Page 2 - Kenya

Kenya's aviation union workers to strike over airport deal with Adani

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union, which represents airport workers, said the proposed agreement announced last month with India's Adani Airport Holdings would lead to job losses

UN convenes experts to determine if mpox in Africa is global emergency

The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday he will convene an expert group to determine if the increasing spread of the mpox virus in Africa warrants being declared a global emergency. At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that given the increasing spread of mpox cases beyond Congo, he has decided to ask independent experts to advise WHO as soon as possible. Last week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that mpox, also known as monkeypox, has now been detected in 10 African countries this year including Congo, which has more than 96% of all cases and deaths. Compared with the same time period last year, the agency said cases are up 160% and deaths have jumped by 19%. Officials at the Africa CDC said nearly 70% of cases in Congo are in children younger than 15, who also accounted for 85% of deaths. Mpox was reported last week in Burundi and Rwanda for the first time while other countries includin

Mpox outbreak in many African countries: Know symptoms, treatment and more

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that causes painful skin boils as well as fever, headache, and muscle aches. It is spread by close contact between people

South Sudan peace talks face collapse as it gears up for first election

South Sudan peace talks that almost reached completion faced a stumbling block with opposition groups demanding a newly passed bill allowing the detention of people without an arrest warrant scratched out in order to sign a proposed agreement. Kenya has been hosting the high-level meetings since May between government representatives and rebel opposition groups who were not part of a 2018 agreement that ended a five-year civil war, leaving about 400,000 people dead and millions displaced. Despite the agreement, violence often erupted in the country of 9 million. Pagan Amum Okiech, negotiating on behalf of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance, told the Associated Press Tuesday night that it would be meaningless to sign any agreement if the draconian National Security Act is signed into law by the president." Last week, parliament voted in favour of the 2015 bill and President Salva Kiir will have to approve it within 30 days for it to become a law. This comes ahead of the ...

Kenyan cops crucial to controlling gangs, early days are positive: Haiti PM

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that recently deployed Kenyan police will be crucial to helping control the country's gangs and moving toward democratic elections and he called feedback from their initial days in the capital "extremely, extremely positive". He said his government will focus on addressing gang violence and food insecurity, ensuring free elections through constitutional and political reform, and rebuilding public trust in the police. On June 25, the initial contingent of 200 Kenyan police arrived in Port-au-Prince. Kenya has pledged 1,000 police to the international police force and Conille said the next contingent will be arriving very soon. They will later be joined by police from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica in the force that will total 2,500 personnel. Haiti asked for an international force to combat gangs in 2022, and UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres appealed for months for a countr

Kenya's president won't sign finance bill that led protesters to storm Parl

Kenyan President William Ruto says he won't sign into law a finance bill proposing new taxes a day after protesters stormed parliament and several people were shot dead. The government wanted to raise funds to pay off debt. Kenyans said the bill caused economic pain as millions struggle to get by. The chaos on Tuesday led Kenya's government to deploy the military, and Ruto called protesters' actions treasonous. It was the biggest assault on Kenya's government in decades. The president says the bill caused widespread dissatisfaction and he has listened to the people.

Kenyan police fire blanks to disperse protesters after parliament breach

Authorities fired blanks to disperse protesters in Nairobi suburb overnight Wednesday, hours after protestors stormed parliament in deadly demonstrations, burning parts of the building while legislators fled, as the country grapples with controversial tax increases. Police said they fired over 700 blanks in Githurai, a suburb east of the capital Nairobi. Videos of gunfire piercing the night air were shared online and reported by local media. The military was deployed overnight to support police during the security emergency and patrolled the central business district on Tuesday night as President William Ruto called the events treasonous and vowed to quash the unrest at whatever cost. Thousands of protesters stormed and burned a section of Kenya's parliament Tuesday to protest tax proposals. Police responded with gunfire and several protesters were killed. More than 100 people were injured in Tuesday's protests, according to civil society groups. It is still unclear how many people

Watch| Barack Obama's sister attacked with tear gas during protest in Kenya

The protest against the proposed Finance Bill turned violent when police opened fire on demonstrators attempting to storm Kenya's parliament

Bayer, Solynta partner to roll out hybrid potato seeds in Kenya, India

German agrochemicals giant Bayer on Monday said it has agreed to collaborate with Dutch potato breeding company Solynta for commercialisation and distribution of true potato seeds in Kenya and India. The partnership marks Bayer's entry into the global potato market and represents its first collaboration with Solynta, a specialist in developing hybrid potato varieties. According to Bayer, the initiative aims to introduce true potato seeds as an alternative to traditional seed tubers. These seeds require only 25 grams per hectare compared to 2,500 kg of seed tubers, offering significant logistical and disease-control advantages. Bayer will leverage its distribution networks in Kenya and India to commercialise Solynta's hybrid potato varieties, targeting smallholder farmers in remote areas, it said in a statement. "We expect these true potato seeds to have a positive impact on local communities and on food and nutritional security in Kenya and India," Bayer's Crop Science Division Hea

