The time is up for loss-making parastatals, President William Ruto has said.

And those that make profits must stop wasteful expenditure, including financing largesse in their parent ministries and unnecessary procurement.

The President directed that the government, including State corporations, must live within its means. Consequently, expenditure must never exceed revenues collected.

Speaking to chairs and CEOs of State corporations at State House Nairobi on Tuesday morning, President Ruto said some agencies have been making losses for years and have become a drain on the Exchequer.

“Now that the economy has stabilised, we cannot continue accumulating debt. Borrowing will only lead us down the cliff,” the President said.

On wastage in State corporations, the President said: “The money some parastatals make does not belong to their boards or management. It belongs to the people of Kenya as returns on investment.”

The President regretted that the abuse of public resources has become so rampant that it is inhibiting service delivery.

He directed that, from now on, Government budgets and expenditures will be subjected to rigorous scrutiny.

“We will also leverage on technology to check on improper payments and maximise on the value for money,” he asserted.

The move to reduce expenditure, he explained, will stop unnecessary borrowing and accelerate the government’s transformation agenda.

“We must get it right. We must do what is right. This is the time,” he added.

He told the meeting that the government will engage in an elaborate consolidation process that will stop duplicity of functions, wastage and winding up of loss-making institutions.

He cited cases of parastatals that have duplicated and overlapping roles.

“It is illogical. We have to shut down some of these loss-making parastatals. We must end excess capacity,” President Ruto said Kenya must begin living within its means and stop the habit of running huge budget deficits.

“In three years’ time, we must run a balanced budget. It won’t be easy but we must do it,” he said.

The President also directed the CEOs to reduce their recurrent budgets by 30 per cent.

Additionally, commercial State corporations must, from now, remit 80 per cent of their profits after tax to the National Treasury.

“We will give you directions on what to do with the remaining 20 per cent,” the President said.

Regulatory institutions were ordered to remit 90 per cent of their surplus funds to the Treasury.

“There will be no exceptions. Everybody must comply,” President Ruto directed.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.

The African Union Commission through the Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development in coordination with the East Africa Community launches the CARMMA plus campaign to provide an opportunity for the East Africa Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to convene stakeholders and galvanize their countries ownership and leadership as well as technical and financial support to the campaign. The launch is taking place alongside the Eastern Africa Regional Early Childhood Conference scheduled from 11-14 March 2024 in the United Republic of Tanzania under the theme: “Investing in early childhood: Building Human Capital along life course.”

This launch intends primarily to advocate for ongoing improved reproductive health for women, children, and adolescents by 2030 within all EAC partner States. Specifically, to:

Sensitize stakeholders on the Agenda of CARMMA Plus and galvanize East Africa Community region ownership and leadership to enforce accountability.
Generate sustained momentum for stakeholders’ efforts in the EAC region and emphasize their contributions to Reproductive Maternal, Newborn/Neonatal ,Child and Adolescent (RMNCAH) and to improve reproductive health outcomes for women, children, and adolescents by 2030.
Strengthen coordination mechanisms between the Ministry of Health in the EAC region.
Encourage scaled-up investments through increased domestic resources for RMNCAH by sharing experiences and best practices from EAC Partner States.

The campaign on accelerated reduction of maternal mortality in Africa (CARMMA) was first launched in May 2009. It is an initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC) that aimed at  curbing  high pregnancy-related deaths, promote and advocate for renewed and intensified implementation of the 2006 Maputo Plan of Action (MPoA) to reduce maternal, newborn, and child mortality by improving health outcomes for African women and children. It was designed to use policy dialogue, advocacy, and community mobilization to enlist political commitment and increase resources and societal change in support of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH).

In 2019, the African Union Commission evaluated the CARMMA campaign to determine its relevance, appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. The evaluation revealed that African Union Member States that embraced the campaign at the highest political levels made significant improvements in their Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) indicators. The overall analysis of the campaign from its evaluation indicated that CARMMA is still relevant in Africa.

