By Kennedy Kimanthi

A new 4.8-kilometre runway that can handle larger aircraft is set to be built at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The runway, which will be 75 metres wide, is significantly better than the current one that is 4.2 kilometres long and 60 metres wide.

Once the work is complete, the new runway will be able to handle the new generation extra-wide-bodied aeroplanes such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing B747-800.

Construction is scheduled to begin in June next year, after the African Development Bank (AfDB) approves a loan of Sh19 billion for the Sh37 billion project.

AfDB director-general for East Africa Gabriel Negatu said the loan will be approved towards the end of 2017.

Besides providing financial support for the runway, the bank is also responsible for the design of the path.

MEET SPECIFICATIONS

According to Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) chief executive officer Jonny Andersen, the technology of the proposed facility will meet the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s category II specifications

“The project will reduce mishaps on the path as it will nearly double the aircraft movement, from 25 to 45 aeroplanes per hour. Moreover, the technology will also enable operations in bad weather, thus avoiding diversion of aircraft,” he said.

According to KAA statistics, the number of passengers this year dropped by six per cent to 530,000 from 560,000 in the same period last year.

The volume of cargo handled at the airport went down by two per cent to 20.3 million tonnes from 20.7 million tonnes in March last year.

Aircraft movement declined by 0.4 per cent to 9,196 in March compared with 9,232 in the corresponding period in 2016.

By Nduta Waweru

#GoodMorningAfrica from Rwanda, which received one of the 2017 international coffee awards. The land of a thousand hills received the 2017 Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award at a ceremony in New York, USA.

The land of a thousand hills received the 2017 Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award at a ceremony in New York, USA.

Jean Bosco Ngabonziza of Rusizi Coffee Washing Station won the first place for “a medium full-bodied coffee with a balanced flavour. Strong caramel notes, toasted bread is mixed with a sight coffee chocolate aftertaste.”

Tumwamini Ndamwerema Jean Paul and Faustin Nhzabarakize of Liza and Mashehsa Coffee washing station respectively came in second and third place.

Rwanda’s ambassador to the United Nations Valentine Rugwabiza received the award on behalf of the winners.

Read: Model Villages for the poor of Rwanda

Rwandan dark roast coffee beans. Photo: Wiki/ Creative commons/Evan-Amos

The win comes at the time when Rwanda’s National Agricultural Exports Board and stakeholders started a countrywide campaign to distribute more than 4,700 tonnes of fertilisers to coffee farmers. The move is geared towards increasing coffee production and export. The board is working together with the Coffee Exporters and Processors Association of Rwanda (CEPAR) to ensure that all farmers enjoy the benefits of the project.

Coffee is one of the contributors to the country’s agricultural exports at 24 per cent over the last decade.

Just last month, the board is also running another campaign to boost coffee production and consumption. The head of the board, Dr Celestin Gatarayiha said the sensitisation will make the over 400,000 farmers in Rwanda embrace good agricultural and post-harvest practices that will not only increase productivity and enhance the quality of their coffee.

The plan is to increase domestic consumption to contribute towards stabilising the price fluctuations in the global market.

#Rwanda awarded at the 2nd Ernesto Illy Int’l Coffee Award @UN.Award recognizes top quality growers of the best coffee beans across the 🌎 pic.twitter.com/oQ9Jh4grRk

The Ernesto Illy awards has 27 contestants from different countries including Nicaragua, India, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, and Brazil. The annual award by the Illy Family recognises three best coffee from these countries and celebrates individual players who make the Illy espresso blend possible.

Jose Abelardo Diaz Enamorado from Honduras won the Best of the Best and Coffee Lovers Award, as determined by blind consumer tastings.

The top scoring coffees from each of the nine countries will be made available at select Illy retail locations.

By Waikwa Maina

A coffee farmers union has come up with a four-year strategy that it hopes will get the ailing sub-sector out of bed. It comprises value chain monitoring, marketing, succession through youth training and research.

The plan is to be implemented with strategic partners that include the French government, Kenya Co-operative Coffee Exporters (KCCE), Kenya Coffee Research Institute and Murang’a County Government.

