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Category: News

  • Daystar to Retain Online Classes in January 2021

    By: Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of Daystar University

    Daystar University will continue administering classes online, as a few physical classes will be taking place in the campuses come January 2021.

    In an email sent to the school on Monday, only nursing students, science students and those admitted during the October 2020 physical semester will start face to face learning in January 2021.

    Other courses, according to the email, are to continue with online learning.

    “Save for the programs outlined above, all other undergraduate, certificate and Diploma students will remain online,” read the email.

    All continuing postgraduate students taking PGDE, Master’s and PhD programmes, as well as new postgraduate students from October 2020 and January 2021, will study online as well.

    Students to start physical classes in January include; all nursing students admitted in 2020 and January 2021, all undergraduate students admitted to the October 2020 physical semester, all law students admitted in August 2020 and January 2021, will have physical classes at the Athi River Campus.

    Photo courtesy of Laguma

    For continuing students, all nursing students admitted in 2018 and 2019 will continue with their clinical placements. All Upgrade Nursing students admitted in 2020 and 2021, will have physical theory classes at the Nairobi campus.

    All students taking Biomedical Science, Environmental Heath, Actuarial Science, Applied Computer Science and Bachelor of Education Science (B.Ed Science), will have physical classes at the Athi River campus.

    The 15% fee discount previously offered for online classes has been discontinued due to the government suspension of all tax waivers.

    Physical orientation for new students is set to begin on January 4, 2021.

    The University Portal will be opened for registration of courses on January 4, 2021 once the timetable has been released. Both physical and online classes will begin on January 11, 2021.

  • FDA Authorizes Moderna Vaccine for Emergency Use in the US

    By: Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of Reuters

    The Food and drug Administration (FDA) authorized the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna, which joins the Pfizer-BioNTech as the second vaccine available for use in the US.

    The announcement on Friday came a day after a committee of outside experts endorsed the use of the Moderna vaccine across the US, saying the benefits outweigh the risks.

    “With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, in a press release.

    Moderna experiemental COVID-19 vaccine. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

    The vaccine which was 94% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in clinical trials can now be given to adults 18 years and older. Data presented by Moderna also hints that the vaccine could prevent asymptomatic infection as well.

    Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine will be available under Emergency Use Authorization, a designation that lets the FDA sign off on products faster than the normal review process during an emergency like a pandemic.

    The Moderna vaccine can be easily stored compared to the Pfizer vaccine, which requires to be kept at ultra-cold temperatures.

    Moderna can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 30 days, making it easier to distribute to places without the infrastructure to maintain extremely low temperatures.

    “We remain focused on scaling up manufacturing to help us protect as many people as we can from this terrible disease,” Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna said in a press release.

    The United States ordered 200 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough to vaccinate 100 million people.

    Patient receiving a dose of the Moderna vaccine. Photo courtesy of the New York Times.

    The first doses will be given to health care workers and residents in long-term care facilities within days.

    Moderna has about 5.9 million doses ready for shipment set to begin during the weekend, according to operation Warp Speed, the US government’s vaccine development program. The first Moderna vaccines are expected to be administered on Monday.

    Moderna has said it plans to deliver approximately 20 million doses to the US government this year, and will provide the 200 million doses by end of June 2021.

  • Kenya orders 24M doses of COVID-19 Vaccine


    By: Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of reuters


    Kenya has joined other countries in securing Covid-19 vaccines and has ordered 24 million doses from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This is enough to cover 20% of the country’s population.
    Acting director-general of health, Dr Patrick Amoth said that each dose will be about $3 (Sh320) and cost the country a total of Sh10 billion.

    The amount is already heavily discounted by Gavi through donations from several developed countries, the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. “The first to be vaccinated will be frontline workers, then the vulnerable and the elderly,” said Amoth. He, however, did not specify a timeframe but vaccines are expected early next year.


    Amoth said that Gavi has signed agreements with manufacturers of about nine vaccine candidates. Kenya therefore did not dictate which vaccine to receive, but the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be ideal for the country because it fits within its cold chain supply system.

    Acting Health DG Dr Patrick Amoth during a past COVID-19 press briefing. Photo courtesy of Citizen TV.


    Kenya also launched clinical trials for the AstraZeneca vaccine in Kilifi in October. An emergency use approval is yet to be granted by the Health Ministry.
    “Once they get approval from the European Medicines Agency and in the UK, then we will also consider granting such authorization in Kenya,” said Amoth.


    The announcement means Kenya has applied for the largest number of doses in East Africa.
    Last week on Thursday, Uganda’s Health Ministry, said it ordered 9 million doses to cover 20% of the country’s population.
    “Plans are underway to secure additional doses of the vaccine to cover more people,” said the Ugandan Ministry in a statement.


