A congregation of Indian faithfuls ( Arya Samaj Nairobi, Arya Stri Samaj and Arya Pratinidhi Sabha ( EA ) yesterday morning pledged to support a whole host of women living in Kenya’s largest informal settlement (Kibera Slum) who are continuously getting sexually violated during the Covid 19 lockdown period ( The government of Kenya through President Uhuru Kenyatta recently issued a 7pm- 5pm Curfew notice for an initial period of 21 days which was further increased for another 21 days, a factor which has significantly reduced the incomes of Kenyan citizens living in the Slums and who work in non-formal jobs living in various locations across Nairobi who have lost income and making them irritable.
According to a report on Gender based violence by the national Crime Research Centre released in 2014 the life time prevalence for gender based violence stood at 38% for women and 20.9% for men.
Members offering donations arriving for the event. Image courtesy the Whistling African
A recent report by the National Council on Administration of Justice reported “a significant spike in sexual offences painted a gory picture depicting rising incidences of sexual defilement, wife battery and rape on the rise during the Covid 19 lockdown period and it is perhaps based on these premise that the group argue such incidences must be surely on the rise in Kenya’s largest informal settlement and hence the need to provide assistance to such women in need.
Standing in front of the water tanks up for donation include Ms. Editer Ochieng founder of FPRJC, Mr Yash Pal Monga, Ms. Heena Bachheta. Image Courtesy whistling African.
The donation amounting to Ksh100,000 (USD1000) which include two 5000 Litre water Tanks, food packages of ksh500 and 300 face masks will be issued weekly through the Non Government Organization, Feminist for Peace Rights and Justice Centre (FPRJC); which operates to champion the rights of women who call Kibera a home and whose founder Ms. Editar Ochieng (who was also present at the event) is also past rape victim. This may seen to be in contravention of an earlier directive by government urging that all donations for COVID 19 mitigation efforts be channeled through it and comes in the wake of two women sucumbing as they were trampled to death in a stampede struggle to get food donations.
Liquid Telecom enables East African Community to function as close to normal across its East Africa Backbone as it ‘digitally transforms’ in less than a month as a result of COVID-19 pandemic
Nairobi, April 28, 2020 – Leading pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom has made it possible for the East Africa Community (EAC) member states to function as close to normal despite the coronavirus pandemic. By offering superior connectivity and digital solutions across Liquid Telecom’s East Africa backbone, the EAC, consisting of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, has been ‘digitally transformed’ with best-in-class connectivity and collaboration tools.
This effort is in response to a ‘Joint Ministerial COVID-19 Preparedness and Response’ meeting instructing EAC member states to suspend face-to-face meetings and switch to ‘Modern Technology’ as a result of the crisis. The provision of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) across a closed wide area network also supports the EAC’s own dedicated Video Conferencing (VC). With Liquid Telecom’s enhanced connectivity combined with the latest digital tools, Members of parliament and EAC Ministries are maintaining uninterrupted close to normal operations during the virus pandemic while also delivering on its promise of regional integration.
Liquid Telecom had already established a Wide Area Network (WAN) in 2019 – in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda South Sudan and Tanzania, all member states are connected. Network traffic flows are increased via the shortest path between each state across Liquid Telecom’s high capacity fibre network. This includes connectivity to the main EAC data centre in Arusha, East African Institutions located in different partner states and its back up facility in Uganda linked directly to the 6 EAC Court of Justice located in different countries of EAC and relevant authorities like National Banks and capital market authorities in EAC.
“If ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, COVID-19 has forced us all to rethink our daily lives and how we work, and Africa is no exception. Supporting all of our customers and especially the East Africa Community at this critical time is a priority for Liquid Telecom. We have ensured the EAC maintains as close to normal operations with world-class digital services and collaboration software delivered across ‘Liquid Telecom’s East Africa Backbone’ a new eco-system for the Extended East African Communities offering enhanced connectivity. The resilience of our network means we are always able to serve a vital function, even during this crisis,” said Adil Youssefi, CEO Liquid Telecom East Africa Region.
“My deepest condolences to all those who have lost friends and family due to COVID-19. And my appreciation to the governments, emergency services and health care staff that are playing a critical role reducing the impact of the virus while also helping to save lives,” continued Adil Youssefi.
