Category: Development

Trade, Tourism and Investment CECM Hon. Fawz Rashid officially launched the Mombasa Sightseeing Bus at the Tusks earlier today. Among those present during the launch were Archbishop Martin Kivuva, Mombasa County Chief Officer Mr. Innocent Mugabe, Tourism Finance Corporation MD Mr. Jonah Orumoi, Proul-Mombasa Sightseeing Bus Limited acting CEO Ms. Evelyn Lelle, Kenya Association for Hotel Keepers and Caterers CEO Mr. Sammy Ikwaye and Kenya Coast Tourist Association CEO Mr. Julius Owino.

The introduction of the double-decker sightseeing buses to Mombasa’s tourism scene is a major milestone towards elevating our tourism industry and building the infrastructure for sustainable tourism success.

This service addresses a gap in the sector that exists today, whilst also making Mombasa more appealing as a leisure destination to tourists. These tours will be one of the best ways for visitors in Mombasa to get acquainted with all that this unique city has to offer.

The county government of Mombasa will work hand in hand with the management of the sightseeing buses to put a facelift at the various stopping points to give tourists the opportunity to have quality interactions with our rich history and culture through sampling of our local cuisines, shopping for our traditional souvenirs and taking part in our local dances and music.

This will also loop in our youth and women into the tourism value chain as they provide these lasting memories to our visitors. This sightseeing bus should not only offer a fantastic service for tourists coming to Mombasa but for people living or working in or around Mombasa who might have a couple of hours to spare, or friends and relatives visiting from out of town.

The open roof double decker bus will allow tourists to hop-on and hop-off as much as they like at any of the bus stops on the route and see all the best sights and attractions that Mombasa city has to offer.

https://crm.cytonn.com/events/weekly_real_estate_site_visit

On 29th September 2018, Cytonn held its Company, Markets & Projects Updates Event for Quarter 3. The quarterly forums enable the company to provide updates to investors on our outlook of the economy and attractive investment opportunities, while also addressing any questions clients may have pertaining to their investment with Cytonn.

The event was held at The Alma, a comprehensive residential development in Ruaka by Cytonn Real Estate. Investors present also had the chance to inspect the progress of The Alma which is currently 67.0% complete, and visit the show houses for the 1, 2 & 3 bedroom units.

Speaking during the forum, John Ndua, Cytonn’s Investment Associate presented Kenya’s economic review, highlighting the various areas that will shape economic growth in 2018. “We maintain our positive outlook on the 2018 macroeconomic environment, supported by Agriculture, Real Estate, Construction, together with accommodation and food services”, noted Ndua.

Victoria Wanyanga, Cytonn’s Project Management Assistant updated on the progress of the various projects by Cytonn Real Estate. These projects include the Amara Ridge, which is 100% complete with all units sold, and The Alma which is 67.0% complete with hand-over of the 1st phase expected in Quarter 1, 2019, among others.

Grace Weru, Cytonn’s Finance and Administration Manager, gave important updates regarding the Cytonn High Yield Solutions (CHYS), an investment product by Cytonn Investments. Grace highlighted the governance structure of CHYS, noting that assets under management had grown from Kshs. 7.6 billion in December 2017 to Kshs. 10.3 billion as at September 2018.

Faith Maina, Investment Analyst at Cytonn Investments, presented the actionable investment opportunities, noting that there are three broad ways through which one can invest in real estate. These are equities, mezzanines and project notes. “Project Notes are used to finance real estate developments, and allow all investors access to attractive real estate returns, that would not necessarily be available in the public domain’’, said Faith.

Cytonn Investments, noted that the main reason the company holds such events at their real estate developments is to boost investor confidence and show them the progress of the projects. Edwin, also explained in detail the dispute that part of the Senior Management of Cytonn Investments are involved in with their former employer, Britam, assuring the investors that there was no foul play from their part, and urging them to maintain their confidence in the company.

He also led the Q & A session, where client questions were addressed by Senior Management.

In 2014, the government was all system set to demolish the premium estate and church sitting on public land but in what is still clear in many people’s minds, Mike Sonko came to the rescue of his friends when he directly called and put on speaker the President who directed the demolition be stopped.

The estate built 10 years ago is of 600 houses, each valued at Sh16 million. Most are inhabited by their owners while others have been rented out, it is valued at Sh10b.

The 243-acre parcel of land which was grabbed by the Diamond Estate is owned by the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute. In the same line, other properties sitting on public land and which must be demolished include the 15,000-seater Winners Chapel auditorium and two other residential estates, Banque Villa and Executive Housing.

Rhino Cement previously referred as Athi River Mining is on the spotlight over breach of business moral ethical conducts. Disgruntled workers in most of the branches of the mining company has approached Kenya Insights with intention of bringing to light a serious issue in the recruitment process where the management is jumping the rules and irregularly hiring unqualified foreigners.

In this company every department is headed by an Indian who is considered an expartriate. In real sense some of them do not possess little knowledge of whats happening. Beside having an Indian head, departments also have about 3-4 other indians who act as supervisors, headmen, foremen, and other senior jobs. “Our graduates are treated as trash and handle the dirty job while the indians supervise.” Says one of the disgruntled workers whom for obvious reasons shall remain anonymous.

It doesn’t make any sense that at ARM, HODs, Supervisors, foremen, and generally small jobs that can be well handled by Kenyans are assigned to foreigners who are brought in as expatriate. How unqualified foreigners pass through the immigration process to get jobs that’s can be done by local workers isn’t much of guess work. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the management collude with immigration officials to give work permits to foreigners who don’t deserve.

We’re made to believe that the so called expatriates at NRM were just fixed to earn 10 times what Kenyans earn. A foreman for instance earns 250k while a Kenyan engineer earns a gross of 30k.

Rhino company has five different factories and each has a different number of Indians at each dept so its difficult for me to know the exact number of Indians. It has factories in Kaloleni, athi river, tanga, dar, Rwanda. Also the companies caters for their accommodations, tickets to India and back once a year, their meals, generally everything at the expense of Kenyans who do all the work.

The acute shortage of teachers in the three counties of Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera is unsustainable and a time bomb waiting to detonate. Most public schools are either understaffed or no teachers completely due to an exodus of non-Somali teachers due to rampant cases of terror attacks. Some schools in the region are on verge of closure as a result.

The issue got worse when 28 Kenyans, 17 of them teachers, died in a terror attack on 22 November 2014. The teachers were proceeding for holidays.
While this unfortunate incident affected 17 teachers, it has to be noted that they were not targeted as the criminals behind this heinous act ambushed a bus in which teachers happened to be majority passengers. Since then terror has become the the major justification for transfers by the non-Somali teachers in these three counties.

Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association Mandera, Mr Gaiye sharing the otherside of the story.

TSC acts

TSC CEO Nancy Macharia has told Parliament that the commission is transferring all non-local teachers from North Eastern following a terror attack at Qarsa village, Wajir County on February 16 in which four people, among them three teachers, were killed. The decision has been met with resistance by the local communities and the leaders from the region.

