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  • Launch of the Nairobi Declaration Call for Domestic Resource Mobilization to finance Health in Africa

    Launch of the Nairobi Declaration Call for Domestic Resource Mobilization to finance Health in Africa

    Parliamenterians in Africa from different states namely;Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbambwe, gathered at a conference in Nairobi on 11th & 12th July 2023 at the sidelines of the African Union Summit, to reflect and discuss health financing in Africa.
    Cognisant of the need to formalize genuine collaboration between parliamentarians and Civil Society, they proposed for an effective advocacy program on sustainable domestic resource mobilization for health in Africa, through a platform for exchanging information, sharing best practices, strengthening political and synergies.
    The recommendations, resulted in the creation of the Parliamentarian Task Force on Domestic Resource Mobilization for Health in Africa, with the objectives of engaging parliamentarians in their respective countries on issues such as the mobilization of national resources for health; strengthening of community health; universal health coverage; and addressing gaps in funding for the fight against HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria. support of this declaration.
    The parliamentarians also subscribed to sustainable health funding moving forward.
    The African Union member states subscribed to a solid normative legal framework on the right to health, they also committed to its Agenda 2063, whose aim is to transform the potential threat posed by the expected doubling of its young population by 2050, into a “demographic dividend”, bringing economic growth and higher living standards, and they also subscribed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to significantly increase the health budget to ensure that everyone benefits from universal health coverage (UHC).
    Heads of state and government  also made declarations and commitments on health financing, notably at the 32nd Ordinary Conference of the African Union in Addis Ababa in February 2019, during which they endorsed the deliberations of the African Leaders’ Meeting (ALM) and adopted declarations in favor of mobilizing domestic resources for health financing in Africa.
    Notably, many African states are struggling to meet their commitments to mobilize domestic resources, yet investing in health is investing in human capital, creating stable jobs, stimulating economic growth and reducing inequalities.
     The parliamentarians are committed to advocate for: Domestic resource mobilization for health including push for the move from commitment to action, co-financing of Global Fund and other development partners’ programs for HIV, TB and Malaria to build equitable and resilient health systems, focused on people centered approach and integrated health services (addressing HIV, TB and Malaria and other health issues based on people’s needs and disease burden),
    Community Health system strengthening, including ensuring a recognized status for Community Health Workers, financing of Community Health Strategy, support for community-led responses, and incorporation of community, rights and gender considerations in HIV, TB and malaria programming;
    Incorporating universal health coverage as a goal in national health policy frameworks, strategically connected to broader inter-ministerial priorities such as emergency preparedness, social stability, climate, economy and finance,
    Bridging financial and implementation gaps of HIV, TB, Malaria, Health Systems Strengthening, Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response and Community Health Systems in the National Strategic Plans for the countries;
    Establish a space for exchange and sharing of good practices among parliamentarians from different regions of Africa,
    Create synergies with civil society on Domestic Resource Mobilization for Health in Africa.
  • Stephen Obewo, The Siaya Man Creating Jobs Through Manufacturing

    Stephen Obewo, The Siaya Man Creating Jobs Through Manufacturing

    When you visit Siaya County, and especially Siaya Town, the air you inhale will most certainly resonate with the brilliance of one gentleman, witty and endowed with Solomonic wisdom.

    The man who decided he won’t just sit down and wait for magic to happen.

    Cognizant and alive to the fact that unemployment is a thorn in the flesh of most youths, Mr Stephen Obewo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nambole Traders, hatched a plan to start manufacturing.

    Through the courtesy and wise guidance by Epic Business Tours, Mr Stephen Obewo, flew to China to assess the best industry he can venture into and create employment back home.

    After a thorough research and sufficing paperwork, it was time for rubber to meet the road.

    He imported state of the art machines that specializes in manufacture of chain link, barbed wire and nails.

    So to speak, Mr. Stephen Obewo is now the biggest single local employer in Siaya County, and also the name Nambole Traders is a household name.

    Epic Business Tours took us through the state of the art Nambole Traders industry and it’s a masterpiece to reckon with.

    The air is pleasant on this beautiful Saturday, the sun blissfully kissing the earth that is still damp from yesternight’s downpour.

    A very hearty, warm and charismatic Mr Mustapha, the production manager was at hand to take us through. The machines are roaring heavily whilst at the other end emitting the gem – that is the finished product.

    Stephen Obewo meticulously manufactures customized and top notch materials both for construction and fencing.

