KITUI, Kenya, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday joined citizens in mourning the death of 24 people who drowned after a bus with more than 30 passengers plunged into River Enziu at a village in Kitui County, eastern part of the country.
Kenyatta sent his condolences to the families that lost their loved ones in the unfortunate incident in Mwingi area when a bus they were traveling in plunged into River Enziu on Saturday afternoon.
The police said the passengers who were choir members of Mwingi Catholic Church were heading for a wedding in the Nuu area from Mwingi Town on Saturday.
Mwingi East Sub-County Commander Joseph Yakan said the driver of the bus was attempting to drive the vehicle past a flooded bridge when water tides overpowered the vehicle, sweeping it into the river.
Yakan said the bodies of the 24 people who died have been recovered while 12 others were rescued after the incident.
He said the 12 survivors include four children and eight adults, adding that 15 of the dead are members of the same family who were going to attend a wedding. - Xinhua
Chief Justice Martha Koome during the swearing-in ceremony of Court of Appeal president Daniel Musinga at the Supreme Court on June 11. Image:FILE
This has at times made the media a flawed agent of accountable governance," Koome said.
In Summary
• Koome noted that the Judiciary and the media were blamed for contributing to the 2007/2008 post-election violence.
• The CJ noted that the media plays a critical in the democratic lifeblood of a country, but it has in some instances become a weakness because of the interests of media owners.
Chief Justice Martha Koome has said that the media should adopt a more activist role when reporting the news.
Speaking on Friday, at the Editors Guild Convention, the Chief Justice said that media should embrace its accountability role as an independent institution in the political system and promote a healthy, accountable democratic discourse.
Koome stated that this role will mean that the media will speak with its own voice and not merely echo the voice of the political actors.
"This will necessitate embracing a “more activist role” that involves asserting the media’s own voice in commentary and analysis, scrutinizing the consequences of the utterances and policy proposals by political actors, and promoting the idea of peaceful national co-existence and resolution of any electoral disputes," she said.
"It is when you adopt the activist role that I have talked about that the Kenyan media will fulfil the media’s historic role as the fourth estate which is to be a force for the promotion of democratic governance."
The CJ noted that the media plays a critical in the democratic lifeblood of a country, but it has in some instances become a weakness because of the interests of media owners.
EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE
"This has at times made the media a flawed agent of accountable governance," Koome said.
She said the growth of our young democracy demands public and private media houses to assert editorial independence.
Koome promised the support of the Judiciary as the media embraces this for good of the country, as we approach the electioneering period.
"I, therefore, urge the Editors Guild to be at the forefront in steering the vocation of journalism and the media industry towards the pursuit of editorial independence and political neutrality in its reporting, analysis, and commentary."
The Chief Justice said that the judiciary has constituted a Judiciary Committee on Elections and developed a comprehensive work plan to train judges, judicial officers and staff on efficient mechanisms to handle election disputes.
Koome noted that the Judiciary and the media were blamed for contributing to the 2007/2008 post-election violence. Edited by D Tarus, The Star
Kenya's Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau speaking during a diplomatic briefing in the capital Nairobi on November 29, 2021.
NAIROBI, Kenya Nov30-Kenya has slammed measures taken by various nations against countries that have detected the new COVID-19 Omicron strain, mainly in Southern Africa.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau said shutting borders can not be a solution to the war against the virus, and urged better policies, including capacity building.
“We believe that we don’t support each other as a global community by locking up each other. What the world needs now is the building of capacity to deal with the realities of COVID-19. Knee jerk reactions targeting specific Nations is not the answer to a disease that will mutate with time,” Macharia said Monday.
Various European nations have closed borders, in measures targetting Southern African countries and others from the continent where the new strain has been detected.
Kamau said that the time is ripe for the global community to adjust to the new normal of a mutating virus and that locking out certain countries will not support the fight against the pandemic.
“For Covid-19 to end, it will take time and therefore, as a country, we believe we have to adjust to the new normal,” Macharia stated.
Kenya’s Health Ministry has said there are no immediate plans to close borders or resort to extreme containment measures following the discovery of the new virus elsewhere.
