Police in Isiolo County have seized more than 850 thousand shillings worth of cannabis from Marsabit to Nairobi.

 

Isiolo police commander Joseph Kigen Confirming the arrest of the vehicle revealed that it was a sniffing police dog at the Archer post security checkpoint. They were able to alert the police who searched the car and found it hidden under the seats of a car transporting five students. .

Kigen also added that they had arrested a 21-year-old man who was the driver of the car that was transporting the cannabis in bundles of 19 1 kilos each and suggested he would be brought to court to answer charges.

Photo:Courtesy

He called on young people to stop engaging in drug trafficking and drug abuse.

Commander Kigen has now called on security officers to be more vigilant and increase traffic inspections while warning drug traffickers that their days are numbered after being arrested several times for what he called a new police arrests while traffickers are also using different tactics to smuggle bangs. as well as the use of motorcycles passing through shortcuts.

He advised them to stop speculating and engage in business that would benefit them and bring development to the nation.

The police commander is also concerned that as we approach the political season, speculation may increase but he has called for the cooperation of all stakeholders to address the issue.

He urged residents to ensure that they report prompt reports to the police so that the suspects can be arrested immediately and strict legal action taken.

-By Edwine OCHALY-

Rais Uhuru Kenyatta amekutana na viongozi wa Kaunti ya Marsabit juu ya Usalama wa eneo hilo

 

PHOTO:COURTESY

Rais Uhuru Kenyatta ametoa makataa ya siku 5 kwa viongozi wa kaunti ya Marsabit kuhakikisha kwamba wanapata suluhu ya kudumu kwa machafuko na vita vya kikabila ambavyo vimekuwa vikishuhudiwa katika kaunti hiyo la sivyo hatua kali zichukuliwe.

 Kwenye mkutano uliandaliwa katika ikulu ya rais Jijini Nairobi, gavana wa kaunti ya marsabit Mohamud Ali alitwikwa jukumu la kuwaleta pamoja viongozi wenzake jimboni humo ili kuhakikisha kuwa wanapata suluhu ya shida hiyo katika muda huo mfupi.

 Kiongozi wa taifa aliyeghadhabishwa na machafuko ya mara kwa mara marsabit alitoa fursa ya mwisho kwa viongozi hao kuhakikisha kwamba wanapata suluhu ya changamoto hizo la sivyo mwenyewe atachukua hatua kali.

 Hata hivyo katika ujumbe wake kwa viongozi hao, rais Uhuru Kenyatta aliwataka kutambua mbinu za kutatua shida hiyo kabla ya hatua hiyo kuchukuliwa, na kuwataka wasilaumu serikali iwapo hatua hiyo itaafikiwa.

 Mkutano huo ulihudhuriwa na wabunge wa kaunti hiyo ya marsabit, viongozi wa kidini, uongozi wa bunge la kaunti ya Marsabit na maafisa wa usalama.

 Waziri wa masuala ya ndani Daktari Fred Matiangi, kamishna wa ukanda wa mashariki mwa Kenya, Isiah Nakoru, na kamishana wa kaunti ya marsabit Paul Rotich ni miongoni tu mwa maafisa wa usalama waliohudhuria mkutano huo.

 Baadhi ya viongozi waliohudhuria mkutano huo ni pamoja na gavana Mohamud Ali, wabunge Dido Ali Rasso wa Saku, Francis Chachu Ganya wa North Horr, Musa Arbelle wa Laisamis na Qalicha Gufu wa Moyale, seneta Naomi Jillo Waqo , mwakilishi wa kike Safia sheikh Adan na spika wa bunge la kaunti ya Marsabit, Mathew Loltome na kiongozi wa wengi katika bunge hilo, Alkano Konso.

 Hata hivyo waziri wa fedha, Ukur Yatani hakuhudhuria mkutano huo kwani aliarifiwa kuwa nje ya nchi kwa shughuli rasmi za kikazi.

 Viongozi wa dini waliohudhuria ni pamoja na Askofu wa kanisa katholiki jimbo la Marsabit, Peter Kihara, Sheikh Mohammed Noor Kuli, miongoni tu mwa viongozi wengine.

 Wakati hayo yakijiri, mbunge wa Laisamis Musa Arbelle amehoji kuwa wao kama viongozi hawana budi ila kuafikia makataa ya siku tano waliopewa na rais Uhuru Kenyatta kutafuta suluhu ya shida inayokumba gatuzi hili.

 Arbelle amesema kwamba kiongozi wa taifa alitaka kujua changamoto inayopelekea vita vya mara kwa mara jimboni na kuonya kwamba iwapo viongozi watafeli kuleta suluhu ya shida zinazokumba kaunti hiyo hatua kali zitachukuliwa.

Kutokana na mkataa ya siku tano, viongozi wa kaunti hiyo wameafikiana kufanya kikao na kuanza majadiliano ya kutafuta suluhu ya shida ya kaunti hiyo  kuanzia Jumatatu wiki ijayo katika taasisi ya Kenya school of government, jijini Nairobi.

