COVID-19 pandemic

These Covid-19 pandemic times has seen an interesting turn of everyone turning to social media for their businesses or starting channels on cooking, make up, fashion, memes, challenges the list is endless. The popular platforms are TikTok, Instagram. YouTube is not being left behind, in light of George Floyd's death, they are launching a $100 million fund to amplify the voices of black creators on its platform by developing talent and funding new shows. The fund will support the creation of new YouTube original programming and help with the development of black creators and artists.

Uber is launching its Uber cash digital wallet feature in sub-saharan Africa through a partnership with San Francisco based Nigeria founded fintech firm Flutterwave. There are different top-up methods available, Kenyans will use Mpesa. Alon Lits, Uber's general manager for sub saharan Africa says that Uber cash will go live this week with the aim to increase Uber's ride traffic in Africa by boosting the volume of funds sent to digital wallets and reducing friction in the payment process.

In the quarterly economic and budgetary report, Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani says "the increase in public debt is attributed to external loan disbursements and the uptake of domestic debt during the period." The sharp rise in debt portfolio is set to exert more pressure on the country's revenues that are already under performing due to economic disruptions, job losses, and salary cuts occasioned by the pandemic.

The Graduate School will receive the bound theses, dissertations and research projects; Monday to Friday from 9.00 a.m. - 2.00 p.m. The bound theses, dissertations and research projects will be received by GS staff at the Reception 13th Floor of the University of Nairobi Towers. Students will be required to submit the following:

President Uhuru Kenyatta extended the nationwide dusk to dawn curfew and partial lockdown for another 21days until the 6th June 2020. This government directive continues to affect Kenyans who need to work in order to provide meals for their families. Experts are now engaging on what the government needs to do to cushion Kenya for an economic recovery.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court has stopped two universities from reducing staff salaries by 40 per cent. Justice Byram Ongaya on Friday barred Egerton and Kisii universities from paying staff reduced salaries pending hearing and determination of a case filed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu).

On May 22, the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Kyle McCarter donated 40,000 facemasks to the Border Police Unit (BPU) to help the BPU maintain a healthy and effective force during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The size of the donation, made possible through funding by the Department of State’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, equips the BPU to protect all of their personnel with facemasks as they secure Kenya’s borders, and will enable officers to distribute facemasks to Kenyans they meet on their patrols who do not have one.

About one third of Kenyans/30.5 percent of Kenyans could not pay their monthly rent in April as the Covid-19 pandemic devastated monthly incomes. According to a survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 21.5 percent of Kenyans unable to meet the monthly obligation met the charge in a timely manner prior to the virus outbreak in the country.

The Kenya Health Workers Union Society accuse the government and council of governors of neglecting their welfare saying health workers are overexposed and not protected from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Led by Kenya National Clinical Union Chairman Peterson Wachira, the workers said their push to get involved in the fight against the virus has fallen on deaf ears.

The medics said no training has been offered to the workers besides being subjected to poor working condition.