Kenya Insights

Author: Kenya West

  • Okiya Omtatah Wants The Government To Stop Charging People Put In Mandatory Quarantine

    Okiya Omtatah Wants The Government To Stop Charging People Put In Mandatory Quarantine

    Seasoned activist, Okiya Omtatah is once again back in the limelight to save Kenyans just as he’s been playing Robin Hood. He has now filed a petition in High Court challenging the constitutionality of the mandatory self quarantine put by the government.

    In his view, Omtatah argues that its only a court magistrate who should issue quarantine orders and not the CS whom he accuses of overstepping his mandate.

    He now wants the government to refund all the money to each and everyone that they’ve quarantined in the past 40 days. In his argument, Okiya states that its the government who should meet the bills of quarantine. Currently, if you’re quarantined at a government facility, you’re charged Sh2,000 and it goes for 14 dats and some even more days.

    He has also challenged to stop the government from holding people beyond the set 14 days. In a nutshell, he wants the whole process stopped until it’s constitutionality is determined.

    Kenya continues to our strict measures to curb the spread of the virus that has of today reached 320 after 17 more cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

    With an active community transmissions, the country has been put on high surveillance and curfew observed. The president issued a warning that anyone who contravenes the set standards will be sent to quarantine which is now more of the new detention.

  • The Star Forced By The State To Retract Story About Government Spending Sh1B A Day On Covid-19

    The Star Forced By The State To Retract Story About Government Spending Sh1B A Day On Covid-19

    In what is yet another embarrassment for the Star Newspaper that prides itself as a leader in governance and political news in Kenya, a story has been withdrawn.

    On Wednesday, the newspaper had published on its website an article that went viral saying that the government had already spent Sh40B since the first day of the coronavirus pandemic. It further started that the state was using Sh1B daily to eradicate the deadly virus.

    The story, sparked a debate amongst many terming it a scam, from the looks, calls were made and the Atar was forced to withdraw the story while admitting where they erred. “The correct position is that the Treasury has allocated Sh40.3 billion to manage Covid-19 but this money has not yet been disbursed. Treasury has however already disbursed Sh13 billion for SME support and payment of pending bills.” Read part of the retracting statement.

    In what again looks like a demand letter requirement, the Star apologized for the ‘mistake’. “The minister was clear that the funds were budgeted but not yet spent.  The Star regrets the error and apologises to the CS for any embarrassment caused.“ They admitted.

    Though the damage has already been done, it’s unlikely that the correction will change any minds given the existing mistrust between the government and the people. This is born from the endless corruption cases and even with coronavirus there have been suspicions of possible looting of public funds.

  • Generous Kenyan Donates Respirators to The US Police

    Generous Kenyan Donates Respirators to The US Police

    If there’s one thing that the coronavirus pandemic has exposed then its the illusion of the developed countries. Just like the third world, they’re struggling with challenges of a strained healthcare system. It was shocking when a photo of nurses at a US hospital using bin bags as their protective gears went viral.

    US which now is the worlds Covid19 epicenter with numbers of infected persons almost touching the 1 million mark and over 48,000 deaths has become one of the many western countries to be questioned about their assumed supremacy.

    Other than testing, we’ve seen problems similar to African countries emerge in America. Nurses have gone on strike over lack of PPEs which is the Personal Protective Equipments. A number of healthcare workers, security officers and other first in line workers, have been exposed, contracted and some even died of coronavirus. This shows how ravaging it has become.

    A Kenyan man and his daughter, residents of Paxton, Massachusetts, have joined the long list of philanthropists now coming in to save in whichever way they can. Wilson Kiriungi and her daughter Alyna, donated respirators to the Paxton Police Department.

    “A big thank you to Paxton resident Wilson Kiriungi and his daughter Alayna Kiriungi who generously donated one hundred 3M particulate respirators (and a pretty terrific note from Alayna too) this afternoon. We appreciate your generosity and support!” The department posted on their Facebook page.

    “Thank you for being heroes in our community all the time, but especially now during the coronavirus pandemic. My da and I want you to stay safe and healthy. We hope these masks come in handy and keep you safe through the pandemic.” Her note read.

  • Amidst The Coronavirus Pandemic, There’s A Silver Lining For Africa

    Amidst The Coronavirus Pandemic, There’s A Silver Lining For Africa

    By Aidan Hartley

    Red roses are hardly a priority for people in a virus-wrecked global economy, and one day recently the world’s flower market pretty much collapsed. At the vast Aalsmeer auction in Holland, there were scented mountains of unsold roses, gerberas and tulips. Some last stems still find their way into bouquets across a world that has cancelled all gatherings except funerals. But in the coming months, cut flowers might become a sight as rare as bananas were for children in the Blitz.

    This story is a disaster for Kenya, my home country, which was until last month a top flower exporter. While western states repurpose their economies towards becoming vast hospitals, Africa is too poor to cope with the medical emergency, and virus deaths will probably not be the greatest challenge ahead. Even in a good year, multitudes go hungry, while respiratory diseases, diarrhoea, Aids, malaria, tuberculosis and measles scythe down 3.5 million people. In Kenya, some wags have pointed out that police enforcing a dusk-to-dawn curfew have already killed more people than the virus has locally — but later, accurately calculating total deaths from Covid-19 in Africa will involve greater guesswork even than elsewhere, since mathematical modelling tends to get lost in the Congo’s rainforests or the shifting sands of Somalia.

    If the virus spares the young, Africa is better off than Europe. Our median age is less than 20; three quarters are under 35. Most ordinary folk are fit, slim, non-smoking and healthy. Few live beyond 60, since misrule has so impoverished many hospitals that they lack even aspirins. The local joke in Kenya is that we have more parliamentarians (350) than ICU beds (130). ‘Underlying health issues’ affect mainly the tiny urban class of richer, often politically connected folk, who pick up westerners’ bad habits. In other words, the pandemic’s main victims might be ageing politicians and their hangers–on, who find themselves unable to fly their private jets to Europe for treatment — a cull of sugar-fed, obese oligarchs.

    Starkest of all will be Africa’s economic collapse, wiping out jobs for many of the continent’s 1.2 billion people. Tourism, vital to the conservation of wildlife, forests and monuments, has fallen apart. Mining, oil and gas are close behind. Exports of tea, coffee and cocoa are also being hit hard. Until recently Africa served as a giant nursery, raising migrants to supply cheap labour for rich countries. Every month these workers send money home to their families, and remittances are now the largest source of foreign exchange in many countries. As diaspora Africans fall out of work, these funds are evaporating. In the high-density slums, each breadwinner might feed ten mouths. Nairobi city governor Mike Sonko promised mass distributions of Hennessy cognac because ‘alcohol plays a major role in killing the coronavirus’ — but such clowning aside, slum-dwellers have no cash reserves, nor a welfare state to rescue them. As global supply chains collapse, it becomes horribly clear that out of 54 African states, only Zambia is a net food exporter. Many Africans routinely rely on food aid. For oil-dependent Nigeria’s nearly 200 million people, life is about to get tough.

