weather was another challenge as it used to rain too much and it would also get very cold especially in the morning so most of time I used to get sick,” he added.
For now, he says his plan is to market Kenya and present our nation in all ways
“so that I can open the doors for our youths back at home”.
Zacchaeus impressions young minds at a Doha exhibition centre. Photo: Zacchaeus N Jairus
Zacchaeus says his biggest inspiration is nature.
“Every time I look at nature, I am inspired by the creation of God starting with small insect and people around me who have different ideas. You can call it eco –inspiration,” he says with a smile.
Zacchaeus says home is the best and that he is coming back to Kenya which is the only “best place for me to be.”
He says before then, home is where his job is and that is why he is a volunteer in the community to leave it better enlightened when it is time to pack his bags.
And as Kenyans commemorated the fourth anniversary of the late Wangari Maathai this past weekend, Zacchaeus, is doing his #mylittlething in his own way. He encourages Kenyans to always care for the environment so it can take care of them in return.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery, ordered Machakos senator Johnston Muthama to record a statement with Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over his remarks at Uhuru Park, Nairobi on Wednesday during the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD’s) rally.
Speaking on Friday, the CS said he expected the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to open investigations on the inciting allegations made by the senator during the rally.
He accused the senator for inciting Kenyans through the sentiments he made concerning the president and the government in general.
“Mr. Muthama has made a habit of verbally attacking State officers in a manner that is intended to undermine cohesion and national unity for political gain,” he said.
He further said that such misconducts should not be confused with the freedom of expression stated in the Kenyan constitution hence claimed that investigations to the cause of the speech to be launched.
The CS said that Muthama’s call for people to die for defending their rights and unconstitutional change of the government was a serious breach of the basic tenets of the Constitution.
The Senator had made sentiments during his speech which attacked the president and the ruling party where he claimed that the government was due to courtesy of court and not fairly elected by the Kenyans.
“.. He rigged the elections, and when Raila went to court, the court decided he was the winner. Is that a court decision or the decision of people?”
said Muthama in his controversial speech during the Wednesday rally.
Muthama also linked the President with other unconstitutional acts such as disobeying the courts order for pay rise on teachers and not impeaching devolution cabinet secretary Ann Waiguru.
On Thursday, Jubilee MPs asked Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet to arrest Mr. Muthama within the next 24 hours for insulting the President and Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru during the opposition rally.
“They insulted the President (and) CS Anne Waiguru in a manner that is unbecoming,”
TNA party chairman Johnson Sakaja said.
The CORD rally also brought reactions from Kenyans who majorly termed it as a strategy to seek for funds and publicity in preparation bid for 2017 general election.
On social media, many cursed the opening of an account to pay teachers, same as the direct attack of president by Machakos senator.
Sen. Muthama recorded the statement on Friday and it remains to be seen what will be outcome of the probe. Hopefully, something comes out of the investigations and his sentiments are arrested to forestall further insults especially as elections near.
Cord leader Raila Odinga addresses the gathering at Uhuru Park. The rally which was meant to support teachers in their push for their salaries has largely been dismissed as wrongly prioritised. Photo: rao.co.ke
The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) the official opposition outfit in Kenya may have had squandered an opportune time to redeem a floundering image when the leaders congregated at Uhuru Park in support of teachers.
The coalition has time and again maintained that it is pushing the government to obey the Constitution and govern democratically. This, to some extent, has worked with the government ceding ground but on several occasions, there have been many political faux pas moments and last week Wednesday’s rally was no exception.
Cord leadership had called for the meeting, which was meant to pile pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration to pay teachers’ their salary hike. The pay rise was awarded by the Industrial Court in July, this year.
And to make their support noticeable, some MPs from the coalition dressed in school uniforms.
However, what happened at the park has been dismissed as anything but support for the teachers. In addition, Kenyans on social media, both pro and against the coalition say that the party may have lost a big vote constituency.
Cord leader Raila Odinga, in the televised event said,
“Our teachers have demanded a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Our courts have agreed they deserve it, they must have it. President Uhuru Kenyatta says, Can’t pay, Won’t Pay.”
