Author: Coast Times Digital

By Reporter Kwale Governor H.E Fatuma Achani led the country in celebrating the annual Chenda Chenda Festival at Kaya Mtswakara in Kasemeni Ward, Kinango Sub-county, in a colorful ceremony aimed at reviving and honoring Mijikenda culture and sacred heritage. The Chenda Chenda Festival, rooted in Mijikenda tradition, is a cultural celebration that brings together communities to preserve rituals, customs, and the significance of Kaya forests, sacred sites central to the Mijikenda people’s spiritual and cultural identity. Addressing attendees, Governor Achani emphasized the importance of protecting cultural sites and committed to restoring Kaya Mtswakara to its former ecological and spiritual glory.…

Lamu fishermen are urging the national government to ensure fairness when applying its fishing policies and have demanded the right to use beach seine and monofilament nets, which they claim international trawlers use in Kenyan waters without repercussions. Speaking during a public participation forum held in Faza today on the Fisheries Management and Development Bill 2023, Lamu East legislator Captain Ruweida Obo expressed concern over how local fishermen from Faza, Pate, Siyu and Kizingitini were more likely to be detained by security and fisheries officers for using nets that they have used for ages in comparison to large fishing trawlers…

By Alloys Musyoka Organizations have been challenged to build talent pipelines that are resilient, innovative, and fit for the future in the face of unprecedented disruption from artificial intelligence (AI), demographic shifts, and changing employee expectations. Speaking at the opening of the HR Summit 2025, Karim Anjarwalla, Senior Partner at ALN Kenya, Anjarwalla & Khanna reiterated the urgency of rethinking talent strategies, highlighting the profound shifts AI and technology are bringing to the world of work. “Artificial intelligence is not just changing what we do, but how we learn, how we hire, and how we lead. Unlike past innovations that…

By Lamu Reporter  At least 5,000 farmers who partake in growing Sunflower, Simsim and nuts are set to benefit with the launch and commissioning of a maiden Edible Oil Processing Plant in Mpeketoni aimed at boosting the income of these farmers through value addition from their crop. The plant was launched as a result of a collaboration between the Lamu County Government and  the Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate  (AFA) to install an Edible Oil Processing machine that will create agricultural value addition and open new opportunities for farmers by boosting local production. Speaking during the launch of the Edible…

By Alloys Musyoka The Caucus of liquor licensing and control boards has criticized NACADA for coming up with a policy aimed at taking away county governments mandate against the constitution. The NACADA proposed Alcohol, drugs and substances abuse policy 2025 has rubbed stakeholders in the country the wrong way. Speaking in Diani-Kwale county, the caucus said that they will not allow anyone to muzzle county governments powers as enshrined in the constitution. They said that the alcoholic drinks control act 2010 places responsibility of liquor licensing and regulations squarely within the mandate of the county governments. “The proposal to centralize…

By Reporter ‎‎Cotton farmers in the coastal region are set for a major boost as the newly constructed ginnery at Kwale nears completion, with only the installation of ginning machines remaining. For years, farmers have been forced to transport their produce to distant counties such as Makueni, Kitui, and Meru, incurring high costs and logistical challenges. ‎‎The Kwale facility is expected to ease this burden by providing a nearby processing centre, cutting transportation expenses, and opening new opportunities through the cotton value chain. ‎‎According to PAVI Cotton Cooperative Society chair, Jackson Ndurya, the ginnery will not only process cotton lint…

By Court reporter Kenya Roads Board Chairperson Aisha Jumwa has filed a suit seeking to block the circulation of a nine-year-old video clip in which she is allegedly heard hurling unprintable epithets at a journalist. Ms Jumwa has sued political activists Idd Salim alias Kamanda and Matano Maingi, whom she accuses of widely disseminating the recording they allegedly received from journalist Renson Kombe Yeri, who is said to have recorded the insults during a telephone conversation with Ms Jumwa in 2016. She claims that the two activists are circulating the said video recording on their WhatsApp and Facebook accounts to…

Lamu County medical practitioners have joined the list of other counties on strike over salary disputes. The medics, comprising nurses and clinical officers drawn from various county health facilities in the lamu, opted for industrial action after the county government failed to meet their demands after expiry of a 14-day ultimatum. Speaking in Mokowe today during the protest, Lamu County Health Workers Union Chairman Stephen Ewoyi stated that the strike had been drawn following the county government’s reluctance to address long standing issues affecting county health workers in Lamu. “The current administration seems to have shut the door to addressing…

By Rarieya Asin Shela residents in Lamu County have protested against the alleged land grabbing of at least 300 acres of water catchment land that serves as the main source of fresh water for more than 50,000 Amu and Manda Island residents. The protest was led by youths drawn from Shella Villages, with residents expressing concern over the illegal fencing and proposed development on the Shella water catchment and dune system. The Shela sand dunes system is a critical freshwater catchment area for Lamu Island that has over the years faced extensive land grabbing and encroachment by well connected land…

BY SHABAN OMAR For years, Mwafitina Bakari and Fatuma Mwadosho could only dream of flicking a switch and seeing light fill their homes. Nights in Mkokoni village, Matuga sub-county, were long and dark, with families relying on kerosene lamps and firewood. Today, their dream has finally come true. The two are among 202 residents who have recently been connected to electricity under the government’s Last Mile Connectivity Initiative. The project, which was commissioned earlier this month by Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi alongside Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani, has brought a new dawn to this once-forgotten fishing and farming community. The…