    The workers clad in their overalls are glued to the machines, feeding them minute by minute, carefully checking that everything is fine.

    It’s true that their Team Leader, Mr. Stephen Obewo who also doubles up as the Chairman of Kenya national chamber of commerce and industry Siaya Chapter.

    Mr. Obewo was at the time away on official duty in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Congo Brazzaville, where he had accompanied KNCCI President Dr Eric Rutto for an official function.

    However, Mr Mustapha ably represented him and the whole industry tour was a great success.

    We wish Mr. Stephen Obewo nothing but God’s favour, good health of body and mind and God’s immeasurable blessings.

    Nambole Traders can be reached through the contact numbers 0723572344, 0750800333.

  • CNN’s Connecting Africa explores Nairobi’s role as a technology hub

    CNN’s Connecting Africa explores Nairobi’s role as a technology hub

    In the latest episode of Connecting Africa, CNN International’s Eleni Giokos visits Nairobi to see the role technology can play in boosting trade opportunities across the continent.

     

    Known by some as the Silicon Savannah, Nairobi is becoming an increasingly important player in the international tech scene. Giokos meets with Irene Kiwia, co-founder of Adanian Labs, who explains what her company does, “We are a technology company, a pan-African technology company, and what founded us was our mission to activate the tech revolution on the continent by making sure that Africans are active participants in the fourth industrial revolution. We invest in tech startups.”

     

    Kiwia says that Africa has a strong advantage because of the number of talented young people on the continent, “The good thing about Africa, Kenya, and sub-Saharan Africa is that it’s a young continent.” She continues, “Technology allows us to leapfrog things in a way that we are not able to do before. If we look at the African history, we missed the industrial revolution. We’ve missed a couple of things, but for the first time ever, we have a technology revolution, where we are able to create impact and change the status quo of this continent. And the young people are the people who are going to do that.”

     

    Looking to the future, Kiwia talks about the need to digitise small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), “Kenya is becoming a hub of tech for the continent. The future is absolutely exciting, we are building the largest tech company on this continent. And by largest, I mean in terms of the impact that we will create across sectors. But also, the fact that our aim is to digitise the SME eco-systems and build a connected Africa, a borderless Africa.”

     

    Next, Giokos sees how trail-blazing technology from Nairobi is helping to alleviate the consequences of climate change in some of the continent’s driest regions. Dr. Guyo Malicha Roba is passionate about data, and he uses it to mitigate the effects of droughts and food shortages across the Horn of Africa. He tells CNN, “Government don’t have enough resources. Neither do they have the right data to act in time. And that time in this question, is still a very big question in that space. The resource question is another question that is up there. So, data and resources are constant issues in this.”

     

    As the head of the Jameel Observatory, Dr. Roba is working on projects to combat drought across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. He explains how technology has changed the research, “I think technology is very important, especially when you are looking at the forecasting, building scenarios around the weather and weather patterns. I think that is where our colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, which is the leader of the project, are bringing a huge part of the observation, artificial intelligence, the big data and all these things, especially for Somalia, where collecting data and preparing is difficult.”

     

    He continues, “The observatory is sort of like a research project, what to try, what to call, brokering knowledge, science, and connecting different dots to make sure how do we do this thing early enough before the droughts reach emergency.”

     

    This month’s programme also meets tech leaders at GITEX Africa in Morocco and speaks to the CEO of the Botswana Institute for Technology, Research, and Innovation.

  • Zutari Kenya officially launched in Nairobi to focus on East African market

    Zutari Kenya officially launched in Nairobi to focus on East African market

    Leading consulting engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Zutari, headquartered in South Africa has officially been launched in the country after receiving registration as a fully licensed company in Nairobi, Kenya.

    “East Africa has long been identified as a growth area for Zutari, with Kenya at the centre of our expansion initiatives into the region,” says Zutari CEO Teddy Daka.

    Diplomatic relations between Kenya and South Africa have been growing since the introduction of a mutual visa-free agreement in January 2023. Engagements between Trade ministries from both countries are set to address trade barriers opening up of business opportunities for both countries.

    The advisory firm, which has been involved in a couple of projects in the country including Two Rivers Mall and the Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project, aims to grow its presence in the country through engagements with government agencies such as the Kenya National Highways Agency (KeNHA), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), in the improvement of transport infrastructure in the country. Other areas of interest for the firm include installation of intelligent transport systems and engagement in private public partnership projects.