By this move, TSC is playing into the hands of Al-Shabaab. It has to be noted that, casual withdrawal of non-local teachers by TSC, without a comprehensive long-term plan to address the problem, maybe a recipe for radicalization and exacerbate more terror attacks.

Surprisingly, the Kenya National Union of Teachers urging the government to make it a policy those local communities get teachers from their own locality. Yet, unconfirmed reports show most of the teachers leaving North Eastern region do so because they only applied for the jobs to get employed by TSC before seeking transfers to go back to their home sub-counties.

Notably, non-Somali teachers employed by private schools continue to stay. There are also other non-Somalis working in North Eastern who include civil servants, employees of non-governmental organizations and business people who have not left the area because of the sporadic insecurity incidents.
Let’s face it. Terrorism and insecurity, in general, has not been a problem that is specific to North Eastern only, but also in Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu, Turkana, Pokot and Tana River.

We did not see the areas grapple with teachers’ exodus. Why only North Eastern? Does it mean that all teachers in these counties are all ‘locals’? What needs to be done to address the teachers’ crisis in North Eastern? The way forward Government ought to develop a blueprint that focuses on recruitment of O’Level school leavers from the region into teachers training colleges, lower the entry grade for P1 teachers in the area from C, establish more teachers training colleges in the region and improve the terms and conditions of teachers working in hardship areas.

By improving the terms and conditions of teachers working in hardship areas will attract more people to pursue the teaching career hence solve the acute shortage of teachers in the region. TSC must also bring a policy where those teachers posted in the region have to stay in the area for a particular period before they can be transferred.

The government should also consider re-introducing hardship allowance for teachers based in hardship areas. The two levels of the government can also introduce scholarships for those pursuing the career so as to boost enrolment.

The recently established Mandera Teachers Training College provides the best hope of addressing the teachers’ shortage not only in that county but in the entire North Eastern region and must be supported by all. The number of teachers’ training colleges in the region should also be increased from the current two.

Residents of these counties see the move by the TSC as a continuation of their marginalization since independence. Even before the recent terror attacks,
North Eastern region had some of the worst poverty indicators in the country, just over 40 percent of primary-age children attending school, compared
with a national average of 77 percent.

Recent research shows that a large percentage of children don’t transition to secondary school and the few that do so, as little as 10 percent achieve the grades to get into a Kenyan university. For instance the past three years there was no A Plain grade from the region.

Ms. Duale is the CEO of Peace
and Charity Organisation of
Kenya [email protected]

For over 100 years, the Irish people have been in Kenya and impacting livelihoods of citizens in various community spaces. Primarily, they’ve engraved their stand in religion and healthcare from back in time. 35 ministers from Ireland were sent across the world to join their citizens and world in celebrating the day. St Patricks Day is Ireland’s National Day. It is a time of celebration for all of those of Irish descent and affinity around the world.

Luckily, Kenya was the only country in sub-Saharan Africa privileged to have hosted one of them. Kevin Moran, minister for public works, was in the country for three days for a series of action-packed events. In a nutshell, he supervised and oversaw several projects the Ireland government through the Irish Embassy under Amb Vincent oneil have been running. His visit was also tuned to further strengthen trade links between the two countries and further positive relations.

In Nyandarua, Minister Moran launches Potato Sector Capacity Building Project that addresses issues on farmer training, market linkages, and production and distribution of high-quality potato seed with a goal of improving yields and farmer revenue. The project is a PPP that involves IPM an Irish seed production company, IFDC an NGO involved in capacity building in agriculture sector, Kevian Kenya, a private company involved in food processing and the Nyandarua County Government. The project will be funded for 3-years by Irish Aid through the Embassy of Ireland and will benefit over 3000 smallholder farmers in Nyandarua.

Minister Moran also held a meeting with key Kenyan trade partners at the Kenya Investment Authority offices to learn of opportunities for deepening Ireland-Kenya trading links and investments. During the meeting, a presentation was made on the work that has been done to develop KenInvest’s One Stop Centre (OSC), funded by Irish Aid through the Embassy of Ireland. The Minister witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Embassy of Ireland and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the plans for the development of a Trade Compact between Ireland and Kenya in 2018.

Ireland also has a growing business presence in Kenya, working in close collaboration with Kenyan investors. A business network, Business Ireland Kenya, established with embassy support in 2014, now has over 70 members. BIK members are involved in a wide range of businesses, which include financial services, security, education, ICT services, tourism, construction, and pharmaceuticals.

The Minister also presided over the launch of a partnership between an Irish company, Novaerus, and a Kenyan company, Quintons Pharmacy. Novaerus is an Irish company that develops technology for infection prevention and control through their unique plasma technology air filtration system. Quintons Pharmacy is a Kenyan based company that was incorporated in 2015 and distributes international healthcare brands into the East African market.

During his visit, the minister also visited Mukuru slums in one of the many urban settlement programmes that the embassy is sponsoring in Nairobi. Also looked over Young Scientists Kenya, a programme run by Irish aid and met students involved in this innovative competition.

With the Global greening theme of St Patrick’s celebration, Kenya Wildlife Service Headquarters was the highlight of the tour, where the embassy was launching a massive initiative. The St Patrick’s greening event. Ireland ‘Greens’ iconic images all over the world on St. Patrick’s Day. The purpose of Ireland’s Global ‘Greening’ Campaign is to bring attention to Ireland’s relationship with its diaspora communities and also with friends in countries across the world.

Ireland Embassy has been ‘Greening’ the Big Five for the past few years, with Ahmed the Elephant Greened in 2016 and a Rhinoceros Greened in 2017. This year the Embassy was even more innovative by ‘greening’ a life-size Lion. However, this was no ordinary Lion. This life-sized Lion was made entirely from flip-flops that have been washed up on Kenya’s coastline and recycled into a Lion statue.

On his last day in Kenya, the Minister, together with the Chief Guest, Hon. Ababu Namwamba, Chief Administrative Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade presided over the official St Patricks Day Reception which took place at the Irish Ambassador’s Residence.

The trip can be described as a success if we’re to borrow Moran’s own observation that in his entire life in public service, Kenya’s visit was the highlight of his career. He said the welcoming nature of Kenyans charmed him and found vast openings in business that will see the two countries continue tightening their bond.

On the 20th of December 2017, Njiraini turned 60 years the retirement mandatory age for any state officer, however, despite this, there were no signs of the CG bowing out as he was determined to extend his stay. In this light, Activist Okiya Omtatah rushed to petition his then-imminent reappointment in court.

As this was ongoing, Njiraini who again was one of Jubilee’s great financiers had managed to secure his job and another contract renewed thanks to his high connections. All this was happening while there’s a petition yet to be determined by the court on his appointment. A clear case of middle finger to the law.

Kenya is currently struggling to stay afloat as financial status continues to worsen and we continue to dig deeper our debt burden. We’re spending half the GDP on repaying loans and treasury recently said that the tax collector is not meeting the revenue threshold meaning more trouble. Simply put, more loans to worsen the debt situation.

