Day: April 14, 2023

South Africa must forge its own pathway towards becoming a low carbon emissions economy, says Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.

The Minister was speaking during a panel discussion at the Presidential Climate Commission’s National Colloquium on South Africa’s long-term electricity planning and the Just Energy Transition (JET).

The colloquium brought together government, civil society, religious groups, organised labour and business to discuss the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) recommendations on the JET and electricity.

“There’s a new global reality arising from the war in Europe and they’re quite comfortable making all sorts of zigzags in terms of their planning and the just transition as well, but they want to dictate how we should do things and meet their requirements.

“The reality is that war has changed the energy scenario. It has changed the pathways… We have to take that reality into account as we map out the JET pathway in South Africa,” Gordhan said on Friday.

He emphasised that as the country begins its transition, the reality of energy security must also come into sharp focus in both the short- and long-term.

“We need to, at all stages, continue to keep in mind how we are going to meet the energy requirements for both our citizens and small and big businesses. We need to take into account the current Eskom reality that it cannot… seem to consistently produce more than 23 000MW, whereas the demand is closer to 30 000MW and beyond almost every single day during peak hours.

“The IRP 19 [Integrated Resource Plan 2019] needs to be modified so that we take into account these new realities. Perhaps the most urgent thing is how… we get the quickest input of new megawatts into our system. Without 4 000 to 6 000 more megawatts availability of new energy, as urgently as possible, we’re not going to cope with the immediate requirements.”

Turning to funding of the worldwide energy transition, Gordhan said developed nations have a responsibility to assist developing countries such as South Africa to transition.

“Who is going to finance all of this? Where is the money going to come from?

“South Africa might have additional capacity [over] many developing countries but it does not have the capacity to fund all of the changes that need to take place in relation to climate change. What responsibility is the developed world taking for funding climate change adaption programmes?” Gordhan asked.

In her address to the colloquium, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, echoed Gordhan’s sentiments.

“An area that we need to look at is the tension between developed and developing countries. The Paris Agreement says developed countries have a responsibility to finance the transitions in developing countries.

“The origins of the JET investment plans come from the offer that was made by some of the developed countries at COP26 [Conference of the Parties 26] to start to provide financing for the start of the transition in South Africa.

“That offer, in my view, is part of the obligations that those developed countries carry as a result of them being signatories to the Paris Agreement and as a result of them having caused the problems that we face. They’re not doing us any favours. It’s part of their obligations,” Creecy said.

She said this financing must benefit all South Africans and that no one must be left behind as South Africa transitions towards low carbon emissions.

“There are those who are outside of the existing system; those who are workers and communities in the coal value chain; those who are subsistence agriculturalists, women and their families. All of those sections of our society that are going to be impacted by climate change and who are going to carry the risks of the transition.

“There’s a very strong voice coming out that those South African communities must be beneficiaries of the transition, and they must be beneficiaries not just in terms of the projects and programmes themselves, but that society as a whole must benefit from new forms of industrialisation and wealth creation,” she said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Hundreds of residents from Buuri East Sub-County, Meru County on Thursday benefited from Huduma Kenya mobile outreach program known as Huduma Mashinani, a citizen Centred mobile outreach program that was initiated to bring services closer to the people.

During the outreach programme, the services that are usually provided at the actual Huduma Centre are also provided during the initiative in a move that has worked to the advantage of the sick, elderly, and other minority members of the community.

Speaking during the exercise held at Kiirua Technical Training Institute, Buuri East Deputy County Commissioner Ms Josephine Njenga thanked the centre for taking such an initiative which she said would enable residents to access service and cut on the cost of transport to Meru town where Huduma Centre is located.

‘Through this initiative, we are sure that we will reach more and more people who for one reason or another other are unable to go to Meru town Huduma offices. They will still access government services right here in their villages and the high number of people turning up here today means they are responding well to the initiative and that’s a plus for the government,’ Ms Njenga said.

She added that the initiative was also an indication that the government was keen to take services down to the people in rural areas and be at par with other Kenyans.

‘We want to move from the past where people come out crying to the government that they are not getting services. The current government will be bringing crucial service to your doorsteps and you will only be required to come out and receive them,’ said Ms Njenga.

