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NOC-K President and AIU Chief hold talks

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NOC-K President Paul Tergat has reiterated the importance for all sports stakeholders locally and internationally to work in tandem in the promotion of integrity within our sporting system.

In reference to the doping menace that the country is battling with, the NOCK supremo was optimistic  that recent efforts from the Government in conjunction with Athletics Kenya to collaborate very closely with the AIU was bound to bear fruit and return the country to its former athletics glory.  

While welcoming the AIU Head, Mr. Brett Clothier who’s in the country for a working tour with AK, Tergat extended  his appreciation to the World Athletics Integrity unit body for the good work AIU it is doing towards upholding best practices in the sport, especially on eradication of doping. He said the decision to work jointly towards the goal of integrity in sports demonstrated AIU as a friend of Kenya.

“This fight is for all of us to stand together and attack it from all fronts in all its manifestations and as NOCK, we are in full support of all initiatives to achieve fair play on the competition field”, Tergat observed.

Mr. Brett expressed AIU gratitude of the Kenyan authorities’ evident initiatives to nab the problem in the bud, including the government’s additional USD 5M budgetary investment to support the fight against doping.

The breakfast meeting was also attended by the Athletics Kenya Chairman of anti doping and Executive Member, Barnaba Korir and Charlotte Kurgoy, who heads anti doping at AK.

150 Junior Golfers Set for U.S. Kids Golf Spring Local Tour at Karen 

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One hundred and fifty (150) budding golfers are expected to take part in the fourth leg of the U.S. Kids Golf Spring Local Tour which will be held this Saturday, March 25th at the Karen Country Club.

The Tour is jointly organized by the U.S. Kids Golf and the Junior Golf Foundation Kenya, and sponsored by NCBA Bank as part of its commitment to supporting junior golf development in the region.

The tournament will feature junior golfers aged between 5 and 18 years old who will get an opportunity to showcase their skills and compete against their peers in an age-appropriate competition.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Nelly Wainaina, NCBA’s Group Director of Marketing and Communication, expressed her excitement about the partnership and highlighted the importance of supporting junior tournaments.

“At NCBA Bank, we are committed to supporting the development of junior golf in the region, and we believe that this partnership with U.S. Kids Golf and JGF will go a long way in nurturing young talent. By giving these junior golfers a chance to play and compete at an early age we aim to help them become better professionals and future stars of the sport in the country. We are looking forward to a successful event and wish all the participants the best of luck,” she said.

On her part, Junior Golf Foundation President Regina Gachora said: “We are excited to partner with NCBA Bank once again for the U.S. Kids Golf Spring Local Tour. This event provides a great opportunity for junior golfers to hone their skills and showcase their talent. We believe that this event will go a long way in promoting junior golf development in the region.”

The event will provide the junior players with an opportunity to qualify for U.S. Kids Golf international tournaments by earning points for Priority Status. The junior golfers will also be looking to qualify for events such as Regional Invitational and the U.S Kids Golf Regional Championship to be held later on in the year.

The event follows the first three legs held at VetLab Sports Club on 12th February, Karen Country Club on 18th February, and the Royal Nairobi Golf Club that was held on 5th March. Following the Karen event, the tour will then move to Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club on 2nd April for the 5th edition.

TENNIS KENYA READY FOR FIRST-EVER B10 TOURNAMENT

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A very enthusiastic Tennis Kenya will be hosting its first-ever ITF World Ranking Beach Tennis Tournament. This is an exciting milestone and they are thrilled to bring this event to the beautiful shores of Malindi from 18th-19th March at the Kenya Beach Games.

The Tournament has attracted players from Rwanda, Spain, Germany, Uganda, and Sudan

Speaking while having a test run, the technic coordinator Lawrence Karanja has expressed his excitement and readiness to host the teams.

