By MUSYOKA NGUI 

I summoned my best ideas and my best team of experts. Of course with some level of humility (and decorum) because my circle is ever busy with deadlines and mainly adulting and debts.  Stuff. The economy is on its knees in an election year, after all.

This task is both enlightening and relieving.  It teaches you to become a developer.  

Go to the Settings section of your Android phone and search File Transfer settings. It will first prompt you to give the security log in.  In my case, it was a fingerprint.  It opened and then closed. Back to my misery. 

Next step is going to your  Settings again. Further, check About Phone or Software Information. When you reach there,  click Build Number 7 times until you see a number saying , "You are now a developer ".

Go to Default USB Configuration and change your phone from "Charging only" to File Transfer/Android Auto.

You can search on YouTube for relevant tutorials too. It should be a straightforward navigation.  If not, hit me up. 

That way, you dont become a victim of your own success. This setting seeks to keep private information out of reach of unintended people. Only use the setting if you alone uses your phone or another person you trust does.

Some telco apps will warn you of the dangers of your new Settings. Tell them you know what you're doing.

By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT 

Justice Owour described the move as an exemplary trailblazer noting that in most parts of Africa whenever conflicts occur, the intervention of government is usually sought  as opposed to using homegrown mechanisms.

She spoke on Tuesday during a community peace dialogue at the Ukasi trading center in Mwingi Central constituency. The area had borne the brunt of incessant conflicts between local and armed camels herders who encroach into Kitui from Garissa through Tana River.

The session that was held under tree shades was organized by the Patricia Mutemi-led Kitui Women for Peace and Security organisation with support from Conciliation Resources NGO that was represented by Ellyjoy Maslia.

Justice Owour said that seeking dialogue with elected leaders of communities involved in conflict was the best way to getting lasting solutions to disputes that lead to confrontational situations as opposed to seeking external intervention. 

She noted that not only that the Kitui Women for Peace and Security group  invited leaders of all shades of life to dialogues but also county and national government official to  made  the exercise all-inclusive. 

"What I am saying is that you are doing a very good job. You have the right spirit to solving your local issues. That is the most important thing,” said Justice Owour who a member of the AU Panel of the Wise representing Eastern Africa.

She pointed that since elected leaders serve the wishes and interest of the people who elect them, they must be reached out and brought to the table to participate in dialogues that would result to peace. “We put everyone in those positions from the president to MCAs,” she said pointing out that they must be central in talks that would create peace among waring communities just as the Kitui Women for Peace and Security outfit was doing.

She said that conflicts were being experienced in many parts of Kenya thus becoming a national issue but added that the Kitui initiative was an eye opener on how such conflicts could be resolved. Justice Owour said the lesson learned was that elected leaders must be involved in peace building regardless of whether they come from the ruling UDA and ODM or whichever party since they are all Kenyans.

She said the Kitui example should be escalated to other conflict-hit areas where women should summon their senators and MPs through dialogue impress on them to finds ways to end conflicts borrowing from the Kitui experience.

She said the era when women were voiceless was long gone saying that even at the continental and international level women voices were being recognized at the AU and the UN. “It was decided then that in everything happening in the Africa continent, women must be key players. That is why FemWise was formed at the AU,” she said.

By MWINGI TIMES TEAM 

The Kitui Senator lamented that for nearly 15 years, access to quality healthcare has not been achieved. This is despite devolution of healthcare services being  the responsibility of counties. This has in turn led to heavy funding into the health docket but still challenges persist. 

Senator Wambua spoke at Katumbu AIC Church in Kitui East Constituency  where his Kiio Wambua Foundation and various stakeholders had organised  a free medical camp.

The former journalist took issue with successive county government administrations accusing them of failing to tackle healthcare services to match the expectations of common wananchi.  It is in such context that Senator Enoch Wambua decided to use his Foundation to organise free medical camps across the county. Already,  he has done 14 medical camps in different places of Kitui county. 

"These free medical camps have become necessary because successive Kitui County Governments have failed to sufficiently improve healthcare services in health facilities across the county", he said.

Kitui county dispensaries and health centres have limited medical equipment leading to shortage of quality medical services,  opined Senator Enoch Wambua. 

During the latest healthcare outreach, about 500 people showed up to be treated for both eyes and dental services.  General medical consultations were also done.

