As millions of Kenyans gear up to usher in the new year 2024, fireworks are expected to rock different parts of the country.

A quick spot check shows most of the entertainment spots, recreational parks, and churches have lined up different activities.

GTC/AVIC is set to spend a staggering KES 150 million for a grand New Year's Eve (NYE) fireworks show which will be done off their build.

The show is designed and choreographed by Jays Pyrotechnics.

Kenyans are eager to witness the historical fireworks.

  "I will spend New Year's Eve with my family at the newly refurbished Mama Ngina Water Front. I can't wait to capture the moments," said John Mureithi, a resident of Nairobi on holiday in Mombasa.

On his part, Mombasa Deputy Commissioner Ronald Mwiwai said that security has been heightened across the island.

 "Anybody arrested for robbing others will face the full force of the law.  I urge you to show love to our visitors and the less privileged members of the society since coastal residents are known for their kindness, let us not lose the honor this city is known for,” said Mwiwai during a press briefing at Mama Ngina Water Front.

Organizer of the Mombasa International (MIfest) Charles Kitula says they have been running different activities since Christmas day and the event will culminate on New Year's Eve.

 "Holidaymakers should expect a lot of entertainment, mouth-watering coastal cuisines, and cultural heritage," said Kitula urging Kenyans to come out in their numbers.

A Kenyan girl stranded in India is seeking assistance from well-wishers to help her raise Sh6 million in order to undergo a third kidney transplant.

Young Fyona Wanjiku has been in India since March 2022 hoping that she will undergo the much needed operation to save her life.

This is after the operation failed to take place twice due to lack of funds after they exhausted the money raised by family, friends and well-wishers to help her in her medication.

Wanjiku was scheduled to undergo the third transplant in December 28, 2023, but this could not take place due to lapse of her NHIF Edu Afya medical cover.

The operation was earlier scheduled to for July 28, but could also not take place. She is now set to undergo the transplant in January 8, 2024 if funds are available.

Despite the pain and agony she is undergoing, she remains hopeful that she will recover as she appealed to Kenyans and well-wishers to come to her rescue.  

In a video recorded by her father Walter Njoroge in her hospital bed in India, Wanjiku has also appealed to President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua to intervene and help her undergo the operation.

“I am begging and appealing to them and all Kenyans to help me finish my medication so that I can come back home,” said Wanjiku.

Wanjiku was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney failure when she was just six years.

She got her first kidney transplant from her father back in 2011 when she was 7 years old. Unfortunately the kidney failed in 2018 and she was forced to undergo a second transplant to save her life.

In the process of waiting to undergo the surgery, her mother was overwhelmed and passed away in 2019 due to a heart attack, leaving behind Wanjiku and her younger brother Eldon (now 15).

She successfully underwent the surgery in February 2020, but two years later her body refused the kidney and was flown back to India in March last year with the hope of salvaging the kidney.

The kidney could not be saved and she was forced to seek another donor to undergo a third kidney transplant.

“After getting the third donor, the funds had dwindled making it hard for the third operation to take place,”

“Our plea is that we do not have any money, NHIF is not there for Fiona and it looks like without funds, Fiona the, father and the donor will be forced to come back to Kenya and we wait for God’s will,” said Jayne Githere, a family friend.

Githere, a family friend to Fiona and her father, was addressing the media in Mombasa on Friday as she appealed for Kenyans to help the family.

Before leaving for India last year, Fiona was a student at Star of the Sea Secondary School in Mombasa. She was set to sit her KCSE exams this year.

“She (Fiona) is a child who has been left behind in education just because of her sickness. We thank her fellow students at the school who have been very supportive helping to raise money for her medicines,” Githere said.

She said despite NHIF ending the Edu Afya cover, the fund has come through for the family in the previous two operations.

Fiona’s father said that he has severally tried to reach out to the ministry of health and other government offices, but his efforts have borne no fruit though he remains hopeful help will come their way.