Commenting on the announcement Eng. Murenzi Daniel, Principal Information Technology Officer, East African Community said, “Business continuity is critical at the East African Community as member states continue to engage on regional matters. Even in the midst of COVID 19, key decisions still need to be made and Liquid Telecom has enabled us to stay on top of things. We have been able to hold several meetings virtually with our stakeholders, East African Legislative Assembly Committee meetings also plenary and parliamentary sessions have started online with quick response times from member states owing to Liquid Telecom’s collaboration tools. Communication among members has been seamless and we have experienced superior network performance all through. We are looking forward to continue using these tools provided for communication to enhance regional integration in both the short and long term.”
In addition to enhanced connectivity during the virus pandemic, Virtual Workplace by Liquid Telecom supports home and remote working with Microsoft Teams collaboration tool with video conferencing plus full online access to Office 365 –
Nairobi: April 28, 2020: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to pose different challenges and as Kenya braces for its impact with the rate of infection rising, thousands of people across the country are being required to physically isolate.
The mandatory quarantine guidelines being issued as part of government measures to contain the spread of the highly infectious virus are welcome but there are concerns over increasing mental health issues with most people finding themselves in unfamiliar territory separated from their loved ones.
For most people, the outbreak has changed the way they work, socialize, travel, exercise, shop – basically the way they live. The extensive news coverage on the pandemic has also caused uncertainty, leaving many people feeling anxious, scared and depressed.
Further to this, restriction of movement of people being implemented by the Government in a bid to minimize the spread of the disease has also impacted people’s lifestyles, increasing the instances of child abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse and other psychological problems.
Mitigating these effects of restricted movements, quarantine and isolation measures requires a concerted effort from healthcare professionals, policy makers, public & private entities.
In view of this, Absa Bank Kenya PLC has partnered with health insurance provider Minet Kenya Insurance Brokers to provide psychosocial support to affected Kenyans through a care line dubbed the Covid-19 Wellness Care Line. This programme will initially be rolled out to those in quarantine facilities, isolation centers, their families and health care workers. We are also working with the Ministry of Health who have been hard in their efforts towards containing and eliminating the virus. Through the Ministry, we will proactively reach out to Kenyans in designated quarantine facilities and offer them the counselling support that they may need. This programme will eventually be extended to anybody facing stressful moments occasioned by the numerous measures instituted to contain the virus.
“During these difficult times, Kenyans need access to additional help in order to cope with the mental and emotional distress of the pandemic, especially those in vulnerable and stressful situations. Our partnership with Minet will enable us to connect those who need psychosocial support with experts who will walk through this journey with them and their loved ones. We are going through a tough time as a country, and as Absa, we remain committed to being an active force for good in the communities that we operate in, and we are working with like-minded organizations like Minet to help those affected get through the current situation.” says Absa Bank Kenya Managing Director Jeremy Awori.
Minet Kenya Chief Executive Officer Sammy Muthui said that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique mental, physical, emotional, financial and spiritual wellnesschallenge to those infected and affected. “Minet’s partnership with Absa is our way of giving, in the fight against this global scourge and we hope to collectively bring a positive change in the lives of those infected and affected. Minet already has the infrastructure in place based on the wellness programmes that we currently run for various organizations,” Mr. Muthui said.
We recognise that this is a challenging time and we encourage anybody who is experiencing psychological distress to reach out to us through *202*04# and our counsellors will provide the support that you may require. Kenyans are a resilient people, always finding ways to overcome challenges and we have no doubt that, though the current situation seems difficult, we shall prevail.
Samsung Electronics today announced the new Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, a stylish and affordable tablet designed for both work and play. With generous screen space, a thin and compact body and a redesigned S Pen included in the box, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is the ideal tablet for taking quick notes and enjoying your favourite content.
“We understand how busy modern life can be, as our work becomes more flexible and blends with our personal time. Consumers need a versatile device that can integrate seamlessly into their everyday lifestyle,” said Woncheol Chai, SVP and Head of Product Planning Team, Mobile Communication Business, Samsung Electronics. “The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite and the new S Pen are packed with the latest technology to help people stay organized, multitask and capture ideas effortlessly, allowing them to spend time on what matters most to them.”