    Even before the pandemic, debt-laden Africa was gazing into an economic abyss deepened by spendthrift policies and crashing commodity prices. South Africa’s junk status is now at the optimistic end of the spectrum. ‘Sub-Saharan countries with no exception that I can think of have gorged on borrowing and balance sheets are maxed out,’ according to Kenya’s most prominent economic analyst, Aly-Khan Satchu. ‘It’s biblical.’ Without restructuring, central banks will default, especially on their vast loans from China, which has built so much sub-standard, bribe-soaked belt and road infrastructure. The recent mistreatment of black people in Guangzhou has horrified Africans, who know where the virus came from. China has flooded the continent with its citizens, who along the way have set out to poach and eat every African wild species imaginable — sea slugs, elephants, rhinos, big cats, aardvarks, tortoises, donkeys, pangolins. Naturally, Africa’s leaders have taken their begging bowls to the IMF and World Bank, asking for a mega-bailout. ‘This time hopefully those institutions will be more intelligent about how the money is spent, rather than just shovelling it out to leaders who all round trip it offshore,’ says Satchu.

    Britain’s approach to this is upsetting. Boris’s government says ‘all our resources’ must focus on beating the virus. The FCO urges thousands of Brits to come home, fleeing the Commonwealth and foreign investments that until March were such a key part of post-Brexit policy. Masks and ventilators are the language of diplomacy now. Until this month the British Army had its largest overseas training operation near my house in Kenya, but due to fears of civil unrest the mission has been mothballed. There are more jihadi terrorists in Africa than anywhere else these days, and al Qaeda and Isis affiliates have exploited recent disarray to escalate violence and seize territory. As the UK moves gazillions in private debt to the government’s balance sheet and tax revenue disappears, one wonders how DfID’s aid budget of £14 billion can be justified. Since the same will go for other newly poor western donors, Africa will be left on its own.

    Yet there is a silver lining. Some years ago, the Arab rulers of Sudan shut down the pipeline that traverses its territory towards the Red Sea, pumping crude oil production from its southern neighbour, South Sudan. When the embargo hit I predicted social collapse. Yet nothing changed, because South Sudan’s rulers had always stolen all the oil money. The ministers’ fat sons had to cut back on spare parts for their gold-plated Hummers, whereas most local people simply woke up in the morning to dig their fields and grow sorghum, manioc and vegetables.

    In the same way now, people across Africa will struggle by on the land, relying on extended family relationships. Unless there is a dramatic reordering of the system, some states will fail, swept away in urban uprisings and fresh civil conflicts. Surely it’s time to abolish or reform the edifice of international aid that has propped up this kleptocracy for decades — the racket run by UN agencies and leftist charities like Oxfam. Covid-19 is the Chernobyl moment for bad regimes and badly managed aid programmes in Africa. Pestilence heralds a time of change more dramatic perhaps than any since the colonial scramble for Africa. It’s the end of an epoch and an opportunity for ordinary Africans to build a better future for themselves.

    Author is a writer with UK magazine The Spectator.

  • State Repossess 1,600-Acres Public Land In Ruai Grabbed By DP Ruto

    State Repossess 1,600-Acres Public Land In Ruai Grabbed By DP Ruto

    The Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation has moved in to reclaim over 2,700 acres of land in Ruai which was allegedly grabbed.

    In what could easily be seen as dwindling grasp of power, the piece of land that was illegitimately taken over has since been linked to DP William Ruto and friend turned foe EX-MP Cyrus Jirongo.

    GSU officers were had raided the said piece of land located along Kangundo Road bringing down the fence and structures that had been out down. Sources indicate that there’s an expansion plan on the plant by the government having acquired Sh20B loan from African Development Bank.

    “The government today embarked on an operation to repossess over 3,000 acres of the Dandora Estate Waste Sewerage Treatment Plant, located in Ruai, which has been grabbed by private entities,” said a joint statement by Lands and Physical Planning Principal Secretary Nicholas Muraguri, and his Water, Sanitation and Irrigation counterpart Joseph Irungu.

    While making the statement, state officials stressed on the need for expansion of the Ruai plant that has remained contested for long since its establishment in 1978.

    “However, over the years, some groups of people have continued to illegally encroach into the above land taking up most of the land that was meant for the expansion of the treatment works,” said the statement by the PSs.

    It added: “It is estimated that currently out of a total of approximately 4,240 acres of this land, only 1,637 acres is utilised for sewerage. Sadly, even the land in use has been encroached.”

    The affected parcels; LR 28706, measuring 1,605 acres, is owned by Renton Company Limited, a company linked to the DP and other partners.

    The other parcel is LR 28707, measures 999 acres and is registered under Offshore Trading Company Limited, which is owned by former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.

    Since 1993, Jirongo’s parcel deed has been held by KDIC over a Sh20B loan he owes Postbank. Ruto’s piece is also charged to unnamed local bank for a loan.

    This is not the first time this land is coming to the public limelight, in 2015, Billionaire businessman Jacob Juma filed a case to reclaim the same land grabbed by Renton Company which is believed to be owned by the Deputy President but registered under the names of proxies.

    In the suit papers, Mr Juma wanted the court to revoke the titles and order permanent injunction on the land. At the time, the value of the land was approximated to be Sh1.5B.

    At the time, Jacob Juma who was a friend turned for, was turning inside out DP’s scrupulous deals. Aware of the political ramifications of the suit, Juma went out of his way to explain the background of the suit, attesting that it is the duty of citizens to protect embezzling of public utilities by individuals for private gain. Juma wanted the court to declare the rights of Nairobi residents to a clean environment has been threatened as the grabbed land was earmarked for construction of a sewer.

    In Weston Hotel, Jacob Juma placed massive evidence and spirited effort against the DP to have the land repossessed by KCAA.

    Jacob Juma was later to be assassinated in what has remained one of the many unresolved murders in Kenya’s history.

     

  • Reuters Special: Coronavirus Has Paralyzed Global Narcotics Trade, Something Authorities Worldwide Have Not

    Reuters Special: Coronavirus Has Paralyzed Global Narcotics Trade, Something Authorities Worldwide Have Not

    (Reuters) – Countries around the world have spent billions of dollars bailing out businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Peru’s coca farmers, who grow the bushy plant used to make cocaine, say they want help, too.

    Prices for coca leaves sold to drug gangs have slumped 70% since Peru went on lockdown last month, according to Julián Pérez Mallqui, the head of a local growers’ organization. He said his members cater to Peru’s tightly regulated legal coca market, but acknowledged some growers sell on the black market. Peruvian officials say more than 90% of the country’s coca crop goes to traffickers who are now struggling to move product.

    With the sector in turmoil, Pérez’s group is crafting a plan to ask the government to buy up excess coca inventory.

    Peru “has to design clear intervention strategies for coca,” Pérez said. “We’re screwed, just like everyone else in the world.”

    A spokesman for Peru’s anti-drugs agency said it may funnel more development aid to hard-hit areas.

    The coronavirus outbreak has upended industries across the globe. The international narcotics trade has not been spared. From the cartel badlands along the U.S.-Mexico border and verdant coca fields of the Andes, to street dealers in London and Paris, traffickers are grappling with many of the same woes as legitimate businesses, Reuters has found.