Jubilee has been investing heavily in infrastructure in the bid to boost the economic growth but somehow it has docked with challenges. SGR is one of the major projects accomplished by the government but is now proving to be a white elephant. Projections out in place to ensure enough money for loan repayment are by all signs showing negative signs of failure taking precedence.

As a drastic measure to put a lead in the piling sewerage, the government recently gave a directive that all cargo handling be only done at the ICD in Embakassi, this way, importers will be forced to use the SGR cargo trains. However, this directive has received serious backlash especially from investors in the CFS amongst the worst hit, also the trucking business and communities along the Mombasa-Nairobi way who depended on this business model for survival.

#SGRWhiteElephant I attend the last mile presentation at ICD on 23/01/18 chaired by the railway MD all the stakeholders were present and when everybody was given a chance to speak it was evident the cargo project is not ready any time soon @KinyanBoy

— MOHAMED ALI (@wakilimrefu) March 12, 2018

Importers claim that facilities available at the ICD are not efficient to handle the cargo volumes and in this line, they’ve been making losses and above all, subjected to avoidable inconveniences. The forced directive of cargo beats the spirit of a free market that ought to give businessmen the liberty to use a convenient, profiting transport model. SGR is yet to even insure the cargo meaning containers that risk being stolen, destroyed, are transported at owners risk unlike tracking where most were insured.

A task force is in place pushing for this directive that is plainly moving the port from Mombasa to Nairobi a move that with a microscopic look, didn’t put into considerations economical repercussions on the investors and communities in the freight industry. We’ve covered this in our previous articles you can check back.

The MD of KPA advised the government on the need for CFS but they tried to use force but in only two days the yard at the ICD was full. This not the first time, they’re turning a blind eye, a few years ago when Hon Mwashetani put Njiraini to task on why he was insisting on small cars paying excise duty and Njiraini went on to force car importers to pay excise they had a short fall on their targets. Simply put, forced ideas are never widely thought over and often ends bad.

KRA frustrating importers at ICD demanding entry must be lodged and duty and extra storage charges paid before Containers manifested to be cleared and forcefully transferred on SGR are railed back to MSA. Importers will, therefore, pay extra handling cost in Mombasa.

KRA also rolled out new benchmark in January without doing proper market survey killing small-time importers consolidating cargo. New benchmarks were 1M and 2M for 20ft and 40ft container respectively without tabulating invoice value of items therein. KRA CG Njiraini who is leading the taskforce team to forcefully implement the SGR freight has his tenure increased despite reaching the end of his term and retirement age.

We can't trace Two containers for weeks now. KPA have stopped responding to emails.

Other container is still on the wagon since last week.

No capacity at ICD @KRACare
@KenyaRailways_ @TransportKE

— YKI (@Paperboyrocks) March 13, 2018

While KRA track shipments through manifest numbers the now threatened CFS’ bound cargo is audited and reconciled through CAMIS-a cargo management info system. Importers with pre-nominated containers shipped to the ICD are vulnerable in case of theft or damage because insurance companies won’t pay. In all fairness and adherence to international trade laws, a rushed decision like this shouldn’t be encouraged as it paints our country dull in the investment world. All these begs the question as to whose interest is this push led by Njiraini headed board that is completely disrupting the business structures of a flourishing industry, won’t be surprised of another cartel in Nairobi.

Making it mandatory for all cargo to be processed in Nairobi mean a lot but lemme say a few:
-CFS in Mombasa to shut, that's Sh40B investments, 8000+ jobs
-Truck business to dry up, factor in communities along M-Nai route who depend on this biz.#SGRWhiteElephant

— Kenya West (@KinyanBoy) March 12, 2018

In business, convenience is key, we’re discouraging investors instead of doing the other way. Njiraini morally and legally doesn’t deserve to stay in office and I’m certain there are thousands out there more qualified than him to steer a proper working model as opposed to this shove down the throat industry killer. Its within hope and highly needed that ministries involved must promptly engage and address several concerns raised therein. Otherwise, driving blindly never ends well.

At the outset, the government had planned to haul 4,000 tonnes per trip in SGR, peaking at 16,000 tonnes daily; 106,000 tonnes weekly and 5.5 million tonnes annually to break even and repay its construction and operational costs.

But, at the current 12,452 tonnes per week, the SGR will have hauled on average, a mere 647,504 tonnes by the end of the year, casting doubt on the viability of the project. For a project that was sold as a revolution to cargo transport in Kenya, it has failed to meet the flashy expectations which is a real big worry given the huge loan debt it came with. The old train used to carry up to 30 containers, but now the new train can carry 216. Four trains would operate daily and government on its conception said they intended to increase these to eight.

Reality is now downing that SGR must have misdiagnosed as it is yet to attract enough transporters to sustain the project. Before the launch of the service in January, the government had indicated that four freight trains would run daily with a future outlook of eight daily far-reaching each carrying 216 TEUs.

This would mean that on each day, the ICD would receive a minimum of 800 TEUs, making 5,600 TEUs weekly and 291,200 TEUs annually. But the train hit its highest number of more than 600 TEUs mid-February, one-tenth of the envisioned capacity.

Faced with the harsh reality that this thing is not working, Kenya Railways gave incentives that would attract more importers to opt fir SGR but this is yet to level up. SGR is struggling to find importers willing to use its services and KPA is forced to make drastic price cuts to lure users. Costs are down to Sh.12,240 from Sh. 16,000 for a 40-foot container.

This government also had given a directive for goods destined for Nairobi and beyond to be transferred and cleared at Inland Container Deport in Nairobi. Forget the fact that Kenya is a free market and exporters should be at liberty to decide on how and which mode of transport that feel is profitable enough for their business models, now its mandatory to use SGR.

It is turning out that KPA lacks capacity at the ICD and the order to transfer all cargo there was rescinded after cargo had incurred storage charges at the port because of the delay in the clearance at the ICD and the transfer from Mombasa to Nairobi. The ripple effect of moving Mombasa to Nairobi is far reaching but mostly is the fact that it will kill the truck business which is a major source of income to communities living along Mombasa-Nairobi route.

For importers who are the key targets and life savior for SGR, the cargo system is not working at all for them, at least for now. Implementation of SGR was hurried in panic and in the event, it has disorganized importers and the Port staff alike. Existing failures begs the question whether a feasibility test was carried out and whether recommendations were adhered to. One thing that is evidently clear is this project was conceptualized for the good of tenderpreneurs who stood benefiting more from the bloated budget of Sh327B instead of recommended Sh16B. In it’s implementation, Mwananchi was not factored in and that’s why the reality is now biting.

