By Jabali Media

The fight against Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases in Kakamega County received a huge boost on Friday, courtesy of the launch of the Sexual and Gender Based Violence Control and Management Act, 2024.

Unveiling of the Act happened alongside the launch of the 16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, globally marked from November 25 to December 10, every year. 

Kakamega Deputy Governor (DG) Ayub Angatia Savula presided over the event, on behalf of his boss, governor Fernandes Barasa.

Barasa, in a speech read on his behalf by the DG said 1 in 3 women experience Gender based Violence (GBV) at some point in her life, terming it a universal problem that undermines the dignity of victims.

The Kakamega Sexual and Gender Based Violence Control and Management Act 2024, the governor said, is a beacon of hope for survivors.

“It is a beacon of hope for survivors of violence as it provides clear guidelines on provision of services to survivors, including medical care, legal support and psychological assistance,” he noted.  

The Act establishes specific provisions for the protection of children and vulnerable groups, besides ensuring that offenders are held accountable in a way that prioritizes the rights and dignity of the survivors.  

Barasa called on all sector players, ranging from law enforcement officers to civil society to ensure the Act is fully implemented. 

“The passage of the law is only the first step. The law must be fully implemented.”

Savula applauded Members of the County Assembly for effectively playing their legislative role. “Thank you so much our MCAs. You have done a good job.” 

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Kakamega County First Lady, Janet Barasa. Photo/JM

Professor Janet Kasili, the Kakamega County First Lady urged community members to speak up as one of the ways of tackling the menace.

“If we don’t speak about it or against it, we will let it thrive. If it does not affect you directly, it affects you indirectly,” said the First Lady.  

The Act, she said, will go a long way in assisting survivors, and dealing with perpetrators. 

The piece of legislation was developed in collaboration with various state and none-state actors, including Access to Medicines Platform. 

Isaiah Ochieng, the organization’s County Advocacy and Liaison Officer for Western region, said the launch of the Act is one of the milestones that Kakamega County is celebrating. 

 

By Khery Apondi

Religious leaders under the umbrella of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) Nyanza region, have called on the government to protect whistleblowers, sharing information on cases of insecurity in Kisumu.

Addressing the press at the Coptic Orthodox Church in Nyamasaria on Thursday, the leaders led by bishop Clement Otieno Okuta, chairman NCCK Kisumu said most parts of Lakeside City are no longer safe.

The leaders accused police of revealing names of whistleblowers to suspects, instead of protecting them in a bid to effectively address the issue of insecurity.

“The issue of security is becoming a real issue because people don’t want to speak even if they know something, because the policemen will give information to these thugs. It is so and so who gave your name, and the lives of these people are under threat,” said Okuta.

Alarmingly, Father Thomas Onyango of the Coptic Orthodox Church said locals are attacked next to police posts as early as 7am, and no action is taken by security officers.

“All parts of Kisumu are now insecure. It is not safe to walk and you find that all this is happening in the eyes of police officers. We don’t know what the government is doing about it,” he said.  

Bishop Okuta urged both the national and county government to strengthen public communication avenues, so that Kenyans are brought up to speed with development programs, public policies and conflict resolution mechanisms that have been put in place.

“As stakeholders, we affirm our dedication to championing peace building initiatives and ensuring that public information delivery becomes a powerful tool for preventing conflict and building trust among communities,” he said.

Similarly, he called on President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration to strengthen early warning and conflict response to avoid any kind of tension in the country.

By Jabali Media

The Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) is engaging with the Japanese government on enhancing productivity and competitiveness of Kenyan companies.

Dr. Calvin Onyango, KIRDI Director General said through the partnership, Kenyan companies are being introduced to the 5S Skills and KAIZEN Principles geared towards increasing productivity and income, which will have a ripple effect on employment opportunities in the country. 

The 5S stands for Sorting, Setting, Shining, Standardizing and Sustaining.