The French government is financing implementation of the plan with Sh140 million, KCCE takes charge of the marketing while Coffee Research is responsible for agronomy services.

Mugama Farmers’ Co-operative Union, an umbrella body covering 43 societies, says the plan is to involve growers at all stages of production and marketing.

“Coffee growers have over the years complained of poor international markets and marketing agents as a major frustration. But there are other contributing factors such as poor husbandry and coffee farming succession plan,” says union manager Kimani Kirigwi.

Mr Kirigwi says the biggest challenge with commercial millers is that they keep farmers in the dark throughout the process.

“KCCE is farmers owned, its marketing systems are transparent where farmers are fully involved and consulted in the entire market system. Farmers are invited to monitor the grading and how the process is undertaken,” says the union chairman, Mr Francis Githiga.

On succession, Mr Kirigwi says the average age of a coffee farmer is 65, and that while many young people do not want to be associated with coffee farming citing poor payments, a contradiction is that most parents are unwilling to part with their bushes.

To address this challenge, the union is training more than 1,000 young people interested in coffee farming at the Coffee Research Institute, who will act as role models for other youths in their home areas.

He says coffee societies with many youths have maintained improved cherry quality and quantity, citing Kangunu Farmers’ Co-operative Society with highest percentage of young growers in Murang’a County that has maintained a Sh95 pay per kilogramme over the years while others get as low as Sh30 for the same quantity.

“We are transforming the 60-acre Ikundu Farm at Maragua to an ideal demonstration centre for coffee growers. The union is heavily investing towards achieving the goals, our partners are very supportive and we have no doubt about achieving our 300,000 kg target and transforming the farm into a resource centre,” says Mr Githiga.

Generally, production in Murang’a has dropped from over 130,000 metric tonnes in 1988 to about 50,000 metric tonnes in recent years.

In the strategic plan, the union intends to regain its production capacity, and the general manager is optimistic going by the trend witnessed in the last three years and innovations prior to the introduction of the strategic plan and partners engagement.

In the two years, output at Ikundu farm has improved from less than 50,000 kilos to 80,000 kilos.

“We have a milling plant and a roaster machine already installed by the county government that are idle for lack of adequate cherry to process.

KCCE will play a key role in specialty marketing. What I can tell the farmers is that there is hope in coffee and they should go back to their farms.

We have combined efforts with county government, Coffee Research Institute, and other organisations to revitalise the industry,” said Mr Githiga.

ANALYSIS

President John Magufuli yesterday appointed a new Central Bank governor in style, breaking a norm of choosing an economist; instead, he has opted for taxation law Professor Florens Luoga.

His appointment to replace Prof Benno Ndulu was a surprise — emerging in the course of another event to reward the members of the three committees he formed to investigate the mining sector.

His unexpected naming of Prof Luoga as successor to Prof Ndulu is a move which made the participants in the event at the State House burst into cheers.

Expressing why he ditched appointing an economist, President Magufuli said being a professor in taxation, Luoga would help in strengthening checks on capital flight by some foreign firms that use tax havens. “… taxation law is very crucial … it’s one area where we have been highly deceived,” Dr Magufuli said.

Shortly after his appointment, Prof Luoga told the journalists that he would first have to learn how to cope with his new brief, admitting he was not familiar with central bank activities.

Thanking the head of state for his appointment, Prof Luoga pledged that he would ensure that he brought his law taxation experience to bear on the Bank of Tanzania operations. “The challenge here is to make every person perform effectively,” he said.

Luoga currently serves as deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, the country’s premiere public university. In July, he was also appointed chairman of the board of directors of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA). Prof Ndulu’s tenure as the sixth BoT governor is about to end in line with the requirements of the Bank of Tanzania Act, 2006. Prof Luoga will take office as the seventh governor of Central Bank since 1966. Section 8 (1) of the Act gives powers to the president to appoint the governor of Central Bank.

It reads, in part: “There shall be appointed by the President a Governor who shall, unless he dies or resigns or vacates or is removed from his office for good cause or is disqualified, hold office for a period of five years and shall be eligible for a re- appointment.”