T20 World Cup: ICC warns against potential corrupt approach from Kenya

The spectre of corruption in cricket continues to challenge the game's administrators but one potential approach from a former Kenya international to a Uganda player in the ongoing T20 World Cup was dealt swiftly by the sleuths of ICC's anti-corruption unit. PTI has learned that the incident took place during the league stage matches in Guyana where a former Kenya pacer tried to contact a Ugandan team member multiple times from different numbers. Following ICC's strict anti-corruption protocol, the Ugandan player reported the approach to the ACU officials on site. The development prompted the officials to raise a red flag against the former Kenya player by informing all the associate teams about him. "It is not a surprise that this person targeted a player from the Ugandan national team. Associate nations, as compared to the big teams, are soft targets for corruption but in this case the player who was approached did the needful by informing the ICC at the earliest," a source told

Haiti's new PM Conille discharged after spending night in hospital

Haiti's newly selected Prime Minister Garry Conille was discharged from a hospital on Sunday after spending a night in treatment for an undisclosed condition. In a video published on YouTube, Conille said he is now feeling well and is ready to continue to help steer the country out of its current security crisis by forming a government that will also prioritize issues like health care. "The whole time I was at the hospital, I was thinking of something, Conille said in Sunday's video. People that need to go to the general hospital can't get there due to security problems. People who need health care can't afford it. Conille arrived in Haiti on June 1 after a transitional council selected him as the nation's new prime minister. He had been working outside the country as UNICEF's regional director for Latin America. Gang violence is still surging in parts of Haiti's capital and beyond as Conille takes over the helm of the troubled Caribbean country awaiting the UN backed deployment of

Haiti PM hospitalised days after being selected to lead nation: Official

Haiti's newly selected prime minister, Garry Conille, was hospitalised late Saturday in the capital of Port-au-Prince just days after arriving in the country, an official told The Associated Press. It wasn't immediately known why Conille was hospitalised. Louis Grald Gilles, a member of the transitional presidential council that recently chose Conille as leader of the troubled Caribbean country, said he was en route to the hospital and did not have further information. A spokesman for Conille did not immediately return a message for comment. AP journalists observed high-ranking officials entering the hospital, including Frantz Elb, director of Haiti's National Police. Also present was Bruno Maes, UNICEF's representative in Haiti. They both declined comment. A handful of curious onlookers gathered outside the hospital as authorities blocked the street with tinted-glass SUVs. Conille was chosen as prime minister May 28 after a convoluted selection process. He faces an arduous task

South Sudan govt, rebels sign 'commitment' for peace in talks in Kenya

The government of South Sudan and rebel opposition groups on Thursday signed a commitment declaration for peace during high-level mediation talks in Kenya, described as key step in efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan that has long crippled its economy. The content of the agreement was not made public during the signing ceremony, attended by diplomats and civil society groups. The rebel opposition groups were not part of the 2018 agreement that ended South Sudan's five-year civil war that left 400,000 people dead and millions displaced. Kenya's foreign office said the agreement was a first milestone in the ongoing talks in which warring sides pledged their commitment to end the violence and hostilities. At the start of the high-level mediation talks launched a week ago, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir thanked his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, for hosting the negotiations. The talks have been dubbed Tumaini, Swahili for hope, Initiative and are led by former Kenyan arm

At least 70 killed by flooding in Kenya; more rain expected during weekend

Flooding and heavy rains in Kenya have killed at least 70 people since mid-March, a government spokesperson said Friday, twice as many as were reported earlier this week. The East African country has seen weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, as well as in the country's western and central regions. Kenya's government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Friday refuted claims that hundreds of people have died in the ongoing flooding and said the official tally now stands at 70. Five bodies were retrieved Friday from a river in Makueni county, east of the country, after a lorry they were traveling in was swept off a submerged bridge, local station Citizen TV reported. Another 11 were rescued. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said Friday at a news briefing that the government had set aside 4 billion Kenya shillings ($29 million) for emergency relief efforts, but did not provide further details. More than 130,000 people are currently affected with thousands of