“This is a big event for Tennis as the federations prepare to host teams from Uganda, Rwanda, France and Spain. We shall be expecting 32 pairs, 16 pairs of men and 16 -…The draws are set up already and we’re test run tomorrow with some kids

Nancy Nduku, a player in the event says she couldn’t extend further gratitude to NOC-Kenya for the opportunity to make this event a reality through the hosting of the Kenya Beach Games.

“Beach Tennis is a rapidly growing sport around the world, and we are excited to see it gain popularity in Kenya. With its stunning beaches and perfect climate, Kenya is the perfect host for this tournament, and we are sure that players and spectators alike will have an unforgettable experience.”

2019 Commonwealth Bronze medalist Faiz Khan will be the guy the beat as he partners with German Torsten Salm with an aim of scooping more points and getting a gold medal for Kenya.

Meanwhile, the event schedule has been finalized, players are all expected to have arrived by Friday evening before the opening ceremony. There will also be activities around environmental sustainability.

On Saturday preliminary rounds will be played in all sports, wrapped up by basketball 3×3 in the late evening. All finals will be played as showstoppers on Sunday.

Freestyle football was done as an online competition for over a week. Very interesting videos were submitted and good entries were received from across the country. Fans were able to vote by way of ‘likes’ on NOC-K’s social media. The entries closed today and the technical team is doing the evaluation to select the top three who will be invited to Kilifi to battle for the top prizes. This is expected to continue beyond the Kilifi Games, as we prepare for the second edition of the games in the Lake Victoria region later in the year.

PREPARATIONS IN HIGH GEAR FOR THE FIRST KENYA BEACH GAMES EDITION

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National Olympic Committee of Kenya and partners of the Kenya Beach Games, Kilifi County Government and Buntwani Waterfront Park are in high gear preparations to get ready to bring sports people and fans together in celebration during the Games that will take place on 18th and 19th of March 2023.

Technical and administrative teams are on the ground at Buntwani in Malindi putting final preparations on the ground, to ensure that the fields and equipment are ready, and everything else around the event as we prepare to start receiving the players from Thursday.

The event schedule has been finalized, players are all expected to have arrived by Friday evening, when the opening ceremony will be held. There will also be activities around environmental sustainability. On Saturday preliminary rounds will be played in all sports, wrapped up by basketball 3×3 in the late evening. All finals will be played as showstoppers on Sunday.

Athletes’ registration is ongoing and expected to complete today by the close of the day. Over 500 athletes have registered in; aquathlon, basketball 3×3, judo, boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, beach handball, beach soccer, beach tennis, beach volleyball 4×4, coastal rowing, freestyle football, karate kata, and open-water swimming. Beach Football has so far the highest number of entrants.

Freestyle football was done as an online competition over a week. Very interesting videos were submitted and good entries received from across the country. Fans were able to vote by way of ‘likes’ on NOC-K’s social media. The entries closed today and the technical team is doing the evaluation to select the top three who will be invited to Kilifi to battle for the top prizes. This is expected to continue beyond the Kilifi Games, as we prepare for the second edition of the games in Lake Victoria region later in the year.

The sports program is therefore done, and all sports will be played around the beach. There will be a test event at the venue on Thursday organised by Kilifi County of beach soccer by local teams from Kilifi to test the venue, the facilities and equipment.

KENYAN KARATE ATHLETE WINS LEADERSHIP GRANT 

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Karate athlete Joyce Juma has been awarded a scholarship for the Commonwealth Women’s Leadership Programme 2023 (CWLP).

The award will give the athlete an opportunity to up skill towards personal development in sports management and develop a program that supports sports development in the community.

Joyce is one of the 25 women within the Commonwealth nations and territories in this program that will support these emerging female leaders to access appropriate educational and experiential opportunities to empower them as leaders for equal rights within their sport and communities.

This is the second cohort of the program. The inaugural program was in 2022 where Cycling Administrator Angela Achieng managed to go through the program.