“We believe that by employing these principles, companies can improve their productivity. Once we have achieved this, we are hoping that as we move forward with the Japanese partners, we shall be able to move on to the higher levels in terms of productivity and competitiveness,” said Dr. Onyango.

“Basically, what we are looking at in all this is how we can improve the productivity of Kenyan companies so that they can be competitive not only in the country, but also regionally and around the world,” he added.

The five principles, he said, emphasize efficiency in increasing productivity and reducing wastes.

The Japanese, he added, have used the strategy since the 1950’s, propelling them to the current development heights.

“We have gone to the Japanese, we have engaged with them through the ministry of economy, trade and industry. They have agreed to come and see how to help us. We have done this at the first level, they have actually worked with KIRDI research scientists to improve our systems within different research centres. KIRDI now will be the trainer of trainers, and we shall now be able to transfer this knowledge to companies around the country.”

Yoshifumi Ogawa, the Japanese Association for Overseas Technical and Cooperation and Sustainable partnerships program coordinator, said that the partnership with KIRDI which started in 2013 seeks to train Kenyans on efficient and high-quality production rates.

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5S Skills and KAIZEN Principles Seminar at KIRDI Kisumu. Photo/KIRDI

“We are working together with KIRDI to build the capability so that they can train others,” he shared. 

On her part, Beatrice Okoko, the Director Commercial Services at Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) appreciated the partnership, saying it will empower youths and create employment amongst them.

“We appreciate the efforts being undertaken by KIRD through the ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry through our Japanese partners. The 5S program is a very key component in our activities as much as our commercial services are concerned because we are dealing with processing of rice and honey, and all this is being geared towards enhancement of revenue generation,” she said.

Maurice Omondi, an entrepreneur said he is a testimony of what KIRDI can do to develop an industry. The leather processing expert said he was first picked by KIRDI 15 years ago, for the beginning of his journey in the leather industry.

“The 5S is what we are looking for because the reason why we are not able to sell locally is that we are not competitive. Our processes are so long and not in order,” he noted.

 Writers: Florence Omolloh, Khery Apondi and Johnson Juma.

By Laurine Jepchirchir

Michael (not his real name) is the first born in a family of four children, having grown up in a clan-system

society in Kapseret town, Uasin Gishu county.

Before joining Turbo High School, he never knew that his parents may one day abandon and leave him to fend for himself at the tender age of 17.

While in form two, his parents reportedly stopped paying his accommodation, urging him to ‘become a man’ and fend for himself.

“When I realized my parents had somehow cast me out, I started fending for myself although it was not easy. I was still young at that time, so I would do gigs, look for manual work like in farms and even construction sites commonly known as Mjengo. Sometimes I even used to go to my peers’ houses to ask for jobs,” he narrated.

As a result, concentration in class became difficult leading to a dip in his academic performances.

The side hustles he said, were helpful and skeptical at the same time, since most of his peers would make fun of him.

“It reached a point where I would go round the shopping centers begging for food. Some people were kind enough to help but others were not so welcoming,” added Michael.

And then, his parents stopped paying his school fees compounding his challenges.

“I felt embarrassed that in a whole class of 60, I was always the one being cited for not paying fees. I felt neglected and depressed and on one occasion I wanted to end my life.”

Amidst the confusion on the next course of action, he reached out to his aunt who is abroad. She took up the responsibility of paying his fees.

She finished High School and joined the University of Eastern Africa Baraton. He is a fourth-year student, pursuing networking. He is yet to mend his relationship with his parents.

From his experience, Michael believes that many men are discriminated upon in a way, with the trend being set through boys being disregarded by their parents and society, compared to girls.

“I had this schoolmate in primary who had the same case as mine. The situation forced him to be a cyberbully just to earn a living. However, it did not end well with him as he was arrested,” he recalled.

“Men should learn to acknowledge their challenges and reach out to people for support. The society should show love and affection for the boy as it does to the girl child,” he adds.