He added,
“Our children find themselves at the right place, at the wrong time; at home in September and not in school as is tradition. The times demand that we speak candidly and decisively, truthfully and frankly, honestly and boldly. President Kenyatta is lying to Kenyans about our wage bill. The President is dishonest in his refusal to pay teachers.”
The speech was all good and making sense until the leaders proposed a means to raise money to pay teachers. Civil rights activist Boniface Mwangi was of the opinion that the proposal was misplaced.
And the comments that followed were not entirely kind to the coalition’s leadership. Oliver Mathenge thought that Cord was being insincere in criticizing the government but not addressing the problem in a practical manner.
You tell Jubilee leaders (read Ruto) to stop Harambees then announce a fundraising Paybill number. For this and other joke sms “Cord” to…. — Oliver Mathenge™ (@OliverMathenge) September 23, 2015
According to Raila, this year’s revenue budget is Sh443 billion more than that of the last Grand Coalition Government revenue.
The former PM criticized the government for saying that it could not afford to pay teachers Sh17 billion despite a revenue increase of Sh443 billion which is an equivalent of 55 per cent from the 2012-2013 revenues.
He added
“The published budget for government wage bill for the current financial year is Sh329 billion, out of a recurrent budget of Sh987 billion and total budget of Sh1.88 trillion. This works out to 33 per cent of recurrent, 17.5 per cent of total budget and 26 per cent of revenue. Even if we add county government and parastatals, the figures tell a different story from the one the Jubilee Government is peddling.”
Despite a lack of analysis of these figures, Kenyans were not amused at the proposal to have a pay bill number set up to ‘Okoa Walimu’. Sammy Keige said as much.
But with the wasteful spending by the government, Raila said the total employment and public wage for 2014 as published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics are as follows: National Government: Sh85 billion. Teachers Sh145 billion, Counties Sh62 billion, Parastatals Sh77 billion, which total to Sh370 billion.
Despite the opposition raising some strong points to argue why or not to pay teachers, the opposition may have lost an opportunity to make Kenyans understand why corruption thrives. And on the paybill number, by Friday, the topic was still trending with Pauline Njoroge on Facebook saying that she needed to know how the money raised would reach the teachers.
So when we question how much has been raised through the solidarity account since different figures are being stated,…
And as the outcomes of the rally continue being felt, Johnstone Muthama may have undone any good that would have come out the solidarity rally with many now calling for his arrest.
Already, the interior ministry has issued a statement regarding his utterances at the rally which have not augured well with Kenyans. The statement says that CS Major General Joseph Nkaissery is displeased with the utterances and calls for Muthama’s investigation by the NCIC.
And as the teachers were ordered back to class on Friday, the debate is seemingly far from over as it has now turned from teachers’ pay to women matters. All this on the #IStandWithWaiguru.
Masongeleni MCA John Kilonzo. He was found dead in a hotel room. Photo courtesy of www.nation.co.ke
Police are investigating circumstances that could have led to the death of a Member of the Makueni County Assembly (MCA). According to police reports the body of Masongaleni MCA John Kilonzo was discovered last evening at around 5pm room No.8 at Friends Inn in Mtito Andei under unclear circumstances.
District Administration Police Commandant (DAPC) Albert Hama said the police were alerted when one of hotel workers raised alarm after she failed to access the room for cleaning.
The DAPC said that Kilonzo had checked in the hotel on Saturday night and that police were not taking the politician’s death lightly.
“We have launched serious investigations into the matter,” he said.
Kilonzo was the only MCA elected on an Orange Democratic Movement party ticket and was the chairperson for the Assembly’s Health Committee.
Only last week, his committee tabled a report at the house calling for the establishment of a cemetery and a dump site in Emali town and his death comes as a shocker.
Meanwhile leaders in the county have continued to send messages of condolences to family, relatives and friends.
Governor Kivutha Kibwana condoled the family and asked the residents of Makueni to desist from speculating on what could have led to the death of the MCA.