70 people killed by flooding in Kenya; more rain expected through weekend

Flooding and heavy rains in Kenya have killed at least 70 people since mid-March, a government spokesperson said on Friday, twice as many as were reported earlier this week. The East African country has seen weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, as well as in the country's western and central regions. Kenya's government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Friday refuted claims that hundreds of people have died in the ongoing flooding and said the official tally now stands at 70. Five bodies were retrieved on Friday from a river in Makueni county, east of the country, after a lorry they were travelling in was swept off a submerged bridge, local station Citizen TV reported. Another 11 were rescued. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said on Friday at a news briefing that the government had set aside 4 billion Kenya shillings (USD 29 million) for emergency relief efforts, but did not provide further details. More than 130,000 people are currently affected with

At least 13 people killed, nearly 15,000 displaced by flooding in Kenya

Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to the deaths of at least 13 people and displaced some 15,000, the United Nations said, as forecasters warned more rains can be expected until June. The U.N Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, citing the Kenya Red Cross Society, said Thursday that nearly 20,000 people have been affected. That includes the estimated 15,000 displaced by heavy rains and flash floods across the country since the start of the wet season in mid-March. The East African country has seen thousands of people killed by flooding in previous rainy seasons, mostly in the lake regions and downstream of major rivers. The Kenya Red Cross Society told The Associated Press that five major roads were cut off by the floods, including Garissa Road in northern Kenya, where a bus carrying 51 passengers was swept away on Tuesday. All passengers were rescued. Kenya's disaster management agency issued a flood warning to residents of Lamu, Tana River and

Explosion near police station in Kenya kills 4 people, including 3 officers

An explosion at a small hotel located near a police station in northeastern Kenya killed four people, including three officers, and wounded several others on Monday, authorities said. The blast in the town of Mandera, which is on the border with Somalia, was caused by an improvised explosive device that had been planted at the hotel and was detonated as a crowd of people sat down to eat breakfast, police said. Mandera police chief Samwel Mutunga said that two of those wounded were in critical condition and would be flown to the capital, Nairobi. Investigators have blamed east Africa-based extremist group al-Shabab for the attack. The group, which hasn't claimed responsibility for the explosion, has staged major attacks in Kenya and neighboring Somalia. The latest attack followed another one on Sunday in coastal Kenya's Lamu County, where two police reservists were killed. The area has a forest, which has often been the site of security operations because it's a known hideout of ..

Fire set off by a gas explosion in Kenya kills 3 people, injures 280 others

A truck loaded with liquid petroleum gas cylinders exploded in a depot in the Kenyan capital and set off a late-night inferno that rapidly spread and burned homes and warehouses, killing at least three people and injuring 280, officials said Friday. The death toll was expected to rise. At least 24 people were critically injured, the Kenya Red Cross said, after a huge fireball erupted from the gas depot. Some gas cylinders were thrown hundreds of metres (feet), sparking separate fires in the neighbourhood. The truck was parked inside a gas cylinder storage and filling site that had multiple applications to operate there rejected last year because it was too close to residential areas, Kenya's Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority said, raising questions over whether it was operating illegally. The government knew this liquid petroleum gas plant was existing in a residential area but they did nothing, local resident Charles Mainge said. They should make sure this doesn't happen .

India, Kenya ink 5 pacts, govt announces $250 mn LoC for Kenyan agri sector

India on Tuesday announced a USD 250 million line of credit to Kenya for modernisation of its agricultural sector as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto agreed to shore up bilateral ties in areas of defence, trade, energy, digital public infrastructure and healthcare. Following the Modi-Ruto talks, the two sides signed five pacts providing for cooperation in a range of areas including sports, education and digital solution, and unveiled a joint vision document to scale up maritime engagement in the Indian Ocean region. The Kenyan side offered, in line with Kenyan laws, to provide land to Indian companies and institutions for cultivation of crops, including millets. In order to enhance bilateral economic engagement as well as to finance projects under development partnership, the two leaders also discussed the need to use local currencies for trade. In his media statement, Modi said India has been a "reliable and committed" development partner for .

India to provide $250 mn LoC to Kenya for modernisation of its agri sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced India's decision to provide USD 250 million to Kenya for modernisation of its agriculture sector following his wide-ranging talks with visiting Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto. Ruto arrived here on Monday on a three-day visit with an aim to expand overall ties between the two countries. In its foreign policy, India has always given high priority to Africa and has expanded its overall ties with the continent on a mission mode in the last nearly one decade, Modi said in his media statement after the talks. "I am confident that President Ruto's visit to India will not only strengthen bilateral ties but will give a new momentum to our engagement with Africa," he added. The prime minister said India will provide USD 250 million as Line of Credit to Kenya for modernisation of its agriculture sector. Referring to the Indo-Pacific, Modi said closer cooperation between India and Kenya in the region will advance common efforts. India