NOC-K Secretary General, Mr. Francis Mutuku, explaining the scholarship process said, ‘It was a competitive process of selection of candidates, and we are happy that the best candidate turned out to be an active athlete, whose application was positively by the Commonwealth Games Federation to undertake the program, and awarded the grant of five thousand pounds.’

Mr. Mutuku also mentioned that, ‘We have kick started a number of programs for women in sport as we push the agenda of gender balance, which is still a challenge. This is part of our ‘Step Up’ program, with the objective of building the capacity of women in sports in Kenya.’

‘Within the women in sports programme, we are supporting technical and administration officials in terms of training and exposure. We have held forums with leaders, coaches, journalists, referees and administrators. And we are implementing the recommendations from these forums on how to bridge the gap.’

The program will run for 12 months, with the beneficiaries having bespoke development plans to fit their current status and ambitions, as well as adapted programs for their communities.

Joyce commenting on the program mentioned, ‘I am very excited and happy about this new path I am taking to develop as a leader. My aim is to grow not only myself but also other women’

Joyce will benefit from mentors in the program with their professional knowledge and experiences, to enable participants to achieve their goals.

Burundi: Free Five Rights Defenders

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Burundian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release five human rights defenders arbitrarily arrested on February 14, 2023, and drop the baseless charges against them, Amnesty International, the Burundi Human Rights Initiative, and Human Rights Watch said today.

The five human rights defenders are accused of rebellion and of undermining internal state security and the functioning of public finances. The charges appear to relate only to their relationship with an international organization abroad and the funding they have received from this organization. Two of the defenders work for the Association of Women Lawyers in Burundi (Association des femmes juristes du Burundi, AFJB) and three for the Association for Peace and the Promotion of Human Rights in Burundi (Association pour la paix et la promotion des droits de l’Homme, APDH).

“The arrests of the five human rights defenders and the serious charges brought against them signal a worsening climate for independent civil society in Burundi,” said Clémentine de Montjoye, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “If working in partnership with or receiving funding from international groups is treated as a criminal offense and a threat to state security, what little space was left for civil society to operate in Burundi will be closed.”

On February 16, Martin Niteretse, Minister of Interior, Community Development and Public Security, accused the organizations of working with an international nongovernmental organization.

Intelligence agents arrested four of the defenders – Sonia Ndikumasabo, president, and Marie Emerusabe, general coordinator, of AFJB; Audace Havyarimana, legal representative, and Sylvana Inamahoro, executive director, of APDH – on February 14 at Bujumbura’s Melchior Ndadaye Airport as they were preparing to fly to Uganda for a meeting with partners.

Prosper Runyange, the APDH land project coordinator, was arrested in Ngozi on February 14 and transferred to Bujumbura the next day. The five defenders were held at the National Intelligence Service (Service national de renseignement, SNR) headquarters in Bujumbura, then transferred to Mpimba central prison in Bujumbura, on February 17. On March 2, the high court of Ntahangwa in Bujumbura confirmed their pretrial detention.

Niteretse told the media: “The case is ongoing. The results we have at the moment show that there is a high probability that there is a risk of financing of terrorism through these funds. We must be vigilant on all points to ensure that nothing disturbs peace and public order.” Under international human rights law and standards, seeking, obtaining, and using financial resources, including from foreign and international sources, is a vital component of the right to freedom of association. Undue restrictions on resources available to organizations have a negative impact on the right to freedom of association.

The two organizations work on gender-based violence and land rights and are officially registered in Burundi. They help some of the most marginalized groups in Burundian society. The judicial authorities’ decision to pursue prosecution of the defenders, apparently solely on the grounds of their organizations’ partnership with and funding from an international organization, has triggered fears of another civil society crackdown in Burundi and undermines the president’s stated reform agenda, the organizations said.

In October 2018, the authorities suspended the activities of most foreign organizations in Burundi and forced them to reregister, which included submitting documentation that stated the ethnicity of their Burundian employees.

