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Horticultural News January - February issue

Horticultural News January - February issue

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Issue No. 15 JAN - MAR 2011<br />

E D I TO R I A L BOA R D<br />

arim Ogolla - HCDa<br />

Catherine riungu -Hortinews<br />

jane ngige - KFC<br />

Lusike Wasilwa - KarI<br />

Stephen Mbithi - FPEaK<br />

M A N AG I N G EDITO R<br />

Catherine riungu<br />

M A R K E T I N G<br />

julius Gitau<br />

Elijah Karu<br />

CO N T R I B U TO R S<br />

Gatu Mbaria<br />

ngobilo nakitare<br />

jeremy Cordingley<br />

P H OTO G R A P Hy<br />

allan Muturi<br />

D E S I G N AND L AyO U T<br />

Samuel Irungu<br />

<strong>Horticultural</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />

is published six times a year<br />

by Karuri Ventures Ltd and<br />

circulated to personnel in the<br />

horticultural industry, foreign<br />

missions and Kenya embassies<br />

abroad, extension officers in the<br />

Ministry of agriculture, research<br />

officers and suppliers of<br />

agricultural inputs and services.<br />

Karuri Ventures Ltd<br />

nature Hse 3rd Fl (522) Tom Mboya St<br />

P O Box 1066 - 00518 nairobi<br />

Tel: 020 35566911 / 254-722 848970<br />

horticulturalnews@gmail.com<br />

news@hortinews.co.ke<br />

www:hortinews.co.ke<br />

6<br />

KSH 300, USD $5<br />

KSH 250, USD $3<br />

Editorial<br />

Considering that once again, the upcoming<br />

election is another high stakes contest<br />

under the new Constitution, nothing can be<br />

left to chance<br />

Make peace your resolution for 2012<br />

The dreaded 2012 is finally here. We use the word dreaded deliberately. Whether or<br />

not the year is an election year is yet to be fully decided. But the one thing that is for<br />

sure is the year brings back the unpleasant memories of the Post Election Violence of<br />

2007/8, which plunged Kenya into its darkest period in our collective memory, and<br />

one that ushered in a most difficult and uncertain period for the horticulture industry<br />

from which it is yet to fully recover, five years down the line. The eagerly awaited<br />

verdicts of the ICC early in the year to commit 4 Kenyan’s to trial.<br />

The fresh produce industry bore the brunt of the violence as death and mayhem<br />

visited most of the growing regions. For a highly perishable sector, tones of flowers,<br />

fruits and vegetables went into the recycle bin. naivasha, the country’s main flower<br />

producing zone was a bedrock of the violence from where gory images as shown<br />

by the media and witnessed live by those near the scenes of chaos will never forget.<br />

These are the images we wish could just go away but unfortunately, the harsh reality<br />

is that we have to deal with them.<br />

Farms around the lake, aware of just how bad the situation was then have tried to<br />

promote coexistence between communities, but given the nature of our politics<br />

especially as we near casting the ballot, anything can go wrong. Considering that once<br />

again, the upcoming election is another high stakes contest coming under the new<br />

Constitution, nothing can be left to chance. already, there are fears among workers<br />

and residents particularly in naivasha where we have the highest mix of communities<br />

from all regions that violence could flare up again.<br />

These fears cannot be dismissed as baseless and must be confronted with every<br />

practical means. People need to be reminded time and again about the importance<br />

of upholding peace at all costs, security must be beefed up, intelligence must be<br />

gathered on the hotspots while the people at the bottom of the pyramid must desist<br />

attempts to divide and incite them against one another. They must be fully aware that<br />

when the dust finally settles and life goes back to normal, it is them who are left to<br />

pick up the pieces of their shattered lives while those who incite them into violence<br />

recline to their usual luxurious lives, after losing close to nothing. Let us all become<br />

our brother’s keeper as we step into a difficult year and protect what we hold dear –<br />

peace and stability.<br />

Communications<br />

Brochures<br />

H O R T I C U LT U R A L N E W S I j a n u a r y - F E B r u a r y 2 0 1 2<br />

Catherine riungu<br />

catherine@hortinews.co.ke<br />

Magazines

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