“Whether the mutation will work to weaken or strengthen the virus only time will tell. Kenya is ready and willing to work with her partners to find innovative ways of dealing with this new reality,” Kamau said during the diplomatic briefing on the upcoming major conferences which Kenya will play a major role including UNEA5.2, UNEP@50, Africities, Stockholm+50 and 2nd UN Oceans Conference to be held early 2022.
The Omicron COVID-19 variant which was detected last week in South Africa has been identified in Europe – two in the UK, two in Germany, one in Belgium and another one in Italy, while a suspected case was found in the Czech Republic.
The United Kingdom and Israel have already banned flights from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe over the fast-spreading variant.
Despite the scenario, Kenya has recommended that UNEA 5.2 which is scheduled for February 8, 2022 to March 2, 2022 and UNEP@50 which will be held on 3rd to 4th March will be physical.
“Our current realities in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extra care and vigilance to ensure that delegates are safe, and receive the necessary care in the event of any exposures. To this end I wish to reaffirm that the Government of Kenya has the requisite capacity to support the hosting of the two meetings,” he assured.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry also assured the diplomatic community that a government task force will be formed involving the MOH, Ministry of Interior, Foreign Affairs, and other stakeholders to ensure coordination so as to make the event a success.
“Kenya’s has an acclaimed track record in the successful hosting of international conferences and UNEA 5.2 and UNEP@50 will be no different. It is our aspiration that UNEA 5.2 and UNEP@50 will both be held in person, with representation at the level of Head of State. The proposed configuration for the meetings is 1+4,” Kamau said.
Apart from the Africities event the country is set to hold, the rest require a budget of $5 million dollars to ensure efficiency and a successful event. Kenya is currently is facing a shortfall of approximately $4 million.
“I urge all Member States to be receptive and answer to the call for voluntary contributions in cash and in-kind to supplement any identified gaps in the budget,” said Kamau. By Irene Mwangi, Capital News
The fashion industry could make or break global climate goals. The industry is responsible for between 4% to 10% of global emissions and is the second biggest consumer of water. This problem could get worse: a continual rise in global GDP has increased income worldwide, leading consumers to purchase new clothes more frequently. The industry must achieve an absolute emissions reduction of 45% by 2030 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). However, emissions will grow to 1.588 gigatons by 2030 without immediate action.
The industry will need to address the significant amount of waste it produces to achieve this emissions reduction. Post-production textile waste is one contributor, as up to 20% of fabric is lost during clothing production. This waste produces its own emissions through transportation to landfills or those released when clothes are burned.
Challenges in addressing waste are especially pronounced in East Africa. The region produces a large amount of the global share of textiles and, as a result, contributes a lot of post-production waste. In Kenya, garment manufacturers generate an estimated 400,000 tons of cotton waste per year, which often ends up in toxic dumps that pollute soil and put waste pickers at risk. Even when manufacturers can recycle materials, they lack circular waste-to-value solutions that maintain the value of textiles. As a result, textiles are often converted into lower quality materials with reduced functionality like floor mats, cushion stuffing and insulation material.
The fashion sector, in East Africa and beyond, needs transformative solutions to reduce waste. One partnership in Kenya is successfully showing what these solutions can look like in practice. Their work could provide valuable lessons for other countries around the world as they shift their fashion industries toward more sustainable methods. This shift, in turn, will help achieve global climate goals and economic growth.
A New Partnership Transforming the Fashion System
Reducing waste throughout the supply chain, from manufacturing to recycling, requires an intermediary that can process waste into sustainable raw materials for new clothing production. That is where Closing the Loop on Textile Waste in Kenya comes in. They use a revolutionary chemical recycling technology, developed by U.S.-based company PurFi, which recycles textile waste into high-quality products that can be re-used in new manufacturing.
This technology uses 99% less water, up to 90% less greenhouse gas emissions and 90% less energy than typical approaches to textile waste recycling. While chemical use itself isn’t environmentally neutral — more than 15,000 chemicals are associated with garment production, some of which are toxic — PurFi’s innovative rejuvenation technology maintains a closed process that absorbs the recycling chemicals back into the resulting fabric.
In addition to climate benefits, the partnership exemplifies how social equity and environmental impact intertwine. They train previously unemployed women in the community, helping ensure decent and safe jobs that allow them to provide for their families. This all-women sorting team processes 36,000 kg of waste per month and is working to scale that up to 100,000 kg per month. Collectively, the partnership has sold 100,000 kg of textile cotton waste so far.
