taifaleo.nation.co.ke
@taifaleo Fri, 04 Sep 2026 21:55:45
Nchi kukumbwa na janga la ukosefu wa chakula
KENYA inakabiliwa na hatari ya upungufu mkubwa wa chakula huku wakulima katika maeneo yanayolisha taifa wakisita kupanda tena zao hilo baada ya ukame kuangamiza mazao ya awali. Hofu hiyo inatanda licha ya serikali kutumia mabilioni ya fedha kupunguza gharama ya mbolea na mbegu katika juhudi za kuwashawishi wakulima kurejea mashambani msimu huu. Katika maeneo ya North Rift, yanayojulikana kama ghala la chakula la Kenya, hali ya kusubiri na kuona imetawala. Wakulima wengi wanahofia kupanda tena mahindi baada ya kupata hasara kutokana na ukame na magonjwa ya mimea. Serikali imepunguza bei ya mbolea ya ruzuku kutoka Sh2,500 hadi Sh2,000 kwa gunia la kilo 50, huku ikigharamia nusu ya bei ya mbegu bora za mahindi. Hatua hiyo imeshusha bei ya mbegu kutoka Sh300 hadi Sh150 kwa kilo. Lakini kwa wakulima wengi, punguzo hilo halitoshi kuondoa hofu ya kupata hasara nyingine. William Kosgei, mkulima kutoka Ziwa, Uasin Gishu, alisema gharama za kilimo ni zaidi ya mbolea na mbegu. "Kilimo si suala la kupunguza tu gharama ya mbolea na mbegu za mahindi. Bado kuna gharama kubwa za mafuta ya trekta kutayarisha mashamba, dawa za kuua magugu na mishahara ya wafanyakazi. Aidha, hali ya hewa isiyotabirika inafanya kuwa hatari kupanda zao lile lile kwa mara ya pili katika msimu mmoja," alisema. Kwa miaka mingi, wakulima wa mahindi North Rift wamezoea kupanda zao hilo mara moja kwa mwaka. Sasa wengi wao wanaombwa kupanda tena baada ya zao lao kuharibiwa na ukame mkali na milipuko ya magonjwa. Hii imezua swali kubwa kuhusu iwapo wakulima wako tayari kuhatarisha mtaji wao tena. Mkurugenzi wa Chama cha Wakulima Kenya (KFA), Kipkorir Menjo, alisema hofu imeenea miongoni mwa wakulima. "Kuna mashaka makubwa miongoni mwa wakulima kuhusu iwapo wapande tena au wasubiri msimu ujao. Mabadiliko ya tabianchi yamesababisha hali ya hewa kutotabirika na wakulima wanaogopa kupata hasara nyingine kutokana na majanga ya kiasili," alisema. Bw Menjo alisema wakulima wengi bado wanahangaika kulipa mikopo waliyochukua kufadhili mazao yaliyoharibiwa. "Wakulima waliopata mikopo ya mamilioni ya shilingi kutoka taasisi kama Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) sasa wanakabiliwa na changamoto ya kulipa madeni hayo huku wakihitajika kuwekeza katika zao jingine," alisema. Hali hiyo inaweka shinikizo zaidi kwa sekta ya kilimo ambayo tayari inakabiliwa na athari za mabadiliko ya tabianchi. Uasin Gishu na Trans Nzoia, ambazo ni miongoni mwa kaunti muhimu katika uzalishaji wa mahindi, zimeathiriwa na ukame, na hivyo kuongeza hofu kuhusu uzalishaji wa chakula katika msimu unaokuja. Serikali, hata hivyo, imeamua kuongeza ruzuku kwa matumaini ya kuzuia wakulima kuacha kilimo. Waziri wa Kilimo na Maendeleo ya Mifugo Mutahi Kagwe alisema bei ya gunia la kilo 50 la mbolea imeshushwa kwa Sh500, kutoka Sh2,500 hadi Sh2,000. "Kiini cha mpango huu ni kuhakikisha kwamba mkulima aliyepoteza zao kutokana na ukame hapotezi pia uwezo wa kupanda zao linalofuata kwa sababu ya kushindwa kumudu gharama za mbolea na mbegu," alisema. Hata hivyo, kwa wakulima wanaokabiliwa na madeni, gharama za kutayarisha mashamba na hali ya hewa isiyotabirika, bei ya mbolea pekee huenda isiwe kichocheo cha kutosha. Hofu yao ni kwamba, kupanda tena bila uhakika wa mvua kunaweza kuwa mwanzo wa hasara nyingine. Na ikiwa maelfu ya wakulima wataamua kusubiri hadi msimu ujao, athari zake zinaweza kwenda mbali zaidi ya mashamba yao. Zinaweza kuathiri upatikanaji wa mahindi, bei ya chakula na usalama wa chakula nchini. Kwa sasa, Kenya iko katika mashindano dhidi ya muda: Serikali inataka mashamba yarejee katika uzalishaji, lakini wakulima wanataka kwanza uhakika kwamba hawatapelekwa tena kwenye mzunguko wa madeni na hasara.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:54:05
What happens next after Lindsay Clancy's murder case ends in a mistrial?
