Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Debt crisis undermining climate action as agroecology emerges as alternative for African farmers

Elveza

Local Credible Community News

Debt crisis undermining climate action as agroecology emerges as alternative for African farmers

Elveza

Local Credible Community News

Headlines

Debt crisis undermining climate action as agroecology emerges as alternative for African farmers

KPLC engages Ngong business community on power reliability, safety and customer service

Free sexual and reproductive health consultations to be offered at Kiserian expo.

Cheko properties opens Fadhili Gardens phase 1, offering affordable land ownership along Ngong to Suswa Road

Masai Cafe: Where food, culture, business and community meet in Kiserian

Rising shoplifting concerns in Kajiado North as Kiserian incident adds to reports of suspected organized theft.

Storm in Kangawa over a football viewing hall

Matasia to host free medical camp offering surgeries and health screenings

Anti-Corruption Commission arrests senior county officials over alleged procurement corruption

Immaculate Salaon installed as president of Rotary Club of Ngong Hills 

November 2024

Kenya National Chess league held at Cooperative College

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By Amy Moyi Chess players from teams across Kenya have participated in the Kenya National Chess league at the Cooperative College in Ongata Rongai town. The chess league was organized by Chess Kenya Federation with the support of the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB). Speaking at the league, Kenya National Chess League secretary Antony Kiunga has said the chess event is comprised of teams from the premier league and super league. “Today, we are having the second last fixtures of the league. At the end of the season, the top three teams in the super league will be promoted to the premier league which comprises of elite players in the country, ” said Kiunga. Chairman of the Kajiado County Chess Association Victor Hongo has reiterated the importance of chess in enhancing life skills for players of the sport. “This event has attracted players from counties including Mombasa, Kiambu, Kisumu and Kajiado. Chess is a wholesome sport with benefits like improving critical thinking, problem solving and planning skills, ” said Hongo. According to Hongo,who has over ten years experience in chess, the sport has gained popularity across Kenya because of its educational value with more schools embracing the sport. “There are over one hundred players and twenty-five teams in this league. Also, more schools are now getting involved in chess. The number of players annually in the regional qualifiers has increased from two thousand to six thousand and I anticipate the numbers could rise to ten thousand by next year, ” Hongo added. In efforts to promote chess in Kajiado county as well as improve its standards, Kajiado County Chess Association will host a chess camp for children between 25th and 30th November. The benefits of the chess camp will include coaching professional chess coaches in preparation for the upcoming chess national championships and regional qualifiers. The ongoing chess league will be concluded on 1st December and winners in both the premier and super league will receive a cash prize.

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Lobby group calls for fairness in revenue collection

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By Amy Moyi Women in Nairobi county who cannot afford the hefty sum of 1500 Kenya shillings for mammograms and pelvic ultrasounds are being forced to miss out on the life-saving routine check-ups. These critical routine check ups that are used in the early detection of breast, ovarian and cervical cancers, have become inaccessible to low and middle income women after the introduction of new charges across level 5 hospitals through the Nairobi County Finance Bill,2023. In efforts to further increase collected revenue, the Nairobi County Finance Bill 2023, further introduced a new charge of 1000 Kenyan shillings across level 5 hospitals for pap smear tests which is used to detect cervical cancer. In a statement issued by the National Taxpayers Association, the lobby group has called on the government to exercise fairness in revenue collection as well as in the use of collected revenue. The executive director of the National Taxpayers Association Irene Otieno has said that over the years, the government has put in place measures to increase revenue collection but has cited the need to include taxpayers in decision making on revenue collection as well as accountability on the use of collected revenue. The National Taxpayers Association (NTA) has urged the government to adopt a more equitable approach to revenue collection and utilization. NTA National Coordinator Ms Irene Otieno emphasized the importance of involving taxpayers in decision-making processes to ensure transparency and accountability. While acknowledging the government’s efforts to increase revenue, Irene highlighted the need for fairness and efficiency in both taxation and expenditure. “We have been looking at the tax raising measures that the government has been developing. Our concern is where the voice of the citizens is in our tax raising endeavors. As a country we need to raise domestic resources to finance and provide essential services but we need to look into how we are raising this revenue as well as how we can redistribute this revenue.” According to the World Health Organization,30-50% of cancers can be reduced through early detection including screening. Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Kenya, accounting for an estimated 3,211 deaths annually. In addition, breast cancer accounts for 23% of all cancer cases among women in Kenya. Article 43 of the constitution guarantees the right to the highest attainable standard of health including reproductive healthcare. However, according to the National Policy on Gender and Development 2019, inequality, inaccessibility, unacceptability, and unaffordability of quality health services are the main barriers to the achievement of the highest attainable standard of health for women in Kenya. Kenya’s healthcare system continues to grapple with the issue of gender inequality, which disproportionately affects low and middle income women who experience financial barriers to cancer screening in a health facility.  

