The Coast civil societies reference group for human rights and security has lauded the Government for disbanding the Special Service Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

The group which brings together several human rights bodies termed the disbandment of the unit as the first step in experiencing the political will that has been lacking for decades in the fight against extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

"We have spoken about extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances for a very long time but the government has always denied it. The disbandment of the police unit by the current president William Ruto is an admission that these atrocities have been taking place and it confirms our previous statements" said Zedekiah Adika, Chairman of the Coast civil societies reference group.

The group now wants President Ruto to order the disbandment of other special groups in the police service and take action against police officers who were involved in the acts.

Adika noted "It is important that the President extends this action across all other security and policing agencies. Disbanding the special unit alone is not enough, members of the unit must be investigated prosecuted for their individual and command roles in extortion, abductions, kidnappings, torture, extrajudicial killings which are serious crime".

The group also demanded that the government immediately commences the process of appointing the National Coroner to facilitate independent investigations into all reportable and questionable deaths in the country.

The group further challenged the newly sworn in DCI boss Amin Mohammed streamlines the department.

"Our expectations with the new DCI boss is that he will be a change maker and ensure that those behind all the vices are brought to book" said Salma Hemed, Deputy Executive director, Haki Africa.

This comes days after the Government disbanded the Special service unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

President William Ruto said this was part of the changes in the offing as the new administration seeks to overhaul the management of security in the country.

“I am the one who ordered that the Special Service Unit, which was conducting extrajudicial killings, be disbanded. We have a plan on how to secure this country so that we avoid the shame of Kenyans killed [by the police and their bodies dumped] in Yala River and others. We are going to change this country for the better,” said Ruto.

A Kenyan woman living in the United Kingdom, Loice Tabitha Okuru, is among the 21 finalists in this year’s Miss Africa Great Britain beauty pageant.

The Miss Africa GB pageant was founded in 2011 by Dele Onabowu, with the sole purpose of giving young African girls born or living in the United Kingdom a platform to showcase not only their beauty but most importantly their culture, talent, and creativity.

The winner becomes a goodwill ambassador for Miss Africa Great Britain, charged with carrying out their platform’s mission of helping mankind and making the world a better place. Over the last ten years, their Queens have devoted their time to charity work in the UK and Africa.

In fulfilling the beauty pageant’s mission of charity and giving back to the community as they await the pronouncement of the winner in the month of November, Loice has been raising funds to help those affected by the inflation in London.

The pageant is marked through 5 different ways namely; A fundraiser in which the one who raises the most funds shall be declared as Miss Charity and get an automatic top 10. Secondly is the public voting which is currently ongoing, for this the person with the most votes will be known as Miss Popularity and gets to the top 5 automatically or has 2 extra points.

Then there is marking based on proactivity that is; ticket sales and event promotion and lastly there is marked by the jury which happens on the Grande Finale that takes place in London, on 4^th November 2022.

See the full list of finalists here https://www.missafricagb.com/vote/votinggallery2022

A total of 600 youth will be trained as seafarers at the Bandari Maritime Academy to take advantage of the blue economy job opportunities overseas.

The Kenya Maritime Authority, KCB Bank and KCB Foundation have signed a Sh155 million three- year partnership to train the Kenyan youth.

In the arrangement, the youth will receive safety training in shipping and maritime as well as unsecured loan products from the bank to secure visa documentation, embarkation costs, and other travel logistics

Department of shipping, maritime and special envoy for maritime and blue economy principal secretary Nancy Karigithu said that the program intends to give youth loans which they will pay when they get on board.

“We cannot allow that only those who are able to meet those requirements are the ones who will access the jobs because then we will be losing a lot of talent, therefore this is why the idea was born to help and lift young people to get the job,” she said..

Karigithu revealed  that currently there are 2,300 seafarers out of which only 800 have managed to meet out of pocket expenses.

She noted that they have embedded the requirements in the framework for the loan in order to encourage the young people to pay the loan.

The PS said they also expect parents and families to be part of the process to encourage their children to pay back the loan because that is the only way they will ensure sustainability and success of the product.