 Kulingana na mbunge huyo, waziri wa masuala ya ndani, Fred Matiangi amehoji kwamba sasa rais Uhuru Kenyatta ndiye amechukua jukumu la kuhakikisha kwamba shida hiyo inasuluhishwa.

 Viongozi hao pia wametakiwa kutolaumiana na badala yake kuketi pamoja na kutafuta suluhu ya shida ya Marsabit huku Wakaazi wa kaunti hiyo pia wakitakiwa kujihusisha katika juhudi za kuleta amani ya kudumu.

 

ununuzi wa vipakatalishi kugharimu mlipa ushuru Sh105 milioni

 

KAMATI ya Bunge kuhusu Utangazaji na Maktaba sasa inapendekeza kuwa wabunge wote 349 wanunuliwe vipakatalishi za matumizi katika mikutano yao kupitia mitandaoni.

Kamati hiyo inapendekeza kwamba wabunge wanunuliwa aina ya kisasa ya laputopu kwa jina Apple MacBook Pro, ambayo inaweza kugharimu hadi Sh105,000 kila moja.

Hii ina maana kuwa ikiwa mapendekezo hayo yataidhinishwa na wabunge, ununuzi wa mitambo hiyo utamgharimu mlipa ushuru Sh105 milioni ikizingatiwa kamati hiyo inapendekeza Spika wa Bunge la Kitaifa Justin Muturi pia anunuliwe kipakatalishi cha aina hiyo.

Photo:Courtesy

Huenda mlipa ushuru akagharimika zaidi ikiwa maseneta 68 pia watapendekeza wanunuliwe vipakatalishi kwa gharama ya mlipa ushuru.

Ripoti hiyo ya kamati ya Utangazaji iliyowasilishwa bungeni wiki jana, ilisema kuwa wabunge wanapendelea kutumia vipakatalishi katika mikutano yao ya mtandaoni badala ya iPad.

WOMEN VOICES COUNT

Making Women Voices Count

 Gone are the days when many African communities regarded women as weaker, feeble and most of the time viewed as people whose main chore was to bear children and look after them and who would never be called a leader anywhere where men were. They were to be under the control of men.

 But now this has changed in most places for instance in Marsabit County, the process has been launched under Making Women Count Project which aims to give the women from this region a chance, more power and a greater voice in issues related to leadership, security and peace to ensure that women too are given an equal opportunity to be heard and felt in the community and world at large in tackling various issues that affect the community. 

Top leaders from the county as well as the national government vowed to sensitize the heads of both governments on the planned programs in the project to see that this gender discrimination is eradicated in the region. The contribution of these leaders have made great achievements in the success of the project. 

Making Women Count Project is a project that will provide opportunities for mothers to be fully involved in leadership planning as well as decision-making.

This three-year project here in the region is funded by the United Nations Women.

Other Organizations that will implement the project in the region include the Saku Accountability Forum SAF, Marsabit Women Advocacy and Development Organization MWADO, Community Initiative Facilitation Assistance CIFA and Strategies for Northern Development SND 

The director for Saku Accountability Forum James Jarso Forole said the time has come for the women of Marsabit to share the same table with their male counterparts in senior positions in leadership, security issues and also decision-making.

The non-governmental organizations in the region will implement the project in different parts of the county. Making Women Count Project is a three-year project in the region.

"We have agreed with other organisations that in the first year, we as the main organisation who came up with this project, that we shall divide this project as follows; SAF will be serving SAKU, SIFA will be carrying out the project in Laisamis, MADO will be serving North Hole and SND will be carrying out the project in Moyale. " added Mr. Forole.

Despite the existence of other similar projects, Forole said the implementation of the Making Women Count Project will take a different direction as it will assist the Marsabit county government and the national government in devising a plan to directly involve women in Marsabit region.

Forole also said a similar plan but at the national level is being implemented by the central government but the one they are creating will fully enlighten the woman of the pastoralist community of this region as it has completely different needs from other counties in the country.

"Just like other countries, Kenya as a country has come up with a plan and the first one was carried out between 2016 and 2018 and when that period elapses the national government in May 2020 came up with another one which will run till 2024 and it is because of this directive that we people of Marsabit has come up with our own project because the needs of Marsabit people is far different from other places in Kenya and we want to deal with issues that affects us directly, "said Forole 

According to Forole Marsabit province would be the first in Kenya to have a comprehensive plan to empower mothers and play a role in the implementation of major leadership and peacekeeping responsibilities.

The Making Women Count Project said Forole will reach out to rural women through in-field training provided by paralegals, women leaders and grassroots organizations.

He said mothers in the state of Marsabit face many challenges including lack of education, a culture that is outdated, according to Forole, their main aim is not to fight tradition that has been there for years but to enlighten the community elders to be able to see the benefits of involving women in developmental and leadership agenda so as to be able to balance between the tradition woman and the enlighten one, who is more beneficial to the community than the other, among other obstacles.

He said that after three years the Making Women Count Project would have achieved its key goals and would be glad to see that mothers are well presented and effectively participating in peace building, conflict management and disasterised governance and also to be able to be heard in various debates and be influential and see that the women from the region benefit from this process.

