The Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs has announced plans by the government to start granting artisanal miners in Kenya permits to operate. Mining and maritime affairs cabinet secretary Salim Mvurya told a Senate committee that the permits will target gold mining activities around the country, including in areas like Kakamega County. Artisanal miners currently operate informally as they have not been issued with artisanal mining permits as required by law under Section 95 of the Mining Act, 2016. The CS said the miners have not been given permits following the imposition of a moratorium by the government…
Author: Silas Apollo
The National Land Commission has asked Parliament to help it get additional funding to speed up the full implementation of the digitization of public land records. In a meeting with the National Assembly Committee on Lands, NLC chief executive officer Kabale Tache cited budgetary constraints as one of the roadblocks that the commission was facing towards the digitisation of public land records. “We have plans to digitize 30 million land related records through the Ardhidsasa system. However, we need further funding to actualize this,” Tache said. The CEO made the request when members of the committee led by North Mugirango MP and committee chairman…
If passed into law, the Bill could revolutionize healthcare delivery, protect patient data, and promote responsible use of technology in the medical field. The journey towards the establishment of digital health services in the country took a step further after members of the National Assembly debated for the second time, the Digital Health Bill, 2023. The proposed law, which seeks to establish a legal framework for the provision of digital health services and a comprehensive integrated digital health information system, was tabled in the House for the second reading. If approved by the House and enacted into law by President…
The security agencies manning the volatile Northern Kenya borders have linked the persistent insecurity in the area to poor infrastructure and a lack of clear boundaries and borderlines. Commandant of Border Police Unit Gitiba Mwita said that the constant insecurity in the region was largely caused by the lack of roads along international boundaries, which he said had hampered security patrols and the existence of ungoverned spaces and occupation by Kenyans. The commandant also added that the lack of demarcations and delimitation of boundaries and poor or lack of communication network in the area had also hindered proper communication in…
Residents of Turkana County are expected to get a chance of witnessing the Senate proceedings which will be held in the county on Monday and Tuesday this week. The Senate will hold its normal sittings at the Turkana County Assembly similar to how it conducts the sittings at the Parliament Buildings in Nairobi City County, between September 25 and 26, 2023. Aside from the plenary proceedings, the Senate has also scheduled a number of Senate Standing Committees` meetings where the Senators will deliberate on key issues affecting the nation and specific issues concerning Turkana County. The Senate Standing Committee on…
Top management of public institutions were interrogated on imbalance in employment The National Assembly Committee on National Cohesion has raised concern over discrimination in the employment of People Living With Disabilities by Government institutions in Western region. The Committee, chaired by Mandera West MP Abdi Yussuf Haji, questioned top management of public Universities and Water Companies (who were among those who appeared before it), on unequal promotions of staff. “The report before us indicates worrying trends in promotions where only members of one community are climbing the professional ladder,” said Haji. Amongst the institutions that appeared before the Committee for…
Members of Parliament have asked the government to develop a comprehensive policy and allocate enough funds to ensure the successful implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The MPs, while acknowledging the positive step taken with the introduction of the CBC, emphasized the need for the Ministry of Education, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to speed up the process of re-training teachers. The legislators who were contributing to a motion tabled by Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku said that retooling teachers will be critical in ensuring that teachers are well-versed with the CBC…
President William Ruto has formally appointed Renson Mulele Ingonga as the new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The Head of State, through a gazette notice, appointed Ingonga to the position following the approval of his nomination by Parliament. Ingonga now replaces former DPP Noordin Haji who was in June this year appointed the director of the National Intelligence Service by Ruto. The new DPP, according to the gazette notice, will serve for a period of about eight years. “In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 157 (2) of the Constitution and in accordance with the procedure set out under…
The Kenyan and Australian governments have announced plans to partner and improve the quality of education in the country by reviewing visa requirements for Kenyan students wishing to study in Australia. Australian High Commissioner to Kenya, Luke Williams, said that the review of the requirements will help lessen the tedious application process and make it easier to access Australia for studies. Williams said that his government had already started the process of reworking the visa application process, which he says will also benefit students from other jurisdictions across the globe. The new plan, Williams said, seeks to make the application…
Property owners in low-income areas could soon be required to pay a standard land rate charge to their respective county government after MPs in the National Assembly proposed a Bill introducing a new land tax across the country. The National Rating Bill, 2023, sponsored by the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah, seeks to impose mandatory payment of land rates by all property owners in low-income areas. The Bill, which has since been tabled before Parliament for debate, aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework for levying properties and land throughout the country. In addition,…
