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  Anyone who has been to Nairobi CBD has been forced to use a public toilet on at least one occasion. You parted with Ksh 10 for this very important exercise. On paper, this is not a lot of money. But imagine 200 people visiting a public toilet within 20 minutes. This means operators of these facilities make Ksh 6,000 per hour and sometimes up to Ksh50,000 in a day. The mouthwatering money explains why public toilets have become such a coveted business in the city. In 2018, a man drew out his gun and fired twice in the air to disperse youth who were plotting to take over a toilet he was operating at Khoja stage. According to Daily Nation, a public toilet located in Nairobi CBD could be making as much as Ksh1.5 million shilling per month. The County Govt operates 17 public toilets within Nairobi CBD. Governor Mike Sonko’s office says the toilets are operated through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) which sees the facilities given to private entities to run. The entitie...

  Kenya reported the second-highest number of new COVID-19 infections in Africa over the past week, the World Health Organization has revealed. The East African country has seen a recent resurgence of new virus cases following an easing of restrictions that lasted months. According to figures published by WHO, Kenya recorded 4,594 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, a figure shadowed only by South Africa, the continents hardest-hit country. In the same period, Kenya registered the third highest virus deaths in Africa. Its 71 deaths are only eclipsed by Ethiopia (73) and South Africa (536). The East African country is one of only nine African states that have reported COVID-19 caseloads exceeding 50,000. The Kenyan government allowed schools to reopen partially, eased a nighttime curfew and also lifted lockdowns that had been imposed on high-risk regions including the capital, Nairobi. Besides Kenya, neighboring Ethiopia also continued to report high numbers of new COVID-19 infec...

  The UAE has pledged more than $550 million of crucial aid to help Sudan mount a recovery from its worst floods in a century. The African nation is struggling to feed its population after its most productive farmland was devastated last month. About 860,000 people have been displaced across the country after the devastating floods destroyed or damaged roughly 160,000 homes and claimed the lives of more than 100 people. In September, Sudanese authorities declared a three-month state of emergency Some 560 schools and thousands of health facilities have also been affected, disrupting essential services to communities. Abu Dhabi Development Fund (ADDF) has implemented an aid package worth $556.5 million to bolster Sudan's economy and key sectors such as health, education and agriculture. The financial support is part of a wider $1.5 billion aid project for Sudan launched by the UAE last April. How will the money be spent? The $556.5 relief fund will strength...

  Kenya will reap handsome rewards from the Safari Rally's return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) circuit with an estimated Sh6 billion expected to be injected into the country's economy, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has said. The Safari was to return to the WRC series this year after staying out in the cold since 2002, but the eagerly-awaited comeback was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic with fresh dates for the event next year announced as June 23 to 25. Speaking at the close of a four-day WRC Safari Rally headquarters' staff team-building retreat at the Flamingo by Pride Inn Hotel in Mombasa on Saturday, the CS said that Kenya has mapped out a legacy project to secure sustainability and improve the conditions of Kenya's host institutions, host county and Kenya as whole "in keeping with the Kenya's intent to lead and deliver on the sustainable development goals." "Due to the importance of the Safari Rally, I revamped the...

  The government did little about its critical report showing the lack of framework for disaster preparedness response for dams, and now officials are racing against time to find ways of saving 300,000 people facing imminent danger of the spillage of the Turkwel hydropower dam. The Dams Report released in August 2019 by a 15 member taskforce commissioned by the Ministry of Water had expressed concerns that the status of dams in the country were not being inspected since no authority is expressly mandated by law to do so. Kenya currently has 4,100 dams and water pans distributed throughout the country. The major dams include the Seven Folks Dams that are used for production of electricity, Sasumua and Ndakaini dams that are the main water sources for Nairobi. Additional 57 dams and pans are being implemented. The report also found that there was involvement of quacks and poor assessment of contractors and project sites by the indirectly responsible government agencies. ...

  The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) is on Saturday set to commence a free COVID-19 mass testing exercise across Nairobi that will run until Sunday. The Major General Mohammed Badi-led agency will conduct the exercise in all the seventeen city sub-counties as part of its effort to fight the virus, the city having recorded a surge in the number of infections being reported daily in recent weeks. "Nairobi Metropolitan Services will be conducting mass Covid-19 testing across all sub-counties on October 17 and 18, 2020. See posters to confirm your venue. Remember to wash your hands, sanitize, observe social distance and all other Covid-19 regulations," a dispatch from NMS read in part. NMS undertook a similar exercise in May where close to 3,000 city residents were tested for the virus that has caused untold suffering to millions of Kenyans since the first case was reported in the country in March. The easing of some of the COVID-19 restrictions in Kenya has ...

