KQ launches flights to Congo
Written By:Judith Akolo
Posted: Tue, Sep 09, 2008
National Carrier Kenya Airways is set to begin three weekly flights to Congo, Brazzaville.Transport Minister Ali Mwakwere and Congo's Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Emile Ousso signed the agreement that will see KQ increase its routes in the continent.
They said Congo, Brazzaville had put measures in place that will ensure the safety of passengers and aircrafts flying the region.
Mwakwere said the Ministry is continuing to review bilateral Air Service Agreements aimed at opening up more opportunities for Kenya Airways and expanding the route network.Ouosso said his country is entering the agreement with Kenya in order to take advantage of Kenya Airways ability to transport business people from China, whose trade with Brazzaville has increased yet lacked direct flights from China to Congo, Brazzaville.Mwakwere said the much-anticipated direct flights between Kenya and Congo Brazaville would offer solutions to the business community, tourism sector and travelers between the two countries.
"The signing of this agreement will open up a number of trade opportunities between our two states. If the business opportunities are exploited, it will increase trade volumes, thereby ensuring that commercial relations between Kenya and Congo are enhanced for the benefit of the two peoples," said the minister.
Mwakwere said the reviews and the conclusion of the new agreements are aimed at opening up opportunities and expanding the available route networks for local operators, with Kenya Airways currently serving 43 international and domestic routes in over 36 countries in Africa.He said the available opportunities had led to an increase in the number of passengers using Kenyan airports, thus necessitating the expansion programmes currently going on at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Kisumu Airport.
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Crash caused by poor visibility-report
Written By:KNA , Posted: Tue, Sep 09, 2008
The plane crash that claimed the lives of former Cabinet Minister, the late Bomet MP Kipkalia Kones and Assistant Minister Lorna Laboso resulted from poor visibility.A report released Tuesday by a team that carried out an inquest into the cause of the crash said other possible causes could have been inadequate flight planning by the pilot.The team led by Engineer Peter Wakahia however said there were 24 other probable causes which will soon be published after the report is presented in parliament.
Transport Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere said the ministry was carrying out a research which will ensure air safety in the country and avert such calamities in future.Mwakwere said he would peruse the report before presenting it to the cabinet, parliament and to the public.
The committee recommended among others increased surveillance on Commercial Pilot Certificates, improvement of Very High Frequency Coverage to ensure safety of aircrafts and restricted use of aviation licenses issued to foreign nationals for commercial activities.Mwakwere also revealed that preliminary reports to the KQ Cameroon crash also showed that bad weather and pilot error caused the accident that led to the deaths of over 114 people.
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'Kenya will not be a dumping ground'-Kibaki'
President Mwai Kibaki has directed the Kenya Bureau of Standards and other relevant Government agencies to be extra vigilant in order to apprehend and prosecute those importing sub-standard and counterfeit goods.Saying the Government was aware that the manufacturing sector is threatened by unfair competition from imported sub-standard and counterfeit goods, President Kibaki emphasized that no one will be allowed to turn Kenya into a dumping ground."We must not allow Kenya to become the dumping ground for sub-standard goods," President Kibaki said.The President was speaking on Saturday when he officially opened the Revital Healthcare (EPZ) Limited, a pharmaceutical company at Changamwe in Mombasa .
President Kibaki encouraged local manufacturers to focus on the export markets, saying the Government has created a suitable environment for an export-driven industrial sector by honouring it obligations under the existing regional as well as bilateral trading pacts.Said the President, "These include, the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), among others.
"He, therefore, urged the local manufacturing companies to seize the conducive opportunities opened by the Government to increase their production capacity and create more jobs for Kenyans.President Kibaki also challenged investors in the EPZ to diversify from apparels into other products, saying there were many unexploited opportunities in horticulture and floriculture processing, pharmaceuticals, sisal dart boards, security printing, assembly of batteries and torch bulbs, fortified blended foods, plastic products and call centre services among others.The Head of State observed that diversification is the challenge that faces the Export Processing Zones that were initially mandated to diversify the country's export base from the traditional agricultural goods to processed end-products by attracting both international and local investments into the country.
In this regard, President Kibaki commended Revital Healthcare for being one of the few companies in the EPZ, that does not manufacture apparels and its products are being exported to the neighbouring countries of Sudan , Burundi , Tanzania and Zambia , thus earning the country valuable foreign exchange."I am glad to note that this factory has already commenced operations with a production capacity of 20 million syringes per month, making it the largest facility of its kind in East and Central Africa ," the President said.
For Kenya to attain and sustain a ten percent annual economic growth, the President stressed that more emphasis should be put on industrialization, adding that the manufacturing sector is expected to play a critical role in propelling the country's economy to a middle level status in two decades in line with the Vision 2030.President Kibaki said the manufacturing sector will also be critical in supporting the country's social development agenda through the creation of jobs by attracting foreign direct investments.The Head of State, therefore, called on investors to embrace new technologies in order to raise productivity and make the country's industries internationally competitive.On its part, the President said his Government is implementing various recommendations to reform the transport sector and to facilitate the movement of goods and services in to address some of these challenges facing the manufacturing sector.
He reiterated that the port of Mombasa and border entry points of Lunga Lunga, Taveta, Namanga, Isebania, Malaba and Busia will operate on a 24-hour basis, while all unnecessary road blocks have been removed.President Kibaki disclosed that the Ministry of Industrialization and all other regulatory agencies have also been directed to consolidate their license regimes in order to reduce bureaucracy and enhance efficiency."The government is also working on modalities of strengthening local production capacity by encouraging consolidation and establishment of special zones and parks to better service the export-oriented firms," the Head of State said.
In this connection, the Head of State urged investors to complement the Government initiatives by developing new products through value addition which will enable them to penetrate new markets, especially the Middle East and the Far East .He said the Government will soon amend the EPZ act to reflect the country's changing development needs, adding that the changes proposed under the EPZ Act are being considered in line with the VISION TWENTY THIRTY flagship projects."They include development of industrial and manufacturing zones in different regions of the country.
In addition, five Small and Medium Enterprise industrial parks in key urban centers will be developed. Local authorities will play a critical role in developing these parks by providing relevant infrastructure and services to make them attractive," President Kibaki said.Speaking during the occasion, Medical Services Minister Prof. Anyang' Nyong'o said the ministry had put in place proper regulatory laws to guard against counterfeit of drugs and non-pharmaceuticals to enable pharmaceutical companies to prosper in the country.
The Minister said dumping of substandard drugs was not only detrimental to health but also hampered growth of the pharmaceutical industry.Cabinet Ministers Beth Mugo of Public Health and Sanitation, Chirau Ali Makwere of Transport and Najib Balala of Tourism were among senior Government officials who attended the occasion.
Transport Minister Chirau Mwakwere (centre) hands over a copy of the Narok plane crash report to Permanent Secretary Eng Ali after he received it from the Director of Air Accidents Investigation Department Eng Peter Wakahia (left) at Transcom House in Nairobi. Photo/STEPHEN MUDIARI . (DAILY NATION)
