The call was made during the commissioning of a KES 50.6 million state-of-the-art TVET skills hub at the University of Embu. Speaking at the event, Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research Dr. Beatrice  Inyangala underscored the urgent need to bridge the country’s widening technical skills gap.

“For many years, Kenya has struggled with a significant shortage of practical technical skills. This deficiency within our institutions of higher learning has made it challenging for graduates to compete effectively in the job market. Universities must seek partners who can bring in transformative projects that empower students not just to secure jobs, but to create their own opportunities,” she said.

Dr. Inyangala reiterated the government’s resolve to align university education with the realities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. She noted that institutions prioritizing technical and entrepreneurial training will continue receiving strong policy and financial backing.

“The job market is shifting rapidly due to innovations such as blockchain and virtual reality. Students must therefore move beyond theoretical learning and embrace critical thinking, creativity, and entrepreneurship. The government is strengthening industry partnerships and alumni engagement to ease graduates’ transition into employment,” she added.

She applauded the M-Pesa Foundation for financing the facility, describing the investment as a major boost to national development goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development agenda.

“This project aligns with our national priorities and advances SDG 4 by promoting inclusive, quality education that nurtures a skilled and future-ready workforce. It ensures that students leave university fully prepared to tackle the demands of today’s economy,” Dr. Inyangala noted.

Representing the foundation, trustee Patricia Ithau pointed to the long-standing disconnect between academic training and labor market demands, which has left many graduates unemployed for years.

“For too long, we have witnessed graduates remain jobless long after completing their studies. The gap between what is taught and what the market requires is evident. That is why the M-Pesa Foundation has partnered with the Ministry of Higher Education to close this gap,” she said.

Ithau revealed that the foundation plans to replicate the initiative nationwide. "We intend to move across all counties, collaborating with higher learning institutions to equip students with the resources and skills they need. Our goal is to enable graduates to become entrepreneurs, reducing overreliance on formal employment and encouraging self-employment,” she added.

Embu Vice Chancellor Prof.  Daniel Mugendi Njiru welcomed the partnership, thanking both the Ministry and the foundation for their commitment to strengthening technical education. “We appreciate the Ministry’s dedication to enhancing technical competencies in our universities. With this support, our graduates will leave here ready to employ themselves because they possess the skills necessary to generate their own income,” he said.

Professor Mugendi described the facility as a transformative milestone for the university, which has previously grappled with limited infrastructure for technical programs."I sincerely thank the M-Pesa Foundation for this generous investment. The Sh 50.6 million ultra-modern TVET hub marks a turning point in our efforts to close the technical skills gap that has persisted,” he said.

The center is projected to train more than 1,300 students annually, equipping them not only with practical expertise but also with starter toolkits to launch their ventures immediately after graduation.

“We are targeting over 1,300 trainees in this facility. Upon completing their courses, they will receive tools of trade to help them establish their own businesses without waiting for formal employment,” Professor Mugendi revealed.

Constructed over a one-year period, the new hub addresses critical infrastructure shortfalls at the university. It houses fully equipped workshops for phone and computer repair, a dedicated barbershop training unit, and modern spaces for hairdressing and massage therapy.

Serving the university’s 9,410 students, the center delivers hands-on, market-oriented training designed to produce graduates who are skilled, innovative, and ready to thrive in a competitive economy.

Sometimes it might sound like a recipe for stability; no protests ,no riots and no big debates in parliament and also in grassroot levels, yet beneath the reality the absence of opposition often reveals a fragile system ,one that risks stagnation ,dictatorship and disconnection from the people it claims to serve.  

On a morning in the silent capital of a country, the sun rises over the capital. Streets are orderly, banners of the ruling party hang, and the national anthem echoes from loudspeakers. Citizens walk briskly to work, heads down, voices hushed.

There are no campaign posters, no rallies, but inside every seat belongs to the same party; every vote is anonymous; every law passes without question. This type of system shows the real illusion of harmony ,the ruling authority enjoys uninterrupted control where laws are passed swiftly ,policies are implemented without resistance and leaders project an image of unity.

