Strathmore Business School Signs Pact with National AIDS Control Spread of HIV and AIDS Virus

Strathmore Business School SBS, Institute of Healthcare Management have partnered with National AIDS Control Council NACC in a collaborative for training and policy analysis program for HIV and AIDS Prevention, Care and Management.

The alliance targets  to  advance the fight against HIV and AIDS in Kenya with the aim of getting to zero new infections, zero AIDS related deaths and zero stigma and discrimination, leveraging on the comparative strengths of each institution.

NACC and SBS will develop and deliver short courses in HIV Programming in Kenya and Graduate Programmes in HIV prevention.

“For us to deliver on the Maisha strategic plan, we must be ready to work with the people whose core competence are on training,” remarked Dr. Nduku Kilonzo, Director NACC.

“National health strategies have been rather reactive to epidemics, limiting the power of national institutions and other stakeholders to properly harness resources in building strong and sustainable health institutions. We hope that this MoU will provide relevant solutions to Kenyans.” explained Prof. Gilbert Kokwaro, Director Institute of Healthcare Management- SBS.

The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between National Aids Control Council and Strathmore Business School on Tuesday was presided over by Dr. Nduku Kilonzo, Director NACC, John Kamigwi, Deputy Director NACC, Prof. Gilbert Kokwaro, Director Institute of Healthcare Management- SBS, Dr. Angela Ndunge, Faculty Director- SBS, amongst other dignitaries.

According to the latest HIV/AIDS prevalence reports as highlighted by Dr. Kilonzo, there are 1.6 million people who are living with HIV/AIDS, 900,000 currently under treatment, which accounts for 66%. HIV/AIDS is the leading killer of adolescents and young people in Kenya, from ages 15-24.

‘The number of new infections are higher than the mortality rate which is an indication of insignificant control over epidemics. In order to stabilize the rate of new infections, we must be ready to train, inform and deliver on the core competencies across all players. Managing HIV/AIDS has to be a multisectoral task,” said Dr. Kilonzo.

Dr. Kilonzo continued that the current cost of treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS is sh. 18 billion against a National health budget of sh. 60 billion .

 “We are hopeful that our engagement with Strathmore Business School will culminate to the development of a framework on how to develop and make use of local research, mobilize resources and efficiently account for the expenditure. Advancement of local research must translate to policy and practice,” concluded Dr. Kilonzo.

Pass Conservationist Laws To Save Lives, advises UN

The United Nations UN has advised its member states to pass legislations to conserve the environment as a means of preventing deaths that occur as a result of pollution.

This is according to a new report titled Healthy Environment, Healthy People  published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Health Organization (WHO) amongst other stakeholders.

A recently released report by the United Nations Environment Assembly UNEA has revealed that environmental degradation and pollution is estimated to cause up to 234 times as many premature deaths as caused by conflicts annually.

The report finds that in 2012, an estimated 12.6 million deaths were attributed to deteriorating environment conditions.

‘It is up to us ministers of environment globally to consult and put across an agenda to use budgets and means at our disposal to make public policies to improve lives of our people,’ said UNEA President Edgar Gutierrez.

The Global Affairs and Policy Office of International Affairs has reiterated that air pollution is very serious and is a cause of major respiratory diseases.

‘Air pollution causes 7 million deaths annually and it is the 8^th leading cause of deaths. Of these, 4.3 million are down to household air pollution, particularly among women and young children in developing countries,’ said Walker Smith the Director Global Affairs and Policy Office of International Affairs.

Chief Scientist Jackline McGlade has explained,’ If you tackle environment issues holistically then health threats will be averted. 

‘By depleting the ecological infrastructure of our planet and increasing our pollution footprint, we incur an ever-growing cost in terms of human health and well-being. From air pollution and chemical exposure to the mining of our natural resource base, we have compromised our life support systems,’ UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said

‘A healthier planet is a rising tide that lifts all boats, including human health, but also economies and societies. By grounding development and progress in environmental health, we safeguard our own well-being. At UNEA-2, the world is focusing on pathways to ensure that the environment sustains human health rather than threatening it.’ Steiner continued.

 Deaths related to non-communicable diseases are said to be rising in all regions: three quarters of people who died from non-communicable diseases in 2012 lived in low and middle income countries.

The report also points to drivers of the environmental health-related impacts – including ecosystem disruption, climate change, inequality, unplanned urbanization, unhealthy and wasteful lifestyles and unsustainable consumption and production patterns – and outlines the massive health and economic benefits that action would bring. 