Create More and Stress Less With the Redesigned S Pen
Whether you are using your tablet for work, study, or just during downtime at home, the updated S Pen is the perfect notetaking and multitasking assistant. The new S Pen has a refreshed design that makes it as practical and comfortable to use as a traditional pen. Weighing only 7.03g, the S Pen is light and easy-to-use, and its improved pen latency and 0.7mm pen tip deliver greater precision for notetaking and drawing. When you’re finished capturing your ideas, the S Pen snaps magnetically onto the right side of the tablet, or to the optional book cover case, making it easy to use without the concern of misplacing it. The S Pen on the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is also battery-free, so you never have to worry about losing charge when using your S Pen.
Using the S Pen and Samsung Notes, you can transform handwritten notes into typed text instantly.1 Categorize and search your notes with ease through tags, highlight important passages and enlarge the content on the notes with the 300% zoom feature. All your notes can be easily exported as a PDF, JPEG image, text file or Microsoft Word document.
Inspired Design That Won’t Weigh You Down
With a 10.4-inch screen and narrow bezels, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite benefits from a wide and immersive display. The lightweight and compact design makes it the ideal tablet for multitasking, notetaking and watching videos or movies. Equipped with the latest version of One UI, optimized for the larger tablet screen, Galaxy Tab S6 Lite has a more intuitive visual interface and simplified navigation tools, making switching between multiple applications smooth and effortless so that you can focus on the task at hand.
Available in three beautiful colors,2Oxford Gray, Angora Blue and Chiffon Pink, with a matching S Pen and optional book cover, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is a stylish accessory as well as a powerful productivity device.
The Samsung Tab S6 lite. Image courtesy
Enhanced Entertainment Features
The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is packed with clever, helpful and entertaining features that make listening to music, streaming content, shopping online or connecting with friends easier and more enjoyable. The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite includes dual speakers with sound by AKG and Dolby Atmos 3D surround sound for outstanding immersive audio, so whether you’re watching a YouTube video, streaming your favourite show or listening to a great playlist, you’ll experience premium quality sound.
Samsung has partnered with YouTube and Spotify so you can get even more out of your favourite apps on the Galaxy range. Galaxy Tab S6 Lite users can enjoy ad-free YouTube videos, the ability to download and watch videos offline and free access to YouTube Music and YouTube Kids with YouTube Premium for 4 months.3 Spotify seamlessly integrates into the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite’s user interface, so you can easily search for music and podcasts, or even set your favourite song as your alarm.4 The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite can also wirelessly connect to your home speaker5 setup, so you can play your favourite playlists from Spotify on another device or speaker around your home, all controlled by your tablet.
The Galaxy Experience at Home
Put the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite at the heart of your home to stay productive and organized. You can take calls and send and receive text messages6 through your Samsung account on your tablet, even when your smartphone is out of reach or in another room, or stay connected with friends and colleagues using Google Duo video calls on Galaxy Tab S6 Lite.7 Use the improved Daily Board display to control music, view your calendar, check the weather and write quick memos and reminders. The new Bixby features and capabilities such as Bixby Voice, Bixby Vision and Bixby Routines will also enhance your overall productivity and entertainment experiences.
The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is a device that can be used by the entire family. With Samsung Kids,8 you can set daily playtime allowances, restrict access to certain apps and introduce your kids to the digital world safely with a range of exciting, colourful learning apps and games.
Stay connected while enjoying long lasting and immersive entertainment with a stunning HD screen, share-worthy photography and the best Android (Go edition) apps from the most accessible 4G Nokia smartphone yet
Nairobi Kenya, 27th April 2020 – HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has today announced the Nokia C2 in Kenya is now available to buy as from Ksh 8,199.
This phone brings long lasting entertainment and creative photography to fans, combined with 4G connectivity at the most affordable price point for a Nokia phone.
The Nokia C2 comes with a large 5.7” HD+ screen, a front facing camera with flash and HDR photography to brighten up your selfies and enough battery life to last from sunrise to sunset. Fans can watch YouTube videos offline with YouTube Go and keep their memories automatically organized, easy to find, edit and share with Gallery Go.
Speaking during the announcement, Gopher Ogembo, Senior Business Manager East Africa, HMD Global said, “One of our main objectives is to bring great smartphone experiences to as many fans as possible across different price points. We know that people are looking for a reliable way to upgrade to a 4G smartphone experience. Complementing the popular Nokia C1, with the Nokia C2 we deliver on our commitment to creating quality devices you can trust, while offering a more accessible path to 4G for selected markets. We’ve added features like the large HD+ screen, front camera with flash and HDR photography, to allow fans to fully explore creating and enjoying content on a 4G-enabled device, optimized with Android™ 9 Pie (Go edition).”
