India is now feeble ,with it’s population reducing each day. The variant that hit them is furiously snatching over 3600 Indians in a single day taking india to a tally of over 18 million infections. The number of deaths recorded on Thursday was the largest since the pandemic started.

We are overwhelmed” leaders expressed tension over the situation explaining that the morgues are overwhelmed with bodies. Grave diggers are noted to work on a 24/7 schedule as the numbers increase beyond the estimated numbers.

Notable hotels and railway couches in the country have been momentarily turned into care facilities in efforts to manage the big number.

Experts and researchers are afraid that the real number of deaths and infections is more than what they report ,a good reason for other countries to get alarmed and cautious.

Doctors and nurses explained that they don’t take breaks. “We are totally filled”.

Patients gasping for oxygen ,are strewn in trolleys between the filled beds as others succumb to the virus at the htospitals foyer.

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi is facing squirms for permitting political rallies and religious festivals amid the seriousness of the pandemic.

The deadly variant has been reported in Uganda and Romania. No case has been confirmed in kenya yet.

India is amongst the biggest producers of vaccines though it’s depending on aid from other nations to attend to the 800 million needed. The army has showed efforts in the supply of oxygen to the hospitals.

The african union has summoned other african nations to tighten their measures as the variant is furious. On May 8 the organization will meet its members to address the issue.

Even with the shocking number of deaths in india , it still comes third in number of infections after Brazil and united States .

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Senate Minority Leader James Orengo on Tuesday April 7, 2020 tore into speakers of both houses, the senate speaker Ken Lusaka and the National Assembly speaker Justin Muturi.

This is after the duo went ahead to dismiss the sittings of both houses amid he coronavirus pandemic.

The Siaya County senator has dismissed the move by both speakers, accusing them of going against the parliamentary rules and laws.

In a letter dated April 7 and seen by Dailytrends.co.ke , Orengo terms the move by the two house speakers as constitutional.

The senior counsel notes that these are difficult terms where all organs of the government must work together in harmony and unison to deal with the worst health scourge.

He cites that even in these hard times of coronvirus pandemic, the constitution and the rule of law have not been suspended, and thus, they must be followed by each and everyone.

He however, regrets that speakers Lusaka and Muturi arbitrarily suspended lawfully convened sittings of the National Assembly and the senate.

“But even in these hard times the constitution and the rule of law have not been suspended. It is regrettable that speakers of both houses of Parliament have arbitrarily suspended lawfully convened sittings of the National Assembly and the senate,” reads part of the letter.

Orengo goes on to note that no consultations were undertaken with the leadership of both houses or apopropriate committees of parliament to ensure strict compliance with law the law and the rules of parliament.

He says that the senate and parliament operate on a calendar and can never be prorogued or have its sittings suspended by any form of device or craft.

The post Orengo Schools Speakers Lusaka, Muturi on Constitution After This Embarrassment appeared first on Daily Trends.

A man of God has found himself in hot soup after misleading his sheep on the most dreaded coronavirus pandemic.

The controversial pastor who is accused of telling his congregation that there is no coronavirus in Africa has been charged by Ugandan Authorities.

Prosecutors accuse Augustine Yiga of making the comments to the Revival Christian Church congregation on Friday, in comments carried by local television stations.

He denied the charges.

“Claiming that Covid-19 doesn’t exist in Africa and Uganda undermines government efforts in fighting the epidemic and exposes the public to great danger of laxity in observing the guidelines on its control and prevention,” Uganda police spokesman Patrick Onyango is quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

The pastor faces a jail term of up to seven years.

The post Controversial Pastor Charged For Denying Coronavirus Exists in Africa appeared first on Daily Trends.

Member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have agreed to forge a joint approach to curb the spread of Coronavirus disease.

The Heads of States of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan today held a teleconference where they discussed the challenges the region is facing in managing the global pandemic.

The Heads of State tasked the IGAD Secretariat to urgently formulate a regional response to COVID-19 that adopts a whole-of-government approach.

The leaders also agreed to intensify information sharing including tracking of infected persons.

Further, the Heads of State agreed to direct their relevant agencies to enhance cooperation in border control and management, with a view of ensuring safety along common borders and guarantee movement of cargo.

The leaders appealed to the international community to provide support for vulnerable groups particularly refugees within IGAD countries and to support national efforts to ensure that humanitarian corridors remain open.

