The annual Pizza and Wine Festival which was to be headlined by Nigerian singer Omah Lay has been postponed from August 7 to October.

The camcellation of the event came after the announcement by the Ministry of Health Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe that suspended all public gatherings and in person meetings.

"We have taken the difficult decision to push forward the Pizza and Wine Festival - Kitenge Edition initially scheduled for 7th August 2021 to October 2021. Final dates to follow after."  read in part an official statement from the organisers.

Adding " The decision was arrived at, after internal consultation in the interests of all stake holders, you, our beloved attendees, our partners, Omah Lay and his team, local authorities, and local artists. We are closely monitoring the situation and are working diligently to confirm the new dates. We will provide periodic updates to keep you abreast of all developments."

The Kenyan performers in the line up included Nadia Mukami, Nikita Kering’ and Brandy Maina, Nviiri and Bensoul.

The Mombasa County Covid-19 emergency response committee has banned all live performances in hotels and bars following the increase in cases of Covid-19 in the county.

According to the committee Covid-19 cases the County are rising again, doubling in the month of July compared to the month of June.

Addressing the press at the Governor's office, Mombasa Public Health Chief Officer Pauline Odinga said that for the past couple of weeks, the county has witnessed a surge in the number of infections which she attributed to a lot of laxity in following Covid-19 protocols.

"We have recorded 13,609 positive cases which is a growing rate of 1.9% for the month of June to 2.2% for July. New admissions at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital have risen from 37 for the month of June to 166 for July. she said.

Adding "the positivity rate has also increased from 7.1% to 15.0% and mortality rate increased from 36 cases in June to 89 in July 2021."

Among the 144 cases, 5 are on ventilator support, 8 on supplementary oxygen in ICU, 8 on observation in ICU, 48 on supplementary oxygen in general wards and 75 in general isolation ward,

On his part Mombasa County Commissioner who co-chairs the committee alongside Governor Hassan Joho said the committee was forced to come up with orther measures to control the spread of the disease in the county.

"We have received information of some people setting up ICUs at their homes, this is very dangerous and we have resolved that treatment of Covid-19 cases at home is probihited". said Kitiyo.

Other measures are, suspension of all public gatherings, places of worship to follow a third capacity rule of worshippers to avoid congestion, they should also adhere to all set rules such as keeping distance and putting on masks.

Disposal of dead bodies will also be required to be conducted within 72 hours.

The committee further encouraged the residents to get vaccinated.

Italy based Kenyan rising star Queen MJ  has dropped her latest single titled You are Mine.

The single dropped last month has its visuals out on YouTube with a video to follow up later.

Mine : https://youtu.be/ZATy8rLpEiE 

Queen MJ's latest song. “You Are Mine ,” is a love ballad that was inspired by her own experience of love at first sight.

The song is a reminder of how she met the love of her life several years ago. 

Watch High Up :https://youtu.be/DgePN6GTqWk 

Queen MJ plans to release an album by the end of the year. She currently has 10 projects on YouTube, and also owns a recording studio and Deejaying academy. 

The lyric video is out now on YouTube and all digital platforms. 

Queen MJ is set to do some philanthropy later in the year.

American actress Scarlett Johansson, who has played the Marvel character Black Widow in eight blockbuster films, sued the Walt Disney Company on Thursday over its pandemic-era streaming strategy. 

The complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that Disney breached her contract when it released “Black Widow” simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ this month.

Ms. Johansson’s suit said that Disney had promised that “Black Widow” would receive an exclusive release in theaters for approximately 90 to 120 days and that her compensation — based largely on bonuses tied to ticket sales — was gutted as a result of the hybrid release. 

“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,” the suit reads. 

Simultaneous availability on Disney+, where subscribers could watch the film instantly (and have permanent access to it) for a $30 surcharge, “dramatically decreased box office revenue,” Ms. Johansson said in the suit.

“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” Disney said in a statement to New York Times.

Over its first three days in theaters, “Black Widow” collected $158 million at theaters worldwide and took in about $60 million on Disney+ Premier Access. 

Black Widow is Johansson’s first leading film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and she’s said it’s her final appearance. 

