Tales as old as time from across the African continent, reimagined and retold by a new generation of six storytellers come together, the African Folktales, Reimagined short films in partnership with UNESCO, launched on Netflix on 29 March 2023.

The anthology of six short films was launched as part of Netflix’s partnership with UNESCO to support the next generation of storytellers who were provided with resources including a $90 000 budget and creative guidance by established filmmakers as mentors to bring their stories to life.

The emerging filmmakers were selected in 2021 following a call for submission that resulted in over 2000 applications from 13 countries in the sub-Saharan Africa region. The 6 emerging storytellers from Nigeria, South Africa, Mauritania, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will see their respective short films, make their debut on Netflix, globally. 

The African Folktales, Reimagined short film collection features a variety of African on-screen talent in stories by emerging African storytellers such as Mohamed Echkouna from Mauritania with Enmity Djinn; Walt Mzengi Corey from Tanzania with Katope; Korede Azeez from Nigeria  with Zabin Halima (Halima’s Choice); Voline Ogutu from Kenya with Anyango and the Ogre; Loukman Ali from Uganda with Katera of the Punishment Island and Gcobisa Yako from South Africa with MaMlambo.

Each storyteller was partnered with a local production company and under the guidance of Netflix-appointed supervising producer, Steven Markovitz from Big World Cinema and industry mentors: Bongiwe Selane (mentor to Gcobisa); Jenna Bass (mentor to Korede); Pape Boye (mentor to Loukman); Femi Odugbemi (mentor to Mohamed); Leila Afua Djansi (mentor to Voline) and Tosh Gitonga (mentor to Walt) who provided guidance and nurtured the filmmakers on their journey to bring their stories to life.

“UNESCO is proud to present the tales of Africa, reimagined by its emerging, homegrown talents. At the crossroads of tradition, innovation, heritage and creativity, African expressions in the 21st century are as diverse and dynamic as its people. The UNESCO-Netflix partnership represents our shared commitment to the audiovisual industries of Africa, which have the potential to generate US$20 billion in revenues annually. African creativity is a force for sustainable development, and we cannot wait for the audiences around the world to feel its unstoppable energy,” says Ernesto Ottone R., the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture.

“We are excited to finally bring this anthology of short films created by the next generation of African storytellers to Netflix members around the world,” says Tendeka Matatu, Netflix’s Director of Film in Africa.

Adding “This initiative is a testament to our ongoing efforts to strengthen the pipeline of African storytelling and to include voices from underrepresented communities. We’re grateful to our partners at UNESCO who walked this journey with us to provide an opportunity for the six emerging African filmmakers to create and showcase their reimagined folktales to the world, in their own languages, so that more people can see their lives reflected on screen.”

The Coast Civil Society Network for Human Rights (CCSNHR) has condemned the recent happenings during the anti-government demonstrations that led to loss of lives and destruction of properties in Kibera slums in Nairobi on Monday.

Addressing the media in Mombasa on Wednesday, the group has called on the Inspector General of police and the directorate of criminal investigations to take responsibility over what happened.

The group said that they have observed with utmost concern the conduct of various leaders in the country since the emergence of the demonstrations.

“We register our shock and concern at the level of aggressiveness and cruel tone and actions being exposed to the republic. The actions of various leaders violate the provisions of the Constitution and statutes of the Republic of Kenya,” said Munira Ali of Haki Yetu organization.

She said that they condemn the use of excessive force by the police to silence demonstrators and at the same time condemned the destruction of private property by groups of people hiding under the guise of the right to protest under article 37 of the constitution.

“We condemn the attacks on journalists and media freedom in the process of the demonstrations. We also condemn in the strangest terms, foul language intended to fan further violence and insensitive to the current context,” she said.

 The group now wants elements that have broken the law in the course of the protests be held responsible including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations they alleged mislead the public and posted false images to delude the public.

The group also called on the country’s leadership including the President, his deputy, the Minister for Interior and Coordination of National Government, the Inspector General of Police and the opposition leadership to respect, abide by and uphold the rule of law.

“Their pronouncements must be sensitive to current happenings. All communications from the state should be constant and consistent to the law, and done by the respective office holders,” she said.

The group further called upon the oversight institutions especially the KNCHR, IPOA, and NCIC to consistently take up their place in the discourse and monitor the role of the players in abiding with the constitution in line with their mandates.

They also called on the international community to intervene immediately and not wait for the current incidences to slide the country to anarchy and go the Rwanda way.

The group chairman Zedekiah Adika called on the inspector general of police and the director of criminal investigations to resign and take responsibility over what happened on Monday.

Adika accused the IG of operating outside the law and accused the DCI for inciting the public by publishing fake photos.

