The Trust for African Rock Art, TARA, is dedicated to the awareness and preservation of African rock art. It is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation, registered in Kenya and America whose work has been endorsed by Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan.

The website of EXODUS-KUTOKA NETWORK is up on the net! Kenyan Catholic Parishes working in slums and informal settlements in Nairobi have compiled the work being done by different parishes. In addition, they have compiled many studies, information and papers on the situation of the slums and slum dwellers, as well as the campaigns against forced evictions and the upgrading of slums.

School heads want secondary education declared free by the Government. And all those who qualify for admission to local public universities should be admitted. These were some of the proposals they made to the Government as they concluded their five-day Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association annual conference at Kasarani, Nairobi.

The head of the Kenyan office of a global anti-corruption watchdog has been sacked over allegations of financial and other irregularities. Observers say the dismissal highlights the nature of problems facing Kenya. Three senior Kenyan government ministers have resigned over corruption claims in the past few months.

AIFO/Italy is looking for a consultant for capacity building of a people's organisation based in a slum area in Nairobi. The consultant will be expected to run a workshop and provide training on working & strengthening of NGOs with focus on elements of leadership, project management and fund raising. All other things being equal, preference will be given to candidates from Kenya. Interested persons should send their CV to Dr. Sunil Deepak before 15 July 2006 at [email][email protected]

Few would dispute that civil society organisations (CSOs) have grown substantially in number and influence over the past decades. But, are these groups at a point now where they play a determining role, alongside government, in public policy-making? Not yet, says Tiberius Baraza, a researcher.

Essential drugs are now available in public health institutions, even those in remote areas, a government agency has said. The Kenya Medical Supplies Agency chairman said it had stocked Kenya's 2,800 dispensaries and other health institutions with enough drugs and medical equipment. He said the agency was taking the drugs directly to the health institutions after doing away with an earlier system "since it is causing artificial shortages of drugs and it is time-consuming".

The appointment by the then Minister for Education, Prof. George Saitoti, of a task force to review the laws governing education, training and research in the country, though belatedly, was a sign that education standards in this country will soon whirl forward. Kenyans look upon the commission with high expectations.

It has become increasingly clear that there are indeed two African Diasporas: the Historical and the New, and the differences between the two have implications far beyond academics. The composition of the two Diasporas is not homogeneous and their ability and inclination to engage in continental Africa are not the same.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work with Africa Now, a value-driven non profit organisation with its head quarters in the UK. We are currently seeking a Co-ordinator for our newly established Ethical Business Services Unit, based in Nairobi.

Kenyan writer, Muthoni Garland has been nominated for the Caine Prize for African Writing, 2006 (http://www.caineprize.com) for her story, 'Tracking the Scent of My Mother.' Muthoni says that her story was inspired "by the climate of private fear in which many children and women in our part of the world exist."

The revised Anti-Terrorism Bill ran into trouble after a parliamentary committee dismissed its enactment as an "American priority". The committee said that even before the contents of the Bill were discussed, the Bush administration must accept that it was responsible for acts of terrorism. In a statement issued after meeting Islamic leaders, the committee said Kenya must not be lured into debating the merits and demerits of the draft until policy issues are resolved.

A new plan to address corruption in Kenya has been adopted as government continues to be criticised for overseeing widespread graft. The National Anti-Corruption Plan was drawn up by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC), a government body mandated to investigate graft. The plan comes amidst charges that President Mwai Kibaki's administration has failed dismally in meeting its election pledge to root out corruption in the country, despite having introduced new measures to prevent bribery and related ills.

"ARVs can change things, but they do not change my socio-economic status. Yes, I get the ARVs; but I cannot afford to put a simple meal on the table," says a man who insists on being identified only as wa Kimani. "This is why I had to register at two treatment sites, so that I could get ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) twice: utilise one set from one site, then sell the other batch from the second site, so that I can get something small to put in my stomach."

Garissa district, in Kenya's arid and semi-arid North Eastern Province (NEP), was host to national events marking World Environment Day on June 5th. This year, the focus was on safeguarding drylands, and those who inhabit them. According to the UNEP, "people living in drylands, 90 percent of whom live in developing countries, lag far behind the rest of the world in human well-being and development indicators."

Computer Aid International is seeking to appoint an East Africa Programme Officer based in their Nairobi office but travelling widely in the region to serve existing and potential new partners in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti. They are also seeking a Technical Development Officer to research and develop a new range of ICT4Ed and ICT4D products and services to compliment their existing provision of high-quality, professionally refurbished Pentium3 and Pentium4 PCs.

A special issue of Agenda will come out in August September 2006 to mark the Nairobi+21 project. As the first international women's conference on African soil, the Nairobi Conference in 1985 discussed ways to fend for women's rights and gender equality that would, for the first time, be informed by the agendas of women from the South. We are particularly seeking writers from Senegal, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, DRC, South Africa but also from other parts of Africa and the world. The journal wants to give a voice in particular to black writers.

A new report released in Nairobi last week indicates that the country is unlikely to meet its growth targets if it does not address glaring gender disparities and increase its attention on gender dimensions in economic development. "Kenya Gender and Economic Growth Assessment", was commissioned by the ministry of Trade and Industry and conducted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank.

Kenya and Brazil have launched a campaign aimed at making governments prioritize and fund research and development projects, which address essential and basic health needs of their people. The campaign, being undertaken under the umbrella of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), urges governments to increase funding and policy change to support needs-driven research and development for neglected diseases.

Kenya's president has announced that fees will be removed for anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), which combat the effects of Aids. Correspondents say the fees are one reason why only 60,000 of the 200,000 eligible Kenyans are taking ARVs. The UN has said Kenya is one of the few countries to reduce HIV prevalence, from 14% in 1997 to 4% today. But charities now say that a hunger crisis in parts of Kenya could hamper the effectiveness of ARV programmes.