The national and county governments have reached an agreement to pay the debt owed to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority. This is according to President William Ruto who on Monday said that counties have committed to pay Sh2 billion, while the national government will contribute Sh1.5 billion to ensure hospitals receive sufficient medicine. Speaking in Wundanyi, Taita-Taveta County, during an extensive development tour, President Ruto said the move will ensure the success of the government’s ambitious universal healthcare, Taifa Care. “If we pay health insurance for citizens and hospitals do not have medicines, that money will go to waste. All…
Author: Silas Apollo
Community health workers from across the country could soon be entitled to pay after the National Assembly approved a Bill to include them in the government payroll system. MPs in the National Assembly passed the Community Health Workers Bill, 2022 (National Assembly Bill No. 53 of 2022). The Bill sponsored by Ndhiwa MP Martin Peters Owino, was approved by a majority of the lawmakers and seeks to establish a legal framework to acknowledge the essential role of community health workers and incorporate them into the government payroll. Currently, the workers who provide crucial health services at the grassroots level, often…
ODM leader Raila Odinga has received another boost in his quest for the Africa Union Commission chairperson position after Mauritius supported his candidature. President William Ruto, in a statement on Tuesday evening, said that the newly-elected Mauritius prime minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, had agreed to support Odinga for the position. This means that Mauritius, which had proposed a candidate for the position, will now withdraw its candidature for the race, handing Odinga another win ahead of the elections slated for February next year. The decision represents a shift in strategy for Mauritius, whose previous candidate had been endorsed by former prime…
The plans by Kenya to secure the full endorsement of countries in the East African region for the candidature of ODM leader Raila Odinga for the African Union Commission chairmanship now appears to be in limbo. This is after it emerged that Somalia, one of the partner states of the community, will not be backing the candidature of Odinga, ahead of the AU elections slated for February next year. Somalia, has instead indicated that it will be supporting former Djibouti foreign minister Mahmoud Youssouf, a candidate in the race, in the elections next year. The new development comes even as…
Members of Parliament have rejected a proposal from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to lift the moratorium on Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). The MPs cited concerns over inadequate safeguards to protect taxpayers from potential exploitation by private investors. The ministry had approached Parliament with a request to lift the moratorium specifically on coal-fired power plants, stressing the urgency of expanding power sources to meet Kenya’s increasing energy needs. According to the ministry, anticipated growth in power consumption necessitates a diversification of sources, with coal plants positioned as a stable and cost-effective complement to existing hydroelectric power. However, members insisted…
The National Assembly is set to vet nominees for key positions in three Constitutional Commissions and two State Offices, following nominations by President William Ruto. Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula in a communication to MPs, said the House will interrogate the 21 nominees picked for positions at the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, the Commission on Administrative Justice, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, the National Gender and Equality Commission and the Central Bank of Kenya. “Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42(1), I wish to report to the House that I have received five messages from His Excellency…
Parliament is set to host President William Ruto for the 2024 State of the Nation address on Thursday. The Head of State is expected to deliver his third State of the Nation address to Parliament on Thursday, November 21, 2024. This is according to the speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula who made the communication to MPs last week. “I wish to inform the House that I have received a message from His Excellency the President conveying that he intends to deliver the 2024 State of the Nation address to Parliament,” Wetang’ula said. Speaker Wetang’ula further informed the House…
The newly appointed chairman of the board of the Independent Police Oversight Authority Ahmed Issack Hassan already has his work cut out for him when he assumes office. Hassan who is the former and the inaugural chairman of the independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, was nominated to the position by President William Ruto on Tuesday. If approved to the position, Hassan, will be tasked with the responsibility of investigating the conduct of the police, coming at a time when the police force has been facing criticism over excessive use of force, forced disappearances and abductions of civilians. IPOA at present…
ODM leader Raila Odinga will today formally begin his journey towards Africa’s politics with the unveiling of his candidature and manifesto for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Odinga, who arrived at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on Thursday, said that he intends to formally and officially present his vision and mission for the AUC to the Permanent Representatives Committee of the AU as part of his ongoing campaigns for the seat. The unveiling of the vision and mission statement by Odinga, comes ahead of the elections to choose…
The journey towards reforming the sugar sector in the country has begun in earnest after President William Ruto formally signed the Sugar Bill into law. The Sugar Bill (National Assembly Bills No. 34 of 2022) seeks to revive the sugar sector by, among other things, enhancing growth, regulation and support for sugarcane farmers across the country. Sponsored by Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe and Bungoma senator David Wakoli, the Bill was considered and approved by both the National Assembly and the Senate in October this year. It seeks to provide a framework for the regulation, development and promotion of the sugar…