Adika said that Article 37 of the constitution allows people to demonstrate saying that it is the responsibility of the police under article 29 to ensure that protestors as protected and any property and people along their way too.

“The inspector general of police must take responsibility over what happened on Monday. The DCI also cannot go out of his way and publish photos to incite the public. They must leave the offices,” said Adika.

He called on the two political divides to take responsibility over what is happening in the country to ensure peace prevails.

 “We call upon the likes of Kimani Ichungwa to restrain themselves and speak knowing the sensitivity of this matter. His arrogance is too much,” said Adika.

Muhuri rapid response officer Francis Auma called for dialogue as he urged politicians to refrain from inciting the public.

Auma reiterated that any politician found to incite Kenyans must face the wrath of the law.

“We are documenting all that is happening and at the end somebody must be held responsible. We are also calling on the international community to intervene, if people have to be taken to International Criminal Court, so be it,” said Auma.

Thousands of travellers plying the Garissa–Nuno–Modogashe–Wajir Road route were left stranded for hours after the busy road was cut off at Jilango area by floods following the heavy rains currently being experienced in the country.

Jilango Village Lagdera Sub County in Garissa County has been experiencing rains since Saturday and the flat surfaced area that lacks flowing channels of rain water saw the rain water converge and head towards the direction of the highway towards a nearby stream.

According to the Assistant chief of Jilango Modogashe Location Abdinassir Osman the rains began pounding the area at 2am and continued till 11am Sunday morning. Despite stopping rain water kept finding its way to the stream not only causing havoc in the nearby Jilango village but the other three villages under Osman’s guard.

Livestock was swept away as well as houses with others being destroyed as they had been made of soil and sticks. In Jilango 140 households were affected by the rains, Geilab had 15 households affected, Maalimin Village reported 30 households while  Dihile only 16 households wwere affected.

“Over 30 goats were swept away and 5 Camels while an identified number if chicken not being traced as yet,” Confirmed Chief Osman.

The locals have now invaded the nearby Jilango Primary school seeking shelter affecting the normal school  schedule and operation.

Another impending danger is the issue of sanitation as all the toilets in the area were swept away and the community members and stranded travellers have to ease themselves in the nearby shrubs amidst a cholera outbreak in the area.

“They have been here for over 24 hours and cannot turn back. The are now using the little that is available and within their reach. The have been using the flowing water to shower and wash their personal belongings especially the truck drivers, “asserted Osman

The village also now lacks supplies as the few shops there had their stock swept away and destroyed by the floods.

“I was called by a neighbour to come over to my shop. I could not believe what I saw all my stock and good were nowhere. I had just restocked my shop last Friday now I feel so depressed, “said Ahmed Jelllow a shopkeeper.

This road, is an important trade corridor for traffic headed from Nairobi to Ethiopia via Moyale or Rhamu. This road also links the Garsen–Witu–Lamu Highway, as part of the  the Lamu-Moyale highway, under the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project . 

The road that began construction in 2015 and ended in 2017 after being commissioned by former President Uhuru Kenyatta used locally sourced funds as well as funding from the UAE through the ) the Kuwait Fund, the OPEC Fund, the Saudi Fund, the Abu Dhabi Fund and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, to fund the upgrade of the road at an estimated cost of Sh13.4 billion (approx. US$134.5 million)

The construction work was contracted to Arab Contractors Limited of Egypt.Already the government and the Garissa county government have sent personnel on the ground to look for a mitigating factor to the problem as the road connects the entire North Eastern area.

The national and county governments have pledged to promote the growth of the digital economy in Kenya through creating a conducive environment to enhance service delivery for all Kenyans.

During a high-level meeting between the council of governors in Mombasa, ICT cabinet secretary Eliud Owalo said the two levels of government have agreed to collaborate closely with key stakeholders in the advancement of the digital economy through a consultative approach.

 “In order to promote the growth of Information Communications and digital economy in Kenya, the National and County Governments have pledged to create a conducive technological environment to enhance service delivery for all Kenyans,” said Owalo.

Speaking in Mombasa they agreed that the Ministry of Information Communication  and  the Digital Economy and the Council of Governors to support the County Government in the process of automation of services to expand access of Governments services and data protection, including in the health management systems, GIS, and education information management system.

“Both levels of Government put in place strategies and enhance opportunities for young women and men to access and compete for digital and digitally enabled work. Additionally, collaboratively invest and leverage on technologies for knowledge- creation, capturing, sharing, utilization and evaluation for impact and scalability,” said Owalo.

The Cs also Owalo says the roll out of 25,000 free WIFI hotspots countrywide is taking shape as the state plans to accelerate digital transformation.

