• President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday chaired a Cabinet meeting at State House in Nairobi and said stern action will be taken against millers who flout the directive.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
The Cabinet has warned millers not to hoard maize or increase the price of flour as drought ravages parts of the country.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday chaired a Cabinet meeting at State House in Nairobi and said stern action will be taken against millers who flout the directive.
The Cabinet said the prices of other basic food items should remain stable. Pastoralist communities were advised to start destocking while their animals are still in good health.
The Cabinet gave a assurance that the Government would help in restocking of the animals when the weather improves.
The Cabinet secretaries said the drought in a number of counties among them Turkana, Mandera, Garissa, Marsabit and Wajir has worsened from the alert stage to the alarm stage. However, they said the government has the situation under control.
To ensure that the government's response to the drought is well coordinated, a committee was formed. It will be chaired by the Ministry of Interior and national government will coordinate operations.
The committee would be charged with the responsibility of putting in place mitigation measures for the remainder of the year through to December 2019.
The Cabinet also discussed and approved the Data Protection Policy and Law. The law seeks to enhance the government’s commitment to protect personal data and guard against invasion of privacy.
The law would ensure the information provided by Kenyans and foreigners registered in country during the ongoing Huduma Namba drive is protected.
The Kenya Investment Policy and the development of the Mombasa and Naivasha Special Economic Zones were also approved.
The Kenya Investment Policy (KIP) aims at consolidating the fragmented investment related policy by creating a framework that establishes a strong coordinating mechanism in the country.
The policy is guided by seven core principles which emphasise openness, transparency, inclusivity, sustainable development, economic diversification, domestic empowerment, global integration and investor centredness.
KIP also addresses private investment at the national and county levels to ensure a seamless promotion and facilitation process and policy.
Under the development of Mombasa's Dongo Kundu and Naivasha Special Economic Zones, the key development areas will be undertaken by the government and the private sector in three phases.
The first phase is the development of the port infrastructure and related public infrastructure by the state and the Japanese Government.
As part of the Nairobi decongestion initiative, the Cabinet approved the development of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport–James Gichuru Expressway project (The Nairobi Expressway Project).
Other initiatives are the Bus Rapid Transit Line 3 under a Public Private Partnership arrangement.
The development of the JKIA – James Gichuru Expressway project will have several components. Key among them will be the development of a multi-lane highway from JKIA to James Gichuru Road junction, which will cover 18.6km.
The other component will be the development of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which will comprise BRT stations, a park and ride facilities at high demand commuter transfer points.
On the other hand, the BRT line 3 is part of the government’s integrated mass rapid transit plan that includes transport infrastructure development and traffic management.
It is expected to transport 300,000 passengers per day, effectively decongesting the city of Nairobi. The Cabinet also approved Kenya’s participation at the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 (Expo Beijing 2019).
The expo presents an opportunity for high-level engagement to accelerate discussions for more Kenya fresh produce to access the Chinese market.
Already some agricultural products including avocados have been cleared for export to the Chinese market.
Edited by Pamela Wanambisi