Business

Millers told to deplete stocks before price increase

Published

3 years ago

January 8, 2018

KSN Reporter

Millers told to deplete stocks before price increase

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By ALLAN TAWAI

The prices of maize flour are expected to increase from Monday in most parts of the country, with millers circulating new price lists to supermarkets.

However, Agriculture National Assembly committee chairman Silas Tiren on Sunday asked millers to deplete the subsidized maize flour in their stocks before issuing out new prices to retailers and supermarkets.

According to Mr. Tiren, the millers have enough stock from the funded programme to last another month.

Speaking to journalists at Marriott Hotel in Eldoret, the chairman said he expects the price of the staple food to increase from February and not January.

“The millers need to be fair to Kenyans. They took enough stock, we have the records of how much maize was purchased by each miller, and we expect their stock to last another month,” He said

A shopper buying maize flour

The Moiben legislator urged the millers not to take advantage of Kenyans since the Sh6 billion subsidy programme came to an end on December 31.

“I don’t want to interfere with the operations of the millers but we are warning them against increasing the prices or repackaging the subsidised flour,” Mr. Tiren said.

The end of the maize flour subsidy programme has, however, elicited mixed reactions from Kenyans, with most terming it a political campaign strategy used by the government.

“The government should just sustain the subsidized maize programme. They should consider the fact that Kenyans are having serious financial crisis at the moment” Grumbled Mr. Simiyu, a farmer from Shirugu village in Kakamega County.

The government has ended the programme after the harvest season in the grain basket of the country.

Meanwhile in Nyeri County, Senator Ephraim Maina vowed to push for the return of the Sh90 maize flour after an outcry from residents.

Mr. Maina, while addressing residents of Kiamwathi, said the government has the ability to sustain the programme that has seen many households afford meals when the maize flour prices went up.

“I will approach President Kenyatta to discuss how we can have the subsided maize back on the shelves. We know it is possible,” he said.

The senator also promised to resolve a delay in issuance of title deeds to residents of Kiamwathi colonial villages.

“I will hold talks with officials in the Ministry of Lands to have this issue addressed immediately,” he said.

The details of the new price list have not been revealed yet until it takes effects.

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Business

Balala: This is why I picked Naomi Campbell as tourism ambassador

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3 days ago

January 12, 2021

KSN Reporter

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Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has been forced to explain his decision to appoint British supermodel Naomi Campbell as the Magical Kenya International Tourism Ambassador.

Balala, in a Twitter post, said Ms Campbell’s appointment to promote Kenyan tourism abroad is meant to strengthen the domestic market and not take away anything from it.

“Naomi Campbell will be Magical Kenya’s International Tourism Ambassador. That doesn’t take away from our domestic market, it only strengthens it. #MagicalKenya,” twitted Mr Balala.

In an official statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife said Ms Campbell had been tasked with promoting Kenya as an ideal tourism and travel destination to the world.

This, according to the ministry, was agreed upon following a meeting between the 50-year-old English model and the Tourism CS.

The news of her appointment has stirred controversy among Kenyans with many expressing their displeasure on social media.

In 2017, the Tourism Ministry also got a backlash after appointing Ugandan dancehall artiste Edrisa Musuuza, popularly known as Eddy Kenzo, as Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) ambassador.

Amid wide criticism, KTB chief executive Dr Betty Adero Radier came out to explain that Kenzo’s appointment was because Uganda contributed a high number of tourists to Kenya from the East African regional states.

Last year KTB unveiled world marathon record holder and Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge as Magical Kenya destination ambassador.

Naomi Campbell will be Magical Kenya’s International Tourism Ambassador. That doesn’t take away from our domestic market, it only strengthens it. #MagicalKenya 🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/o4HEllieid

— Hon. Najib Balala (@tunajibu) January 12, 2021

By NN

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Business

Model Naomi Campbell inks deal to market Kenya

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3 days ago

January 12, 2021

KSN Reporter

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English supermodel Naomi Campbell has agreed to help promote Kenya as a top tourism destination, coming at a time when the sector is struggling to regain its footing after being ground to a halt by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an announcement on Tuesday, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said Ms Campbell agreed to become Magical Kenya’s international ambassador after talks over the weekend.

“We welcome the exciting news that Naomi Campbell will advocate for tourism and travel internationally for the magical Kenya brand,” CS Balala said in a statement.

The 50-year-old model, who is also an actress and businesswoman, has been vacationing in Kenya since December and is staying in Malindi.

She has a large following on social media with over 13 million followers on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter, which Mr Balala reckons will draw more tourists to the country.

Tourist drop

Data released by the Tourism Research Institute last month showed that the number of tourists who visited Kenya fell by 72 per cent between January and October last year.

This translated to a loss of revenue amounting to Sh110 billion during the period, leading to massive losses in a sector that was one of the most affected by the ban on international travel between March and July.

The tourism industry contributes to about 8.8 per cent of Kenya’s annual gross domestic product (GDP), grossing over Sh860 billion annually.

By Nation.co.ke

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Africa

Meet couple working in the same matatu as driver and conductor

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4 days ago

January 11, 2021

KSN Reporter

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A couple in Tanzania had grabbed headlines for working in the same Public Service Vehicle (PSV) as driver and conductor. Athuman Hatibu and his wife Witness Mushi have been working together for five years now and he swears by her work efficiency. According to Witness who’s a mass communication graduate, she quit her job to support her husband after numerous complaints over inefficient conductors.

“It was not an easy decision to make because I led a different lifestyle before starting out as a bus conductor. My husband had a lot of complaints about the previous conductors who worked with him and most of the complaints were about little fares collected at the end of the day. I then told him to give me a day to learn and identify all the bus stations and fares along the route so he could afterwards decide if we could work together,” she told The Citizen.

According to Athuman, there was a noticeable difference in the amount of money his wife collected compared to other conductors he’d previously worked with. Citing a recent example when Witness had travelled and he hired his younger brother as a conductor, Athuman said, “working alongside my brother proved my point that no other person has ever reached the collection target my wife hits when she’s on duty.”

Aspirations, challenges

The couple with four children said that working in the transport industry inspired their dream of owning a bus. Expressing optimism at the prospect of buying their bus, Athuman revealed that they plan on incorporating their first son into the business.

“The bus we are planning to buy will be coordinated by us and our son. He is currently upgrading his driving license,” he said.

Working together as a driver and conductor comes with its fair share of challenges, including passengers who make a pass at Witness not knowing she’s married to the driver.

“There are other times people approach me with different motives without the knowledge that the bus driver is my husband, and at times, it is literally the opposite. Sometimes passengers decline giving full amounts of bus fares once they reach their respective destinations,” Witness told The Citizen.

Her hubby, on the other hand, said it pains him when his wife is verbally abused by passengers but he instead opts to focus on the road. At the end of each trip, they have a debriefing where Witness informs him of any incidents and tips from male passengers.

Work-life balance

Their days typical involves waking up at 3am every day to ensure they hit the road by 4am. The couple usually end their work day at 11 pm having made 20 trips. Since they are rarely home during the day, two of their children are in boarding school and the two others live with their grandparents. To ensure their personal life doesn’t interfere with work, the couple made a pact to never let the situation at home interfere with the work environment.

by Standardmedia.co.ke

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