    In recent years, Kenya has placed more emphasis on the extent to which companies are locally owned. The engineering profession in Kenya is regulated by the Kenyan Engineers Act (2011), which contains stringent requirements for engineering companies and consulting firms who would like to conduct business in Kenya. To ensure compliance to the Act, these organisations must be registered with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK).  Zutari Kenya Ltd has since reached this important milestone and is now registered with the EBK in civil and electrical engineering disciplines.

    “We are proud of the impact our Nairobi office has unlocked through its many infrastructure feats over multiple decades of operating in Kenya. These still stand proudly across all of Kenya, a testament to the enduring power of infrastructure to create the kind of change the world needs today,” comments Paul Lombard, Regional Director of East Africa, Zutari.

    As an infrastructure engineering and advisory practice in Kenya, flagship projects to date have included design and management services to support Scania to build the first of 15 global service centres in Nairobi, comprising an extensive warehouse complex, service pits, and offices.

    Zutari also provided its services for the East African Community (EAC) Transport Master Plan and was tasked to develop a unified transport and regional road sector development programme for the EAC. The region is served by an extensive road, rail, lake, and pipeline transportation network, as well as two major seaports and several international airports.

    Creating a strategy and multi-year development plan to guide regional transport policies and investment involved considerable technical expertise and co-engineered impact by unifying the goals and aspirations of seven member states.

    In 2017, Zutari was appointed as an implementation support consultant for a sub-component of the Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project, Phase 1 (KWSCRP-1), funded by the World Bank. The project is aimed at financing critical investments in the water sector in Kenya, promoting sustained investment, and building an enabling legal and institutional foundation.

    Zutari completed its first project in Kenya in 1995, resulting in 28+ years of engineered impact across Kenya and East Africa. It has 20+ Kenyan engineering consultants and trusted advisors working from the Nairobi office on projects across Kenya and East Africa. To date, it has been involved with 100+ infrastructure projects in Kenya, spanning full infrastructure lifecycle solutions across the water, transport, energy, resources, and built-environment infrastructure markets.

  • KCB and UNITAR Launch 100,000 Electric Motor Bikes Project

    KCB and UNITAR Launch 100,000 Electric Motor Bikes Project

    KCB has partnered with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to roll out a programme that will see 100,000 riders benefit from electric motorbikes over the next 6 years.

    This is expected to create over 150,000 new green jobs in the boda-boda sector.

    The Bank will provide green affordable loans to the riders to acquire electric bikes and tuktuks through local electric motorbikes sellers.

    The project that was commissioned by the Cabinet Secretary, Roads and Transport Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen in Nairobi has been rolled out in Machakos county with a plan to extend it to all counties through the period.

    The move is in line with KCB Group’s commitment to enhance sustainable finance, consequently accelerating the transition to a low-carbon resilient economy. Currently, the Group has set a target of transitioning 25% of its total loan portfolio to green investments by 2025, as part of its Net Zero ambition.

    KCB Group CEO Paul Russo said: “The initiative is in line with our commitment to increase our green lending loan portfolio by working with like-minded partners to enhance green job creation and attaining the net zero ambitions.”

    “We seek to make it possible for players in the transport sector to acquire electric motorbikes at an affordable rate and earn a living. At the same time, the boda-boda riders play a key role in reducing carbon emissions in the environment, which is part of our long-term plans to conserve the environment,” Russo said.

    The programme is aligned to the government’s plans to roll out an electric vehicle public transport system that seeks to bring down the cost of transport for all stakeholders. This is aligned to the government’s economic transformation agenda and climate action, which is also expected to reduce the country’s carbon emissions.

    Cabinet Secretary, Roads and Transport Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen said “The government has prioritized the adoption of e-mobility, to achieve a number of targets. There is a need to reduce carbon emissions by 32% by 2030. In 2022 emissions in the transport sector were estimated to be 1.26 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.”

    “The adoption of electric motorbikes by boda-boda riders will help the country to achieve this target given that 1CE motorcycle emits more carbon than two saloon cars” added Murkomen.

    Over 60 youth boda-boda riders drawn from across Nairobi were the first recipients of the electric boda-bodas today, following comprehensive training on electric bikes, the rule of law, customer service and mastering conflict resolution. The youth will also get training in Business Development and Entrepreneurship.

    To qualify for the loan, the youth participants are obligated to undergo a mandatory training covering technical skills training, capital and business management, safety and peace building under KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri youth programme. This is to enable them to qualify for green loans from KCB micro bankers.

