The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has commenced a joint promotional campaign with leading Indian travel agents targeting potential Indian travelers. The partnership with FCM Travel Solutions India, Pvt Ltd, and Yatra will aim to support tourism recovery in Kenya through building visitor confidence in Indian travelers to Kenya. The campaign will prioritize travelers into Kenya from India with each partner expected to provide maximum mileage on their platforms from potential clients with designed offers and curated itineraries.
The month-long campaign is targeted at populated PAN India cities which include Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat, and Bangalore among others where most tourists come from. Commenting about the campaign, KTB CEO Dr. Betty Radier says: “with the full resumption of commercial flights between the two countries, we are exploring avenues of collaborations with key travel partners to ensure that Magical Kenya is on the radar of potential visitors.
This campaign will ensure that we showcase the destination to millions of Indians who are looking for authentic experiences and adventures.” Dr. Radier added that partnership with operators was crucial because they have direct contact with travelers and hence can influence decisions “With over a billion people, India remains a key market that shortly could move from an emerging to a key source market. We, therefore, need to harness this potential to pull more Indian visitors into Kenya, we shall work with more
providers and agents to actualize this. Going forward, we want to further our efforts towards promoting Kenya as an ideal destination for people seeking a quality vacation or business or leisure trip” Through the partnership, over 300 passenger conversions to Kenya are expected through specialized packages and promotional tactics such as out-of-house marketing, push notifications, GDN, and social media marketing.
Additionally, it will increase Kenya’s brand awareness and generate inquiries in the market to boost arrival numbers from the Indian market.
Two years after the COVID-19 outbreak pushed India to impose one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, the country has seen an end to all virus-related containment measures. Even though COVID-19 is still a threat across the world, India has decided to open all economic activities similar to the pre-COVID times.
Already, over 1.9 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered in the country with at least 88% of the population being vaccinated which is the largest number globally. The Post-pandemic era in India is witnessing a growing need for personalization and real-time connectivity, with an increasing number of Indians turning to travel agencies and trip planners, especially as they seek more affordable alternatives.
Currently, several small and mid-range travel agents are expecting operations to resume sooner than expected. In 2019, before the pandemic, Kenya received 122,649 travelers from India with the destination already receiving a 55 percent improvement in numbers compared to last year during this period. Statistics currently show that Kenya will receive about 80,000 travelers from India by the close of 2022 which will be a major coup.
Earlier yesterday at the Lolgorian mining site in Transmara, four people got buried alive after the mining site they were in collapsed. It was later confirmed that three died while one got rescued and managed to get out of the mining site.
Early this morning, operations to help remove the bodies of the three that got stuck began. Two bodies have been found and one is yet to be recovered. The chairman of Lolgorian farmers of gold, Simon Odoyo Jaramba confirmed the matter saying they received news yesterday that four workers had been buried at the Lolgorian mining site after the mining site collapsed.
He said that the bodies of the two that have already been found have been taken to Kegonga Mortuary as they intensified operations to find the other remaining body. He added saying that the accident was the first to be witnessed by the Lolgorian farmers of gold which has left many in fear. The principal officer of Transmara South Pius Mbithi however highlighted that on such occasions it is always difficult to help victims that have been involved in such accidents because of the lack of modern types of equipment that can be used to help drill into the mining sites.
This comes just 9 days after the body of Tom Okwach from the Abimbo Goldmine site that was buried 7 months ago after the goldmine collapsed. Okwach was in the company of 9 others. Eight managed to come out alive. Two among them Okwach were the ones that did not make it out alive.
Since December 2nd, 2021, the family of Okwach had not given up on finding the body of their person. With the help of 15 artisan workers at the mining site, they managed to find the body of Okwach, and Okwach’s brother confirmed that indeed it was him.
Ballast-making in Tharaka Nithi dates back to the early 1990s when road construction added to the demand for permanent structures and real estate grew.
Ballast is obtained from crushing the igneous granite rocks that were a result of volcanic activities and in Tharaka Nithi, the rocks are available in different areas and mostly near river banks.
