Ommy Dallah
Hindu Spiritual Leader Arrives In Mombasa, Lauds Kenyans For Maintaining Peace
Hindu prominent spiritual leader His Divine Holiness Acharya Shree Jitendriyapriyadasji Swamiji Maharaj has commended Kenyans for maintaining peace during and after the last general elections.
The spiritual leader who arrived in Mombasa yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon called on Kenyans to continue maintaining the peace arguing peace is key for prosperous of the country.
The spiritual leader who was received by tens of Shree Swaminarayan Gadi devotees in Mombasa County is expected to pray for the drought situation currently facing some parts of the country, during his six days stay in Kenya.
After Kenya, Maharaj will be heading to Tanzania and Uganda.
“Today we are receiving his holiness from India, he normally comes here every year. The purpose of his visit is to pray for Kenya for having peaceful elections and pray for all elected leaders to have wisdom to run the country,” said Harshadkynar Shangani.
Adding "“His holiness aims at bring all the people together as we are currently planning to mark 70 years of our first temple in Nairobi. The celebrations will coincide with the Christmas festivities."
The leader is also expected to visit the refurbished Kibarani miracle park and also meet devotees and worship together with them.
Maharaj is the heir to Acharya Shree Purushottampriyadasji Swamishree Maharaj and sixth in the lineage of ascetic Acharyas, which descents directly from Lord Shree Swaminarayan.
Patronila Goren Feted For Human Rights Reporting
Former Tv47 Coast senior reporter Patronila Goren was on Tuesday evening feted for her reporting on human rights.
Goren who has now joined the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI ) won the overal Best female journalist in human rights award.
The awards 'Women Human Rights Defenders Awards' an initiative of several human rights bodies based at the Coast region, seeks to recognise Women including journalists who are on the forefront on the fight against human rights violation.
While working for Tv47, Patronila alongside her camera man Brian Barasa was following up on a series of human rights violation cases especially of Kenyan female workers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Her stories prompted most leaders to act including former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko who has been helping in bringing back the bodies of Kenyans who have died while working abroad.
"The award is timely and l want to thank my sources members of the network which was formed two years ago,under Article 19, protect, MUHURI and female journalists under the able leadership of Seasoned court reporter, Sophie Njoka as the Sec General,Grace Oloo as the treasurer and Khadija Yusuf as the Network chair lady who have contributed to my stories and moulded me in fighting for human rights," said Patronila who was not present to pick the award following the death of her mother early this month.
Jasmine Atieno of the People Daily newspaper won the Best in digital empowerment award
Citizen Tv journalist Mwanahamisi Hamadi was also awarded as the Best female journalist in women empowerment.
Verteran Mombasa Women rights activist Irene Randu was awarded the Lifetime Women rights defender while Jane Jilani got the Lifetime human rights defender award.
Mohammed Musa was recognized as the Best male champion Women rights.
Largest Shipment Of Electric Buses Received At Mombasa Port
BasiGo, the first company to introduce electric buses into Kenya, has announced the arrival of fifteen new electric buses into the Port of Mombasa.
The electric buses are from BYD Automotive in China, which is currently the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in the world.
The arrival of the 15 new vehicles follows BasiGo’s successful pilot of the first electric buses in Nairobi, and represents the largest shipment of electric buses to ever enter the region.
"The electrification of the transport sector in Kenya is accelerating and BasiGo is proud to be leading the way.” said Jit Bhattacharya, CEO of BasiGo in a press release sent to media houses.
BasiGo first launched electric buses into pilot operation in Nairobi starting in March of 2022.
The company’s two pilot buses have driven over 120,000 kilometres and carried over 150,000 passengers with two separate bus operators: Citi Hoppa and East Shuttle.
“These new 15 buses will soon be plying routes across Nairobi, giving residents of Nairobi access to safe, comfortable, and clean public transport for their daily commute,” said Bhattacharya.