Gender Based Violence (GBV) has been a phenomenon deeply rooted in gender inequality with cases of women violations getting the limelight.

It however turns out that men also suffer from gender-based violence, and little has been done or is being done to support them.

Statistics support that women make up the majority of victims of gender violence and discrimination. The question is, what about the men and boys who are silent victims?

According to a study by the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, men suffer the most when it comes to conflicts in society, given their gender roles as potential fighters and soldiers.

By Jabali Media

Residents of Kondele in Kisumu on Wednesday witnessed a rare spectacle as a coffin resembling an aeroplane with a body inside was displayed, before being transported to Migori county for burial.   

The casket, bearing the design of a plane complete with a siren was crafted by Simon Aruwa and a team of carpenters in honour of his late brother.

He said his elder brother was an innovative guy, an artist per excellence, settling on resting him in an ‘aeroplane coffin’ as a befitting sendoff.

“My brother was very good in designing things and even drawing and portraying the picture in a very clear way,” he said.  

The carpenters burned the middle oil to complete the coffin within two weeks. Aruwa said the coffin costed Sh150, 000, with wood as the major raw material.  

“I got great support from members of my family and my colleagues. Without them, this would not have been possible,” he added.

Martini Omondi, one of the carpenters behind the aeroplane casket said no man is limited.

“Anyone can come with whatever he or she thinks, it is possible. We decided to come up with this design to see if it will be attractive only to realize that it has caught the attention of several people,” he stated.

James Otieno did wiring within the casket, making it possible for the siren to work. “We did wiring using a battery,” he said, adding that the siren will not be removed from the casket during burial.  

Scholastica Awino, a resident was amazed with the work put in by the carpenters, prompting her to state she would like to be laid to rest in such a casket.

“Today I have seen a casket that I have never seen in my life,” she remarked.

She urged Kisumu leaders to support the carpenters in a bid to boost their craft.

 

By Jabali Media

The Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) is partnering with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to train small scale entrepreneurs on post-harvest loss reduction.

The five-day training which started on Monday runs to Friday this week, aimed at empowering participants with innovative actions on post-harvest food loss and waste reduction.

Participants are being taken through business Innovation, quality control in food production, hazard analysis critical control point, product packaging, labeling and coding, hygiene and safety in food handling and preparation, and product development and standardization among other areas.

Addressing the press at KIRDI Western region centre in Kisumu where the training is ongoing, Dr Calvin Onyango, the institute’s Director General said they are targeting small scale entrepreneurs since they fit into the government’s bottom-up economic transformation agenda.

“How do we uplift these people doing work at a very small scale and ensure that they can be able to sustain themselves, provide for their livelihoods and also for their families?” he stated.

The training, he said, entails both theory and practice lessons with a view of empowering participants with value addition skills for both farm and animal products.

“This program was informed by the fact that a lot of food normally goes to waste when you get it from the farm. What we are trying to do as an institution is how do we minimize this loss of food from the farm from the current 30% to actually 0%.”

His sentiments were echoed by Winnie Yegon, FAO representative.

“The innovations are brilliant and we really want to see how we can scale up some of them, and see how we can really take tangible steps to addressing food loss and waste in the country,” said Yegon.

Some of the beneficiaries led by Christine Nyagah and Arnold Adero said they are looking forward to effectively addressing some of the challenges they have been facing, courtesy of skills acquired during the program.

“The gap we find as farmers is that we don’t have a market for our products, and even if the vegetables and the fruits are ready, they are not picked immediately by the buyers. So, you find that some of them rot very fast,” noted Christine.

By Khery Apondi 

Stakeholders involved in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse have raised alarm over the number of people who die in Kenya annually, as a result of alcohol consumption. 

According to the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (ILA), alcohol causes over 14,643 deaths in Kenya annually, besides accounting for 40.7% of Disability-Adjusted Life-Years (DALYs).