    Rwanda’s Minister of Health Daniel Ngamije on Sunday also announced they had applied for either the AstraZeneca or the Moderna vaccine. He, however, did not say how many doses they had applied for but hoped they would be the among the first African countries to receive them.

    VA medical syringe and a vial in front of the AstraZeneca Vaccine. Photo courtesy of Times

    Egypt applied for 20 million doses from Gavi and expected to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
    Gavi is supplying Covid-19 vaccines to 92 developing countries including Kenya through a facility called Covax. Covax was created by Gavi, UNICEF and the WHO to deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. The facility says it has already secured millions of ready-made doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate, ready for distribution to the 92 developing countries.


    Experts say although there won’t be enough vaccines for every Kenyan, getting the shots to the right people could help tame the pandemic.

  • FDA to approve Moderna Vaccine in the US

    By: Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of Getty Images

    Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say that Moderna’s vaccine is safe and 95% effective, clearing the way for US emergency authorization.


    This comes one day after Americans across the country began receiving doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
    Once approved by the FDA vaccine panel, Moderna will become the second coronavirus vaccine to be allowed in the US and shipments could begin within 24 hours.

    A patient receiving a dose of the Moderna Vaccine. Photo courtesy of New York Times

    Moderna’s data was released by the FDA on Tuesday, ahead of the vaccine panel’s meeting to discuss the drug on Friday. The 54-page document said there were “no specific safety concerns” and that serious adverse reactions were rare. The data also suggests that its vaccine begins to prevent asymptomatic infections after the first dose. This is highly effective because this helps significantly slow the spread of the coronavirus. FDA analysts found that the Moderna vaccine was effective “across age groups, gender, racial and ethnic groups, and participants with underlying conditions”. In addition, the research “suggested benefit of the vaccine in preventing severe Covid-19.”


    The issues of effectiveness against severe disease have been raised about the studies of vaccines for Covid. The Moderna study found 30 cases of severe disease in the control group, versus zero in the vaccine group.

    The FDA found no specific safety concerns that would preclude its authorization of the vaccine. Most common side effects included injection-site pain, fatigue, headache and chills.
    Severe adverse reactions were rare but occurred more frequently after the second dose of the vaccine than after the first.


    For instance, about 9.1% of vaccine recipients had an injection site reaction that was classified as “grade 3,”. This the FDA defines as severe of medically significant, but not immediately life-threatening. In comparison, fewer than 1% of the control group had grade 3 injection-site reactions.
    Some 16.5% of vaccine recipients had systemic adverse reactions – such as fever and fatigue- with the severity of at least grade 3 and 3.7% among the control group. Severe fatigue was more common after the second dose after the first. The FDA last week authorized emergency use of the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, which began distribution this week.


    Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna’s does not require ultra-cold storage during shipping. Instead, it requires temperatures of around -20C for shipping – similar to a regular freezer. The Pfizer vaccine requires temperatures closer to -70C, making transport logistics much more difficult.

    A shipment of the Pfizer vaccine delivered to US on Monday. Photo courtesy of Wall Street Journal.


    The primary goal of the studies of both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines was to measure whether they prevented symptomatic COVID-19 disease, including severe disease.
    However, people can still become infected affected and transmit the virus without showing any symptoms.

    A Pfizer executive said last week that the company was studying whether its vaccine protects against asymptomatic Covid-19 and hope to complete the analysis early next year.

  • President Kenyatta Orders all schools reopen in January 2021

    By Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of PSCU


    President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed that all schools reopen in January 2021 as the country continues battling the COVID-19 pandemic.


    The Head of State instructed that the Interior Ministry, through all Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs to ensure that all students report to school at the beginning of next year.
    “We remain on course for the resumption of learning in all classes effective the 4th of January 2021, with the safety of our learners being our top priority,” said President Kenyatta during Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyayo Stadium.
    “In that regard, and in line with the policy of the Government on universal and compulsory basic education for all children up to 18 years, all parents and guardians are required to facilitate their children to resume learning in January 2021,” added President Kenyatta.

    President Uhuru Kenyatta inspects a guard of honour mounted by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) upon arrival at the Nyayo Stadium for Jamhuri Day celebrations. Photo courtesy of PSCU

    The Ministry of Education in consultation with the Health Ministry has developed sector-specific protocols and guidelines to facilitate the reopening of all learning institution.