In addition, the Heads of State agreed to pursue joint mobilisation of financial resources from international institutions and partners.

They said the region needs resources to help in combating the virus as well as in mitigating the social-economic impact of the disease.

The leaders urged the private sector to contribute more to the fight against the infectious disease.

To mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic, the Heads of State tasked regional ministers of finance to carry out a comprehensive assessment with a view of establishing an IGAD emergency fund.

Further, the Heads of State tasked the IGAD secretariate to formulate appropriate response programmes that will be discussed by the leaders.

The leaders said the assessment will form the basis for joint engagement with international partners such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank Group, and the G20 for economic stimulus packages.

While briefing his counterparts on the measures Kenya is taking to curtail the spread of the virus, President Kenyatta stated the country’s willingness to assist regional nations that may require its support saying, it is imperative for IGAD countries to forge a common front against the global pandemic.

“My administration will do whatever is within its power and capacity to extend any support that our brothers and sisters in our neighboring countries might require,” President Kenyatta said.

President Kenyatta also briefed the leaders on the outcomes of a teleconference of the Bureau of the African Union Heads of State and Government held on 26th March.

One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the agreement to establish a continental anti-Covid-19 Africa Fund to which members of the Bureau agreed to immediately contribute US $12.5 million as seed funding.

The bureau also agreed to contribute a further US $4.5 million towards boosting the capacity of the African Union Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC).

On its part, Kenya pledged to contribute US$ 2 million and US$ 1 million to the Fund and the Africa CDC respectively.

President Kenyatta reminded IGAD member states to continue the fight against desert locust invasion even as they work to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus.

He said the desert locust invasion risks plunging the region into a food crisis at a time when the world’s attention is focused on dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Chairperson of IGAD who is also the Prime Minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok, President Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), President Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Vice President Dr. Riek Machar  (South Sudan) and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia participated in the teleconference.

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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.

The post Vocal Tanga Tanga MP in Trouble For Exposing “Government’s Secretes” on Coronavirus appeared first on Daily Trends.

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.

The post How Ignorant Kenyans Forced Uhuru to Impose a Dusk to Dawn Curfew appeared first on Daily Trends.

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.

The post Coronavirus Patient Fully Recovers as Confirmed Cases in Kenya Hits 28 appeared first on Daily Trends.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has confirmed 9 more confirmed coronavirus cases in Kenya, bringing the total number of cases to 25.

In a live press briefing at Afya House on Tuesday evening, CS Kagwe noted that the new cases were detected on people from four counties.

These are Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale.

Out of the nine confirmed cases, seven of them are Kenyans and two are foreigners.

The new cases were confirmed after 82 samples being tested.

CS Kagwe says tracing of contacts of patients is ongoing. The total number of traced contacts so far are 745. Out of these, 98 have been discharged.

CS Kagwe further thanked Chines billionaire businessman Jack Ma for the donations that landed in the country today aboard Ethiopian airlines.

The Alibaba co-founder’s donations of masks and 25,000 testing kits for the coronavirus arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi on Tuesday March 24.

The shipment arrived at JKIA from Addis Ababa shortly after midday.

Jack Ma promised to issue out a total of 1.1 million testing kits, 6 million masks and 60,000 medical use protective suits and face shields that will be distributed among all the 54 African nations.

However, CS Kagwe in his Tuesday evening presser said that the government will announce more measures to contain the virus. Could it be a total lock down of the country?

Well, the measures that had been earlier announced are to remain into effect as the country awaits more measures set to be announce tomorrow (Wednesday March 25).

The post Confirmed Coronavirus Cases in Kenya Hits 25 appeared first on Daily Trends.

A German army shipment of six million face masks needed to protect against the novel coronavirus has vanished in Kenya.

The defence ministry in Berlin, Germany confirmed on Tuesday.

“We are trying to find out what happened” to the massive order of protective equipment meeting the FFP2 standard for protection against particles and aerosols, a spokeswoman said.

News weekly Der Spiegel had earlier reported that the masks went missing at a Kenyan airport at the end of last week.It was not immediately clear why the shipment was transiting via the east African country, the spokeswoman said.

The German army’s procurement office — plagued in normal times by equipment shortages and breakdowns — is providing the health ministry with logistical support during the coronavirus crisis.

Due to arrive in Europe’s largest economy on March 20, the missing mask shipment was one of the first major deliveries needed to gird Germany’s health system for its battle against the coronavirus, Spiegel reported.

