Kiambu County Government, in collaboration with the revered Kiama Kia Ma elders, are supporting young men in this year’s initiation ceremonies to foster positive transitions into adulthood. The Kiama Kia Ma is the cultural pillar of the Kikuyu Council of Elders, whose other pillars include economy, politics and social welfare. This year’s initiation, which coincides with the December holiday season has seen the County Government, under the leadership of the Department of Culture, donate essential foodstuffs to support the initiation process. The generous contribution aims to provide sustenance and assistance to the young men participating in the traditional ceremonies, which are deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage.
The National Assembly Security Committee held a critical peace meeting at the Angata Barrikoi-Gwitembe border between the Maasai and Kuria communities, to resolve a long-standing border dispute. This region has been plagued by conflicts that have claimed over 30 lives in the past two decades. Speaking during a community engagement in Angata Barrikoi, Trans Mara South Sub-County, the committee chair, Gabriel Tongoyo who also serves as the Narok West Member of Parliament reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to fostering peace and addressing insecurity in the area.
Teso South Member of Parliament Mary Emaase has called on parents to take good care of their children during the holidays. Speaking during a church event at Amongura Sub Parish on Sunday, Emaase advised parents to monitor activities of their children while at home. She noted that long holidays often came with risks, including peer pressure, drug abuse which could impact negatively on the young people. The lawmaker at the same time urged residents to actively participate in the ongoing SHA registration exercise, emphasizing its importance in accessing health services. She dismissed claims by some individuals that the registration was a trick to collect personal data for the 2027 General Election as cheap propaganda.
Narok County Governor Patrick Ntutu has pledged to clear Sh200 million in pending bills before Christmas. Speaking during the opening of a link road in Ikineji, Narok West Sub-County, Governor Ntutu emphasised his administration’s dedication to settling the outstanding debts to ensure smooth operations and timely completion of county projects. “Our administration inherited Sh1.5 billion in pending bills, and we’ve already cleared a significant portion. The remaining Sh200 million will be settled by Christmas,” Ntutu assured.
The Principal Secretary State Department for Water and Sanitation Julius Korir yesterday chaired the Lamu Desalination Project, one of the Public Private Partnership proposals which is being pursued to provide potable water to the residents of Lamu County. Key Government installations like the Lamu Port, the LAPSSET project and provision of water for irrigation to boost food security is to be realized upon completion of this important project. Korir reiterated that the government has prioritized the project as he chaired the stakeholders meeting this morning with the State Department of Mining officials, LAPSSET Director General, Lamu County County Secretary and the proponent of the project to review progress of the Privately Initiated Proposal (PIP) and agree on the way forward which includes a comprehensive public participation exercise that will bring together all parties. The PS was accompanied by the Water Secretary Eng. SAO Alima, Secretary Administration Stephen Kihara and PPP Coordinator Eng. Bonface Mulama.
The National Treasury yesterday said it disbursed KSh30.8 billion to counties, setting all arrears it owed to the devolved governments. The exchequer said it had paid out KSh158 billion to counties comprising June 2024 arrears, as well as disbursements for the months of July, August, September and October.
Treasury CS John Mbadi has previously attributed delays in the disbursement of county funds at the start of the current financial year to legal and administrative challenges. There has been a stalemate between the Senate and the National Assembly in the mediation committee formed to find a common ground on the Division of Revenue (Amendment) Bill.
A Sub-Committee of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning led by the Chairperson Francis Kuria Kimani is in Isiolo County to conduct public participation on six (6) Bills current under consideration by the House. The exercise seeks to collect public views on 6 Bills under consideration by the Finance Committee, namely, Public Finance Management (Amendment) (No. 3) Act, 2024; Public Finance Management (Amendment) (No. 4) Act, 2024; Public Procurement and Disposal Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024
Others are: Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024; Tax Procedures (Amendment) Bill, 2024; and Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The chairperson is accompanied by CPA Julius Rutto (Kesses), Joseph Munyoro (Kigumo) and Adipo Okuome (Karachuonyo).
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has launched the second phase of the 2024-2025 National Wildlife Census at Shaba National Reserve to gather scientific data for improving conservation policies.
