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A resident of Soweto in Embakasi is pictured beside the houses burned down in Soweto on February 7 PHOTO BABU OWINO

Several families in the Embakasi East constituency were forced to brave a long cold night, after fire razed their homes on Wednesday morning, February 7.

The fire occurred a few days after a gas explosion in the same constituency led by MP Babu Owino, left seven dead and over 300 injured.  

According to Babu, the Wednesday fire which started at around 3:00 am in Soweto rendered over 63 residents homeless after spreading to a string of houses in the area.

Residents stated that they contained the fire before it caused more damage after they realised that the Nairobi County firefighters would arrive late. The emergency service providers were accused of arriving at the fire scene three hours later. 

The cause of the fire and the value of damaged property were yet to be ascertained at the time of publishing this article. 

Unlike the gas explosion, residents confirmed that there were no injuries or fatalities recorded from the early morning incident. 

Babu Owino requested well-wishers to stand in solidarity with the residents of Embakasi who were grappling with the aftermath of two fire incidents. 

“Another sad day in Soweto ward, Embakasi East as 63 Residents are left homeless after a fire burned down their houses and other valuables last night. Please Pray for Embakasi East”.

Babu, whose real name is Paul Ongili, has been at the forefront of fighting for the wellness of the area residents after the Thursday, February 1, gas explosion hit national headlines. 

Additionally, residents of Embakasi East constituency have been in the headlines while grappling with the aftermath and picking up their lives. 

DCI arrested the gas plant owner alongside other individuals linked to the incident which occurred at the Mradi village. 

Further, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) suspended four of its officers linked to issuing approvals to the gas plant in operation. Three out of the four were also detained as investigations into the explosion commenced.  By Hellen Njoroge, Kenyans.co.ke

Two feature films by graduates of the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) East Africa academy are set to premiere on the Maisha Magic Plus and Maisha Magic East channels, as academy alumni apply their skills and talent to entertain audiences in the region.

The films, Full Time Husband and Somewhere in Kole, were produced as part of a collaborative project by teams of MTF students during their 12 months of training at the MTF Academy.

“We are incredibly proud of the work being produced by MTF students,” says MTF academy East Africa director Victoria Goro. “Their work is already at broadcast standard, and these powerful movies offer exciting entertainment with high production values that will have East African audiences on their edge of their seats. Best of all, these are African movies, made by young African people. They are relevant and authentic, and they are sure to resonate with Maisha Magic audiences.”

Full Time Husband tells the story of Mulongo, an unemployed man, who decides to divorce his businesswoman wife Julia, but then witnesses something that forces him to change his mind. The movie is directed by Habtamu S Mekonen and Juif Joseph, and it stars Moses Kiema and Zazira Kariuki.

Somewhere In Kole is the tale of Masanyu, a privileged 20-year-old YouTuber, who is unexpectedly called upon to preside over a ritual in his late father’s village, Kole, where he is the heir to the chiefdom. The movie is directed by Lynn Gitau and Edgar Hudson and stars Brian Furaha and Mugambi Ikiara.

The MTF academy East Africa is one of three academies across the continent that allow aspiring film and television professionals to learn from some of the best in the business in year-long immersion programmes. The course curriculum provides theory and hands-on experience in cinematography, editing, audio production, and storytelling.

The MTF academy East Africa is based in Nairobi, Kenya, the West Africa academy in Lagos, Nigeria, and the Southern Africa academy in Lusaka, Zambia. The academies draw students from 13 African countries, and offer a career-defining opportunity for young people wishing to pursue careers in the broadcast and production industries.

The MTF academies also develop the African film and TV industry by providing a pipeline of skilled professionals who already have experience on high-quality productions. The academies also boost local economies through job opportunities and supplier contracts.

“Creating high-level films for regional broadcast is a rite of passage for these talented young professionals,” says Goro. “The process of developing a script, pitching it, then filming the movie and putting it through post-production gives hands-on training and practical experience. It’s great that they can enter the industry with an achievement like this already under their belt.”

Full Time Husband premieres on 3 February at 9.30pm EAT, and Somewhere In Kole premieres on 10 February at 9.30pm EAT. Tower Post

Detectives arrested Kimathi alongside three officials of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced on Tuesday.

Derrick Kimathi, a businessman who claimed to own a garage at the site of Thursday’s gas explosion, has been arrested days after his lawyer denied culpability.

Detectives arrested Kimathi alongside three officials of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced on Tuesday.

Earlier in the week, Kimathi’s lawyer claimed that the LPG truck that exploded at his garage had trespassed without his knowledge.

The agency said it had established that Kimathi owned the illegal Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) refiling plant which operated without approval from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

DCI indicated that Kimathi had a manager identified as Stephen Kilonzo oversee operations at the site.

It identified arrested NEMA officials as David Ongare (Director Environment Compliance), Joseph Makau (Head Environmental Impact Assessment) and Mirrian Kioko.

DCI said five suspects remained at large.

“These include Stephen Kilonzo (the site manager), Ann Kabiri Mirungi of NEMA, Lynette Cheruyoit (NEMA’s Senior Environmental Officer), truck driver Robert Gitau and Abraham Mwangi (driver).”

DCI asked the public to report or share any information on the whereabouts of the suspects by contacting the toll-free hotline 0800722203 or reporting in person at any police station. 

The tragic Embakasi gas explosion on February 1, claimed two lives with the death toll subsequently rising to six.