“We have people who we want to access the loans, therefore first requirement they will sign the commitment and be able to have a sanction which they will voluntarily commit to and accept if they do not pay the money but from the response we have received, they are all committed,” she said.

karigithu said the blue economy sector has the potential to be a key driver for sustainable growth in economy and employment to millions of Kenyans if well harnessed.

The youth will be trained by accredited technical vocational training institutions and vetted by KMA.

KCB Bank Retail director Annastancia Kimutai said they are training the youth so that they may have skills and competence that can help them get job employment hence solve the problem of youth unemployment.

“In Coast region, most opportunities are found in the ocean therefore this is why we are giving these youth an opportunity where we will pay their school fees upfront to come and be trained,” she said.

She said the beneficiaries will start paying the loan after nine months of being employed and if the programs are a success, more youth will be recruited.

The Retail director said their goal is to unlock the access to seafarers in the international maritime fleet for youth and provide bridge finance through joint efforts with KMA and KCB Foundation.

“As a local bank with global solutions, our intention is to continually provide solutions that are geared towards uplifting the livelihoods of our young people,” she said.

Kenya Maritime Authority acting director general John Omingo said that the program was rolled out because youths have been facing the challenge of meeting the embarkation cost of getting on board vessels.

This is because the embarkation costs have mandatory requirements from the international maritime and world health organizations in terms of the medical test, training certifications and other immigration documents which are required by the country’s where the ships are going to dock.

To get all these documents plus the training, Omingo said the cost sums up to about 150,000 shillings depending on the training institutions.

“This is a challenge especially to the young ones that is why we saw the need of working with KCB to grant loans to the potential seafarers on account of what we have assured them,” he said.

“Before a person is given the loan, we go through the process to ensure that they are genuine seafarers because they will have to pay for us to also help others who are coming in,” he said.

He said that the job market for cruise shipping has a capacity of accommodating more than 5000 every year from Kenya if it is done very well.

“We have Kenyans who are qualified to board vessels and through this sustainable process, we will not have such kinds of challenges in future.

Mombasa Deputy Governor Francis Thoya said  the county government is ready and willing to support the program in order to help youth in the county.

Ukrainian ambassador to Kenya Andrii Pravednyk was at the port to receive the consignment aboard the vessel ‘Super Henry’ carrying 51,400 tons of Ukrainian wheat.

The ambassador said that two more vessels had already left the Ukrainian with a total tonnage of 78,000 tons of wheat also destined for Kenya.

“The departure of the two vessels from the port in Ukraine brings the total of wheat sent to Kenya to 128,200 metric tons which is still not enough,” said  Pravednyk.

Pravednyk promised that Ukraine will continue working with Kenyan authorities and commercial companies to bring more wheat to Kenya to fill the shortage occasioned by the war going on in their country.

He said that war against Ukraine has affected about 25 per cent of the world cereal trade, caused an increase in world prices, food inflation, and reduced access to food in the countries that import food from Ukraine, in particular wheat and sunflower oil

Ukraine is one of the world largest grain suppliers of wheat with the share in global trade around 10 per cent.

“We are confident that the arrival of “Super Henry” to the Port of Mombasa with 51,400 tons of Ukrainian wheat on board will bring significant relief to Kenyan consumers, helping to mitigate the prices and remove the deficit,” Pravednyk said.

He added that Ukraine is important to Kenya and asked the Kenyan Government and public to speak in one voice demanding Russia to immediately stop its aggression, and keep its commitments under the ‘Grain corridor’ to the safety of commercial vehicles operating in the Black Sea.

According to Ukrainian statistics, in 2021 Ukraine exported to Kenya a record 355.5 thousand metric tons of wheat worth USD 89.7 million.

Pravednyk said that the Russian occupiers had damaged approximately 4 million tons Ukraines grain storage capacity saying they had also seized up to 1 million tons of grain crops and sunflower oil at the estimated cost of USD 600 million.