Citizens may even feel a sense of order where there are no noisy campaigns ,no bitter rivalries ,no uncertainty about who governs tomorrow. But the reality is harmony without opposition is often an illusion ,without checks and balances ,power consolidates in the hands of a few ,decisions are made behind closed doors and citizens lose the ability to influence their future. The absence of opposition does not mean the absence of disagreement. It only means disagreement is suppressed. 

The reality has a human cost, imagine being a citizen in a country where there is no opposition, you may disagree with a new tax, a restrictive law or foreign policy decision. Where do you go? Who represents your voice? Because media is censored and journalists risk imprisonment for criticism and keeping those in power accountable, forcing even radio stations to play only government approved content, television stations only invite government officials to debate and interviewers are restricted from asking questions that may criticize some things the government is not doing correctly. 

The dailies and magazines are forced to only write about the good sides of the government and even threatened not to talk ill or write on contrary to the government. If they keep the ruling class accountable, they risk revocation of the license and being banned from operating. 

There is this one time a 22-year-old student told me behind closed doors, “I want to start a podcast, I want to talk about unemployment, corruption, climate change” but he told me that his uncle warned him and told him “Don’t be clever. Be quiet.” So that’s why Brian records music and love songs. Nothing political because of the fear instilled by those in power, the fear of being arrested and jailed without trial since there is no opposition. 

In such a country, even resistance exists, for example a poet writes verses that hint at injustice ,a teacher assigns banned books in secret to students and maybe a farmer refuses to join the ruling party's cooperative. These acts are small but powerful. They remind us that opposition is not just a political but it is also personal, cultural and spiritual in some ways.

These practical examples are real evidence that shows how people are feeling in countries where there is no opposition. But also, without opposition a country achieves success, for example roads are paved and smooth, schools are built and hospitals are fully equipped with medicine and beds and doctors don’t go on strike. 

Foreign investors praise the country's stability but also the cost is high, corruption is rampant, public funds vanish without scrutiny, citizens fear speaking out due to fear of abduction and innovation is stifled. Even in countries without in opposition resistance whispers in that you find a teacher slips a forbidden book to student, a journalist writes anonymously online, a citizen dares to question in private. These whispers remind us that opposition is not a luxury, but it is a necessity. 

There is this one time I talked to a guy called Ayub asking him why he changed his writing style in terms of topics in his newspaper but Ayub told me, “I used to write columns. I wrote about potholes , about hospitals, but one day, I wrote about a minister who misused funds. The next morning ,my newspaper was shut down and told I am free to write but only praise. Now I write travel brochures. I describe mountains and rivers but inside I miss writing the truth". This made me Imagine of a country where a citizen is never free to express his/her opinion ,write on contrary to the government. This question still lingers in my mind every day. This has made me reflect on so many issues and also have to ask different people their opinions including students in Universities.

There was a time I interacted with a foreign student who visited our country and became a little curious because I saw him a little bit surprised with how things are run in our country. I asked him how were things operating in his county in terms of opposition. But Job told me, “I want to be a lawyer, but the law is not about justice. It is about obedience. We study cases where the government always win. There is no defense, no appeal. Sometimes I dream of arguing in court, standing against the State, proving them wrong, but that dream is dangerous, My professor told me in that country, lawyers defend the government, not the people,”.

This testimony from Job made me put myself in that situation and reflect even how teachers some times feel during lectures when students become courageous enough to ask tough questions that may challenge the professors and teachers in such countries. 

A country without opposition seems orderly, peaceful, united but the silence hides fear. Stability masks fragility and unity conceals repression. Opposition is not chaos, it is balance.

Speaking at Nyuani Primary School in Mutonguni Ward, Kitui West, Stella Mengele  regretted that perpetrators of gender based violence collude with clan elders to defeat justice for victims of GBV. "Children get defiled and since their parents are poor,  they are given cows. The clan elders come to decide the cases. Some of our residents are not exposed.  They need someone to run to for assistance", said the founder of Stella Mengele Foundation,  an NGO.

