October 30, 2018 www.mygov.go.ke NEWSFOCUS | 3 County in drive to conserve endangered tree species Camphor is highly sought after by illegal loggers and all efforts must be made to secure its seed in large quantities BY EVANGELINE WANGECHI AND KENNETH MARANGU KNA-CHUKA S cientists at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) are studying how best to produce in bulk seed of the popular camphor tree species, whose survival in Mt. Kenya Forest is under threat. A director at the institute, Dr. Jane Njuguna, said the tree which is highly sought after by illegal loggers faces decimation and all efforts must be made to secure its seed in large quantities in order to rehabilitate the hard wood. Speaking at Kiamuriuki within the Mt. Kenya Forest in Tharaka Nithi County last Thursday, where she led a combined team of KEFRI and Kenya Forestry Service (KFS) officials during the launch of this year’s county level tree planting season, Dr. Njuguna Government to revitalise regional publications The titles have the potential of promoting and integrating rural communities into the socioeconomic development agenda BY IMMACULATE MAIMA KNA-NAIROBI T he government has put in place measures to revitalise Regional Publications, the Director of Information Mr Gwaro Ogaro has said. Ogaro observed that the publications had the potential of promoting and integrating rural communities into socio-economic development agenda. The director was speaking in Nairobi during a one-day workshop for Regional Editors and Kiswahili translators on Thursday. He noted that the return of Kiswahili as a dominant language of the publications was not negotiable as the Constitution 2010 has entrenched Kiswahili in the nation’s fabric. He said the Department had identified a pool of officers proficient in Kiswahili from across the country who will assist in the translation for the publications to be sustainable and meet their intended objectives. The Regional Publications in the Ministry of Information were launched by the government, in collaboration with UNESCO in 1974, with the objective of encouraging effective dialogue between the rural communities and the Winifred Kitonga – Head of Regional Publications addresses senior staff of the Department, Regional Publications’ Editors and Kiswahili Translators’ workshop in Nairobi. government to fill the gap left by the national newspapers, which cater mostly for the urban elites. At the onset of the Rural Press project, UNESCO provided training for staff and supplied equipment, while the government took care of office accommodation, local staff as well as budgetary provisions for recurrent expenditure such as travel, utilities and miscellaneous expenditure. The Regional Publications’ head Ms. Winifred Kitonga disclosed that by 1991, when UNESCO handed over the project to the government, 11 newspapers had been established, serving over 85 percent of the population. Ms. Kitonga said the newspapers were published in Kiswahili and registered immeasurable success as they communicated to people in a language they could understand and addressed issues at the grassroots level, thus integrating rural communities into national development agenda. She however, regretted that these successes were short lived, as the equipment donated by UNESCO became unserviceable and obsolete over time, budgetary constraints and staff depletion. Kitonga added that out of the 11 stations, three had closed down, leaving Coast, South Nyanza and Central Rift regions without cover. Kitonga called on the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology to provide adequate funding to the project, quoting the then UNESCO Regional Communications Adviser for Eastern Africa, who said thus: “There is no doubt that rural newspapers are an appropriate information and communication strategy in supporting development processes and rural societies. By 1991, when UNESCO handed over the project to the government, 11 newspapers had been established, serving over 85 percent of the population - Winfred Kitonga No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 said an expert will visit the Chuka Forest Station next week to advise local community forest associations (CFA) on seed multiplication. The assurance came after the coordinator of the Chuka Community Forest Association coordinator Murithi Kamanda lamented that the camphor trees were being depleted, whil their seed take t long to germinate. “Camphor trees are getting depleted as they are the ones targeted mostly by illegal loggers for their high value,” Kaman said. Dr. Njuguna commended members of community forest associations for replanting and guarding forest areas but called on them to recruit youth so that they too could play a leading role in conserving the ecosystem. She observed that most members of the associations were elderly people, inting out that uness the youth were roped into ecosystem conservation, such measures would not be sustainable in the long run. The director also d it was the governintention to create linkages between the CFAs and county governments to ensure that conservation was taken more seriously. The Chuka Deputy County Beja Commissioner Omar praised members of the public for joining hands with national administration officials to eradicate bhang growing in the Kiamuriuki Forest saying in the past the area was notorious for the vice. The Mt. Kenya Forest in Tharaka Nithi covers a total of 39,492 hectares with the area under the Chuka Forest station covering 23,492 hectares with Chogoria Forest Station covering 16,000 hectares. Most of it is natural forest with only 192 hectares of plantation forest. KENYA PORTS AUTHORITY www.kpa.co.ke TENDER NOTICE Kenya Ports Authority invites sealed bids from bidders who are able to demonstrate technical and financial capability to supply the goods, works and services of the nature, complexity and size envisaged in the tenders below: Tender No. & Description KPA/043/2018-19/ICT - Supply, Delivery, Installation & Commissioning of Secure Web Gateway (SWG) and Assorted ICT Security Hardware Appliances KPA/044/2018-19/BLS - Supply and Installation of E-Board Software KPA/045/2018-19/MO - Design, Manufacture and Supply of Two (2) New Steel Mooring Buoys KPA/046/2018-19/CA - Framework Contract for Supply of Newspapers KPA/047/2018-19/ADM -Provision of Sanitary Bins Services KPA/041/2018-19/MO - Provision of Environmental Audit Services (RFP) KPA/048/2018-19/PSM - Framework Contract for Supply of Engineering Products KPA/042/2018-19/MO – Supply of 4No. Parachute and Enclosed Air Lift Bags for Diving Operations KPA/050/2018-19/MO - Servicing, Inspection and Certification of Life Rafts and Fixed Co2 Systems on Board Harbour Crafts 10 11 KPA/029/2018-19/PSM - Framework Contract for Supply of Foodstuffs to Kenya Ports Authority KPA/049/2018-19/PSM -Framework Contract for Provision of Air Travel Agency Services Bid Bond (Kshs). 2 Million or (USD 20,000) Submission Deadline 1000 Hours on Wednesday, 14th November, 2018 50,000.00 500,000.00 or (USD 5,000) 50,000.00 100,000.00 N/A 100,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 1400 Hours on Wednesday, 14th November, 2018 1000 Hours on Thursday, 15th November, 2018 1400 Hours on Thursday, 15th November, 2018 1000 Hours on Friday, 16th November, 2018 1000 Hours on Friday, 23rd November, 2018 1000 Hours on Monday 19th November, 2018 1000 Hours on Tuesday, 20th November, 2018 1000 Hours on Wednesday, 21st November, 2018 100,000.00 100,000.00 1000 Hours on Thursday, 22nd November, 2018 1400 Hours on Thursday, 22nd November, 2018 There will be MANDATORY PRE - BID SITE VISITS for Tender No. KPA/041/2018-19/MO. Details are available in the tender documents. The detailed tender documents can be viewed and downloaded from the KPA website www.kpa.co.ke at no fee through the following link https://www.kpa.co.ke/Procurement/Pages/Tenders.aspx and Government of Kenya tenders Portal http://www.tenders.go.ke/. Enquiries can be made via email address: tenders@kpa.co.ke Bidders are advised to regularly visit the KPA website to obtain any additional information/ addendum on the tenders. All addenda/additional information on the tender shall be posted on the KPA website as they become available. Stephen Chepkangor FOR: HEAD OF PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLIES FOR: AG. MANAGING DIRECTOR “KEBS ISO 9001:2015 Certified Organization, Cert. No. 087” THE PORT OF MOMBASA GATEWAY TO EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA
4 Publizr Home