That makes the loss “more than irritating” for the German health and government workers on the front line of the crisis, Spiegel wrote citing official sources.

According to the Robert Koch Institute disease control authority, the country had 27,436 confirmed virus infections Tuesday — an increase of almost 5,000 over the tally on Monday.

The defence ministry spokeswoman said the German government would not suffer a financial loss on the lost shipment as payment for the masks had been due on delivery.

Credits, AFP

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A Tanga Tanga lawmaker who had self-isolated himself after coming from an international trip, has completed his 14 days of self-quarantine.

The Kericho senator Aaron Cheruiyot, who is allied to Jubilee’s Tanga Tanga faction, isolated himself after jetting into the country from London.

Cheruiyot on March 18 via his twitter account said he was self-quarantining at home, a fortnight after visiting the Emirates Stadium in London.

On Tuesday March 24, 2020, Cheruiyot through his twitter account again, announced that he had completed his 14 days of self-quarantine without any issue.

He said he woke up with his heart filled with joy as he completed his 14th day with no issue.

The lawmaker noted that it is a tough season for every human being, urging people to be vigilant, observe health rules, pray, remain hopeful.

He notes that when people come together in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the fight shall be won.

“Woke up with a heart filled with joy. Cleared the 14th day with no issue. It’s a tough season for every human being.Let us be vigilant, observe the health rules, pray, remain hopeful & together we shall most definetly win,” he posted.

Cheruiyot was in attendance at the Arsenal stadium in London when coach Mikel Arteta’s side beat West Ham 1-0 in an English Premier League match on March 7.

He later posted a photo of himself at the 60,000-seater stadium and even lauded French striker Alexandre Lacazette who scored the lone goal.

Soon after, Arteta tested positive for coronavirus and the club postponed two league matches against Manchester City and Brighton before the league cancelled all fixtures in the competition altogether.

As a measure to contain the COVID-19, the government announced that all Kenyans returning home from overseas trip must self-quarantine for 14 days.

The country has so far confirmed 16 cases of COVID-19.

The post Tanga Tanga Senator Completes His 14 Days of Quarantine, Shares Touching Message appeared first on Daily Trends.

Mr. Wandere Maina, a trader who supplies equipment such as tents and chairs to major events like rallies is one of the many traders whose business prospects have been largely affected by the spread of the coronavirus.

It took Wandere 10 years to build his company from scratch to employing over 600 employees. It took the flu virus a few days to bring this number down to 50.

After the first case of Covid 19 was discovered in Kenya, the government directed that all public gatherings and rallies be called off in order to contain spread of the flu virus, leaving Wandere with virtually no one and nowhere to supply equipment to.

From employing over 600 employees he now has only about 50 employees left working for him. Much as the massive lay-offs pain him, there is not much he can do about it.

Another trader, Loise Njeri, who has been running a successful hotel business in Nairobi, finds herself in a similar predicament. Speaking to her, Loise does not sound as excited as she would have sounded some two weeks ago, reason being where as she used to open shop early and close late, now she opens late and closes early thus getting lower returns.

After government discouraged dining in hotels, the number of customers she has been receiving in the past one week has significantly gone down. She is grappling with how to meet rent and taxes at the end of the month amidst heavy losses incurred.

Whereas other eatery businesses have the option of shipping goods to customers based on the orders they have received online, she does not have that option and so has to contend with lower sales. Her business is only accessible to people who pass by her premises while going about their business and her regular customers.

The emergence of the corona virus has similarly taken many other businesses by surprise. Only those with systems such as websites and e-commerce platforms that enable them to carry on with business as usual while maintaining slightest contact with the flu virus are still counting profits as they did before.

As Mr. Felix Mbugua, a tech enthusiast and CEO of web design firm Legibra notes, unfortunate as the abrupt emergence of Covid 19 is, it also comes as an eye opener for businesses to integrate new technologies into the functionality of their businesses so that whenever such an eventually crops up again, they will be prepared.

“The spread of the virus is still relatively under control in Kenya, though even as we remain optimistic that the authorities will be able to effectively contain it, it may be too early to assess the full impact that the virus is going to have on our economy and how long it is going to take us to get back on with our normal lives,” said Mr. Mbugua.

With schools on lock down and companies urging people to work from home, new technologies such as internet of things and artificial intelligence could facilitate students to get an education online, business leaders and manufacturers to run and monitor their businesses all day long with very little reliance on human capital, and customers to purchase goods from retailers without even visiting their shops.