    The transport sector is the second highest contributor of GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the country and has been identified as a focus sector in Kenya’s enhanced National Determine Contribution (NDC) commitments and National Climate Change Action Plan.

    KCB launched 2jiajiri in 2016, a programme that seeks to formalize the informal sector and skill for self-employment targeting the youth and small businesses. It focuses on growing youth micro-businesses in the informal sector, bringing them to a place where they can employ others.

    Since its inception, 20,736 youth have received skills training and the bank has disbursed over KShs. 246 million loans to the youth as capital and asset financing, which has resulted in 64,380 jobs being directly created. A total of 3,402 small businesses are under incubation within the business development phase of the programme.

  • THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY: MEET THE INNOVATORS WHO BROUGHT SMARTTHINGS STATION TO LIFE

    THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY: MEET THE INNOVATORS WHO BROUGHT SMARTTHINGS STATION TO LIFE

    As we approach the cusp of a smart living revolution, a few challenges prevent our leap toward a truly harmonious and fluid experience. Smart home appliances continue to surge in popularity, escalating the demand for a digital home hub a gateway bridging diverse IoT (Internet of Things) devices with seamless integration.

    At CES 2023 in January of this year, Samsung Electronics unveiled SmartThings Station which revolutionized new smart home hubs supporting Matter, the home IoT compatibility standard. This platform promotes expansive connectivity, empowering users to sync smart products irrespective of their manufacturer. SmartThings Station gained media spotlight for dismantling the entry barriers to IoT.

    Since 100 days passed since the product’s release, Samsung sat down with SmartThings Station developer Eugene Park and product planner Kiyoung Kwon to learn more about the smart home hub’s development.

    What Does Smart Living Look Like?

    Imagine coming home after a long day to find your home already working for you. As you enter, the curtains close and the bathroom lights turn on so you can go wash your hands. Your favorite tunes play softly in the background. The air purifier kicks in as you prepare dinner. When you open the windows for ventilation, the air conditioner automatically powers down.

    Is It Possible for a Home To Take Care of Your Entire Daily Routine?

    This kind of dream home is no longer a fantasy. With SmartThings Station, you can tailor your smart home to your family’s routines. This smart hub not only connects Samsung products: it unifies multiple devices using the latest Matter IoT standards, regardless of manufacturer.

    “When developing SmartThings Station, we focused on enabling more users to effortlessly connect various devices, so they can enjoy a smart home experience without entry barriers,” said product planner Kiyoung Kwon.

    “Our goal with SmartThings Station was to create a product that would take center stage in your home,” explained Kwon. Most hub products are typically set up in a corner and quickly forgotten about. “Our challenge was to design a product that served not only as a hub but also as a device people want to use,” he added. This goal remained a significant focus for his team throughout the product planning phase.

    By adding the well-loved wireless charging feature as well as the Find My Mobile feature, Kwon increased product usability and encouraged users to incorporate the hub as a natural part of their day-to-day routine.

    “A lot of thought went into eliminating IoT entry barriers. That’s how the Smart Button came to be,” said developer Eugene Park. “Touch the Smart Button, and it activates the automated routines that are already set up.”

    The SmartThings Station development team overcame this hurdle with a “Calm Onboarding” strategy. “We’ve minimized any inconveniences users may encounter by simplifying the onboarding process. In less than three steps, users can register the product on the cloud and control it with a mobile device,” said Kwon. “We’ve also enabled users to activate routines through three different touch methods — tap shortly, tap twice and hold so that they don’t have to open an app. Since users can activate various hub features while wirelessly charging, they can use the product for multiple purposes.”

    What Are the Security Features of SmartThings Station?

    According to Park, SmartThings Station demonstrates enhanced security in two aspects: the product key feature equipped in the product itself and the encryption feature for cloud communication data security. “SmartThings Station comes with a unique product key. So, when users connect the product to the cloud, they must go through identity verification to access it,” said Park. “This leads to the crucial part: the cloud communication data security. All data transferred between the cloud and Station is encrypted through the embedded Secure Element (eSE). This secures the data during communication.”

    Nearly all home IoT products big or small, from Samsung or another brand can be connected to SmartThings Station, thanks to the home IoT compatibility standard called Matter. Samsung is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), an organization unifying the different communication languages IoT manufacturers use. After three years of thorough discussions with more than 280 member companies, the protocol standard Matter v1.0 was released.

