JAMUHURI MEDIA

                      Mwache Dam construction By Caroline Katana For communities living around the Mwache Multipurpose Dam in Kwale County, the massive project is already changing lives even before the first major benefits of its water reservoir are fully realised. Residents say the project has brought employment opportunities, improved schools and better housing, while raising hopes that decades of water shortages across the Coast region could finally be addressed. The dam, being constructed in Kasemeni,  Kinango Constituency, is designed to strengthen water security for the Coast region, support irrigation and provide water for domestic  and livestock use.  The more than KSh25 billion project is expected to supply millions of litres of water daily once fully operational. For Ali Tungwa Juma, a resident of  Galile village, some of the project's benefits are already visible in education. He said ...

                                    Garbage collection centre By Caroline Katana. Under the morning sun in Mikindani , Mombasa county , Elvina Ziro bends over piles of discarded plastic, picking through the waste and separating what can still earn her a few shillings. Around her, wheelbarrows arrive carrying more rubbish from nearby households.  Plastic bottles are pulled from the piles and placed in one section, other recyclable materials in another.  What looks to an outsider like a mountain of unwanted waste is, for Ziro and others working at the site, a source of livelihood. For the mother of five, every bottle and piece of plastic has a value.                   Elvina Ziro Mikindani resident  She has been doing the work for three years, using the money she earns to put food on the table and keep her childr...

                   Kwale County CEC health Francis Gwama By Caroline Katana Kwale health officials have defended the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying the scheme has expanded access to healthcare despite concerns over delayed payments and occasional system failures. Kwale County Health Executive Committee Member Francis Gwama said the scheme had shifted healthcare from simply providing access to improving the quality of services offered to patients. He said about 98 per cent of Kwale's 179 health facilities had been onboarded onto SHA, allowing residents to access services through the new system. “SHA is doing its work, it is being implemented and it is helping,” Gwama said. He urged residents to register and keep their SHA contributions active, saying the scheme was particularly important for families dealing with expensive chronic illnesses such as cancer, hypertension and diabetes. Gwama also dismissed claims that SHA ...

By Caroline Katana A major expansion of water infrastructure at the Coast is taking shape as the government races to complete the systems that will connect the Mwache Dam to millions of residents in Mombasa and Kwale. The project is expected to enter a new phase in October, when the government plans to begin filling the reservoir as construction and supporting infrastructure move towards completion. Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa said the main dam wall is substantially complete, putting the project on course for the planned October 1 impoundment. The 84-metre structure will create a reservoir capable of holding about 136 billion litres of water.  The stored water will then be treated and channelled through a network of pipelines to consumers across the Coast. The government has committed an additional Sh13.6 billion to complete the project, which is being implemented alongside existing water sources such as Mzima Springs, Baric...

By Caroline Katana. For Esther Dama Kahindi, the Affordable Housing Programme in Kwale County has brought more than a construction project to her neighbourhood.  It has given her a source of income that helps her educate her children, pay rent and meet daily household needs. The resident of Mwakamba , near White House, where affordable house of 152 units in Msambweni is being constructed , says she previously earned a living by preparing and selling chapati and beans. But the income was low and unreliable. “I used to cook and sell food. But what I earned from that was not enough compared with what I am earning from this project,” Esther said. She now works at the construction site and earns about Sh600 a day, money she says has made it easier to support her family. Esther is among several workers interviewed at Affordable Housing construction sites in Kwale who say the programme has opened employment opportunities for local residents, particularly women and young peopl...

                           Coast women in peace and security By Caroline Katana. Women leaders and community peace actors from Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale are seeking a bigger role in preventing conflict and shaping peace and security decisions as the country approaches the 2027 General Election. They say women are often among the first to feel the effects of violence but remain underrepresented in structures where decisions on community security are made. The concerns emerged during a three-day leadership and peace and security training held in Mombasa, organised by the Kenya Community Support Centre (KECOSCE) under its Imarisha project known as Strengthening Women’s Leadership and Voices for Peace and Security on the Coast. The project is supported by the Danish Embassy in Kenya through Act Change Transform, with KECOSCE implementing activities in Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale. The training equipped particip...