    On three continents, Reuters spoke with more than two dozen law enforcement officials, narcotics experts, diplomats and people involved in the illicit trade. They described a business experiencing busted supply chains, delivery delays, disgruntled workers and millions of customers on lockdown. They also gave a window into the innovation – and opportunism – that are hallmarks of the underworld.

    Cecil Mangrum, a narcotics detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, said an informant recently got a call from a Mexican connection offering 25 pounds of methamphetamine for $3,200 a pound. That’s more than triple the going rate from just a few weeks ago, and the highest price that he has seen for the powerful stimulant in his decade on the drugs beat.

    “I wish there was a website (where) you could report the cartels for price gouging, because the prices are ridiculous,” Mangrum said.

    Latin America is the epicenter of a global drugs trade that is estimated to be worth up to $650 billion a year, according to Global Financial Integrity, a U.S.-based think tank. Gangs reap huge profits producing and transporting cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl that is sold worldwide.

    The disruptions are likely to be short-lived, some anti-narcotics experts said. Cartels have proven adept at surmounting any obstacles. The pandemic will eventually ease, trade routes will open, customers and dealers will come out of their homes.

    Still, coronavirus has managed to do what authorities worldwide have not: slow the global narcotics juggernaut almost overnight and inflict a measure of pain on all who participate.

    In Mexico, the Sinaloa Cartel has faced many threats over the years, including the jailing of former leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. But never one like the coronavirus pandemic.

    Disruptions to global trade have jacked up prices for imported chemicals such as ephedrine that are needed to manufacture meth, a major piece of the organization’s narcotics empire. Meanwhile, a partial shutdown of the U.S.-Mexico border to slow the spread of the virus has complicated distribution, according to two Sinaloa Cartel members who spoke with Reuters.

    “As the border is closed, we are having problems crossing it,” said one of the people, who helps produce the synthetic opioid fentanyl for the syndicate.

    Thousands of kilometers to the south in Brazil, drug gangs face similar distribution woes. At the giant seaport of Santos, the launching point for a substantial portion of South American cocaine headed for Europe, seizures last month were down 67% compared to March 2019, according to Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service. Ciro Moraes, the chief federal police officer in Santos, said it’s a sign that traffickers are experiencing their own personal “recession,” courtesy of COVID-19.

    “This cripples their business,” he said, if only temporarily.

    MEXICAN STANDSTILL

    The United States is Mexico’s top trade partner and the No. 1 consumer of its illegal drugs. Last year some 950,000 people entered the United States daily on foot or in vehicles through dozens of checkpoints along the 1,954-mile (3,145km) border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

    Most narcotics are smuggled in passenger cars that face far fewer checks than commercial trucks, security analysts said. The March 21 closing of the border to all non-essential travel has thrown a monkey wrench in that well-oiled machine.

    “Everything has stopped at the border,” said the Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl “cook” who spoke with Reuters.

    Wholesale prices are up about 10% in recent weeks, he added. A kilogram of fentanyl sold wholesale by his organization to a drug buyer in Sinaloa would go for about 12,000 pesos ($490), he said, but that price would soar to about $50,000 a kilo if delivered to New York.

    Raw materials are also bedeviling the cartel. Fentanyl and meth, which kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, are made with chemicals often manufactured in China, India and Germany, Mexican and U.S. officials said.

    They said factory closures, staff shortages, shipping slowdowns and tighter borders all along the methamphetamine precursor supply chain have created scarcity. A Sinaloa Cartel meth producer told Reuters that the outbreak had led to a threefold jump in prices for some ingredients, pressuring profit margins.

    Seven anti-narcotics officials in the United States, including three U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials, described a U.S. drugs market in flux.

    Methamphetamine has been the most affected, with half of the DEA’s domestic offices reporting price rises, said one senior DEA source familiar with the agency’s nationwide assessment of coronavirus disruptions.

    Supplies of fentanyl, the leading cause of U.S. overdose deaths, appear to be holding steady, several authorities said.

    John Callery, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s San Diego Field Office, said drug prices in his sector were up about 20% across the board, except for methamphetamine, whose price has more than doubled in the last couple of weeks to as much as $2,000 a pound. Price gouging could be to blame, he said.

    In cities with looser coronavirus lockdowns, illicit activity is more resilient, police said.

    In Houston, the drugs market was holding up fine, as dealers still had hefty stockpiles, said Lieutenant Stephen Casko of the Houston Police Department. “As those reserves get used up, that’s when you’re going to start to feel the stress,” he said.

    Jerome Washington, a sergeant in the El Paso County Sheriff’s office in Texas, said the decline in vehicle traffic had prompted dealers to reduce the number of drug runs they make across the border.

    “They are just being more selective,” Washington said. “It’s like a numbers game: The more cars on roads, the more cars you can send across that will blend in.”

    Cartels appear to be looking for alternative transport, U.S. officials said. There are signs the gangs are moving more product through cross-border tunnels, according to a senior CBP official. Increased sightings of drones and ultralight aircraft at the border suggest gangs may be ramping up aerial deliveries, he added.

    “The smuggling tactic has changed,” the official said. Traffickers “either go over or under.”

    Repatriating drug money to Mexico has also proved to be a headache, anti-narcotics agents said.

    In Los Angeles, Mexican cartels launder illicit proceeds through storefront businesses in the city’s garment district, according to a senior DEA investigator in California. Profits from U.S. drug sales flow south in the form of exported household goods that the cartels sell in Mexico to get their cash, the agency said. But the closure of nonessential businesses in California has impeded that scheme, the DEA investigator said.

    ‘EVERYTHING IS PARALYZED’

    South America was awash in cocaine long before anyone had heard of COVID-19. Record production in recent years has weighed on prices. Drug gangs ramped up exports, authorities said, shipping unprecedented quantities to longstanding markets in the United States and Europe, while cultivating new customers in the Middle East and Asia.

    In the United Kingdom, cocaine seizures in the 2018/19 financial year reached 9.65 tonnes, the highest total since records began in 1973, and up nearly 200% compared with the 2017/18 total, the Home Office said.

    In Peru, the world’s No. 2 producer behind Colombia, a national lockdown to stem the virus has functioned like a shutoff button on the country’s cocaine conveyor belt, according to Miguel Ángel Ramírez Vásquez, a senior member of Peru’s anti-narcotics police. With borders closed, flights reduced and roads more rigorously patrolled, he said gangs are having trouble moving drugs.

    “Everything is paralyzed. Nobody is buying and nobody is selling,” Ramírez said.

    Among the hardest-hit areas is the verdant valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers. Known as the VRAEM, it produces around 43% of Peru’s 50,000-hectare harvest, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Pérez, the coca growers’ representative, said almost all of the region’s 500,000 people live off the crop.

    The state-run National Coca Company (ENACO) purchases some of the country’s production for pharmaceuticals and beverages at prices well below what drug traffickers normally pay. But an estimated 93% of Peru’s crop is converted illegally into cocaine, ENACO has said.

    Pérez said his group, known as FEPAVRAE, is discussing ways to get ENACO to buy up their excess coca. He declined to share details.

    “It’s an internal discussion within the organization,” he said. “We’re working on it.”

    Cristian Galarza, the general manager of ENACO, said he had not heard of the internal FEPAVRAE plan. But he was not surprised.

