21 July 2003

Bamburi’s anti-Aids drive
By Tom Mogusu

BAMBURI Cement Company Ltd yesterday launched the second phase of its HIV/Aids awareness campaign and announced that it will continue providing anti-retroviral therapy to its infected employees.

Bamburi employs 500 people in its Mombasa, Athi River and Nairobi offices and had invested Sh17.5 million in its HIV/Aids programme in the past five years.
This investment includes the provision of anti-retroviral drugs to infected employees and members of the community where its units are located.

Bamburi Cement Human Resources and Organisation Director Epimach Maritim said the firm’s campaign against the killer disease is part of its intervention strategy that will see the company incorporate communities where its business units are located.

The week-long awareness campaign started in Nairobi, Mombasa and Athi River.

Employees of Bamburi Cement Factory take a ride on a donkey in Mombasa, during a ceremony to re-launch the company’s Anti-Aids campaign yesterday.

Maitha says Govt to fund police project
By Philip Mwakio

LOCAL Government Minister, Mr. Karisa Maitha, has hinted that part of the costs for transforming council askaris into a Metropolitan Police Force will be sourced from the Local Authority Transfer Fund (Latf) kitty because there was no budgetary allocation for transforming the unit.

He added that his ministry was finalizing details on the setting up of the force to deployed in urban centres like Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret. “Ii is only a matter of time before we get started. The Metropolitan Police will supplement the work of regular police in maintaining security,” ha said.

Maitha made the remarks after officiating at the second launch of an HIV/Aids awareness campaign for Bamburi Cement Limited at the factory’s premises on Saturday. During the function, the company donated Sh300,000 to Maitha towards the Street Children Rehabilitation Project and a further Sh250,000 towards the Kisauni Education Bursary kitty. Maitha thanked the firm for its generous donation and called on other corporate bodies to emulate Bamburi’s gesture.

The Minister in the Office of the Vice-President, Mrs. Linah Jebii Kilimo was the chief guest at the function. Others were Bamburi Cement Managing Director, Mr. Didier Tressarieu, Mombasa DC, Mr. Esther Getambo.