A man Dies after struck lightning in Bungoma

Residents at Manani village in Bumula constituency of Bungoma county are appealing for help after spates of lightning yesterday striked Sudi John and kills him.
Residents of Manani village allege that over the past ten years approximately ten people have died as a result of lighting.

This comes days after one dairy farmer from Chorok Village in a nearby county to Bungoma  lost four dairy cows worth Sh500,000 due  to lightning.

One resident, Joseph Makawa has expressed worry over the current occurrence of lightening in the area during rainy season because of the danger it poses to families.
Makawa added that lighting interferes with the normal way of life and called for preventive measures, such as lightning arrestors, to be quickly effected by the county and national governments in order to protect them.
Residents have expressed their worries of what will happen when El Nino Rains starts in the next few weeks, Bungoma is one of the of region that experiences high amounts of rainfall that accompanied by lighting.
The Meteorological department chair in Bungoma County has advised residents to take up measures due to expected long rains which may cause havoc to people.
Much of the country is therefore likely to experience highly enhanced rainfall which will be accompanied by lighting and Bungoma residents are advised to start planning for lighting arresters to curb death menace.

President Uhuru Kenyatta to attend UN summit

On Friday September 25, President Kenyatta will attend a summit where the UN is expected to adopt the new post-2015 development agenda enshrined in what are known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“President Kenyatta will make sure Kenya’s voice is heard as the world adopts the new development agenda, competing a process which Kenya has actively participated in,” State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu has said.
 While in New York, President Kenyatta will also participate in high level meetings tackling gender inequality and empowering women; peace, security and counter-terrorism, enhancing investments in Kenya and the African continent, climate change and trade.
 With President Xi Jinping of China, President Kenyatta will co-chair a panel on women empowerment where Kenya is recognized as one of the leading successes in Africa.
“The President has repeatedly made it clear that gender equality is a national priority.
Mr Espisu has further added that President Kenyatta’s Government’s policy reflects that commitment ranging from setting aside funds for business run by female entrepreneurs to directing extra funding to health services that are likely to be used by women.
 Later, President Kenyatta is expected to speak at a summit on UN peace operations that will be attended by several leaders led by US President Barack Obama.
Kenya has long been a significant contributor to the UN’s peacekeeping operations.

The President is expected to hold other important bilateral meetings In preparation for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) which Kenya will be hosting in 2016.
President Kenyatta is also scheduled to meet United Nations Secretary General Ban to discuss matters of interest to the UN and Kenya including the question of refugees.
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta is already in New York at the invitation of the UN Secretary General, to address maternal health, HIV and AIDs, and widening access to healthcare for the marginalized – a campaign the First Lady has successfully spearheaded through her ‘Beyond Zero’ initiative in Kenya.

Top five sugar companies privatized

Five big sugar companies in Kenya that are indebted with huge amounts of money will be privatized for a period of five months.

The chairman of privatization commission Henry Obwocha has said among the sugar companies that will be privatized are Nzoia Sugar Company which has a debt of Ksh 29billion, while sonny has a debt of Ksh 1.2 billion.

However the pending payments have raised anxiety among cane farmers considering that the companies will be under the new management yet most of them not received their payments.

Over the last few weeks the commission of privatization had held dialogue with Nzoia, Chemilili, Muhoroni, Miwani and Sony. However Mumias sugar which is the biggest company was not involved in the plan of privatization.

The Government had set aside 30 billion to solve huge debts encountered by sugar companies which includes payment of farmers.

The company that is set to benefit from this plan is Mumias Sugar Company which was granted Ksh 1 billion to pay farmers and revive the operation of that company.

The Government has approved of five sugar companies and expects to sell 75 percent stakes in transactions that will be completed in the next five months.
The five companies are in urgent need of modernization to survive competition from the entry of other sugar producers and an impending end to sugar import limits from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) trade bloc after the end of a one-year extension given early this year.
Two of the businesses, Muhoroni and Miwani, are in receivership.
The Privatization Commission has sold 51 percent of each of the millers to strategic investors with a track record of those sugar companies.
A further 24 percent share of the companies has been sold to employees and out growers --farmers who grow sugarcane on contract for the mills.
The East African nation is also struggling to improve output because of relatively high production costs and produces a total of 600,000 tonnes of sugar a year, compared with annual consumption of 800,000 tonnes.
The deficit is covered through the strict import quotas from COMESA.
The leading sugar producer Mumias Sugar company reported a 2014 pretax loss of 3.4 billion shillings ($38 million), compared with a 2.2 billion shilling loss the previous year, blaming weaker sugar prices.
The Privatization Commission has said they have reserved 6 percent stake for farmers.
By Reuben Wanyama