“Businesses that do not have an online presence are going to have a big challenge this time because people are going to be buying goods online,” noted Mr. Mbugua.

Indeed, all over the world, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things have significantly boosted economic prospects of digitised businesses.

In America for instance, e-commerce giant amazon is reportedly struggling to hire over 100,000 workers for delivery services to meet the growing demand and shift to digital shopping. The retailer will be targeting people who have lost their jobs following closure of companies they used to work in.

According to Felix however, not all hope is lost because after all necessity is the mother of invention. We could come out of this stronger than we anticipated and find better ways to go about our businesses.

He is encouraging more and more business people to sign up for websites in order to boost their online presence and thus be able to carry on with business as usual while we wait for things to get back to normal.

The post Coronavirus: New Technologies Only Solution For Businesses Now appeared first on Daily Trends.

A 30-year-old man is reported to have collapsed and died while traveling to Mombasa aboard Chania Cool bus of REG. NO. KCU 756C , SCANIA model.

According to multiple reports, the man is said to have collapsed after coughing severely at around 0240 hrs.

The incident is said to have occurred at Teleh Hotel Mutito-Andei, in Makueni County.

Police have identified the deceased as FREDRICK MBACHU MWAKIMA TAITA.

Reports doing rounds on social media indicate that Public Health officers are making arrangements to remove the body and fumigate the bus.

The incident happens as the nation struggles to contain the now most dreaded coronavirus pandemic.

Other passengers are said to have fled the scene after noticing the deceased’s severe coughs, leaving him to die helplessly.

On Sunday March 22, 2020, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe confirmed eight more COVID-19 cases in Kenya, bring the total number of cases to 15.

Addressing a press conference from Harambee House, CS Kagwe noted that one of the confirmed coronavirus patients was in a critical condition in Kilifi and there were plans to airlift him to Nairobi for further treatment.

Kilifi County Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi has also tested positive for the virus.

He was picked by state officers and forced into isolation after he refused to self-quarantine the moment he came from an international trip.

Governor Amason Kingi has resorted to self-quarantine himself, with CS Kagwe vowing to charge his deputy for going against Government’s Health Act.

Meanwhile, the government has put in some measures to contain the virus.

All international flights have been suspended, with all bars remaining close until further notice effective Wednesday 25th March.

The post 30-Year-Old Man Coughs to Death While Traveling to Mombasa Aboard Chania Bus appeared first on Daily Trends.

Kenya has new eight confirmed coronavirus cases.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe in a press conference at Harambee House on Sunday evening confirmed the new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 15.

Kagwe said that the new cases are all imported.

He says they both came through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

Out of the eight, five are Kenyans, two are French and one Mexican.

The new cases, according to CS Kagwe, were imported between March 4 to March 17. The patients are aged between 20- 57.

On Friday, Kagwe confirmed three more cases bringing the total number of cases to seven.

Kagwe said the three patients included a couple who recently travelled into the country from Spain.

The other patient was a Burundian national who was screened at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upon arrival from Dubai on Tuesday, March 17.

On Sunday while confirmed the eight new cases, Kagwe gave some new measures to contain the spread of the most dreaded coronavirus.

All international flights have been suspended effective Wednesday 25th March.

Those coming to Kenya between now and Wednesday will undergo Quarantine at a government facility at their expense.

Kenyans who won’t have come back by Wednesday to stay there.

All churches and other religious gatherings have also been suspended.

All bars are set to be closed from midnight tonight.

Restaurants will remain open for take-away services only.

The CS further urged Kenyans to stay at home to avoid contacting and spreading the COVID-19.

Funeral services are supposed to be attended by immediate family members only, within 24 hours of demise of the deceased.

The post Government Issues Tough Measures as Coronavirus Cases in Kenya Jumps to 15 appeared first on Daily Trends.

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has today released Shs 7.4 billion to support Government efforts to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during President Kenyatta’s meeting with the private sector, CBK Governor Dr Patrick Njoroge said the money was gained from the mop-up of the old 1000 shillings bank notes.

“As you recall in September last year we concluded the demonetization of our currency relating to our old generation one thousand bank notes. That matter was concluded and as a result of that, Shs 7.4 billion worth of bank notes never came back to the system.

“That money would have been held by people who, for whatever reason, did not want to subject themselves to the checks that were in place. So most likely this was money that might have been illicitly acquired through the various channels that we have talked about in other forums,” the CBK Governor said.