  Kenya has protested a move by the US to pull its troops from Somalia. Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya said such a move is likely going to put at risk the security arrangements in place to fight terrorism and to advance the common cause of the international community. Principal Secretary Kamau Macharia said  Kenya has in the past suffered a sharp investment and economic setbacks following the Al-Qaeda affiliate terrorist attacks, including those of the 1998 US Embassy bombing and the Westgate Mall and Dusit 2 Hotel attacks among others. Macharia’s statement comes after reports that President Donald Trump has informed his top advisers that he wants to withdraw US troops from Somalia. An article carried by Bloomberg said this will allow Trump to make good on campaign pledges to bring soldiers home even though Somalia remains under a big threat by the insurgents. According to the article, the Pentagon has begun drafting plans for the president, and discussions hav...

 For Nadutari Tingisha, making beaded jewelry is the only job she's ever known. "Beading is something we grew up doing, so we will never give up on it," she says. She typically spends her days hawking her wares to tourists who flock to Kenya's Maasai Mara to take part in the region's world-renowned safaris. However, this year her clientele has been few and far between. Every year between June and December, one of the world's largest and longest animal migrations takes place in East Africa. Over two million wildebeest, zebras, gazelles and other animals travel across the Serengeti into Kenya's Maasai Mara in pursuit of greener pastures. Dubbed by many as the Great Migration, the circular route spans between 800 and 1,600 kilometers, with herds of wildebeest often seen stretching across 40 kilometers. In the past, the bulk of Kenya's tourists arrived between June and October to witness the migration. However, months of travel restrictions due to the pand...

Mathew Aol Nyamlori, 37, is yet to enjoy the fruits of education even after pursuing it with passion, perseverance and determination, all in the hope of qualifying for university admission. His is a story of sheer determination that saw him write the KCPE examination nine times, and attain excellent grades with each attempt, in a bid to uplift himself, his siblings and his parents. His ninth attempt at the primary school national exams finally saw Equity Bank's Wings to Fly scholarship programme take him through 'O' levels at Nairobi School. "The B+ I secured at Nairobi School got me a spot at Kenyatta University to pursue a bachelor's degree in Public Policy and Administration," he says. The ninth-born in a family of 13 children lived with his family in Gelegele Location, Sotik Sub-County in Bomet County. He began his primary education at Kipsimbol Primary School in 1990. Nyamlori's father had a small tailoring shop at Gelegele while his mom, a casua...

Kenya's Covid- 19 numbers surged on Wednesday with 604 new cases, bringing the country's total load to 42,541. This was from a sample of 5,832 tested in the last 24 hours. This is equivalent to a 10.3% positivity rate against the required five per cent needed to be sustained over a period of at least two weeks as a measure of the virus being contained. The ministry had warned of a possible second wave following a rising number of cases in the past couple of days.   The Ministry of Health in a statement confirmed 583 of the new cases were Kenyans while 21 were foreigners.       Cumulative tests so far stand at  601,623. From the  cases, 400 are males and 204 females.       Age-wise, the youngest is a five-month-old infant while the oldest is 94 years. On a positive note, 88 patients have been discharged after successful recoveries raising the country's recovery total to 31,428. Out of this, 56 were discharged from the home-based care programme...

About 70 per cent of households in Nairobi;'s low-income areas now fear that their children would contract the coronavirus in school. A survey report released by the Trends and Insights for Africa-TIFA indicates that more women are more worried about their children contracting the disease compared to men. Accordingto the survey conducted in Huruma, Kibera, Mathare, Korogocho, Mkuru kwa Njenga and Kawangware, 23 per cent of the respondents said the children will be safe in school compared to seven per cent who said they are not sure. The survey was conducted between September 24 and October 2 with 555 respondents being interviewed. Out of this number, 281 were male while 274 were female with a margin error of +/-4.2 per cent. The survey indicates that while 73 per cent of the women respondents showed more concern about their children contracting the virus in school, 67 per cent of male showed the same concern. About 70 per cent of households in Nairobi;'s low-income areas n...

  In the past decade, the number of elephants in East Africa has almost halved. But Kenyan authorities say the country's pachyderm population has actually doubled since 1989. Kenya is setting the example in the fight against poaching and now has around 35,000 elephants. Reserves have had to adapt and step up security. But while ivory hunters are no longer such a threat, conservation groups are worried by cohabitation between wild animals and local communities, which can. prove difficult.

  The Kenya Media Sector Working Group (KMSWG) has warned the government on its attempt to muzzle the media following the ratification of a government statement that constraints the media on reporting of political events. The government statement stated that media outlets would be responsible for all the content they publish and broadcast. Other demands from the ratified statement required the media not to provide a platform for “hate mongers, inciters and tribalists.” “We would also caution against any curbs that  threaten editorial independence  and prerogatives, or any attempts to silence discordant voices that may seem to find expression through the media,” read the statement. However, KMSWG has urged the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) to review such an order, which, if implemented, will significantly erode the gains made in strengthening the free and responsible media industry in the country. “The leadership of the media industry, therefore, urges that t...