This multistakeholder initiative — led by the non-profit Enviu, alongside PurFi and Upset Sourcing East Africa — is built on a successful 2018 project from India. Kenya’s growing textile production and lack of recycling solutions created the perfect opportunity for the partnership to replicate India’s model.
Each year, Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) State-of-the-Art Partnership Awards recognize the world’s most impactful partnerships that are accelerating innovative business models. Closing the Loop on Textile Waste earned the Partnership of the Year for 2021, announced at COP26, for its work to transform textile recycling throughout Africa.
The Future of Closing the Loop and Kenya’s Fashion Industry
Closing the Loop’s work is happening at a critical time, as Kenya is rapidly expanding its prominence in the fashion industry. Rebuilding Kenya’s domestic textile industry is a national priority in Kenya’s Big Four Agenda, which emphasizes job creation in the manufacturing sector and improved living standards. Recent trade agreements and the creation of special economic zones have also incentivized growth in textile manufacturing for export. As a result, Kenya’s textiles and garments export is projected to increase by 25% each year over the next five years.
While the expansion of Kenya’s textile industry will lead to important economic growth, post-production waste is already piling up as a result. The partnership is working to expand alongside the industry and embed recycling practices into the supply chain through two critical approaches:
1. Public-Private Collaboration
Closing the Loop’s waste-to-value solution gives them a unique opportunity to support both government agencies and garment manufacturers in solving the textile waste challenge.
The partnership has engaged Kenya’s Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA) under the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development, which is responsible for promoting export-oriented commercial initiatives. EPZA currently lacks sustainable and circular solutions to manage the massive amounts of textile waste generated by large garment manufacturers inside their agency. At the same time, 450 new production lines are being developed inside EPZA, which will lead to more post-production waste.
By collaborating with EPZA, Closing the Loop can provide the agency with the circular solutions they currently lack. The partnership will have access to the textile waste generated in both old and new production lines, which will allow them to recycle even more materials.
The partnership has also signed sourcing agreements with waste management companies and manufacturers in Kenya. By building deep integration with suppliers, the partnership can closely trace waste throughout their supply chain. Traceability is often difficult, as a complex web of intermediaries source and manufacture different products. By working closely with multiple manufacturers, the partnership will have better insights into where the most waste is produced, and in turn, allow them to better prevent and recycle that waste.
2. Increased Scale and Efficiency
Closing the Loop’s collaborations will allow the partnership to access and recycle more waste than ever before. On the flip side, being able to process such a large amount of waste will require the partnership to work more efficiently and at a larger scale. Recognizing this, Closing the Loop plans to expand to a larger facility where they can store more post-production materials, hire more staff and access more tools. This will allow the partnership to sort the massive influx of waste they will receive.
In addition to increased waste reduction, expanding their work will have economic benefits for the partnership and the communities they work in. Larger waste volumes from suppliers and increased sorter output will reduce the cost per sorted kilogram of waste. This will also allow the partnership to continue providing socially fair jobs and contribute to Kenya’s Big Four Agenda.
Ultimately, Closing the Loop plans to expand its technology across Kenya and build a network of local, robust textile waste centers. This network would return recycled post-production waste to the same companies who produced it. In turn, they would facilitate a constant flow of waste material for rejuvenation. If they are successful, the partnership will play a major role to help Kenya’s textile industry transition from existing ineffective informal waste systems to a formal circular system.
Creating a Sustainable Global Fashion Industry
The Closing the Loop on Textile Waste initiative shows it is possible to shift to circular textile waste management, foster social equity and create jobs in the communities most impacted by the industry. This inclusive model demonstrates that local solutions can play a larger role toward the transition to sustainable practices. Additionally, these solutions can lead to large-scale benefits: Addressing environmental challenges in textile production would not only combat climate change, but provide a $192 billion overall benefit to the global economy by 2030.
P4G is developing a cluster of partnerships that, like Closing the Loop, are turning waste into an asset across textiles, plastics and food. Closing the Loop builds on synergies with P4G’s Circular Fashion Partnership, which brings together brands, manufacturers and recyclers to increase the value of waste by repurposing it into new textile products in Bangladesh. Through collaborating and sharing lessons across the globe on textile reuse and recycling, these partnerships have the potential to broaden their impact, improve transparency and trace waste across the global fashion system.
