After floodwaters destroyed their rice farms, rice farmers in Ahero, Kisumu County, are tallying their losses.

Over 800 acres of rice farms have been impacted by floods brought on by the Saturday burst of the River Nyando, according to the National Irrigation Authority (NIA), which is in charge of the Ahero and West Kano irrigation projects.

The torrential flood waters, according to Kennedy Ouma, the manager of the NIA Scheme, had washed out every farm.

“We are evaluating the damage, but the circumstances are bad; farmers have suffered significant losses,” he states.

Ouma reports that while evaluations are being conducted to determine the extent of the damage, the farmers’ anticipated bountiful crop has now suffered a setback.

The occurrence, he continues, is probably going to be a setback to the national government’s efforts to guarantee adequate food security through rice production.

Speaking in Ahero, Ouma notes that the majority of farmers used loans to expand their crops, and many of them are currently counting huge losses out of concern that the flooding may not stop.

In Nyando, the floods have forced hundreds of people to flee, blocking roads.

A terror suspect who says he is from Isiolo County is being held by police in Kisii County.

The 49-year-old suspect was pulled from a hotel room, as per a police report.

The woman, named as Fatuma Abdullahi Guyo, was taken into custody on Sunday night following an operation at Black and White Lodging in Kisii town.

Locals who reported the incident reportedly became suspicious because the woman never left her room, according to the police.

“She didn’t spend a day outside the room. The reporter said, “We are clueless of her activities during the night.

The suspect was taken by the authorities to the offices of the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) for further investigation.

“She couldn’t present adequate explanations for her stay, and she didn’t have any documents. Police stated that the situation is presently being investigated.

A middle-aged man who is connected to a syndicate that steals cell phones is being detained by police in Kericho.

The suspect was taken into custody at the Duka Moja estate, which is located outside of Kericho town and close to the Brooke Trading Center, according to detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Police stated, “The suspect was arrested following a tip off from members of the public.”

During the raid, at least 130 cell phones were found, according to the authorities.

“Other electronic items believed to have been stolen from various parts of the county were also recovered from the suspect,” the police added.

The suspect, according to the police, is a member of the gang that has been terrorizing the people of Kericho town.

This week, the phones will be on display at the Kericho police station so that the general public may identify them.

The River Nyando broke its banks, leaving dozens of families trapped in their houses within the Nyando sub-county. Rescue operations are currently underway to relocate these residents to higher ground.

Using boats, a team of the Kisumu fire department, St. John’s Ambulance, Kenya Coast Guard Services, and Red Cross personnel are making their way into the inundated villages.

The worst affected villages are Kathoo, Obiayo, Tura, Okanja, Panadol, etc., where many people are trapped in their homes and need rescue.

The Onjiko Secondary School has been converted into a rescue center, where those who were already rescued are being housed.

Due to concerns that the majority of people in the affected communities may have spent the night outside in the cold, Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) is airlifting individuals who have been rescued to the center while they receive medical assistance upon reaching Onjiko.

Due to the flood waters brought on by the overflow of the River Nyando, acres of farmland inside the rice-growing regions of Nyando have been wiped away, along with livestock.

Transport operations have fully resumed at the Ahero bridge on the Kisumu–Nairobi route. The water levels have now dropped, allowing cars to pass more easily than they could in the morning.

Residents who have been impacted are still pleading with the government for more aid, particularly food and non-food supplies. Many have even requested a permanent move so they can avoid the annual flooding.

As the Kenya Red Cross undertakes rescue operations at Kinanie Bride along the Athi River on Mombasa Road, five individuals have been reported missing.

The Athi River burst its banks on Sunday morning, leaving 19 people stranded by the floods, according to a Red Cross statement.

fourteen persons were successfully rescued, while five were remained unaccounted for, according to the Emergency Response Team.

“After the Athi River broke its banks this morning, 19 people in Kinanie, Machakos County, were marooned. So far, we have managed to rescue 14 people—10 adults and 4 children—as efforts to rescue five others continue,” stated the Red Cross.

The five missing people are still being searched for by an emergency response team that works with the County Government and the Red Cross.

Drivers are encouraged to stay away from the area until the floods fade away, even in spite of the rescue operations.

As a result, there is currently traffic on Mombasa Road, and drivers are advised to expect delays of up to several hours.

Wavinya Ndeti, the governor of Machakos County, also issued an order for the evacuation of nearby people.

She said that she had worked with the local chiefs and school administrators to arrange for the locals to relocate to schools in order to accommodate individuals who had been affected by the flooding.

Additionally, Wavinya Ndeti advised those who had constructed near riparian zones to take down their structures and widen the waterways.

Wavinya issued a warning, saying, ““Those who have walls built along riparian lands are instructed to demolish them, otherwise we shall demolish them ourselves.”

Multiple places in the nation have been severely damaged by floods caused by the country’s excessive rainfall.

The Community of Practice (CoP) model has been incorporated into the junior secondary school curriculum by the government.

The government led the reforms through the Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) in an effort to enhance student-teacher collaboration.

The CoP approach, according to CEMASTEA, aims to give teachers and learners from diverse schools a way to work together to accomplish goals.

The news was made in Kisumu during a training session for County Trainers for JS teachers from 15 counties in the Nyanza, Western, and North Rift regions by George Kiruja, the coordinator of the program.

Kiruja further emphasized that the project will offer a forum for exchanging ideas, suggestions, and tactics.

According to Kiruja, “The idea is to help teachers work as a community. The model promotes peer learning, exchange of best practices, and collaborative problem solving, providing a platform for teachers to share insights, resources, and strategies for delivering the CBC effectively.

