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Showing posts from November, 2020

Somalia recalls Ambassador to Kenya and orders Kenyan Ambassador to exit the country

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  In a political turmoil over the electoral process and foreign interference, the Republic of Somalia has recalled its ambassador to Kenya and orders the Kenyan ambassador in Mogadishu to leave the country with immediate effect for further consultations. “The Federal Government of Somalia notes the Kenyan government’s attempt to infringe upon the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia and hereby expresses its deep regret with the Kenyan government’s continuous interference in the internal and political affairs of Somalia” Reads part of a press release extended to Nyamilepedia “Therefore, the Federal Government of Somalia summons its Ambassador to the Republic of Kenya and instructs the Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Somalia to depart to Kenya for consultations” It added Speaking on the national television in Mogadishu on Sunday, the Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Amb. Mohamed Ali Nur, confirmed that Somalia has recalled i

A first as brain surgery done on awake patient at Nairobi Hospital

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  Awake craniotomy, which is considered a revolutionary procedure, was done for the first time at the Nairobi Hospital recently.   What you need to know: The surgical term for opening one’s skull to literally tinker with the brain, with the objective of eventually curing what ails it is known as a brain surgery or craniotomy. Awake craniotomy, which is considered a revolutionary procedure, was done for the first time at the Nairobi Hospital recently. Awake craniotomy, which is considered a revolutionary procedure, was done for the first time at the Nairobi Hospital recently. Neurosurgeons can also track the patient’s neurological state, which means they can remove brain tumours that would otherwise not be safely removable. The surgical term for opening one’s skull to literally tinker with the brain, with the objective of eventually curing what ails it is known as a brain surgery or craniotomy. During the surgery, a part of the skull is removed to access the brain und

Kenya’s electricity provider posts $300m loss following clients’ switch to solar energy

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  Globally, there has been a renewed push for the use of clean and cheaper sources of energy for industrial and domestic use.  Solar  and  wind energy  sources have been touted globally and especially in Africa as an alternative power to deal with the high cost of electricity and frequent outages. The adoption of solar and other clean energy sources in Africa has had an intended consequence on revenue generation in the power sector as more households and industries shift from power sources provided by the government to owned-generated power, per recent events in Kenya. Kenya’s public electricity provider has been rattled by dwindling revenues owing to a growing shift to solar energy. According to  Kenya Power , its industrial customers, who account for about 54.8 percent of its sales revenues, are shifting to solar energy, thereby causing it millions in revenue and excess supply capacity,  according to local newspaper report. “The company operated in a challenging environment ove

GPS Tracking Device Put on Last Known White Giraffe in Effort to Protect It From Poachers

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  The last known white  giraffe  in the world is believed to be in  Kenya  and has been given a tracking device by officials to help protect it from poachers. The GPS tracking device was attached to one of the  animal’s horns  and will send a signal every hour to alert wildlife rangers to its location so they can keep a close eye on it. The white male giraffe is now the last of its kind after a female and her calf were killed by poachers in March, the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy said in a statement Tuesday. The white giraffe has a rare genetic trait called leucism, which causes the albino-like color. As a result, it sticks out in arid Kenya, making it vulnerable to poachers.

Uhuru announces 100,000 jobs for the youth

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  President Uhuru Kenyatta has stated that the government will create 100,000 jobs for the youth. Speaking during the State of the Nation Address on Thursday at Parliament, the Head of State said that the Economic Stimulus Package would create a number of opportunities in a bid to boost lives following the disruption caused by Covid-19. “The major objective of the Economic Stimulus Programme was to return the economy to the growth trajectory it was on pre-Corona by increasing demand for local goods and services, cushioning vulnerable Kenyans, securing household food security for the poor, and creating employment,” he said. The President added that the recovery programme will revamp several sectors by hiring 5,000 health workers and 11,000 interns. The programme will further seek to create 100,000 job opportunities for the youth. Speaking on his Big Four Agenda plan, the President stated that there was remarkable progress as far as food security, affordable housing, manufacturing an

First intrauterine surgery on foetus in Dubai hospital

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  Dr Mohammad Olama, paediatric and functional neurosurgeon from Rashid Hospital, who was part of the team, told Gulf News: “Internationally too, since 1995, only 250 such surgeries have been carried out.” The extremely delicate six-hour surgery was performed on the foetus that was diagnosed with myelomeningocoele — a type of spina bifida. The foetus weighed only 700gm. The expert team carried out the surgery, maintaining highest standards of hygiene and sanitisation in line with the protocols for COVID-19. According to Mona Abdul Razzak Al Tahlak, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and CEO of the hospital: “Spina Bifida is a congenital neural tube defect that occurs in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal cord does not develop or close properly, leaving open a bundle of nerves of the spinal cord in a sac on the patient’s back. One of the most common causes of Spina Bifida is a deficiency of Folic acid in the mother. These exposed nerves can seriously affect the

