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Kenya To Share National Parks Revenue Equally With Host Counties
President William Ruto has announced plans to share 50% of the revenue generated from national parks with the counties in which they are located. Speaking at the Maa Cultural Festival in Narok County on Tuesday, Ruto said that the move is intended to benefit the communities that live near the parks and who have played a vital role in their conservation.
Ruto said that the national and devolved governments will share the revenue equally, and that the county governments will be responsible for ensuring that the money is used to benefit the local communities. He also announced that the responsibility for managing the Amboseli National Park will be transferred from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to Kajiado County.
“The Maasai community has assisted the country in the conservation of our wildlife and conservation areas,” Ruto said. “UNESCO has confirmed that this community and their culture are a world resource that needs to be protected.”
The President’s announcement was welcomed by the Maasai community, who have long argued that they should receive a greater share of the revenue generated from the parks. “This is a victory for the Maasai people,” said David Ole Sankale, a Maasai elder. “We have been waiting for this for a long time.”
The revenue sharing plan is expected to benefit the Maasai community in a number of ways. It will provide much-needed funding for development projects, such as education and healthcare. It will also help to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for Maasai people.
The plan is also expected to boost tourism in the region. Visitors to the national parks will be able to spend more money in local communities, which will create jobs and generate additional income.
Kenya to Construct Studios Countrywide to Support Artists
President William Ruto Wednesday announced that his government is working on a bill that would allow the construction of professional studios countrywide to support artists.
Speaking at the Kenya Music Festival Winners’ State Concert in Nakuru, Ruto said that he has set up a team led by Sports, Arts and Culture Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba to fast-track the formation of the bill and present it in parliament within the next two months.
Ruto said that the government has a deliberate plan to bolster the arts and creative sector and has even changed the Permanent Presidential Music Commission to the Creative Commission of Kenya which will realize the ambition.
“We are already working on a creative bill that is going to make sure that the creative commission will not only have professional studios in Nairobi but in every county in Kenya,” he said.
“We are working with county governments so that we can give opportunity to every artist whether they are in primary or secondary school to explore the opportunities that are there for them to be able to professionalize the art they are gifted with.”
Ruto also said that he has been holding discussions with owners of top social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube, to seek the greenlight of monetizing content in Kenya.
“At 80 percent monetization, we are one of the four countries on the African continent that can monetize content on YouTube,” he said. “That is why I have said KICD should have a YouTube channel and we need to be able to sell the content of our children to parents who want to watch this beautiful display of talent.”
Ruto added that he will be meeting TikTok CEO on Thursday to deliberate on the moderation capacities of explicit content shared on these platforms.
“Kenya is getting between Ksh.500 million and Ksh.800 million every month from these platforms and so we are increasing our revenue as a country from this space,” he said. “We need to manage the negative effects and promote the positive.”
Oparanya Questioned by EACC Over Alleged Ksh.1.3 Billion Embezzlement
Former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and his spouses were questioned by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives on Wednesday over the alleged embezzlement of Ksh.1.3 billion during his two-term tenure as Governor of Kakamega County.
The EACC said that the investigation indicated that public funds were unlawfully acquired through proxies and associates during Oparanya’s tenure.
EACC Deputy CEO Abdi Mohamud said that the commission conducted a successful search on various targets as part of the ongoing investigation. He confirmed that Oparanya was taken to the Integrity Centre in Nairobi to “clarify several issues and record a statement on the ongoing investigation.”
Mohamud noted that the Kakamega County investigation is part of numerous high-impact investigations into loss of public funds that the Commission is undertaking in various County Governments.
The commission urged leaders against politicizing and ethinicizing the investigation exercise.
Earlier in the day, the detectives carried out raids at several of Oparanya’s homes and carted away documents crucial in building their case.
Oparanya’s lawyer Danstan Omari had initially been barred from accessing his client but was eventually allowed in.
Various Azimio leaders, including NARC-Kenya Party boss Martha Karua and ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, showed up at the EACC headquarters in a show of solidarity. The leaders claimed the operation was a political witch hunt linking it to the anticipated tour of western Kenya by President William Ruto.
All Roadblocks in Kenya to be Removed by November 1
All roadblocks in Kenya will be removed by November 1, 2023. This is in line with a directive from President William Ruto, who ordered the immediate removal of all weighing points and roadblocks along transit highways within Kenya’s borders in late July 2023.
The roadblocks will be replaced by patrol security officers along the highways and major corridors. This is to improve the free movement of goods, services, and people within the East African Community (EAC) region.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki, said that roadblocks are an old form of security that should only be mounted on the request of the security operators to achieve a specific agenda. Once the agenda has been achieved, the roadblocks should be dismounted.
The government is also implementing a plan to use new technology to mitigate and improve road safety management. This will reduce the backlog of duties for traffic police officers and eliminate the need for them to man traffic jams on the roads.
The new technology will see the deployment of an electronic surveillance technique that will monitor traffic and identify potential hazards. This will help to improve road safety and reduce the number of accidents.
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