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Showing posts from July, 2023

Owalo confirms hack on eCitizen platform, no data lost

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Nairobi, Kenya July 27... ICT and digital economy CS Eliud Owalo ha confirmed hack on the government services platform ecitizen  Speaking on Thursday Owalo said that the government is making every effort to ensure no data is losed and ensure safety There was an attack an we are addressing that we are not just coming with remedial measures to address the situation "Owalo said The CS further assured that during the attack no data was accessed or lost This comes after Kenyans complained that they were unable to access government services through that portal  "what they did was to try jamming up the system by making more ordinary requests into the system" he said  Most Kenyans encountered errors when they tried to log in  

Ministry of Education in collaboration with KICD hosts 4th African Curriculum Association (ACA) Conference

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  Nairobi, Kenya July 24… African States have been asked to design curricula that will not only enable African youth to work but empower them to be creative, youths are the agent of change and with a relevant curriculum in the 21st Century, it is feasible to drive the continent to greater heights. The three-day conference brings together countries including Chad, Benin, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, Gambia, Eswatini, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, among others Participants at the fourth African Curriculum Association (ACA) Conference in Nairobi heard how the continent is lagging behind because of outdated or inappropriate learning content that hardly helps human capital formation optimize performance. “When I taught in the US before joining politics at home, I observed the gaps that were there between our system and that of the US and I picked positive lessons that I used for establishing model

Inua Jamii Programme beneficiaries gets their payments

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  Nairobi, Kenya July 24… The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has released Ksh 8.3 billion for payment to beneficiaries enrolled in the Inua Jamii programme, and a further KSh.11.2 million for Nutrition Improvement through Cash and Health Education (NICHE), which is a complementary Programme. Each Inua Jamii beneficiary will receive KSh. 8,000 for March-April and May-June 2023 payment cycles in addition this is the second tranche that was promised to take place immediately after the recently concluded November-December 2022 and January- February 2023 payment, Furthermore, will be for 1 million regular Inua Jamii beneficiaries and 5,607 NICHE beneficiaries under the Older Persons Cash Transfer Programme, Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programme (CT-OVC) and Persons with Severe Disabilities Cash Transfer Programme. “The Government remains committed to ensuring the most vulnerable members in the society are cushioned and their livelihoods improved” added CS Florence Bore

Password shairing No : Netflix announces

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  Nairobi, Kenya July 21. ..Streaming giant Netflix has announced its decision to end password sharing across the world   Netflix has been wrestling with a sharp slowdown in growth since the pandemic, as competition heats up, households grapple with rising costs and it reaches what analysts see as saturation point in some of its biggest markets. In May, Netflix had imposed restrictions on password sharing in several countries including major markets like the US, UK and France The company has been cracking down on password sharing across the world in a bid to boost revenue after a slump in growth since the pandemic In addition, the company also launched a less expensive streaming plan with ads last year and cut prices in dozens of countries in February.

Kenya Railways suspends its Train services

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Nairobi, Kenya July 18. .. All commuter Train services will temporarily be suspended on Wednesday July 19 2023  "This is a precautionary measure arising from recent incidents where our stations were vandalised and trains stoned, putting passengers lives at great risk" indicated a statement by Kenya Railways . Following Azimio coalition led by Raila odinga announced a three day anti government protests set for Wednesday to Friday Among the routes set to be affected are Nairobi commuter Rail service trains serving between Nairobi central station and Lukenya, Skokimau, Embakasi village ,Ruiru, Kahawa west and Limuru  "The cooperation is compelled to take these measures as the safety of our customers is, and will will always be of paramount importance to us" Kenya railways added. 