This new shipment is the same model of electric bus as the pilot program. The new buses have arrived partially assembled and will be taken to Associated Vehicle Assemblers (AVA) in Miritini, Mombasa for final assembly and finishing.
Speaking at the Mombasa port while receiving the buses aboard the ‘Morning Christina” vessel that docked at the port on Tuesday afternoon, Moses Nderitu, the Chief Revenue Officer at BasiGo said that finishing the assembly of these buses here in Kenya is an important step in demonstrating that these new electric vehicles can be manufactured locally.
“Starting next year, all electric buses that BasiGo delivers to customers will be locally assembled here in Kenya. There is some localization happening including interior, telematics going into the bus so that we start building local capacity in assembling electric buses in Kenya,” said Nderitu.
The buses he said are fully electric with a 25 set capacity and go for Sh5 million minus VAT which will bring the cost to about Sh5.8 million.
He said that the price is competitive to diesel and petrol driven buses brought into the country.
“We are currently providing a separate contract called pay as you drive where operators pay sh20 per kilometer which is way lower than they are paying for diesel. We are able to charge, do maintainance and even clean the buses for them that is included in the pay as you drive contract,” he said.
Francis Mungai head of fleet operation at BasiGo said that the buses currently operate from 5am to 11pm in the evening.
He said that the beauty about the buses is that they were going to install a telematics unit that will be able to even give feedback and do live tracking and will also be able to give advance notice about any issue.
“We have an interface in the bus where you can be able to tell how much charge and how many kilometers remain for me to get to the next charging point, it has that kind of interaction,” said Mungai.
He reiterated that as a country, we need to go away from diesel and petrol as fast as possible and as soon as possible because of the benefits that we can get from renewable and sustainable kind of transport.
“The long term plan for us and everyone who are passionate about climate change is that we would wish to have all vehicles operating on clean green energy,” he said.
William Ojonyo group chairman Peleceer group said that this in terms of tax, is going to be the precedent that will form how our tax behavior will be moving forward.
He said that the arrival of the new electric buses is the first step of ensuring that our economy runs from what we call fuel-propelled engines and getting into clean energy
“This will give us a new phenomenon of how to preserve our environment,” he said.
He called on the government to support this industry in the best way possible.
“Looking at our tax regime and the competition that comes with used vehicles and the expectation of adhering and conforming to the global trend of preserving our environment, we would be requesting the government to support the initiative and support the fact that this particular unit may not come down as a knocked down unit soon,” he said.
He added that the use of electric cars is something that is globally new, so expecting a completely knocked down unit to come into the country as electrical buses may not be soon.
“Looking at it in the immediate will be scaring away the investors who would love to make us a first in the EAC countries,” he said.
KCA Trains Coast Journalists To Counter Disinformation And Fake News
The Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) is working with journalists to develop strategies and best communication practices for reporting and countering disinformation and fake news.
KCA has identified 70 journalists from Coast , Kisumu, Kisii and Kakamega counties who are undergoing training to generate stories to counter disinformation and fake news.
The project supported by Deutsch Wella Akademie kicked off in September 2022 and is expected to end in March 2023.
Speaking after a two- day training for Coast based journalists held in Mombasa, KCA Chairman William Janak said spread of disinformation and fake news was rampant during the last general elections.
"We had our own monitors during the last campaigns and it was evident that there was a wide spread of disinformation and fake news during that time. We want our journalists to have the necessary skills on how to detect disinformation and fake news" said Janak.
Adding "We are building a community of journalists that is sensitive to the needs of the society."
Janak said most journalists have found themselves reporting fake news due to lack of necessary skills and tools to detect fake news and disinformation.
The journalists undergoing the trainings are expected to produce stories on topical issues ranging from economics, politics, environment, social, among other areas which they will share through their media houses, social media handles and their own blogs.
Janak also called on both national and county government officials to co-operate with journalists through sharing critical information.
