MOMBASA, Kenya — Nyali Member of Parliament Mohammed Ali has pledged to continue supporting economic empowerment initiatives for women in the Mombasa region, despite facing opposition from some elected officials. The commitment was made at a women’s empowerment event held in Mwembe Tayari, within the Mvita Constituency, on Sunday, where Ali emphasized the critical role of women in society and his determination to uphold the empowerment initiative.
According to Kenya News Agency, the event saw the distribution of Sh100,000 each to two women’s groups, Khairunnisaa and CH Unit, to support their water selling and poultry businesses. Ali, the only Member of Parliament from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party in the area, mentioned that he received endorsement from the Head of State to engage in efforts across Mombasa to enhance women’s participation in business.
The initiative, part of the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), has seen Ali visit several constituencies including Kisauni, Jomvu, Likoni, and Nyali, with a total of Sh3 million disbursed to women’s groups thus far. The funds have been used to provide capital for various business ventures, including the purchase of tents, chairs, utensils, posho mills, and tanks.
Ali shared insights from his visits, highlighting the needs of the women’s groups he encountered. For instance, in Mirimani, Kisauni Constituency, a women’s group expressed their need for tents and chairs to host meetings, as they currently gather under a mango tree. In Likoni, another group received funding to start a leso (traditional cloth) retail business, with the MP covering their shop rent.
“We will traverse this County. We will empower these women. Our main goal is to give you capital to uplift your livelihoods,” Ali stated, reaffirming his commitment to the economic empowerment of women in Mombasa.
ELDORET, Kenya – The global athletics community is in mourning after Kelvin Kiptum, the renowned Chicago Marathon World Record holder, was killed in a road accident on Sunday night in the Kaptagat Forest Area along the Eldoret-Ravine road. The accident also claimed the life of his Rwandese coach, Gervais Hakizimana, while a passenger, Sharon Chepkurui, sustained serious injuries.
According to Elgeyo Marakwet County Police Commander Peter Mulinge, Kiptum was driving from Eldoret to Ravine when he lost control of his Toyota Premio, causing the vehicle to veer off the road into a ditch. The car traveled approximately 60 meters in the ditch before colliding with a tree, resulting in the immediate deaths of Kiptum and Hakizimana at the scene. Chepkurui was promptly taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital for treatment.
Police officers who responded to the incident have taken the bodies to Racecourse Hospital mortuary in Eldoret to await autopsy. The vehicle, which suffered extensive damage, has been towed to Kaptagat Police Station.
Kiptum’s untimely death at 24 years old has shocked the sports world, as he was at the height of his athletic career. He is celebrated for being the only person in history to complete a marathon in under two hours and for running three of the seven fastest marathons ever recorded.