The government policy, based on a law on foreign nongovernmental organizations, adopted in January 2017, caused some international organizations to close their offices in Burundi because they disagreed with government-imposed ethnic quotas and objected to the requirement to provide information on the ethnicity of their staff. Some said they feared that submitting this information could put their employees at risk of ethnic profiling and targeting.

“The charges of endangering state security and rebellion against these five human rights defenders are absurd,” said Carina Tertsakian from the Burundi Human Rights Initiative. “If the authorities have questions about their sources of funding, these can be solved through normal administrative channels, as provided for by the law.”

During late President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third and final term, from 2015 to 2020, independent civil society and media were often targeted, and their members attacked, forcibly disappeared, detained, and threatened. Scores of human rights defenders and journalists fled the country and many remain in exile. There has been almost total impunity for these crimes.

Since President Évariste Ndayishimiye came to power in June 2020 and despite his promises to restore freedom of expression and association, the government’s hostility toward Burundi’s once thriving civil society and media remains. The arrests of the five rights defenders followed the conviction, on January 2, 2023, of an online journalist, Floriane Irangabiye, to 10 years in prison, on charges of “undermining the integrity of the national territory” in violation of her rights to free speech and to a fair trial.

These latest arrests and Irangabiye’s conviction reverse a brief moment of optimism after the acquittal and release, in December, of Tony Germain Nkina, a lawyer and former human rights defender who spent more than two years unjustly imprisoned on unsubstantiated charges of collaboration with a rebel group. Twelve human rights defenders and journalists in exile were convicted in June 2020 of participating in a May 2015 coup attempt. The verdict, which was only made public in February 2021, came after a deeply flawed trial during which the defendants were absent and did not have legal representation, flouting the most basic due process principles. The 12 were found guilty of “attacks on the authority of the State,” “assassinations,” and “destruction.”

The arrest of Ndikumasabo, Emerusabe, Havyarimana, Inamahoro, and Runyange appears to be designed to punish the human rights defenders and their organizations for collaborating with an international organization, obstruct their organizations’ activities, and intimidate other activists. Such behavior belies Burundian authorities’ claims that they respect human rights and further stains the image of openness and reform that they try to project internationally, the organizations said.

“Actions speak louder than words,” said Flavia Mwangovya, Deputy Regional Director at Amnesty International. “If the Burundian authorities want their human rights promises to be taken seriously, they should allow civil society to do its valuable work – including defending and assisting victims of human rights violations – without harassment.”

New Anti-Gay Bill Further Threatens Rights

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A bill introduced in Uganda’s Parliament criminalizing same-sex conduct and sexual and gender identity, if adopted, would violate multiple fundamental rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Among others, such a law would violate the rights to freedom of expression and association privacy, equality, and nondiscrimination.

On March 9, 2023, Asuman Basalirwa, a member of parliament, introduced the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Parliament. The bill is a revised and more egregious version of the 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which reinforced existing prison sentences for same-sex conduct and outlawed the “promotion of homosexuality,” but was struck down by a court on procedural grounds.

“One of the most extreme features of this new bill is that it criminalizes people simply for being who they are as well as further infringing on the rights to privacy, and freedoms of expression and association that are already compromised in Uganda,” said Oryem Nyeko, Uganda researcher at Human Rights Watch, “Ugandan politicians should focus on passing laws that protect vulnerable minorities and affirm fundamental rights and stop targeting LGBT people for political capital.”

Like its predecessor, the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill expands on the criminalization of same sex acts, including broad prohibitions on acts such as touching another person “with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.” People found guilty of the “offense of homosexuality” may be imprisoned for up to 10 years.

But the bill goes much further by also criminalizing any person who “holds out as a lesbian, gay, transgender, a queer, or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female,” with a punishment of up to ten years in prison. In addition, the bill makes it a crime to “purport to contract a marriage with another person of the same sex.” The bill includes a punishment of up to five years in prison for the “promotion of homosexuality.” It also effectively declares all same-sex conduct as nonconsensual.