Healthy Environment, Healthy People is published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions  looks at the dangers posed by air pollution, chemicals, climate change and other issues linking environmental quality to human health and well-being.

Climate change is exacerbating the scale and intensity of environment-related health risks. Estimates from the WHO indicate that 250,000 additional deaths could occur each year between 2030 and 2050, mostly from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress, as a result of climate change.

Kenya is currently hosting UNEA from May 23^rd to May 27^th.

Leaders from 193 nations and over 2,000 participants among them top scientists and environment experts from around the globe, ministers of environment,health and finance led by Costa Rica Minister for Environment Edgar Gutierrez who is also the UNEA President are also present.

Trending google searches in Kenya

Google has today released the annual Year In Search 2015, which uncovers searches and questions that drove Kenyans online throughout the year.

This year’s most trending searches were, for the most part, driven by events and personalities. 2015 saw Kenya host two iconic world leaders - US President, Barack Obama was in the country to attend the sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit in July, and the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis who visited Kenya during his historic trip to Africa - prompting Kenyans to go online to find out more about them and their itineraries. Barack Obama visit was the number one most trending event while Pope Francis visit was the second in the list of trending events.

The Garissa attack, which left close to 150 people dead and necessitated an indefinite closure of Garissa University was the third most trending event followed by teacher’s strike, which paralysed learning in public schools for about one month. Kenyans love for sports was once more exhibited by their interest in Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s “fight of the century” as well as the COPA America football competition, South American international football competition contested between the men's national football teams of South American Football Confederation. Other trending events are: Beatification of Sister Nyaatha, Tanzania Elections, Paris Attacks, and Blood moon.

On the general most trending searches, the late Fidel Odinga, a prominent businessman and son of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was the most trending. Fidel was also the most trending search under ‘People we lost in 2015’ after he passed away, in January, and the number one most trending Kenyan personality.

iTax, a platform that enables Kenyans to pay their taxes online, was the second most trending general search. Taxpayers visited the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) website as they sought to familiarise themselves with the new system of filing VAT, PAYE and Income Tax returns.

Other trending searches are Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Lamar Odom  - a former basketball player and ex-husband to reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, Garissa Attack, Teachers strike, The Beast -  Barack Obama’s official vehicle; Floyd Mayweather, as people turned to search to find out more about the “Fight of the century” with Manny Pacquiao. COPA America was the number ten in this list.

Whenever local personalities and celebrities are in the news, Kenyans turn to Google search to gather more information about them. Fidel Odinga topped the trending Kenyan personalities list while Gloria Muliro was second. Third on the list was businessman, Paul Kobia, who drove Kenyans to search following his arrest by police after he claimed that he knew who and what had killed Raila Odinga's son, Fidel Odinga..The late George Muchai, who served as Kabete Member of Parliament (MP), was fourth on the list after he was gunned down in Nairobi, while the late Nana Gichuru - a well-known actress and blogger who died in a tragic car accident - was number five. Other trending personalities include: Dr. Auma Obama - half sister to U.S President Barack Obama; the late Murimi wa Kahalf - popularly known for his hit song “Ino Ni Momo”; Dr. Mugo wa Wairimu, alias James Mugo Ndichu, who is accused of allegedly sedating and raping women in his clinic; senior reporter Jackie Maribe after rumors of her love affair with top Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi and Neno Evangelism preacher - Pastor James Maina Ng’ang’a after he was allegedly accused of causing  fatal accident along Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

2015 was also the year Kenya and the world bid farewell to some of its most dynamic personalities and the  late Fidel Odinga was the most trending personality among ‘People we lost in 2015’ Second on the list is the late Muna Obiekwe, a renown Nollywood actor, who passed away on January 18, after suffering from kidney disease while the late Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of singers Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston daughter of singers Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston who passed away on Sunday July 26 - six months after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub in her Atlanta house was third on the list.