The blast which caused a fireball sent shockwaves in the neighboring residential area, leaving over 280 persons injured and dozens homeless.

Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura reported additional deaths on Monday saying those who died at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) succumbed to burns sustained from the blast. By Sharon Resian, Capital News

Yoane Wissa (L) of Democratic Republic of Congo celebrates after scoring a goal during the Africa Cup of Nations quarter final match between Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on February 02, 2024. 

ANKARA

The semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be played on Wednesday as the tournament's hosts Ivory Coast are among the final four.

With defending champions Senegal and record holders Egypt out of the contest, Nigeria, South Africa, Ivory Coast, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are set to vie for the African title.

The AFCON was scheduled to take place in the summer of 2023, but the African football authority moved it to 2024 to avoid matches during the rainy season in Ivory Coast.

Nigeria will face South Africa in the first match on Wednesday.

Nigeria has won the AFCON title three times in history, and it has been over 10 years since the Super Eagles last secured it.

South Africa, also known as Bafana Bafana, were the AFCON winners in 1996, their sole title.

In the last 16, Nigeria eliminated five-time champions Cameroon 2-0 to proceed as Ademola Lookman, an Atalanta player in Italy, scored twice.

Then Nigeria beat Angola 1-0 as Lookman was on the score sheet again.

Meanwhile, South Africa stunned the 2022 FIFA World Cup's surprise package Morocco 2-0 in the last 16.

Bafana Bafana then beat Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties to reach the semis.

Ivory Coast vs. DR Congo

On Wednesday, hosts Ivory Coast will take on the Democratic Republic of Congo in the other semi-final tie.

Ivory Coast, who were the African champions in 1992 and 2015, hardly made knockouts in the ongoing AFCON.

The Elephants finished third in their group to advance to the last 16. They were among the four highest-ranked third-place nations in the group stage.

Ivory Coast beat reigning champions Senegal 5-4 on penalties in the Round of 16.

In the quarterfinals, Ivory Coast won against Mali 2-1 after extra time with a very late goal scored by Oumar Diakite.

In the last 16, DR Congo, who last won the AFCON in 1974, knocked record holders Egypt out of the tournament.

Egypt returned home after they lost 8-7 on penalties.

DR Congo then beat Guinea 3-1 to qualify for the semi-finals.

The winners of the semi-final ties will reach Sunday's final at Abidjan's Alassane Ouattara Stadium.

The losing teams will play a third-place playoff on Saturday. By Can Erozden, Anadolu Agency.

 
 

 

Kenya is this week hosting a high-level meeting meant to adopt strategies to address the current Africa's feed and fodder crisis.

In a meeting that kicked off in Nairobi today bringing together a host of experts from the continent, the five-day Resilient African Feed and Fodder Systems (RAFFS) Project aims at driving an ‘African narrative that helps to make better evidence-based decisions for countries.’

African Union-InterAfrican for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Director Dr Huyam Salih said the three crises commonly referred to as “the three C’s” exposed Africa’s vulnerability, leading to eroded livelihoods, loss of incomes, and driven up prices of highly nutritive livestock sourced foods making them inaccessible to sections of the population that need them most.

According to Dr Salih, livestock feeding constitutes 60-70 percent of the total cost of livestock production.

“The recent drought in the Greater Horn of Africa region resulted in a massive loss of 9.5 million livestock, valued at over 2 billion USD,” she said in her opening remarks.

She said the loss includes invaluable livestock genetic resources developed over decades, serving as a key factor for livelihoods and incomes, especially for pastoralists and smallholders who contribute over 80 percent of meat and milk production in the region.

The impact Salih said extended to downstream stakeholders and retailing businesses, resulting in substantial losses.

The RAFFS Project was rolled out in January 2023 and has focused on understanding the situation of the effect of the global COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the feed and fodder sector.

The project, which is jointly funded by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, specifically focuses on Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda and Zimbabwe due to ‘their unique contexts and challenges.’

Salih said the project has since conducted a Continental Survey that sought to engage stakeholders in the Feed and Fodder Sector. 

Out of the fifty-five AU Member States, forty-four (44) participated, giving a continental outlook and opportunity to also draw out regional differences and issues. 

“The insights gathered have been invaluable in shaping our understanding of the feed and fodder landscape across Africa,” Dr Salih said.

“The RAFFS Project represents a means to transform challenges into opportunities, to strengthen the feed and fodder sector, and ultimately contribute to achieving agricultural sector goals.”

By December 2022, Government authorities in Kenya said the drought had killed over 200 elephants, nearly 400 zebras and more than 500 wildebeests among other several species. - Patrick Vidija, The Standard

The RAFFS project will among other things assess the role of women in the feed and fodder sector in Africa.

“It is known that a single dollar invested in women will release revenue of three dollars in the economy because women are the mothers, the one to take care of the kids and feed the family,” she said.

To break the cycle of poverty and inequalities, AU-IBAR has been advocating for the development and implementation of policies and legal frameworks that create a wider array of opportunities for women in the feed and fodder sector- which will lead to their economic empowerment for the inclusive and sustainable development of the continent.

One of the key challenges that has been identified as a key constraint to participating in the livestock sector is the bottleneck of the poor access to appropriate and sustainable financing mechanisms that address women’s felt needs tailored to their capacities. - Patrick Vidija, The Standard

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