Uganda’s penal code already punishes “carnal knowledge against the order of nature,” which is interpreted to mean homosexual relations, with a punishment of life in prison, although the provision, a colonial remnant, is rarely enforced. In introducing the bill, Basaliriwa said its purpose was to “look at this colonial law and have it in tandem with the current situation.”

The reintroduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill follows months of hostile rhetoric against sexual and gender minorities by public figures in Uganda, as well as government crackdowns on LGBT-rights groups and other human rights groups, government critics, and civil society.

On August 3, 2022, Uganda’s National Bureau for Nongovernmental Organizations banned Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a prominent LGBT rights organization, for not having officially registered with it. The government had previously refused to approve SMUG’s name – a requirement to register as a nongovernmental organization – saying that a group that advocates for the rights and well-being of LGBT people is “undesirable and unregistrable.”

A January 2023 draft report by the bureau identified 26 nongovernmental organizations, including SMUG, that it accused of “promoting homosexuality” and luring schoolchildren into homosexuality through “forced recruitment.” The report recommends barring any groups identified as “promoting LGBTIQ activities” from operating, and suggests that individual activists should be publicly profiled, to prevent them from any further civil society engagement.

On January 25, the parliamentary deputy speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, urged the Internal Affairs Ministry to investigate the activities of the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF), an LGBT and sex-worker-rights group. Tayebwa alleged that HRAPF facilitated the passing of a Kasese district bylaw that recognizes the need to protect key populations including gender and sexual minorities from HIV and tuberculosis, in keeping with Uganda’s own health policies to combat HIV/AIDS.

On February 5, Maj. Gen. Francis Takirwa the deputy commander of land forces in the Ugandan military, used the handover of a renovated community health facility to call for excluding gay people from receiving health services, saying, “Don’t use our health facilities to treat homosexuals.” On February 24, the state minister for sports, Peter Ogwang, called for the introduction of the death penalty for same-sex conduct.

The introduction of the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill is not the first time Parliament has attempted to recriminalize homosexuality since the 2014 Act was struck down. In 2021, Parliament approved the Sexual Offenses Bill, which criminalized any “sexual act between persons of the same gender,” as well as anal sex between people of any gender, with up to 10 years in prison. On August 3, 2021, President Yoweri Museveni rejected the Sexual Offenses Bill and returned it to Parliament, stating that it covered offenses already provided for in the Penal Code.

The continued criminalization of same sex conduct and crackdowns on sexual minorities in Uganda has had far reaching impacts, Human Rights Watch said. Within five months of the passing of the 2013 Anti-Homosexuality Act LGBT people faced a notable increase in arbitrary arrests, police abuse and extortion, loss of employment, evictions and homelessness, and scores fled the country.

“The Ugandan government’s targeting of a vulnerable minority and distracting attention from a broader clampdown on rights groups is an all too familiar tactic,” said Nyeko, “What the government is attempting should set off alarm bells among civil society groups in Uganda, and in the international community, as it signals increased repression and the stifling of opposition voices and civil society groups across the board.”

CIC Insurance Group Plc 2022 Full-year Performance

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CIC Insurance Group Plc is pleased to report a Profit Before Tax of Kshs 2 Billion for the year ended December 2022 compared to the profit before tax of Kshs 960 Million recorded in 2021 representing a 112% growth. The strong performance was driven by continued execution of our transformational initiatives focusing on customer experience, performance management, operational efficiency, digital transformation, research and innovation, cost competitiveness and debt management among others.

Key Highlights

•          The Group’s gross written premium grew by 20% from Kshs 19.7 Billion reported in 2021 to Kshs 23.7 Billion in 2022.

•          Profit After Tax grew by 64% to Kshs 1.1 Billion in 2022 compared to Kshs 668 Million reported in 2021.