Alshifaa FC wametawazwa mabingwa wa michuano ya SISI NI DOLA CUP – Makala ya Pili, baada ya kuichapa Green Eagles mabao 2-1 katika mchezo wa fainali uliochezwa kwa ushindani mkubwa. Alshifaa walipata bao la kuongoza dakika ya 24 kupitia kwa Lawrance Dady, kabla ya Mohamed Juma kuongeza bao la pili dakika ya 50 na kuwapa Alshifaa FC mkwaju mpana kuelekea ubingwa. Green Eagles walipata bao la kufutia machozi dakika ya 74 kupitia kwa Mohamed Yanga, aliyefunga kwa mkwaju wa penalti, lakini juhudi zao za kusawazisha hazikuzaa matunda hadi filimbi ya mwisho. Kwa ushindi huo, Alshifaa FC wamejinyakulia zawadi ya shilingi milioni moja, pamoja na medali. Green Eagles, waliomaliza katika nafasi ya pili, wamepata shilingi laki tano na medali, huku Azam FC, waliomaliza nafasi ya tatu, wakiondoka na shilingi laki mbili na nusu pamoja na medali. Katika tuzo binafsi, Nassir Hassan wa Alshifaa FC ametwaa tuzo ya Kocha Bora wa Michuano, huku Lawrance Okoth wa Alshifaa akichaguli...

. By Caroline Katana. Residents in  Kwale County, have applauded the national government for introducing the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying the programme is helping communities access healthcare. The residents said the health cover has made it easier for patients to seek treatment and has given families hope of receiving care without facing heavy medical bills. Speaking during interviews in Mwarutswa and surrounding areas, residents said they appreciate the government's efforts to expand healthcare access to rural communities. Mwanakombo Bakari Koja, a resident of Marutu, said SHA was helping residents access medical services. She said patients are being treated after their SHA details are confirmed. “We receive healthcare, we are tested and treated. If it is a mother giving birth, she is attended to. If it is a patient, they are treated as usual,” Koja said. She thanked President William Ruto for bringing the health programme closer to ordinary Kenya...

Mwachande Bridge  By Caroline Katana. For nearly 24 years, residents of Mwarutswa and surrounding villages in Lunga Lunga, Kwale County, have waited for a bridge they say has become a symbol of years of neglect, disrupted livelihoods and broken promises. The Mwachande Bridge, located along the road linking Msambweni and Lungalunga su_counties , collapsed more than two decades ago, leaving residents to contend with a difficult and sometimes impassable crossing. Now, residents say they are finally seeing tangible progress. The bridge project has an allocation of approximately KSh538 million and is currently about 63 per cent complete, giving residents renewed hope that a problem that has followed them through successive administrations could finally be resolved. But after years of waiting, residents are asking the government to maintain the momentum until the project is completed. For Mwanamisi Bakari Mwaruma, a resident of Mwarutswa, the bridge has been part ...

Shimoni Fish Port.  By Caroline Katana The KSh2.6 billion Shimoni Fish Port has raised hopes of jobs and better livelihoods among residents, but as the facility awaits official opening, the community is demanding clarity on how it will benefit the people who have depended on the sea for generations. For residents of Shimoni, the multimillion-shilling investment represents a potentially significant transformation of the local fishing economy and the wider blue economy. But their excitement is being tempered by concerns over employment, the future of small-scale fishing, tourism and whether promises made to the community before construction will be honoured. At the centre of the concerns is an agreement residents say was reached before construction began that 75 per cent of lower-level jobs would be reserved for locals, while 25 per cent would go to people with specialised qualifications. Fadhili Ali Abdalla, a Shimoni resident who participated in discussions ...

Mabingwa watetezi wa michuano ya SISI NI DOLA Cup , Fayaz Bakers, wameaga mashindano hayo baada ya kutandikwa mabao 2-1 na Azam FC katika mchezo wa robo fainali uliochezwa katika uwanja wa Mombasa Sports Club. Azam FC walionyesha ubabe mapema katika kipindi cha kwanza, wakifungua ukurasa wa mabao kupitia Harith Mshamanga dakika ya 20, kabla ya Ali Cheusi kuongeza la pili dakika ya 28 na kuifanya Azam FC kwenda mapumziko ikiwa kifua mbele kwa mabao 2-0. Fayaz Bakers walirejea kipindi cha pili wakiwa na matumaini ya kubadili matokeo, na juhudi zao zilizaa matunda dakika ya 52 baada ya Rashid Nzao kufunga bao la kufutia machozi. Hata hivyo, Fayaz Bakers walishindwa kupata bao la kusawazisha hadi dakika 90 zilipotimia, na hivyo Azam FC kutinga hatua ya nusu fainali kwa ushindi wa mabao 2-1. Azam FC sasa watavaana na Al Shifaa katika hatua ya nusu fainali, huku wakisaka tiketi ya kuingia katika mchezo wa fainali wa michuano hiyo. Nyota wa mchezo huo...