He added that the total damage to Ukrainian agricultural sector is currently estimated at USD 4.29 billion as market experts forecast the production of grain in Ukraine in 2022 at the level of 65 million tons.

“The missiles strikes and shelling by Russian troops had damaged and destroyed dozens of farms, stocks of food and seed, silos, warehouses, oil depots, agriculture machinery and equipment”

“At least 90 agribusinesses have been damaged in Ukraine and about 13 per cent of Ukrainian territory has been contaminated by Russian mines and explosive remnants of war,” he said.

He however reiterated that even under Russian attacks, Ukraine and Ukrainian farmers are resolved to fulfill their obligations in supplying grain and other agricultural products to those who need it the most.

“The crucial precondition is keeping our seaports unblocked and sea passages free to navigate,” the ambassador said.

He remained optimistic that despite the Russian pressure, the Grain Initiative brokered by the UN Secretary General and President of Turkey on July 22 will be prolonged and reinforced.

“Since the initiative became operational, 350 ships with 7.8 million tons of agricultural products were dispatched from Ukrainian ports, including more than 1.1 million tons for African countries,” he said.

The first batch of livestock scheduled to be exported to Oman is today (Tuesday) expected to sail off from the Lamu Port destined for Port of Salalah , as the two countries agreed to boost livestock trade in the coming years.

Al Bashayer Meat Company, an Omani-based company, which bought the 15,600 animals from Kenya- 200 cattle and 15,400 sheep and goats, will now be doing a 30-day rotation between ports of Lamu and Salalah.

The company has also acquired some 100 acres of land adjacent to the Lamu Port, where it has established a holding ground for the animals for export.

Peter Masinde, Manager Cargo Operations Port of Lamu, said apart from Al Bashayer, the other UAE importer is also planning to put up another 100-acre animal holding facility in Hindi, Lamu.

“We now have two importers from Oman and UAE who have shown interest in Lamu. This other importer from Dubai, UAE may be coming on board within the next three months,” said Masinde.

Masinde said the livestock export business is poised to open Lamu and the northern frontier region where the animals are sourced from.

“The livestock market is wide and has a lot of potential. It provides an opportunity for the Kenyan farmers to invest in livestock for export,” he said.

Most of the animals for export are being sourced from Garissa, where they mainly keep the Black headed sheep and the Galla goats.

Black headed sheep and Galla goats are suited for low altitudes and they are also resistant to diseases that are why they are loved in Middle East countries.

Most of the cattle for export are sourced from Laikipia and the Merino sheep are sourced from Narok, whereas camels from Tana River County.

Apart from the Kenyan livestock, the port of Lamu will be handling animals from five other African countries including; Ethiopia, South Sudan, northern parts of Uganda and as far as Mali, said Masinde.

Annually, the Lamu Port will have a capacity to handle in excess of 300,000 heads of livestock when the project is fully realized.

To handle the livestock export business effectively, the Ministry of Agriculture in July said it had set aside Sh500 million for construction of livestock handling facilities around the Port of Lamu.

Masinde said the government will establish animal holding grounds in Bargoni near the Kenya Defense Forces Barracks in Lamu and a laboratory facility in Witu, also within Lamu.

The holding field near the port will be utilized as a quarantine facility for certifying livestock for export.

“The existing government holding grounds and laboratory facilities are at Mariakani in Mombasa, which is far from the port of Lamu. So the laboratory facility will be built at Witu and the livestock holding area will be built at Bargoni area, next to KDF barracks,” said Masinde.

Within the Lamu Port, the government will set up a holding yard on a 20-acre parcel of land next to berth number 1, said Masinde.

“The Ministry of Livestock is committed to fund the project. Funds have already been allocated and a contractor is being sought to carry out the project,” he said.

Jack Kisero, International Trader Manager at Al Bashayer, said this is the third time this year they are moving live animals from Kenya.

The first and second shipments were done in January and February through the Mombasa Port.

“This third shipment, we decided to move to Lamu because it is nearer to Salalah Port in Oman compared to Mombasa Port. From Lamu to Oman is a seven-day voyage when the sea is calm.”