“Police are investigating the circumstances leading to his demise and let us not cause extra pain to the family through speculation. For each of us God knows the day and the manner of our departure,” said Kibwana in his official Facebook page.
Speaker Stephen Ngelu said he was saddened by the legislator’s sudden death but appealed for calm as investigations continue.
“Am deeply shocked by the unclear circumstances leading to the death of MCA Kilonzo. Let us remain calm and avoid being speculative as investigations are ongoing,” said the speaker.
Teachers’ unions officials. Photo courtesy of www.standardmedia.co.ke
By Laura Maina
Education plays a vital role in the growth of every individual. Education entails but not limited to; learning, reasoning, adapting, evolving, innovating and the applicable use of the information to maneuver life. Education in Kenya has evolved with time from an informal setting to a formal function that is examinable. The relevance of high literacy to the economy worldwide is somewhat equally measured by the grades one acquires from the current education system.
International, regional, country laws, policies and progressing mechanisms have brought great paradigm shifts to education. Education is viewed as a functional subordination to the economic disparities and development of a region. In Kenya for instance, Article 53 (b) of the Constitution of Kenya provides that
“Every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education”
an ideal decision with the current world interaction.
The country has continuously faced challenges with the educational institution ranging from; the on and off strikes by teachers due to salary conflicts, climatic changes that cause epidemics such as floods, increased projected intakes from lower to higher institutions causing a strain in physical and human resource, security flaws that result to deaths of students and teachers mostly in the Northern parts of Kenya and high student-teachers ratio.
Ideal Conducive environment for education are;
Equal resource distribution to compete with all regions in a fair educational ground, for instance; the undisputed element that some schools teach scientific subjects with no apparatus to direct the theory to practical application is unfair.
Relevant curriculum that echo the societal lifestyle, needs and cultures. Education offered should be applicable in the society that we live in and relevant to students on how to deal with the current issues facing the country.
Adequate and efficient facilities to ease learning for the students and teaching for the teachers.
Affordable educational costs to the overall citizen in the country.
But all is not lost. A number of mechanisms can be put in place to ensure quality education for all in Kenya is realized. Recommendations to the education sector include:
Teachers being the core bearers of the responsibility for the value of educational outcomes of should be the fundamental principle in ensuring that the wages of the teachers is in line with the living standards of the economy.
There should be a mechanism to absorb students that do not qualify for entry into higher institution due to the grading system. The education system should encompass all strengths and capabilities of the students and not level the achievement on grading.
Budgetary allocations should consider the physical and human resources available in each economic year to deal with the high entries of students from one institution to another.
A comprehensive policy framework to govern the integration and implementation of the Free Primary Education program this is to curb corruption in the ministry causing delays in the disbursement of funds that run the management of the system.
In conclusion, students equate the value given to teachers concurrently with the quality, importance and applicability of education. The recurrent disruption of academic years or terms will result to a negative outlook of the whole education system. Teachers have to be valued by the government and the general society and this reflects on students’ behavior and attitude towards learning. Not forgetting that teachers are the gateways to all other professional or vocational careers of the young in the society. Not forgetting that many African leaders were teachers. #IStandWithTeachers.
Ted Wragg aptly explains it by saying
“There is no higher calling. Without teachers, society would slide back into primitive squalor”.
‘Creating’ is one of the offenses that police say Asiba had committed.
Police in Nakuru may have discovered a new offense. On Tuesday this week they accused a Citizen T.V journalist of having committed a crime they referred to as “creating”.
The crime was part of two offenses that Evans Asiba, a cameraman with the station based in Nakuru, had been accused of committing by police officers at the Bondeni police station and was set to appear for in court on Wednesday September 23.
However that did not happen as it is believed the police may have discovered they rushed into opening a case against him without following the due process.
That aside though, by coming up with erroneous charges against him, they may have committed mistakes that one can only refer to as ‘mistakes of justice’ even as they start fresh investigations of how the 28 year old was assaulted while on duty.
