Good People !
There are bright
future for Kenya with a good number of job
creation if only
they follow and stick with the law as per the
Constitutional
Reform that respect and value public mandate,
and honor Human
Rights and through putting their leaders on
checks.
Judy
Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
Balala:
Mining Bill ready
Published on Aug 6,
2013
http://www.nation.co.ke
Speaking at a press briefing in his office, Mining Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said the new Mining Bill, which was at the cabinet level would help streamline the mining industry saying all companies would get equal treatment by paying a flat rate in license fees and mining royalties, measures he said could earn the government over Sh10 billion immediately the measures were put in place. He also revoked 31 mining licences issued by the mining ministry between January and May this year saying they were issued in unclear circumstances. At the same time, the government has formed a taskforce to look into issuance of over 500 licences to mining companies since 2003, amidst reports that some were mere briefcase entities engaging in speculation and had no capacity to conduct commercial exploitation. Mr Balala said preliminary investigations indicated that only 20 out of the 500 companies were credible, with others out to make profits through speculation and hoarding of mineral resources, and making super profits by only paying a pittance to government by operating under the cover of export subsidies and other forms of preferential treatment.
Speaking at a press briefing in his office, Mining Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said the new Mining Bill, which was at the cabinet level would help streamline the mining industry saying all companies would get equal treatment by paying a flat rate in license fees and mining royalties, measures he said could earn the government over Sh10 billion immediately the measures were put in place. He also revoked 31 mining licences issued by the mining ministry between January and May this year saying they were issued in unclear circumstances. At the same time, the government has formed a taskforce to look into issuance of over 500 licences to mining companies since 2003, amidst reports that some were mere briefcase entities engaging in speculation and had no capacity to conduct commercial exploitation. Mr Balala said preliminary investigations indicated that only 20 out of the 500 companies were credible, with others out to make profits through speculation and hoarding of mineral resources, and making super profits by only paying a pittance to government by operating under the cover of export subsidies and other forms of preferential treatment.
Africa's
richest Aliko Dangote to visit Kenya over suspension of mining
licenses
Balala revokes mining licenses
Published on Aug 5, 2013
In a move set to
streamline Kenya's mining sector, Mining Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has
revoked all licenses issued from January to August 2013 to mining companies
across the country. Balala says the decision was arrived at as a number of the
licenses issued did not follow the 'set parameters' of the ministry. The Cabinet
Secretary further announced the review in royalties to be charged on various
minerals. The move to revoke the licenses is estimated to affect over 31
companies. NTV's Aby Agina has the details.
Parliament
recess
Published on Aug 6, 2013
No description available.
Balala revokes 31 mining licences
Mining Cabinet
Secretary Najib Balala has revoked 31 mining licences issued between January and
May 2013, saying they were issued under unclear circumstances.
Posted Monday, August 5 2013 at 13:28
Mining Cabinet
Secretary Najib Balala has revoked 31 mining licences issued between January and
May 2013, saying they were issued under unclear circumstances.
At the same time, the
government has formed a taskforce to look into issuance of licences to mining
companies, that will scrutinize among other things, the companies' capacity to
undertake mining activities and generate tax revenue.
Mr Balala said out of
500 mining licenses issued within that period, only 20 were held by credible
companies, while others were held by “briefcase’ companies that are in the
business of speculating and hoarding of the mineral resource.
MPs probe Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s
deals with Chinese companies
Updated
Wednesday, August 7th 2013 at 19:25 GMT +3
KENYA: Members of Parliament put Moi Teaching and Referral
Hospital (MTRH) on the spot after it emerged the facility signed a memorandum of
Sh17 billion with two Chinese firms.
The hospital signed a deal to engage China Aerospace Construction Group to carry out
upgrading and expansion of the facility on October 2012. However, this year on
May 3, the country’s second biggest referral hospital entered into another deal
with China Wu Yi for the same project, without cancelling
the first one.
The hospital admitted that they engaged a South African firm, TECMED in May 2012, but stopped any further engagement with it after Chinese government offered to finance the multi-billion shilling project on condition that only Chinese firms are considered for the contract.
Although the tender has not been awarded, MPs have expressed concern that the project may be derailed as it emerged that the earlier memorandum was binding. The MoU with China Aerospace is said to be having a clause that says, “MTRH does not engage with any other firm”.
The legislators want to establish if the hospital sidestepped the first company and is now favouring China Wu Yi, and whether the MoU with China Aerospace won’t return to haunt the project.
Another concern is why seven senior officials accepted a seven-day trip to China facilitated by China Wu Yi, a month after signing the memorandum yet they had not engaged further China Aerospace eight months after signing an MoU.
Delay
“We want to know under what circumstances MTRH signed a memorandum with the two companies. This may end up pitting the firms against each other and may cause unnecessary delay,” Health committee chair Rachel Nyamai said.
The committee yesterday ordered the management of MTRH hospital to furnish MPs with details of the two memoranda.
The legislators put hospital CEO John Kibosia to task to explain the status of the project given the existence of the two memoranda.
“The committee may consider this trip as a bribe,” Dr Nyamai said before
ordering Dr Kibosia to return to the committee on Tuesday next week.
The hospital admitted that they engaged a South African firm, TECMED in May 2012, but stopped any further engagement with it after Chinese government offered to finance the multi-billion shilling project on condition that only Chinese firms are considered for the contract.