The Country is also struggling with the darkening realities of increased cases of domestic violence, alarming suicide cases, disheartening road accidents, unacceptable femicide cases, child abuse cases, and preventable deaths, all linked to alcohol consumption.

Addressing the press on the sidelines of a Student Campaign Against Drugs forum in Kisumu on Monday, Celine Awuor, ILA Chief Executive Officer called for the ring fencing of alcohol taxes to promote health, conduct health research, and raise community awareness of the dangers of alcohol consumption in Kenya.

She urged parents to up their game in parenthood, especially at this time when children are at home for the long December holiday, in a bid to prevent them from indulging in alcohol and drug abuse.

“This is an opportune moment for all stakeholders to come in and really accelerate the interventions that we do from our own perspectives. This is a very good time to run public campaigns on issues of alcohol,” she stated.

“It is important that parents take this opportunity to be actively involved in their parenting skills and also provide that safe environment for the children while they are at home.”

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Recovering addict Boniface Ndirangu. Photo/Blue Cross Kenya

The forum was attended by various sector players, among them recovering alcoholics, like Boniface Ndirangu who lost his job 24 years ago while working for Unilever in Kisumu, as a result of his ‘love for the bottle,’ then.

“There are very few people who can tell you that I chose to be an alcoholic,” said Ndirangu.

“I was about 29 years old, working for Unilever when I lost my job because of just drinking. I lost my job in 2000.”

Allan Mwangi, another recovering person said it is almost a year since he last tested alcohol. His daily drinking delayed him from finishing his university education.   

Ndirangu and Mwangi said there’s hope for those who want to change, adding that “It is possible that any addict can choose to leave a sober life and become a productive member of the society.”

 

By Jabali Media

Gospel artist and TV presenter Timeless Noel has advised youth not to engage in alcohol consumption and drug abuse, during the ongoing December school holiday.

Speaking at Manyatta Primary School in Kisumu during the ‘KaaSober’ children and youth concert over the weekend, Noel said he last tested alcohol 12 years ago, adding that it is possible for one to remain sober.

“I have been sober since 2012. The last time I took alcohol was in 2012,” said the Chulaimbo Boys High School alumni.

“I have been sober for all those years, you can also be sober.”

The event was organized by Blue Cross Kenya, National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) and the County government of Kisumu among other partners, with a view of addressing the issue of alcohol and substance use among children and youth.

Brian Magwaro from Blue Cross said they used the avenue to share the message of being sober, with research indicating that most young people start indulging in alcohol and drug abuse during school holidays.

“The most important thing is to give children and youth the message of being sober this holiday season because NACADA researchers told us that during the holiday season is when a lot of young people get to take alcohol and use drugs,” he said.

On his part, Simon Mwangi, Deputy Director, Corporate Communications at NACADA urged parents to keep a close eye on their children, in a bid to prevent them from alcohol and drug abuse.

“Children are home for the holidays. This is the time they can easily be initiated into drug use,” he added. 

“Statistics show that drug use begins from a very young age.”

Hundreds of children and youth from Kisumu County and its environs attended the event.  

 

By Laurine Jepchirchir

For several months now, Kenyans have been treated to unfortunate incidents of women being murdered by their partners, with police reports indicating that 97 women were killed within the last three months.   

That means a woman being murdered within every 24 hours. As attention beams towards addressing femicide cases in the country, many men are being subjected to Gender Based Violence (GBV), with non-reportage making it difficult to gauge the magnitude.

Laurine Jepchirchir had a sit down with Dr Loyce Ng’etich, a university counsellor on how to address GBV cases among men, and here are excerpts from the interview.

LJ: From your experience, what do you think are the primary causes and triggers of male gender violence?

LN: Number one is drug and alcohol abuse. When men abuse these drugs, money is spent to cater for such behaviours and when they cannot contribute to the economy and support their families, it becomes a big problem because it will anger the female partner who becomes abusive.