“We tried looking for the president during his recent visit to India, we met with members of his team but we could not get to him,”

“Hopefully the president will hear Fiona’s cry and help in bring her back home as we urge other Kenyans and well-wisher to help join in assisting us in any way,” he said.

Kenyans willing to assist the family can send their contributions through Paybill number 222111 Account number 1913797.

Contributions can also be channeled through Fiona’s father M-pesa line 0716727012 (Walter Njoroge) or through the treasurer Jayne 0722411510.

Smiles in the villages as Terik community donates Christmas merchandise to the needy

It was a joyous moment in various villages of Nandi and Vihiga counties during christmas day, as the Terik Community Worldwide in collaboration with well wishers came together to provide christmas merchandise to the needy.

Speaking to the press after the excercise, Solomon Choge, the coordinator of the Terik Community Worldwide, said they formed a WhatsApp group of at least 300 people who then contributed a minimum of KSh 100 each to aid the 100 needy fafamilies.

"Our aim as the Terik community in conjunction with our friends was to celebrate Christmas by remembering the less fortunate than us, who struggle to meet their basic needs and face hardships every day. On other occasions we assist with school fees, medical bills among others, but this month we focussed on Christmas. We donated to all people regardless of tribe or other affiliations, and that is what Christmas is,” Choge said.

Ken Ngetich , a member of the Terik Community technical committee said they had traversed atleast 20 villages distributing the christmas gifts. 

“The families we visited were so happy, and that really touched my heart. I am thankful to all members of the community for uniting for a noble course. We hope to reach a more wider coverage next time as many people in the villages are really struggling to put a meal on the table.” Ngetich said.

The team of well-wishers distributed foodstuff to 101 families in Nandi and Vihiga counties, benefitting at least 300 people directly. 

“I was not sure what i will feed on this Christmas, things have been thick, some days i do not have anything to eat.Thank you for this food," Kezia Nyangweso ,a beneficiary from Gambo village.

"I am overwhelmed with joy. Be blessed." Samson Eboi, Muguya village 

"I can now celebrate like the rest,with the hard economic times, i had not planned for any meal." Sarah Tenai from Kapsengere village.

Terik tribe is a marginalized community in Kenya declared by the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2000 to be in danger of extinction.

Terik language is amongst the Kalenjin sub tribes and it is spoken in parts of Nandi South of Nandi County and Vihiga County.

Some of the professionals, politicians and friends that joined the community in contributing to the course included Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, MPs Marriane Kittany (Aldai), Julius Melly (Tinderet), Prof. Maritim Songok, KEMRI Director General and CEO, Prof. Haroun Mengech and Shoka Millers.

A new online radio station that will focus on matters of youth, women and the vulnerable communities has been unveiled in Kisauni, Mombasa County.

The radio popularly known as DAYO-Radio will broadcast in both Kiswahili and English during their well researched programs with an aim to educate, inform and set the agenda.

The radio station at Mtopanga area is an initiative by Dream Achievers Youth Organisation, through the sponsorship of the Aga Khan foundation funding. The idea was conceived last year and actualized this year.

“There is a lot of young people who are yarning to get information online, so DAYO radio is an online radio ready to solve that gap, so we have partnered with Aga Khan foundation  to ensure we sensitize the young people on very many things that affect their lives,” said Jira.

Speaking during a colorful ceremony held at the DAYO office compound in Mtopanga,Kisauni Mombasa on Thursday,DAYO executive director Seif Jira termed the radio project a game changer

The colorful event also witnessed the presence of media council of Kenya MCK officers, National cohesion and integration commission NCIC and Mombasa county youths affairs chief officer Khamis juma kurichwa among other dignitaries who witnessed the launch.

Our programs will focus on community affairs like health rights and education because many do  not know they have rights to health, we have also launched a resource center, which will help the young people,” said Jira.

