Goodmorning fellow Kenyans,
Restaurants have finally been given a nod to start operations, though under strict regulations that can make any entrepreneur to rather continue shutting it down than risking such a costly comeback.
But even before the news of restaurants being granted a partial opening, media reports already indicate that KEMRI has run out of the COVID-19 test kits.
Mark you, these restaurants must have their employees tested before being licensed to operate.
I am not sure who bedevilled this country, but I am certain Kenya will never cease to pull out a shocker even at its worst moment.
For heaven sake, how can a crucial institution like KEMRI lack testing kits at this moment when the Coronavirus cases are surging?
On March 24, the Kenyan government received 25000 testing kits from Chinese business magnate, Jack Ma. It defeats logic that the Kenyan government has only tested 18089 persons and already our crucial institution is running out of the testing kits and other required reagents.
What message are we sending to wellwishers like Jack Ma? Where are the remaining 7000 test kits? What are the billions donated by World Bank funding if at all, reports say, that COVID-19 survivors are being told to pay for their treatment?
We can’t afford to have this kind of lapses at this moment.
The government must respond to the needs of arresting the spread of this pandemic with the seriousness it deserves or else Kenya braces itself for a more complicated situation.
Here are our top stories at Opera News:
Kemri out of testing kits, 30,000 deaths projected
The country has run out of the essential screening and testing equipment even as the government projects a worst-case scenario of as many as 30,000 Covid-19 deaths.
At least Sh790 million is needed to restock at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri).
Kemri– the crucial agency at the centre of screening, testing and research for a vaccine – says essential supplies have been depleted.
Ruto will not form another party, Kositany now says
Soy MP Caleb Kositany has ruled out the formation of a political party ahead of 2022, insisting that Deputy President William Ruto will be the Jubilee presidential candidate.
He said the fight in the ruling party has nothing to do with the DP’s ambitions.
Mr Kositany said those entrusted with running Jubilee must respect the party constitution and that their demands that party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju consults other organs should not be mistaken for the DP’s battle for State House.
Govt to Review KCSE, KCPE Exam Fees
The government is set to review fees in the education sector, targetting the exam fees for candidates sitting the national exams. University students will also be affected, with the government arguing that a review has not happened in the last 20 years.
With the new proposal by the National Treasury under Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani, some parents will face an increase in school fees as they would pay exam fees on their own, as opposed to the government guaranteeing the charges.
It has emerged that the National Treasury wants only candidates who cannot afford to pay examination fees to acquire government funding.
With the Kenyan government insisting that restaurants owners must get tested together with their workers before starting their operations, do you think the government is being fair to the businessmen given that the cost of testing at a private facility stands at Ksh10,000?