Pope starts U.S. trip with modesty, tone of conciliation

Pope Francis launched his first visit to the United States with a characteristic gesture of humility on Tuesday and sent a conciliatory message to the world's wealthiest nation about his frequent criticism of capitalism.
After a red carpet welcome by President Barack Obama at an air base near the capital, the 78-year-old Argentine headed off to Washington not in a limousine as is customary but in a modest Fiat.
School children cheered the pontiff as his Alitalia plane landed, chanting "We love Francis, yes we do. We love Francis, how about you?"
Obama, his family and Vice President Joe Biden greeted the pope in an honor given to few foreign dignitaries.
The pope's motorcade ride in the black Fiat 500L was in sharp contrast to the way that U.S. presidents and visiting world leaders sweep into town in limousines and large SUVs after arriving at Joint Base Andrews air base.
The six-day visit to America gives Francis a chance to showcase some of his favorite themes like compassion and simplicity in the world's most powerful country.
The pontiff has often taken aim at capitalism, but on the plane bringing him from Cuba he said it would be wrong to presume that his concerns about economic injustice make him a leftist.
The first Latin American pope has electrified liberal-leaning U.S. Catholics, Democrats and many non-Catholics with a shift in emphasis toward concern for the poor and immigrants and his appeals for action against climate change. But his criticism of unbridled capitalism has unsettled U.S. conservatives.
The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, Francis said his teachings on economic fairness and climate change are "all in the social doctrine of the Church."
Francis will give the first speech to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Friday and an open-air Mass in Philadelphia where 1.5 million people are expected to attend.
Pope also said he hopes the United States will lift its long trade embargo on the Communist-run Island and that does not plan to raise it in his address to Congress this week.
His decision to go from Cuba to the United States is weighed with symbolism as the pope pushes the Church to pay greater heed to people who live on the periphery since becoming pope in 2013.
Obama and the pope are meeting formally today Wednesday at the White House where the atmosphere is likely to be cordial.
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After the meeting, Francis will then parade past some of Washington's monuments before a crowd expected to reach tens of thousands.
U.S. Republicans, who control Congress, often struggle to agree with Francis' economic messages. But they applaud him for defending Church teachings that oppose abortion and same-sex marriage.

From reuters : prepared by Reuben Wanyama

Bungoma Doctors down tools

Services at Bungoma county hospital have been paralyzed for the second day today after doctors downed their tools yesterday over lack of promotions delayed salaries among other issues.

Doctors’ union western Kenya branch, Secretary General Anthony Akoto has vowed the doctors will not return to work, until all their grievances are addressed.

This follows a mega strike of health workers in the same county that took place in the month of June which led to the death of 11 people.

Reports indicate that over 30 patients have died since the strike by health workers began by June this year, including doctors and nurses.

This is not the first time that doctors have downed their tools agitating for better working conditions and pay in Bungoma County.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, says doctors and medical personnel in some counties have not received salaries for the last four months.

Furthermore, the union claims that with the exception of Machakos, Wajir and Kisii counties, all the other counties have not promoted a single doctor in the two years that devolution has been in effect.

It is unacceptable to lose lives in avoidable circumstances.

Council of Governors chairman Peter Munya validated doctors’ complaints on non-payment of salaries recently by stating that the National Treasury is holding governors to ransom by failing to remit funds to the counties on time.

To date, close to 2,000 doctors have voluntarily left government service to look for greener pastures in the private sector.

In a country where only 3,300 doctors are employed against an estimated population of over 40 million people, this is worrying.

However, Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia does not appear duly perturbed by this and has tried to downplay the doctor exodus, terming it a product of media sensationalism.

With good structures in place that ensure fair play, better pay, deserved promotions, availability of medical stores and a promising career, it does not really matter who controls the health functions as long as everything runs fluidly.

Governors are beholden to put the interests of the county first, nobody should die or suffer from disease because there was no doctor or nurse to help out.

By Reuben Wanyama