General

The government has suspended all non-essential travel for government officials in a bid to cut on public spending.

In a circular issued on Monday by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, new guidelines were issued for delegations accompanying the President, Deputy President, the First Lady and Prime Cabinet Secretaries for foreign trips.

Koskei who doubles as the State House chief or staff, also suspended non-essential travels include benchmarking, study visits, trainings and related capacity-building initiatives as well as research, academic meetings and symposia.

Also suspended are; conferences and meetings of general participation, side events such as showcase events and exhibitions as well as caucus and association meetings and events.

“In this respect, foreign travel will only be facilitated for engagements in which the Government of Kenya’s participation is; part of fulfilment of state obligations, and pursuant to the conduct of critical state party engagements; and for the purpose of fulfilling a statutory leadership or membership role, in which critical decisions impacting on the country’s position are under consideration,” he said.

The notice indicated that delegations headed by Cabinet Secretaries shall not exceed three persons including the Cabinet Secretary as Head of Delegation while delegations headed by Principal Secretaries, shall not exceed two persons.

“Where the Cabinet Secretary is to be accompanied, at least one (1) of the delegates shall be a technical officer specialised in the subject matter of the foreign engagement, with no security or personal assistants/logistics officers other than as exempted,” he added.

On the other hand, delegations involving both Cabinet and Principal Secretaries shall be restricted to the three persons.

“It is reiterated that Cabinet and Principal Secretaries in the same ministries shall not be away on foreign travel at the same time, unless the foreign engagement expressly demands the same,” he said.

Also, Koskei said, delegations headed by County Governors shall not exceed three persons including the Governor as Head of Delegation.

As for delegations accompanying the President, the First Lady, the Deputy President, and the Prime Cabinet Secretary, they shall be limited to officials playing a direct role in the scheduled activities/programme of the principals.

Koskei instructed Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to rationalise the number of personnel accompanying each of the principals, and reduce the same by half.

Further, state officials will not be allowed to travel for more than seven days.

The measures, he explained will help “scale down and prioritise spending, focusing on the critical operations and activities that are essential to service delivery to the citizen.”

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The Chief of Staff in the office of the President on Monday announced the suspension of unnecessary foreign trips by government officers.

In a move to scale down expenditure, prioritise spending and shift focus on the critical operations and activities that are essential to service delivery to the citizen, chief of staff who is also the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei further noted that the government has been forced to limit and restrict the number of state officers to be out of the country on any mission.

In the latest advisory, Koskei says delegations involving both Cabinet and Principal Secretaries shall be restricted to the three (3) person limit.

And that’s not all, given that, going forward “Cabinet and Principal Secretaries in the same ministries shall not be away on foreign travel at the same time, unless the foreign engagement expressly demands the same;”

“Where the Cabinet Secretary is to be accompanied, at least one (1) of the delegates shall be a technical officer specialised in the subject matter of the foreign engagement, with no security or personal assistants/logistics officers other than as exempted,” Koskei said

“Where the Principal Secretary is to be accompanied, the designate delegate shall be a technical officer specialised in the subject matter of engagement, with no security or personal assistants/logistics officers other than as exempted,” the HPS added

The foreign travels suspended are in the categories such as; Benchmarking and Study Visits; Trainings and related Capacity Building Initiatives; Research, Academic Meetings and Symposia; Conferences and Meetings of general participation; Side Events; Showcase Events and Exhibitions; as well as Caucus and Association Meetings and Events.

More to follow….

Nairobi — Chinese investors and businesspeople operating in Kenya and East Africa will access banking services after the relaunch of the China Desk by Absa Bank Kenya.

The new desk, which is fully staffed with Mandarin-speaking professionals, will offer project and trade financing as well as foreign exchange and hedging, cross-cultural expertise, and access to a global network of experts.

Absa says that this will support growing trade between the two nations.

“The establishment of the China Desk is a response to the increasing demand for financial services and expertise in facilitating trade and investment between Kenya and China,” Absa Bank’s Managing Director and CEO, Abdi Mohamed, said.

“As the trade relations between the two nations continue to flourish, Absa Bank is well-positioned to offer specialized support to businesses and individuals engaging in cross-border transactions,” Mohamed added.

China is one of Kenya’s top trading partners and remains the single leading source of Kenya’s imports, accounting for slightly over a quarter of total imports valued at Sh452.6 billion in 2022, according to the 2023 Economic Survey Report.

On the other hand, Kenya’s exports to China were valued at Sh27.5 billion in 2022 compared to Sh21.9 billion in 2021, representing a 25.8 percent increase.

“Indeed, China has been a critical participant in Kenya’s economic growth and development story over the last two decades, supporting modern infrastructure projects that have laid a solid foundation for Kenya’s long-term economic growth,” Mohamed stated.

“We recognize the immense potential for growth in this area and provide the financial tools and expertise required for businesses to thrive in both markets.”

Mohamed said this on Saturday while attending the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an evening celebration when families gather to light lanterns, eat moon cakes, and appreciate the round moon.

On that night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest.

The full moon is a symbol of family reunion, which is why the day is also known as the Festival of Reunion.

Nairobi — Former Attorney General Amos Wako has opined that the 2022 poll server audit should not be used to challenge the verdict of the 2022 presidential petition but rather facilitate in assessing electoral system weaknesses.

The Former Attorney General stated that the Supreme Court has constitutional jurisdiction to determine electoral outcome disputes hence the server audit cannot subvert the decision of the apex court.

“The audit cannot reverse the decision of the Supreme Court; it’s a constitutional and legal process. The audit is like a post mortem which cannot revise the dead body but can tell you the cause of the dead body,” Wako told the National Dialogue Committee.

In his submission before the 10-member team co-chaired by Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa, Wako termed the election server audit as an aftermath process aimed at curing the shortcomings in the polls.

“We want to identify the weaknesses, loopholes, and shortfalls in the polls which can be rectified before the next election. This is the only way we can improve the electoral process and instill confidence of the people in it,” the Former Attorney General said.

The Former Busia Senator pointed out that proper mechanisms in the law must be instituted to ensure mandatory election audits after every election cycle.

Wako explained that the voter’s confidence in the electoral agency is wilted in the process of tallying and declaration of the election outcome further causing voter apathy among the electorate.

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