This is how it happened:
On Monday September 21 Asiba was covering a story on the closure of schools due to the ongoing teachers strike at Lions Primary School when, as he alleges, three among four armed police officers beat and injured him.
But the police officers alleging that he had assaulted one of them arrested and took him to the Bondeni Police Station where they filed charges against him. He was later released on a free bond.
Initially his bond read that he had committed one offense, that of assaulting a police officer. But when Asiba reported to the station on Tuesday September 22 as he had been instructed the police added another offense, that of “creating disturbance”.
A list of the items that police took from the journalist as exhibits for the offense he committed.
However the officer filling his bond and bail form, either because of carelessness or utter ignorance, did not explain the disturbance bit but only wrote “creating” leaving the impression that the journalist had committed a crime called “creating”.
But that is not all. The same form has several other mistakes that speak volumes of the way police handle and process data before they present it in court.
To start with the police officer missed the journalist’s name on the form, calling him Evans Barnabasa Asika instead of Evans Barnabas Asiba. This as it stands means as the police were to present their case in court on Wednesday 23 they were to present an accused person different from the one who was to stand in the dock.
The police officer was also not careful enough to see that he wrote time in the right format. Instead of writing 9:00 am he wrote 900 making it look like a mere number. Thus again as it stands the police had not told the journalist what time he was to appear in court.
Mistakes of justice
While these two mistakes may look minor, they are the very ones that expert lawyers use to poke holes at prosecution cases. Such mistakes have led to the delay of justice in some instances while in others its loss altogether.
But even so, police in Nakuru need to explain why they attacked the journalist and even decided to withhold his journalistic tools.
What journalists will want answered is why it has become too easy for police officers in the country to harm journalists whenever they feel like. Earlier this year journalists were beaten and seriously injured while on duty in Tana River country.
Although it is not known who killed Eldoret based journalist John Kituyi the fact that he died on an issue associated to his journalistic work leaves room to speculate that journalists are becoming an endangered species day after day and it will take a strong will to protect them from rogue police officers such as the one who attacked Asiba.
Emali town in Makueni County. Despite the town being densely populated it lacks a cemetery and a dump site. Photo:Google
Makueni County Assembly Committee on Health Services has decried the lack of a public cemetery and a dump site in Emali town.
While tabling a report before the House on the absence of a cemetery in Emali, the committee chairperson John Kilonzo who is also the Member of County Assembly (MCA) for Masongaleni said the absence of the cemetery and a dump site despite the dense and rapidly growing population in the town was a health hazard and called on the Department of Health to establish the two sites soon as possible.
Kilonzo said investigations done by the committee revealed there existed a 10 acre piece of land for a cemetery situated one kilometer from the town under the defunct county council but was not secured and therefore was invaded by residents who currently do farming on the land.
“Currently the land has no structured management and those who wish to bury their dead seek clearance from the village manager,” he said.
The MCA blamed the Department of Health for laxity in pursuing the matter noting that despite a baseline survey by the department in February that there was no cemetery in Emali, the department failed to factor in funds for the purchase of the land in the 2015/2016 financial budget.
“From the investigations it seems that there are no immediate plans to establish a cemetery in Emali and as a committee we recommend that the Department of Health should liaise with the Department of Lands to use the kitty of Sh25M set aside for purchase of land and establish a cemetery in the town as soon as possible,” said MCA Kilonzo.
However in a statement written and forwarded to the Health Committee, Health Executive Dr. Andrew Mulwa said his department was currently doing a baseline survey to establish the location of cemetery sites in the county and promised to bring the matter to a speedy end.
Dr. Mulwa said his officers visited the alleged cemetery site in January 2015 and were shown the 10 acre piece of land that had been grabbed.
“The were fresh graves but the land had also been cultivated, “he said.
The Health Executive disclosed that the department was following up the matter with relevant departments to establish whether indeed the disputed land is a public cemetery.
“If the land is a public cemetery due process will be followed to repossess the land if not we shall acquire one,” said Dr. Mulwa.
On the issue of dump site the Health Executive said his department will also initiate a process to acquire one as soon as possible.