She cautioned the residents against giving out bribes to be served, adding that it was every Kenyan’s right to receive government services free of charge and that for those charged, one was expected to get a receipt after the payment.

Huduma Centre manager Mr Peter Mutiso said the services that were taken to the people included issuing of new identity cards and replacement of the lost ones, National Health Insurance Services (NHIF), National Social Security Fund (NSSF), issuance of birth and death certificates, police services, and health check-up services among others.

He urged those who were able to access the Huduma centre at Meru town to make good use of the centre now that the service time had been extended to 7pm.

‘The government is using a lot of resources to deploy staff as well as incurring other expenses to have this centre running. It is therefore wise to make good use of it or else the resources will be diverted to other areas that are in need,’ said Mutiso.

He added that they were ready and willing to visit other identified local areas in order to ensure residents were served to their satisfaction.

The programme came as a relief to mothers with young children who turned up in large numbers for registration of their children’s birth certificates.

‘The exercise could not have come at a better time for us as we are faced with a double challenge of travelling all the way to Meru town at a time when there is a sharp increase of fare due to increased fuel prices,’ said Ms Doris Kagendo.

Another service that attracted many people was free healthcare where locals were screened for various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and eye disorders and also given free medicines for minor ailments.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kenya and Finland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen the prevention and response to Gender-based Violence in Samburu County.

The MOU dubbed, The Kenya Finland Bilateral program, which commenced in October 2021 aims at eradicating all forms of Gender-based Violence (GBV) including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriages in Samburu County by 2024.

Speaking during the program launch in Maralal town, Samburu County, Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action Aisha Jumwa said that the program is being implemented in the counties of Samburu, Bungoma and Kilifi.

The CS said that in Samburu County, the program has developed a calendar of GBV risks, vulnerabilities and prevention opportunities in order to strengthen coordination through more proactive, focused and collective planning.

‘This calendar highlights key events that happen month by month that are likely to contribute to an increase or decrease in GBV including holidays, weather patterns, political events, school terms and vacations, cultural events and national or international days,’ she said.

Jumwa lauded efforts by Samburu elders to eradicate FGM and early marriages through the signing of the Kisima declaration of 2021 and later agreeing to be anti-FGM ambassadors by moving from village to village sensitizing locals against FGM and early marriages.

At the same time, the CS tasked local leaders to form women groups for reformed circumcisers so that they can get funding to start businesses through the ministry of gender.

Jumwa reiterated the government’s commitment in strengthening partnerships to completely eradicate GBV and other harmful cultural practices in Kenya.

Finland Ambassador to Kenya Pirka Tapiola commended the synergy between the national government and the county government of Samburu in their efforts to fight and eradicate GBV.

‘FGM is a very sensitive topic and it needs to be approached in a delicate manner and partnerships with local influencers such as you have done with the elders,’ he said.

Samburu County Governor Lati Lelelit called upon Samburu residents to stop FGM adding that all negative cultural practices are fueled by high levels of illiteracy.

‘If we increase our literacy levels through education, all negative cultural practices will die a natural death,’ he said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Over 100 retirees and government employees aged 50 years and above were the first beneficiaries of a training program dubbed, ‘Preparation for Retirement’ initiated by Meru Huduma Centre leadership.

Addressing the attendees, Milton Otuoma of Bellaton Human Resource Consultants, said the initiative was timely based on a realization that many people were exiting the civil service with very little or no form of preparation into the contemporary society.

Otuoma commended the larger Meru county administration leadership for supporting the training program at the county level, while considering having the same done at sub-county level to cushion those about to retire with the knowledge and skills to enable them fit in the community after a long tour of duty as civil servants.

The facilitator urged the attendees to mobilize their colleagues into forming informal interaction avenues such as WhatsApp groups to enhance follow-ups, team work, co-learning and peer-support to strengthen and lift up each other mentally and socially.

Gracing the event, Imenti North Deputy County Commissioner, Odiliah Ndeti appreciated her colleagues in other sub-counties for coming out in support of the training through mobilizing government employees aged 50 years and above in their respective areas of jurisdiction, particularly being able to bring on board those who had already left the civil service upon attaining the mandatory retirement age.

Ndeti said the county administration leadership was considering pooling the little available resources together in support of the noble program, saying with time the training sessions in preparation for retirement would be held on regular basis.

Source: Kenya News Agency