Bamburi Cement targets to increase total procurement spend on special groups, including Women-owned Businesses to 30 per cent by 2025

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Nairobi, Kenya July 17. .. Bamburi Cement PLC, a member of the Holcim Group, in partnership with International Finance Corporation (IFC) through the Sourcing2Equal (S2E) program, has embarked on a special training initiative targeting women-owned businesses to increase their participation in the procurement opportunities within its supply chain. Speaking during the first training session today which was attended by over 200 women-owned businesses, Bamburi Cement PLC Country CEO Mr. Mohit Kapoor expressed the company’s intentional commitment to its Sustainable Procurement Agenda whose core element is to ensure diversity and gender inclusivity in access to procurement contracts. “Many Women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (WSMEs) continue to face challenges while navigating local complex corporate value chains, due to a myriad of challenges like poor credit muscle and lack of information. We are committed to providing a lasting solution that promotes equitable competition for supply c

56 per cent of Kenyans believe that the country is heading to a wrong direction: TIFA poll

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  Nairobi, Kenya July 13…  According to Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) 2 nd release which was carried out between 24 th to 30 th June 2023 states that a majority of Kenyans believe that the country is moving to a wrong direction while 25 per cent believe that the country is heading the right direction subsequently 14 per cent are standing at neither right or wrong while 5 per cent have no opinion High cost of living being experience in the country is the reason to why Kenyans say the country is heading to a wrong direction which has made Azimio coalition led by its leader Raila Odinga stage protests criticizing Ruto’s government for going against their promise on lowering cost of living after assuming to power “The proposition of those perceiving the country’s direction as “right” and “wrong” have been reversed since March when a plurality held to the former view (37 vs 25) per cent respectively, whereas as June the latter view was prominent (56 vs 48) per cent respective

Murkomen condemns Vandalism during Azimio protest

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Nairobi, Kenya July 12... The Ministry of Transport through the CS Kipchumba Murkomen condemn acts of vandalism and destruction of public infrastructure built with Tax payers money committed by supporters of Azimio coalition  "we have asked the office of the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI)  through the office of Inspector General of Police to carry out thorough investigations and ensure the perpetrators of such heinous acts ,many of which were captured on CCTV cameras and by the media are apprehended and punished" said the CS   The CS further said that the country can no longer normalise acts of violence,lawlessness and vandalism committed on the pretext of exercising political rights  "Going forward the organisers of the demonstration must guarantee that their supporters will not repeat such acts of lawlessness failure to which they will be held personally responsible for the losses incurred thorough theft, vandalism and destruction of public infrastructure an

KCDF launches Young Environmentalist Innovation Challenge

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Nairobi, Kenya July 7... The Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) launches Young Environmentalist Innovative Challenge (YEIC), an environmental innovation fund that aims at developing action-oriented young individuals committed to conservation of the environment. YEIC is an environmental innovation fund established by KCDF through the generous gift of Mackenzie Scott to support innovative ideas and solutions that promote environmental conservation sustainable resource management, and community resilience in addition KCDF has partnered with the National Environment Trust Fund (NetFund) and Green Generation Initiative. Speaking during the event, Chief Guest Mr. Samson Toniok CEO, National Environment TrustFund (NetFund) applauded the initiative as timely when the world today is faced by unprecedented environmental crisis including the global phenomena of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. “The effects of these global challenges remain stark realities in our day-to

On the move of Expanding connectivity Airtel Kenya launches 5G Network

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Nairobi, Kenya July 7... Airtel Kenya, a leading telecommunications and mobile money services provider launches 5G network in Kenya, CS Ministry of Information, Communication and The Digital Economy, Mr. Eliud Owalo and CA Director General, Mr. Ezra Chiloba were among the guests during the launch Managing Director of Airtel Kenya, Mr. Ashish Malhotra emphasized the company’s dedication to enabling seamless connectivity by unveiling the cutting-edge 5G network. Currently, Airtel Kenya’s over 370 active 5G sites are strategically positioned in 16 counties and 180 wards nationwide. “Today marks a significant milestone as we proudly introduce our 5Gnetwork, a state-of-the-art infrastructure that provides data speeds up to 10 times faster than4G, incredibly low latency, and the ability to seamlessly connect billions of devices. Airtel 5Gwill revolutionize various sectors, such as smart cities, education, healthcare, Agri-tech, transport systems, entertainment, and more, shaping the future o