FOOLS DAY

THE WORLD-WIDE THREAT THAN COVID-19

 

Close to 2 billion people across the world consume alcoholic beverages according to the world health organization (WHO). Around the globe, alcohol can be found in many forms from beer, spirits, wines and even traditionally prepared local beverages.

African countries dominate in making local forms of alcohol which is made by fermentation of seeds, grains, vegetables and palm trees. Consumption of alcohol continue to rise in developing countries while decreases in developed countries.

According to the World Health Organization, there is enough evidence to indicate that alcohol is a significant threat to the world health.

The young generation stand a chance of being the most affected lot. Most deaths in young people are attributed to alcohol mainly from injuries and accidents.

Young people are initiating too much drinking in earlier ages than before. The popularity range availability of less expensive alcoholic drinks has increased and the global marketing of alcohol is becoming more and more focused on teenagers.

While many believe that Covid-19 is dangerous and may pose more threat to the world, alcohol is extremely bad and its threat to the world at large. Close to 80 million people suffer from diagnosable alcohol use disorders and 2.25 million people die each year from alcohol use. It affects practically every organ in the human body.

The report by WHO, in general there is casual relationship between alcohol consumption and more than 60 types of diseases and injury. In the world today, alcohol is estimated to cause about 25 – 30 % of oesophageal cancer, liver cancer cirrhosis of the liver, homicide, epileptic seizures and motor vehicle accidents.

“Alcohol is closely linked with virtually every negative aspect of society; suicide, violent crime, birth defects, industrial accidents, domestic and sexual abuse, disease, homelessness and death. It is the number one drug problem for people from all walks of life. It knows no racial, ethnic or economic barriers.” National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency, USA.

Most African teenagers and young people drinkers believe that drinking is essential to having good time and pleasure and that their main purpose of drinking is to get drunk. This is something they engage in not knowing the dangers that awaits them.

In Kenya, up to 47% Secondary students reported using alcohol while in Nigeria 60% of secondary school students and 80% of undergraduate students had used alcohol and in Zimbabwe 39% of students under 14 years of age said they had tried alcohol. This should therefore sound like a woke up call to both the parents and government to ensure that young people are always free from these alcoholic beverages because the earlier the age at which people begin drinking, the more likely they are to become alcohol dependent later in life. Unless we help our teenagers, things are not going to get better.

Many homesteads have remained homeless, while others have remained poor because of the indulgent in alcohol. Alcohol exacts a heavy price on personal health, promotes high blood pressure and is directly toxic to heart muscles.

This “world threat” increases the risk of stroke, sudden death, heart arrhythmias and diseased heart muscle, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and cancer. This reduces user’s useful life and it ravages the lives of family and friends. There is need for immediate action or else, who knows? Perhaps the saddest statistics to emerge in recent years are those of damaged babies permanently, mentally deficient as a result of their parent’s alcohol use.

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages in 2005 equalled 6.13 litres of pure alcohol consumed by every person aged 15 years or older. A large portion of this consumption – 28.6% or 1.76 litres per person – was homemade and illegally produced alcohol or, in other words, unrecorded alcohol. The consumption of homemade or illegally produced alcohol may be associated with an increased risk of harm because of unknown and potentially dangerous impurities or contaminants in these beverages

Alcohol is not just a problem for young people; it is the greatest global drug problem for all ages. In the United States, it is second only tobacco on the top list of “Most Deadly Drugs.” Despite the dangers, people in almost every society come in contact with alcoholic beverages. Sole prevention of this depend on parents, good parental example. Nothing is more powerful than this. Support and encouragement from grandparents, churches, teachers, mentors and positive role models is what the young people need in order to end this menace and be able to beat this world most threat.

 

-         OCHALY EDWINE  -   

 

 

 

PASTOR WHO RESPECT NOBODY BUT GOD

From the onset of corona virus case in Kenya , the government suspended all public gathering so as to try to reduce the spread of the said deadly disease .

This directive was taken positively by members of the public and various institutions like schools  , colleges, and universities. Various churches on the other hand have suspended their most of their activities like crusades and the rest .

This pandemic came during the time when The Seventh day Adventist Church in some parts of the country was conducting the TMI Crusades especially in Ranen Conference. Following the government directive to suspend all the public gatherings , the conference director also directed all the pastors whose churches was going on with the TMI Crusades to suspend them.

But this pastor from SDA Rabwao DISTRICT, MUHURU-BAY when he was called and told to suspend the crusade, he defied all the orders of the land and said that he is not going to close down a gathering of GOD. He further said that it's better for a jembe to break in the field than at home . '' I better get Corona while serving my creator than Corona to get while am at home doing other things '' he added . Other invited speakers also challenged those who are ordering for suspension of gathering meant for worship to come out and tell them any disease that is not written in the Bible , instead urged the leaders of the land to come out and call for prayers everywhere so that God can hear us and heal our land.

At least for now there is a sigh of relief as the president also called for prayers and announce that Saturday 21st March 2020 be the day for this prayer .