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IPF calls on counties to implement gender responsive budgeting to address gender inequalities

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By Amy Moyi Institute of Public Finance (IPF) has called on all counties in Kenya to implement gender responsive budgeting to ensure equitable economic, social, political and cultural development for both men and women. Legal officer at IPF Daniel Murakaru has said that out of five counties IPF visited during the implementation of the gender responsive budget programme including Machakos, Kitui, Kwale, Kisumu and Busia it was observed that only Kisumu county had a gender mainstreaming policy which is required in the implementation of a gender responsive budget. Daniel has said counties are mandated by Article 27 of the Constitution of Kenya to incorporate gender initiatives in their budgets to ensure gender responsive budgeting as a measure towards promoting equality of men and women and addressing past injustices. “We have found that counties rarely use gender responsive budgeting as a tool in developing their budgets. Some counties even lack gender policies which are the foundation of gender responsive budgeting. The constitution and the principles of public finance states that expenditure is supposed to ensure equitable development including making provisions for marginalised groups.” According to Daniel, gender responsive budgets are aimed at increasing the efficiency of national and county budgets by raising awareness on the different needs of men and women as well as raising government accountability on revenue collection and expenditure. “Gender issues have to be addressed in the policies to address existing gender inequalities between women and girls as well men and boys in recognition that males and females have different needs. The Finance Bill 2024 that was withdrawn introduced the eco- levy on pads and diapers which had a negative impact on menstrual health of women and children using diapers.” Project officer at the National Taxpayers Association(NTA) Boniface Karanja has reiterated the importance of adopting a gender responsive budget at the county and national levels to address gender gaps and it’s subsequent impact on the taxpayers. “All aspects of budgeting should address the needs of each gender to ensure inclusivity and fairness of both men and women in revenue raising measures. We need to take initiatives to ensure that gender inequality gaps are sealed so that no group is more marginalised than the other.” Section 6 of Article 27 of the Constitution of Kenya guarantees that the government shall take legislative and other measures, including affirmative action programmes and policies designed to redress any disadvantage suffered by individuals or groups because of past discrimination.

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Pastrolists in Ewuaso Kedong adopt farming using solar powered irrigation to mitigate drought

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By Amy Moyi Pastrolists in Ewuaso Kedong area in Kajiado county have began adopting crop farming through the use of a solar powered borehole to cushion them against the effects of the prevailing drought. Through solar powered irrigation, the pastrolist community have converted over two hectares of the arid communal land into a lush green farm. Saitoti Ole Kikayo who manages the communal farm has said the solar powered irrigation system has enabled several members of the pastrolist community to venture into crop farming to create a long-term solution to the food shortage crisis as a result of frequent drought in Kajiado county. “As a community, we have greatly benefited from this borehole. Previously, there was water scarcity but after this borehole was drilled, there is a reliable water supply throughout the day. I have stopped nomadic pastrolism which involved moving from place to place and began farming so now I am able to stay home and produce food.” said Saitoti. A report by the National Drought Management Authority report (NDMA) in 2023 indicates that Kajiado County lost 38.8% of its livestock population between September and November 2022. In addition, the pastures of the predominantly pastoralist community have been decreasing as a result of extended drought and the impacts of climate change which had been a threat to their survival and livelihood. To mitigate the adverse effects of drought, Saitoti has reiterated the importance of crop farming citing that the solar powered irrigation system had enabled him to have access to a sustainable source of food as well as earn an income. “I grow cabbage, sukuma, maize and managu. On a good day, I earn upwards of a thousand Kenyan shillings and a minimum of seven hundred shillings when sales are low. I also plan to buy two dairy cows for milk production which I can feed with crops from my farm instead of keeping a large herd of livestock.” said Saitoti. According to the director of Cara Projects Edwina Kwallah, lack of knowledge of farming techniques has been a barrier towards more members of the community embracing crop farming citing that the organisation is launching a farming project that will utilise more of the vast community land using the water supply from the borehole. “We will provide training on crop farming to at least eighty in the community on crop farming. They will use water from the borehole to grow crops to feed themselves as well as sell the surplus to earn an income.” said Edwina. The Kajiado county short rains food and nutrition report released in 2023 indicates that over 10 percent of children below 5 years in Kajiado county have been facing malnutrition since July 2022. Samuel Saitoti, a resident of Ewuaso Kedong ward has said the dire situation of the community including food scarcity prompted him to reach out to well-wishers who helped in providing the funds to drill the solar powered borehole. “Prolonged drought for years in this area resulted in death of many livestock and food scarcity. It has been very tough and many children dropped out of school because they had nothing to eat. We talked to our friends in the United States who donated money to drill the borehole.” Saitoti has urged more members of the pastrolist community to take advantage of the availability of the solar irrigation system to adopt a more sustainable way of living though agriculture to improve their standards of living. “I encourage everyone I interact with, including my children, to practice farming instead of nomadic pastrolism. It is no longer sustainable to keep large herds of cattle because of the increasingly frequent and prolonged drought in this area.” said Saitoti.  