Although the tender has not been awarded, MPs have expressed concern that the project may be derailed as it emerged that the earlier memorandum was binding. The MoU with China Aerospace is said to be having a clause that says, “MTRH does not engage with any other firm”.
The legislators want to establish if the hospital sidestepped the first company and is now favouring China Wu Yi, and whether the MoU with China Aerospace won’t return to haunt the project.
Another concern is why seven senior officials accepted a seven-day trip to China facilitated by China Wu Yi, a month after signing the memorandum yet they had not engaged further China Aerospace eight months after signing an MoU.
Delay
“We want to know under what circumstances MTRH signed a memorandum with the two companies. This may end up pitting the firms against each other and may cause unnecessary delay,” Health committee chair Rachel Nyamai said.
The committee yesterday ordered the management of MTRH hospital to furnish MPs with details of the two memoranda.
The legislators put hospital CEO John Kibosia to task to explain the status of the project given the existence of the two memoranda.
The MPs wondered why
the CEO led management team to China last month on an all-expense-paid trip.
Embakasi North MP John
Gakuya also wanted the hospital boss to explain why they had technically knocked
out some companies, especially those from Spain that had expressed interest in
the project.
The delegation to China
included Dr Kibosia, Deputy Director Finance and Administration Agunda Ochanda,
Deputy Director Francis Ogaro, Radiology and Imaging Head Of Department Ezekiel
Chemulwo, hospital engineer Joseph Atogo, HOD Laboratory Services Florence Tum
and Project co-ordinator Silas Tum.
Dr Kibosia defended the
July 1 to 9 trip, saying it was part of due diligence in determining capacities
of the companies that responded to the proposal. “The visit to China was to help
the hospital carry out due diligence and make evaluations of Chinese medical
equipment manufacturers. The visit was also meant to enrich our conceptual
requirements of a modern referral hospital,” he told the MPs.
Public hospital nurses yet to receive July salary despite government promise
Updated Monday, August 5th 2013 at 22:17 GMT +3
By ALLY JAMAH
KENYA: Sections of civil servants, including nurses, are yet to be paid their July salaries as the crisis in the public sector continues.
At least 20,000 nurses working in public health facilities are yet to receive their July pay despite last week’s promise by the Government to settle all outstanding salaries for public servants.
Chairman of the Kenya National Union of Nurses Jophinus Musundi confirmed to The Standard that nurses were almost at their wits ends. “We don’t know what is going on because the Government promised that our salaries would be ready before August 1 but up to now, no cent has been received in our accounts. We can’t work without money,” he said
He said that after their strike notice, the Government agreed not to transfer their salaries to the counties, making them to suspend the strike for the next two weeks. He warned that further delays in releasing the salaries would affect the performance of nurses in public health facilities.
Devolving health
“We suspended the strike thinking everything had been resolved. We didn’t expect further delays and no one is giving us straight answers on where the problem is. This is unacceptable,” he said.
A nurse who works at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport confirmed that he has not received his salary. He lamented that financial debts had begun piling and urged the Government to sort out the issue. He revealed that some of his colleagues were facing pressure from their landlords to pay rent or be kicked out. Others, he added, were struggling to raise bus fare to go to work.
Devolving health
Union of Civil Servants Head of Medical Chapter Evans Nasebe said officials in the Ministry of Health have telephoned and assured him that money for nurses would be in their banks by today morning.
“It appears that this confusion is caused by the move to rush the process of devolving health services to the counties. We ask the state to be more careful. Devolving health services should be gradual and needs to take three to seven years,” he suggested.
On their part doctors said that some of them received their June pay on Friday.
KENYA: Sections of civil servants, including nurses, are yet to be paid their July salaries as the crisis in the public sector continues.
At least 20,000 nurses working in public health facilities are yet to receive their July pay despite last week’s promise by the Government to settle all outstanding salaries for public servants.
Chairman of the Kenya National Union of Nurses Jophinus Musundi confirmed to The Standard that nurses were almost at their wits ends. “We don’t know what is going on because the Government promised that our salaries would be ready before August 1 but up to now, no cent has been received in our accounts. We can’t work without money,” he said
He said that after their strike notice, the Government agreed not to transfer their salaries to the counties, making them to suspend the strike for the next two weeks. He warned that further delays in releasing the salaries would affect the performance of nurses in public health facilities.
Devolving health
“We suspended the strike thinking everything had been resolved. We didn’t expect further delays and no one is giving us straight answers on where the problem is. This is unacceptable,” he said.
A nurse who works at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport confirmed that he has not received his salary. He lamented that financial debts had begun piling and urged the Government to sort out the issue. He revealed that some of his colleagues were facing pressure from their landlords to pay rent or be kicked out. Others, he added, were struggling to raise bus fare to go to work.
Devolving health
Union of Civil Servants Head of Medical Chapter Evans Nasebe said officials in the Ministry of Health have telephoned and assured him that money for nurses would be in their banks by today morning.
“It appears that this confusion is caused by the move to rush the process of devolving health services to the counties. We ask the state to be more careful. Devolving health services should be gradual and needs to take three to seven years,” he suggested.
On their part doctors said that some of them received their June pay on Friday.
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