"If you don't share information to journalists then you are making their work harder, so I would like to appeal to our newly elected governors and government officials to work closely with journalists" said Janak.
Janak further called for proper remuneration for journalists from media owners.
Mombasa Receives First Cruise Ship Since Covid Hit
The Kenya Tourism industry got a major boost after receiving her maiden cruise ship vessel, MV World Odyssey, at the port of Mombasa on Sunday after almost four years.
MV Odyssey, which has 800 tourists (passengers and crew) docked at the Sh350 million cruise ship terminal that was completed in 2019.
No cruise ship has made call to the port since the onset of Covid-19 in 2020.
The timely arrival of the vessel towards peak tourism season is expected to boost the economy of the region and regain the glory of the Coastal city as a hub for tourism.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Penina Malonza, KPA management led by acting MD Ambassador John Mwangemi and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) management were on site to receive the guests.
"The arrivial of MV Odyssey is a much needed kicker to the industry which is recovering from the adverse effect of the pandemic," said Malonza.
Malonza said that the ministry will continue to actively engage with relevant stakeholders among them the ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to ensure thar the cruise industry benefits from the presence of essential infrastructure at the Kenyan coast
She said Kenya is ready to be part of the cruise tourism industry saying that the construction of the cruise ship terminal at the port by KPA is a laudable move and the first step towards tapping into the lucrative segment.
"The government will continue to develop and implement tourism policies that will improve the experiences of tourists visiting Kenya more specifically the coast region. These will include infrastructure projects such as the upgrading of the Moi International Airport in Mombasa, Ukunda Airstrip in Kwale as well as road infrastructure to support tourism," she said.
The KPA acting Managing Director Ambassador John Mwangemi said this was the first cruise ship to call to port at the newly constructed Cruise ship terminal after construction was completed in 2019.
"The arrival of World Odyssey to the Kenyan coast is a positive nod and an affirmation of our country as a premier tourism destination and hub due to the varied fascinating experiences ‘Magical Kenya’ has to offer," he said.
He reiterated that KPA is well equipped with all the facilities needed to welcome guests into the country.
"We have customs and security installation together with all the necessary requirement. The next stage for KPA is to continue branding and marketing Kenya as a destination for this segment of the tourist industry," said Mwangemi.
He said that Cruise tourism is one of the most dynamic sectors that is international and has leveraged on the shipping and maritime industry to expand. He added that before the advent of the covid-19 pandemic which significantly slowed it down, it was the fastest growing segment within
the larger tourism industry.
"Since the early 2000’s, the Port of Mombasa has received numerous cruise vessels bringing in thousands of tourists from all over the world to our shores," he said.
Mwangemi said KPA has partnered with KTB and Port Management Association of East & Southern Africa (PMAESA) in promoting the Port of Mombasa as a cruise tourism destination to attract more vessels to the Indian seaboard through the Cruise Africa Association (CAA).
He added that the state-of the art terminal is built to modern standards complete with various amenities including duty free shops, restaurants, conference facilities, passenger baggage areas, and offices for key stakeholders in the industry.
"The World Odyssey which has called our port today, operates the Worlds floating campus, an academic voyage for students commonly known as Semester at Sea," he said.
The Semester at Sea started its journey in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on 9th September 2022 and has cruised to Lisbon-Portugal, Casablanca Morocco, Valencia- Spain, Dubrovnik-Croatia, Piraeus-Greece, Limassol -Cyprus, Aqaba in Jordan and now Mombasa-Kenya.
From Mombasa it heads to Mumbai India then to Dubai before returning to Mombasa again on January 29 for a five day stay.
"This is my first time in Kenya. I'm expecting to meet the local people interact with them and get to learn more about the culture" said Kanon Mori, one of the visitors.
Hassan Faisal Lands New Job As Recovery Manager At Pearls And Corals Hotel
Veteran hotelier Hassan Faisal is now the recovery manager at the Peral's and Corals hotel Malindi.
The hotel has roped in Faisal to help push its sales.