Two days ago, President Magufuli hinted on Prof Luoga’s appointment after handing certificates of appreciation to various officials who participated in investigating and preparing reports on mineral sands. The Head of State also handed certificates to a team of experts that was officially formed to engage in negotiations with Barrick Gold.

The team was headed by the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Professor Palamagamba Kabudi. President Magufuli said all experts who participated in the process did a good job and that the nation was proud of them.

“From these people, I have appointed one to head the Central Bank… Should I mention him now… he is Prof Luoga,” said President Magufuli. Economic and political analysts who spoke to The ‘Daily News’ described Prof Luoga as the “right person” to head the BoT.

University of Dar es Salaam Senior Lecturer Prof Haji Semboja also described Prof Luoga as a person “fit for the position” since he had a wide knowledge on taxation, procurement and commercial laws.

According to Prof Semboja, the Head of State had appointed Prof Luoga on account of his ability and patriotic spirit in serving the nation. “I am very confident that Prof Luoga fits to that position especially at this time when the fifth government is striving to make changes in various areas,” he noted.

He added: “Prof Luoga is smart and talented in analysing issues, he is an expert and keen on both economic and legal matters, I believe, he is going to do a good job,” Mzumbe University Senior Lecturer, Prof Honest Ngowi said traditionally most of BoT’s governors were economists or had economic related backgrounds.

He said the new appointed governor will need a strong economists team to support him since he is not an economist. “I believe Prof Luoga will deliver, but he needs a supporting team of economists to advise him,” he said.

According to Prof Ngowi, a Central Bank governor needs to understand various issues related to country’s economic stability, reaction of economic variables and many other of such nature. Dr Hildebrand Shayo, a banker and senior economist said President Magufuli had appointed Prof Luoga for good reasons.

He said many Tanzanians expected the Head of State to appoint an economist or someone from the circles of the World Bank. He added that the president had proved to the world that he appoints officials based on ability to perform.

By George Kamau

Central Bank of Kenya has returned to profit with a Ksh17 billion ($170 million) surplus for the year ended June despite having gaps in top management.

The regulator, which posted a Ksh4.6 billion ($46 million) loss last year, has more than half of its top executives holding office in an acting capacity, its policy making committee not fully constituted and the office of the deputy governor vacant.

Currently, the Monetary Policy Committee has five members against the required nine. The Cabinet Secretary of the National Treasury is yet to appoint new members following the death of Prof Francis Mwega in February and the exit of Farida Abdul whose term ended in April.

Election year

The delayed appointments mean that should any member be unavailable for MPC sittings then the committee, which sets the country’s monetary policy, cannot conduct business as its quorum is set at five.

The committee consists of the governor, deputy governor, two employees of CBK, National Treasury Permanent Secretary and four members appointed by the Treasury CS.

The CBK posted revaluation gains of Ksh8.5 billion ($85 million) compared with a Ksh19.9 billion ($199 million) loss last year due to depreciation of the shilling.

The shilling dropped from an average of 101.3 units to the dollar to 103.5 by the end of June, resulting in higher local values for the foreign currency held by the regulator.

Profit from ordinary operations dropped 28.2 per cent to Ksh9.9 billion ($99 million) due to growth in operating expenses and a decline in interest income and trading income associated with the forex business.

The bank earned Ksh1.2 billion ($12 million) from the overdraft facility it extended to the government, a decline from the Ksh4 billion ($40 million) in 2016.

Interest from commercial banks dropped 35.8 per cent to Ksh3.4 billion ($34 million).

“The drop is due to reduced utilisation of the government of Kenya overdraft facility and reduced advances to commercial banks due to a relatively stable market during the year as compared with the previous year,” the CBK said.

The cost of printing new currency rose to Ksh2.3 billion ($23 million) due to higher releases of notes and coins, this being an election year.

Penalties and fines collected from commercial banks dropped by Ksh10 million ($100,000) to Ksh30 million ($300,000) indicating improved discipline among financial players.

Despite the record profits, CBK will not pay a dividend to the government as it forwarded the surplus to its general reserves which now stand at Ksh114.2 billion ($1.14 billion).

