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The teacher’s primary responsibility is to ensure student-learning success and provide for the individual learning needs of each pupil.

Kenya’s premier safari airline, Safarilink, last week scooped the coveted Enterprise of the Year 2012 – Airlines award at the EcoTourism Kenya gala dinner, where the topmost green performers of Kenya’s tourism industry are recognized for their commitment to reduce their carbon footprint, employ best practice and show ongoing commitment to protecting the environment in all facets of their corporate life.

It was learned, courtesy of Melissa Groo of Save the Elephant News, that another fence is being planned to keep elephant out of farms and ‘shambas’ and to protect the ever growing population around forests, parks, reserves and conservancies.

While in Kenya on a fact finding mission to ascertain the state of the tourism industry at the end of what will become the best ever performing year for Kenya Tourism, information was also obtained on the ongoing progress of renovations and the upgrading of one of this correspondent’s all time favourites, the Aberdare Country Club.

The ongoing negotiations between Kenya Ferry Services’ management and the union representing the staff of the sole transport link between the island of Mombasa and the south coast, including the fancied resorts along the Diani Beach, appear to be going badly, according to a usually well informed source from Mombasa.

The ongoing battle for aviation supremacy on the Kenyan domestic routes has just gotten a notch hotter again, as Fly 540 yesterday announced that they were to reduce, with immediate effect, their fares between Nairobi and Mombasa to only 6.540 Kenya Shillings, return and all inclusive. Although Kenya Airways has a stand by fare of 3.000/- KShs one way on offer, the Fly 540 fare arguably beats it as the bookings are confirmed and no one runs the risk of having to wait for the next flight just because an earlier one was fully booked. After the high season of Christmas and New Year holidays is now well and truly over, capacity on the route from Nairobi to the coast appears to be on the high side, resulting in the short term either in reduction of flights or the use of smaller aircraft, or else attempting to keep the interest in travel high by offering special fares. The ‘safari airlines’ too are operating to the coast but have ‘smarter’ options by flying from Wilson Airport in Nairobi to such places like Lamu or Ukunda, where Kenya Airways’ jets cannot land – a niche market which also attracts higher fares compared to the ‘milk run’ between Nairobi and Mombasa directly.East African Safari Air express already succumbed to the intensified competition in quarter 4 last year, when the airline, after a brief suspension of services, was reportedly taken over by Fly 540, itself on a determined expansion drive across the African continent but especially in the Eastern African region, where they have established bases in Uganda and Tanzania too.Aviation observers have voiced their concern, that the ongoing fare levels are hard to financially sustain, unless flights are operating with near full capacity, and there is intense speculation over how Kenya Airways and Jetlink, the other two main competitors of Fly 540, will react in coming days to the gauntlet Fly 540 has just thrown down. KQ in particular has in recent months rolled out a marketing offensive to recapture previously lost market share on Kenya’s domestic routes to for instance Malindi, Kisumu and Mombasa and is hardly likely to just roll over and give up what they just managed to claw back. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Thome

In what now clearly has become a game of who blinks first has Kenya's embattled Transport Minister Kimunya, no stranger to controversy after stumbling from scandal to scandal and having been removed from cabinet before, appointed a special committee to oversee the ongoing implementation of plans to substantially expand JKIA.

A new business incubation program by Craft Afrika and international funding NGO, Kiva, is set to change the fortunes of craft entrepreneurs in Kenya. With registration currently ongoing, the program will train an initial 15 participants in its pilot project.

A regular aviation source from Nairobi has confirmed that the Kenya Airport Authority, under immense pressure to complete ongoing construction and expansion work

An innovative project is teaching the Kenyan youth to affect change in their communities through social media and digital tools. The Kuyu Project, a digital literacy initiative, is visiting schools across Kenya and tutoring them on how to utilise the world-wide-web.

This is an ongoing problem in Kenya; cases have been reported where hired house help (cleaners, maids, ayahs), recommended by employment agencies, turn out to be part of a robbery syndicate.

This is an ongoing problem in Kenya; cases have been reported where hired house help (cleaners, maids, ayahs), recommended by employment agencies, turn out to be part of a robbery syndicate.

The aviation sector in Kenya, and in fact in the wider region, will be jubilant as news emerge from Nairobi that the last cabinet meeting chaired by President Kibaki has approved the financing proposals by the Kenya Airport Authority, for the pending Project Greenfield which includes the building of a second runway, but also the subsequent modernization and refurbishment of the present terminals one to three.

Information was received over the weekend that the Kenya Airport Authority has finally signed on to the contract for what is generally referred to as  the planned major expansion of Nairobis Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with a second runway and a completely new terminal complex.

Whilst the Kenyan government has taken measures to shield consumers from high fuel prices, it has no control over the international market. And the ongoing North African and Middle East crises continue to push the prices up.

Following recognition for their superb conservation efforts in Kenya, East Africa and the Africa continent at large has Porini Camps / Gamewatcher Safaris now been globally rewarded for their boundless commitment to keep their camp’s pollution footprint small and to mitigate their environmental impact actively  through a range of measures.

A source in Juba has confirmed that Fly540 will launch a second daily flight between Nairobi and Juba between Monday and Thursday while Friday to Sunday will continue to see the ‘regular’ daily departure.

Sex appeal! Sex, or rather the illusion of it, sells. And there are not very many actresses in Hollywood who can capture that element quite as well as Natalie Dormer.

Recently, a newly recruited nanny (ayah), kidnapped a 4-year old child and demanded ransom.  The nanny was recruited using a local personnel agency. She worked in the household in a gated estate in South East Nairobi for six days, while both parents were absent. She was performing her duties flawlessly for several days. The neighbours checked on her occasionally to assure the well-being of the children. Before the return of the parents, the nanny smuggled the youngest boy out of the estate in the early morning hours, abandoning his 8-year old brother. After three days, the police identified the hideout and rescued the child from a small, run down, apartment. The kidnapper was arrested and interrogated. Further investigations revealed that she had kidnapped another child previously, but did not get caught. Her references and ID were never checked by the recruitment agency. Investigations are ongoing to identify accomplices. It is critical when hiring nannies (ayahs), that you check their references personally before you hire anyone. Not only should you phone the references, but you should also visit them in person and ask questions important to your child's welfare. You should also get background information about the family of the nanny; what village is she from? How long has she lived there, etc.  The more you can find out, the better.  Also always take a photocopy of the nanny’s ID card for your records.   We all get wrapped up in our busy lives. We all want to trust people. However, before you hire anyone that is going to be responsible for your children, please take every precaution available.

The Kenya Airports Authority has last week pledged to have at least one functioning airstrip, if not aerodrome, available for general aviation by the end of this year, in each of the 47 counties.