CANDLE NEWS KENYA

Mundigi donates uniform for Sunday school children, preaches unity BY CANDLE NEWS KENYA Former Embu Senatorial aspirant Alexander Mundigi last Sunday donated uniforms to ACK All Saints Njarange Church Sunday school’s dancing troupe. He had made the promise during Embu Speaker Josiah Thiriku’s homecoming party a year ago. Rev Joseph Fundi received the 60 uniforms and blessed Mundigi for the contribution. Mundigi advised Embu Governor Martin Wambora and local ward representatives to drop their current hard stances and reconcile for the sake of the county’s growth. The Governor and the County Assembly have been engaged in a standoff that paralysed revenue collection last month after MCAs passed a motion to stop charging of county levies to protest against Wambora’s appointment of two chief officers. However, Wambora obtained a court injunction that enabled resumption of revenue collection, and on Jamhuri Day publicly reprimanded MCAs for “interfering...

Angry Wambora tells MCAs to stick to their mandate BY WHITNEY NYAWIRA Embu Governor Martin Wambora yesterday lost his temper and took a swipe at the area MCAs for what he termed as interference in running the affairs of the executive arm of the devolved unit. Citing various cases of intimidation of senior’s officers by MCA’s in the County, Wambora told the MCA’s to stick to the mandate of representation, oversight and legislation and allow the Executive and him ample time to deliver his campaign pledges to the people.  “For the last 8 years, I have only had one year of peace to perform my duties, the rest of the time has been spent in courts as the ward representatives pushed their selfish agenda to destabilize the executive, this should end. The law is very clear on the roles two arms of the county government. We cannot continue with wrangles at the expense of development” the governor said.  In November, Embu ward representatives took to the streets cal...

Imposing Mbeere ACK Cathedral enriches beauty of Siakago town BY WHITNEY NYAWIRA The newly constructed ACK Diocese of Mbeere, St Peter’s Cathedral has not only solved sitting space challenges but also enriched the beauty of Siakago town. The imposing 3,000 sitting capacity Cathedral is an architectural marvel while its finishing oozes finesse and splendor. The building that served as the Cathedral before it had a sitting capacity of only 300 and could hardly accommodate Diocesan services, according to church documents. The new ultramodern Cathedral took five years to complete at a cost of Sh55 million financed through generous giving by Christians and friends of the church. Thousands of Christians turned up for the historic opening, dedication and consecration of the Cathedral on Sunday. All the church’s parishes convened at the Cathedral. The service led by ACK Archbishop Rev Jackson Ole Sapit assisted by Diocese of Mbeere Bishop Rev Moses Masamba and graced by Deput...

Groups plant 3,000 trees to conserve Embu river The Kenya School of Government (KSG) joined hands with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and residents of Mbuvori location in Embu County to conserve Thambana River. The initiative saw the groups plant over 3, 000 indigenous and exotic trees along the river course to mitigate climate change in the region, which borders the Mt Kenya forest water tower. KSG Director General Dr Ludeki Chweya said they planted plenty of bamboo trees since it is suitable in the area. He said by rehabilitating and conserving the riverine areas through tree planting the aim is for the regions to receive adequate rainfall that would support the Big Four agenda of food security. “We have started by planting trees in the upper wet regions of Embu. We will plant trees in the dry lower regions of Eastern in the next rainy season. We appeal to all citizens to take up call to plant trees and mitigate against desertification,” he said. C...

Groups wants politicians to keep off fresh subdivision of scheme land BY REPORTER A section of residents has reawakened calls to divide afresh the disputed Mwea settlement scheme in Mbeere South Embu-county. The Nyangi Ndiiriri cultural group wants the National government to exclude politicians in demarcating and allocating  the 44,000 acre scheme land for the exercise succeed. The group led by their chairman Andrew Ireri accused politicians of using the scheme distribution issue as a campaign tool to bag votes in the process scuttling its fair distribution. In 2016, the Embu County Government in conjunction with the National Land Commission subdivided the land and issued 7,232 title deeds but many residents claimed they were left out. Attempts to resettle the beneficiaries turned bloody and it was called off. The Nyangi elders want President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and have the land distributed to the deserving beneficiaries. To minimise unfairness in...