Dr Njoroge said the bank is giving back the money to boost the government’s efforts to combat the Coronavirus pandemic.

President Kenyatta thanked CBK for the contribution and directed Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani to ensure the money is used to support Kenyans to overcome the current health crisis.

“That money goes to help our health facilities and our health workers,” the President said.

He added: “That again is something we appreciate and this is what I mean when I say Kenyans working together can achieve miracles.”

During the meeting, the President announced a further Shs 1 billion allocation by the Government for hiring of more health workers needed to increase the country’s capacity to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic.

He said the additional funds will ensure the government brings on board enough manpower to support those already in the field working to save lives.

The President’s meeting with the private sector representatives discussed a raft of other measures being taken to cushion the country from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Key among the interventions is an announcement by the Head of State that outstanding VAT refunds and pending bills would be settled within 30 days.

The President said VAT refunds and settlement of pending bills will help improve cash flow and keep businesses afloat.

“Critically, we all recognize that the volume of business has gone down. We need to ensure that we have cash flow to be able to keep ourselves afloat as we go through these trying times,” the President said.

He said the Government had lifted a ban on its entities from holding conferences and seminars in private hotels so as to keep the hospitality sector vibrant.

“As you are well aware we had put a ban on government officials holding meetings in hotels and said only government institutions are the ones to host various seminars by government.

“Again we have lifted that temporarily until this is over so that our hotel beds get occupancy and you in turn are able to keep your workers employed,” the President said.

Once again, the President thanked the media for its leading role in information dissemination and public health education on the Coronavirus pandemic.

He said the media had distinguished itself as a valuable partner in efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Following yesterday’s directive, the Head of State said the Government had released 400,000 litres of ethanol, impounded by the multi-agency team on contraband goods, to oil companies for the blending of hand sanitizers to be distributed free of charge to the public.

On its part, the private sector, through the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Chairman Nick Nesbitt and CEO Carole Kariuki, committed to continue protecting Kenyan employees against job losses and safeguarding SMEs from the adverse effects the current crisis by ensuring business and supply chain continuity.

The private sector further committed to prioritize the health and safety of employees, communities and health workers through increased Corporate Social Responsibility activities. The meeting was attended by several Cabinet Secretaries among other senior Government officials.

Earlier, the President held talks with representatives of the Export Processing Zones (EPZ) Apparel and Textile Sector during which he commended the sector for their efforts in minimizing job losses during this crisis period.

The post Uhuru Receives Ksh 7.4 Billion to Contain Spread of Coronavirus appeared first on Daily Trends.

The Kenyan government has issued fresh orders in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

All Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) plying Nairobi routes and other parts of the country have been ordered to carry less passengers.

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe on Friday ordered matatus to carry less passengers in the fight against the most dreaded coronavirus.

Addressing the media from Afya House in the company of government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna, Kagwe said 25 seater PSVS should carry 15 passengers only.

He further noted that 14 seater matatus are supposed to carry 8 passengers only. This is in a move to maintain social distancing.

“Fourteen seater matatus should carry eight passengers only,” he said.

 This also applies to Standard Gauge Railway.   CS Kagwe said this is effective beginning Monday, March 23, 2020.

He also ordered that all entertainment areas, bars and social case are to close by 7 :30 pm everyday effective Monday.

Supermarkets have also been directed to limit the number of customers entering their premises at a given time.

All hospitals have also been ordered to limit the number of visitations.

CS Kagwe also noted that travel into the country have been restricted to Kenyan citizens and foreigners with valid resident permits, who must self quarantine for 14 days failure to which they risk arrest and prosecution.

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Three people who had been put in isolation after exhibiting coronavirus symptoms in Kakamega have tested negative, Governor Wycliffe Opranya has confirmed.

According to the county chief, the three are being closely monitored by medical officers.

Out of the three cases, two were reported in Navakholo and Khwisero sub-counties on Thursday night.

Health Chief Officer Beatrice Etemesi said the patient in Khwisero had been isolated at Mwihila Mission Hospital. She is a 19-year-old university student who had travelled from Nairobi.

And the one from Navakholo is reported to have self-quarantined after contacting medical personnel about her condition. The patients were complaining of flu-like symptoms.

The first case is of a businessman who returned from Dubai.

The patient is in a stable condition at the county referral hospital.