The bank has not remitted a dividend for the past five years, a period throughout which the government borrowed heavily and would welcome relief in income from state corporations. The law allows the bank to retain at least 10 per cent of it profit.

Central Bank subsidiary, the Kenya School of Monetary Studies, which offers hospitality and tutorial services reported an income of Ksh379 million ($3.8 million), up from Ksh217 million ($2.17 million) the previous year.

Licence fees from commercial banks and forex bureaus rose to Ksh292 million ($2.92 million) from Ksh250 million ($2.5 million) as CBK welcomed Dubai Islamic Bank, SBM Holdings and Mayfair Bank into the sector.

Change of guard

Regarding the gaps in management, President Kenyatta has not appointed a deputy governor to the CBK following the exit of Dr Haron Siruma two years ago.

The bank is supposed to have two deputy governors, with one expected to be in charge of operations and the other monetary policy issues.

Currently, Sheila M’Mbijjiwe is the only deputy governor.

In the past financial year, the bank did not conduct a single board meeting due to failure by the Executive to appoint board members who were finally gazetted last November.

Seven of its 12 directors currently hold office in an acting capacity, with some having acted for up to four years.

The CBK had announced plans to undertake restructuring exercise in 2014 and advertised vacancies for eight director’s positions and two heads of department.

A change of guard in 2015 saw a plan drawn up by international advisory firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers shelved with the lack of a substantive board to take the matter forward.

Peter Wanyagi has been acting director for currency operations and branch administration department since July 12, 2013.

Peter Kigondu was appointed acting director in charge of Procurement, Logistics and Supplies in April, replacing Erastus Miriti who retired before he was confirmed in the position he held in acting capacity for two years.

Others holding brief are Terry Ng’ang’a as head of human resources, since 2015, John Birech, financial markets from 2015 and Mwenda Marete, in charge of banking, national payments and risk management, since last year.

Joshua Kimoro and Moses Ngotho were also given offices earlier this year in acting capacities. Mr Kimoro is the acting executive director of the Kenya School of Monetary Studies, replacing the long serving Prof Kinandu Muragu while Mr Ngotho is acting head of finance and ICT.

By Chris Ochayi

Abuja — The incidence of cases of food poisoning due to chemical storage of grains in Nigeria would now become a thing of the past as farmers in the country have been introduced to sophisticated nonchemical crops storage bags to preserve grains.

The technology known as Purdue Improved Crop Storage, PICS, bags has put an end to occurrence of wrong application of chemicals in storage of grains, resulting in food poising like “killer beans” and other chemical related preserving method, which have caused a lot of death and harms to many people in the country.

The Purdue Improved Crop Storage, PICS, system was developed by Larry L. Murdock, professor of entomology in the Purdue College of agriculture, and scientists in Cameroon. The research was funded by a USAID program and supported by Purdue’s International Programs in Agriculture.

The crop storage system was licensed to Kano-based Lela Agro Industries Nigeria Ltd.

In order to make good use of the technology, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA, has organised training for farmers, traders and other stakeholders in Abuja.

Speaking during the training, the Coordinator of Purdue Improved Crop Storage, PICS, project, Abdoulaye Tahirou, said effective use of technology like the PICS bags can allow farmers to earn more profits as they are able to sell when the market is favourable.

Tahirou added the PICS bags technology is a simple and easy to use approach that uses special airtight plastic bags to preserve grains in storage.

He explained “The essence of this training we are doing today is a gathering of agro dealers who across the country are selling the bags but we want to empower them. When people come to buy the PICS bags from them, they are not just selling them the bags but they are able to provide them with the right information on how to use these bags.

“These bags have a specific way of using them that would make them effective. You have to use them in such a situation such that air does not penetrate inside that is the technique that allows the bag to work.

“We also empower those agro dealers in terms of teaching them some simple marketing tools that they can use in order for them to sell more of these bags.”

On the specific crops the bag should be used to store, he said, “These bags originally when they were designed, they were designed for storage of cowpeas. When we started promoting them for cowpeas, we noticed that farmers were using them for other crops and they keep asking us, can it work for maize, can it work for sorghum, we didn’t have the answer.