Exporters are complaining that there are many hidden costs which make it more expensive to use the train for cargo compared to the trucks. Trucks get your cargo from the port/CFS and they take straight to your premises and take back the empty container to the assigned yard, at no extra fee. Whereas with the SGR must shunt the cargo from the ICD to your premises and bring back the empty to Msa by SGR at USD 100

Hidden charges in this are as follows; USD 100 verification at the ICD. Repatriation of the empty container back to Mombasa costs USD 100 paid to SGR back to the port and USD 40 charged onward to the designated empty yards which have always been catered by the transporters. Haunting of the cargo from the ICD to the premises of the cargo owner and the empty back to SGR

In Nairobi, facilities available lacks the capacity to handle large cargo volumes as it has been evident in the last two months, officials are less and they blackmail the importers with the need for bribes before the release of the cargo hence the delay. Government’s directive was to clear cargo within 6 hours. ICD delay and bottlenecks take 5 days to clear now.

Coming from all the extra costs incurred by cargo owners, it is pretty obvious they’ll pass the cost to consumers who’ll, unfortunately, bare the wrath of this logistical mess up. The new developments are also set to make changes in the freight industry and mostly the trucking business which feeds most people in the key Mombasa-Nairobi route. You can most certainly say the thinkers of this project and those who decided to force Nairobi as the central point for cargo clearance, didn’t factor in the ripple effect it would have on the many families living along Mombasa-Nairobi route and depend on the trucking business to make a living. Where will they go next? A convenient model would have both railway and road working for everyone and no one left injured but that’s not the likely case with the ICD directive.

People have invested in state of the art gas stations along the Nairobi Highway for example which will be idle. The abrupt and arbitrary decision to transfer things to ICD will discourage trade because of the uncertainties its coming with. CFS’ have laid staff due to uncertainty in the industry, the ripple effect felt by the suppliers, transporters.

Private CFS give waivers on rent accrued whereas the beaurecracy at KPA makes it hard for importers. There is a committee at the commercial office that must sit for one to be given a waiver and by the time they sit the charges have gone up. On behalf of the importer, CFS’ inspect container damages and seal discrepancies at the port and engage a surveyor before transfer. Procedure stipulates cargo to be inspected at the port in case of anomaly and engage surveyor and other stake holders failure to which claims will not be honored.

Evidently, the current model proposed by SGR is not working out as it’s more of loss making than profit making. There’s There’s need for government to sit down with importers and factor in their grievances instead of giving this an ostrich treatment. Most important is, as a free market, the government must not curtail, coerce importers to use SGR instead leave them at liberty to choose their best working model.

Barely Days, after the union called off the strike and doctors, resumed duties, the government has taken a sharp turn by dishonoring elements of RTWF that they assigned to. One of the components demanded that doctors were to be paid in full amounts salaries for the three months period that they were on strike and that was a passed condition. CoG and CG have on several platforms reiterated that doctors wouldn’t be paid for the time that they were on strike. This is being done in bad faith, and a new crisis opened putting the risk of yet another standoff. The union’s Secretary General in a message to his members is giving them morale boosts with surety that all shall be well with a united membership.

Read the note below:

‘Si Se Puede!’ (Yes it can be done)

Greetings Comrades,

“The greatest tragedy is not to live and die, as we all must. The greatest tragedy is for a person to live and die without knowing the satisfaction of giving life to others.” ~ Cesar Chavez.

In May 1972, Arizona Legislature passed a bill that would deny farm workers under their union, United Farm Workers, the right to strike and boycott during times of Harvest, and essentially make it impossible for them to organize. The bill was sponsored by agribusiness.

The farm workers sought the intervention of Republican Governor, Jack Williams, to appeal for him to veto the legislature. Instead, within one hour of the request and to the spite of the workers who had sought his intervention, the Governor ordered the state troops to bring him the bill. He signed it right away remarking about the workers, ‘As far as I am concerned, these people (workers) do not exist.’

Cesar Chavez, the leader of the United Farm Workers, would then begin a self-sacrificial 24-day water only fast whose end was nearly disastrous. Eventually, there was victory and changes over time to the rights of workers he championed. During the fast, several political voices discouraged him over a fruitless activity to a state dominated by grower lobby and a powerful governor by the words ‘No no, se puede!’ (No no, it can not be done). Cesar and his colleague Dolores would listen and softly respond, ‘Si Si, se puede!’ (Yes, yes it can be done).

Aren’t Kenyan doctors undergoing a near similar situation?

Nearly four decades later, Barack Obama, would borrow the same phrase ‘Yes We Can!’ for his campaigns to mirror the unity and resolve of the United Farm Workers in 1972.

For each and every doctor reading this, know that your unity and resolve will ignite so much more changes to come in Healthcare and to the medical profession. History can and will attest. That is why it is an endearing target for our opponents. Remember the curse of the counties can only be cured by a Health Service Commission. And that is why loud mouths want you distracted over agreements that are public. Let them panic. Not you.

But barely a week since we paused to merely rejuvenate and refuel for our long journey to Canaan, there has been no hiding of intentions to deal with KMPDU and all Kenyan Doctors in a manner as to affirm the quoted attitude of, ‘As far as we are concerned, these people do not exist.’ The 100 days proved it.

The utterances, letters, and circulars of this week now confirm to any doubting soul, the nature and the attitude of public service harbored by the leadership of the Health Sector and particularly the Health Ministry. And it confirms the caliber of people we have to deal with. Essentially, we are the only ones we need. But that is all we need. Just WE.

The objective has been to demoralize and kill the spirit of every single doctor tirelessly working for the helpless public. And why so? To degrade the profession, weaken it and eventually strip it of any remaining respect and dignity. The same values we fought long and hard for. For this is the way, it can be used and misused for private profiteering, or pondering of public coffers. But as we all know, our resolve and unity are unshakable. Keep solid. Soon they will tire with anger as we change the sector and the profession for better. It won’t be easy. It has been too hard already.

I’m aware, you were healing well, but sadists can’t have enough of scratching our raw wounds and the work place you left on 5th December 2016, is probably more toxic now than when you left it.

But WE have one thing now. Power to say NO to the injustice of whatever magnitude and the power of unity.
Do not give away that power we have not only longed for but also acquired over this period. Do not be convinced through actions of malice that fighting for social justice, fighting for your rights and fighting for a better healthcare system is not worth it. That is the objective of attempting to deny you salaries or continuing to victimize you. Weak people choose inconsequential activities to prove themselves. What more proof than when doctors feel hurt or feel unhappy. Because any society of worthy leaders know the fact: When workers are treated fairly, everybody benefits.

It is a given doctor aren’t the only and first workers to go on strike in Kenya. And this strike won’t be the first since 1940 when salaries are denied. Be calm. Fear is what they feed on, because they can’t handle substance. They don’t deserve your fear either. Be strong as you have always been. Salaries MUST be paid and paid to the last coin for each and every doctor.

Finally, WE as doctors know we handle delicate and vulnerable citizens on a daily basis. Let us serve them as perfectly as we can. That privilege makes doctors of a different temperament. Not considering political position above life, and ego above servitude as opposed to only handling tenders and budgets. They see no human suffering and thus cannot relate that how doctors feel determine how patients are treated. We know better that their words are simply that words. Their press statements are simply that statements. But our actions are much louder. Let the whole world see for themselves their nakedness when they spoil for a fight. We shall deliver it cold.