In the Mucwa area, where the business thrives, you are welcomed by people sitting under shades crushing stones. Tungu stream which flows through Mucwa area near Chuka University is blessed with large deposits of igneous granite rocks. Residents who live near rivers took advantage of the rising demand for ballast, popularly known as ‘kokoto’, and turned it into a new way of making money.
When the rocks are big and can’t be crushed easily, explosives are deployed to break the rocks into smaller pieces that can be crushed using the ballast crusher or by hand using the stone crushing hammer.
“A hole, about 6 inches deep is drilled into the rock and an explosive substance together with paraffin is poured into the rock. A rope referred to as ‘condex’ is dipped into the hole and sealed with soil leaving a small part of the rope outside,” explains Muchiri M’Baini, a ballast dealer in the area adding that once a match is used to light the exposed rope, it leads fire into the hole making the rock to explode into smaller pieces.
The people doing the job usually shout so as to notify people in the area to be careful as the explosion is loud and the stone particles may hit unaware individuals within a certain radius.
M’Baini disclosed that there are people who have the ballast crushing machines and they pay residents to break the rocks into bits that can be crushed by the machine. The machine does the work of crushing the stones to ballast and then it is ready for sale.
In the past, kokoto crushing was an exclusively male-dominated business. The thought that women could do the hard manual labour was almost unthinkable. However, as the years went by and economic circumstances drove off stereotypes about gender-specific jobs, women went into the kokoto business too.
“When you need money to feed your family, you don’t have the time to choose between jobs. What matters is to bring food to the table,” says Ms. Rosemary Kagendo.
Nowadays, the number of women in kokoto equals that of men. There is gender balance with most casual labourers doing it as their main source of income.
Ms. Kagendo explained to KNA that those without the machines crush the rocks manually and sell the ballast in 20kg container measures. Kagendo who works in the site explained to us that she sells the 20kg containers at Sh15 and per week, one could crush around 60 such containers.
“Sometimes many people do the job out of desperation. Currently, the farm works are over and I am in need of cash to sustain my family. This is the only side hustle available during this season,” said Ms. Kagendo.
But the hustle has its share of challenges. After digging deep into the ground to get the rocks, deep pits with high cliffs are left behind. These pose risks to the resident during the rainy season.
The ballast dealer further revealed that the craters left behind fill up with water during rainy seasons becoming mosquito breeding grounds and hence a health hazard.
There is no plan to restore the ballast mine site to any other beneficial use. Such a plan needs to be developed and approved by regulatory agencies, and funding be set aside to complete the restoration work.
The Nairobi International Financial Centre (NIFC) Authority, a flagship initiative under the economic pillar of Kenya’s Vision 2030 has been launched.
The NIFC is a new business center established to provide a more attractive and globally competitive environment that encourages both domestic and foreign investment, supports innovation and contributes to the overall economic growth of the country.
National Treasury and Planning Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani speaking during the launch at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), stated that the establishment of the NIFC is a gesture of the government’s commitment to the constitution to make Kenya a continental hub for financial services.
Yatani added that NIFC is expected to provide an important venue for business in Africa that will in turn facilitate investment and trading in the Sub-Saharan region.
“The National Treasury will continue to support NIFC Authority by facilitating the necessary physical financial source for it to reach the desired position,” stated Yatani.
The NIFC presents opportunities to innovate new solutions that can improve the lives of Kenyans and rapidly raise the national capital in a way that will spur development.
The government has to come up with the best way that the nation could have a robust connection that is capable of raising funds for projects, supporting the nation and tapping into new investment opportunities both locally and internationally.
The Nairobi International Financial Centre also aims at creating an efficient and predictable business environment to upgrade Nairobi as an emerging business hub in Africa.
According to Bloomberg, Nairobi has one of the most sophisticated and innovative financial services sectors in Africa with the Financial Times indicating that cutting edge financial solutions will tackle the threat of climate change with Kenya playing a leading role in the continent.
Despite having vast amounts of arable land, nutritious indigenous crops, and a booming agricultural sector, Africa still imports most of its grain.
About two-thirds of the world’s untapped lands are in Africa.
The Russian army’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and the ripple effects of Western sanctions against Moscow have raised international food and fuel prices, leaving millions of Africans facing an “unprecedented food emergency” this year, the World Food Programme has said.