Other people we lost in 2015 include: the former Member of Parliament for Kabete - the late George Muchai, who was shot dead on February 7 as he was heading home after meeting family members at a restaurant in Nairobi; the late Nana Gichuru - a well-know actress and blogger, who  died in a fatal car accident on September 22; the late Murimi wa Kahalf, who died on June 4 after battling an unknown illness; the late Mrs. Grace Akinyi Ogot best known for her novel The Promised Land who passed on at Nairobi Hospital on March 18 after a long illness; Veteran TV comedian Benson Wanjau alias Mzee Ojwang, who passed away  while undergoing treatment at the Kenyatta National Hospital; Kimani Maruge who died on August 14, 2009 and was honored with a custom Google Doodle on January 12, 2015, for his achievements and Jonah Lomu - a distinguished New Zealand rugby player who died on November 18 at the age of 40. Although Lomu died in November, he was already trending in searches worldwide.

This year’s most trending music was primarily dominated by international music, however our very own afro-pop band Sauti Sol came in third. Adele’s “Hello” was the most searched song in 2015 - despite being released relatively later in the year.  The second most trending song was “Amarula” by Zambia’s Roberto. Third on the list of most trending music was  Sauti Sol’s “Nerea”.  Other trending songs in 2015 were: Jidenna’s “Classic man”; Drake’s “Hotline Bling”; Fetty Wap’s hit single “Trap Queen”; “Nae Nae” by Silento; Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” and “One last time” by Ariana Grande.

On the most trending "what is" searches, “What is xenophobia” was the most trending after attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa erupted in April. “What is beatification” was the second trending search after Sister Irene Stefani, a Roman Catholic Italian nun and a member of the Consolata Missionary Sisters who was beatified on May 23rd. Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church that a  deceased person led a holy life and is worthy of interceding on behalf of the faithful who make their prayers and petitions to God. Third on the list was “What is poverty” while “What is POTUS” was number five. “What is Ebola”; “What is climate change”; “What is ISIS”;  and “What is Eurobond” - a bond issued in domestic currency of the issuer but sold outside of the issuer's country. Eurobond has been a prominent feature in the news after it was released to Kenya and continues to drive people online. Other trending what is queries are ‘’What is teenage pregnancy’’ and ‘’What is the  beast.’’

The “how to” trending searches had “How to play lotto” as number one most trending search. “How to lose belly fat”; “How to download a youtube video” even though it's illegal because of copyright issues; “How to okoa stima”; “How to write a formal letter”; “How to practice typing on a computer”; “How to pray with the rosary”; “How to bet”; “How to convert pdf to word” and  “How to bake a simple cake”.

Trending events (Kenya)

1. President Obama visit
2. Pope Francis visit
3. Garissa University attack
4. Teachers Strike
5. Mayweather vs Pacquiao
6. Beatification of Sister Nyaatha
7. Tanzania Elections
8. Paris Attacks
9. Blood moon
10. COPA America

BARAKA FM SCOOPS TOP ACCOLADES IN DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

Baraka FM reporters were honoured on Wednesday night at the 9th Kenya
Media Network on Population and Development, KEMEP Awards.

Albert Mwangeka, a senior reporter for the media house based in
Nairobi beat out stiff competition in the Female Genital Mutilation
category and was chosen the best by a panel of judges drawn from
diverse areas.

His story was on a teenage girl living in Kilifi county who was forced
by her mother to undergo the cut forcefully after sitting her KCPE
exams.

David Ngumbao who is a correspondent in Kilifi also beat out
competition and emerged the best in the Family Planning category.

His story touched on school going girls in Kilifi who were using
various family planning methods.

Mombasa based senior reporter Diana Wanyonyi emerged 1st runners up in
the Population and Development Category.

Wanyonyi was 2nd Runners in FGM and Family Planning categories.

Other winners of the night included Josephat Kioko who was 2nd Runners
Up in the Population and Development pool, Oscar Nyoha 2nd Runners Up
Children and Youth Affairs and Joseph Jira 2nd Runners Up Reproductive
Health Category.

Winners of each category were awarded a trophy, Certificate and a high
end tablet.

'Baraka FM had strong entries in the KEMEP Awards. We commend the
management team for allowing their journalists to run development
content consistently,' says Chief Judge Howard Akimala.

'Baraka FM has shown a never -dying-attitude in as far as development
driven stories is concerned. It is encouraging to see stories that
have a human face being unearthed,' says KEMEP co-ordinator Henry
Kibira.

KEMEP Media Awards were introduced eight years ago to recognize the
commitment and vigour with which journalists put towards highlighting
issues related to development.

The objective of the annual Media Awards is to reward journalists for
writing and producing excellent stories that clearly articulate the
real issues surrounding development matters.

Journalists were feted during  a gala dinner at Laico Regency, Nairobi.