Walk raises money to build home for HIV positive children BY KAMUNDIA MURIITHI Pupils from primary schools near Embu town joined adults in a 10km walk to raise funds for the construction of a home for orphaned and abandoned HIV positive children. The walk also purposed at fighting stigma and discrimination against HIV positive people . Toto Love Children Home which has for 13 years provided an abode for neglected children and those living with HIV plans to relocate to bigger premises to accommodate more children. The home organised the Saturday walk which culminated in a fundraiser at St Paul’s Cathedral Grounds. The Founder, Ruth Ndwiga said the 17 kids under their care live in a rented three-bedroom house at Spring Valley Estate. Two house mothers and two volunteers from Germany also live in the same house. Ms Ndwiga said they are unable to take in more children due to constraint of facilities yet they get requests to accommodate more kids. The Kenya HIV...

University of Embu plans to have lecturers acquire PHD FILEX MURIITHI FROM RIGHT: Gen. Sec. Church Army Africa Rev. Capt. Dr. Danson Kihwaga, Mbeere ACK Bishop Moses Masamba, UoE VC Daniel Mugendi and Rev. Dr. Robinson Kariuki, principal Kabaare College The University of Embu (UoEm) has laid out plans to ensure all her lecturers acquire a PHD within the shortest time possible, the vice chancellor has said. This is in the move to comply with the Commission for University Education (CUE) that all lecturers must acquire a PHD degree by October this year for them to qualify to teach in universities. “Acquiring a PHD is a process. As a university, we have a plan to ensure our lecturers acquire it very soon as they continue to teach. Our aim is that every lecturer in our institution will attain a PHD at the long and we have a road map and a process to make sure we achieve this soon,” said Prof. Daniel Mugendi. Speaking during the annual Diocese of Mbeere ACK church...

Embu County Assembly to legislate on Ksh 6.6 Million budget BY JOEY KIMEU The County Assembly has reallocated more than Ksh 100 Million meant for settling of County Government pending bills to development projects for lack of supporting documents. The Legislature had earlier approved a budgetary allocation of Ksh 110 Million in the 2019/2020 Financial Year for payment of authenticated County Government pending bills in adherence to prudent financial management, but upon scrutiny, it was observed that there were no supporting documents availed in support of the pending bills. The amount was therefore reallocated to finance other development priority projects except Ksh 7.8 Million for the pending bills in the Education Science and Technology docket which were supported. The county has been grappling with pending bills from contractors and suppliers totalling to Ksh 1.3 Billion and had factored about Ksh 100 Million in the 2018/2019 budget. I...

Tobacco farming still popular in parts of Mbeere BY JOEY KIMEU For several decades, tobacco was a popular cash crop for many farmers in Mbeere North sub-county of Embu County. They would sell their produce to the British American Tobacco (BAT), which had contracted them. From the proceeds, they were able to educate their children, build permanent houses, buy property and do other home developments. This changed when BAT exited the Embu tobacco market and many farmers who were left without a reliable market for their produce switched the crop for miraa or horticultural farming. However, a handful of farmers held on to tobacco cultivation and have no regrets for farming the controversial crop. Mzee Severino Thitima from Gatituri village grows tobacco in an acre of land, which yields an average of 500kgs per season. He sells it at Sh300 per kilogram at the local market and thus pockets Sh150,000. The crop...