The seasonal hotelier is expected to change the scales of the hotel and the industry in Malindi, through his contacts and connections especially in the entertainment industry.
"'It is exciting and great honour for me to be given this new opportunity at this great hotel. My many years in the hotel industry will be a boost to my new career and this new hotel" said Hassan.
Adding" As you are aware Malindi is known to be the favourite destination to many entertainers and celebrities and I believe my connection in the entertainment industry will help boost not only this hotel but the industry at large in Malindi. I call upon all stakeholders including the county government, we work together and push the industry to the next level.
Hassan has previously worked for top hotels in Mombasa including the recent one Kilua hotel, Whitesands and Tamarind.
Mombasa Psychologist Wins Toastmasters Public Speaking Contest
Christine Karue is the winner of the Toastmasters Mombasa area 3 speech evaluation contest.
The 43-year-old clinical pscychologist from the Tamarind Toastmasters club was awarded on Wednesday evening during an open house and area evaluation and humuruos contest held at the Tamarind hotel, Mombasa.
Lalindra DeS Silva of the Kericho Gold club emerged the second.
Toastmasters is a non-profit organisation that teaches people public speaking through regional clubs. The organisation has 30,000 members, with 15,800 clubs in 149 countries. It has been around since 1924.
Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders.
In East Africa the organisation has member clubs in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia.
Mombasa has over 120 members from different clubs including the Bamburi, Nyali, Mombasa Executives, Mombasa Island, Kericho gold and Tamarind clubs.
"I feel excited and grateful for having had the opportunity to test my toastmasters skills, I'm looking forward to seeing what the next level will be." said Karue.
Adding " I have been a toastmaster for four years now and I have learned alot about public speaking. i would like to encourage those who have not yet joined the clubs to do so since there is alot to learn."
Speaking during the event, the area 3 toastmasters director Wanjiru Mureith said the competition will now proceed to the next level which is the division level.
"There was a competition already held in these clubs and this was just a culmination, the winner will now go represent the area 3 clubs in the division conference" said Mureithi.
Adding "Competitions and contests are very important because we show people what toastmaster is all about. We also need to invite new members on a regular basis and this is one of the opportunities to invite new members so I would like to encourage people to join the clubs".
Innovative Mombasa Youth Awarded Sh1 Million During Blue Economy Forum
Three Mombasa youth based tech ideas have been awarded Sh300,000 seed capital each by UNDP after emerging top during a two day tech hack-a-thon competition held last weekend.
The awarding took place during the Blue Economy Innovation and Investment Summit that took place on Wednesday at Sote Hub in Nyali.
The event was graced by the Slovakian Ambassador to Kenya Katarina Zuffa Leligdonova who said that innovations and new solutions are crucial while addressing climate crisis or any other challenge a nation might be facing.
“I have been inspired today because the topic “green and blue” is close to my heart, we always say that we are ready to support any good idea, and this summit is one of them”
“Better understanding of challenges, decreasing vulnerability to climate change impacts and building climate resilience and putting forward smart solutions ,these are the reasons why we met here today,” said Zuffa.
She said that the key factor of development is the support of sustainable economic growth, job creation, as well as supporting mobilization of the Slovak resources and improving business climate in the partner countries.
She alluded to the fact that private sector engagement is a necessary condition for the success of development activities in every nation.
“To achieve this, we have created a special Private Sector Engagement Program. And in the pipeline is a project on investment in youth business in Africa,” she said.
The ambassador said that for non-commercial entities, they had a small grant programme for supporting small-scale development projects to enable a flexible and effective response to development needs at the local level.
She also announced that the embassy was planning to bringing over 25 Slovak companies in February next year to take part in a EU-Kenya Business Forum.
This she said will be a second visit of Slovak entrepreneurs to Kenya in less than a year.
“Without doubt it is a clear signal of increasing interest from our business environment and unique opportunities to develop further cooperation between Kenya and Slovakia,” Zuffa said.
