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Coronavirus: Kenya Confirms New Cases, Numbers Hit 50

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Kenya has confirmed eight more new cases of coronavirus.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Monday afternoon announced the new cases that brought total number of cases in the country to 50.

Out of the 2052 that were tested on Sunday, they have tested 172 samples of which 84 samples have been analysed.

“We have received confirmation of one person. Apart from those in quarantine we have tested 88 contacts who might have contracted the disease from the 42 people,” he said.

“…and we have received six patients who have tested positive and an additional one patient who is at Aga Khan.”

At least 1,000 medics will be hired in the next week to handle the rising number of coronavirus infection.

The new medics include nurses, clinical officers, lab technologists and doctors, among others.

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Politics

Mohammed Ali Requests For House Special Sitting to Cushion Kenyans From Tough Economic Times

by Brian Miano
written by Brian Miano

Nyali Member of Parliament Mohammed Ali (Moha Jicho Pevu) has requested for a special sitting of the National Assembly.

According to a letter seen by Dailytrends.co.ke , Moha Jicho Pevu wants parliament to consider ways of cushioning Kenyans from effects of Covid-19 pandemic.

The letter has been addressed to National Assembly Majority leader Aden Duale and copied to the Leader of Minority Hon John Mbadi.

The Nyali lawmaker in his letter notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold suffering all over the world, even among the developed nations.

He notes that this is the time the National Assembly should play its constitutional mandate and put fiscal measures through legislative interventions.

The fiscal measures, according to the journalist-turned politician, should assist vulnerable Kenyans who have been forced out of employment, are unemployed are under-privileged and require government assistance for survival.

Have a look at the letter below.

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Kenya now has a total of 42 confirmed cases as confirmed by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Sunday evening.

“Kenya has four new confirmed cases of coronavirus, one Kenyan and three foreigners. Kenya now has 42 confirmed cases,” said CS Kagwe.

Nairobi County continues to lead with 31 cases of those who have so far tested positive, followed by Kilifi with six, Mombasa with three, while Kajiado and Kwale with one each. Out of the 42 positive cases, 24 are male while 18 are female.

The CS reported that the Government was doing all it could to ensure safety of the Health workers in their line of duty adding that Kenya was lucky since none of the staff has been infected.

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Politics

50 MPs to be Tested For COVID-19 After Coming Into Contact With Colleague Who Tested Positive

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

At least 50 MPs are set to be tested for coronavirus and subjected to mandatory quarantine after coming into contact with their colleague who tested positive for COVID-19.

Rabai MP Kamoti Mwamkale recently tested positive for the virus and is said to have interacted with a section of the lawmakers..

Among the lawmakers to be tested are members of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) and the Delegated Legislation Committee, both of which Mwamkale sits on. 38 lawmakers sit on the two committees.

Parliamentary staff attached to the committees will also be required to undergo the test.

Mwamkale tested positive for Covid-19 after reportedly coming into contact with infected Kilifi Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi at the funeral of the late Msambweni MP Suleiman Dori on Monday, March 9

The National Assembly submitted to the Ministry of Health (MoH) the list of lawmakers and staff it wants to be traced and tested, with records showing that Mwamkale was in Parliament as recently as March 17.

Other than the committee members, the National Assembly is also seeking to trace other lawmakers who might have come into contact with Mwamkale when he was in the house.

Mwamkale is reportedly currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nairobi.

The Health Ministry had previously announced that it was tracking down 122 individuals believed to have come into contact with Saburi after his return from Germany on March 6.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe further confirmed that Saburi will face charges after his recovery because he failed to self-isolate after arriving back in the country.

News of Saburi’s refusal to self-isolate had stoked anger and disappointment among many Kilifi residents and county officials who feared they may have been infected.

Saburi had interacted with several people as he attended a number of events after returning to the country.

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Politics

VIDEO: MP Forced to Issue Lengthy Clarification After His Coronavirus Outburst

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Just hours after issuing a twitter thread that aimed at exposing government’s failure in giving Kenyans factual information on coronavirus status in the country, Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie found himself in trouble.

24 hours after his outburst, the tanga tanga lawmaker was summoned to Kabete DCI offices, where he was forced to issue a lengthy clarification on his social media post.

Kiarie had on Saturday night made a statement where he insinuated that over 7,000 people were under quarantine, a figure that was interpreted to mean the patients were bundled up in few quarantine centers.

