Day: April 25, 2024

Namibians from all walks of life are mourning the death of well-known banker Tomas Koneka Iindji who died on Tuesday, aged 44.

The late Iindji who died in Windhoek, played a pivotal role in the banking sector where he served for decades. After many years with First National Bank (FNB) Namibia, he became the Head of Business and Commercial Banking for Standard Bank earlier this year. Iindji was a former Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) northern branch chairperson.

Standard Bank Namibia in a message of condolences on Tuesday described Iindji as a great man and that his death is a great loss.

‘It is with a heavy heart that we wish to inform the Namibian nation of the passing of their beloved champion lindji. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, children, family, our colleagues who worked closely with him, and the entire Namibian community,’ read the message.

On his part, former NCCI Chief Executive Officer Tarah Shaanika remembered the late Iindji as a passionate business leader and
banker who inspired so many people.

He said Iindji was a gifted leader who exuded so much energy and exhibited amazing natural human relations and networking abilities.

‘As we mourn his untimely passing and celebrate his life so well spent, we cherish his great legacy that he is visibly leaving behind. He was a great gift to Namibia and humanity. May he rest well,’ Shaanika said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The government will construct 1,000 hostel rooms and their amenities at Turkana University College as part of the affordable housing programme.

At the same time, proposals have been made to construct an additional 700 housing units in Lodwar and 300 others in Kakuma.

However, members of the public have been asked to turn up for a public participation forum to be held at Lodwar youth polytechnic in Lodwar this Saturday April 27 to share their views.

These revelations were made by the county housing director Brian Kangogo at the county service delivery committee meeting in Lodwar.

The meeting was chaired by County Commissioner Julius Kavita and attended by heads of department of various government departments and agencies.

Meanwhile, concerns were raised over the poor state of some of the civil servants’ houses and recommendations for an increase in renovation funds made.

Although Turkana County has 482 housing units meant to accommodate national and county government staff, these are adequate for all sta
ff in the county hence the need for more houses.

At the same time, the forum was informed of plans to review rents for houses since the last review was effected many years ago.

At the same the government plans to construct one market in every constituency as part of the economic stimulus.

‘The construction of Lokichar market has already commenced and the contractor is already on site,’ Kangogo said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Turkana County Executive for Health and Sanitation, Dr Francis Mariao has said the county government and partners are committed to increasing the uptake of vaccines in the county from the current 69 percent to 85 percent in a bid to bridge the gap with the national average which stands at 80%.

He said partners and the Turkana County Government have developed a strategic plan geared towards increasing the uptake of vaccines to a target of 85% for the current year.

Dr Mariao was speaking during the commemoration of the World Immunisation Week in Kanamkemer Sub-County Hospital which began on April 24 and ends on April 30, 2024.

The CECM said, ‘While commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, the plans to increase the vaccines uptake in Turkana are and not limited to; integrated surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases banking on one health approach (locally known as Kimormor), considering the health of both humans, animals and the environment’.

He added there is a delib
erate effort to improve on the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine coverage across the County.

However, CECM Mariao noted that despite schools being closed, his team would continue focus on those due for HPV2, targeting youth centres.

He said there is a plan targeting immunisation of children who have defaulted on routine childhood vaccines using the January-March 2024 data, riding on the Community Health Services and any other ongoing outreaches.

This targeted immunisation activities, County Executive said will be done through special clinics (MOPC, CCC, renal, cancer) for at-risk populations such as PCV for cancer and dialysis patients, HPV for 10-14-year-old at Comprehensive Care Clinic, and C-19 for diabetic patients.

While recognising the support of the partners in the event, Dr Mariao called on partners and other stakeholders in the health sector working group to jointly address the existing gaps and fully strengthen the immunisation Programme.

During the commemoration, a total number of 35 doses w
ere administered comprising of; BCG (4), OPV (3), DPT (3), PCV (3), Y/F (6), MRI (6), MRII (8), TD (2) and FIC (5).

In the same breath, the UNICEF’s Health Officer, Lodwar Zonal Office, Stella Kogo said UNICEF has worked closely with the government to improve the cold stain capacity in Turkana County, ensuring the vaccines remain safe and effective from manufacture to administration.