She added that, “Kenya is our long-term development partner and main programme country since 2014. Our sectorial priorities are agriculture, job creation, education and health.”
David Ogiga, co-founder and director of Sote Hub said that the aim of the summit was to bring together all the stakeholders in the blue economy sector to share on the opportunities available and brainstorm on how best to develop solutions to challenges faced.
He said that technology in the modern world is an enabler and also an engine that fuels development.
“If we are able to employ technology then it will be able to help us enable our businesses to scale up, run efficiently and be able to offer services the best way to customers. We have so many opportunities for business in the blue economy, tech will enable us to collaborate and be more efficient,” he said.
Ogiga said that the incorporation of technology in to the blue economy sector was also about data which he said would make it possible to track progress.
The data he said would be very crucial in planning and making decisions both at the county and national level.
“If for instance we know the number of fishermen in Mombasa, we also need to know how much fish they can catch and how many they are selling in the market,” he said.
He added that incorporating technology into the blue economy sector will also go a long way in promoting value addition along the value chain.
He argued that most of operations are manual, therefore by deploying technology then one is able to automate operations which mean that output will be faster and in higher volumes.
“Technology enhances value addition and when you enhance value addition, it means that you are creating a balance between efficiency and productivity “
“Some might argue that introducing machines might lead to job cuts, but at the same time it creates jobs to those who can operate them, maintain and automate them. You cannot limit human activity from the equation,” he said.
He added that young people in Kenya were very creative and had developed innovative ideas, but the challenge is that they don’t know how to patent them saying that some people come with big investments and steal their ideas making millions of shillings as they live like paupers.
“We also held a discussion to know how we can help our young innovators to know at what point they need to register, whether it’s a trademark, patent or IP, they need to register and secure it,” he said.
The week-long event that ends on Thursday was funded by Slovak Aid with UNDP funding the seed capital to the top three innovators. Other partners in the project included Segal Family Foundation, Konza Technopolis and KTN Global. It was attended by notable partners in the Go Blue projects including GIZ Kenya, Business Finland, MSEPT and KIMISITU SACCO.
The summit was co-organised by Sote Hub working with coast based hubs including Swahili Box, Close the Gap, BEI Hub, SwahiliPot, Tech Bridge and Global Youth Opportunity Network all under the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs in Kenya.
King Kaka Teams Up With The Legend Kidum To Deliver A Gratitude Letter 'Asante'
King Kaka has released the visuals for the second single off his upcoming album, 2nd Life.
Asante featuring Kidum is a special song to the rapper, as it touches on one of his most vulnerable times of his life.
The mellow and quite emotive “gratitude letter” is filled with tear jerking lyrics as King Kaka brings the listeners into his experience as he battled an illness that had him bed ridden for some months.
In the visuals, we get a glimpse of King Kaka’s family and the emotions that each of them were dealing with as his caregivers.
Femi One Wins AFRIMMA Best Female Rapper Award
Kaka Empire signee Femi One has been crowned as the best female rapper for the year 2022.
The 'Utawezana' hitmaker won the award for Best female rapper at the 2022 AFRIMMA Awards in Dallas, Texas.
She took to social media to share the good news with her fans thanking them for their support.
“We won!!! Best Female Rapper In Africa. The first East African Female rapper to take it home, it’s such a big pat on the back for my team and I for all the work we’ve put in throughout the years,” she posted.
Her boss, King Kaka was the first to congratulate her for the win.
“I’ve seen you grow, I’ve seen you build, now the world is ready for you. Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you The Best Female Rapper in Africa @femi_one your story is a miracle, God Loves you. The Kaka Empire Team Big Up and everyone who made this possible,” he wrote.
In the awards Tanzanian singer Zuchu won the award for Best Female artiste in East Africa with Rayvanny taking home the Best male artiste in East Africa award.
WCB Wasafi President Diamond Platnumz was crowned as the Best Live Act.
