Governor Tunai meets Education experts, county leaders & security team ahead of schools re-opening

Governor Samuel Kuntai Ole Tunai have convened a consultative meeting that brought together the political leadership of Narok County (Members of Parliament and Members of the County Assembly), the Narok County Commissioner, officers for the sub-county level, and County Education Experts to deliberate on, and consolidate efforts towards supporting the preparation of schools in the count, which are scheduled to re-open on January 4th 2021.

The leadership have committed to work hand-in-hand with all stakeholders in the education sector, jointly with the heads of primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary institutions to help them meet and sustain the guidelines for re-opening as provided by the Ministry of Health.

Hon Samuel ole tunai's administration will work closely with relevant officers from the National Government’s Ministries of Health and Education, to help schools overcome or manage the possible spread of covid-19 once schools re-open.

Take it or leave it, Pain of Sweet, DP Ruto asked Legitimate question on his address.

Ruto the proposal for a judiciary ombudsman appointed by the executive is a claw back on the constitution. We don't want to go back to the era when judges were called at night.

On the IEBC, the DP questions the fairness on the proposals on the appointment of a referee by a section of the players.

On the police force Ruto questions the proposal for the chairing of the police council by a  CS. We must be careful that the laws we make serves you now and when you are not in a position of advantage.

Ruto says the proposal on the Senate not to oversee the division of revenue will be a downgrade of the Senate.

On women, if we move them to a downgraded senate we're making them nominal.

Ruto: the real elephant is what was identified as a Winner Takes it all,  Prof Oloo, explain to me, with the proposed structure of government how have you sorted the issue?

Ruto: I want to be persuaded. Forgive me if I'm slow but I want to be persuaded.

A mix of heckling and cheering in the hall.

Now complete heckling.  Ruto tries to calm down the audience.

Ruto now welcomes President Kenyatta.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, WE MUST SAVE OUR GIRLS~ Vows Gov Tunai

Governor Samuel Kuntai Ole Tunai has called on the residents of Narok to ensure that all the children return to school according to the recent released timetable by the Ministry of education. Tunai was emphatic when addressing wananchi during the Mashujaa day celebrations at Ole Ntimama stadium on the none transferable responsibility that the parents have over their children. “As parents/guardians, the care of children is our primary duty in this world”, the Governor said. 

The Governor also assured parents that every Ward will receive their bursary share such that no candidate in form Four will remain at home for lack of school fees. According to recently released statistics of a baseline study on child marriage, teenage pregnancy and Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya, Narok County has some of the highest figures.  

According to an update by the National Chairperson of Anti-FGM board, Agnes Pareyio who is also from Narok County, child marriage, teenage pregnancy and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are manifestations of deeply rooted gender inequalities and social norms. 

Finally, Governor Tunai asked the County Commissioner Mr. Evans Achoki to work closely with the County Government through the Sub-County administrators and other leaders to develop and adopt commitments to ending child marriage and FGM and sensitize community members to report cases of FGM and child marriage in the County.

EDUCATION CS Magoha briefing Kenyans On Reopen of Schools

“No child should be sent home because they did not engage in online classes, that is criminal and we will come for you” - CS Magoha reiterates that learning in both private and public schools should resume from where it stopped in March.

"Schools must ensure mandatory use of face masks and monitoring of body temperature" -

For those children who are pregnant, I assure them that they have nothing to fear and should come back to school. Teachers should be empathic to them and give them assistance. - 

Should there be an emergency, and a child needs help, every parent and every teacher should act as a guardian. We cannot wait until you figure out who the parent of the child is; this is our African culture. -

No child should be sent home on account of school fees, both in the private and public sector.

"Although physical distancing shall remain a challenge to us, it should not be a bottleneck to the resolve of reopening schools."

Mara Ngeche Hotel shut down over non-compliance

 

 

Speaking during an assessment tour in the camp, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Chairman John Konchella said the camp dubbed ‘Mara Ngenche’ had violated the standards set for the world-famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

Konchellah regretted that the camp worth over Ksh 300 million was established in the year 2008 and has been slowly expanding hence blocking the path of the stunning wildebeest crossing.