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Illegal toll station closed in Olkeri

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A resident of Olkeri last week raised concerns over an illegal toll station after a delivery person found the road blocked with stones at the SGR bridge along Olkeri to Gataka road which passes through Oloolua forest.  According to the complainant, the delivery person had to part with 50 shillings via mpesa before being allowed to pass through. Olkeri Assistant Chief Stephen Moshi who followed up on the complaints has assured motorists and other road users free access to the road without any obstructions. “I immediately went to the site where the alleged illegal toll station had been set up, and found a group of youth who had come up with a solution to enable motorists navigate a steep bridge ramp.  They were solving a problem and charging a small fee, probably not aware the law does not allow such actions. They immediately stopped all their activities and have been advised not to do it again.” Assistant Chief Moshi said. According to the Kenya’s public roads toll act, the cabinet secretary is the one who can declare any public road or a portion thereof, including any bridge or tunnel on a public road, as a toll road for purposes of this Act.   It is illegal for anyone to install a barrier and charge road users a fee to use any public road. According to the same act, the cabinet secretary may by Order published in the Gazette amend the First Schedule and shall provide equipment, buildings or structures and installations including permanent or movable weighbridges necessary for the proper functioning of a toll station.  Every toll station shall have a station manager appointed by the Cabinet Secretary. In July 2014, Nairobi County Assembly adopted a motion by the then Karura Ward MCA Kamau Thuo to have barriers installed by Runda Residents Association and Runda Water Ltd be removed. According to the motion, Runda Residents Association and Runda Water Ltd had been demanding gate passes, and charging for them and for road use, and erecting barriers preventing some vehicles from accessing public roads in Runda Estate. The law maker quoted Article 186 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya, and Fourth Schedule which states that the functions and powers of County Government, among others, covers roads, street lighting, electricity, water and sanitation provision; further aware that County Governments can impose taxes and rates under section 109(3) of the constitution, a function which hasn’t been devolved to other entities.  The MCA raised termed the actions of Runda Association and Runda Water Ltd, a clear breach of the Constitution. The county assembly resolves that the County Government remove or order the removal of all the barriers erected on public roads by the Runda Residents Association and illegal levy of charges by the said Association and Runda Water Ltd with immediate effect. If you come across a road block you suspect it’s illegal, kindly contact the nearest police station or the chiefs office.  

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Kiserian woman decries harassment after rescuing sister from domestic violence

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By Amy Moyi A woman from Kiserian town in Kajiado West sub-county has alleged facing threats and intimidation from her relatives after she rescued her sister and children from domestic violence. According to Felistar Nduku, she decided to intervene and rescue her sister after learning that her sister had been enduring verbal and physical abuse from her husband for several years. “I heard from their neighbour that her husband had been beating her up and I knew I had to do something she is our last born and has a mental illness.  She had no one to look after her because our older siblings are married with families. When I left for work in Nairobi, I had no idea she had been married off and concieved two children since we did not have any means of communication.” said Nduku. Nduku has said the abuse her sister endured was brutal ranging from being denied basic needs such as food and clothing to extremely painful beatings that contributed to the decline in her physical and mental health. “Her husband was extremely violent to her and she lived in fear and at the mercy of neighbors who donated clothes to her.He would beat her up to the point she lost most of her teeth. He also denied her food, chased her and her children out of the house. I panicked when I heard she was threatening to commit suicide.” said Nduku. However, after she rescued her sister, she began to receive threatening phone calls from family members including her sisters and in-laws who accused her of breaking up a family. Nduku has said the deplorable and abusive conditions her sister had been living in is what drove her to her rescue. “I got numerous harassing and threatening calls from my sisters, in-laws and even the police. I was told if my marriage failed I should leave other people’s marriages and mind my own business. When she came here, she and her children were barefoot, she had no clothes, she was malnourished.” said Nduku. Nduku has said the domestic violence her sister endured for more than five years has has left her with permanent injuries citing that she wants to be left in peace to care for her sister. I just want peace as I take care of my sister and her children because she cannot do anything by herself. I do not even understand how she was married off with her mental condition. It is my responsibility since my parents died. Today she can only eat soft good because she lost her teeth because of the violence. I also have to bathe and dress her.” said Nduku.

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