In his clarification, however, he pointed out that the 7,000 figure represented the number of people who were supposedly on self-quarantine after jetting into the country within a certain time period.

“As a law-abiding citizen, I presented myself to the Dagoretti Division Police Headquarters, to honour summons to appear at the DCIO office.

“I responded to the concerns of the government on my publications regarding the COVID 19 situation in Kenya. Two issues were raised; on the 7,000 figure and the 10,000 projection of infections by May to which I responded,” he explained.

“I allayed any fears that I meant the 7,000 were held in Lenana School. As they noted, in my post, the figure was the number of Kenyans who landed in the country since the onset of this calamity, who should be in quarantine, which in itself is a very conservative estimate,” Kiarie clarified.

In the 10,000 figure, he claimed that his projection was backed up by scientific research largely concerning other first world countries that the virus spread faster injuring their economies. The countries in question are Italy and the United States.

” On the projections of 10,000 infected cases by May, I base the figure on a scientific extrapolation published by esteemed scientific researchers in the publication “PROJECTION OF EARLY SPREAD OF COVID 19 IN AFRICA AS OF MARCH 2020” by Carl A.B. Pearson (LSHTM, SACEMA; mailto:carl.pearson@lshtm.ac.uk) Cari Van Schalkwyk (SACEMA) Anna Foss (LSHTM) Kathleen O’Reilly (LSHTM) SACEMA’s Modelling and Analysis Response Team (SMART) CMMID COVID­19 working group (LSHTM) Juliet Pulliam (SACEMA),” he said.

He also noted that most parts of his earlier post were a wake-up call to all Kenyans to be prepared as the virus spread did not show any sign of slowing down.

“I continue to urge Kenyans to wash their hands, sanitise as much as they can, observe social distancing, self-quarantine and adhere to the government curfew.

“I have raised all the matters I posted extensively as a Member of Parliament through the “appropriate” channels and also on social media as a private citizen,” he added.

His sentiments on Sunday had raised Health CS Mutahi Kagwe’s eyebrows who, in his presser the same day, condemned Kiarie’s utterances stating that the MP was spreading false information.

“It is really wrong and disheartening for those in leadership to continue perpetuating false information that has got nothing to do with the real cases,” lamented Kagwe.

Watch the video below.

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Latest NewsPolitics

Vocal Tanga Tanga MP in Trouble For Exposing “Government’s Secretes” on Coronavirus

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Dagoretti South MP, John Kiarie is a troubled man after sending a series tweets concerning the status of the Coronavirus Pandemic in the country.

On Sunday evening, Kiarie was summoned by officers from the Director of Criminal Investigation at Kabete Police Station.

The MP was grilled by the DCI over claims he made in the wee hours of March 29. Through his twitter page, he alluded that there are close to 7000 people in quarantine facilities in the country.

These people, he said, had flown in the country within the last 5 days and were currently isolated at Lenana School and Kinyanjui Technical Institute.

“We have 7,000 Kenyans in quarantine who arrived back between Wednesday and Sunday. In Dagoretti South Constituency, we are hosting them at Lenana School and Kinyanjui Tech. How they got there and the chaos therein is a story for another day,” wrote Kiarie on his twitter account.

KJ’s alarming twitter post

KJ, as he is popularly known, further stated that the government is lying to Kenyans about the real situation of the Coronavirus spread in the country. He claimed that the government is incapacitated to handle the mass infections from the disease.

“Kenya Government must forthwith communicate the gravity of the real situation without sugar coating anymore. Let Kenyans know how bad things are about to get. They will be better equipped to make personal decisions and put up with government decrees, measures and restrictions,” he further wrote

“GoK MUST come out and admit that the government CANNOT handle what is coming alone. No drought, Bomb blast, Terror attack, Westgate, or disaster we have known before is anywhere close to what is coming. We need a “Kenyans for Kenyans” to the power of 100 to even barely survive!”

Other than the MP, other people who have been arrested for propagating alarming information on the disease are blogger Robert Alai and Cyprian Nyakundi.

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Latest NewsLifestyle

Four More coronavirus Cases Confirmed in Kenya, Numbers Rise to 42

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Four more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Kenya, Health Cabinet Secretary Muthi Kagwe has confirmed.

Addressing a live press conference on Sunday evening, CS Kagwe said that the four new cases were confirmed after testing 69 isolated persons.

Out of the four, CS Kagwe said three are foreigners and one Kenyan.

The foreigners include one foreigner from the United States of America, one from Cameroon and another one from Burkina Faso.

