Waste container to be shipped back to UK

The waste solid container that was intercepted by the Nema officials in Mombasa a month ago. Photo/Elkana Jacob

  Monday, August 19, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI

THE solid waste container which has been at the centre of controversy for the past one month will be will be shipped back to UK this week, National Environment Management Authority has confirmed.

Yesterday the container was transported to the Mombasa port from the Mitchell Cotts container freight station where Nema and KRA officials had intercepted it.
Officials from KRA, Port police, Nema, and the importer , Vintz Plastic Limited, accompanied the container to the port. It will be shipped back to Port of Felixstowe.
“Nema has succeeded in its battle against the importation of waste products into the country,” he said. Mombasa Nema enforcement officer Benson Wemali said.
Benjamin Lengwani, Nema national director of compliance and enforcement, said they have put up measures to ensure the cargo is not diverted to any other country.
Speaking to the Star on phone, Legwani said they would be receiving notification about the consignment after reaching specific destinations. He said the shipping line will send them notification that the container has already been loaded on the vessel and on reaching UK, the port officials will communicate that the consignment has been received
READ MORE..... http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-132515/waste-container-be-shipped-back-uk

Bedzimba, Joho fault title deed issue

 

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and Kisauni MP Rashid Benzimba during a last function.

Monday, August 19, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI

MOMBASA Governor Hassan Joho and Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba have faulted plans by the Jubilee government to issue 60,000 title deeds to Coast residents.

The two have began a campaign to sensitise the Coast residents against what they termed as the Jubilee government’s ‘sinister moves’. Speaking at Mlaleo in Kisauni constituency, Joho said the land issue at the Coast is not the exclusive mandate of the national government mandate.
He said local leaders and their people should be consulted if any progress is to be made. Joho said as governor, he is best placed to advise the government on which land should be given to the locals.
“We will only be certain when the Waitiki farm, Dunga Unuse and Kibarani lands are given back to the locals. These should be the first ones to be given back,” he said. Benzimba said Uhuru's government should use the land issue to dupe Coast people.
This comes after Cord principal Raila Odinga on Thursday last week opposed the plans as a move to hoodwink the coast residents into believing the Jubilee government has their interests at heart.
Raila said the land commission is the only organ mandated in the constitution to address the thorny issue of land in country. The Cabinet had on Tuesday approved the issuance of 60,000 title deeds to Coast residents by the end of this month in a move to address the squatter problem there.
He said acres of Kisauni land are owned by private individuals, hence to prove that the national government is out to solve the land issue, they should buy this land and settle the squatters in them.
Read More......http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-132514/bedzimba-joho-fault-title-deed-issue