We have two permanent staff so far, we are looking at hiring more, so far we want to look for resources, we have talked with the media council and they have promised to support us by bringing paid interns to us, we will give them platforms,” said Jira.

Jira said during this festive season, many youth indulge in crimes and consume drugs, adding that the station will continue churning out peace messages to caution young people against crime.

Although the media landscape is growing so fast and has its own share of economic challenges,Jira said the organization will look for donors to support various programs that will be able to pay staff.

“The reason we launched it during this festive season is because we want to run messages of hope and peace, we want young people to refrain from crimes and drugs ,by doing so we will reduce crime levels in Kisauni,”said Jira.

On his part, national cohesion and integration commission NCIC coast region coordinator urged the owners to ensure the Says the radio will be used to spread peace in Kisauni.

Sensitize the young people against crime and drugs. Kisauni is among the areas mapped as insecure.Kisauni is notorious for crime.

On his part Mombasa county youth gender and sports chief officer Khamis juma kurichwa affirmed the county government commitment in advancing affairs of the youth through the radio talk shows.

"This is a big milestone, in community building, Kenyans will have a voice through the radio. We are in an information revolution, without information you can't be heard,” said Kurichwa.

Researchers from Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), University of Washington (UW), and Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) published results in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The results of the study have been highly anticipated, as this is the first study of doxycycline PEP among cisgender women, following multiple studies that showed a high level of STI protection with doxycycline use among cisgender men and transgender women in France and the United States.

In February, Dr. Jenell Stewart presented initial results from the dPEP Kenya clinical trial at CROI demonstrating that doxycycline taken after sex does not prevent bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) chlamydia or gonorrhea  among cisgender women, but the reason for this had not yet been established.

Objective measure of doxycycline detection in hair samples indicate that use of doxycycline was low in this study.

“Doxycycline PEP needs to be studied further among people assigned female sex at birth. I am hopeful that it will work for everyone regardless of sex and gender, but in our study many women didn’t take the doxycycline they were given. We need STI prevention that is proven, accessible, and easy to use.” said Dr. Jenell Stewart, the dPEP Kenya Study Director, Infectious Disease Physician at Hennepin Healthcare and University of Minnesota.

In addition to low use of doxycycline, antibiotic resistance offers an explanation for why gonorrhea wasn’t prevented. The rate of doxycycline resistant gonorrhea was very high, including 100% of the infections acquired prior to starting the study. This is much higher than rates in the US and France, currently estimated to be ~20% of cases. There are no known cases of antibiotic resistant chlamydia, and none were detected in this study.

At a single site in Kisumu, Kenya, the study enrolled 449 cisgender women who were taking daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and were randomized to receive doxycycline or standard of care. 18% of participants had an STI at the time they entered the study and PRESS RELEASE over the course of the study the rate of STIs remained high  an annual incidence of 27%, which is comparable to rates among men who have sex with men in high income countries.

There were 109 new STIs diagnosed, 50 among those using doxycycline PEP compared to 59 among those randomized to no doxycycline and standard of care, during the course of the 12-month follow-up. Most, 78%, of the new STIs diagnosed were chlamydia, 35 among people taking doxycycline PEP and 50 among standard of care, which was not statistically different. Only one new case of syphilis was diagnosed in this study, consistent with other studies in the region, and therefore, the impact of doxycycline PEP on preventing syphilis among cisgender women could not be evaluated.

“The results from the study are deeply disappointing, and we are committed to understanding why doxycycline PEP wasn’t taken. We are actively working to find ways to support adherence that will work for and can be used by women,” said Prof. Elizabeth Bukusi, a Principal Investigator of the dPEP Kenya Study and Senior Principal Clinical Research Scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Professor at University of Washington in Departments of Global Health and Ob/Gyn.

Bacterial STIs in women can lead to lasting and severe consequences including pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pain, infertility, pregnancy complications, and increased susceptibility to HIV.