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on Thursday appealed for greater national focus on mental illnesses by stakeholders in the health sector. 

The First Lady said mental health should be given the same priority as other medical conditions noting that, with proper attention, mental illnesses are treatable.

"It (mental sicknesses) can be treated and many people we know have recovered enough to lead healthy lives. Yet, too many individuals are being left to deal with these issues on their own, and many face complicating life circumstances like drug and alcohol addiction, confinement or abandonment. We must do a better job. We must not accept this,” First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said. 

She observed that the recent escalation in the numbers of Kenyans affected by mental illnesses, especially during the current Coronavirus pandemic, makes the case for urgent attention.

As part of the renewed approach, the First Lady advised stakeholders to aim at providing greater access to quality mental health treatment, appropriate medical and psychosocial support. 

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta spoke during celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of Chiromo Hospital Group and official opening of Chiromo Bustani Level 5 Hospital in Nairobi. Chiromo Bustani is a new mental hospital in Nairobi County. 

The First Lady hailed Chiromo Hospital Group for their sustained commitment to mental health in Kenya saying, the experience and knowledge gained by the hospital over the years should be leveraged to expand mental health provision in the country.

“In the conversation today, we have learned some very important facts about these illnesses that we probably did not know 25 years ago when this institution first started.

“We can now use this knowledge to implement better policies,implement better treatment modalities and scale up interventions that will support a reliable mental care system,” First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said.

 She observed that mental health was a growing global and national concern noting, that the rising number of cases were ravaging communities and households across the country.

“We all know of, or have heard of, someone who has battled with mental illness. This is a signal to our nation that we must do whatever it takes to heighten our efforts to create awareness about mental diseases," the First Lady advised.

Despite the challenges faced in the provision of mental healthcare in the country, the First Lady applauded efforts being made by Government and partners to ensure the services are expanded, and called for more awareness creation.

“We have made progress in learning about mental diseases in the last few years, so that we understand them more scientifically.

“We need to be aware of the cost of untreated mental illness; the lost school days, lost work days, dropout, marital distress, and also lost opportunity cost—the economic effects of individuals who are not functioning at full capacity,” the First Lady advised.

Public awareness, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta noted, could change negative perceptions around mental illnesses citing her experience in maternal and child health advocacy through the Beyond Zero Initiative.

“One of the ways we can change the misguided perceptions is through more public awareness.I know heightened advocacy and awareness works through my own work in Beyond Zero highlighting maternal and child health. We also have many great examples of how advocacy works through joint collaboration, through the media and community support,” she said.

Once again, the First Lady reiterated her commitment to continue advocating for mental health and assured of her support for the global 'Tufunguke' campaign which is encouraging people to open up about their mental illnesses.

Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi, who also spoke at the launch event, said mental illnesses were a major challenge and welcomed the private sector's support Government efforts to expand mental healthcare in the country.

On his part, Dr Frank Njenga, the Chairman of the Chiromo Hospital Group, who led several people to tell their success stories after receiving treatment at the facility, said the 580-bed capacity hospital handles an average of 100 cases daily. 

Kenya and the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday signed two key agreements in the health sector, on the third day of President Kenyatta's official visit to the European nation.

The first pact, signed by Labour Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui and UK's Secretary of State for Health Sajid Javid, is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Health Workforce Collaboration.

The second agreement, also an MoU, is on the launch of the UK-Kenya Health Alliance, was signed by University of Manchester's Vice-President Prof Graham Lord, Dr Richard Cowan of Christie hospital, John Wareing of the University of Manchester Foundation Trust and Kenya’s High Commissioner to the UK Amb Manoah Esipisu.

The agreement on health workforce collaboration provides a framework for capacity building and exchange of health workers between Kenya and the UK, while the health alliance is a collaborative platform for healthcare providers.

Speaking at the Royal College of Physicians in central London where the agreements were entered, President Kenyatta expressed optimism that the two pacts will deepen the Kenya-UK partnership in healthcare provision.

“I am delighted to note that these two new MoU's will create a platform for health workers exchange and capacity building of healthcare professionals not only in Kenya but also across our region.