Even before the Russian invasion in late February, the pandemic and a long period of drought had already hit African economies hard. The war in Ukraine made things critically worse since the continent imported about a third of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine. With food prices skyrocketing in global markets, even those countries not reliant on imports from Russia and Ukraine are suffering.
Over the past decade, Africa’s food import bill has nearly tripled, but its agricultural sector has also been growing steadily. The continent has immense potential for feeding itself, with vast amounts of arable lands. But why is it still dependent on imported grain?
Africans produce food, but not for themselves
A major part of African farmlands is used to grow crops such as coffee, cocoa, and cottonseed oil for export, while the staple crops of the African diet, wheat, and rice, mainly come from outside of the continent.
Much of this imported food could be produced locally, according to the World Bank, while African countries’ self-sufficiency could also be boosted by replacing foreign cereal with regional crops such as fonio, teff, sorghum, amaranthus, and millet. African countries could trade these crops between themselves, creating much-needed jobs for their youth and income for their farmers, as well as serving as the basis for a healthy diet.
African countries export large amounts of coffee and cocoa while importing their wheat from outside of the continent.
“Indigenous crops could offer much healthier alternatives to the cereals currently in use,” Pauline Chivenge, a researcher at the African Plant Nutrition Institute in Morocco, told DW. “They have benefits that go beyond sustaining food security. They are more nutritious, so in addition to the necessary callories, they contain higher amounts of protein and vitamins.”
Yet indigenous crops have been neglected for decades, largely due to states and international companies pushing for the mass production of maize and wheat and promoting them as staples. “Research and development and mechanization have focused on maize, rice, and wheat, and producing them in large, mono-crop fields at the expense of the region’s biodiversity,” Chivenge said.
“But the fact is that grains like maize and wheat are not really suitable for growing in most regions of Africa, where water is in short supply,” she added. “They are very much dependent on regular rainfall, which is becoming a real challenge in the wake of climate change.”
Can smallholder farmers feed Africa with indigenous crops?
Wolfgang Bokelmann, food and agriculture economist at Humboldt University in Berlin, agrees that local crops are underutilized. Between 2015 to 2018 he oversaw a study on the local production and consumption of a group of indigenous vegetables in Kenya. “The vegetables we studied had previously fallen out of fashion and used to be known as the poor man’s food, due to dominance of the foreign produce that colonialization brought to Kenya,” he told DW.
Disease and pests like locusts can inflict greater damage to large, monocrop farms, Chivange said.
That view changed once NGOs and the government began to support the local production of vegetables. “They first found their way to the local day markets, and soon after were introduced in chain supermarkets at a national level,” he said.
In addition to their health benefits and ecological advantages, “indigenous crops can empower subaltern communities, especially female farmers,” Bokelmann said. “There are many types of crops that can grow in home gardens in cities’ margins within a short period of time.” With the continuous trend of migration from villages to cities in Africa, constellations of small plots of indigenous crop farms around the cities can count for vital food sources for the ever-expanding population of slums and marginal communities, he noted.
Dilemmas and challenges
But Chivenge is aware that boosting indigenous crop production faces many hurdles. The smallholder farmers who grow them have limited access to fertilizers, which keeps their productivity low. They also lack the means to process and market their harvests, and fresh, unprocessed food needs quick shipment, which is not an option in most intra-African markets.
African indigenous cereals, such as millet, teff, and sorghum, are healthier alternatives to maize, wheat, and rice
Furthermore, African countries cannot simply switch to the production of indigenous crops when exporting cash crops to richer countries is more profitable.
“Most of these nations are faced with a dilemma,” Bokelmann said. “They are forced to choose between the mass production of crops for exporting, which brings them more price value, or feeding the majority of their population by supporting small-scale farming of indigenous crops.”
“Some say that larger, mono-crop farms are easier to manage and mechanize and therefore more productive,” Chivenge pointed out.” Another argument is that that bulk harvest is easier to market and transport.”
The mass production of exportable crops, its proponents argue, helps Africa’s agriculture develop and modernize and gives African nations economic sway in the global market.
But with the war in Ukraine threatening global food supplies, production and distribution will need to adapt.
The idea of having a globally integrated market used to be popular decades ago, with every country exporting what they it best produce themselves while importing what it needs from other countries, pointed out Bokelmann.