“So we designed a second project where a research was conducted and we were able to validate through research that yes the same bags that were used to in protecting cowpeas can be used to protect maize, rice, sorghum, millet, most of the grain crops that are not full of oil can be used in these bags. In addition, a lot dry vegetables are also be stored inside these bags.

He recalled that, “The use of those chemicals especially bad chemicals that are intended for protecting crops in the field they use it for storage. And when people use chemicals to store, they don’t wait for the period that they should wait before eating it and that is what causes all those problems of killer beans and so on and so forth.

“And that is what are pushing for so that people should know that it is not magic; all you need to do is make sure you put your crops in that container and don’t allow nay air to come in and without air the insect cannot survive and if they cannot survive they will not eat your crop, it is as simple as that.

He said response from farmers using these bags is quite encouraging. In almost all the villages where we have been or where we have done the demonstration, the first thing is surprise, it is really possible to store without using any chemicals and we tell them yes it is possible but all we want from you is that you try it and when people try it, then the response is very enthusiastic.

On affordability, Tahirou said the bag is very affordable, it is cost effective. The bags are being sold in Nigeria now at different prices but I think factory rate is 450 and I don’t know what they are selling at the retail points. But I can tell you that farmers are really finding it affordable because they are buying it.

“I won’t say it is cheap but it is affordable because it is effective because if you look at the benefits it gives compared to the cost you have to pay. Some farmers find it so valuable that they don’t even sell their crops with it, they just use it to store and when they are ready to sell, they put it in another container and sell it.”

Harare — Police on Thursday launched “operation restore order” to rid the capital’s central business district of thousands of vendors after President Robert Mugabe condemned the bric-a-brac traders.

Riot police, backed by water cannon were out in force across the capital as the campaign started.

The opposition MDC Alliance said the vending crisis was a “result of the economic implosion that has primarily been caused by the ruinous, ill -advised, corrupt and populist economic policies of the Zanu PF regime”.

Irate vendors have vowed to stay put, declaring war on government if the blitz continues. They demanded that Mugabe provides them with alternative employment.

The veteran leader demanded the clean-up exercise while addressing youths from his ruling Zanu PF party last weekend, lamenting that the capital had lost its lustre due to the vendor invasion.

However, the furious vendors – many of them Zanu PF members – charged that Government must address the joblessness in the country which is forcing many onto the streets.

Unemployment crisis

Some estimates put Zimbabwe’s formal unemployment at around 90%, blaming the collapse of industry in an economic crisis that has lasted more than 15 years.

“Some of us were beaten and had our wares confiscated,” said a male vendor who refused to be named, fearing victimisation.

“Government should give us ample time to relocate to alternative places; something like six months to vacate these premises.

“How can they just chase us away from where we are trying to honestly eke out a living? That is grossly unfair because this is where the people are.”

“The issue is about the government failing to create employment for the people, which is what has pushed people to the streets. The leadership should address the cause.”

MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu said the blitz would be a futile exercise.

“What Mugabe and his cronies do not appreciate is the fact that they cannot successfully cure a disease by merely rushing to suppress the symptoms rather than curing the root cause of the disease,” Gutu said in a statement Thursday.

“For as long as there are no jobs and other viable business opportunities that are open for the majority of the people, the problem of indiscriminate vending will simply not disappear.

“Mugabe can use all the physical might of the Zimbabwe Republic Police to forcibly flash out vendors from the streets but, certainly, this will not mean the plight of the majority of jobless Zimbabweans will suddenly improve.

“Not until the economy starts to rebound and to create more job and viable business opportunities will the problem of indiscriminate vending be permanently and holistically addressed.”

Meanwhile, the vendors accused council authorities of double standards and questioned the rationale of paying the US$5 dollars to obtain a vendor’s card only to be forced off the streets despite having the requisite documentation from the same city authorities.

Designated trading points

Council spokesperson Michael Chideme said they were not stopping individuals with vending cards from trading but only relocating them to designated points.

“We have set up market stalls where we are relocating the vendors and the stalls are the Simon Muzenda mall, Coca Cola, Market Square, Glen Norah and Copacabana,” said Chideme.

However, Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation Director (VICET) Samuel Wadzai castigated police for their heavy handedness saying there are better ways of dealing with the issue rather than resorting to brute force.

“We condemn the police reaction in the strongest terms as there are channels such as consultations and dialogue,” he said.

“We would have expected better pronouncements from the President as the vendors are in the streets because of unemployment.

“For him to just rush and say vendors is illegal without proffering solutions just shows the kind of leadership we have in this country.”

Wadzai said they would be back on the streets Friday, next week and next year, adding they would resist any moves to forcibly remove them from the city centre.

Water outages to preselected suburbs by the City of Cape Town could lead to solar water geysers “exploding”, an electrical and electronic engineer warned on Thursday.

The City on Monday announced that Phase One of its Critical Water Shortages Disaster Plan came into effect which would cause water outages during peak water usage periods in the mornings and evenings.

Residents would be informed before water outages occur.

Professor Thinus Booysen from Stellenbosch University’s electrical and electronic engineering department said solar water geysers is dependent on cold water to regulate temperatures.

He said if water in the panel becomes too hot, or pressure too high, the safety valve opens which replaces hot water with cold water.

“In the event of a water outage, no cold water will replace the hot water, which could lead to overheating, and which could result in scalding (when hot water is used and it is beyond 100 degrees Celsius), and the solar system possibly stalling, which in turn could lead to explosions,” Booysen told News24.

Bradley McCallum from Skybridge Solar in Cape Town agreed, saying that the lifespan of roof solar water panels decreases drastically if left without water.

He said the panel’s absorber plate, which turns solar radiation into heat, will essentially be severely damaged if it overheats.

“It depends on the quality of your solar panel, but in lower quality ones you’ll see decreased heat from the panel within two to three weeks.”

McCallum warned that the city’s plan to decrease water pressure within its system would possibly lead to further damage.

‘All speculation at this moment’

He said if water pressure drops to below four bars, the solar water geyser is not going to operate.

“What would happen is that the valves won’t open up which means water won’t enter the panel to regulate the temperatures. The geyser won’t be receiving new cold water to heat during that time.

“This is all speculation at this moment, the city is still implementing lower pressure and this is the first time we are encountering this kind of problem.”

Sokolic Solar owner Andrew Sokolic said the glass tubes within solar panels are specifically susceptible to cracking when suddenly filled with cold water.

The issue could damage the geysers of thousands of solar water geyser owners across the city, Sokolic said.

The City of Cape Town failed to respond to detailed questions sent on Tuesday.

Gloria Mdleleni from Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (Sessa) said the only way for solar water geyser owners to protect their solar water geysers is to cover up the panels until the water supply is restored.

Unlike an electrical geyser, a solar power geyser “can’t be switched off”, Mdleleni said.

Mdleleni, however, said no cases of solar geyser damage through water rationing have been reported.

“We will have to wait and see,” she said.

By Magati Obebo

One person remains unaccounted for as emergency teams called off rescue operations in Kisii where a building collapsed killing seven people.

A three-storey building under construction collapsed at Mwembe on Wednesday morning.

Rescuers, mostly using rudimentary tools, pulled more than 20 people from the rubble and rushed them to the nearby Christa Marianne Mission and Kisii Teaching and Referral hospitals.

NO HOPE

The team consisting of the Red Cross, the military and Kisii County Disaster staff combed through the debris throughout the night before the exercise was terminated Thursday morning.

The National Disaster Management Unit Communications Officer Pius Maasai said chances were slim of finding more survivors.

He said a man was still missing by close of the rescue operations at 4.30am.

A woman was pulled out of the rubble last night after rescuers heard her calling for help.

More than 20 people are admitted to the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital and another five to Christa Marianne.

First witnesses at the scene said they saw several people on top of the building before it came tumbling down.

Mr Julius Orare, who lives a few metres from the collapsed building, said he was taking a shower when he heard a tremor.

“I peeped through the bathroom window and saw the building in a heap,” he said.

A survivor, Mr Fidelis Onduso, who is nursing injuries, said he heard a huge bang.

“When I looked up, the house fell on me but luckily I was saved by well-wishers who rushed me to hospital,” he said.