Kisero said they have set up a pre-quarantine area for the animals.at the 100-acre parcel of land that they have acquired in Lamu.

“We are building a facility of international standards here in Lamu which will be able to handle live animals for export to Oman, Saudi, Qatar, Omar, Kuwait, and all other Middle East countries,” he said.

Al Bashayer Meat Company has also acquired Banyas 1, a Togo-flagged livestock vessel, which will be coming to Lamu Port for the next one year.

The vessel, which has an overall length overall (LOA) of 72 meters and width is 13 meters, has a capacity to carry 20,734 small animals (sheep and goats) and 2,200 cattle.

“We will be having a rotation every 30 days, until we see how best this port of Lamu works for us. Thereafter, we will start having a rotation every 21 days,” said Kisero.

The Port of Lamu was operationalized on May 20 last year by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and since then it has so far handled 13 vessels.

Murugi Munyi, Ajib Gathoni, Jackie Matubia and Blessing Lung'aho were among top celebrated influencers who were feted at the second annual Pulse Influencer Awards 

The winners were presented with their awards at a gala event held on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at the Mövenpick Hotel & Residences and attended by Kenya’s top influencers.

The winners were selected after public nominations which shortlisted 10 nominees in each category and a public voting phase which drew up the awardees in September.

The Pulse Influencer Awards is a celebration of local creativity within each of the 6 Pulse Africa operating markets (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda & Cote d’Ivore).

The Awards are also a platform that enables Pulse to bring together highest-flying creators and give our sponsors a chance to connect with our audiences.

Kenya was represented in the Pan-African Category where nominees were selected from all Pulse operating markets for a chance to win the Positive Impact, Voice of Africa, Community or Most Innovative Influencer of the Year.

Ms Ivy Mugo “Just Ivy” claimed the Most Innovative Influencer title as well as Kenya’s 2022 Business Influencer of the Year.

In her speech moments after receiving the award, she stated: “Just Ivy Africa was born two months ago when I decided I’d like to give a voice to the voiceless in Africa, especially when it comes to women and money. I feel like this is validating in my journey and I just want to tell content creators out there that this business can pay and you can change lives and impact the world. The eye is on Africa right now especially if you are creating content. From Africa to the world, thank you Pulse.”

The TMI Podcast and Murugi Munyi were the biggest winners of the night, claiming three titles - YouTube Influencer of the Year, Podcast Influencers of the Year and Instagram Influencer of the Year.

Pulse East Africa MD, Wamuyu Kiragu stated: “I’d like to thank the Influencers, this night would not have been possible without the work you do. We honour the art, and the content you create and it is such a pleasure to offer a platform where you are celebrated. I wish you every success from here onwards and even if you didn’t win, your work is still of great value.”

This year’s event was proudly sponsored by Absa Bank, Xiaomi, Shop Zetu, Safari Beauty Spa, Little Cab, Domino’s Pizza, Cold Stone Creamery, Denri, AAR Healthcare and Mövenpick Hotel.

List of Winners

Health & Fitness Influencer of the Year

Shiv Simani

Media Influencer of the Year

Natalie Githinji

Sports Influencer of the Year

Ferdinand Omanyala

Blogger Influencer of the Year

Edgar Obare

Food Influencer of the Year

Dennis Ombachi

Music Influencer of the Year

Nikita Kering

Travel & Leisure Influencer of the Year

Natalie Tewa

Business Influencer of the Year

Just Ivy

Fashion Influencer of the Year (Female)

Mercy Sande

Fashion Influencer of the Year (Male)

Lenana Kariba

Arts Influencer of the Year

Mini Cheps

Photography Influencer of the Year

Muma Pix

Comedy Influencer of the Year

Crazy Kennar

Acting Influencer of the Year (Female)

Jackie Matubia

Acting Influencer of the Year (Male)

Blessing Lung’aho

Beauty & Lifestyle Influencer of the Year

Joy Kendi

Dance Influencer of the Year

Ajib Gathoni

Tech Influencer of the Year

Daddie Marto

TikTok Influencer of the Year

Benawamalines

LinkedIn Influencer of the Year

Joan the Career Coach

YouTube Influencer of the Year

TMI Podcast

Facebook Influencer of the Year

Beryl Itindi

Instagram Influencer of the Year

Murugi Munyi

Twitter Influencer of the Year

Edgar Wabwire

Podcast Influencer of the Year

TMI Podcast

Pan-Africa’s Most Innovative Influencer of the Year

Just Ivy 

Former Nation Media group Coast Bureau Chief Njeri Rugene has been appointed the head of communication, office of the Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua.