Runyenjes students get Sh8 million in bursaries BY EMMA MUGECHI Students in need of school fees from Runyenjes Central Ward in Embu County have a reason to smile after area MCA Steve Simba disbursed bursaries amounting to Sh8 million. The students had waited for close to two terms for the county bursaries. Speaking at Runyenjes social hall, Simba said 1877 secondary and college students benefitted. The MCA who is also the Deputy Speaker told parents and teachers that all the students from poor family backgrounds who had applied for money had been considered. “We vetted the applicants and all of them qualified to be awarded bursaries. However, the amount each of them got depended on some factors including the level of education and whether the applicant was an orphan or not including other factors,” he said. He said each student in secondary school received between Sh3, 000 to Sh5, 000 while those in colleges received Sh8, 000 each adding that he is committe...

Mbarire and Kivuti in early campaigns to succeed Wambora BY KAMUNDIA MURIITHI A calm that prevailed in the Embu political scene for over a year since Governor Martin Wambora was elected for his second and final term has now been broken by aspirants seeking to succeed him. Nominated MP Cecily Mbarire and former Embu Senator Lenny Kivuti have announced their aspiration for the powerful Embu governorship position in 2022, albeit for a second time, after failing to clinch it in 2017. The two are popular, influential and have a grassroots network that they will use to endear themselves to the voters. Pundits expect that the duo have set the stage for other aspirants to commence series of activities that would popularise them for the elections due in 2022. Ms Mbarire made the announcement recently while attending church at AIC Gategi in Mbeere South sub-county, where she also made a case for electing of female governors. Ms Mbarire was in the race in 20...

Special groups to benefit from Embu’s business expo BY CORRESPONDENT People with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups will have an opportunity to exhibit their products, services and talents in an upcoming Special Groups Business Expo in Embu town. The expo to be held at the Embu Talent Academy on July 5 will also acquaint the special groups with knowhow on applying for government tenders and securing funding. According to the organiser, Rindi Group Ltd, the expo will be the first of its kind in the country targeting only the special interest groups. Wangui Kaweru, the Rindi Group CEO, said even though Government rules stipulate that 30 percent of its Procurement opportunities be reserved for women, youth and persons with disabilities, many in the target groups lack the know how or resources to utilize the opportunity. Ms Kaweru calls on the government to facilitate the special groups by easing access to funds set for them such as the Youth Fund. She says...

Embu’s fishy land deal spurs hot debate at Assembly BY JOEY KIMEU County said to have secretly received Sh50.8 million refund of money in secretive land deal A ward representative has exposed an alleged corrupt dealing where the Embu County Government is said to have secretly receive a Sh50.8 million refund of monies paid to two individuals to purchase a controversial parcel of land at the Mwea Settlement Scheme. In 2017, the County Government was said to have irregularly allocated two parcels of land in Makima Ward to individuals at no cost. The devolved government then bought the land back from the beneficiaries at a consolidated price of Sh60 million for the unapproved highly confidential purpose of establishing a luxury resort next to Masinga Dam. Makima MCA Phillip Nzangi today said acquisition of land parcel numbers 4531 and 4045 through Njeru Ithiga and Company Advocates and from Njue and Company Advocates at Sh23 million and Sh7 million respectively has s...

Embu e-passport office to lessen long queues in Nairobi BY JOEY KIMEU Kenyans in Central, Eastern and North Eastern regions can now acquire their e-passports at the Embu immigration office instead of travelling to Nairobi. Those applying for e-passports in Nairobi have borne the inconvenience of long queues as thousands of Kenyans scramble to acquire the travel document ahead of the August 31 deadline. The Embu e-passport office was officially opened on Friday by Director of Immigration Services Alexander Mutesh. Mutesh cautioned Kenyans against relying on brokers in applying of e-passports saying they may end losing their money whereas the service is available in relevant government offices that are staffed with committed employees. Those making new applications for e-passports wait for 21 days to have the document processed while those replacing old passports that are being phased out wait for only 14 days. Mutesh said medical cases were handled quickly wi...