Owls change fortunes of Kikambala residents

Local tourist at the site. Photo/Charles

Tourists at the African Barn Owl caves in Kika

                                                       Thursday, August 15, 2013 - 00:00 -- 

BY CHARLES MGHENYI

WHENEVER the word Kikambala is mentioned, many think about the beautiful hotels and sandy beaches in the region.
Google search of the word 'Kikambala' shows over 619,000 results which are all related to tourism, from the beautiful sandy beaches, the hotels and the fast growing real estate properties on the prime land which has attracted scores of investors.
Kikambala is located 27km north of Mombasa town and just a few kilometers from yet another famous town - Mtwapa.
Many recall the 2002 bomb attack of Paradise Hotel in Kikambala, an Israeli-owned establishment.
The blast occurred just after 60 visitors had checked into the hotel, all of them from Israel.
Some 13 people were killed and 80 injured. Ten Kenyans died in the attack and three Israelis, two of them children.
Nine of the victims were dancers who had been employed to welcome guests.
The dancers, many of them from the neighbouring communities in the area, have an inborn sense of hospitality.
They are known for using their cultural dance skills to entertain tourists.
The community has moved on from those sad moments. A visit to Ngoloko village in Kikambala is testimony to a community which has decided to transform its livelihood using natural resources. Apart from tourism, the locals have been fishing for many years. However, a new initiative is set to revolutionise their livelihoods.
The African Barn Owl initiative is an environmental and cultural conservation group based in Kikambala which recently opened its doors. It aims to use eco-tourism as an alternative to land use.
The project seeks to remove the popular belief in many African communities that owls are a bad omen.
Goodluck Mbaga, one the people behind the initiative, said they opted for the project after fishing became non-profitable and unsustainable.
“We are building a social enterprise that promotes environmental conservation beyond the protected area,” he said.
The caves, which first opened to the public in 2000, are situated near Sun N' Sand Beach Resort.
They serve as the breeding grounds for the owls which were previously being killed by the locals.
The villagers entertain visitors who visit the site and teach them about the rich Mijikenda history that dates back to the pre-colonial and slave trade period.
Mbaga explains that they intend to establish a bigger tourist destination centre which will accommodate many visitors.
“We are also planning to establish an indigenous Coastal tree nursery in order to conserve some of the most threatened species,” he says.
Mbaga says the centre is growing gradually and the community is benefiting from the projects, either directly or indirectly.
Ten community members are directly employed at the centre with over 40 others being invited to sell their traditional products to the visitors. There are over 30 dancers who entertain guests for a fee at the centre.
The centre has an outdoor education experience for schools and other institutions. Within the vicinity you can find the world famous Sun N’ Sand Beach Resort, Kikambala’s white sandy beaches, the African Barn Owl Caves and the village communities.
This unique outdoor educational experience involves open lectures and guided tours of all these sites. It promises a mix of learning and fun. In addition there are lots of opportunities to take memorable photos.
The students and teachers are guaranteed to learn a lot from the experienced tutors and guides who will deliver their services in a relaxed yet intense manner.
“This will give a lasting impression and contribute immensely to the general, scientific and nature knowledge of the students,” Mbaga says.
Educational lectures vary from tourism environment, geography-caves, coconut trees, marine, birds and peace keeping while the field excursions include African Barn Owl Caves, community villages and the white sandy beach.
At the centre, visitors are assured of sea excursion to the Indian Ocean with experienced local fishermen on their glass boats. This entails boat rides to the reef, marine life education (fish, crustaceans, corals/coral reefs) and swimming if the tides are low.
The centre charges Sh1,000 for foreigners and Sh300 for citizens while students part with only Sh100 whenever they visit the site.
A percentage of the money collected goes to environmental conservation and supporting the local community-based initiatives, according Mbaga.
Owls mights have be seen as bad omen but their caves in Kikambala are removing residents from abject poverty.
Read More.....http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-132163/owls-change-fortunes-kikambala-residents

Residents warned over Kinango land

Monday, August 12, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI

RESIDENTS of Tsunza in Kwale county have been warned against selling their lands to tycoons who are targeting the area because of the upcoming Dongo Kundu by-pass project.

Civil society, political and government leaders have warned that businessmen are out to buy acres of land at very low prices and making millions when the project is completed.
Speaking during the official opening of the Tsunza health centre in Kinango, the Gandini chief Harrison Munga said the residents are being blackmailed to sell off their lan.
Munga said people are ignorant of the consequences that will come after they sell off their land. He said many would be left landless and squatting in an area where land has been a problem since independence.
“People are selling their land using the allotment letters that they were given by the government. It is unfortunate that some are also giving out the allotment letters to buyers after selling the land,” he said.
The residents are selling the land between Sh200,000 and Sh300,000 per acre and according to the area chief the land would fetch millions of shillings when the Dongo Kundu project is completed.
He said they have initiated a process of enlightening the residents on importance of owning land in the area because the region will soon become an economic hub after the multi-billion bypass is completed.
Richard Matano, a human rights and nature activist, said the land in the area should be treated well because the region will soon be on the world map.
Majaliwa Kombo, a government relation manager at Base Titanium mining company in Kwale, said residents should never think of selling their land.
He said Kwale is a rich region and the upcoming Dongo Kundu project will open up doors for more development in the region.
He said investors are now running into Kwale county because of those multi-billion project and the residents should hold onto their land.
The Sh4 billion Dongo Kundu bypass is a proposed road that will connect Mombasa mainland (South and West) without entering Mombasa Island to ease congestion at the Likoni crossing channel.
It measures about 17.5km from Miritini at the mainland to Ng’ombeni to the south mainland and it will consist of four bridges through swampy land and Indian Ocean.
Read more...http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-131601/residents-warned-over-kinango-land

Land boards to be set up

National Land Commission chair, Mohamed Swazuri Photo file

Thursday, August 1, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI

THE National Land Commission has said the county land management boards will be put in place the laws that will govern them are formulated.
The boards are expected to represent NLC at the county level through the county executive members in charge of land. Speaking yesterday during the last day of a two day training for the lands county executive members at Pangoni hotel Mombasa, NLC chair Mohamed Swazuri, said they need time to finish up the laws and regulations.
“We cannot rush up the process just for the sake of few individuals. We need time to conduct comprehensive research on what kind of people should be in the land boards,” he said.
Swazuri said they are consulting the public and land stakeholders so that they can contribute on the level of qualification of all the board members.
He said some governors in the country have started complaining about the delay but they wont rush the process just to please few individuals. “We will work within out time limit,” he said.
Meanwhile, majority of all public institution have complied with the NLC notice and submitted their audit report of their inventory properties.
Swazuri said about three-quarters of public institution in the country have submitted their report to the commission which includes, land movable assets and other resources.
He however, said some counties have raised excuses that they were given the notice on short term and they need some more time to compile the report.
“We have given them an extension period but not later that the end of August,” he said. The report should capture all the land owned by the county government and some of the natural resources to avoid conflict with private developers in future.
Currently NLC is educating different county officials on land Act and the commission's mandate in the country. The chair, said for the last three weeks they have engaged Governors and other county officials in charge of land, so that they can create a mutual relationship between them and the counties.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-130359/land-boards-be-set