“But from the look of the post-pandemic world, it seems that food sovereignty, the ability of each country and community to grow its own food, is much more important,” he said.
The government has ordered the immediate blocking of 44 websites in the country over content pirating.
The High Court sitting in Nairobi on Thursday, June 23, through Justice Wilfrida Okwany, ordered Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in collaboration with the government to immediately block the 44 streaming websites.
Justice Okwany noted that the websites were flagged for infringing on copyrighted materials.
The ruling will majorly affect soccer fans across the country and other consumers of pirated content through sites that have not been authorized to operate in the country or rebroadcast content.
Justice Okwany explained that Internet Service Providers have failed on their part to exercise their mandate in complying with the takedown notice of websites infringing on copyrighted materials.
Among those shortlisted are popular websites that pop up during live matches on different social media platforms, allowing those with access to the internet to watch shows and games for free.
Following the ruling, some of the internet service providers vowed to block the blacklisted websites within 72 hours.
“A person whose rights have been infringed by content to which access is being offered by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) may request by way of a takedown notice that the ISP removes the infringing content,” the Copyright Act stipulates.
According to players in the industry, the landmark ruling will allow content creators to earn from their work.
“The Kenyan courts have sent a message to the rest of the world that we respect the right of content creators to earn a living from their work,” one of the stakeholders stated.
IBL Group, the largest conglomerate in Mauritius, is the lead investor of a consortium that has signed an agreement to acquire a significant minority stake in Naivas International (Mauritius), with a private equity firm Amethis exiting its investment.
Handshake between Arnaud Lagesse, IBL Group CEO, and David Kimani, Naivas Managing Director
Naivas International owns 100% of the shares of Naivas Limited, a leading supermarket chain in Kenya. IBL’s partners in the consortium are Proparco, a subsidiary of Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and DEG, a subsidiary of German KfW Group. This agreement is subject to regulatory approvals.
The investment in Naivas International is the biggest in IBL’s history. IBL also has significant expertise in the retail sector, operating the leading supermarket chain in Mauritius, Winners.
“This is an exciting partnership by our shareholders that will drive us to the next phase of growth. We appreciate the immense knowledge and capacity in the retail industry that IBL brings to the table”, said David Kimani, Managing Director of Naivas. He further added, “This transaction is testament to the hard work by Naivas’ management and shareholders of having put in place strong governance and controls, enabling the business to grow sustainably to become one of the leading retailers in the region.”
“I am proud that our partnership with the shareholders of Naivas International marks IBL Group’s first investment as part of our expansion in East Africa. This is a symbolic move for us. This family business created in 1990 is an example of a success story that has continued to grow despite the pandemic thanks to its strong business model. With 84
outlets in 20 cities and towns across Kenya, it has put modern grocery retail within
everyone’s reach. Naivas also contributes to the Kenyan economy, notably by employing over 8,000 people. IBL Group has expertise in the retail sector with our chain supermarket Winners – a flagship of the Mauritian economy.” said Arnaud Lagesse, IBL Group CEO.
Andreas Von Paleske, Naivas Director Strategy, Patrice Robert, IBL Group Head of Operations, Arnaud Lagesse, IBL Group CEO, David Kimani, Naivas Managing Director, Charles Mukuha, Naivas Director, Jorsen Patten, Regional Head of Business Development IBL East Africa, Michel Pilot, COO IBL East Africa Investments
Andreas von Paleske, Head of Strategy at Naivas commented, “Amethis invested in Naivas International in 2020, and their strength in partnering with family-owned businesses has led to a demonstrable step-up in governance and growth. Amethis sale of its stake in Naivas International represents the successful culmination of its partnership with the business. We are now thrilled to embark on the next phase of this journey and welcome an exciting partnership with IBL.”
Frank-Astère Ndiyo Butoyi, Investment Director at Amethis, added “We are proud to have been in the Kenyan retail landscape and supported a very successful Kenyan business who understands best the Kenyan consumer. As we exit our investment, we wish IBL and the Naivas International team the best for the future”.