    The expansion of the smart home ecosystem is just getting started. The SmartThings Station development team considers the 100th day milestone as a new starting point. “SmartThings Station will create more ways to provide convenience at home,” said Park and Kwon.

    “We plan on providing continuous software updates for SmartThings Station, and we’ll deliver satisfying improvements each time,” said the SmartThings Station team.

    “I really appreciate the positive feedback our users shared with us,” said Kwon. “The launch of SmartThings Station is just the starting point in making smart home ecosystems mainstream. Our next goal is to develop and present various IoT products that meet the Matter standard so that users can fully utilize their smart home hub.”

    Samsung, among other global companies, envisions a world where more users can enjoy the convenience of an unfettered home IoT experience. Stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom to see what’s next for SmartThings Station and the development team.

  • Huawei roots for more innovation to deepen 5G uptake

    Huawei roots for more innovation to deepen 5G uptake

    As commercial deployment of 5G gains momentum in Kenya with Safaricom and Airtel leading its rollout across the country, it has created a growing appetite for more groundbreaking, leapfrog innovation needed to apply it to more sectors. But to do so necessitates diving deeper into industrial scenarios, truly understanding customers’ pain points, and adopting a more holistic systems engineering mindset.

    In a statement from the head office, Huawei Rotating Chairwoman and CFO Sabrina Meng said that the technology industry needs to work more closely together both up and down the value chain – with peers and partners, customers and developers – throughout the entire product lifecycle, from R&D and procurement, to supply and marketing, to pave way for solution modeling, optimization, tools and methodologies

    “5G has been in commercial use around the world for four years now. It’s driving new value creation, and 5.5G is the next step forward and as science and technology moves towards large, complex systems, it requires matching technology to specific scenarios and performing systems engineering, in order to pave the way for 5G’s ongoing success,” explained Sabrina.

    The digital infrastructure of the future intelligent world will be deeply integrated into every aspect of people’s lives, industry, and society. It won’t be based on advancements in individual technologies, but rather on incredibly massive, complex systems – the convergence of multiple elements. It’s going to require systems-level thinking and design.

    Meng spoke about two specific types of integrated capabilities. “The first is integrating different technologies. We can achieve greater synergy across cloud, networks, edge, and devices through systematic design and cross-domain innovation. When coupled with optimization across software, hardware, chips, and algorithms, we can address the challenges associated with developing complex solutions for vastly different industrial scenarios,” she added.

    “The second,” she continued, “is the ability to integrate different approaches to management. Digital and intelligent transformation is more about transforming your approach to management. Going digital requires redefining the relationships between people, events, things, and theory, and adopting a more open, forward-looking management approach to address future challenges.”

    Sabrina pointed out that across all industries and countless households around the world, 5G has been changing the way people work and live, creating tremendous economic, industrial, and social value.

    For consumers, 5G, cloud and AI have set off a chain reaction and new forms of business are emerging in great quantities. For industries, to become a driver of productivity, the technology has to become a component of production systems in large-scale industrial applications.

    Moving ahead, 5G is expected to give rise to new devices and applications that deliver a more immersive experience, like 5G New Calling and naked-eye 3D. It is also ushering in a new era of super-connectivity between things, bringing new strength to IoT networks and driving new forms of productivity.

  • The third cohort of the Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justices starts with a fresh call

    The third cohort of the Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justices starts with a fresh call

    The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) in partnership with Kenyatta University opened the third Nairobi Summer School of Climate Justice (NSSCJ) cohort in Nairobi Kenya. The official opening symposium was held at Kenyatta University and attracted over 500 participants featuring over 250 students from across the continent and beyond.

    Addressing participants, Dr. Mithika Mwenda described Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice as a unique and innovative initiative that aims to equip young leaders and activists with the knowledge, skills, and tools to advance the cause of climate justice in their communities and beyond.

    Defending the historical idea of starting the Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice initiative, Dr. Mithika Mwenda, the Executive Director of PACJA said that the mobilization, policy engagement, and other engagements that PACJA has been undertaking is a team effort and hence the Nairobi Summer School was a quick idea bearing solutions.

    “We have been engaging with policymakers and stakeholders to influence and shape policies and actions that are responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people. We have built alliances and partnerships with other actors and movements that share our vision and values. But we cannot do this alone. We need you, the young leaders and activists, to join us in this struggle.”

    Regarding the theme of the Symposium, “Connecting Ideas and shaping narratives for Climate Justice, ” Amb. Ayele Kabede, the Program Manager of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) pointed out that the program is invaluable in building intergenerational knowledge in the context of Climate Change.