"The camp started with few camps and has since expanded blocking the path of the animals. We should give the animals the first priority,” said the chairman.

He reiterated that at least four tents had been erected on the path of the animals flouting NEMA rules.

“We will be looking on to whether to relocate the camp in full or part of it before making a full report on this,” said Konchella.

The camp director, Nagib Popat, however, said he has placed a court order to bar the closure of the camp alleging to have met all the criteria required for its establishment.

Narok Executive Member in Charge of Tourism Joseph Koila regretted the incident saying the closure of such magnitude had never occurred in the recent past.

He reiterated that the welfare of the animals at the world-famous game reserve come first hence promised that the county government will do anything possible to protect the 

“This is a problem we inherited from the defunct county council that we are trying to fix now. We are however committed to ensuring we give the animals the best,” said Ole Koila.

Wildebeest migration occurs between the month of July and September where millions of animals migrate from Serengeti Park in Tanzania to the Kenyan side across River Mara.

A clip showing the incident that occurred on 14^th August this year where wildebeest movement was interrupted by the camp that stands at the meeting point of River Talek and River Mara went viral over social media.

This led Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala to ask the county government to close the camp for interfering with the animals’ movement.

GOVERNOR TUNAI OPENS THE EXPANDED LOLGORIAN LIVESTOCK MARKET, TRANSMARA WEST.

Governor Samuel Ole Tunai has commissioned the expanded Lolgorian Livestock Market. 

The reconstructed Lolgorian market can now hold 1,000 large stock (cattle and donkeys) and 2,500 small stock (sheep and goats) and includes the trading yard as well as sorting yards with a loading rump for herding animals directly into lorries.

Presiding over the opening ceremony at the market today, Governor Tunai noted that the construction has proceeded smoothly over the last seven months in spite of the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

The Governor further observed that the expanded market will serve as a significant feeder market to other markets such as Aitong, Kapsinendet and Chebunyo markets. “The catchment of livestock for this market includes Kilgoris, Kehancha and areas of Tanzania bordering Transmara West Sub-county” said the Governor. 

The new market includes a block of marketing stalls for auxiliary businesses, water harvesting and storage facilities and three latrines.

The project is a collaboration between the County Government of Narok and the State Department for Livestock through the Regional Pastoral Livelihoods Resilience Project (RPLRP).

Governor Samuel Kuntai Ole Tunai REMARKS DURING THE 9TH MARA DAY CELEBRATIONS

Distinguished conservation champions of the Mara Basin Ecosystem, I am delighted to meet all of you comrades, on this important occasion. We are comrades, not in a military struggle, but in the important struggle for conservation.

We are marking this day amid fears and concerns over the spread of Covid-19, and I am glad that we have taken all necessary precautionary measures outlined by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, that is why we do not have many people attending the celebrations today.

It is with a great sense of pride that we have come together once again to celebrate this Day, under the theme “Conserved Mara Ecosystem – Our Shared Prosperity” translating in Swahili as “Ikolojia ya Mara iliotunzwa - Ustawi wetu. 

Our coming together demonstrates that various socio-economic aspects of our desired prosperity depends directly on the Mara Ecosystem – whether it is income from tourism activities; employment opportunities or suppliers of various services to the camps, hotels and lodges; or the pilots who fly aeroplanes bringing local and foreign tourists.

As we mark this 9th celebration of Mara Day, we recognize the encouraging transformative steps we have taken to conserve and improve the state of the Mara Basin Ecosystem, steps that have turned around the ecosystem from what it used to be nine years ago.

The rich and fertile Mara river basin hosts some of the largest wildlife populations in Africa. This includes those in the Serengeti National Park, which is arguably the most popular wildlife sanctuary on the planet. The basin is one of the most complex ecosystems on earth, which has in recent decades been under pressure due to poaching, expanding agricultural development, population growth and other factors.

Threats to the Mara River Basin include loss of forest cover in the upper catchment and along the river’s tributaries and unsustainable agricultural expansion and intensification, including irrigation. 

According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem relies on Mara River to sustain its stunning wildlife, among other socioeconomic activities in Kenya and Tanzania. So the Mara Basin Ecosystem has a significant socio-economic effect in the East African Region.