After a week of mulling Lindsay Clancys fate, a judge has declared a mistrial in the case of the US mother accused of murdering her three young children. It came after the jury said they could not reach a unanimous verdict on whether Clancy was guilty of murder. The declaration opens the door to a [...] The post What happens next after Lindsay Clancys murder case ends in a mistrial? appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:26:32
How two men were rescued from a flood-stricken Nepali power plant
Two people have been rescued from a tunnel in Nepal and voices have been heard, nine days after massive flash floods and landslides hit the Nepal-China border trapping hundreds of workers inside multiple Himalayan energy projects. In a dramatic breakthrough for what has been a desperate, round-the-clock rescue effort in treacherous conditions, the two men [...] The post How two men were rescued from a flood-stricken Nepali power plant appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:30:43
Fox News abruptly ousts Maria Bartiromo, a longtime Trump ally
Fox News has parted ways with longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo, one of President Donald Trump's closest allies at the network. Her ouster came as a shock to many, including the president, who wrote on Truth Social, "I can't believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business." The Fox News [...] The post Fox News abruptly ousts Maria Bartiromo, a longtime Trump ally appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:32:29
Trump asks Supreme Court to OK sweeping changes for mail ballots
President Donald Trump's administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to give the US Postal Service sweeping power to withhold delivery of mail ballots, setting up an extraordinary showdown over voting at the high court less than two months before the November midterm election. The emergency appeal, which leapfrogged lower courts still considering the case, [...] The post Trump asks Supreme Court to OK sweeping changes for mail ballots appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:35:35
Stock up on food to prepare for extreme weather, minister says
Households should stock up on food to prepare for extreme weather as the strongest El Niño event in a generation develops over the Pacific Ocean, a government minister has said. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle told the Guardian the powerful natural climate phenomenon will lead to more extreme storms in this country. Her comments came [...] The post Stock up on food to prepare for extreme weather, minister says appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:39:04
Manduku urges Gusii to back Ruto, says Matiang'i has been left hanging
Nyaribari Masaba MP Dr Daniel Manduku has urged the Gusii community to support President William Ruto, arguing that the region stands to gain more by working with the government than backing an opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 General Election. Manduku also questioned the political prospects of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i, claiming [...] The post Manduku urges Gusii to back Ruto, says Matiang'i has been left hanging appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:42:56
Romanian prosecutors indict Andrew Tate for trafficking minors, money laundering
Romanian prosecutors officially indicted social media influencer Andrew Tate on Friday for trafficking minors, money laundering, sex with a minor and witness tampering and his brother Tristan for complicity, years after they began investigating them. The Tate brothers, former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship, were arrested in Miami in late July after Britain [...] The post Romanian prosecutors indict Andrew Tate for trafficking minors, money laundering appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:44:34
UN votes to adopt new map that makes our world look very different
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to adopt a new world map that reflects countries' true relative sizes, after African nations urged the UN to right a centuries-old wrong. The "Correct the Map" resolution –– put forward by African Union member states, as well as the Bahamas –– passed with overwhelming support: 164 [...] The post UN votes to adopt new map that makes our world look very different appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read morekahawatungu.com
@kahawatungu Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:48:03
Trump's peace envoys to visit Moscow and Kyiv over weekend
US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushnerwill visit Russia and Ukraine this weekend, as efforts to end the war appear to be gathering pace. Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he will meet with the envoys on Sunday, after they visit Moscow on Saturday to hold talks with meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff and Kushner have [...] The post Trumps peace envoys to visit Moscow and Kyiv over weekend appeared first on Kahawatungu.
read more
Right Column Content