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November 20, 2018 www.mygov.go.ke NEWSFOCUS | 13 Government puts up solar powered mills Project will be replicated in other parts of the country to economically empower more women BY IRUNGU MWANGI KNA- KERUGOYA T he Government has constructed a Sh 7 million solar powered rice and maize mill at Kimbimbi market, Kirinyaga County on a pilot scheme to empower women. The pilot facility with a milling capacity of 330 kilograms of rice per hour will be run and managed by women to be picked from Nyangati and Gathigiriri wards of Mwea East Sub-County where the facility is located. Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho speaking at Kimbimbi market on Thursday said the project was the only one of its kind in the country and has been built by Chinese engineers. He said if the project succeeds, it will be replicated in other parts of the country to economically empower more women. “This project is a gift from President Uhuru Kenyatta for women in Mwea,” the PS added. He asked area MP Kabinga Wachira who was present to oversee the appointment of two women from the concerned wards in the management of the mill. Kibicho said the proceeds which will be accrued from the milling costs of both maize and rice grains should be properly secured by the management committee that will be put in place and later shared by members. “We expect huge profits to be realised from this project which unlike others uses solar energy which the beneficiaries will not be paying for,” he said. The PS said the project was just one of the many other measures the government was putting in place to empower women. At the same time, a solar powered bread bakery at the populous Karoti Girls High School within the same area is to be set up. This was after the school Principal Ladiah Mwangi requested Kibicho to consider funding the project given the 1,000 plus students at the institution. “We spend so much money to buy bread to feed the high student population and if we could be provided with a solar powered mini bakery by the government we could be even start lowering the school fees and reduce the financial burden to our parents,” Ms Mwangi said. We expect huge profits to be realised from this project which unlike others uses solar energy which the beneficiaries will not be paying for - PS Karanja Kibicho Technical and vocational training to play a critical role, says official Out of the 290 constituencies, 125 Technical and Vocations Centre’s (TVCs) are operational BY RACHAEL KENDI KNA-NAIROBI T he Technical and Vocational training sector is an enabler of the Big Four Agenda and is poised to play a critical role in equipping over three million Kenyan youth with relevant skills, knowhow and attitudes for self and gainful employment. According to the State Department for Vocational and Technical Training (TVET) Human Resource Director Joyce Gichomo, the sector is expected to facilitate effective resource mobilisation to support projects like value addition and raising the manufacturing sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Enhancing Food and Nutrition Security to all Kenyans, providing Universal Health Coverage and providing affordable and decent housing. Speaking last week during the Kenya School of Revenue Administration (KESRA) 15thGraduation Ceremony at the Bomas of Kenya, Gichomo challenged the institute to rise to the occasion and invest in research and innovations to generate home grown solutions to local needs. Currently, Gichomo said, out of the 290 constituencies, 125 Technical and Vocations Centre’s (TVCs) are operational. The remaining 165 constituencies require funding to construct new TVCs and equip them and that there are 850 Youth Polytechnics and 11 National Polytechnics that are operational. She reiterated that the Ministry has embarked on promoting TVET trainee placements through Kenya Universities and Colleges Placement Services (KUCCPS) for 150,000 students who completed KCSE examinations and were not placed in Universities into Vocational and Technical Training Institutes. Programme to sensitise students on policy making now rolled out Aim is to reach out to various stakeholders involved in public policy making process BY ANN SALATON KNA-NAROK K enya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) has rolled out a programme to sensitise university students and lecturers on the importance of participating in the government policy making process. Speaking on Friday at Maasai Mara University, KIPPRA Executive Director Dr. Rose Ngugi said the programme was intended to reach out to various stakeholders involved in public policy making process where universities were key participants in a bid to incorporate their ideas in the decisions made. “Universities are where we come back to when we realise there are gaps in skills development, hence we are trying to promote exchange between universities and policy makers. We don’t only focus on lecturers but also on the students because they are the future leaders,” she said. The programme that was rolled out three months ago also focuses on enlightening the students on government agenda so that they too could put in their contributions to the projects being rolled out by the government. “We want the students to be familiar with the Big Four agenda of the government and contribute towards the realisation of the same. We expect them to carry out objective research and analysis on food security, manufacturing, housing and affordable health care, in order to help achieve this dream,” said Dr. Ngugi. She dared the students to be vigilant in involving themselves with the challenges in the society so that they too could invent solutions on the same. “We are hoping that since this is our first institution to visit since the programme was rolled out, we will be able to reach out to many university students around the country and start clubs and competition amongst the students,” she said. Maasai Mara University Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Research and Student Affairs Almadi Obore lauded KIPPRA saying the programme would help mentor the students and create synergy between the academics and researchers. “This university has started programmes to address the Big Four Agenda. In health, we have started programmes He said the university has a host of outreach animal programmes where the community is sensitised on improving the livestock breed. Bernard Adera from Technical University studying economics said through the programme, he has learnt to think critically on the happenings in his environment. “The programme instills a KIPPRA executive director Rose Ngugi speaking to university students and lecturers at Maasai Mara University last Friday. on nursing and botanical gardens where we have medicinal plants. In manufacturing, we will be the first to start a manufacturing processing plant for medicinal plants. In food security, we have programmes on food nutrition,” he said. culture of wanting to know more. The way I used to think and the way I think now is different after the training. I now ask myself, who is responsible of what is happening around me? What can be done differently to change the situation? What is my role in the situation?” said Adera. A fourth year University of Nairobi student Annette Wambui challenged university students not to sit waiting for their leaders to make decisions for them, some of which impacted negatively on them and instead challenged them to contribute in making the decisions. “We should speak out so that what we want as young people can be implemented. But if we keep quiet, some policies that will be made could not be relevant to us or the society we live in,” she said. Universities are where we come back to when we realise there are gaps in skills development, hence we are trying to promote exchange between universities and policy makers. - Rose Ngugi

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