Population growth, ever increasing tourist facilities, water pollution and unregulated water abstraction by urban settlements, large-scale commercial farming, industrial activities coupled with failures of local, national and regional legislation and institutional structures have gradually been worsening the situation.

However, we now have a comprehensive conservation strategy called the Mara Management Plan, which we are now implementing, thus reducing the effects of some of those challenges.

Kenyan Government, particularly the Narok County Government has shown tremendous commitment to conserving the Mara Basin and Ecosystem, as the river is a regional shared resource for sustainable economic development of Lake Victoria Basin to ensure sustainable use of resources.

In the last 9 years, we have planted more trees to conserve various forests and increase the forest cover, which has led to increased rainfall as well as increased water levels in the Mara River. That is why we also recently engaged in tree planting on the river bank of Talek River and cleaning up of the river, because of its significance to the Mara river as well.

Our efforts have included hiring 20 more rangers to protect the Mau forest; we have hired and trained 300 new rangers at the Masai Mara; we have bought new and modern communication equipment for surveillance and to guard against poaching; through the Mara Management Plan we have stopped the construction of new camps; and we passed the Maasai Mara Community Fund Act, which I signed into law, to ensure that 19% of total revenue from the Mara goes to pastoralist communities to encourage them to partner with the County Government in conservation. 

The annual Mara Day celebrations coincide with the annual wildebeest migration, a time when the eyes of the world are on the Masai Mara Game Reserve, as many local and foreign tourists flock the Mara to witness the mind-blowing phenomenon of Wildebeest migration.

This high season at the Mara, regardless of the Covid-19 challenges, we are pleased to have very many local tourists, and we appeal to Kenyans to come and experience the rare beauty of the Mara. We have put in place all the necessary precautionary measures guided by the World Health Organization protocols, and so we assure everyone of their safety.

Safeguarding of the Mara River Basin Ecosystem is a determination to conserve and sustain the environment, as well as tourism and its related activities.  

My request to you all is that we should never let up our conservation efforts. If mankind dares to destroy the environment, the environment will easily destroy mankind, and in that contest, life on earth will be threatened, and human beings will face the threat of extinction.

Collectively, our shoulders are broad and strong enough to meet the challenges of the present moment, facing the entire Mara Basin Ecosystem.

The great savannas of Eastern Africa - home to traditional nomadic pastoralists, and the last refuge of some of the most spectacular wildlife populations on earth – should continue to be protected by all of us against major effects of climate change, human encroachment, human-wildlife conflict and depletion of forest cover.

We should do this strongly because the Serengeti - Mara Ecosystem supports the most diverse migration of grazing mammals on earth. 

I thank the pastoral communities around Maasai Mara for their continued cooperation which has been made stronger through the Maasai Mara Community Fund, since they benefit from 19% of the total revenue collected form Maasai Mara.

I would like to call on all stakeholders to continue working closely with the Narok County Government so that together, we can achieve the desired results. 

Our collaboration in the implementation of the Mara Management Plan will keep the Mara Game Reserve on top as a leading tourism destination in Africa, and among the best in the world.

As your governor, I am committed to work closely with the Ministry in Environment and Forestry, as well as the Ministry of Tourism and all stakeholders, so that the fruits of our success in conservation of the Mara Ecosystem will be shared and claimed by all of us.

In the months ahead, we are going to step up efforts, jointly with the National Government to protect water catchment areas even further; to secure (through policy and practice) the river and rivulets that deliver their water into the Mara River.

As Narok County Government, we are going to do even more on the Mara Basin Ecosystem surveillance, as well as veterinary services, to reduce transmission of diseases from wildlife to livestock (like malignant cattery fever; also livestock wave brought new diseases to wildlife like rinderpest, which we have to guard against).

When we work strongly together, we shall surely overcome the challenges that face this ecosystem that we cherish. Nearly a decade has passed since we begun the conservation efforts on the Mara Basin Ecosystem, and so much has been achieved. This demonstrates that we are capable of achieving so much more when we work together.

In closing, as we celebrate this day, I celebrate you all and your commitment, and I pray to God that we shall live many years to come to see the success of our conservation efforts.

Thank you all and may God bless you.

#MaraDay2020