•          The net earned premiums grew from Kshs 14.7 Billion to Kshs 17.5 Billion.

•          The Fees and Commission income grew from Kshs 2.1 Billion to Kshs 2.4 Billion.

•          The operating and other expenses also grew from Kshs. 4.7 Billion to Kshs 5.5 Billion.

•          The Total Assets increased from Kshs 41.5 Billion to Kshs 46.7 Billion.

•          The Assets Under Management grew from Kshs 94 Billion to Kshs 127 Billion.

Kenya Subsidiaries

•         General Insurance Business; Gross Written Premium grew by 21% to Kshs 13.8 Billion in 2022 from Kshs. 11.4 Billion in reported in 2021. Profit Before tax was up by 35% to Kshs. 872 Million compared to Kshs. 644 Million in 2021 attributable to business growth, prudent underwriting and enhanced process efficiency. 

•          CIC Life Assurance; Gross Written Premium grew by 17% from Kshs. 6.1 Billion reported in 2021 to Kshs. 7.2 Billion in 2022. The Profit Before Tax grew by 906% to Kshs. 631 Million from a Loss Before Tax of Kshs. 79 Million reported in 2021 owing to strong focus on prudent underwriting and business growth across all the business lines.

•         CIC Asset Management; Assets Under Management grew by 34% from  Kshs. 94.5 Billion in 2021 to Kshs. 127 Billion in 2022. The Profit Before Tax increased by 23% to Kshs. 644 Million compared to Kshs. 523 Million reported in 2021. The Company continues to lead the Unit trust business with a market share of 40% as at December 2022. 

Regional Subsidiaries

The performance of the Regional Subsidiaries has continued to improve with a contribution of 11% to the gross written premium of the Group during the period. CIC Uganda Gross written premium grew by 29% while CIC South Sudan grew by 61% and CIC Malawi grew by 6%. All regional subsidiaries were Profitable with a combined contribution of 10% to the Consolidated Profit before tax of the Group.

Outlook

The Group will continue with the implementation of the transformation initiatives aimed at complete turnaround of all the subsidiaries and growth of the business performance. Improvement of underwriting results remains a key focus for the Group.

Digitization will be a crucial pillar within the Group’s strategy with a view to provide seamless end–to-end customer experience enabled by emerging technologies. Technology has been driving growth in the company with interventions like self- service portals for brokers, agents and mobile applications becoming key service points benefiting customers. To maintain the growth trajectory CIC will continue investing in technology to strengthen performance and achieve customer retention in the long term. Key among these is the implementation of a robust system for the Life business and the IFRS 17 solution.

Within the Cooperatives space our major focus will be the implementation of the survey we have undertaken to better understand and appreciate the needs and priorities of our Cooperatives customers.

The sale of Kiambu land which was launched in November 2022 will be another key initiative within this period.  Other transformational initiatives that are under implementation as per our 2021-2025 corporate strategy include; driving research and innovation, debt management, cost management, risk, compliance and governance including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) integration and reporting among others.

Conclusion

Looking ahead, we continue to be resilient and confident of growth and strong performance of the Group and an economic turnaround across the various regions. We remain focused on delivering on business growth while at the same time progressively building a socially responsible and sustainable business.

National Steering Committee on Drought Response raises KES 1 billion for drought mitigation

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The National Steering Committee on Drought Response has raised KES 1 billion for drought mitigation as it targets one million Kenyans in the latest phase of food distribution.

The Committee under the WaKenya Tulindane Campaign will this week distribute food in Garissa, Nyeri, Taita Taveta, Narok, Marsabit, Meru, Baringo, Kwale, Makueni Counties. The food will be distributed to 48,560 households targeting 290,000 Kenyans.