Amnesty asks Kenya not to deport Tanzania ex-MP

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  Rights lobby Amnesty International on Monday appealed to the Kenyan government not to deport Tanzania’s ex-legislator Godbless Lema, to save him from “persecution.” The rights watchdog said Nairobi has a legal obligation to host anyone fleeing danger from their countries and that Mr Lema’s situation means he would be at risk if forcibly returned to his country. “Kenya must not violate the internationally recognised principle of non-refoulement,” Irungu Houghton, the Amnesty International Kenya Director, said on Monday. “The international principle is upheld by own national laws. It prohibits Kenya from turning away people at the border or returning them to a country where they would be at risk of persecution or danger.” Mr Lema, a former MP for Arusha Urban Constituency in Tanzania, was arrested on Sunday after crossing into Kenya, in Kajiado County about 80 kilometres south of Nairobi. He ran for reelection on a Chadema ticket and lost his seat in the recently concluded General

Trump, Biden Celebrate as Pfizer Announces Vaccine Preventing 90% of COVID-19

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 In what appears to be the only point of agreement between the United States President Donald Trump and the President-elect Joe Biden in recent months, they have both congratulated Pfizer on its scientific trial showing its vaccine prevents 90 per cent of COVID-19 infection. America’s Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to produce 1.3 billion doses of the vaccines for 650 million people by the end of 2021. Eight months into the worst pandemic in a century, the development represents the most encouraging scientific advancement so far in the battle against COVID-19. And its preliminary results pave the way for the companies to seek an emergency-use authorisation from regulators if further research shows the shot is also safe. Reacting to the development, President Trump on his Twitter page said: “Stock market up big. Vaccine coming soon. Report shows 90 per cent effectiveness. Such great news.” On his part, Biden, who inaugurated a COVID-19 taskforce Monday, said: “I congratul

Kenya Launches Human Trials of COVID-19 Vaccine

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  A forty volunteers, mostly front-line health workers,  are participating in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in Kenya. The trial phase of the vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, is being conducted by the KEMRI-Welcome Trust Research program based in Kilifi. KEMRI's Dr. Samuel Sang said researchers are trying to determine if the vaccine, known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is safe for Kenyans. “Vaccines which have been found to work and are safe in one population [may not] work across populations," Sang said. Therefore, he said, there's a need to to assess  whether the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is safe and works among the Kenyan volunteers. Sang said the vaccine was being tested for both safety and impact. “Our expectation is to assess whether ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is safe, effective and elicits a good immune response in adults above the age of 18 years,” he said. According to the World Health Organization,

provide Vaccine for the people of UAE, and he's fulfilling his promise as vaccine is being administered in the UAE

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  Prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has said he received a coronavirus vaccine shot. “We wish everyone safety and great health, and we are proud of our teams who have worked relentlessly to make the vaccine available in the UAE,” he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. Al Maktoum also shared a photo with his post, in which he was seen receiving a shot, developed by China’s Sinopharm. He is the latest person to receive the vaccine after dozens of other Emirati officials. On October 16, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, foreign minister of the UAE, received the vaccine, followed by Mohammed Abdullah al-Gergawi, the UAE minister for cabinet affairs. Front-line healthcare workers in the UAE also got the shot, according to local media reports. The vaccine is now in the third and final stage of clinical trials and has so far been found safe and effective, local media reported, citing the authorit

Kenya vaccinates first volunteers as the COVID-19 trial begins

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  Kenya began its clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The vaccine has been developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca. The Kenya Medical Research Institute(KEMRI) in a statement released on Friday confirmed that the trial team has vaccinated its first volunteers. This is after receiving the necessary regulatory and ethical approvals, as well as the national ministry of health, and a go-ahead by the Kilifi county. The trial will be hosted at KEMRI at its Kilifi-based Kemri-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, a longstanding collaboration between the institute, the University of Oxford, and the Wellcome Trust in the UK. The study plans to evaluate whether the vaccine is safe, effective, and elicits good immune responses in adults in Kenya aged 18 years and above. The trial in Kenya will initially involve 40 frontline workers in Kilifi County. Once the vaccine safety is confirmed, a further 360

Kenya at fourth position in attracting foreign contractors to Africa

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  Kenya ranks fourth in attracting global contractors in Africa, after South Africa, Ethiopia and Nigeria latest research by Centum Real Estate shows. Foreign contractors number about 65 in the country according to the research, with 15 different nationalities involved. Chinese and European companies accounted for the highest share of revenue generated by the top international construction companies in the region, at 45 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively, while U.S. companies accounted for only five per cent.  According to the report, construction industry growth in Kenya and Ethiopia has been too slow while Rwanda has been on the boom. However, it points out that there are scalability constraints in Rwanda’s construction markets even though it forecasts Year-on-Year growth of above 10 per cent for Rwanda between 2020-2029. The report projects slowing annual growth for both Kenya and Ethiopia’s construction industries during the same period, with the Kenyan case attributed to finan