    “I am glad to hear that this edition of Nairobi Summer School brought together over 600 hundred physical and virtual students to be equipped with knowledge on Climate Change. This is a big achievement, said Amb. Kabede before he encouraged youth to think of the valuable contribution because they are actors of change in climate action.

    “That is why you are here and that is why this platform is here for you”, he stressed.

    The Netherlands is one of the developed countries that has been supporting Climate action and was represented by Amb. Maarten, the Dutch Ambassador in Kenya. appreciated the initiative which he qualified as the groundswell of youth climate activists.

    “Climate change is indispensable in addressing the existential threat posed by Climate Change.
    The voices of people and communities need to be heard to influence decisions and policies that
    will impact their lives for the years to come”, said HE Amb. Maarten Brouwer.

    He also added that “Strengthening justice is a priority to our work to contribute to the 2030 agenda and to Leave No One Behind and time for incremental change is over.”

    The Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Education said that Climate Change has been destroying infrastructures, schools, and other learning materials, and hence mainstreaming climate change in all education systems is important to build the capacities of the young generation.

    “The Ministry of Education aims to inspire students to take action in advocacy and action on climate change through environmental clubs, tree planting initiatives to implement environmentally friendly initiatives in their communities, intimated Hon, Ezekiel Machogu, the Cabinet Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Kenya.

  • Embracing Green Energy in Kirinyaga

    Embracing Green Energy in Kirinyaga

    Kirinyaga County MP The Hon. Wakili Njeri Maina has demonstrated her commitment towards advancing the clamour for green energy which is one of the prerequisites to save mother nature from the wrath of climate change.

    Hon. Njeri is working in collaboration with stakeholders in rolling out an initiative that aims to promote use of energy saving jikos across Kirinyaga County.

    In a distribution exercise on Tuesday, Njeri Maina noted:

    “I would like to thank the ministry of energy for facilitating distribution of energy saving jikos across Kirinyaga.

    My office will be partnering with the ministry to offer renewable and sustainable solutions to the energy needs of our people across Kirinyaga.

    We will also be constructing biogas production zones in select areas across the county in bids to bolster and counter environmental degradation.

    She was in the company of MCA Baragwi David Mathenge , Engineer Wangombe, area ACC, Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs, and staff from KAWI; where they distributed energy saving jikos in Gichugu sub-county.

    Energy saving jikos are efficient as they provide higher energy content per unit mass, reduce GreenHouseGas emissions, and promote conservation of the environment.

    “Every beneficiary of the energy saving jikos will plant a tree in a bid to support the 15B climate action plan by our president William Samoei Ruto.”

  • President Ruto unveils the GavaMkononi app during Digital forum

    President Ruto on Friday 30th, July unveiled the Gavamkononi app, Gava Express, and other digitized government services.

    State house spokesperson Hussein Mohammed stated,” On JAMHURI Day last year, President  William Ruto made a promise that 5000 government services would be digitized and made accessible on the E-Citizen platform, to enhance service delivery, increase revenue collection, promote transparency and eliminate corruption.”

    “Today, that pledge has become a reality as the President unveils the digitized e-Citizen services, the GavaMkononi App, and Gava Express,” he added.

    The head of state said that The Gavamkononi app is an application that will help all citizens access government services from the comfort of their phones.

    The statement read, “To make access to these services easier and in consideration of the fact that majority of users are likely to access them on smartphones, a phone-based app, GavaMkononi, has been successfully developed.”

    The Gava Express app is an application modeled to function as the physical Huduma centers in different parts of the country.

    The statement read, “Unlike Huduma Centers that are primarily based in county headquarters, Gava Express will provide services at the grassroots. Gava Express will be driven in partnership with the private sector and targets the establishment of over 300,000 outlets.”

    Notably, The e- citizen services include; NTSA (Provisional Driving License), Business Registration Services, Police Clearance / Certificate of Good Conduct, Civil Registration Services (Marriage), Foreign Nationals Initial Registration, Directorate of Immigration Services, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority, HELB, and  MSMEs (Hustler Fund).

    Over 5,000 citizen online services GAVA Mkononi App for ease of access of services Gava Express (the e-Citizen Agency channel to reach all corners of the country and citizens to access services). It will take the model of Mpesa agents all over the country; USSD Short Code *2222 at the final stages of being configured for citizens to register onto the e-Citizen platform.