“We are grateful to Kenyans for the contributions thus far that have reached KES 1 billion even as we align as a Committee on the short, medium and long term plans. We have started implementing some of them such as a partnership with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to rehabilitate between 250 to 300 boreholes that are expected to give one million Kenyans access to water,” said Peter Ndegwa, Chairman, National Steering Committee on Drought Response.

Paul Russo- Group CEO, KCB

The National Steering Committee on Drought Response has so far distributed food to over 400,000 Kenyans in 67,000 households since December last year in Marsabit, Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, Kilifi, Kitui, Kajiado, Isiolo, Samburu and Meru Counties.

Kenyans can contribute through PayBill 880990, which is available on all mobile networks and through the National Drought Mitigation Appeal Fund under KCB Bank, Riverside branch through account number 1305486137.

JOHN OUGO – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, DROUGHT INFORMATION, NATIONAL DROUGHT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY, MARSABIT COUNTY

The latest data from the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) shows that 6 million Kenyans from 32 counties are food insecure with the persisting drought set to continue due to depressed rainfall.  At least 970,000 children and 142,000 pregnant women are malnourished with urgent lifesaving interventions needed. The number of malnourished children has risen from 884,000 children as at July 2022.

The report also shows that over 2.6 million heads of livestock have died as a result of the drought. Water availability has been suppressed with 60% of open water sources drying up and most permanent rivers recording below 40% of normal flow. 

KNCCI President Richard Ngatia Remarks During The Launch Of ISOKO

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Today marks a milestone in our journey towards women empowerment. Today we launch the Isoko digital platform, a revolutionary solution designed to empower women in trade in EA. A platform built through the generous support of the Global Affairs of Canada and the partnership of TradeMark Africa.

I would like to thank TradeMark Africa for their consideration of KNCCI as the private sector partner for this program. Your expertise in trade and investment has been instrumental to KNCCI in the development of this platform and other programs. The support of Global Affairs of Canada whose commitment to promoting gender equality and empowering women enabled the development of a critical solution for women entrepreneurs in Kenya.

SO WHY ISOKO?
In 2020 economies were disrupted, businesses closed affecting women entrepreneurs significantly. In the aftermath of the disruption it was noted businesses that innovated and leveraged digital solutions were able to adapt and survive.

Kenya experienced significant increase in internet penetration over the last few years, Kenya will grow to 29million mobile internet users by 2025, a 41% increase from 17million in 2023 increasing access to smartphones and the internet. This creates an opportunity for digital solutions like Isoko to reach more women entrepreneurs and provide accessible solutions.

Isoko has the potential to transform the lives of women entrepreneurs in Kenya and across EA by providing them the opportunity to grow, expand their businesses, network with other entrepreneurs, save time and costs associated with traditional business operations all within their devices.

Through our County chambers and Women in Business chapters we have onboarded 2,650 users onto the platform with information on over 100 commodities uploaded. Of this number 34 are service providers and 25 orders have been processed through the application with over 400 uploads. The engagement rate stands at 75.6% with an average engagement time of 50m 16s and we expect the numbers to grow significantly after this launch.

We conducted several user acceptance test sessions for different categories of women traders in Kenya, where they had a chance to interact with the platform and share feedback. Some of the feedback received spoke on the ease of use of the platform and the friendly user interface.

In Busia the People living with disability noted they were able to conduct their businesses from a static location, allowing them to access markets and resources previously unavailable to them. They can now market their crafts and access information pertinent to their businesses with little or no movement.

The yearning for new ways to do business saw the women in Kilifi, attend the session with their children and traveled for hours to attend the session or take multiple forms of transportation. This shows the determination and dedication to do what it takes to find solutions for their businesses, they learnt new skills, and the opportunity to connect with other women entrepreneurs, they were not deterred by the other responsibilities.

Women traders appreciated the news segment on the platform keeping them up to date. The platform’s business management tools helped users improve their business practices and manage their finances more effectively.

Overall, the feedback received from women traders during the user acceptance testing sessions has been incredibly positive.

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