    “Because of the coronavirus situation, everyone has to get creative and find alternatives,” he said. Still, he said it’s unlikely that ENACO, which has annual sales of about 35 million soles ($10.34 million), could help many of those affected.

    “If there is a coca grower … who has been selling illegally, we won’t work with them,” Galarza said. “If they go to the other side, it’s difficult, they’ve crossed a line.”

    Rubén Vargas, the head of Peru’s anti-drug agency DEVIDA, was also unaware of the coca growers’ plan. He said DEVIDA had already budgeted 70 million soles ($20.68 million) this year for rural development projects in the VRAEM, and may provide more to help areas most affected by the outbreak.

    “We will work with all the social organizations and producers who have additional proposals in the framework of this emergency that we’re living,” he said.

    Ramírez, the anti-drugs cop, was apoplectic about the growers’ plan.

    “When it’s going well for them, they sell to drug traffickers; and when it’s going badly, they stick out their hand for government support,” he said. “What do they think they’re growing? Pineapples?”

    SUPPLY PRESSURE

    Across the border in Brazil, traffickers face the opposite problem: Cocaine prices are up sharply due to dwindling supplies, according to a federal police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.

    He said the wholesale price of a kilo of cocaine has risen 40% to 20,000 reais ($3,735) in recent weeks in the northern Amazon city of Manaus, a transit hub for moving Andean cocaine through Brazil and on to Europe.

    While drugs are piling up in Colombia and Peru, “here (in Brazil) the price is expensive, as there is no product,” the federal cop said.

    In the southeastern Brazilian port of Santos, Latin America’s biggest, seizures of Europe-bound cocaine have dwindled, according to Moraes, the federal police chief there. Customs officials nabbed just over a tonne of cocaine in March 2020, compared with 3 tonnes in the same month last year.

    Moraes believes less cocaine is entering Brazil. He also suspects European demand is down, in part because trafficking outfits there are struggling to move the product amid lockdowns.

    In France, the shutdown of bars and party venues has led to a decrease in the use of recreational drugs like cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and LSD, the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) said in an April report examining the impact of the pandemic on the nation’s illicit drugs trade.

    Dealers have been quick to react to the new reality, the report said, with some maintaining a safe distance from clients and even “selling hand sanitizer, gloves and masks.”

  • Three Negatives And A Positive: There’s A Problem With China’s Coronavirus Testing

    Three Negatives And A Positive: There’s A Problem With China’s Coronavirus Testing

    (Reuters) – Trader He Ximing in the Chinese city of Wuhan says he has no idea how or where he caught the coronavirus or why repeated nucleic acid tests showed he didn’t have it.

    He was not a coronavirus patient, doctors told him, even though he had been having difficulty breathing with what he described as smothering chest congestion from early February.

    FILE PHOTO: Trader He Ximing, 52, a recovered COVID-19 patient who tested positive for the virus’ antibodies after a number of negative tests, line up in a hospital after the lockdown was lifted in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province and China’s epicentre of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, April 13, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song

    But his condition worried the authorities enough to get him sent to a quarantine center.

    Still, he did not challenge the three negative tests at the time. After all, his wife did not fall sick.

    But he could not shake off the nagging suspicion that he had the coronavirus and in late March went to a hospital in Wuhan for more tests, including one for antibodies.

    This time he tested positive.

    “I didn’t expect it,” the 52-year-old vegetable seller said as he showed Reuters a copy of his test results – positive for antibodies showing exposure to the coronavirus.

    Finally, at least, he had an explanation for why he felt so terrible. “I felt like I was dying. You can’t imagine how it feels.”

    His case is not unique. Similar instances in China and elsewhere have compounded concern over the accuracy of coronavirus testing, even as authorities push for testing as key to handling the crisis.

    Unreliable testing could undermine strategies not just for stopping the virus but for opening up locked-down economies, as pressure grows on governments around the world to ease restrictions.

    More than 2.5 million people have been infected with the coronavirus globally and about 177,000 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

    Wuhan, where the new coronavirus emerged late last year, has recorded 50,333 cases and 3,869 deaths as of April 21, accounting for the majority of China’s cases.

    Nucleic acid testing, on samples swabbed from the back of a patient’s throat or respiratory tract, for the virus’ genome, is the main way cases are detected.

    The test is not easy to administer and, experts say, and mistakes do happen, such as if too small a sample is taken or if the swab misses a virus-hit spot.

    “The limitations of these tests need to be recognized, and the need to run regular tests if we want assurance that someone is truly negative, and that they remain so over a period of time,” said Andrew Preston, a lecturer in microbial pathogenesis at the University of Bath.

    TESTING TIMES

    There is little consensus on what proportion of nucleic acid tests yield false negatives.

    A survey by Chinese doctors in February looking at samples from 213 patients suggested a false-negative rate of about 30%.

    Media has also reported cases of people testing negative repeatedly before finally getting a positive result.

    In February, the People’s Daily newspaper reported on a woman who had fallen ill with pneumonia but tested negative for the coronavirus four times. A fifth test was positive.

    Wuhan authorities have started testing residents for antibodies. China is conducting an epidemiological survey in nine regions in an effort to determine the full extent of asymptomatic infections and immunity levels.

    He said he first got tested on March 1 when his chest congestion worsened though he had no fever or cough.

    X-rays showed his lungs had white blotches, similar to those found in coronavirus patients, but his nucleic acid test was not positive so a hospital declined to admit him.

    As a precaution, a committee that manages his housing compound put him in quarantine for 14 days.

    Later, two more hospital tests came back negative so he turned to traditional Chinese medicine and other drugs.

    Finally, on March 28, he took a fourth nucleic acid test, which was again negative, but he was also tested for antibodies and got confirmation.

    “I told my story to a doctor and he said ‘you’re so lucky you didn’t die’,” he said in his apartment, where boxes of various medicines were scattered about.

    His wife, who he lives alone with, has shown no coronavirus symptoms though she has not been tested.

    He said he believed he was immune and not infectious, though he’s taking no chances and wears an N95 mask and a face shield when going out.

    “If there’s any possibility that I’ll infect others, I’ll harm them,” he said. “That’s why I’m taking these precautions.”

  • ‪Israeli Security Firm Finds Flaw In iPhone, iPads That May Have Allowed Hackers To Steal Data For Years‬

    ‪Israeli Security Firm Finds Flaw In iPhone, iPads That May Have Allowed Hackers To Steal Data For Years‬

    (Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is planning to fix a flaw that a security firm said may have left more than half a billion iPhones vulnerable to hackers.

    The bug, which also exists on iPads, was discovered by ZecOps, a San Francisco-based mobile security forensics company, while it was investigating a sophisticated cyberattack against a client that took place in late 2019. Zuk Avraham, ZecOps’ chief executive, said he found evidence the vulnerability was exploited in at least six cybersecurity break-ins.

    An Apple spokesman acknowledged that a vulnerability exists in Apple’s software for email on iPhones and iPads, known as the Mail app, and that the company had developed a fix, which will be rolled out in a forthcoming update on millions of devices it has sold globally.

    Apple declined to comment on Avraham’s research, which was published on Wednesday, that suggests the flaw could be triggered from afar and that it had already been exploited by hackers against high-profile users.