Naivas International and Amethis were advised by Bowmans, Ernst and Young, and Rothschild & Co. The IBL consortium was advised by Benoit Chambers, Kaplan & Stratton, and PwC. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
UDA senate aspirant for Nairobi Bishop Margret Wanjiru today held a meeting with women at Komarock Estate and discussed insecurity, water, employment and business for the people.
Present were, Area MP, Hon. Benjamin Mejjadonk and Several UDA MCA aspirants.
Bishop Wanjiru further called upon Nairobians to vote for her and her party UDA adding that Bottom- Up philosophy will prioritize the most heartfelt issues facing Kenyans.
“As a preacher, a mother, law abiding citizen, and former member of Parliament, i ave the experience to offer great leadership. I have been tried and tested, You all know me, give me this seat in August and see what I will do for you, Lets all walk this journey together “she observed.
A jovial Wanjiru added” I will change the lives of Nairobians once you elect me as your servant from August 9th.i will address the issues of lack of water, streamline Bursaries allocations, stop grabbed markets, lands and ensure equal opportunities for all.”
Miriam Mukami a busineslady from Kayole described Bishop Wanjiru as a trustworthy servant who should be rewarded for sacrificing her resources to help the poor and above all, preaching the gospel to the flock.
“She has been a mother to many of us. She is courageous, a go- getter and woman made of steel. The best gift we can give her is to elect her as our Nairobi Senator to champion for our needs.”Mukami said.
Wanjengi Coffee Factory: Murang’a Coffee Cooperatives will benefit from a benchmarking program with successful cooperatives in Nyeri and Kirinyaga Counties. This program will see the 44 coffee cooperatives in Murang’a benefit from mentor cooperatives, fully funded by Irungu Nyakera Foundation, in collaboration with “Coffee Campus”, a learning platform that organizes learning programs for the coffee sector, and supported by Kenya Coffee & Tea Lobby.
The benchmarking program dubbed “ Kahawa Boost “ is focused on helping Muranga County reclaim its national position as a leading coffee producing county, that can contribute over Ksh.10 billion to the county.
The program will see farmers increase production per tree to at least 10 Kilos, and grow cooperative total cherry volumes to at least 1 million kilos. The program launched at Wanjengi Coffee Factory to continue through the week to benefit, Wahundura, SabaSaba, Kinogerama, Kabati, Njora, and, Kanyenyaini coffee cooperatives in Muranga County.
The cooperatives will also learn alternative income generation options, learn factory management and agronomy best practices, and network with successful factories. Irungu Nyakera Foundation has been supporting coffee cooperatives in Muranga County with metallic drying beds and seedlings in preparation for the growth of coffee production. The program targeting 144 coffee factories was launched in November 2021 and has already benefitted 48 factories across the county.
The Kenya Coffee & Tea lobby urges the fast-tracking of the coffee sector reforms, which will remove the conflict of interest and lack of governance in the sector, assure farmers of guaranteed minimum returns, streamline the running of coffee cooperatives and increase the investment in the coffee sector by National and County Government.
The government is working on improving dairy cattle breeds for increased milk production through the development ofthof thee of thofa sustainable heifer delivery model that is targeting smallholder dairy farmers.
Through the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), the government is racing against time to reintroduce and increase the population of superior Sahiwal Cattle in Kenya after it became apparent that the country is on the verge of losing the breed.
Sahiwal cattle in Kenya are descendants of some 60 bulls and 12 cows imported between 1939 n’ 1963 and KALRO is one of the leading world’s custodians of Sahiwal, a dual-purpose (meat and milk) breed that is highly tolerant to semi-arid and arid conditions.
KALRO, Director General Dr. Eliud Kireger says that the government through National Research Fund (NRF) has funded KALRO for a three-year program to restock the superior breed of Sahiwal for the Maasai community in Transmara South, Narok County through a community-based genetic improvement and multiple
“Despite the importance of Sahiwal cattle, its’ production is affected by several challenges including acute unavailability of quality climate-resilient climate-resilient breeding stock, inbreeding which leads to loss of genetic diversity and low .productivity,” Dr. Kireger said.
Currently, Dr. Kireger noted that accessing the right Sahiwal heifers and bulls at affordable prices has been the worst nightmare for many farmers, especially Maasai pastoralists across the country who heavily rely on Sahiwal genetic resources for their livelihood.