Thank you for keeping it KMPDU. Thank you for being your champions. Do not give away your power. Healthcare needs it. You need it too. Watch over your shoulders.

The Struggle is far from over. And our separate struggles are just one. A struggle for freedom, respect, and dignity. A struggle to determine our own destiny. Stand up for one another. Si se puede! (Yes, it can be done)
Take a pause. Give your best services to Kenyans. Just Be Calm.

We love you.

Yours Servant,

Dr. Ouma Oluga
Secretary General
KMPDU

Kenya could be staring at an escalated health crisis following the doctors strike that is now clicking on to its 100th day. With negotiations seemingly hitting bedrock and the government calling off talks, things are slowly moving from bad to worse. An evidently outraged President told off doctors demands as unrealistic canceling the offers made to them. It goes without mentioning that the office of the President despite Kenya’s economy state, uses billions in travels and hospitality, recently Kenya spent hundreds of millions in the shuttle diplomacy tour to lobby for Ambassador Amina’s AU candidacy.

The government at the same time is allocating 1B to renovate the Statehouse. At the same time salaries of senior public servants from the President to his Cabinet Secretaries expected to be increased from June. So if we’re talking about unreality, We have a reference point.

The standoff between doctors and government as the employer has a lot to do with self-interests and bloated egos especially amongst state officials who’ve not shied away from stating the obvious that the backdrop of hard stand against CBA implementation is to protect the interests of the private healthcare. Treasury CS Rotich is on record saying the government will not allow proposed salary increase as that would injure the stability of private hospitals.

With the state of uncertainty now surrounding the future of healthcare in Kenya, many are clueless as to what happened in the last minutes when a deal had supposedly been reached only for the President to cancel everything. Highly placed sources intimate to Kenya Insights the intrigues behind the scenes that led to the presidential meltdown at the devolution conference.

Apparently, The night before the court of appeal, the President had summoned KMPDU to Statehouse, full with media and Governors with a return to work formula. The President has planned to force KMPDU into sign under duress.
Cars were sent to pick the officials, but they refused to go. This caused the outrage, he was furious.

The President and his deputy categorically said the doctors would NEVER get any CBA and that the government has the money to pay even the 2013 CBA rates, but they will not sign. They vowed to crush KMPDU at all cost- as echoed in his fumed speech; the officials would be sorted. This clearly a black and white intimidation tacts.

The governors went ahead to unveil a plan of importing doctors from Tanzania and Cuba. At the same time gave an offer to willing doctors who would agree to go against Union’s will to go back to work. The package included a 40% increase. It’s funny for governors to give such an offer yet they’re on record to have had fired all striking doctors. The mind games boggling. Tanzania is ranked amongst countries with the low doctor to the patient ratio by WHO standing at 1:10,000.

The country has a shortage of doctors and sourcing from outside. In a blow to the governor’s prospect, Tanzania doctors union has come out and ruled out possibilities of coming to Kenya in governor’s demand saying they’re in solidarity with the Kenyan counterparts encouraging the state to instead solve the affairs internally before reaching out to them.

Hiring Cuban doctors is an expensive option that has been tried in similar situations in different African countries and failed miserably. Kenya has 5000 doctors which is way below recommended international standards given the high population. Kenyan doctors are overworked given the extraordinary doctor to patient ratio. The most of the Cuban medics government can hire 200, and that’s a drop in the ocean. They can’t handle the workload. The amount of hiring and sustaining foreign doctors is higher than the amount needed to pay the doctors.

As a country of knee-jerk decisions, the policy makers can’t see beyond the nose. The country can’t sustain the idea, and all we’re witnessing is nothing but penis measuring, the fact is it’s cheaper and sustainable paying our doctors and implementing CBA which is a long-term relief in streamlining the ailing public healthcare. The fear of applying this agreement made in 2013 is not that the government can’t find it, but it’s deliberately being swept under to protect the interest of the private sector majority of which is owned by same policy makers.

With government maintaining hard positions, the doctors who’ve maneuvered through three months without pay and constant blackmailing and intimidation from the employer are making considerations that would move things from bad to worse. A unanimous decision seems to have been made amongst the medics considering a massive brain drain. We’re staring at an inevitable mass resignation and transfer of doctors to foreign countries.

According to multiple sources talking to Kenya Insights, countries as Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Australia have their agents in Kenya having advanced discussions with the doctors who’re now feeling unappreciated by the State. “We’re ready to move to countries that can appreciate us if our own won’t,” says one of the doctors speaking to us.

Countries like Namibia is offering double the salary of what is demanded in the CBA, an intern in Namibia confirms to Kenya Insights they’re earning a 3000USD monthly allowance. Kenya medics are highly considered and ranked amongst the best in the market making them a hot commodity in the shelves. If the government is not going to play magic and make the environment conducive, Kenya is yet to see the worst in the healthcare sphere. In 1994, after failed talks, doctors moved away in masses, and this could be again the case this year. As it stands, Kenya is in dare need of more doctors and a scenario of the few going away is enough crisis signal.

Charlatans as Health PS Muraguri are escalating the doctor’s standoff. The hardliner has resorted to using cartel media houses like Capital News owned by Chris Kirubi who’s amongst investors in the protected private health-care to churn false and blackmailing news on doctors. A lasting solution is needed to end the health freeze as big men fight for their survival; the poor are dying and spending to their last coin to stay alive. The government has the sole obligation of ensuring a healthy nation, the legitimacy of a government comes under scrutiny when a country remains on a three-month death bed without grave concern from the authorities.

By TCG

Recent remarks by Deputy President William Ruto on a perceived “lack of priority” by the County Government of Turkana in service delivery is erroneous, mischievous and will not go unchallenged.
Therefore, the TCG wishes to state the following:
In his tour of the county, the DP has proven in his utterance and actions of his complete disrespect of the County Government of Turkana and its leadership. His itinerary included visits to County Funded health and water projects but without the courtesy of informing or inviting the host government.

Ruto has refused to see any good in the performance of the County Government and despite existence of an intergovernmental framework of coordination and consultation between the two levels of government, he has kept Turkana County Government in the dark on his visitation. Instead, he has resorted to attacking the Governor at every opportunity through roadside political propagandas.

It has also not gone unnoticed to Kenyans and to the residents of Turkana that this unwarranted attacks on the county government is part of a bigger plan to install a weak administration on the Turkana people, a leadership that he can manipulate and one that can easily bend to wishes and goal of plundering resources of Turkana unabated.

In his utterance, the DP failed to provide a satisfactory answer to the Turkana people on the pertinent question of division of oil benefits the Jubilee Government is behind the attempt to disposes the Turkana of oil benefits through a punitive legislation such as the changes proposed to amend the Petroleum Bill 2016.

William Ruto has been part of the last three regimes that ignored the plight of the Turkana people. He was in government during the reign of KANU, he served as a minister in the government of NARC and later the Grand Coalition Government now as the seating Deputy President in the Jubilee Administration. These regimes have made no sustainable effort to support the Turkana development agenda, and it therefore raises the question, why the renewed interest in Turkana affairs?