According to the renowned Kamba Gospel artist,  all locals need is only one lawyer to be hired by county gender department for the purposes of handling cases of serious gender violations. 

While acknowledging the challenges ahead, she said residents need to be capacity built on how to report gender based violence cases including processing them until justice is served.

A report by Kenya National Police cited on the Unesco website shows the grim reality of gender based violence cases in Kenya. The study revealed that 40% of women in Kenya have experienced emotional,  physical or psychological intimate partner violence. 30% of women aged between 15-49 have experienced physical violence. 

To worsen the situation,  social and cultural norms aid these injustices as some people believe wives should be beaten under certain circumstances. 

"30% of women and 19% of men believe a husband is justified in beating his wife under certain circumstances", the report reads in part.

During the Presidency of Uhuru Kenyatta, Margaret Kenyatta transformed what had largely been a ceremonial space into a structured platform for national advocacy. Through the Beyond Zero Campaign, she championed maternal and child health, mobilizing both public and private sector support. Her initiative complemented government efforts such as the Linda Mama program under the national health agenda, expanding awareness about safe motherhood and access to healthcare facilities.

What distinguished her tenure was visibility combined with measurable engagement. She ran marathons to raise funds, partnered with county governments, and consistently maintained focus on healthcare inequalities. Beyond maternal health, she also sparked national conversation around the often-overlooked welfare of the boy child, arguing that empowerment should be balanced and inclusive. In doing so, she broadened the social agenda beyond traditional expectations.

In comparison, earlier First Ladies such as Mama Ngina Kenyatta during the era of President Jomo Kenyatta symbolized unity in a fragile post-independence state but did not operate structured national campaigns. 

First Lady Lena Moi, alongside President Daniel arap Moi, maintained a low public profile consistent with the political culture of that period. Their roles were largely ceremonial, reflecting the norms of their time rather than proactive advocacy.

The tenure of Lucy Kibaki during Mwai Kibaki brought visibility and personality, but without a long-term flagship social program comparable in scale to Beyond Zero. Her presence was felt in public discourse, yet it did not crystallize into a singular nationwide initiative that defined her legacy.

Currently, Rachel Ruto, spouse of current President William Ruto, has emphasized faith-based values, women empowerment, and community outreach. However, critics argue that her initiatives have not yet achieved the same scale, national mobilization, or measurable policy alignment that characterized Margaret Kenyatta’s tenure. Supporters, on the other hand, contend that impact must be assessed over time and within the context of prevailing economic realities.

The comparison raises a broader question: Should the effectiveness of a First Lady be measured by visibility, structured programs, policy influence, or public perception? Margaret Kenyatta’s era set a precedent where the Office of the First Lady appeared institutionalized, strategic, and results-oriented. This has inevitably raised public expectations for those who came before and those who follow.

Yet it is also important to recognize that each First Lady operates within a different political climate, economic capacity, and personal philosophy. What appears as underperformance may, in some cases, reflect differing priorities or quieter forms of engagement.

Even so, in Kenya’s evolving political culture, citizens increasingly expect measurable social contribution from the First Lady’s office. The standard has shifted from symbolism to structured impact. Whether future First Ladies will build upon, redefine, or surpass the benchmark set during Margaret Kenyatta’s tenure remains a question that time and performance  will answer.

Last week witnessed increased rainfall records given most parts of Kitui county received heavy downpour.  "A number of stations recorded very heavy rainfall exceeding 70mm in 24 hours on 3rd in Endau and Mui and again in Endau in 4th", said  Director Daniel Mbithi. 

The other weather conditions like temperature and wind remain unchanged this week since the maximum temperature will range between 24°C and 32°C while the minimum temperature range is expected to vary from 16°C to 22°C.

Strong winds are expected to blow from north eastern side to south eastern side of the county of Kitui at a speed of 25knots [12.86m/s].