“But more importantly, it will also strengthen the management of cancer and therefore be in a position to provide our people with the kind of healthcare that they deserve,” President Kenyatta said.

Noting that Kenya and the UK enjoy a solid and effective research cooperation since the early 1980’s, through various programmes among them a partnership between the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Welcome Trust and UK Aid, the President said the collaboration has contributed immensely to the advancement of medical research in Kenya.

The President, particularly, applauded the UK for its partnership with Kenya in Covid-19 research, a groundbreaking exercise that saw KEMRI undertake sero-surveillance, transmission modelling and testing for the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.

“This work will help us as a country to model our health systems capacity and determine how best to enhance the capacity of the systems to manage Covid-19 cases,” the President said.

Once again, President Kenyatta affirmed his administration's commitment to the advancement of the Kenya-UK partnership in order to assist Kenyatta accelerate the attainment of universal health coverage as well as the other Big 4 Agenda programmes.

In his address, Secretary Javid said the signing of the MOU on health workforce collaboration will go a long way in supporting Kenya’s efforts towards achieving universal health coverage.

On his part, University of Manchester Vice-President Prof Lord announced that his university and Christie hospital will establish two scholarships named after Kenya’s founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta to help support Kenyans in the medical field at the university.

As part of its broad objectives, the UK-Kenya Health Alliance seeks to improve cancer care in Kenya and development of a centre of excellence for cancer research at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTTRH).

Further, the alliance aims at promoting the exchange of health workforce between Kenya and the UK as well as developing a centre of excellence for health education and training at Kisii University in Kenya to serve the whole of the East African region.

Popular Mwanzele singer and composer Bin Kalama is dead.

Kalama died on Wednesday evening at the Coast General hopital where he had been rushed for treatment after complaining of chest problems.

Kalama had also been living with a fractured bone on his left hand.

Early this year, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho came to his aid and sponsored his surgery at the Kijabe mission hospital.

Mwanzele is a dance style originally performed during funerals by the Mijikenda tribe.

More to follow......

Tanzanian singer AliKiba has postponed the release of his new video following the death of his friend and fan Malcom Masoud.

The singer was slated to release the video to his latest song 'Jealous'  featuring Nigerian singer Mayorkun,today (Thursday).

In a statement the 'Ndombolo' hitmaker said the decision is out of respect for the late Malcom .

"Owing to the unfortunate demise of my dear friend Malcom Ally Masoud, I have decided to postpone the release of the music video for “Jealous” until 11 am on Friday, 30th July."reads the statement from Kiba

Malcom was the son to radio presenter Masoud Kipanya and had been living with a rare diseases muscular dystrophy. He died on Wednesday evening.

Mvita Mp Abdulswamad Nassir has said he is not desperate for endorsement from any political leader.

Nassir who has declared his interest to succeed Hassan Joho as Mombasa Governor said that he will continue hosting Raila in his constituency over and over again and that should not be seen as if he is looking for an endorsement.

He added that Raila does not vote in Mombasa but he will seek his blessings to go for the Mombasa Governor seat come 2022. 

"I will continue hosting Baba (Raila Odinga) in Mvita over and over again because he is my party leader," said Nassir.

Addressing members of the press in Liwatoni, the Mp said that loyalty was an expensive thing as it is one of the principles of belonging to a party.

"It is not about endorsement of any kind. Loyalty is expensive, one of the principles of politics and political parties is loyalty. To be loyal to the party is to be loyal to the people that elected you, I have and will remain loyal to ODM," he said.

Nassir has so far hosted ODM leader Raila Odinga twice in his constituency in a span of one month. 

Concerning his close relation with Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, Nassir said that they have been buddies even before they joined politics and as such it should not be pegged on seeking an endorsement from him.

"I believe Joho will vote for me as governor in 2022, I am not looking for his endorsement but his vote," said Nassir.

Suleiman Shahbal is also seeking to succeed Hassan Joho on an ODM ticket.

https://ommydalla.co.ke/politics/item/2347-political-battle-looms-as-race-to-succeed-joho-gains-momentum