    Avraham said he found evidence that a malicious program was taking advantage of the vulnerability in Apple’s iOS mobile operating system as far back as January 2018. He could not determine who the hackers were and Reuters was unable to independently verify his claim.

    To execute the hack, Avraham said victims would be sent an apparently blank email message through the Mail app forcing a crash and reset. The crash opened the door for hackers to steal other data on the device, such as photos and contact details.

    ZecOps claims the vulnerability allowed hackers to remotely steal data off iPhones even if they were running recent versions of iOS. By itself, the flaw could have given access to whatever the Mail app had access to, including confidential messages.

    Avraham, a former Israeli Defense Force security researcher, said he suspected that the hacking technique was part of a chain of malicious programs, the rest undiscovered, which could have given an attacker full remote access. Apple declined to comment on that prospect.

    ZecOps found the Mail app hacking technique was used against a client last year. Avraham described the targeted client as a “Fortune 500 North American technology company,” but declined to name it. They also found evidence of related attacks against employees of five other companies in Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

    Avraham based most of his conclusions on data from “crash reports,” which are generated when programs fail in mid-task on a device. He was then able to recreate a technique that caused the controlled crashes.

    Two independent security researchers who reviewed ZecOps’ discovery found the evidence credible, but said they had not yet fully recreated its findings.

    Patrick Wardle, an Apple security expert and former researcher for the U.S. National Security Agency, said the discovery “confirms what has always been somewhat of a rather badly kept secret: that well-resourced adversaries can remotely and silently infect fully patched iOS devices.”

    Because Apple was not aware of the software bug until recently, it could have been very valuable to governments and contractors offering hacking services. Exploit programs that work without warning against an up-to-date phone can be worth more than $1 million.

    While Apple is largely viewed within the cybersecurity industry as having a high standard for digital security, any successful hacking technique against the iPhone could affect millions due to the device’s global popularity. In 2019, Apple said there were about 900 million iPhones in active use.

    Bill Marczak, a security researcher with Citizen Lab, a Canada-based academic security research group, called the vulnerability discovery “scary.”

    “A lot of times, you can take comfort from the fact that hacking is preventable,” said Marczak. “With this bug, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a PhD in cybersecurity, this will eat your lunch.”

  • Covid-19 Will Be With Us For A Longtime, WHO Boss Says

    Covid-19 Will Be With Us For A Longtime, WHO Boss Says

    The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that there were “worrying upward trends” in early epidemics in parts of Africa and central and South America, while also warning that opening up global travel needed to be managed carefully.

    “Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics and some that were affected early in the pandemic are starting to see a resurgence in cases,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told Geneva journalists in a virtual briefing.

    “Make no mistake we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time,” he added, while noting progress in Western Europe.

    The WHO’s top emergencies expert Dr. Mike Ryan warned against opening up global travel too quickly, saying it would require “careful risk management”.

  • Fake Covid-19 Medical Product Trafficking On The Rise, EU And Interpol Warns

    Fake Covid-19 Medical Product Trafficking On The Rise, EU And Interpol Warns

    Recent seizures of fake medical supplies being marketed as protection against the novel coronavirus underscore the need to address a growing international trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals costing billions a year and putting lives at risk, the EU and OECD have warned.

    The trafficking and sale of fake or defective medicines enrich criminal groups and endangers health while draining away vital industry and tax revenues, according to a joint report by the OECD and Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of the EU released on Tuesday.

    “The sale of counterfeit and defective pharmaceuticals is a despicable crime, and the discovery of fake medical supplies related to coronavirus just as the world pulls together to fight this pandemic makes this global challenge all the more acute and urgent,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria.

    “We hope the evidence we have gathered on the value, scope and trends of this illicit trade will help lead to rapid solutions to combat this scourge,” he added.

    The OECD-EUIPO report indicated that the counterfeit pharmaceuticals trade was worth €4 billion ($4.3 billion) in 2016, excluding fake medicines produced and consumed domestically and shipments of pharmaceuticals stolen in transit and rerouted for sale in a different market or country.

    Most counterfeit drugs seized in 2014-2016 were fake antibiotics, male impotence pills, painkillers and medications for malaria, diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, cancer, high blood pressure and allergies.

    The vast majority contain incorrect proportions of active ingredients, meaning they are unlikely to work.

    Many contain undeclared substances that can pose serious health risks. Forensic tests of suspect samples show that in 90% of cases, counterfeit medicines can harm patients.

    Interpol recently reported a rise in fake medical products related to COVID-19.

    Seizures of fake COVID-19 tests, face masks and hand sanitizers have been reported by customs authorities including the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the World Customs Organization.

    More than half of the fake medicines seized in recent years originated in India and nearly a third came from China with their main destinations being Africa, Europe and the U.S.

    Singapore and Hong Kong are key transit points in the supply chain, with other routes running through the UAE, Egypt and Cameroon.

    Kenya is getting bulk of its supplies from China in which billionaire Jack Ma sent donation. There has be no known media report on the standard check on either of the supplies.

    The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December, with the U.S. and Europe being the hardest-hit areas in the world.

    More than 2.58 million cases have been reported worldwide. The death toll has neared 179,000 while the recoveries are around 696,000 recoveries, according to data compiled by the U.S.’ Johns Hopkins University.

  • Government Is Using Huduma Number Data To Disburse Covid-19 Cushion Money To Kenyans

    Government Is Using Huduma Number Data To Disburse Covid-19 Cushion Money To Kenyans

    Government has conveniently found away to deal with those who boycotted the Huduma Number registration. From the looks, this is just the start of the many more to come.

    Reports now indicate that the state will be relying on the Huduma data to map out and send the most vulnerable people coronavirus cushion money, directly to their phones.

    Last month President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a 10 billion shillings package to be disbursed to the vulnerable in the four counties.

    The government has also announced 9 billion shillings through the Inua jamii program that targets the orphans, elderly and other vulnerable groups in the country.

    So far, Sh170M has been sent to persons deemed vulnerable through the cash transfer. This includes people in Kilifi, Nairobi, Kwale and Mombasa seem to have been worst hit by the pandemic.

    The program according to the government, targets 1M people which is a small fraction of the large 48M Kenyans. However, there’s yet another sleek line being introduced that lack of accurate data after the high court stopped the government from using the information collected during the huduma namba exercise is hampering the program.

    “In this story a PS is cleverly blaming courts for stopping Huduma number, which ‘could have been used to reach millions’. The courts ordered the state to strike off illegal, invasive data first, eg GPS, and then use Huduma Namba. Guess who was to make the changes? Parliament.” BBC journalist, Ferdy Omondi commented.

    From some users online, they’ve already received Sh2,000 from the Government which seems as the standard being sent unclear though whether this is a monthly or weekly stipend.

    Othet countries have been doing cash deliveries as well, in Canada, vulnerable people are receiving Sh200,000 every two weeks.

  • Covid-19 Survivors Speaks Out On What It Feels Like Being Sick, In Isolation And Coming Out

    Covid-19 Survivors Speaks Out On What It Feels Like Being Sick, In Isolation And Coming Out

    Medical experts in Nakuru have warned that stigmatisation of people who have either recovered from Covid-19 or are suspected to have contracted the disease is becoming one of the major challenges in managing spread of the pandemic.

    Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Joseph Mburu said rejection of Covid-19 victims by their communities is hindering provision of medical care and preventing disclosure of potential Coronavirus infections, factors he cautioned could increase infection rates in the country.

    Dr Mburu who spoke moments after authorising discharge of two confirmed Covid-19 victims who have fully recovered noted that public awareness campaigns and the mass media have ‘strongly’ focused on social distancing and isolation creating an impression that those infected are social outcasts or criminals.

    “As we fully embrace guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health towards combating spread of Covid-19, public awareness campaigns on the pandemic need also to stress psychological support for patients.

    The biggest threat to overcoming the spread of Covid-19 is the social stigma associated with its patients and doctors treating this illness. This is mainly due to misinformation that has circulated in the media and a lack of public awareness. The citizens need to realise that the disease is not a disgrace,” he added.

    Governor Lee Kinyanjui offered that he was aware of cases where persons who had been released from Covid-19 quarantine and isolation centres were being subjected to stigma even after they have been confirmed not to be a risk in spreading the virus.

    “Stopping stigma is important for us to create a society that is resilient to the pandemic. Some of the recovering Covid-19 patients and those cleared to leave isolation centres have been subjected to social rejection among others.

    We have incorporated counseling for both those held at Isolation facilities and their families towards ensuring that they are successfully reintegrated into the society after their quarantine or treatment. To enhance recovery and make this war against Covid-19 a success, Kenyans must stop discrimination,” asserted Mr. Kinyanjui.

    One of the recovered Covid-19 people, a 23 year old man we shall call JN to protect his identity said he was very happy with how health workers at the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital ensured his movement was limited to avoid any infection.

    “I am happy that the health officers monitored my progress and accorded me very elaborate medical care. Their selfless efforts have ensured that the two of us are now fully recovered. This is for the good of Kenyans.

    Once out there we are yearning to be reintegrated into the society as we have been through a harrowing and lonely 24 hours a day schedule where you are supposed to spend time alone, without any physical contact with the outside world.

    That is the life that Kenyans in isolation or quarantine are living. And after many days in solitude which changed our lifestyles in a major way, it will be great disservice to survivors of Covid-19 to be subjected to stigmatisation and discrimination,” offered JN.

    The 23 year old says his quick recovery was largely due to moral encouragement that he received from medical practitioners and support staff at the facility, who encouraged him to stick to doctors’ instructions and always reminded him that there was hope for a great future.

    The second Covid-19 survivor who has been given a clean bill of health by doctors recounted that due to the isolation during her treatment, she found herself with a lot of time in her hands and her schedule had to entirely change. We shall refer to her as PL.
    What are the lessons learned as she underwent treatment and medical observation? She sighed, took a deep breath and declared,“I had a very casual attitude towards the disease and never thought that I could be a victim. I now know as President Uhuru Kenyatta has repeatedly declared that we are all equal and that this disease cannot spare anybody and all of us are vulnerable no matter who you are. The virus is an equalizer.”

    In a rare and bold show of remorse PL says that she regrets that she boarded a Public Service Vehicle all the way from Mombasa to Nakuru before she was intercepted in Nakuru on March 31 after exhibiting symptoms consistent with Covid-19 disease.

    “It is a decision that still haunts me. I feel guilty that I may have exposed innocent and unsuspecting citizens to this dangerous pestilence. I have already undergone counseling, all I ask is for my relatives and friends to welcome me back to the society,” she petitioned.

    PL said the treatment and isolation period were the most stressful part of her life since she was confined to one place without interacting with people she equated the normal eight hours at home to a month in an Isolation or quarantine facility.

    According to the John Hopkins University’s Centre for Communications, misconceptions, rumors and misinformation are major contributors to stigma and discrimination which in turn hamper response efforts in combating the disease.

    The Center warns that this can result in more severe health problems and difficulties controlling the disease outbreak since the stigma drives people to hide illness to avoid discrimination, prevents them from seeking health care immediately and ultimately discourages them from adopting healthy behaviors.

    Dr Mburu said the slowly but steadily creeping Coronavirus related stigma has the possibility of complicating and slowing down the implementation of intervention strategies being put in place by the government to both treat Covid-19 patients and stem the increase in infections.

    “As experts we have noted that Corona related stigma is slowly creeping in and has the potential to complicate response against the highly infectious disease,” the Medical Superintendent.

    Dr Mburu says deliberate efforts designed to fight stigma and discrimination directed against Covid-19 patients and those suspected to have come into contact with them should be amplified if the fight against the disease that mainly targets respiratory organs is to be brought under control.

    Covid-19 associated stigma in the country is mainly being fueled by insufficient knowledge about the new disease, how it is transmitted and treated and how to effectively prevent infection.

    Experts are now calling on the Ministry of Health to prioritise the collection, consolidation and dissemination of accurate country and community specific information about affected regions, individuals and vulnerable groups.

  • Hundreds Displaced In Kisumu As River Nyando Breaks Its Banks

    Hundreds Displaced In Kisumu As River Nyando Breaks Its Banks

    Hundreds of families from Nyando Sub County of Kisumu County have been displaced after River Nyando burst its banks following heavy rains.

    The flood waters struck early this morning following heavy rains in the area and the upstream last night.
    Several homesteads have been submerged and residents have been forced to move with their belongings to roadsides where they are now camping.

    Businesses have been adversely affected at Ahero shopping centre along the Kisumu- Kericho highway.

    Also flooded are some schools where victims of the perennial floods normally seek shelter meaning they cannot therefore play host to the affected this time round.

    The victims are now putting up in the open and have appealed to both the County and National Government to come to their rescue.

    Rice farmers are also counting losses after their newly planted rice fields were submerged and or washed away.
    There is also fear of spread of waterborne disease in the area unless urgent measures are taken.

  • Homa Bay Nurses Issues Strike Notice Over Salary Delay

    Homa Bay Nurses Issues Strike Notice Over Salary Delay

    More than 800 nurses in Homa Bay County have issued a two days strike notice because of delayed salary payment and shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

    The nurses threatened to down their tools from Thursday should the Homa Bay government fail to address their grievances.

    The Homa Bay branch National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK), said the two issues are important in their lives especially as they fight
    covid-19 pandemic.

    Through their secretary Omondi Nyonje and chairperson Dina Pinya, they argued that the employer has not abided by their terms of contract on salary remittances.

    “We agreed we would get paid before fifth of every month but our employer hasn’t complied. We’ll not go to work from Thursday if they don’t pay us,” Nyonje said.

    In their letter to Homa Bay health department headed by Professor Richard Muga and copied to the Finance office andthat of the county secretary Isaiah, the nurses said they have not yet received the salary for March.

    Nyonje said delayed payment of health workers demoralises them from battling the covid-19 pandemic.

    “You cannot work when you’re hungry. Let Homa Bay government pay nurses to avoid squabbles which may result to strike,” he added.

    According to Pinya, nurses at a number of health facilities and their staff do not receive adequate PPEs as required to protect them from coronavirus.
    She said they agreed that each sub county was to get at least 400 masks for staff in their respective health facilities but the employer has not complied.