Owalo said the program currently at the advanced stage will be unstoppable targeting busy markets and Matatu terminus. He said WiFi programmes will help address inequity for marginalised communities that can't meet the high cost of data by creating numerous job opportunities that local youth can capitalise on.

He said that apart from digital village smart hubs in 1,450 sub counties,the government  expect to give citizens access to the digital superhighway and services by providing 25,000 free public WIFI hotspots, under our Ji-Konnect WIFI Programme.

“The piloting is over, with close to the first 80 free wi-fi hotspots in place. We plan to go out full-throttle in the coming days. Here is one area where we could collaborate with County Governments to speed up access,” said Owalo.

The digital superhighway agenda involves collaboration with the World Bank, on a program dubbed the Kenya Digital Economic Acceleration Programme (KDEAP).

The program falls under the World Bank Moonshot Project. Under this project, everyone in Africa should be digitally connected by the year   2030.

“By June this year we shall have a minimum of two WIFI hotspots between now and June in all counties, the target areas are Markets and bus stations.

The resolution was made during the high-level meeting between the council of governors ICT and knowledge management committee, ministry of ICT, senate standing committee on ICT and sector partners held on 27^th march, 2023.

Council of governors COG ICT committee chair Wesley Rotich agreed that County Governments to establish a minimum of two WIFI hotspots per county by end of June 2023 to target bus termini and markets.

“The two levels of Government to leverage on partnerships with the private sector and other development partners in digitizing and rebranding of the existing TVETs including vocational training centers and youth friendly institutions to help bridge the skills gap, improve quality and relevance of training and enhance their employability,” said Rotich..

Mombasa Woman Representative Zamzam Mohammed has told Mps allied to the ruling Kenya Kwanza alliance to respect Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga.

Zamzam said it is wrong for the Kenya Kwanza Mps to attack Odinga as they have been doing, arguing that he (Odinga) is more senior, experienced and a statesman.

"It is very wrong for you to attack Raila, he is senior and has seen it all. You are all junior to him. Infact he is the reason why we are enjoying this freedom today so please accord him the respect he deserves." said Zamzam.

Speaking in Changamwe, Zamzam said the Monday Azimio demonstrations are due to the high cost of living in the country and every Kenyan has the right to demonstrate peaceful.

"We would like to tell the President that we are demonstrating because we are fighting for our rights, we are demonstrating because the cost of living is now high and we are suffering as Kenyans and it is our right to do so" said Zamzam.

Zamzam also criticised President Ruto's Chief Administrative Secretaries appointees.

"Most of the appointees are politicians who we defeated in the general elections, they are rejects. We have so many Kenyans qualified for the positions why go for rejects" argued Zamzam.

She further called on Women and youth from the county to form groups and apply for the national government affirmative action fund (NGAFF).

"From next month I will be issuing out NGAAF and this is your money and I want you to benefit from this money. I will bring in professionals to train you on business and how to handle this money positively, to help you better your lives" she said.

A Mombasa based youth group has warned President William Ruto against what it termed as sideshows and instead focus on delivering his campaign promises.

According to Capital Youth Caucus Association (CYCA), the Kenya Kwanza government should begin delivering their promises since the country is currently facing alot of challenges with Kenyans going through hard times.

"President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza Government took power on September 13, 2022 with a Bottoms Up Manifesto to create jobs for the youth; economic emancipation of "Mama Mbogas"- micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); dismantling of the Deep State; and setting up of an all inclusive government; economic recovery by reducing taxes and cost of living for the common mwananchi; and defending the Supreme Contitution of Kenya by securing the people and properties." reads a statement from (CAYCA)

 Adding "As an organization, Capital Youth Caucus Association (CYCA Kenya), we gave the new Government 100 days to see what they can do so that we can assess the policies and decisions made thus far. It's now over 6 months down the line and what we have witnessed based on facts and tangible evidence is the complete opposite of what the Kenya Kwanza Government and HE William Ruto has done."

This comes as the Azimio la Umoja leadership prepares for the second part of the Monday protests over the high cost of living,  set for tomorrow.

Mombasa county residents have been assured of tight security during this holy of Ramadhan.

A meeting convened by Mombasa county governor Abdulswamad Nasir with security agencies and all elected leaders On Friday resolved to ensure security is provided in the entire county, to avert any criminal activities.

Nassir announced that the county government will install CCTVs and security lights in all the streets of Mombasa as a measure to boost security surveillance.

"We are going to ensure all streets in Mombasa are installed  with CCTV's and and security lights, we have also agreed that we will  return the 'Mombasa Yangu' program to create job opportunities for the young people," Nassir told journalists after the meeting.

Mombasa Deputy county commissioner Ronald Mwiwai assured Muslims going for early morning and late evening prayers of enough security.