HD entertainment, and a battery that lasts from sunrise to sunset
The Nokia C2 helps you discover a crisper, more immersive way to watch your favourite shows. Introducing YouTube Go, a brand-new way to help you download, enjoy and share videos. The app is designed to work well even with limited storage or slower network speeds, so you can watch your videos offline. Watch all your videos in stunning quality with the 5.7” HD+ screen on the Nokia C2.
This smartphone lets you store up to 3000 songs or 13 hours of HD video thanks to lighter apps on Android (Go edition). For those who want even more, just add a memory card to make room for even more photos, videos and music. Keep the chat and apps going from sunrise to sunset with the 2800mAh battery.
Nokia C2. Image courtesy HMD Global.
Snap the most share-worthy shot
For selfie lovers, you can take your selfies to the next level with the Nokia C2’s front camera and flash. Shoot shareable selfies even after sundown. HDR photography is made possible using the rear camera for that extra level of detail.
This smartphone brings Gallery Go benefits to even more people, so they can edit their favourite photos with just one simple tap. Plus, find and manage shots faster with automatic organisation.
The best of Android (Go edition), with the new Google Assistant button
Discover more space for the things you love with Android Pie (Go edition) – enjoy YouTube Go, Google Go and millions of other helpful apps on the Google Play Store.
The Nokia C2 also comes with the Google Assistant button – the fastest way to your Google Assistant. You can ask questions, see your schedule and even dim the lights.
Pricing and availability
The Nokia C2 is now available in two colors, Black and Cyan, for an estimated price of Ksh8,199 and a free phone cover. The phone is available in both Safaricom stores and open retail channels countrywide.
Within Sub-Saharan Africa, GDP growth rates of East African countries have been particularly strong over recent times. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented health and in turn economic crisis for all countries across this region. COVID-19 Cases in Eastern Africa as at
Source: Knight Frank, Macrobond The number of reported COVID-19 cases continues to grow against a backdrop of existing challenges such as the locust plague in Kenya. The potential scale of the impact of the pandemic however remains uncertain at this stage. With the anticipated slump in tourism, disruptions in trade as supply chains stall and reduction in consumer spending, the IMF in April 2020, revised GDP growth forecasts down from their earlier projections for all countries in the region.
Regional Policy and Government Initiatives Tracker Across the region, governments have adopted various initiatives towards curbing the spread of the virus and cushioning the impact on their economies. Below, we provide a summary of a range of government policies and interventions and briefly analyse the potential impacts that these may have on the real estate sector.
Impact on Real Estate Sectors
Google’s COVID-19 community mobility index, which tracks trends in movements, shows that as a result of these government interventions we have seen a decline in activity in areas associated with workplaces and retail and recreational destinations.
In the period between March and Mid-April 2020, retail and recreational activity declined the most as residents adhered to strict new social distancing protocols. Workplaces in general also witnessed a decline, however as certain economic activities are deemed critical, we have not seen the same decline in workplace activity as compared to the retail and recreational sector. As expected, activity in residential areas increased considerably over this period. However, these trends are not uniform across countries and are reflective of the severity of government interventions. Countries, such as Rwanda and Uganda, which have imposed total lockdowns, recorded strong declines in their respective retail and workplace activity and considerable growth in their residential activity. Kenya, as a result of its night-time curfew and movement bans in the Nairobi Metropolitan area, Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa has also recorded significant declines in its retail and workplace activity and growth in its residential activity. Tanzania is yet to issue any restrictions and as such, there were only slight declines recorded in its workplace and retail activity and only a slight growth in its residential activity.
Given the extreme fluidity of the situation, we will continue to provide regular updates through our regional focus series, where next week we will focus on Western Africa. Compiled by: Tilda Mwai, Researcher, Knight Frank Africa
Samsung Electronics announced today that the Samsung Health Monitor app has been cleared by South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), as a Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), making it a government-cleared, over-the-counter and cuffless blood pressure monitoring application. The Samsung Health Monitor app, when paired with advanced sensor technology on the Galaxy Watch Active2,1 enables you to easily and more conveniently measure and track your blood pressure. Globally, high blood pressure is known to significantly increase your risk of brain, kidney and heart diseases, including stroke and coronary heart disease when not managed properly. By helping users measure and track their blood pressure, the Samsung Health Monitor app gives people greater insight into their health and allows them to make more informed decisions, to lead healthier lives. “The Samsung Health Monitor app has the potential to help millions of people around the world who are affected by high blood pressure,” says Taejong Jay Yang, Corporate SVP and Head of Health Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is one of many examples of how Samsung is integrating its best-in-class hardware with the latest software innovations to innovate mobile experiences.” Once your Galaxy Watch Active2 device has been calibrated with a traditional cuff, you can simply tap to “Measure” your blood pressure anytime, anywhere. The device measures blood pressure through pulse wave analysis, which is tracked with the Heart Rate Monitoring sensors. The program then analyzes the relationship between the calibration value and the blood pressure change to determine the blood pressure.