Further information reveals that CEMASTEA wants to create Communities of Practise (CoPs) in every junior school in the nation to enhance learning results.

In the near future, this will expand upon the creation of subject-specific and regional clusters to help teachers implement cutting-edge methods for particular courses.

In order to enable teachers to receive specialized training, CEMASTEA also mentioned that they have created a portal where teachers may communicate about their challenges.

Teachers were additionally motivated to cooperate via in-person meetings and virtual social media platforms.

Some of the criticism directed on CBC has been that certain subjects in the curriculum are taught by unqualified teachers.

A good example of this is Physical Health Education (P.H.E.), which was formerly five different fields but was merged into one: Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Sports, and Physical Health Education.

The content of CBC publications has also drawn criticism from religious organizations, with some of them purportedly pushing the agenda for homosexual relationships.

The leaders have criticized this, claiming that it serves as a means of introducing the narrative to impressionable minds.

Tomorrow marks the opening of the 6th Forum of the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (PASET), which brings together about 12 African Ministers of Education.

The summit, which is scheduled for April 23–25, will bring together representatives from academics, business, and governments from throughout Africa to discuss issues about the continent’s future in terms of entrepreneurship, skills, and education.

“Leveraging Technical, Vocational and Technical Training (TVET) in the Knowledge and Skills Ecosystem for Africa’s Industrialization” is the conference’s theme.

The symposium, which will take place at the Safari Park Hotel, will focus on how African higher education is influencing the green economy and the nature of work in the continent. It is anticipated that over 500 people would attend the forum.

Tomorrow marks the opening of the 6th Forum of the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (PASET), which brings together about 12 African Ministers of Education.

The summit, which is scheduled for April 23–25, will bring together representatives from academics, business, and governments from throughout Africa to discuss issues about the continent’s future in terms of entrepreneurship, skills, and education.

“Leveraging Technical, Vocational and Technical Training (TVET) in the Knowledge and Skills Ecosystem for Africa’s Industrialization” is the conference’s theme.

The symposium, which will take place at the Safari Park Hotel, will focus on how African higher education is influencing the green economy and the nature of work in the continent. It is anticipated that over 500 people would attend the forum.

Speaking before the conference, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, Ezekiel Machogu, said:

“Africa’s socio-economic transformation relies on its ability to develop relevant skills, and promote scientific research and technology for industry and society.”

“It is evident that our collective efforts are not only driving the advancement of science, technology and innovation in Africa but are also laying the foundation for socio-economic transformation across our nations. I am in no doubt that the objectives we set to achieve in the 6th PASET Forum will be achieved,” Dr. Machogu continued.

The Forum will cover the kinds of knowledge and skills needed for Africa to become an industrialized continent, with a focus on the growth and use of digital technologies like as artificial intelligence (AI), robots, and data analytics within the continent’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), the Regional Coordination Unit for PASET’s Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF), and Kenya’s Ministry of Education are working together to organize the event.

A number of PASET nations will discuss their experiences and ideas about how skills could change to better equip young people on the continent for the industrialization and workforce of the future.

The scholars from the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF), accompanied by mentors, supervisors, and other stakeholders from the higher education sector in Africa and elsewhere, will be exhibiting their work that addresses the demands of the green economy and the nature of work in the future.

The body of a head teacher from Kisii County’s primary school, who vanished last week, was discovered in a water well close to his house at the Aloo estate in Oyugis town, Homa Bay County.

After going missing for five days, Raganga Primary School head teacher Richard Otieno Kobe was discovered dead on Sunday morning.

Gilbert Kobe, Richard’s younger brother, claimed that his son, who had gone to get water, had discovered Richard’s body in the well.

Gilbert claimed that on Tuesday night, Richard vanished. His family expected him to return home, but he never did. He left the house without taking his cell phone and didn’t tell anyone where he was going.

The family began looking for him the next day and reported him to the police before going to the Lida trading center in the neighboring Rachuonyo North Sub-County to look for him after some people said they had seen someone who resembled him.

However, it wasn’t until Sunday morning that they received a call from their home informing them that the body had been discovered in the water well. The body was taken from the scene by the police when they were notified.

Lilies Wachira, the commander of Rachuonyo South Sub-County Police, stated that investigations had already been started.

For the post-mortem, the body was taken to the mortuary of Rachuonyo South Sub-County Hospital.

Tragically, a 45-year-old man in Kiamaciri village, Mutithi ward, Mwea West Sub-county, Kirinyaga County, perished while attempting to cross a flooded swamp.

Locals led by Samuel Gichuki claim that the victim, John Ndambiri, perished while trying to cross the flooded swamp.

The locals were shocked by his death, especially since Ndambiri had crossed the swamp before successfully. Samuel Gichuki voiced his incredulity, pointing out that Ndambiri had attempted to cross the swamp only moments before but had become stranded in the midst.

The community’s efforts to recover Ndambiri’s body from the flooded swamp yesterday night were fraught with difficulties.

According to Peter Wanjohi, the area’s two swamps were flooded by the intense rains, but they were still able to retrieve Ndambiri’s body and transport it to Kibugi Funeral Home.

Several families in the Mwea constituency have been forced to relocate, and some have even been forced to evacuate their houses due to the unrelenting downpour in Kirinyaga.

The gravity of the issue was highlighted by Mwea West DCC Lawrence Omondi, who urged locals to move to safer areas and stay away from dangerous areas like flooded swamps.