The renowned journalist and political editor is among five individuals appointed by President William Ruto on Monday.

Rugene served in Mombasa for close to three years before being transferred to Nation centre Nairobi and assumed the role of political editor/

Other appointees include Reuben Maiyo who has been appointed as Private Secretary to the President, George Ng'ong'a Macgoye (Chief of Staff to the Deputy President), Paul Muraya Mwangi Guare(Private Secretary to the Deputy President) and Emmanuel Talam (Press Secretary, Presidential Communication Service).

In a statement signed by Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, said the team will support the President in the implementation of his vision for Kenya as espoused in the Kenya Kwanza Plan.

"In Execution of the high mandate vested in the head of state and government, His Excellency the President continues to constitute the team that will support him in the implementation of his vision for Kenya as espoused in the Kenya Kwanza plan" reads the statement.

The Mombasa Buxton housing project has received an award for adherence to crime prevention through environmental design among other qualities.

The Gold star award awarded by the the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) Africa after achieving an 86 per cent mark. 

The award also recognises the project's social amenities and facilities including having provisions for a community centre, disability and elderly friendly environment , connectivity to town, kindergarten, social hall, sports courts, green areas and swimming pool among others.

The project survey and scoring were done by both the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) and ITDP Africa, a non-governmental organisation.

ITDP Africa is focused on providing technical expertise to accelerate the implementation of transport systems and urban development policies to improve inclusivity and resilience.

“The inclusion of the social amenities, the project connectivity time to town, the disability and elderly-friendly environment, its active amenable frontages and the project’s adherence to Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design have made it possible for us to receive the award,” Ahmed Badawy, chief executive officer of the project said.

Adding " The award certificate will officially be received by the Buxton Affordable Housing project architect Yassir Brek who has been invited to Kigali, Rwanda."

The Kigali conference with the theme, “Transit Oriented Development: Planning for Development and Social Inclusion,” will be happening this week.

The Sh6 Billion housing project is currently the largest project in the country that is aimed at giving Mombasa residents not just apartments but modern lifestyle. The project has received the blessings of the national and county governments.

Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has scoffed at President William Ruto hustler fund plan.

According to Odinga, this will be just like any other financial transaction and not a special kitty as portrayed by Ruto's administration.

"It will just be another commercial transaction" said Odinga.

On her part, Likoni Mp Mishi Mboko wondered why President Ruto is insisting on setting up the kitty yet his deputy Rigathi Gachagua has been publicly complaining that the coffers are empty.

"Where will they get the money for all this yet they complain that the coffers are empty" said Mboko.

Speaking in Kericho on Sunday, deputy president Rigathi Gachagua said the new administration needs time to clean the economic mess of Kenya.

"To our detractors, we can’t clean the economic mess of five years in 30 days. We are cleaning your mess," said Gachagua.

President William Ruto  announced that he will be launching the Hustler fund on December 1, 2022.

The fund, according to him, is aimed at spurring reforms in financial lending, particularly to low- and middle-income Kenyans.

President Ruto revealed that the funds will be in form of loans to be repaid and not as grant.

"On December 1 we will launch the Hustler Fund and so it is up to you now to organise yourselves into Chamas, SACCOs, cooperatives or individually. It is not free money, it is business money that you will repay. We will eliminate shylocks and repayment will be at less than a 10% interest," Ruto said.

Those seeking to benefit through the Ksh.50 billion annual kitty ought to have joined cooperative groups, which will act as their guarantors.