This brings a total number of confirmed cases in the country to 42.

CS Kagwe on Saturday confirmed seven more people had tested positive for the new coronavirus and the analysis of 81 suspected cases.

The Saturday cases that brought the number of cases in Kenya to 38 are four Kenyans, two Congolese and a Chinese citizen. Three of them are female and four male.

CS Kagwe announced that Nairobi was still leading in the number of cases with now 31 cases, followed by Kilifi with six, Mombasa with two and Kwale and Kajiado with one each.

Today, Mombasa also received one case, according to CS Kagwe.

“The trend we have seen on increasing numbers is not a healthy one,” he said, and reiterated the need for members of the public to adhere to measures the government has taken to curb spread of the virus.

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BusinessLatest News

Coronavirus: Dusit D2 Hotel Closes Down, Renders 250 Kenyans Jobless

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

The coronavirus pandemic has continued to cause economic pain, as hotel industry has resorted to closure after the business went down.

Latest to announce closure is the famous Dusit D2 Hotel, which has rendered at least 250 Kenyans jobless after the hotel’s management gave notice of closure.

The hotel stopped operations owing to the government’s social distancing directive and the travel restrictions.

The suspension of international flights has also contributed to the closure of hotels.

A government directive forcing bars and nightclubs to remain closed as a way of stemming the spread of COVID-19 has also seen the occupancy rate in hotels go down significantly.

Villa Rosa, Ole Sereni and Tribe Hotel have scaled down operations.

“In light of the evolving Covid-19 situation, some of the hotel’s restaurants will be closed and some facilities may have limited service.” said Villa Rosa Kempinski to its guests.

Deputy President William Ruto’s Weston Hotel will be closed starting March 30 until further notice.

“We wish to assure you that The Weston Hotel is committed to optimizing care and precautions to minimize the spread of the Covid-19,” the statement read in part.

So far Kenya has confirmed 31 cases of coronavirus, one fatality and a recovery.

According to the Ministry of Health, 2 patients are currently admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Agha Khan Hospital.

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Latest NewsPolitics

KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Ouma Oluga Resigns After Landing Plum Job

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr. Fredrick Ouma Oluga has on Friday March 27, resigned from his position after being deployed to the newly created Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) office in Nairobi.

Dr Ouma Oluga had served at KMPDU for five years.

President Uhuru Kenyatta created the NMS office to be in charge of the Nairobi County functions that embattled Governor Mike Sonko transferred to the national government.

Major Gen Mohamed Abdalla Badi was appointed by the head of state as NMS Director General.

In a circular from the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua dated March 23, Oluga was appointed the new Chief Officer of Health in Nairobi County.

The vocal trade unionist is among 32 individuals who been deployed from various government ministries and departments to join the NMS team that was unveiled by President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 18, 2020.

Prior to the posting, Oluga served at Vihiga County’s department of Internal Medicine as a medical doctor.

Last year, Dr Oluga was appointed president of all health workers in the world for a period of two years.

The Health Workers 4 All Coalition is a global coalition of health workers formed during the 71st World Health Assembly in 2018.

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Latest News

Coronavirus Patient in Kenya Dies

by Brian Kiprono
written by Brian Kiprono

Kenya has recorded the first coronavirus death.

On Thursday evening, a 66-year-old Kenyan man, who was diagnosed with the most dreaded virus coronavirus died.

The patient died at the Aga Khan Hospital Thursday afternoon (March 26), where he was placed at the intensive care unit, says Health minister Mutahi Kagwe.

“The man who was suffering from diabetes had arrived in the country on March 13 from South Africa via Swaziland,” reads a part of a press statement issued by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.

“My condolences to the family,” added the CS.

Kenya, as of March 26, recorded 31 COVID-19 cases, with one patient confirmed to have recovered.

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Crime & Investigations

Flashy CEO at The Heart of Multi-billion Scandal Finally Arrested

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Serious Crime Unit detectives have today (Thursday) arrested Peter Wangai Muriithi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Goldenscape Group Limited.

Mr Wangai through his company is said to have lured investors to invest in Greenhouses that were to be set up in Ol Kalou, Nyahururu and other places which turned out to be a fraudulent investment deal.

He will be charged with the offence of obtaining money by false pretenses, conspiracy to defraud, false representation, issuing bad cheques among other charges.

Several of his victims have recorded statements at the DCI Hqs.