"We will ensure Muslims going for prayers are protected, we are ready to provide 24 hours security surveillance in Mombasa," said Mwiwai.

He warned  juvenile criminal gangs that they will be dealt with firmly for causing any insecurity threat within the city, urging parents to take control of their young boys against engaging in any criminal activity.

"We want to tell parents to take control of their young boys,if they engage in crime we will treat them as criminals, this is the time parents should know what their young boys are doing when out of school," he said.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was on Saturday forced to apologize to Kenyans after being put on the spot for using using fake photos online.

The DCI had posted photos of what it described as suspects of Azimio protests.

"The Directorate of Criminal Investigations wishes to unreservedly apologize to the public for the mix-up of images in yesterday’s communication, which was meant to appeal for information regarding the whereabouts of criminal suspects involved in Monday’s illegal demonstrations." reads a statement from DCI , posted on Saturday.

Adding " The mix-up was partly occasioned by the overwhelming information that we had received via the #FichuakwaDCI online platform regarding the reported incidents of violence,"

DCI on Friday launched a manhunt for suspects alleged to have engaged in acts of violence during the Monday protests. They  requested the suspects to present themselves at the Serious Crimes offices based at DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road or at their nearest police station before close of business on Friday for further action.

Kenyans took to twitter to castigate the DCI over the photos.

On Friday, NTV ran a story on it's 9pm bulletin exposing the DCI over the fake photos.

In one of the  photos a man is seen aiming a teargas cannister at an unknown target. However, the image appears to first have been used in 2008. 

Kenyan music duo Vijana Barubaru (V-Be pronounced as Vee Bee) is on a song release streak, this time giving us a gem titled Romantic Call, which is now available as an audio on all music streaming sites and the video is out on YouTube.

Watch the song here: https://youtu.be/LoZXmobuKNk 

Romantic Call is the group’s second official release after their monster hit, Sasa Hivi ft. Ashley. The previous release Ipo Siku did considerably well and cemented them as one of the newest talents in Kenya that are set to put the country on the world map.

ABOUT THE SONG – ROMANTIC CALL

This song tells the tale of lovers on a call catching up on their individual experiences considering they are geographically distant. It is also a profession of love by the performer to their loved one. It is a feel-good song that asserts the performer’s willingness and intentions to remain in a romantic relationship with their partner till the end of time.

As the world marks the World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) highlights research milestones against a disease responsible for at least six percent all of deaths in the country.

While earlier research at KEMRI reduced the treatment period from 18 to 6 months, current research in TB is harnessing technology in diagnosis, clinical drugs and vaccine therapeutics towards better and lasting solutions to TB.

Kenya is moving towards shortening this treatment period further to 4 months and Institute hopes to support the National TB Control program in rolling out this new treatment program.

“KEMRI through its Centre for Respiratory Diseases Research (CRDR) has doubled efforts clinical trials for two promising TB vaccines for both adults and children. The team is working on a BCG recombinant Phase III vaccines trial for infants in Nairobi and Siaya Counties where at least 1,500 participants have been recruited for the vaccine candidate from the Serum Institute of India.”  Reads a statement from KEMRI.

Adding “Additionally, researchers are also following progress on another Phase III vaccine clinical trials for adolescents and adults. KEMRI participated in a Phase II trials of the m72 candidate TB vaccine that recruited approximately 3,500 adults across several African countries that showed an efficacy signal.”

 The development of this vaccine candidate was taken up by the Gates Medical Research Institute (GMRI) and KEMRI, if selected by the sponsor, is geared-up to participate in a Phase III licensure trials be conducted across many other countries in Africa.

“These vaccines have a likelihood to be adopted by World Health Organization (WHO) and used in protection for TB. This therefore means KEMRI is making the necessary strides in achieving the country's Universal Healthcare (UHC).” adds the statement.

At the same time, researchers in KEMRI together with partners are working on a novel technology that is to support TB diagnosing children which is still a major problem globally.

The study will devise the best ways to diagnose TB in children using a system that will be able to confirm the presence of TB in small amounts of blood obtained by checking for extracellular vesicles as well as accessing the presence of TB cell free DNA in urine and blood.

If successful, TB will be detected in less invasive specimen types which will highly contribute to increase in diagnosis in children.

Modern technology is also being embraced in TB diagnosis; another study is investigating cough sense which is a software that is able to distinguish between a TB cough and any other cough. This is going to change the dynamics of diagnosing a TB patient.

KEMRI has also actively participated in TB research that has seen its treatment period reduce from 18 to 6 months.

Researchers at the Institute are working tirelessly to find lasting solutions to TB diagnosis and treatment that will inform better human health in the country.