Image courtesy redhousegroupke.com
To ensure accuracy, users are required to calibrate their device at least every four weeks. With the addition of blood pressure monitoring, the Galaxy Watch Active2 boasts Samsung’s most advanced health and wellness capabilities yet. The Galaxy Watch Active2 comes with more sensitive and accurate Heart Rate Monitoring sensors, and enables users to track their exercise, sleep, stress and get added healthcare insights that can help you improve your wellbeing.3 The Samsung Health Monitor app will be available on the Galaxy Watch Active2 within the third quarter and will progressively expand to upcoming Galaxy Watch devices
Requires Galaxy smartphone, running Android N OS or above and Galaxy Watch Active2 or upcoming Galaxy Watch device(s) to be paired. 2 Users should measure their blood pressure when at rest, as they would do with a traditional cuff, and refrain from measuring when they are working out, smoking or drinking.
Nairobi, April 26th 2020: The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) today joined the global intellectual property rights community in commemoration the World Intellectual Property day). The Celebrations this year marks the 20th anniversary since its inauguration and is aimed at increasing people’s awareness and understanding of intellectual property (IP).
The day brings together international IP organizations to raise awareness of intellectual property rights protection, through training programs and other joint activities. The theme of this year’s campaign ‘innovate for a Green Future’ calls for a paradigm shift by intellectual property right owners to be the drivers of sustainable development.
Mr. Elema Halake, the Executive Director at the Anti-Counterfeit Authority said, “This year world IP Day comes at a time when the world is experiencing unprecedented times due to COVID 19 pandemic. We will not have physical commemoration but virtual commemorations with the overall aim of gaining respect to Intellectual Property. We will have TV talk shows and social media campaigns to commemorate this day”.
This year’s theme is critical because it supports global efforts against climate change by connecting key actors in environmentally friendly innovation. Mr. Halake added that the theme “aims to incentivize innovation in this field and spread it more broadly, and to contribute to the efforts of developing countries in addressing the global challenges of climate change, food security and the environment. This resonates well with the government’s agenda towards delivery of the Big 4 Development goals”.
In the last three weeks the Authority has made seizures of counterfeit sanitizers and facemasks meant for containing the COVID 19 Pandemic. Mr. Halake said that the Authority will move fast towards ensuring we are not counterfeiting ideas/ products from other innovators. “Kenyans are great innovations in diverse fields like pharmaceutical and copyrights and manufacturers are doing us proud as we brave through the pandemic making life saving innovations andCOVID-19 Essential Supplies like ventilators, face masks, hand sanitizers etc. assisting with safety during this pandemic” He added.
Kenya is ranked the second most innovative country in sub-Saharan Africa in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2019, emerging in position 29 globally
“We will continue to work closely with other Government agencies like Kenya Industrial Property Institute and Kenya Copyright Board to ensure Intellectual property is respected.” Mr. Halake added.
According to World Intellectual Property Organization, Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create.
Last year to mark the World IP Day, under the multi-agency partnership in the fight against counterfeiting and illicit trade the authority launched theNational Anti-Illicit Trade Action Plan 2019/22 Action Plan. The plan shared the measures the government has put in place to counter the effect of illicit trade.
Nairobi, Kenya. Monday, April 20, 2020. Plan International Kenya, an independent global child rights organisation has partnered with Inua Dada Foundation, a global community that upholds the dignity and protects the girl child in a bid to supplement Government’s efforts in creating safe spaces for women and girls vulnerable to sexual, economic and physical violence during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cases of Gender Based Violence in various households have increased in the past weeks following government’s directives to restrict freedom of movement to curb the rising spread of coronavirus. The country’s data indicates that 45 per cent of women and 44 per cent of men of ages 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence while 14 per cent of Kenyan women aged between 15 and 49 have experienced sexual violence.