Early this month, DCI sleuths launched a manhunt for Peter Wangai after a scathing expose aired on Citizen TV that exposed how he collected billions from Kenyans before disappearing into thin air.

Through Goldenscape Greenhouses, Wangai lured investors to put in their cash in the project and collected billions, promising high returns in leased green houses that did not materialize.

The mouth-watering deal that was backed by commercials on TV that made the firm look credible saw Goldenscape Greenhouses offer contractual obligations to investors, with an assurance of a Ksh 550,000 return on a Ksh 320,000 investment after six months.

File image of Peter Mureithi Wangai(middle in a suit), the Founder and CEO of Goldenscape with employees of Standard Media Group on 19 August 2019
Peter Wangai (Centre) at Radio Maisha studios during a past interview. PHOTO/COURTESY

“The money I expected as returns from the investment would have been over Ksh7 million. That would have taken me out of poverty,” stated one investor in the Goldenscape scandal.

Trouble came calling after the investors failed to receive money as promised in the deal, prompting them to file complaints with the DCI.

Citizen TV expose revealed that Peter Wangai allegedly disappeared at the beginning of the week of Monday, March 2, never to be found.

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Latest NewsPolitics

Oparanya Orders Immediate Closure of County Offices

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Kakamega County Governor Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya has ordered County Government offices to close down their operations with immediate effect.

The offices are set to remain closed for a period of 15 days as a measure towards containing the spread of the Corona virus in the County.

The only exceptions, he said, will be the department of Health services, Security and Enforcement, Water and Sanitation, Cleaning and Garbage collection, and Finance and Revenue.

The Executive Order from the County boss follows new developments, also announced by him, that Kakamega has recorded its first confirmed positive Covid-19 case on a 19 year old student who travelled from Switzerland to his rural home in Mumias West Sub County.

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Politics

Murkomen’s 26-Year-Old TBT Photo Blows up The Internet

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Senate Majority leader Kipchumba Murkomen has mesmerized netizens with his 26-year-old TBT photo.

Taking to his official twitter account on Thursday afternoon, the Elgeyo Marakwet senator shared a photo of him preparing for KCPE exams.

“#TBT 26 years ago preparing for KCPE!” Murkomen captioned the photo.

The photo has received the attention of many Kenyans on Twitter, who have gone ahead to express their different reactions.

The traditional water pot at the corner of the small room that the lawmaker was using to study, has left KOT talking, with some saying that it was the best ever water fridge.

They say it used to produce the sweetest and coldest water.

The type of shoes Murkomen had put on have also left some talking, saying that North Star was the best type of shoes back then.

However, some are talking about the kind of life the Jubilee lawmaker used to live back then, citing that indeed God is great, having lifted Murkomen from that condition to where he is currently.

Some even told the senator to be always thankful to God for lifting him that much.

A section of them have however, challenged Murkomen to be using his example of poverty to explain to his bosses on how to strengthen Kenya’s economy and creating more Jobs opportunities for the unemployed youths.

Here are some of the reactions.

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Latest NewsPolitics

How Ignorant Kenyans Forced Uhuru to Impose a Dusk to Dawn Curfew

by Brian Kiprono
written by Brian Kiprono

As the corona virus cases increase from 25 to 28, President Uhuru Kenyatta has been forced to impose a dusk to dawn curfew between 7pm to 5 am which will act effective from Friday 27,March.

This is probably to bar ignorant Kenyans who are used to being away from home at the given hours to take on toes the measures in order to reduce the spread of the corona Virus in the country.

This comes barely two days after Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe termed Kenyans as indisciplined and difficult to handle.

Kagwe’s remarks came after a section of Kenyans failed to adhere to the measures that the government had set to curb COVID-19.

Despite this measure,the Head of State has exempted a few persons from it,these are Health Workers,Medical professionals,critical and essential services providers.

“Effective Friday, 27th March, 2020; a Daily Curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. shall be in effect in the territory of the Republic of Kenya, with all movement by persons not authorized to do so or not being Medical Professionals, Health Workers, Critical and Essential Services Providers, being prohibited between those hours,” said Kenyatta while addressing the nation on Wednesday.

The head of state, however, let a sigh of relief in the hearts of Kenyans when he announced that one of the patients who had earlier been infected with the virus had fully recovered.

He further asked Kenyans to strictly take up on safety measures given by the Ministry of Health and further emphasized on social distancing as a way to cope with COVID-19 in the country.