He added that these trends, if unchecked, will permanently lock Sahiwal farmers into abject poverty. “Currently, it is a race against time for the research team to address the whole challenge of access to superior Sahiwal top genetics in Kenya,” he said but added that so far, the KALRO-led program has assisted the community to produce 309 superior Sahiwal AI calves (males and females) which were distributed among members of community-base the d breeding scheme in Transmara.
He noted that 1,234 Sahiwal cows and bulls have been registered with Kenya Stud Book into either foundation or pure-bred classes since the start of the three-year program. “The registered animals have been issued with certificates by the Kenya Livestock Breeders Association and their market price has increased threefold,” Dr. Kireger said.
He explained that through the program 65 farmers and extension personnel have also been trained on good Sahiwal cattle management practices while nine elite and progressive Sahiwal cattle farmers have been exposed to ARTs training.
To achieve effective population and genetic diversity for Sahiwal cattle, the Director-General said that the program targets to mobilize the whole community including women for the cause of genetic improvement and multiplication of Sahiwal genetics.
KALRO, Dr. Kireger said hopes to replicate the program in other parts of the country to boost Sahiwal cattle production adding that by the end of the program., it is expected that there will also be an increased Sahiwal cattle resilience, and therefore, translating to higher production with a surplus for sale and farmers enabled to secure their food and nutrition security.
Dr. Samuel Mbuku, a livestock breeder and the principal investigator in the project and leading scientists from Veterinary Research Institute in the program said the multiplication program involves the use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs), specifically estrus synchronization and Artificial Insemination (AI) to enable and increase the rate of genetic progress, faster multiplication, and distribution of top most proven Sahiwal genetics among farmers.
“The main challenge for Sahiwal cattle is access to the breeding stock, breeding males and females and we found out that many farmers were forced to queue for this breed at KALRO Naivasha and this was not sustainable”, he said.
He noted this brought about a conscious decision to have a multiplication program which was to accelerate the access of the genetic material by farmers in the Narok County
“Broadly, we wanted to increase milk yield output in this area, we wanted to have many breeding animals, especially males and in that way look at lowering the cost of the animals in terms of purchasing from Naivasha. Now farmers are no longer going there to look for the genotypes since they can get them locally”, Dr. Mbuku said
He noted that since they kicked off the program, by training the villagers who were in 12 clusters, they have over 170 bulls locally with farmer groups in the Lolgorian division in Transmara where the appetite for the breed was very high and the genetic material is circulating in the area.
Jameson Olenagida, a livestock farmer from the Maa community said “we used to keep the kienyeji cows but since the introduction of the Sahiwal heifers, the community has upgraded and slowly by slowly embraced the new breed.”
“We have realized it has a lot of benefits, giving us both milk, meat, and money. Initially, we used to travel to Naivasha to buy ordinary cows and could use almost up to Sh 270,000 for buying and also transporting with the lorries experiencing a lot of problems,” he explained.
Wilson Kipeno, the community coordinator said once the farmers got training from KALRO on the AI technology, they are moving away from the ordinary cow keeping to a better one which is confined.
David Mosingo, another farmer said initially they were not aware of the breeds they were keeping and they kept on experiencing the challenge of ticks and water. “Sahiwal breed is resistant, they grow quickly and are good for any climate”, he said
Noonkuta Sampei said that when she had the ordinary cows, she would milk many to get enough milk but for the Sahiwal breed, she only has to milk a few of them to get enough. The Sahiwal is one of the best dairy breeds. It is tick-resistant, heat-tolerant, and noted for its high resistance to parasites, both internal and external.
Cows average 2270 kg of milk during lactation and much higher milk yields have been recorded. Its bull weighs about 600kg, twice the average weight of local breeds with a price of a calf aged around one year going for up to Sh40, 000
The Sahiwal cattle breed in Kenya had been reported to have a decreasing effective population size and increasing level and rate of inbreeding which implies declining genetic variability hence the 3-year project funded by NRF dubbed “the Smallholder Farmers Access to Improved Cattle Genetics in Kenya: An Accelerated Dairy Heifers Delivery Model Utilizing Reproductive Technologies”.