Cops arrest 2 car thieves

  Thursday, August 1, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENY

POLICE in Mombasa yesterday arrested two men in connection with a stolen car from a car-hiring firm in Nairobi.
The police arrested the suspects at a hideout in an estate in Mikindani after they got information about the car from police officers in Nairobi where the theft was reported.
Changamwe police boss Joseph Muthee said they got information of the missing car and they tracked it to a hide-out in Mikindani Mombasa.
Speaking to the press at Changamwe police station yesterday, Muthee said, the two men had hired the vehicle on pretence that they were taking a sick person to Kenyatta National Hospital.
“We have arrested two men in connection with the theft and they will be taken back to Nairobi where the offence was committed,” he said.
He said they could deal with the matter in Mombasa but opted to take it back to Nairobi because the matter had already been reported at a police station.
The suspects are said to have issued fake identity cards to the car owner and they were on a mission to sell it to a client in Mombasa.
The police boss said they contacted the car firm in Nairobi and they have confirmed that a Toyota salon car registration number KBR 366Z belong to them.
It had been fixed with a tracking device which made it easier for the police officers and the owner to track it down. At the same time, the police have vowed to deal with any criminal offence at the coast region working closely with other departments and the citizens.
Changamwe area has been earmarked as a centre of numerous criminal activities due to the presence of many gordowns and ware houses.
The officers at the station said there might be incidents where criminals are now stealing cars from Nairobi and come to sell them down here at the coast.
Cases of vehicles being stolen have went down over the past few month but they might rise again if proper actions are not taken, according to intelligence report.
Read More..... http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-130370/cops-arrest-2-car-thieves

Audit reveals more rot in Mombasa county

 

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho meeting with some of the Mombasa Municipal Tenants Association. Photo Nobert Allan

Monday, July 22, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY CHARLES MGHENYI

THE ongoing audit in Mombasa county operations continued to reveal irregularities with preliminary reports showing that 255 workers were hired before reaching 18 years while 49 have no national identity cards.

Even more shocking is the revelation that 27 staff workers were also employed after they surpassed the retiring age of 55. Curiously, the report also shows that nearly 700 workers out of an estimated 2,500 workers in the county  share the same birthday - December 1.
Governor Hassan Joho said this  is not a coincidence but an indication that there were 'ghost workers' who were employed fraudulently by the defunct Municipal council’.
Joho was speaking at the weekend in Mombasa during a meeting with tenants of county houses which the county risks losing to auctioneers over unpaid.
He said the audit,  debts, Joho said the audit, which is being conducted by Ernest & Young, does not target anyone but is meant to bring order in the operations of his government.
“I want to let you know we have a problem, but we also have solutions. It is shocking to see the type of malpractices at the county level,” he said. Joho said the audit is still going on, there were already questions over the hiring of some 1,000 members of the county work force.
Joho revealed that 31 workers were paid twice during the last pay for having duplicate identities. The Mombasa county workers have been on strike for four weeks now over salary arrears. Joho has however maintained his stance that all workers must be vetted before they receive their June salaries. The governor said the era of borrowing loans from financial institutions to pay workers is gone.
“We cannot be losing estates in the name of paying debts. Let the county government pay for its own operations,” said Joho. Mombasa county inherited a Sh3.4 billion debt from the defunct municipal council.
The debts accrued were from salary payments, pension fund among other loans borrowed from different banks to pay the workers. “Sh110 million was borrowed from Family Bank at a default rate of 42 per cent to pay workers. The loan had gain interest to Sh150 million since January hence Buxton estate is being targeted for auction,” said Mombasa county finance executive secretary Walid Khali.
Walid and Joho confirmed that Jomo Kenyatta Estate in Makande and Changamwe estates had already been sold and Likoni and Buxton estates were next in line.
Makande has 144, one-bedroom houses and another 144 two-bedroom houses, five shopping centres and a social hall and were auctioned after they were unable to pay Sh260 million Laptrust fund deduction.
Walid said Buxton estate is worth over Sh1 billion and it is been sold out for Sh150 million debt. “As we try to save these estates, I also urge you to be paying your rents in time,” Khalid told the tenants. 
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-128967/audit-reveals-more-rot-mombasa-county