Posts tagged Kenya

The protection and safety of journalists continues to be a pressing issue across the continent. Within weeks of celebrating World Press Freedom Day commemorated on May 3, a number of cases of threats and attacks on journalists had already been reported in several African countries.

School going girls in Kenya will now have to be provided with free sanitary wear in schools following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s signing the Basic Education Amendment Bill (2016) among eight other bills at State House yesterday.

The recent news of Ugandan innovator Kabwama Leonard Alvin who got a training opportunity at NASA has been followed with another positive story on the strides of African tech-entrepreneurs. Three African tech-entrepreneurs, Gerald Abila of BarefootLaw (Uganda), Alloysius Attah, founder of Farmerline (Ghana) and Tonee Ndungu of Kytabu (Kenya) have each been awarded €75,000 for the King Baudouin African Development Prize awards.

Uganda and Tanzania have decided to have their new standard gauge railway lines built with electric capability, as they plan to eventually upgrade to electric trains when energy supply needs are eventually met, a vast difference from Kenya’s diesel fuelled trains.

Africa’s precarious energy security is threatening the continent’s ability to actualise the Sustainable Development Goals. Bridging the continent’s energy gap is an urgent imperative if we want to truly secure Africa’s place in the 21st century. But is nuclear the way to go? ask Richard Munang and Richard Mgendi

Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo train started operations on Tuesday, effectively cutting down the cost of transporting goods from Mombasa, and reducing time it gets to the destination. The new Chinese-built route aimed at cementing Kenya’s position as the gateway to East Africa was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta at Port Reitz in Mombasa. The inaugural train boarded by President Uhuru Kenyatta was driven by two young Kenyan women who are part of team.

Ethiopia has surpassed Kenya to become east Africa’s top economic giant. According to data from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Ethiopia’s annual economic output, (Gross Domestic Product – GDP), hit $72.52 billion (Sh7.4 trillion) last year from $64.68 billion in 2015 and is expected to touch $78.3 billion this year. Ethiopia opened a Sh3 billion gap against former leader Kenya to make it east Africa’s top economic giant. Ethiopia’s growth has been attributed to public-led spending on infrastructure and a robust domestic demand.

Oxford University Press has unveiled a third edition English dictionary for learners in east and central Africa, giving pupils in primary school the opportunity to excel in their lessons and exams. The dictionary, which include some new words commonly used in the region will help learners how to communicate effectively and recognise their culture.

African governments are lagging behind in open data, and are keeping data locked away as citizens demand accountability a new Open Data Barometer report has revealed. The report gives a global snapshot of how governments are using open data for accountability, innovation and social impact. The report revealed that key accountability metrics such as government spending, elections, public contracts, company ownership and land ownership are among the least open and often poor quality. The report recommends that government-held data must be open by default and follow the principles set out in the Open Data Charter.

Today Africans across the continent celebrate Mother’s Day. Google used its doodle to pay tribute to mothers. The animated doodle shows the story of a cactus mom through various stages of motherhood. The doodle honours mothers across the world and celebrates the sacrifices mothers make for their children. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in the world, and we thank you for all the sacrifices, and love.