Under the Jubilee Government, insecurity in Turkana County has deteriorated to unprecedented levels.
The attack on the leadership of Governor Josphat Nanok adds to a trend of the DP attacking strong leadership and other ODM Governors across the country.

This in our opinion is a futile attempt to divert the attention of Kenyans to the monumental failure by the Jubilee administration to deliver on promises it made to Kenyans.

Ruto’s roadside projects declarations are just but empty rhetoric meant to deceive the Turkana electorates. A good example is a grid power that was promised to the people of Lokichar before last general election and which is yet to materialize four years and counting.

Anyone in his right sense would question why these promises are coming at the end of five years and at general election campaigns.
The Turkana County Government achievements can best be enumerated against targets in the CIDP, I will list but a few.

In the four years of existence;
The county government has constructed more than 200 ECDE centers across the County, which have been equipped and teachers recruited to the centres, a factor that has improved access to education in Turkana. During our last recruitment of 300 teachers in 2015, it even donated 200 teachers to primary and secondly school after an appeal from education stakeholders in the County.

To boost pastoral economy for the largely nomadic people of Turkana, we have resourced the purchase of veterinary drugs, equipment and vaccines in the last financial year alone.

We have also completed over 150 boreholes and continue to repair many others boreholes, and aim to construct two dams in every ward.
The process of utilization of Napuu aquifer in the construction of Napuu water project is underway and with the remaining works consisting of construction of storage facilities and pipeline systems.
The county is also upgrading high yielding boreholes to solar systems in over 50 sites.

To boost food security, we are establishing new irrigation schemes, the Nakwamoru irrigation scheme and at Lomidat spate dam in Turkana West, with construction of model drip irrigation system in Kapese in Lokichar, Lobei in Loima, Kachoda in Lapur and Nakukulas in Turkana East in the pipeline.

So far, 250 hectares of land has been utilised for crop production which has benefitted over 5000 people with an aim of scalping this upto to 830 hectares.
During this past financial year, 3633 acres of land have been utilized for cereals production, yielding over 50,000 bags of maize and sorghum per harvest.
On health, change of status from a District Hospital to a County Referral Hospital was a flagship project of the county government through which the diagnostic capacity of the hospital has been expanded with the main lab receiving state of the art equipment. This includes an oxygen plant, CT scan, medical supplies logistics unit (store), new modern mortuary, cold chain for vaccines all of which have greatly reduced mortality rates, the number of referrals outside the county as well as raising the quality of health service delivered.

The county government has also upgraded over 30 dispensaries to Health Centres, constructed 90 new dispensaries and other 30 dispensaries ongoing.
Over 670 health workers have been recruited and deployed across the county, 13 lifesaving ambulances have been procured.

The Ministry of Health is procuring container clinics to serve nomadic communities which will be placed along migratory routes. This will improve access to healthcare services to our nomadic pastoral communities.

In the current Financial Year, Turkana County Government has distributes two relief cycles countywide with a total of 900,000 beneficiaries.
The Food quantity per cycle was as follows: 40,000 of 50kg bags of cereals, 10,000 of 50kg bags of pulses, 10,000 20litre jerry cans of vegetable oil.

The County has also, in partnership with relief partners such as Kenya Red Cross, World Vision, Oxfam, Unicef, World Food Program, National Disaster Management Authority, Save the Children and others, responded to emergencies with supplementary food distribution, fuel subsidy, aquatabs, and other non-food items.

Access to solar power to public utilities has also improved through the government’s efforts to fit each of these institutions with solar power systems.
In a move aimed at improving trade and nurturing the entrepreneurship spirit across the county, 14 market stalls have been built in all the six sub-counties.
Even with the above, there still exists an elaborate process in place to account for public funds and systems to deal with perceived abuse or misuse of the same, all of which we believe are known to the DP.

However, since the case he has against Turkana County Government lacks merit and is without basis, he has taken the less honourable route of political propaganda.

Besides, DP Ruto lacks the moral ground to lecture anyone on matters integrity and financial probity since almost each and every scandal on the Kenyan soil can be traced to him and individuals associated with him.

Successive regimes subjected the Turkana people to skewed development for long periods since independence, leaving a heap of problems that requires monumental financial resources for the region to catch up with the rest of Kenya.
Therefore what the County Government requires is complementary support from the National Government, not admonition meant to settle political scores.

David Neil is not new in the battalion shooting down Government’s chest thumping on development. The recently named world’s most valued economists have been one of the harshest critics of the Jubilee regime with consistent holes poking in its expenditure. He’s widely quoted in Eurobond spendings which he still insists was misappropriated by the government.

Ndii has insisted that the Jubilee government has lied to Kenyans that Eurobond was put in the budget and disbursed to ministries for various development projects in the FY 2014/15. He breaks it down that the government borrowed Sh290 billion by floating sovereign bonds (Eurobond). But lacks evidence to show where Sh228 billion went — with the only figure clear being US$605 million which was used to pay off a loan.

In his Daily Nation column, The robust economist has once again disengaged his claws calling out the government’s failures in expenditure and sent a credible warning that Jubilee would plunge the country into a total economy shutdown should they be re-elected in the coming elections.

He attributes eminent collapse in a steady and unsustainable borrowing by the government. “Many people think that these loans are a burden to our children and future generations. Not so. We are paying now. Jubilee has put the country on a debt treadmill.
We have to keep borrowing, or we will collapse.” He sounded the warning.

Ndii goes ahead to elaborate, “Before Jubilee, we were spending only Sh20 out of Sh100 of tax revenue to service debt. This figure is now approaching Sh40 out of Sh100 and rising rapidly. Before Jubilee, interest on the foreign debt cost us less than $5 out of every $100 of foreign exchange earnings. Today, it is costing us $15, and rising fast. Spending 40 percent of our revenue servicing debt means less money to provide services. It is also a threat to devolution. The constitution mandates national priorities before the counties revenue share is determined. Debt service is one of these national priorities. This means that the more debt service outlays, the lower the revenue there is to be shared. In addition to the undermining provision of public utilities, this debt treadmill is a grave threat to our economic stability. ”
Terming Jubilee administration as the most corrupt and incompetent government in our history, Ndii warns that achieving 2030 visions would remain a dream of the current state of looting is left undisturbed. “Where will we be after five more years of Jubilee? After five more years of Jubilee, we will be back where we were in 2003.” Says Ndii. “We will have ground to a halt and talking about recovery, and that is if Jubilee would not have dismantled the Constitution and established the reign of terror that they evidently desire.” He continues.

As a remedy, Ndii is pitching the opposition’s unity as the only way to save Kenyans from the wild teeth of jubilee. He likens the current state to Moi era where several multi-billion scandals as Goldenberg were made and The country nearly came to its knees before opposition under Rainbow coalition came in and salvaged the country sending Moi home. Ndii believes this is the only way the current opposition can help the situation by coming together and out of a strong team to send Jubilee home. Ndii insists opposition owes Kenya this one favor of sending jubilee home or they’ll forever be judged harshly by history. Coming at a time when companies are laying off staff in masses to balance their books and at the same time unemployment index going up the scale, maybe we should pause and listen to Ndii.