In addition, abusing alcohol reduces the ability of men to make right judgements.

The second trigger is family and emotional terrorism. This happens when a woman in marriage is harbouring negative feelings and resentment, due to lack of provision from the man, hence this will spur vengeance and even lead to animosity, hence a man will become a victim and sometimes staging can be done to aggravate the consequences, by ‘trying to spoil the man’s reputation’ through raising fabricated charges like alleged sexual molestation of the children.

Stereotyped communities will eventually believe the woman and terrorise the man without fair judgement of the situation.

Then there’s suspicion of infidelity. Some men in today’s generation may be alleged to be unfaithful in their marriages, this would lead to anger and bitterness from the female counterpart.

Eventually, it would lead to violence and even gang beatings, but sometimes these suspicions may not be true.

The fourth cause is family background and dynamics. This happens when role expectations between men and women have become similar leading to masculinization where females are taking more male roles. This will lead to domination at homes and work leading to conflicts.

LJ: How is male gender violence different from the other genders and what challenges does it present in counselling?

LN: When men go through violence, we tend not to talk about it because of stereotyping especially from the traditional setting which categorises men as strong, or should have dominion over women.

As such, victims of violence go unnoticed because of fear of being stereotyped. In counselling there are a lot of stigmas, since most men will not come out to talk about it compared to women who open up easily in case of abusive marriages. For example, if a woman is beaten up in marriage, it will be the talk of the town and actions will be taken immediately.

In recent years, we have seen a lot of campaigns championing women empowerment compared to men as people perceive it not to be a norm, and sometimes even when men are humiliated nothing will be done.

LJ: What legal frameworks should be developed to ensure a more equitable gender rule?

LN: The frameworks indeed have been developed but there is one major problem of implementation. There is a need for social workers, and legal institutions fighting for human rights to put these policies in place and enact them to govern the welfare of the boychild and the girl child.

LJ: What do you think are the barriers that male survivors face in reporting their cases?

LN: the major barriers are stereotyping and stigmatisation. The fear of being seen as weak, in the context that a man cannot be beaten up by a woman is real, and it is eating up very many men.

LJ: What are you doing to ensure that men come out more to seek help?

LN: We are doing a lot to ensure stereotyping and stigmatisation ends. We are taking up psycho-education and campaigns to educate people and let them know that ‘it is okay not to be okay,’ and reach out when facing violence.

That such problems do happen and it is right to seek professional help. A good example is for the college-going boys who are left to fend for themselves, they go through a lot of distress and unfortunately immerse themselves into drug abuse just to cope with the frustrations. Society expects them to ‘to man up,’ and not expected to ask for help.

LJ: What advice would you give to male survivors who are hesitant to share their stories?

LN: It is important for men to note that they cannot do it alone. When they feel overwhelmed with issues, they should seek professional help. It is not a weakness to seek help, rather it is a sign of strength. Some may want to even commit suicide as they don’t know what to do and where to go. It is ideal to seek professional help.

 

By Jabali Media

Baadhi ya wakazi wa Gem kaunti ya Siaya na Luanda kaunti ya Vihiga wamepinga mradi wa uchimbaji dhahabu wa Ramula-Mwibona.

Mradi huo unaofahamika kama ‘Open Pit Mining,’ umependekezwa na kampuni ya Shanta Gold.

Chini ya vuguvugu la Concerned Citizens, wakazi hao wakiongozwa na Profesa Fred Ogolla, wamesema kuwa mradi huo utasababisha madhara mengi kuliko manufaa ikiwa utaruhusiwa kuendelea.

Kama wakazi wa eneo hilo, wamesema kwamba hawapingi shughuli za uchimbaji wa dhahabu kuendeshwa na kampuni yoyote eneo hilo, ila wanachopinga ni kile kinachoonekana kuwa ukosefu wa uwazi katika oparesheni za kampuni ya Shanta Gold.