The dPEP Kenya study team continues to understand why use of doxycycline was low and investigate new ways of deliverying doxycycline prophylaxis that are acceptable and effective. Dr. Stewart is working with Dr. Cherie Blair, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases at UCLA, and the Adolescent Trials Network to secure funding for a study of doxycycline prophylaxis against STIs in people assigned female sex at birth regardless of gender in the United States.

The dPEP Kenya trial was funded by the National Institutes of Health (R01AI145971, P30AI027757, K23MH124466) and was conducted at the KEMRI Lumumba site in Kisumu, Kenya.

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has flagged off the second consignment of fertiliser for Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) for farmers. 

Speaking at the Port of Mombasa Linturi confirmed that the consignment, totaling over 45,000 tones (900,000 bags) of fertiliser, will go a long way in helping tea farmers boost production.

The first consignment of 47,800 tonnes (956,000 bags) was received at the Port of Mombasa in October this year and has already been distributed to farmers in various parts of the country.

The cabinet secretary further affirmed that subsidized fertiliser has been availed across the various crop value chains including tea.

“Tea has been identified as one of the Value chains for exports under the grow exports pillar. This now means that the government in collaboration with all the stakeholders is committed to ensure that tea productivity is not only enhanced but also sustained and farmers will in return get value for their money,” stated Linturi.

Linturi acknowledged the challenging circumstances of its arrival attributing the delay to global conflicts. The CS hopes that with the introduction of 25 kg fertiliser bags, a departure from the traditional 50 kg is a game changer.

“I am delighted to note that this year; we have introduced packages for 25 kgs bag instead of the traditional 50kgs to ease the carrying of heavy weights while applying fertiliser in the farms,” he noted.

Furthermore, Linturi reassured that his Ministry is dedicated to ensuring smallholder farmers continue to access subsidized fertiliser, as well as shielding them from the high market prices.

“The Government, through my ministry is committed to ensuring that smallholder farmers continue to access subsidized fertiliser thus cushioning them against high prices that has characterized the market,” he said.

To further support the farmers, Linturi revealed that the second consignment will be delivered directly to nearby tea buying centres, eliminating the need for farmers to incur additional costs transporting fertiliser from factory stores to their farms. 

The first consignment, comprising 47,800 tones (956,000 bags) was received in October 2023 and has already been distributed to farmers.

Everyone needs a roof above their heads. According to the Worldometer, Kenya's 2023 population is estimated at 55,100,586 people at mid-year. Kenya's population is equivalent to 0.68 percent of the total world population. At the same time, Kenya ranks number 26 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.

With such a vast population, the housing demand has been growing yearly. According to Habitat for Humanity, Kenya has an annual housing demand of 250,000 units with an estimated supply of 50,000 units, culminating in a housing deficit of 2 million units, or an 80 percent deficit. Housing affordability is a crucial challenge in Kenya, with many people unable to buy or build their own homes.

The increase in population and the demand for affordable houses forced the government to develop the Affordable Housing project to construct at least 500,000 affordable housing units for Kenyans. But this seemed a tall order for the government unless private investors, too, gave it a hand with similar projects.

And with the world moving towards green in virtually everything, the demand for houses in Kenya has also shifted. Developers and potential homeowners are increasingly looking for projects that adhere to green energy and promote the same to secure and protect the earth, not just for the present generations but for the future, too.

Undoubtedly, the imperative for green affordable housing has become increasingly pronounced in Kenya, driven by environmental, economic, and social factors.

As urbanisation accelerates and the population grows, there is a rising demand for housing that not only addresses the pressing need for shelter but also considers the ecological impact of construction and living spaces.

Green affordable housing in Kenya is crucial for mitigating the environmental footprint of the built environment, promoting sustainability, and enhancing energy efficiency. The emphasis on environmental responsibility and affordability is essential for fostering inclusive and sustainable development in Kenya's rapidly urbanizing landscape.