With Government’s last resolve to intimidate doctors by jailing KMPDU officials and threatening rest with sacking, all is not a walk in the sand. The meeting between Council of Governors and Ministry of Health made a disastrous and miscalculated move to sack doctors as their brightest way to end the month-long doctors strike. However, from Kenya Insights’ feeds, all is not as rosy.

Reliable intelligence reports indicate that major cracks have emerged within the CoG on the way to deal with the doctors’ strike. At least 24 Counties agree with the CBA in its current form and do not see why the standoff should persist.

Nairobi, Machakos, and Kiambu are feeling sweet because they imagine they usually attract more doctors interested in working there. Mailu & Muraguri have hit a dead end. Their foreign doctors import agenda having collapsed before commissioning.

One County Governor categorically told the COG & MOH to be ready to honor the CBA or he will go Public and abandon the GoK line, and many Governors will follow him and CoG as we know it will be dead. He is categorical no so-called sack letters will come from his Government.

KMPDU officials are not having any county level negotiations but at national. This, by the way, cuts the work for governors, they should preferably take back seat for the doctors to do the donkey job for them and force Treasury to make the allocations to County’s accounts instead of giving them the bulk of begging Treasury to allocate funds in the case that County effects the negotiations. But do these governors think beyond their egos and political atmospheric tunes, you guessed right, never!

While some governors are chocking in ego, some are sensible enough to see beyond their noses. In Kajiado, Governor David Nkedianye said they would not sack the striking doctors, but would instead negotiate a return-to-work formula with them.

“Many people are suffering in their homes, with some their death beds, and it’s unfortunate because they cannot afford private healthcare,” said Dr. Nkedianye.

In Kisumu, egocentric Governor Jack Ranguma told off the doctors, saying they earn more money than their counterparts in the private hospitals who, he claimed, do a better job.

Mr. Ranguma, who is chairman of the health committee in the CoG, said it was a shame that the doctors had persisted with their strike this long. Ranguma who has been accused of misappropriating county funds would make you fall off the cliff with his concerns over proper resources use. While engaging in the dick measuring with doctors, It’s the poor citizens who bare the consequences of poor decisions made by the people they elected to ensure undisturbed service delivery.

As the last resolve, we’ve obtained credible intelligence that the State through Labour courts, is planning to jail the KMPDU officials at least keeping them in remand through the weekend. The plan choreographed by psychotic Muraguri abusing the office of the presidency privileges, Is planning to frustrate efforts to secure bonds for the doctors with intentions of keeping them behind bars over contempt of court. It will be interesting to see if the court will jail the officials over the same case as that of interior CS Kibicho who has contempt of court and arrest warrant over his head yet going about his business undeterred.

The consequences of jailing KMPDU officials would not solve the crisis but instead, worsen the situation by inciting other doctors leading to complete healthcare freeze. But there seems to be no stop to the evil plans of jailing the officials and luckily enough, there’s no end to the CBA implementation course either according to the language from the doctors union.

Read the address made by fiery and defiant KMPDU Sec Gen Dr.Olunga exuding confidence in his drive and general resolve on doctors plight he made on Jan 10th just after the court issued the arrest warrant on the officials:

“Good morning Dear Doctors,
Yesterday night I was sharing with my colleagues that amidst the American Civil War that had ravaged and divided the USA into directional fragments, in 1863, the then POTUS, one, Abraham
Lincoln spoke in what came to be famously known as the Gettysburg Address and outstandingly said: “We’re not as divided as we’ve been meant to believe.”
Today I want to tell the Republic of Kenya that WE cannot run out of options as a country since in the final analysis when you wake as a Kenyan – as a doctor, as a MCA, an MP, Senator, Governor
or even the head of state, the only two questions that matter are that what kind of healthcare system do we have in place and is it responsive to your needs as a mwananchi?!!

If you answer the above questions, then all the this and that talk coupled with warrants of arrest is NULL AND VOID. Further, if you as a Kenyan ask yourself self-search on what you want your
healthcare system infrastructure and personnel looks like and should be operating at high levels there’s nowhere where warrants of arrest come in!

Truthfully the government has gotten to the end-throes of thinking as they’ve employed all their tactics available to no success – they’ve sacked the doctors twice, have advertised their jobs once and will soon readvertise, doctors from Cuba and India
has been the talk till now but nothing so far.

Fellow Kenyans, the question for the whole country is: WHAT NEXT? Be informed that the doctors have not run out of options. I’ll answer for us all that what’s next is for the government to implement the CBA expressly in toto and pay up the outstanding
arrears in full through a properly sat-out and negotiated implementation matrix for which the Union(KMPDU) has and is still available for discourse.

After all the wastefulness of the taxpayers’ money in doing show-cause/sack letters to Doctors and advertising and readvertising, remember the Swahili say: “Mbio za sakafuni huishia ukingoni” Serikali imefika ukingoni nasi kama madaktari
tunawadia mlangoni ambapo ni CBA!

As doctors, WE need to know and appreciate that the common citizenry may not know what quality healthcare means for them, but we do – standards of care. Therefore be reminded, dear doctors today that WE’RE the Champions for Kenyans for a
proper, quality, the responsive healthcare system for all the 40+million citizens of this country.

As champions, we have a responsibility to raise awareness about the CBA which aims for the betterment of quality healthcare which is our quest for the ultimate sound of the Kenyan citizenry.

As I close I’ll start the championing process by saying that we have been told by the government that implementing the CBA will cost 12B but WE have done our Mathematics and WE know for sure it’ll cost 8.1B per financial year, ONLY. But giving them the benefit of doubt and assuming that it’ll cost 12B, it’s
informative to let you and Kenyans know that every financial year, Kenya pays India 10B through the NHIF and out of the ultimately pooled 51B we as Kenyan citizens remit to NHIF as social
health insurance, 33B goes to private hospitals! Private hospitals treat a paltry 1% of the population.

Therefore WE as doctors are saying that the GoK needs to take a measly 12B (in their
figures) to treat the 99% of Kenyans. At this point, Kenyans, realize that this is your war and we’re only leading the war fronts, the lines of fire!

Coming to the total public health expenditure vote that now stands at 150B, the amount that currently goes to Doctors’ remuneration is 3.6B that’s less than 2.5% of it all. Using their figures, we painfully realize on behalf of the 99% of Kenyans that they’re being denied such quality healthcare which if the
CBA is implemented at their 12B figure translates to only less than 5% of the whole public health expenditure budget!

Lastly, as I close, fellow Kenyans, as a country we cannot joke with the 5 000 brightest minds in Kenya. It’s a big shame since we’re incidentally contributing to killing the dreams of young boys and girls who’ve recently passed their KCPE and KCSE and are
aspiring to join this noble profession. Again to Kenyans, I am, and all of us are very proud to be doctors at your service but help us tell your government to get us back to work for you by
implementing the CBA. You best believe me, any day, given another chance the doctors of Kenya would still choose to pursue this career path but so in a healthcare system that responds to our needs in our efforts to offer you our brothers and sisters the best quality healthcare possible as enshrined and
envisioned in the CBA. Thank you all and God Bless You!”