    Pinya said the county government distributes only 150 masks daily to the health staff.

    “Shortage of masks, other personal protective equipment and lack of money make working environment demoralising,” Pinya said.

    They argued that the county government has adequate PPEs but they do not know why they are not distributed to medics to use.

    “The demand for masks has increased especially in hospitals. Nurses are on frontline in the fight against covid-19 hence they should get
    protected,” she added.

    However, the county health Chief Officer Gerald Akeche said they are planning to engage the medical workers in talks to address the issues.

    Akeche said the delayed salary remittance is due to prevailing economic situation.

    “We’re communicating with all health workers and I hope they will soon get paid. It’s important to note that this is the time we need to fight the covid-19 pandemic collectively,” Akeche said.

    Absence of nurses from hospitals will paralyse health care services in Homa Bay especially the fight against coronavirus.

    Homa Bay has registered a case of covid-19 after a driver tested positive for the virus. About 60 doctors in the county had also complained of lack of money after the government failed to pay them.

  • COVID-19- Kenya To Start Mass Testing Of Truck Drivers

    COVID-19- Kenya To Start Mass Testing Of Truck Drivers

    The Kenya government will start mass testingof long distance truck drivers who are among the high risk groups for COVID-19.

    Health Chief Administrative Secretary Health Rashid Aman made the revelation on Tuesday during a meeting with National and County government officials at Malaba One-Stop-Border-Post (OSBP).

    Aman told the meeting that the mass testing will be pivotal in combating the spread of Coronavirus in high risk border counties.

    He said, “Uganda is already undertaking mass testing of truck drivers which is appropriate. There is need for Kenya to also expand its testing to include truck drivers and other high risk groups like frontline workers and all health workers.”

    Aman who was accompanied by Chief Administrative Secretaries Hussein Dhado (Interior) and Chris Obure (Transport and Infrastructure) said KEMRI Alupe, KEMRI Kisumu and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital will be made testing centres in the region to expand the testing capacity.

    To ease the truck pile up that has hit Malaba and Busia, the health CAS told the meeting that the Government will negotiate with Uganda to have Kenya take samples of truck drivers up to 30 kilometers inside Uganda with Uganda doing the same inside Kenya in order for the tests to be readily available before they cross.

    Obure said the Malaba truck jam that currently stands at 30 kilometers is not acceptable owing to the dangers posed to the communities living along the Bungoma-Malaba Highway and economic implications to truck owners in terms of lost revenue.

    “Covid-19 should not be a reason to defeat the objective of the East African Community. We must find an urgent solution to the pandemic,” he stated.

    Dhado on his part urged Kenyans of all walk to observe the measures the government has put in place to stem the spread of the Coronavirus.

    “The measures are not meant to punish anybody but rather to protect all of us against contracting the virus,” he said.

    Busia Deputy Governor Moses Mulomi urged the National Government to speed up infrastructural development in Busia and Malaba towns especially making the Busia-Korinda highway dual carriage and construction of trailer parks in Busia and Malaba which will curtail the perpetual truck jams in the two border towns.

  • Covid-19: Indian Council of Medical Research Suspends Use Of Chinese Test Kits

    Covid-19: Indian Council of Medical Research Suspends Use Of Chinese Test Kits

    India’s main medical research council has suspended the use of rapid testing kits imported from China after complaints of inaccurate results from various states.

    “We are learning that the positive samples of RT-PCR are showing too much variation [when tested by rapid kits] in the range of 6 to 71%,” said Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar, a top scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research, during his daily briefing on Tuesday.

    He further added that eight ICMR institutes will test the kits in different states, in the next two days, to validate and check if a batch of the imported kits is faulty.

    India became the world’s 17th country to record 20,000 COVID-19 cases after 1,493 cases were reported on Tuesday, the second-highest single-day spike after Sunday’s 1,553. India’s COVID-19 cases continue to surge despite the nationwide lockdown.

    As per the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre, India has so far reported 20,178 cases and 645 deaths.

    The faulty kits have led to a pause in the antibody testing, thus causing a dip in the testing rates. India’s testing rate dropped from 35,000 on Monday to 27,500 on Tuesday. This is the first batch of 300,000 of the testing kits, and a total of 650,000 kits were to be delivered by China.

    “I had earlier suggested to GOI [government of India] that a centralized mechanism with proper guidelines of the quality check may be developed for the procurements of Medical equipment. Unfortunately, this was not accepted. Had this suggestion been accepted, failure of Rapid Test kits could have been avoided,” Ashok Gehlot, chief minister of the western state of Rajasthan, said on Twitter.

  • Germany Approves First Human Trials Of Covid-19 Vaccine

    Germany Approves First Human Trials Of Covid-19 Vaccine

    Germany has approved first clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine on humans.

    Biotechnology company BioNTech’s vaccine program was authorized for human clinical trials after a careful assessment of potential risks and benefits, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, German regulatory authority, said in a press release.

    “This is the fourth authorized clinical trial worldwide in which a preventive specific COVID-19 vaccine candidate is tested in humans,” the institute stressed, and added:

    “Considering the serious consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a significant step toward developing an efficacious and safe COVID-19 vaccine available in Germany and making it available worldwide as soon as possible.”

    Turkish professor Ugur Sahin’s BioNTech company and pharma giant Pfizer are jointly developing vaccine candidates, as part of a global development program.

    “We are pleased to have completed pre-clinical studies in Germany and will soon initiate this first-in-human trial ahead of our expectations. The speed with which we were able to move from the start of the program to trial initiation speaks to the high level of engagement from everyone involved,” Sahin said in a statement.

    In the authorized first part of the clinical trial in Germany, 200 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 55 years will be vaccinated, according to the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut.

    Further trials involving people with increased infection risk planned for the second part of the clinical trial, on condition that additional study data submitted in advance.

    Scientists and researchers across the world are scrambling to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus which has infected over 2.58 million people worldwide and killed more than 178,000.

    Until such a discovery, health experts are treating patients with anti-malaria drugs, including hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which have shown positive results for coronavirus-related lung infection.

    So far nearly 693,000 coronavirus patients worldwide have recovered from the disease.

  • Court Gags Blogger Nyakundi From Posting On Covid-19

    Court Gags Blogger Nyakundi From Posting On Covid-19

    The DCI has on Tuesday night posted on their twitter page and arrest warrant for blogger Cyprian Nyakundi. Labeling him wanted, the warrant was issued after he skipped attending a court session in a cybercrime case against KRA boss.

    Nyakundi had earlier in the month been arrested for posting a tweet claiming that the KRA boss was amongst officials whom had traveled from overseas and didn’t observe the mandatory 14 days quarantine.

    From the previous arrest, Nyakundi was released after posting a Sh200,000 cash bail and was to appear for taking plea that he skipped leading to the warrant.

    While taking the plea today, Nyakundi denied the charges. He was however released with the conditions that he refrains from making posts in Covid19, this almost correlates with a colleague Robert Alai who was also arrested under the Simons crime and gagged from commenting on the virus.

    Influential lawyer Cliff Ombeta has earlier accused the DCI for being malicious in their post of the warrant. “Totally malicious. Courts are closed.” He commented on the post.