According to Kogo, UNICEF has supported government in vaccine management, including procurement, distribution, and stock management.

She also called on other partners and government agencies stating, ‘Let’s reaffirm our commitment to equitable access to vaccines for all children in Turkana County, regardless of their geographical location or socio-economic background’.

In so doing, the Health Officer said, it is possible to create a world, where no child is left behind and where vaccines are not just a privilege, but a fundamental right.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The consistent strengthening of the Kenyan Shilling against the US Dollar has yielded a positive impact on the Country’s external debt.

The steady trend denoted a favourable position for Kenya as it has enhanced the country’s purchasing power and reduced the cost of repaying loans denominated in foreign countries.

Speaking at the Institute of Certified Secretaries (ICS) 28th Annual International Conference, the Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), Kamau Thugge highlighted that the current debt-to-GDP ratio is about 68 percent. The parliament recently approved a measure to cap the debt-to-GDP ratio at 55 percent by 2027.

The conference was opened by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Josphat Nanok on behalf of the Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei.

According to the Governor, at the end of January 2024, the external debt converted into Kenyan Shilling amounted to 6.19 Trillion, while the domestic debt stood at 5.058 Trillion, totaling 11.248 Trillion.

‘Following the exchange rate appreciation, calculate
d at the rate of 131.5, the external debt has declined from 6.19 to 5 trillion, a decline of almost 1.2 trillion, the domestic debt doesn’t change so the two now total to 10.1 rather than 11.1,’ Thugge said.

Going forward, he said it reduces the debt service in terms of shilling that the treasury has to pay. Despite the significant global and domestic challenges, the Kenyan economic performance has remained resilient and the outlook has remained strong.

Thugge said that the CBK has had the desire to address the pressure of the exchange rate, mitigate the second-round effects and ensure inflation expectations continue to be well anchored.

‘CBK policy measures have been complemented by fiscal measures implemented by the government to moderate the prices of certain commodities to zero rating some food items including wheat, maize rice and sugar and enhancing food production through subsidy on fertilizer prices,’ he highlighted.

The Chief Executive Officer, the Institute of Certified Secretaries (ICS), Jeremi
ah Karanja reiterated that the shilling gaining against the dollar is a great example of good governance which is one of the main issues they had focused on discussing in the conference.

Karanja said that their mandate is to ensure good governance in public and private institutions and promote the principles of integrity and ethical standards.

He said that various leaders from various sectors were invited to the conference to discuss issues related to good leadership, integrity, and ways to improve public and private management systems. These discussions may include strategies to enhance transparency, accountability, and resource management to ensure that all institutions are run responsibly.

Karanja noted that despite the challenges of integrity and governance in some leadership positions in the country, it remains crucial to continue reminding people to work by ethical standards.

He highlighted that ICS has collaborated with the government to write a book titled ‘Code of Governance for State Corporation
s’ and that since the book was published in 2015, they have witnessed significant improvements in the ethics and leadership of many institutions.

He also noted that the ICS is a true partner in the war against corruption, unethical practices, and the promotion of good governance which they practice through conferences, capacity building, and sensitisation programmes.

Karanja emphasized that there is a need to safeguard all professions from quacks, to avoid disasters in organizations.

‘You require a professional worker who is trained, regulated, and can be held accountable so that if they are involved in any professional misconduct, the professional body has the legal mandate to take disciplinary action against them,’ he cautioned.

Wyne Kenneth, ICS council member clarified that, ‘The significance of the meeting is governance and the role it plays in resilience, there are a lot of shocks that are happening to organizations both internally and externally, and generations are changing leading to different wo
rkforces. Externally, you can see how Ukraine and Gaza can affect even a small business and individuals from the price change and cost of commodities’

Kenneth said that being a governance body, some key areas they look into are the certification and the regulation of the members even after they are certified.

He said that as a Council Member, he is tasked with capacity development training, and building capacity in ethics and integrity as they work in collaboration with different government bodies to promote these virtues.

ICS whose legal name is the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya was created under CAP 534 of the laws of Kenya.

The annual meeting is themed ‘Governance Resilience in the Face of Economic Crisis.’

Source: Kenya News Agency