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Latest News

Coronavirus Patient Fully Recovers as Confirmed Cases in Kenya Hits 28

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Kenya has recorded its first ever coronavirus recovery case, President Uhuru Kenyatta has confirmed.

In a press conference on Wednesday evening, President Kenyatta confirmed that one of the coronavirus patients in Kenya has been tested to have fully recovered from the pandemic.

However, the head of state confirmed three more cases, bringing total number of confirmed cases to 28.

He further directed the National Treasury to offer 100% tax relief to persons earning less than Sh24,000, with Income tax going down from 30% to 25%.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe had on Tuesday March 24 announced 9 more cases that had brought total number of cases to 25.

CS Kagwe however, slammed a section of Kenyan citizens for allegedly refusing to abide by government directives on combating the spread of the coronavirus.

Since the first positive case of Covid-19 was recorded in Kenya on March 13, 2020, the government has come up with a raft of measures aimed at decongesting public places and improving hygiene all in the name of containing the novel disease.

Among these measures have included imposing of self-quarantine for Kenyans who jet back into the country from coronavirus-hit areas; shutting down of bars and restaurants; suspension of church services and burials; as well as slashing the number of passengers in public service vehicles by half.

However, according to CS Kagwe, some Kenyans have continuously disregarded these directives every step of the way, choosing instead to put their lives – and those of others close to them – at risk.

The tough-talking CS, speaking during a press conference at Afya House, noted that this reckless behavior by some few individuals may eventually cost the nation a big deal in the fight against the coronavirus.

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Crime & Investigations

DCI Sleuths Gun Down the mastermind in Last Year’s Nairobi West ATM Heist

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

Wycliff Vincent Oduor, the mastermind in last year’s Nairobi West ATM heist was on Tuesday March 24 gunned down by detectives from Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

This followed a fierce shootout between a three-man gang of robbery with violence suspects, and detectives responding to a distress call from the public at Kayole Junction in Nairobi.

Armed with pistols and riding on a motorbike, the three started robbing members of public at the said location, a scene which attracted the attention of a team of Kayole detectives on patrol.

The gang defied orders to surrender, engaging the officers in a fire exchange which left the said suspect down.

The other two escaped on the motorbike but are being pursued.

During the incident, a Pistol and a kitchen knife were recovered from the slain suspect.

Wycliff Oduor aka ‘Vinii’ has been out on a Ksh. 500,000 Bond after his arraignment following the Heist.

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Lifestyle

Becoming a Video Game Reviewer/ Journalist

by Brian Kiprono
written by Brian Kiprono

There is immense narrative behind gaming, that lies for once or forever in every desiring mind. It could be explained through plays, game competitions or even video game reviews which probably takes the largest stake of the track.

For sure, not one or  two dream of being in the gaming world in the act of a video game reviewer/journalist, it may be hard, yes, but the “hardship” thought could easily be cut off in every passionate heart and mind for it burns with acidic penetration that loosens more the of  video game understanding.

It takes a lot to hold this profession to the grassroots. Consistent creation of great and new contents every other moment could act one of the difficult but better ways to becoming a better reviewer by writing great reviews in a unique perspective about the games released and played. The content developed could also take ages to be discovered but social media could be the best platform to share and building personal blogs for exposure.

Reviewing games is completely different from playing games for “fun”. Reviewing requires focus, mind of revealing defects, reporting bad design, making rigid suggestions and even strictly replaying the same games for thorough testing to confirm issues of resolution with concise communication of bug reports to provide for proper approval of videos whenever  and assign  severity.

Commitment and timeline needs a great care in video game reviewing for its valuability is unsurpassed, it plays a big role. In the state of online gaming publications no advanced copy of particular game is provided to reviewers, so one needs to snag a copy of the game as it is released and since many gamers usually read a game’s review on the day of release or few days later, meaning one is working within a narrow window to play through the game, write the review, edit it and get it to the concerned site.

To keep consistency, content development and even rebuilding commitments, alive in the game needs proper journalistic training and a well-schooled mind. This pillars better structuring of gaming stories, conducting better interviews on gaming ownership, evaluating sources and build a humongous and fantastic network with colleagues hence designing a proper shaded roof and rigid mind of resolutions in the whole of gaming zone.

As far as it is known there are no paid video game reviewers who devote their pen solely to reviewing video games. There are few writers who review video games to get paid but they work for print world and in most cases they have journalistic skills. The reward in the field is fueled by their smart work and turning the gaming habit from hobby to a profession. A general thumb up lies in growing the desire of video gaming every other time.

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