Ogolla amesema kwamba wakazi wa eneo hilo wanaishi kwa hofu ya kuhamishwa kutoka ardhi za mababu wao, akiongeza kuwa hakuna kiwango chochote cha fedha kinachoweza kufidia hali ya watu kuondolewa kwenye ardhi ya jadi.

“Wakazi wa Ramula kupitia ombi kwenye bunge la kaunti ya Siaya, waliibua maswali muhimu kuhusu mradi huo huku wakielezea pingamizi zao,” akasema Profesa Ogolla.

Kulingana naye, maafisa wa kampuni hiyo hawajachukua nafasi kusemezana na wakazi kuhusu mradi huo, akidai kuwa walifahamishwa kupitia ripoti ya Mamlaka ya utunzi wa mazingira nchini (NEMA), kwamba ardhi yao itachukuliwa kwa min-ajili ya kufanikisha mradi huo wenye utata.

“Hilo kamwe halikubaliki,” akasema.

Wameitaka kampuni hiyo kusikiliza maoni yao na kusitisha shughuli, pamoja na kuweka wazi haki za uchimbaji migodi walizonazo katika eneo hilo, miongoni mwa matakwa mengine.

Wametishia kuwasilisha kesi kortini katika kipindi cha siku saba zijazo, ikiwa lalama zao hazitashughulikiwa.

Mkazi Amunge Silaba ameikosoa kampuni hiyo kwa kukosa kupeana wananchi fursa ya kutoa maoni yao kuhusu mradi huo.

“Walipokuja, hawakutuita kwenye kikao ili tutoe maoni yetu,” akasema.

Kampuni ya Shanta Gold huendesha shughuli zake katika nchi za Kenya na Tanzania.

 

By Jabali Media

There is a serious push to align the health education with the needs especially at mid-level health institutions such as the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), a bid to move the country’s health sector from curative to promotive health.

According to Public Health and Professional Standards Princip Secretary (PS) Mary Muthoni, a countywide needs assessment has been launched, with the key idea being to understand what are the needs in driving the preventive message as opposed to what has been – curative.

Consequently, she said, the country will soon be implementing a health professionals’ policy which will guide areas of investment and heavily determine what will be taught in schools and professional needs.

Speaking in Juja Kiambu during a college graduation for community health promoters as well as visit a number of social health insurance registration centres, PS Muthoni insisted on the need for Kenyans to register and embrace the new health plan, saying it had more for Kenyans to gain from

Muthoni urged all institutions offering or aspiring to offer medical courses to consult professional bodies.

“I urge all institutions offering or aspiring to offer medical courses to consult professional bodies to ensure their training meets professional standards, and equips graduates to meet both local and global health labour market demands,” she stated.

On the quest to send health professionals to work in other countries, PS Muthoni noted that talks on agreements with different interested countries were ongoing.

She noted that the ministry was working closely with county governments to provide budgets for employment of health professionals in all cadres.

 

 

By Zuleikha Salim

At least five people lost their lives, and several others were seriously injured in a tragic crash involving a lorry and two private vehicles.

The incident occurred in the Kibirigwi area along the Sagana-Karatina Road in Kirinyaga County, on Friday morning.

Kirinyaga West Sub- County Police Commander Moses Koskei stated that a lorry transporting bags of maize, lost control while heading towards Sagana.

It collided with two private vehicles travelling in the opposite direction.

“Five people died on the spot, while one was rushed to the hospital for treatment,” said the police boss.

A resident from the area said the lorry overturned as it was over speeding. It spilled several bags of maize across the road. 

Some locals scrambled for the maize. Police have launched an investigation to determine the primary cause of the accident.

The five bodies are being preserved at Kerugoya Morgue, awaiting postmortem examination.

Fatal accidents have been on the rise in recent days, as the Christman and New Year festivities kick in.

 

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