The clueless negotiators can as well be blind to the facts and implement the Hitler’s motivated tactics, martial doctors, back to work. MoH is talking about initiating CBA talks months after doctors are back to work yet they’ve done less or nothing in the negotiations that has lapped the one month mark excluding the strike notice period. The dishonesty and consistent demonizing script on doctors, will that bury the big elephant in the house, CBA.? Time is of the essence.

 
The Council Of Governors will today meet Ministry of Health officials and the Doctors Union in an intense negotiation to end the month-long strike. There has been the lack of sincerity especially from the Government’s side to end the strike that has now seen uncountable lives lost, and the general public was thrown into suffering.

Government’s reluctance has been self-manifest through intimidation and blackmailing tactics they’ve reigned in the officials from arrest threats to physical intimidation on KMPDU officials to threatening mass sacking of striking doctors and replacing them with foreign ones. It has been so embarrassing that Statehouse denounced authenticity of CBA saying SRC wasn’t assignee to the pact with evidence saying otherwise. This was meant to be an excuse for not implementing the document that the government assigned to.

As COG meets to deliberate on the way forward, Kenya Insights has learned that the Council has shown the willingness to adopt the agreement to break off the standoff, but MoH is exhibiting all the negative signs and unwillingness to break the clog.

We’ve established that over time, MoH has been blocking the doctors from meeting COG through blackmail tactics. The ministry officials have been telling off KMPDU that even if they met COG and got CBA nod, they’ll use executive influence to stop treasury from allocating the funds. MoH has been reassuring COG that then they’ll deal with KMPDU ruthlessly- they’ve been using the presidency to this advantage. Talks with the President didn’t bore fruits either.

Many Governors are getting restless with MoH’sMoH’s handling of the strike, most of them especially from Jubilee regions can’t talk openly being an election year, some have been threatened with losing party support if they raised voice. Kenya Insights through insider sources has established that COG was in the process of implementing CBA but was stopped by MoH who wants to take the credits. The plot is for MoH to set up a KMPDU vs. COG and take credit. The entire game is politicized, but KMPDU officials have reiterated and distanced themselves of having any political interest in the squabbles with full support for devolution.

There have been fictitious meetings between COG, MoH, SRC to the charter way forward but one thing comes out clear from all that MoH with stiff stands has become the stumbling block. The arrogance has heightened to the levels that one of the Afya House officials was overheard saying that “Kenyans are very tolerant, if they can vumilia for 34 days, the strike can last for another 35 days we don’t give a fuck.” The bully nature and insincere negotiation spirit by the MoH are the primary reason the standoff has stiffened.

A malign campaign has also been on a play by The Ministry against doctors with propaganda flying around that they’ve turned down government offers that doctors are selfish. The campaign doesn’t detail the CBA requirements in entirety which goes beyond doctors pay. CBA was designed to resuscitate the collapsing public healthcare system which is majority’s option. The politicians are turning a blind eye on the standoff as they comfortably afford private healthcare off taxpayers who’re now left at God’s mercy. The public healthcare is on its deathbed not by coincidence but a conspiracy that is now seeing foreign investors and their local intermediaries take over the healthcare industry.

Kenya is yet to come to terms with the KCSE results announced by Education CS revealing a massive drop in performances as compared to the previous years. Most shocking is that only 15% of the 577K candidates who sat for the exams scored C+ and above meaning 85% of the candidates failed. Such disturbing stats. Going further, only 141 candidates scored straight As down from 2865 the previous year. The embarrassing decline exposed an alarming trend within the system that dubious grades have been churned over time. On releasing the results, the CS said the exam was tightly supervised than ever before with no single cheating case, and for the first time in Kenya history, KNEC didn’t cancel a single result. As the CS said the grades released were the clear and genuine reflection of the candidates and Kenya education system. Damned!

The inconsistency is attributed to exams cheating which has been rampant in the past recent years, 2015 exams were largely leaked that ministry contemplated calling for the exams. 5000 results were canceled, and it recorded highest numbers of As. Dishonest grades that have seen a culture of jelly students registering for prestigious courses in universities given their strong but untrue grades, shifting courses over the years. Prof. Magoha noted with concern how 50% of students who join medical schools come with fake grades only to spring out of the course when the tough hits the rail.

Schools and students have been running monkey businesses for good grades that the stiff Matiang’i rules killed embarrassing schools like Kabarak who previously recorded 212 As in 2015 and managed mere 2 As this year. It’s known that of some private schools operate multiple examination centers with an aim of engaging in unethical practices meant to enable them to record favourable rankings in national usual. This is a ridiculous examination malpractice since the proprietors of these schools are apparently using innocent students in an unscrupulous marketing exercise of their businesses.

As it were, these schools register weaker pupils at sister “satellite” examination centres so as not to bring down the mean scores of their main “marketing” schools. We have discovered that the majority of these schools that offload “weaker” pupils usually have a small candidature of between 20 and 30 of their best candidates. These abnormal centers are the ones that top charts whenever ranking for schools is done. How just did the ministry cap exams cheating and beating the cartel at their own game?

In May 2016, Matiang’i banned the holding of mass prayers and school visiting days during the third term, noting that some unscrupulous individuals use these days to sneak materials that could compromise national exams.

October, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang announced the overseeing of the national examinations by county commissioners, as opposed to the Kenya National Examination Officials (KNEC) supervisors who had been conducting the similar role in previous national examinations.

The Education Ministry had also advocated the installation of security cameras in examination centers, aside from preventing the use of mobile phones by invigilators, supervisors or candidates in the exam room.

Matiang’i made head teachers directly responsible for their exam centres. Under the new regulations, head teachers were required to pick exam papers from county distribution points at 5:00am every day – a departure from normal practice where police managed distribution.

Exam papers had unique watermark barcodes on each page, a measure that was aimed at curbing copying. Exams marking were done under great scrutiny and set timelines. On the close of business day, all results from marking centers were electronically live streamed to the nerve center for keying in. All markings were done by 24th Dec. Unlike previous times where releasing results was delayed till February a period which gave time for money to exchange hands and manipulate the results, Matiangi released the results almost immediately to cut off this cartel.

Many useful lessons can be drawn from the successful administration of the 2016 national examinations. The most significant, however, is that with effective collaboration and coordination amongst relevant agencies of government, virtually any national task and objectives of government can be met. Going forward. Therefore, the Ministry of Education will endeavor to ensure effective cooperation and collaboration with all relevant actors to reform and strengthen the education system adequately.

The second lesson we learn is that the Government has all the machinery and capacity to run a clean, transparent and credible national examination. All we need is careful planning and committed staff who operate with high levels of integrity. Excuses like that of ICT CS Mucheru of Al Shabaab hacking Electronic voting system in favor of manual backup, don’t get things done instead action does.