With that in mind, leading lenders such as Stanbic Bank Kenya started a journey to pioneer green affordable housing projects through green housing financing, one of the unique products within the Kenyan banking sector. Stanbic Bank Kenya has a dedicated Real Estate team that is focused on providing end-to-end financial solutions across the value-chain of their real estate clients. Additionally, they offer a competitive mortgage product offering for their retail clients. 

Stanbic has partnered with IHS Kenya Limited to push for the uptake of green affordable housing finance in Kenya, in line with the bank’s commitment to sustainability anchored, among other things, enabling Kenyans access to environmentally friendly, affordable, and quality green housing solutions.

Green houses reduce costs associated with energy use, water use and maintenance.

To provide up to 4,000 affordable apartments for sale and rental within seven years, the bank will provide end-user financing support to enable Kenyans to acquire these affordable units in Kenya.

This partnership, according to Stanbic Bank, provides Kenyan homebuyers with access to eco-friendly, reasonably priced housing that comes with quality amenities. Additionally, it follows the Mortgage Relief provisions of the 1995 Income Tax Act cap 470, which helps reduce financial burdens.

Homebuyers will also enjoy an extended loan tenure of up to 25 years, which gives them greater flexibility in repaying their loans.

Moreover, Stanbic Bank's commitment to a low fixed interest rate of 9.5% makes homeownership a feasible goal for a broader range of people in Kenya, ensuring affordability.

Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) has signed a short-term lease agreement with Hi Fly, one of the world’s leading lease and charter specialist airlines to enhance operational efficiency during the peak festive season.  

The ACMI lease will see the immediate introduction of an A330 Airbus into the KQ fleet to support operational efficiency as well as enhance capacity in the market.

Commenting on the new development, Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO, Allan Kilavuka said that the airline needed to take practical steps in the short term to address the pertinent challenges in the market. “With the current capacity constraints on the back of the growing demand for airline travel, we need to balance our customers immediate needs by bringing more capacity into the market,” said Kilavuka.  

The arrival of the aircraft will also support the anticipated increased number of travellers following the recent announcement by President William Ruto on ending visa requirements for all visitors to Kenya starting in January 2024 making Kenya visa-free country.  

According to Kilavuka, this was the quickest way to immediately deal with capacity challenges because it enables us to get an aircraft that is ready to fly. “With the arrival of the aircraft, we expect to see improved operational stability and efficiency, as well as enhanced capacity for the convenience of our passengers,” noted Kilavuka. 

The wide-bodied aircraft has a capacity for 299 passengers, split into 24 in the business cabin and 275 in the economy class. And as a wide-bodied plane, it augments the existing cargo space with additional belly capacity. 

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Chairman Benjamin Tayari has defended the performance of the Mombasa port.

According to Tayari, the port has been recording an increase in terms of performance compared to other ports in the region.

Speaking On Tuesday during a meeting with the Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen at the port, Tayari noted that they are currently on the right track towards achieving theirs set goals in terms of performance.

"To speak the truth, KPA is the best. I was looking at the records this morning and I noticed that we are only having two vessels waiting and when you look at our neighbours the waiting vessels are almost 32, vessels have been waiting since November, when you come KPA the vessels are attended to in a span of only 24 hours" said Tayari.

Adding " We want to assure you that we will continue doing our best, the board is committed towards supporting the management and the workers to ensure that the productivity of this port is achieved and the country which highly depends on this port gets what it deserves. I want to assure you that the targets which we gave to the Managing Director are on the right track, as a board we told the MD we dont want not less than 1.6 million TUs this year and we can see he is working towards achieving this."

Tayari also lauded the government's move to award bonuses to KPA workers for their remarkable performance in the year 2020/2021.

the government has awarded the workers a bonus of 700 million.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the award is part of President William Ruto's promise to improve public service to enhance efficiency and delivery of services to the public Read more.

"KPA is the only parastatal where workers for 24 hours, 364 days, so I believe they deserve the bonus" argued Tayari.