  Kenyan schoolchildren in grades four, eight and 12 returned to class on Monday, ending a months-long closure of all educational institutions in the country designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Many nations have grappled with how to reopen schools safely amid the pandemic, but in Kenya, where public and private schools were shut after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in March, the closures have been among the longest in Africa. The three levels going back to school are all preparing for standardized exams that were postponed from November to March. The government will decide later whether all students can return, Education Minister George Magoha said at a Nairobi primary school, where he accepted a donation of 1 million face masks from a Kenyan bank. "Procurement processes are not complete for masks," said the minister. "As we prepare to open more schools, we are going to need more masks." He asked companies to donate supplies instead of cash ...

  Suffering, selfish, sinful Kenya needs God's healing and forgiveness. That was the message on Saturday of the inter-faith National Prayer Weekend, filled with soul-searching questions for both political leaders and the people. There's the coronavirus that has claimed more than 700 lives and crippled the economy, there's corruption, greed, tribalism, escalating political scheming on all sidea and violence. And it looks as though another plague of locusts is on the way. The "sons of disobedience" were warned the wrath of God is coming. Scriptures, songs, and prayers calling for national unity and restoration dominated the function at State House, Nairobi. “Corruption and tribalism are blocking our prayers. Are you playing a role in alienating Kenya from God or bringing her closer?” Bishop Alfred Rotich asked in his preamble to the service. Kenya, like many other countries, has been holding national prayer rallies but falls back into the same divisive trends, he sa...

  His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, has ordered the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid and provide all the necessary resources and equipment to alleviate the suffering of families affected by the heavy floods in Sudan during the past weeks. The assistance is in cooperation and coordination with the Ajman’s International humanitarian and Charity Organisation, IHCO, and the concerned official authorities, local charities, the UAE’s citizens and residents. Based on the directives of Sheikh Humaid, Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Ajman Municipality and Planning, launched a campaign to help the people of Sudan that aimed at collecting Dh10 million in the first phase, in cooperation with the IHCO. Sheikh Rashid was informed by Dr Khaled Abdelwahab Al Khaja, Executive Director of the IHCO, about the damage caused to some Sudanese states and cities. Sheikh Rashid emphasised the Government of Ajman’s co...

  Kenya said Thursday it will support Nigeria’s candidate to head the World Trade Organization (WTO) after its candidate failed to be shortlisted for the post, Kenyan local media reported. "Kenya expresses deep gratitude to all WTO Members for according Ambassador Amina Mohamed the utmost support throughout her campaign,” said Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. Although Mohamed "was the most qualified candidate to steer WTO, we accept that the process has moved on without her," it said. "Kenya therefore throws its firm, unwavering support behind Ngozi Iweala of Nigeria, wishes her the best and expects the international community to abide by this important promise, as the two candidates proceed to the final round," it said. The ministry said it was agreed it would be Africa’s turn to lead the WTO. Iweala, who will run against South Korea’s Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee in the final round, has served as Nigeria’s finance minister and foreign affairs minister, accor...

  A Kenyan court found two men guilty on Wednesday for their part in aiding Al-Shabaab gunmen who attacked the Westgate mall in Nairobi in 2013, killing 67 people. After a trial that began in January 2014, Magistrate Francis Andayi found that Mohamed Ahmed Abdi and Hassan Hussein Mustafa conspired with and assisted the four attackers, who died in a siege claimed by the Somalia-based Al-Qaeda-aligned group. The third accused, Liban Abdullahi Omar, was acquitted of all charges and immediately allowed to leave the dock. It was unclear whether the magistrate would hand down sentences immediately or at a later hearing. The convicted pair "had constant communication with the attackers," the pattern of which "betrays the fact that they may have been just friends," said Andayi. Although there was no specific evidence that they had provided material help, the judge said he was satisfied "their communication with the attackers was giving support to their endeavours"...

  Kenya has ruled out employing rapid test kits in the detection of Covid-19. The Health ministry has said the rapid tests can inform on the epidemiology of the virus but cannot serve to contain the virus. The point is to know who is carrying the virus and who needs to be isolated, quarantined and treated to break the cycle of transmission. The World Health Organization last week approved portable and easy to use rapid tests that will provide results in 15 to 30 minutes instead of hours or days. Similar to the pregnancy test, the kits will display two blue lines in case the test turns out positive. The ministry, however, said they will employ the kits in other areas like sero-prevalence studies local experts are carrying out to determine how many Kenyans have been exposed to the virus. This means the ministry will continue to use the standard CPR tests despite low accessibility due to high global demand.“ This is a test that requires a level of sophistication in terms of equipment ...

  There are an estimated 5000 new HIV transmissions every day. Around 70 per cent of the 37 million people living with HIV globally are in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 1.8 million new HIV transmissions worldwide in 2017, 800 000 occurred in eastern and southern Africa. New, effective prevention strategies are essential to reducing HIV transmission. So what will it take to reduce HIV transmission? Prevention. This is why researchers around the world are working hard to find a vaccine that is safe and effective. This requires extensive testing, starting in laboratories and then moving to animal trials. Then comes the crucial human clinical trials. A number of these are underway at the moment, running at different sites in 12 countries across four continents. These trials are being conducted under the auspices of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. The network currently runs 49 clinical trial sites in nine countries with 18 ongoing trials, four of which are efficacy trials. Three trials...