There was tension at Kiburu village, Kenya after a grenade exploded in a farm in the area. Monica Wambui was working in her harm when she heard a storm-like sound coming from the ground. She said that she continued with her work until being uncomfortable and stood up to pray. - “After I heard the sound, I stood up and stopped working in my shamba to pray for the ending world” she added. She said that after the sound became very uncomfortable with her, she opted to get out of the farm and after five minutes she heard a loud bang and on looking behind her, she saw smoke emitting from the corner of her farm. “When I heard the sound coming down very loud, I ran away and a…

The Kirinyaga Central Probation department has embarked on a systematic process geared not only in promoting crime prevention activities but also impart the offenders with self-sustenance skills once they are through with their probation stints. - “We have undertaken a comprehensive program for CSO (Community Service Offenders) to help them work part-time and also give them a chance to do alternative jobs’’ said Mr. Mwaniki Korugari, Kirinyaga District Probation Officer. “This is usually possible since we teach them skills that equip them to be economically empowered in developing not only himself but the also the society.’’ The Probation Service dep…

Deforestation is said to be hitting Kenya's forests as residents heap complains at the doors of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). In view of the Director General of NEMA, Dr. Ayub Macharia, made an official visit to Kamweti forest over complains on the rate trees are being felled by loggers. - Speaking at Kamweti forest, the Director General said that there are very many complaints from the public saying that there is a clear felling of indigenous trees. He said that the team decided to visit Kamweti forest to see whether the complaints being put across were true or false and to access the damage that has been done. “Our mission is to visit and see whet…

Many families have struggled to get a livelihood in the rural areas in Kenya for domestic and irrigation use due to erratic rains. For years many families have struggled to get clean water from the rivers that are kilometers away from their homes to no success but in the year 2000 through Constituency Development funds, water projects were established ending the agony of many rural dwellers. - Majority of residents in Ndia Constituency, Kirinyaga County the vision is slowly becoming a reality as they proudly turn on taps with clean water. “It never crossed my mind that one day I would have piped water and irrigate my land after relying on rain water for years,” says Purity Wa…

As Kenya's government grapple with the problem of feeding its citizens there is a sleeping giant in the Mwea irrigation scheme that has the capacity of feeding thousands of Kenyans but it has hardly been exploited. The scheme was introduced before independence but nothing has been improved to make it match with the changing times in the modern world. - The Mwea irrigation scheme covers a total of 24,000 hectares in the lower parts of Kirinyaga County where the farmers mostly grow Pishori aromatic rice through irrigation with direct water from river Nyamindi and river Thiba. The water from the two rivers is not enough to feed the entire Mwea irrigation scheme and this force the farme…

As Kenya prepares to adopt the county government, young people have started living up to their dreams despite having no or little education, Comba an example of many others have put up milling company which will be to bring resources to the county instead of bringing development in Nairobi. - Few people live up to their dreams; they wear out and give up before accomplishing them. The situation is even worse for people who cannot get employed, especially in Kenya as is the case with many developing countries where few venture into self employment. However, one man whose dream of working in an office was shattered today runs his own business premises with a staff of 50. For Julius Com…

As Kenya grapples with shortfalls in power supply due to high demand which has resulted in rationing, a tiny village in the slopes of Mt. Kenya forest has no worries. After many years of struggle Kiangima-Kiangibuini community group has successfully commissioned a micro hydro power project that has lit the entire Thaita village in Kirinyaga County. - Started 11 years ago, the group’s intention was to get their homes connected to the national power grid from Kerugoya town about 15 kilometres away, but this was never to be. The chairman, John Waweru Karani, recalls that they approached Kenya Power as 80 members and requested for a quotation of the cost of supplying their homes with el…

General Kassam is one among many forgotten Mau Mau heroes who made Kenya attain its independence. Born in Gichugu in Kirinyaga County in 1922, General Kassam, 89, said that the Kenyan government has forgotten about all the Mau Mau fighters, who were in the race with Kenya's first president Mzee Kenyatta and are now rewarding spectators. - The Mau Mau vice chairman said that the fighters have been sidelined by the government saying that they were the ones who sent the white man away from the black land. Kassam said that during the fight the whites together with the then provincial administrators took all their animals and land away without any consideration. He said that after staying…

With spiraling fuel cost and unprecedented global warming that is responsible for a myriad of problems affecting people, renewable energy comes in handy. Governments, organizations, individuals and institutions have been urged to cut Green House Gases (GHG) that have been blamed for climate change, severely leaving many with dire consequences. - Among measures that have been encouraged is the use of green energy which minimizes production of carbon dioxide and methane that is tilting the atmospheric pressure leading to a lot of warmth. It is against this background that the Kenya Ministry of Agriculture and Germany Technical Cooperation (GTZ) came together in 2008-2010 to support individ…

Over 100 families who were ejected from Mt Kenya forest 21 years ago and have been leaving under appalling condition at the edge of the forest will be settled by government in conjunction with Kirinyaga county council at the controversial south Ngariama ranch. The good news was delivered by Kirinyaga central MP Joseph Gitari who revealed that the council has set aside over 300 acres to resettle the squatters. - The families leave in appalling and inhuman conditions at the edge of the forest and have been forced to grapple for a space along the road. They were ejected from the forest by the government after the government outlawed forest farming in the mid 80s. However, their counterpart i…

It was all joy a 28-year-old man when he was released from Kerugoya prison last Wednesday afternoon to his home in Kiamaina village in Kirinyaga Central district of Kenya. Jotham Mwangi could not believe leaving Kerugoya prison where he had served for eight years and eight months after he was convicted to serve 25 years for robbery with violence and rape charges. - There was joy in his home place where relatives came out in large numbers to accept him back to the society. Tears flowed down relatives’ cheeks, who could not believe that one day Mwangi was to be back home being a reformed man after serving for eight years. According to his 50-year-old mother Judy Kabuchi, “I had…