Among the Kiio Wambua Foundation partners are Mt Kenya University and the Community Health Providers,  CHPs. The Senator pledged to improve working conditions of CHPs once elected governor of Kitui county next year. He is vying on Wiper Patriotic Front ticket.

By BRIAN MUSYOKA 

The initiative seeks to establish a reliable financial lifeline for thousands of needy learners by using returns generated from the fund to finance scholarships and other forms of student assistance. The university hopes the ambitious target will eventually bring an end to cases of students dropping out or postponing their studies due to financial constraints.

Vice Chancellor Prof. Daniel Mugendi disclosed that the fund, which was established in 2018, is steadily approaching the Sh100 million mark and has already supported slightly more than 5,000 needy student cases.

He said the university was determined to expand the fund's reach to accommodate the growing number of students requiring financial assistance, noting that the current resources were insufficient to address all the cases brought before the institution. "Our ambition is to impact many more students. That is why we have set a target of Sh10 billion, which will enable us to support thousands of needy learners who currently miss out on assistance due to limited resources," Prof. Mugendi said.

Speaking during an endowment fund mobilisation walk and family fun day, the Vice Chancellor explained that the university intended to build a permanent financial resource whose investment returns would continuously support students without depleting the principal amount.

He observed that achieving the Sh10 billion target would significantly increase the fund's investment income, enabling the institution to respond to a larger number of financial assistance requests.

The Chairperson of the Endowment Fund Board of Trustees, Lenny Kivuti, described the initiative as a transformative investment in the future of disadvantaged students, noting that the fund had evolved from a small emergency support kitty into a sustainable institutional financing mechanism.

Kivuti said supporting more than 5,000 student cases since its establishment demonstrated the fund's growing impact and its potential to become a dependable source of long-term educational financing.

The former Embu Senator further noted that the initiative had helped reduce reliance on public fundraising activities traditionally organised to rescue students facing financial difficulties, replacing them with a more structured, dignified and sustainable support system.

University Chancellor Prof. Musili Wambua called on other institutions of higher learning to embrace the endowment fund model, arguing that universities could no longer depend entirely on government capitation to meet their expanding financial obligations.

He pointed out that government resources were stretched across competing national priorities, while the demand for university education and financial assistance continued to rise.

Prof. Wambua maintained that institutions needed to develop alternative and sustainable funding mechanisms to complement government support and ensure that deserving students were not denied opportunities because of their financial backgrounds.

He cited established universities across the world whose multibillion-dollar endowment funds have become critical sources of scholarships, research funding and institutional development, urging Kenyan universities to adopt similar models.

The University of Embu's Sh10 billion ambition marks a major step towards building a sustainable education financing system in which financial hardships do not stand between deserving students and their academic dreams.

By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT 

In a speech read on her behalf, Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala said it was noteworthy that Seku is increasingly positioning itself  as a university that impacts the society beyond its the teaching sphere. Higher Education Secretary Carol Hunja read the PS's statement during the institution's 13th graduation ceremony on Friday.

"In 2026 alone, the university has undertaken several initiatives that demonstrate its commitment to innovation,  research, community engagement  and national development", said PS Inyangala.

1327 graduands were awarded and conferred with degrees from the highest level of PhD to degrees and diplomas. 

Some of the transformative projects done by Seku include the Horizon Europe TWIN4READY project that is aimed at strengthening climate resilience and flood preparedness. 

The Higher Education PS lauded Seku saying it is using its international research networks to solve problems affecting the immediate neighbourhoods. "Climate change is no longer an abstract concept in our country. We have witnessed floods, droughts and other climate-related challenges affecting livelihoods in recent times", she observed.

Situated in an arid and semi-arid land with the motto: Arid to Green; transforming lives,  Seku's development in research and innovations will come in handy as the region battles climate change challenges. 

Seku Vice Chancellor Prof Douglas Shitanda said the university had celebrated significant milestones in becoming a top academic centre in the region and country. He said they currently have a student population of 13000. This, he said, was due to increased demand for higher education as well as diversification in courses offered.

"The introduction of programmes that respond to emerging industry and market needs, coupled with the continued confidence that students and stakeholders have placed in the university,  has also contributed to this growth", said Prof Shitanda.