The Commission through the Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development developed a new roadmap and its accountability partnership framework for re-strengthening the campaign, which has been endorsed by the AU Policy Organs in 2022. The next phase of implementation of the CARMMA Plus 2021 -2030 focuses on the unfinished Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) health agenda for women, new-borns, children, and adolescents that birth the “Plus to CARMMA” to be entitled CARMMA Plus taking into account Africa’s transformative Agenda 2063, the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the revised African Health Strategy 2016-2030, and the revised Maputo Plan of Action (2016-2030) for women and children as well as the AU continental Strategy on education for health and wellbeing of young people.

The CARMMA Plus campaign will focus on four key objectives: 1. broaden and strengthen accountability partnerships for RMNCAH, 2. enhance leadership and governance for RMNCAH policies and quality of services, 3. improve SRHR outcomes for adolescents through increased access to information, and services, and 4. finally strengthen knowledge management and learning systems.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).

Today the Western Cape MEC of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, tabled the Department’s budget of R1.018 billion in the provincial parliament.

MEC Meyer said, “Despite compounding challenges such as intensified delays and inefficiencies at the ports, increased geopolitical uncertainty, and load-shedding, the agriculture and agri-processing exports increased from R63 billion in 2018 to R104 billion in 2023 which is an annual average growth of 11%.”

MEC Meyer announced the following key budgetary allocations:

R196.2 million to promote the sustainable use and management of natural resources.  R40.3 million is budgeted for ecological infrastructure, R38.5 million for river protection works and R38 million towards flood damage support.
R216.4 million towards producer support services.
The Department’s Extension and Advisory Services have been allocated R35.4 million and R16.7 million will go towards food security initiatives.
R57.8 million to provide animal health services to prevent and control animal diseases.
R97.8 million to improve agricultural production through research,  focusing on mitigation and adaptation options for farmers in response to climate change.
R30.6 million to provide production economics and marketing services to agri-businesses.
R48.2 million towards education and training, and agricultural skills development.

The MEC also announced that the refurbished SANAS-accredited Provincial Veterinary Laboratory will re-open for business on 1 April 2024. This laboratory is an important role player in enhancing the bio-security of the agricultural sector in the Western Cape.

“This budget will support the Western Cape Government’s growth strategy which sets an ambitious target of building a trillion-rand jobs-rich, inclusive, sustainable, diverse, and resilient provincial economy, that is growing at between 4 and 6 per cent per year in real terms by 2035. Agri producers, workers and businesses have demonstrated season after season that agriculture is worth investing in. We are determined to use this budget to invest further in the growth and development of the industry,” concluded MEC Meyer.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.

Today, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, held a meeting with His Excellency Mehmet Fatih Ak, the Ambassador of Türkiye to Uganda. The meeting, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Kampala, served as a pivotal platform for fostering diplomatic relations and advancing mutual interests between the Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Türkiye. During the meeting, Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ak extended heartfelt congratulations to Uganda for the successful hosting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Group of 77 (G77) Summits. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity afforded to the Turkish Vice President to deliver a crucial address on the situation in Gaza during the opening session of the Summit. Ambassador Ak commended Uganda’s esteemed global standing, acknowledging the positive public perception resulting from the successful execution of these significant gatherings. Highlighting Türkiye’s enduring strategic relationship with the African Union since 2005, Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ak emphasized the significance of Türkiye-Africa Summits as instrumental fora for fostering dialogue and collaboration. He announced that the next Türkiye-Africa summit is scheduled for 2026, with interim Joint Review Ministerial Meetings facilitating continuous engagement between Summits. In this regard, Ambassador Ak proposed Uganda as a potential host for the forthcoming ministerial meetings slated for the last quarter of the year, citing Uganda’s demonstrated capacity to host such gatherings effectively. In response, Permanent Secretary Bagiire expressed profound appreciation for Türkiye’s steadfast support and reiterated Uganda’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. Both parties concurred on the importance of revitalizing the Joint Permanent Commission, with Uganda poised to assume the role of the next host. This concerted effort aims to bolster bilateral relations and foster closer cooperation between the Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Türkiye. For more information, please contact: Margaret Awino Kafeero Head of Public Diplomacy margaret.kafeero@mofa.go.ug, 0787639414 The meeting concluded on a positive note, with mutual assurances of continued collaboration and friendship between the two nations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Republic of Uganda – Ministry of Foreign Affairs.