The lack of a reliable market has led to the continued exploitation of mango farmers in Makueni County by middlemen who buy the commodity at low prices and sell it at huge profits.
The county chief officer for agriculture, Japheth Kiminza, stated that farmers have yet to find a reliable market, even for their high yields this season.
The Faidika Project, funded by USAID, the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), and the Chyulu Foundation, aims to promote the fruit value chain and ensure market access for fruit farmers.
Speaking at the same event, a mango specialist at the county, George Kimani, said local mangoes fail to meet the European Union market due to the bad chemicals farmers use, besides the effects of fruit fly and other diseases.
Kiminza assured farmers that the government will explore new markets, enhance creative innovation, and add value to cushion farmers from further losses.
The Texas Company has been buying spoiled mangoes from farmers to cushion them from further losses.
In 2022 and early 2023, Kenya Power experienced losses of over Sh2 billion due to the vandalism of 894 transformers nationwide.
Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira stated that vandalism is responsible for increased power bills in the country and that the demand for copper, among other metals, is the main cause of the vandalism.
Adding that, “Its worrying to witness increased vandalism of KP infrastructure, especially transformers. This trend usually slows economic activities in the country since many business activities have to use power.”
PS Wachira called for Kenyans to be on the frontlines in the fight against vandalism and the destruction of KPC’s infrastructure.
“50 per cent of Kenya’s power is owned by the government and about 48 percent by the private sector. This means Kenyans need to feel part of the company and protect against vandalism and destruction of its infrastructure,” said the PS at Maragua, Murang’a south subcounty.
Lagdera MP Mohamed Abdikadir has launched a bursary programme to benefit 12,682 students in secondary schools, colleges, technical institutes, and universities.
The Sh76 million in bursaries will be disbursed through the government’s initiative to achieve 100% transition, aiming to enhance access and retention of students.
Abdikadir urged parents to return students to school immediately, and appealed to principals to ensure no learner is sent home for lack of fees.
He also handed over a cheque to Garissa Teachers Training College to cover the full fees for 60 students.
Abdikadir also supported the government’s directive for parents to pay school fees through the E-Citizen platform, stating that it would eliminate unnecessary levies.
However, he called for measures to allow parents from pastoral areas to access the E-Citizen service seamlessly to avoid interruptions in their children’s school life.
The suspension of the law banning the sale of unprocessed macadamia nuts in Kenya has led to farmers reaping significant profits for the last two months.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi suspended Section 43 of the Crops Act of 2013 that prohibits selling unprocessed nuts for one year. The move allowed farmers to sell their nuts at a price of over Sh. 100 per kilo.
The association chairman, Johnson Kihara, revealed the law had affected many farmers since processed macadamia could not get better prices in international markets.
The association’s secretary general, John Ndirangu, urged farmers not to fall prey to brokers who buy nuts at less than Sh. 100 and called for surveillance and to apprehend those behind buying immature nuts.
AFA Representative Kirangu Gathutha, urged traders to adhere to the conditions set by the government when suspending the law and to establish a grading system to ensure only quality nuts are exported to overseas countries.
Residents of Mugira, Makuyu ward in Maragua Constituency, who have been trekking long distances for clean water, are set to benefit from a sh30 million water project.
Stephen Maina Mburu, who has been working on this project since 2020, decided to give back to his community by connecting the water to them.
“One day in 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, I came home to visit my aged father but did not find him as he had gone to fetch water, his age and the distance he had to cover to get the commodity notwithstanding,” he reminisces.
He erected a 216-cubic tonnes holding tank and plans to have a one million cubic tonnes underground tank underway.
Mburu obtained approval from the Water Resources Authority (Warma) and the Water Services Regulatory Board (Wasreb) and successfully registered Mountain View Springs Water Limited with the registrar of companies in November 2021.
As part of corporate social responsibility, the water was piped to some of the most vulnerable families ahead of the official launch of the project on Saturday.
One beneficiary, Jane Wangari, notes that having clean water outside her house is a dream come true, as her journeys to the river have become difficult due to her old age.
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