School dormitory, residential plot gutted in evening fire BY JOEY KIMEU Property running into millions of shillings was reduced to ashes in two separate incidences of fire in Embu County; at a school dormitory and at Dallas estate. No one was injured in both infernos that started at around 8pm and whose cause is yet to be established. In Dallas estate of Embu town, a residential plot of about 10 timber houses was gutted by a fierce fire. Nothing was salvaged. Samuel Ngari, who lost all his property in the fire said they heard an explosion like that from a gas cylinder and within no time the houses were engulfed in fire. “Because the of timber walls, the fire spread very fast. We were unable to extinguish it and had to wait for the Embu fire fighters who took too long to respond and arrived when everything had been razed down. If they arrived earlier, perhaps we could have minimised the losses,” he said, Kirimari Ward MCA Morris Nyaga the delay by the fire fight...

County disburses Sh103 million bursaries as 10,000 applicants unsuccessful BY JOEY KIMEU More than 10,000 applicants for the Sh103 million Embu County Government bursaries were unsuccessful. Even though that was the county’s highest allocation issued in a single financial year, the applications were many and they considered the neediest cases, according to the fund manager Jeremiah Ireri. Ireri revealed that out of the 35,000 applicants only 23,400 were awarded the bursaries that would help pay their school or college fees. Secondary schools took the lion share amounting to Sh58 million while the rest was shared among special schools, vocational training centres, universities and colleges. Speaking during the bursary launch at St Benedict Kithimu Secondary School, Ireri who is county acting Education chief officer called on MCAs to consider increasing the bursary kitty so that as many applicants benefit. Education CEC John Kiamati who was the chief guest said the...

Police asked to beef up security following robbery cases BY JOEY KIMEU Traders in Runyenjes town, Embu County have called for intensified night patrols and intelligence gathering by the police officers following cases robbery break ins On Friday around 1am, a gang broke into a butchery and a bar in the town and stole property whose value is yet to be ascertained. The proprietor Taratisio Kawe who was away at that time said his wife who was sleeping in another room heard the robbers breaking into the premises and she called him. Kawe said he immediately phoned security officers and police officers led by Runyenjes deputy OCS responded urgently. “The robbers had carted several equipment and property outside the premises when the police arrived. On sighting the police, they fled with some of the property and money,” he said. Five days earlier, robbers had broken into the premises of a beer distributor about 100metres away from Kawe’s premises ...

Clergy "cleanses" newly tarmacked, but killer road The clergy of various churches in Embu County and their congregation recently held thanksgiving and cleansing prayer walk on the recently tarmacked Kianjokoma-Kanja road. Tarmacked in January, the road has claimed more than 10 lives through motorcycle, vehicles and bicycles accidents, according to Kagaari North West location chief, Mark Nyaga. The worshippers who were led by Redeemed Gospel Church Bishop, Rev Samuel Nginyi and St Joseph Kianjokoma Parish, Fr Robert Namu made an 8km procession along the road. They made 10 stops to pray and pour anointing oil, making a symbol of the cross. The event started with briefing and prayers at Kianjokoma Parish where Rev Nginyi said the clergy had put aside their differences for the interdenominational prayers. “The tarmacked road is a blessing to us, but it has also brought deaths and injuries. God promised us that when his people repent of their sins and turn to him in prayers ...

Embu: Close relatives likely to sexually exploit children Most cases of sexual harassment against children in Embu County are perpetrated by close relatives or people expected to play a parental role to the minors in schools and places of worship. Embu County Coordinator of Children Services Davelyne Mundi said in many cases, people who defile or sexually harass children escape scot-free as they resolve the cases at homes. Mundi condemned sexual harassment and exploitation of the children as well as the perpetrators walking away unpunished, pointing out that it leaves the children traumatised and in bitterness. “Sexual offences perpetrated by close relatives are hard to follow up. Others are never reported as relatives resolve the matters out of court. We urge family members or neighbours who get wind of such unfortunate things to report to us,” said Mundi Addressing participants during The Day of African Child at Embu stadium, Mundi said child labour was another ramp...