Nancy Okoth, Plan International’s Girls Advocacy Alliance Project Manager said, “Perpetrators of gender based violence are likely to use the current stay-at-home restrictions to physically abuse their partners. Children are also subjected to violence and exploitation. Also most cases of sexual abuse are committed by close relatives. We are here to provide psychosocial support and ensure that young mothers and women acquire access to free sanitary care packages and safe bathroom amenities.”
She added that the ongoing COVID-19 response initiative in slum and vulnerable rural areas is aimed at providing social-economic empowerment to those with less or no resources to meet family needs during this period when jobs are more scarce. Living in ‘lockdown’ is strenuous for most households, and this may lead to cases of prostitution and early marriages. Plan International is fitting water tanks and handwashing facilities across various points in Kibra, where young mothers will earn daily stipends from manning water points to assist them to fend for their children.
Inua Dada Founder Janet Mbugua said menstrual hygiene is vital to all women and adolescent girls in accessing sexual and reproductive health services. It is also important for well-wishers to offer social-economic support to disadvantaged households who do not have any other means of survival especially with the coronavirus isolation.
“We are offering these care packages to the vulnerable women and girls in the slum areas. Girls usually receive free sanitary towels in most government schools. But with the schools closed due to Covid-19 pandemic, we are stepping in to support them,” said Janet Mbugua.
The media personality added that the girl child has a right to protection from various forms of exploitation in such a time when they are vulnerable as their parents and caregivers struggle for means of survival.
Janet was speaking during a handover of care packages to Plan International’s Girls Advocacy Alliance Project Manager Nancy Okoth at the Inua Dada Foundation offices.
Over 200 young mothers in Kibra benefitted from the care packs that included sanitary towels, diapers, flour, cooking oil, lifebuoy, face masks and toilet papers.
Kenya has the pesticides to tackle the country’s locust invasion ready and stored in local warehouses, the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya (AAK) announced today. With the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) now warning of a 400-fold increase in the number of locusts in the region by June this year, if spraying does not proceed, the eggs laid by swarms in January are now hatching, generating increasingly large numbers of locust hoppers. However, spraying has yet to begin. For other countries in the region, an issue cited by the FAO has been reduced air cargo, which has prevented the arrival of pesticides. However, Kenya still has ample incoming cargo capacity and is, instead, held up on government decisions on how to proceed and its procurement. “As one of Africa’s largest agricultural exporters, we have cargo-only flights, most of which are still flying. These have traditionally arrived in Kenya nearly empty and left full. Thus, even with our total air cargo down to a tenth of its normal capacity, it is offering more than 400 tonnes a week of incoming cargo capacity, which has allowed our industry to bring in far more than the 100 tonnes needed for the next rounds of swarm spraying,” said Eric Kimunguyi, AAK’s CEO. Kenya has also concluded the process of identifying suitable pesticides. This has been challenging for the scientific community globally, because the opportunities to test insecticides on swarming locusts is rare and irregular, sometimes occurring only once in 20 or even 50 years. “Eradicating locust swarms and eggs is not an everyday challenge that the world’s agricultural organisations can test at will,” said Eric. However, working from the experiences available and the insecticides approved globally as safe for use, the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) carried out a consultation round this year gathering submissions and test data from which it, last month, announced a list of 64 insecticides suitable for use on locusts. These have been categorised across those already approved for locust use, those not previously approved for locust use in Kenya, but where large scale tests show their efficacy, those where their active ingredient should work on locusts, and those where local PCPB tests have established their efficacy. All of the 64 have already met safety standards in Kenya or other global regimes for use on other pests.
“With these recommended products announced, the industry now has in place 200 tonnes of these pesticides suitable for locust use. Thus, it is now a case of selection and moving to spraying,” said Eric. In this, the PCPB has emphasised the need to use varied insecticides to prevent any build up in resistance by locusts to any one product. The scientists must also select the best product for eggs and hoppers, where the initially approved list was proven only on mature swarms. “We believe the initial selections are imminent. But the important thing to note is that as soon as the Ministry of Agriculture is ready to deploy its recommended locust insecticides, we have then here ready in Kenya. We may just need to see some bold decisions about choosing the right products from the list, and about now starting the spraying of beds and hoppers, if we are to preempt new swarms,” said Eric.
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