Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir on Monday officially opened the third County Assembly of Mombasa.

In his maiden speech to the assembly, Nassir outlined his agenda for the county promising the MCAs goodies.

Among the issues Nassir promised to undertake is the creation of ward development funds.

"I, as the leader of the implementing arm of Government shall respect the role that you play as duly elected representatives of the people. And in turn, you as the voice of the people, shall play a supportive and oversight role to the Executive to ensure that we deliver on development programs." said Nassir.

Adding "It is in light of the importance of this relationship, that I have instructed the Office of the County Attorney to explore a legal framework to set up the Mombasa County Ward Development Fund. Devolution was meant to bring development to the lowest administrative unit which is the ward."

The governor also promised to deal with the issue of revenue collection which he said has heavily affected county services thus causing suffering to the residents.

Nassir charged "I am pleased to report to this Honorable House that since taking office, just over a month ago, we have taken critical steps to jumpstart our county finances. I began by reorganizing and revitalizing revenue collection in the County of Mombasa."

" This process has led to the improvement in the collection of own source revenue by up to seventy percent. If we continue with this trend, with the support of the residents of Mombasa, we will be able to deliver services more efficiently and effectively." he added.

Nassir also revealed that he will be presenting several bills in the house including the finance bill 2022/2023 which he said will completely revolutionize the business environment and tax regime in Mombasa.

"We will become the most business friendly county and start ups will flock to us because of our new proposed policies to zone levies in Mombasa. We will bring down the cost of licensing for tuk tuks, public service vehicles and start while making the process digital, transparent and devoid of human interaction that may occasion corrupt practices."

He further promised to address  the burden of a bloated wage bill that has made it near impossible to facilitate development.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is mourning the death of the Directorate’s lead creative designer Boniface Muganda.

According to a statement from the Directorate, Muganda was hit by a speeding motorist Saturday night along the northern by-bass at Marurui, near Ashaki club.

Muganda who is attached to the Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Unit was headed home on his motorbike when a speeding motorist hit his bike and took off, leaving the officer sprawled on the tarmac metres away from his bike.

According to first responders, who rushed the detective to Kenyatta University hospital following the 9:40pm incident, Muganda who was groaning in pain breathed his last at the hospital’s gate, just before doctors could attend to him. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

"Muganda was a hardworking, self driven and dedicated officer who performed his duties outstandingly and got along well with colleagues from across all cadres." reads the statement.

Adding "He was a gifted Communications Officer whose skills in photography, videography and graphics design propelled him to head the creative design desk at the DCI’s Comms unit.".

The detective who has previously served at the forensic photographic and acoustics unit was the creative artist behind the latest edition of the DCI Magazine among other assignments including the coverage of last Thursday’s Mashujaa day celebrations at Uhuru gardens.

Investigations into the accident have already began.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir will on Monday officially open the third County Assembly of Mombasa.

This comes just weeks after members of the assembly (MCASs) concluded their induction at a hotel in Nairobi. 

The members were officially sworn in last month where they also re-elected Aharub Khatri as the speaker of the assembly. 

Khatri was elected unopposed after nine other candidates who had shown interest in the position failed to submit their duly filed nomination papers before the deadline date.

It is expected that governor Nassir will also address the House.

During the Mashujaa Day celebration held at Mama Ngina waterfront last Thursday, Nassir said his first agenda will be to ensure that the MCAs help him in identifying needy students and families from their wards, to benefit from his NHIF and bursary programme.

“I want to bring a change from what has been happening, on Monday we will open our county assembly but before that I want MCAs and ward administrators to sit and identify 200 people who will benefit from NHIF and 200 others who will be educated for free, so that we can uplift them,” said Nassir.

Nassir is yet to appoint county executives who will serve at different dockets.

Fast rising star Guchi is back with a new jam "I Swear" featuring the award winning Yemi Alade. 

For her new single "I Swear", Nigeria's purple pop princess Guchi incorporates Yemi Alade's vocals over a soothingly steady afro-groove produced by ChechDaProducer. 

Guchi, and Yemi's chemistry is unmatched in this new single as is seen on the video out on YouTube. This release marks the last lap before the delivery of Guchi's second studio project out soon.