    Nyakundi has also asked the prosecution to avail the postmortem results of the deceased KRA official from Covid19 to help him ascertain his post.

    He was released on a Sh50,000 cash bail.

  • Report: Passengers To Wait For Six Months For Air Travel

    Report: Passengers To Wait For Six Months For Air Travel

    Around the world, 40% of passengers are planning to wait at least six months or more for air travel due to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

    Meanwhile, 60% anticipate that they could return to airline travel after one to two months of containment of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IATA said in a statement.

    “Passenger confidence will suffer a double whammy even after the pandemic is contained — hit by personal economic concerns in the face of a looming recession on top of lingering concerns about the safety of travel,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO said in the statement.

    “Governments and industry must be quick and coordinated with confidence-boosting measures,” he added.

    In countries where new coronavirus cases have fallen to low levels, there are indications that passengers are returning to their travel behavior in a cautious manner, the IATA said, but added “an immediate rebound from the catastrophic fall in passenger demand appears unlikely.”

    “People still want to travel,” said de Juniac, adding “As countries lift restrictions, confidence boosting measures will be critical to restart travel and stimulate economies.”

    “The passenger business came to a halt with unilateral government actions to stop the spread of the virus. The industry restart, however, must be built with trust and collaboration … We must start building a framework for a global approach that will give people the confidence that they need to travel once again,” he explained.

    IATA said it estimates around 25 million jobs in aviation and its related value-chains, including the tourism sector, are at risk due to the COVID-19 crisis.

    While passenger revenues are expected to be $314 billion, or 55%, less this year than in 2019, demand in the second quarter of 2020 is estimated to plummet by 80% or more compared to the same period of last year, according to the IATA.

    IATA represents some 290 airlines including Kenya Airways comprising 82% of global air traffic.

  • OPINION – Boris Johnson’s COVID-19 mismanagement: What went wrong?

    The UK has seen its deadliest week in the fight against coronavirus so far. It is heading towards a situation that may turn out even worse than Italy’s or Spain’s. Although Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been discharged from hospital, the total death toll continues to rise across the country.

    A report by the University of Washington‘s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that the UK will have the highest number of fatalities out of any European country with over 60 thousand deaths. [1]

    Since the UK is on a trajectory towards eventually having the worst death rate in Europe, Boris Johnson’s crisis management of the pandemic should be questioned and examined in terms of this projected outcome.

    Lack of clear strategy and delayed actions

    The British government, like almost every government, has been caught unprepared in the handling of the pandemic. However, the problem, particularly in the early stages, significantly stemmed from the government’s underestimation of the threat of pandemic while Italy and Spain already constituted alarming examples.

    Although the government had its first cases as early as the beginning of February, the risk level set by the government’s top scientific advisers remained at “moderate” until March 12.

    As late as March 22, when the number of deaths in Italy exceeded the threshold of one thousand, Boris Johnson was still persistent about not declaring a national lockdown.

    Unlike many other countries where the lockdown measures were in place, Britain had a different approach to deal with the pandemic, the so-called‘herd immunity’ [2] that would allow the spread of the virus and supposedly build up immunity in the society.

    Even though the idea was not implemented and abandoned shortly thereafter, it still distracted and prevented the government from taking the necessary measures in a timely manner.

    Notwithstanding the fact that the ‘herd immunity’ strategy was proposed by the government’s scientific team, and the prime minister simply followed suit, Boris Johnson still cannot be excused for the delay of action and cannot blame it on the inadequate advice of his scientific advisors.

    Hundreds of scientists warned the government that its herd immunity response to the coronavirus outbreak was wrong and risking many more lives [3].

    Any responsible leader should have asked for a full set of scenarios, ranging from a full shutdown to keeping the economy fully open. As such, the prime minister should not have limited himself to one course of action.

    Although the following day the prime minister finally imposed a lockdown calling on restrictions on businesses and people’s lives, the government’s delayed decision has already put the people on the wrong part of an exponential curve. Even so, Boris Johnson still lacked seriousness in his language, which caused the nation not to take the threat as seriously as they should.

    Instead, Boris Johnson, during his hospital visits, was shaking hands with people infected with coronavirus, sending people mixed messages.

    Consequently, Johnson, who acted somewhat complacently against the pandemic, became the first leader of a major country to be hospitalized with COVID-19.

    While anyone may contract the virus, it is inexcusable for Boris Johnson to contract the virus because of his earlier actions underestimating the power of the virus.

    The prime minister needs to be doubly cautious than an ordinary British person since his fall would not only leave the government without a leader but also lead the nation into panic and despair.

    Although Boris Johnson has thankfully been discharged from the hospital, he will not immediately return to work until he fully recovers. His absence may create a crisis of authority.

    The government is left without a leader during one of its toughest times for decades.

    Government’s NHS predicament

    With the total number of deaths exceeding 16 thousand, including 27 NHS workers, the government faces increasing criticism over its delayed response to the crisis, its failure to ramp up testing and persistent shortages of personal protection equipment (PPE) for health care workers.

    Although the National Health Service (NHS) has long been known to be underfunded [4], when Health Secretary Matt Hancock was asked on Jan. 23 whether the NHS would be able to respond to COVID-19, he assured the public that the NHS was prepared and well equipped to fight the pandemic.

    The NHS, however, has denied it and warned the government about the lack of sufficient resources within the NHS and called the government to take action to address the needs [5].

    There has already been anger over the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline hospital workers dealing with people suspected to have the coronavirus.

    The government announced that 27 NHS workers have died from coronavirus. Infection and death among medical workers have clearly been results of lack of PPE and testing. COVID-19 testing for NHS staff is restricted due to insufficient equipment. Shortages of swabs, reagents, and testing kits have prevented staff from being tested.

    As of the first week of April, only 2,000 out of 500,000 frontline NHS staff [6] had been tested for coronavirus, and only around 15,000 tests are carried out daily.

    Unlike Germany or South Korea, where the widespread coronavirus tests played a crucial role in combating the pandemic, the UK has been too slow to implement widespread coronavirus testing as only a small number of UK laboratories have been enabled to conduct these tests.

    The government has pledged to increase the UK’s capacity for coronavirus testing to 100,000 a day by the end of April. However, it will still be insufficient compared to other European countries such as Germany, which is already able to carry out 500,000 tests a week.

    During crises, what matters most is effective management, which strictly rests on the ability to take the necessary actions on time. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has failed to respond to the coronavirus threat fast enough and is now heading towards the highest death rates in Europe.

    Nearly 2,000 people died in the last two days of last week, the highest on record in Europe, making the UK the worst impacted country in the continent.

    The government is full of aspirations and are “planning” or “intending” or “trying” to do many things -PPE, ventilators, testing, etc.- but its performance still falls rather short of delivering on those pledges.

    Boris Johnson won the election with significant public support. However, given the disastrous management of the coronavirus pandemic, this support may soon wane and leave an unfortunate legacy with regards to his tenure.

    – The writer is a deputy researcher at the TRT World Research Centre. Enes is currently a Ph.D. student at Istanbul University on Political Science and international relations. Enes’s expertise is on European and UK Politics.