The lack of those two sites is Emali is also replicated in other major towns in the county. Wote which is the county headquarters not only lacks a cemetery and a dump site but also a sewerage system and it would be of great importance that as the department of health seeks to address the issues in Emali town other towns should also be put into consideration.
Migori assembly speaker Gordon Ogolla. Photo courtesy of www.the-star.co.ke
By Nelson Mathews
The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) says it has concluded investigations on the alleged misuse of public funds by four members of the Migori County Assembly.
The Ombudsman commenced investigations after receiving an anonymous letter of complaint in October 2014. The letter stated that four Migori County Assembly members (MCAs) signed for per diem and other travel allowances but did not travel to India as scheduled.
Following the revelations, CAJ wrote the four MCA’s seeking their response on the allegations within 21 days. Before the expiry of the 21 days, CAJ decided to initiate investigations.
The commission says that before undertaking the investigation, it communicated to the Speaker of Migori County Assembly through a letter on October 27, 2014.
CAJ says that the investigations revealed that there were two trips during the period 20 July, 2014 and July 25, 2015 to India and Tanzania. The trips were said to have been sanctioned by the Migori County Assembly Service Board.
The two trips were facilitated by the Migori County Assembly at a total cost of Sh13,279,328. This was to cater for per diem and other travel allowances for the Speaker, the Clerk and thirty six MCA’s.
Out of thirty six who were to travel to India, four MCA’s, Boaz Okoth Owiti, the Deputy Speaker and MCA North Kadem, William Abed Maroa, Masaba Ward MCA and the Chair of the County Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, Samwel Rioba Kongani, Nyamosense-Komosoko MCA ward and Godjope MCA Bernard Abwao Ochieng did not travel.
However, despite their not travelling, Owiti received Sh130,000, while the other three Maroa, Kongani and Ochieng received Sh152,850 each on July 18, 2014.
Following the failure to travel to India, despite receiving per diems, Migori County Assembly Clerk sought explanations from Kongani and Ochieng in a letter dated July 30, 2014.
CAJ’s investigations team recovered response letters from Abwao and Kongani explaining why they did not travel to India and also authorising the Clerk to recover the money from their salaries. To date, only Ochieng has fully refunded the per diem given to him.
The investigation by CAJ has unearthed a scheme where public officers are siphoning tax payers’ money as per diems despite their failing to produce receipts or authentic travel documentation. With this knowledge, CAJ has recommended that the Clerk to Migori County Assembly Patrick Wakiine recover Sh130,000 from Owiti, and Sh152,850 from Maroa and report back to CAJ within ninety days.
CAJ says that Wakiine should exercise stringent financial controls in line with the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 by putting in place measures for approval of expenditure, including trips by members and surrendering of imprest within 48 hours.
Members and staff of county assemblies who fail to surrender imprest within 48 hours should be surcharged in line with the Public Finance Management Act, 2012.
Other recommendations include Clerks to County Assemblies ensuring that members and staff of the assemblies are not paid travel allowances until the trips are confirmed and documented. They should exercise fiscal discipline by ensuring that public money is used in a prudent and responsible manner in line
The CAJ says it will share this report with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for purposes of vetting the state officers in future elections and appointments.
Candidates take part in the mass. Fr. Nyamweya wants dialogue between teachers and government to solve the ongoing strike (photo: Kioko Kivandi).
A Nakuru Catholic Priest has asked the government to be considerate with the teachers issue and have dialogue with them. Speaking to Kenya Monitor after celebrating mass for this year’s Form Four candidates at the Christ the King Academy in Nakuru, Fr. Stephen Nyamweya said that was the only way to solve the dispute.
“The government should show some honesty. I don’t want to believe that the government wants to trash the court order,”
said Fr. Nyamweya the regions Episcopal Vicar, hours before President Uhuru Kenyatta gave a state of the nation address highlighting the government’s challenge in fulfilling the teachers’ salary award.
Just before the start of the third term a court ruled that teachers should be awarded a 50-60 percent salary increase sparking celebrations among members of teachers’ unions across the nation. But the government has insisted that it is unable to fulfill the court order.