The world needs more innovative business models that rapidly transform traditional systems. Partnerships can advance these models across the supply chain, but only with support from investors and fashion industry stakeholders. If they follow the example of Closing the Loop, they can achieve the collaboration and scale necessary to create a truly sustainable fashion industry. - Ian de Cruz and Robyn McGuckin, World Resources Institute
Political leaders allied to Opposition Chief Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto have sharply differed following IEBC's withdrawal from a crucial election preparedness committee.
While ODM stalwarts accused IEBC of planning to bungle the 2022 polls, pro-Ruto brigade hailed IEBC boss Wafula Chebukati, saying the Office of the President wants to take over the management of the elections.
Suna East MP Junet Mohammed claimed Chebukati is preparing the agency for 2017 type of elections that saw the courts nullify presidential polls and ordered repeat elections.
“As ODM we want free, fair, verifiable elections. We want to tell Chebukati we are watching you. We know what is happening,” Junet said.
“We have not forgotten how you bungled 2017 elections. We don’t care which party writes letter to where. All we want as ODM is transparent, free and fair election.”
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said IEBC is running away from key players that it will need to deliver credible elections.
“IEBC will need security agencies, ICT and Judiciary in the conduct of the coming elections. They (IEBC) should not be intimidated by a party with only one elected MP,” Sifuna said.
In a letter to Interior PS Karanja Kibicho dated November 22, Chebukati said it had made the decision to withdraw from the National Multi-Sectoral Consultative Forum on Election Preparedness and Technical Working Committee after consultations
According to the IEBC boss, the committee was interfering with its independence.
But speaking to the Star, Soy MP Caleb Kositany said Chebukati raised weighty matters in his letter.
Kositany said there is every reason for Kenyans to worry over the manner in which the OP wants to play a leading role in preparing the August 2022 election.
"It is the same Executive that has denied IEBC external funding at the same time starving the agency. Why want to lead the process? We already know that OP technocrats including the President have taken a political stand and they have no role sitting in such a forum," he told the Star.
He called on the Chief Justice Martha Koome to emulate Chebukati by recusing herself from the committee.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria termed the move by Chebukati on Monday evening “the biggest risk to a peaceful Kenya”.
Kuria partly agreed with Chebukati’s decision but put him on the spot for allegedly frustrating political parties.
In a statement, Kuria claimed Chebukati has not been accountable to political parties who are the main stakeholders in elections, saying that by so doing, he posed a threat to “a peaceful Kenya”.
“I support Chebukati in refusing to report to government agencies but he has refused to be accountable even to political parties who are the stakeholders in elections.
He is the biggest risk to a peaceful Kenya,” he said.Elgeyo Marakwet Senator, Kipchumba Murkomen said Chief Justice Martha Koome should follow suit and pull out of the committee.
"Out of my personal admiration and respect for CJ Martha Koome, I won’t criticize her for defending her place in the forum. Let her do soul searching and bring honor and dignity to her high office," stated Murkomen.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino said the decision was ill-informed and could amount to sabotaging of elections.
Owino said 'they' are watching his every move by the electoral body.In a letter to Interior PS Karanja Kibicho, Chebukati said it had made the decision after consultations, adding that the panel would interfere with its independence.
Chebukati cited the need for independence as the main reason the commission opted out.
IEBC’s withdrawal comes hot on the heels of a letter by Deputy President William Ruto's UDA asking Koome to keep off management of elections.
The committee brings together IEBC, Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki, CJ (Judiciary), Cabinet Secretaries Ukur Yatani (National Treasury) CS Joe Mucheru (ICT), Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Philip Kameru - Director General National Intelligence Service (NIS), Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai (National Police Service).
Others are Anne Amadi (Chief Registrar of the Judiciary), Director of Public Prosecutions, Noordin Haji, Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto, Martin Wambora (Chairman Council of Governors), Ezra Chiloba (Director General, Communications Authority) and Ann Nderitu (Registrar of Political Parties). By GIDEON KETER AND ALLAN KISIA, The Star
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