54% of Kenyans believe that they will not own a house based on their housing levy contribution: According to TIFA recent polls

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  Nairobi, Kenya July 5… Trends and insights for  Africa (TIFA) research report on national survey that was conducted between the 23 rd and 30 th June 2023 on 1530 respondents in different counties on the introduction of housing levy indicates that 54% of Kenyans do not believe that they will get an opportunity to own a house “By contrast and unsurprisingly, nearly all opposition supporters oppose it (84%) suggesting that to a large extend such opinions are more a reflection of political alignment that of the details of program alignment itself” TIFA analyst Tom Wolf said. In addition, the Research shows best provision under president Ruto’s leadership are Education support 4%, Housing levy 4% and 3% on subsidized farm inputs while the worst provision on the 2023 budget are 24% increase on Value added Tax (VAT) on fuel from 8 to 16 %, 10% increase on tax on basic commodities and 10 % housing levy On the expectation of house ownership through the housing levy research shows that

Third cohort of Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice kicks off with over 500 participants

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  Nairobi, Kenya July 5 … The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) in partnership with Kenyatta University opens third Nairobi Summer School of Climate Justice (NSSCJ) cohort in Nairobi Kenya. The official opening symposium was held at Kenyatta University and attracted over 500 participants featuring over 250 students from across the continent and beyond. Dr. Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA described Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice as a unique and innovative initiative that aims to equip young leaders and activists with the knowledge skills, and tools to advance the cause of climate justice in their communities and beyond. “The Ministry of Education aims to inspire students to take action in advocacy and action on climate change through environmental clubs, tree planting initiatives to implement environmentally friendly initiatives in their communities” said Hon Ezekiel Machogu, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Education Maarten Brouwer Dutch Ambassado

CS Murkomen issues directives after a fatal accident in Londiani juction

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Nairobi, Kenya July 1... A truck veered off road in londiani junction, Kericho county crashing into several vehicles before colliding with Traders and pedestrians, CS Transport Kipchumba Murkomen has issued directives following the tragic accident which claimed at least  52 lives  Hours after visiting the place Murkomen condole with the bereaved "I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to families, friends and relatives of those who lost there lives and wish quick recovery to those recuperating in various hospitals" said a statement by Murkomen on Facebook  All markets along the road reserve should be relocated urging county governments to partner with National Government to construct markets off Highways ,in addition the ministry through its agencies to revise speed limits in the area and construct bumps  The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to install speed detection cameras as the place has been put on spot following the tragic accident and ensure enforcem

Apple becomes first public company to be valued at $3 trillion

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Apple has surpassed Microsoft which is valued at $2.5 trillion while oil giant Saudi aramco is worth $2.08 trillion Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, and software giant Nvidia a world leader in AI technology have market values of $1 trillion each.

Fuel prices rise as 16 per cent VAT takes effect

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Nairobi, Kenya  July 1... The rise is as a result of Finance act 2023 which sets VAT to 16 per cent "Energy and petroleum regulatory Authority (EPRA) has recalculated the maximum pumb prices which will be on force taking into account VAT at 16 per cent" said a statement on EPRA  The changes in prices takes effect as from 1st July where by Super petrol increase by Ksh 13.49, Diesel KSh 12.39 and Kerosene at 11.96 per litre "Pursuant to the finance act 2023 the Value Added Tax (VAT) on super petrol (PMS), Diesel (AGO) and Kerosene (IK) has been revised from 8 per cent  to 16 per cent effective 1st July 2023" stated EPRA  Prior the increase of the petroleum products it was subjected to 8 per cent the effect will see kenyans have to dig deep in there pockets for fuel  Several parts of the country will see the prices rise as Kenyans call for Ruto's government amid high cost of living as other commodity prices skyrocket