Samples had been taken from him and analysed at the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

Governor Oparanya’s government has allocated Sh110 million for mass sensitisation on the coronavirus.

He has also instructed sub-county and ward administrators to be vigilant.

The post Suspected Kakamega Coronavirus Cases Tests Negative appeared first on Daily Trends.

Bungoma County Governor Wycliffe Wangamati on Thursday March 19, 2020 suspended all County operations in the County as part of the efforts to stop spread of Coronavirus.

According to Governor Wangamati, only the Departments of Health, Finance and Office of the Governor shall remain open from tomorrow Friday, March 20, 2020.

Speaking in Mabanga in a meeting that briefed senior officers of the Provincial Administration on a raft of measures to stave the threat of Coronavirus, Governor Wangamati said he had suspended all County operations except strictly essential services.

“Henceforth, unless otherwise called upon, all County employees in departments other than the three shall work from home,” Governor Wangamati directed.

The Governor also banned all market days in the County for the next 30 days.

Governor Wangamati said only markets serving small communities and neighbourhoods will be allowed to operate.

Addressing a sitting that was also attended by the County Commissioner Dr Abdi Hassan, Governor Wagamati also directed that any burials in the County take place in under 24 hours.

He also said such burials shall provide running water and soap to all those in attendance.

The Governor also suspended all church functions including weddings, night prayers and crusades.

He called on the residents to remain vigilant, lookout for the following signs and seek immediate medical help from the nearest medical facility in need be:

• Dry Coughing

• Sneezing

• High Fever

• Breathing difficulties

• General body pains

Further, residents are called upon to observe the instructions of health officials.

Particularly;

• Wash your hands with soap regularly – at least for 20 seconds at every given moment with soap and running water.

• Practice high level of personal hygiene

• Avoid the shaking of hands and hug

• Avoid any body contact – always keep at least a metre from the next person.

• Avoid public gathering of whatever kind. Keep off weddings, churches, and keep burials short and small.

• Avoid partaking of any cold food or drinks

• Avoid unnecessary movements

• Practice etiquette while in public, like ensuring you sneeze or cough into a handkerchief of folded arm.

• Ensure to sanitize shared facilities.

• Adhere to instructions and advice given by authorities.

• All public facilities from hotels to malls are directed to provide running water and soap for public use.

The post Bungoma County Suspends All Operations, Only Three Offices to Remain Open appeared first on Daily Trends.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has confirmed three more coronavirus cases in Kenya, a day after he confirmed the fourth case.

This now brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

CS Kagwe on Wednesday noted that the three more cases that have been confirmed involves a couple that traveled from Spain on 4th March and arrived in the country on 5th march, and a Burundian who traveled from Dubai.

“As of today, we have an additional 3 cases of coronavirus bringing the current number of cases in Kenya to 7 confirmed cases. All these are imported cases from outside the country. Of the 3 is a couple from Spain and a Burundian from Dubai,” he noted.

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Government will quarantine all cash from local banks for a period of one week, Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) governor Patrick Njoroge has said.

The move is part of precautionary measures being undertaken by the state to avoid the spread of COVID-19 which is also transmitted through cash exchange.

The CBK governor has further encouraged Kenyans to adopt mobile money transfers in their daily transaction to minimize the chances of spreading the virus.

Following a meeting with commercial banks on Monday, March 16, 2020, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has announced a set of measures that commercial banks will undertake in order to alleviate the adverse economic effects their customers may face from the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). While the extent of the adverse effects are still evolving, it is already evident that the impact on some of the customers may be severe.

To help alleviate the adverse effects, the following emergency measures will apply for borrowers whose loan repayments were up to date as at March 2, 2020.

1. Banks will seek to provide relief to borrowers on their personal loans based on their individual circumstances arising from the pandemic.
2. To provide relief on personal loans, banks will review requests from borrowers for extension of their loan for a period of up to one year. To initiate this process, borrowers should contact their respective banks.

1. Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporate borrowers can contact their banks for assessment and restructuring of their loans based on their respective circumstances arising from the pandemic.
2. Banks will meet all the costs related to the extension and restructuring of loans.
3. To facilitate increased use of mobile digital platforms, banks will waive all charges for balance inquiry.
4. As earlier announced, all charges for transfers between mobile money wallets and bank accounts will be eliminated.

CBK will closely monitor the implementation of these measures, particularly in light of the fast-evolving nature of the economic impact of the pandemic.

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