Speaking about the latest project, Guchi opines. "I am super excited about this song and the fact that i got to work with one of Nigeria’s top female artiste, this just shows hardwork and consistency clearly pays. It has been my dream to work with Yemi Aladr and our stars finally aligned and we have this masterpiece to show for our efforts". 

While Guchi is the crowned queen of heartbreak pop, this song represents a different phase of the cycle that produced hits like Jennifer and Shattered. 

“I Swear” addresses steadfast love and its calming effect on a satisfied partner. Guchi and Yemi Alade go verse for verse, in the appraisal of a lover who ticks all the boxes.

Guchi acknowledges the insanity of this kind of love and Yemi pledges her availability, pleading for the emotional frequency to be maintained.

The product is a contending fan-favorite, laced with millennial appeal and bursting through the borders of their unique demographics. Killing two birds with one song, Guchi’s fulfillment of working with Yemi Alade also quenches the thirst of fans who have long hoped for the duo to collaborate.

The Speedometer hitmaker has been giving us jam after jam and we cant wait for the next release. 

The Mombasa county government will give full scholarships to 200 needy learners and pay National Hospital insurance Fund (NHIF) for 200 needy residents of Mombasa in the latest plan to uplift the lives of the vulnerable people.

The county governor Abdulswamad Nassir made the executive order urging county assembly members and ward administrators to help in identifying the beneficiaries before names approved by the county assembly.

“I want to bring a change from what has been happening, on Monday we will open our county assembly but before that I want  MCAs and ward administrators to sit and identify 200 people who will benefit from NHIF and 200 others who will be educated for free, so that we can uplift them,” said Nassir.

On Monday Governor Nassir will make his maiden speech at the Mombasa county assembly when the house convenes for business.

Nassir is yet to appoint county executives who will serve at different dockets.

Speaking during the Mashujaa celebrations Nassir also said his office will next week set guidelines on security measures to help address the issue of insecurity in the county..

The governor is set to convene a multi agency security meeting next week on Friday to crack heads on how to end the insecurity threats bedeviling the port city.

Mombasa residents have continued to suffer from knife and pang wielding criminal gang operating at night and who have continued to terrorize residents in parts of Likoni and Kisauni.

"I will make arrangements to facilitate a sitting with all leadership and stakeholders next week Friday to chat way forward on matters security, we must be able to address the security situation as a team," said Nassir.

On his part Mombasa county commissioner John Otieno called for peace and tolerance post election.

Otieno said the county has continued to enjoy relative calm and now says calm should prevail even after general election.

Mombasa Legislators Rashid Bedzimba of Kisauni and Nominated senator Miraj Abdulahi challenged investors to take advantage of the new port policy that reverted all port operations to the Mombasa port.

During his maiden speech after swearing in, President William Ruto ordered for return of port services from upcountry to Mombasa port opening new new investment opportunities likely to spur the once dwindling economy.

Bedzimba is now calling on more investors to take advantage of the returning of port operations to grow and revive their businesses.

"The port is the backbone of Mombasa economy, this we applaud the government for returning the operation, we must welcome investors who had closed shop to return and take advantage of that,” said Bedzimba.

At the same time Bedzimba who was reelected as Kisauni Mp after five years in the cold asked the government to heighten security measures in Kisauni Sub County for investments to thrive.

Nominated senator Miraj Abdulahi emphasized that the Kenya Kwanza government is committed to revive the Mombasa economy that had dwindled due to bad policies by the former government.

"Mombasa economy was on its death bed, but the interventions by the government have started bringing back the city to life, we are asking leaders to stay with the government of the day," said Abdulahi who applauded the government for returning port operations to the port city.

The leaders welcomed the reverting of port services to Mombasa saying it’s a key to reviving coast economy and restoring lost jobs when the government issued a directive for cargo from port to be transferred by the standard Gauge railway SGR in 2018 to Nairobi and Naivasha dry ports.

The directive was blamed for collapse of container freight stations CFSs business, loss of cargo from road transporters and shifting of clearing and forwarding firms.

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.