Press Review; Top news at a glance
Here is what is making headlines.
Day two of CS vetting Kindiki, Chirchir, Jumwa, Njuguna Ndung’u, and Kuria lined up.
Today is the second day of the marathon vetting of Cabinet Secretaries by Parliament. Prof Kithure Kindiki, the Interior and Coordination of National Government CS nominee, National Treasury nominee Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, Davis Chirchir nominee for Energy and Petroleum docket, former Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa (Gender), and Moses Kuria for Trade, Investment and Industry will face the parliamentarians.
The committee is composed of the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula (Chairperson), Nelson Koech (Belgut), Rahab Mukami (Nyeri), Dido Ali Raso (Saku), George Murugara (Tharaka), David Gikaria (Nakuru East), Ferdinand Wanyonyi (Kwanza), Mary Emaase (Teso South), Abdul Rahim Dawood (North Imenti), Junet Mohamed (Suna East), Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Stephen Mule (Matungulu), Abdi Shurie (Balambala), Naisula Lesuuda (Samburu West), David Pkosing (Pokot South) and Mishi Mboko (Likoni).
Parliament has 28 days to vet, table a report in Parliament and forward the approved names to the President.
Telcom Kenya made a loss of Kes 575 million in running the government fiber optic network
A forensic audit on the National Optic Fibre Backbone (Nofbi) Phase 1 project has revealed that Telkom Kenya incurred a Kes 575 million loss for running a government-owned fiber optic network worth KES 16 billion.
Telkom Kenya ceased operations and maintenance in December last year, but according to the audit, the company earned Kes- 2.33 billion in revenue from leased out Nofbi Phase I infrastructure from June 2011 to December 2021.
However, throughout the course of the 10 years, operating the Nofbi infrastructure—which offers telecoms access in all 47 counties—cost the State firm Kes 2.9 billion in total.
“As a result, Telkom Kenya Ltd incurred a cumulative net loss of Sh575 million, which has not been reimbursed as of the time of audit in February 2022,” Nancy Gathungu, the Auditor-General said in a forensic audit.
No reprieve yet for new KTDA directors
The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), which is fighting for control of the company in court, has been unsuccessful in its attempt to prevent a group of former directors from entering its offices and posing as company representatives.
The two groups of directors were told to appear before High Court Judge Chacha Mwita on December 7, 2022 for further instructions after he declined to issue the injunction.
The other faction, led by Mr. Peter Kanyago, was expelled in December 2021, thus the new directors, led by chairman David Ichoho, petitioned Justice Mwita to give provisional orders.
In September, Ichoho alleged that former board members invaded a board meeting led by ousted chairman Peter Kanyago.
Bitting mental illness crisis, 40pc of adolescents affected
One in eight Kenyan teenagers fit the criterion for a mental disorder, and more than two-fifths of them reported having a mental health issue.
Adolescents frequently experience mental health issues and mental diseases. According to the National Adolescent Mental Health Survey, which was released by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), University of Queensland, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, mental and substance use disorders are the main causes of disability among adolescents globally.
Among the mental diseases covered by the poll were social phobia, generalised anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, conduct disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Serum Institute to produce Ebola vaccines for use in Uganda
An experimental Ebola vaccine will be produced by the Serum Institute of India by the end of November for use in trials against an outbreak in Uganda, according to the vaccine’s creators and a corporate source.
The absence of a tested vaccination against the Sudan strain of the virus has slowed down the response to the outbreak in Uganda.
Since last month, there have been 54 confirmed cases, and 19 fatalities, and the first case in Kampala, the country’s capital, was reported last week. Health officials, however, think that the true figures may be higher.
Recent outbreaks in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo have shown that vaccines against the more prevalent Zaire strain of Ebola are quite effective.
Oxford University, which collaborated with AstraZeneca (AZN.L) to create a COVID-19 vaccine, has an Ebola vaccine that has been demonstrated in Phase 1 studies to generate an immune response to both the Sudan and Zaire strains.
Its creators said that after receiving regulatory approval in Uganda, they were collaborating with the Serum Institute to produce doses that could be used there as part of clinical research.
Sports
Benzema cliches first Ballon d’Or
Karim Benzema, a forward for Real Madrid and France, has won the Ballon d’Or, which is given to the year’s top footballer, for the first time.
In 46 games, Benzema scored 44 goals, helping Real Madrid win the Champions League and La Liga in 2021–22.
Twelve of the previous thirteen awards had been won by Lionel Messi (seven) and Cristiano Ronaldo (five).
Sadio Mane of Bayern Munich, who played for Liverpool in 2021–2022, finished ahead of Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City.
Alexia Putellas of Barcelona continued to hold the Women’s Ballon d’Or, which was given to the top female player of 2022.
Beth Mead, an Arsenal forward and champion of the Euro 2022, came in second.