In his address on Sunday night the President reiterated that paying the teachers would crumble the economy.
In order to pay the teachers, the President argued, the government would need to seek sh118 billion.
“To meet the award VAT (Value Added Tax) will rise to 22 percent up from 16 percent,”
said the President adding that the award would also affect the provision of essential services as well as cripple certain critical departments such as health.
“I urge sincerity,”
the President pleaded with a teachers in his night address, a call that Fr. Nyamweya had also made in the day.
“We are asking the teachers to also be considerate,”
said the Priest who also sits in the Nakuru County Education Board.
But Fr. Nyamweya asked the government to seal all the loopholes through which the country has been losing money especially through corruption and other bad governance practices.
“We can’t say we have no money. If there was proper governance, there would be more money even to give other sectors.”
This is the fourth week since the teachers downed their tools awaiting the government to honor the directive on the salary award. The government has however been saying that the strike is unprotected with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) threatening that it will not pay them their September salary. The Ministry of Education has since given a directive to close all close as the school calendar is revised.
“Its unfortunate that it has come to this level. The government should have seen it coming. Nobody is happy that we have reached where we are,” added Fr. Nyamweya.
During the candidates mass students lit candles and signed pledges to be peace ambassadors. Francis Waithaka, the local coordinator of Santegidio, a religious organization that organized the peace pledge event with the diocesan youth office said they wanted to instill good morals among the students.
“We wanted to tell them that they have a chance to change the world through peace,” he said.
Even with ongoing teachers strike the government has assured final year students in both Primary and Secondary schools that their exams will go on as scheduled.
GDC had taken to court two employees for stealing a fencing post worth Ksh. 300.
By Lorna Abuga
Does the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) have internal structures through which errant employees can be disciplined?
Well, that is the question that the company was supposed to answer in a Nakuru court earlier on this week when it claimed two of its employees had stolen a fencing post worth sh300.
The court was told that the two employees – Wesley Tandi and James Kamau – had committed the crime on September 8 this year.
“None of them had been granted permission to take the fencing post which was still in use but instead the duo took advantage for their accessibility to the company’s property by stealing the fencing post,” the prosecution told Chief Magistrate Joel Ng’eno.
In response the magistrate said that he did not a understand why such a big company would sue its employees over a fencing post that is worth sh300.
“This matter can be handled by the complainant because it has the mandate to discipline workers by not necessary bringing them to court,” said Ng’eno.
“Surely by bringing this two people here you are misusing the court,”
he concluded after the prosecution had presented its evidence.
The two denied and were released on a bond of sh500 each. The case will be heard on October 21.
In the same court Magistrate Ng’eno ordered the prosecution to return a sack of maize that had been presented as exhibit to its rightful owner. This is after the court charged a middle aged man with the theft.
The court was told that on September 14 this year at Bondeni area within Nakuru county Francis Mwangi stole 82 combs of green maize valued at sh1,640 from his neighbor Ndai Kabachia.
The prosecutor told the court that the accused person was arrested by the complainant at his farm with the stolen maize in a sack which had already harvested from the farm.
The accused pleaded guilty and was fined the sh1,000 with an alternative of serving 3 months in prison as the Magistrate cautioned him against stealing.
“I will not allow you to enjoy other people’s sweat,” Ng’eno cautioned.
It will be noted that Chief Justice Willy Mutunga once asked Kenyans not to be taking every matter to court as that amounts to increasing the workload unnecessarily.
For instance, in the above two offenses, which are in themselves petty in nature, it was not a must to involve the court. Both could even have been solved through the arbitration of arbitrators such as Chiefs.
If we are to improve the state of the delivery of justice it will be important to realize that other courts, there are many more other avenues of justice.
Since the rise of water levels at the Nakuru National Park was announced early this year, it has become difficult to spot flamingos at the Lake. Yet the birds are the defining symbols of the Lake and the County of Nakuru. Does this ring a bell? Perhaps not any, but after a recent visit I felt like I should ‘Cry my beloved Lake’.