    The President added that the Ministry of Education shall receive reports from all primary and secondary schools on the identity and details of any student who shall not report to school.
    He also directed that the Education Ministry facilitate the resumption of learning for all learners who had dropped out of school due to pregnancy.
    “That the Ministry of Education shall re-issue and publicize the Education Policy on School Re-Entry, so as to facilitate the re-admission of all those who may not be able to report back due to pregnancies,” said the President. Even with the pandemic, the Head of State assured that no learner will be left behind.


    All schools in Kenya will reopen next month after nine months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The government had already begun phased reopening of Grade 4, Class 8 and Form 4 students returning to school on October 12, 2020.


    Last week, the National Council Churches of Kenya (NCCK) called on the government to review the planned re-opening of all schools citing the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in the country.
    NCCK General Secretary Canon Chris Kinyanjui cautioned the situation risks the lives of teachers, students and parents.
    “We propose that the decision that all learners will resume in-school learning on January 5, 2021, be reviewed and proper measures be put in place to avoid a surge in new infections,” Kinyanjui said last week.

  • Elderly UK Woman Becomes First in World to Receive Pfizer Vaccine

    By Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of Sky News


    The beginning of the end of the pandemic has begun as the first person in the world has been vaccinated outside a clinical trial.


    Margaret Keenan, 90, received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, as the NHS launched its biggest ever vaccine campaign on Tuesday. Mrs Keenan, who will turn 91 next week, said being the first was a “privilege” and the “best early birthday present one can wish for”. According to her, having the vaccine meant she could spend time with family and friends in the New Year after being alone for most of 2020.


    “My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it – if I can have it at 90, then you can have it too!” She added.


    Mrs Keenan will receive a booster shot in 21 days to ensure she has the best chance of being protected against the virus.

    Mrs Keenan receives COVID-19 vaccine at the hospital. Photo courtesy of Sky News.


    The UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer vaccine last week. The government has secured 40 million doses of the vaccine which studies have shown is 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in all age groups.


    During the weekend, the vaccine began arriving in batches at a hospital in South London, ahead of the country-wide rollout. At least 800,000 doses enough for 400,000 people were received in the first batch. Vaccinations will be given at dozens of hospital hubs from today called “V-Day” by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. People aged 80 and over together with home care workers will be among the first to receive the vaccines.

    Mrs Keenan getting applauded back to her ward by nurses. Photo courtesy of Mirror UK


    Mr Hancock told Sky News he felt “quite emotional” watching Mrs Keenan have the vaccination.
    “It has been such a tough year for so many people and finally we have our way through it – our light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
    “And just watching Margaret there- it seems so simple having a jab in your arm, but that will protect Margaret and it will protect the people around her,” he added.


    Mrs Parson, the nurse who gave Mrs Keenan the vaccine, said it was a “huge honour” to be the first in the country to deliver the vaccine to a patient.
    “The last few months have been tough for all of us working in the NHS, but now it feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel,” added Mrs Parson.

    Margaret Keenan walks with nurse Mary Parsons. Photo courtesy of Mirror UK.


    First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said she “got a lump in her throat” watching the video of the first COVID-19 vaccination being administered.
    “Feels like a milestone moment after a tough year for everyone. The first vaccines in Scotland will be administered today too.” She tweeted.


    NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said on Sunday that beginning COVID vaccinations “feels like the beginning of the end”, but warned the campaign will be a “marathon, not a sprint”.

  • 50.5pc of Kenya’s population are Women

    By: Brenda Mongare (brendamongare171595@daystar.ac.ke

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of: Varcity.co.ke

    Kenya has more women than men according to the 2019 census results.

    Of the total population of 47,564,296, 24,014,716 are female which translates to 50.5% of the population while 23,548,056 are male and 1,524 are Intersex.

    The 2019 census results released by Kenya National Bureau of Statics Director General Zachary Mwangi at State House also indicate that the Country’s population has increased from 37.7 Million in 2009 to 47.6 Million in 2019.

    Mwangi said the intercensal growth rate has declined to 2.2% in 2019, from 2.9% in 2009 while the average household size has declined to 3.9 in 2019 from 4.2 in 2009.

    Nairobi County has the highest number of people at 4.4 million of which 2,192,452 are male while 2,204,376 are female.

    Kiambu County ranks second with 2,417,735 people followed by Nakuru with 2,162,202.

    Lamu County has the lowest population with 143,920, followed by Isiolo with 268,002 and Samburu with 310,327.

    Mwangi said the enumeration was successfully conducted from 24th/25th to 31st August 2019 and a mop-up exercise carried out on 1st and 2nd of September 2019, to cover those not enumerated during the seven days. KNBS will undertake further analysis to produce 4 basic reports focussing on population by: Administrative units up to sub-location, Age and Sex by county, Political Units, Socio-economic characteristics; and thematic analytical reports.

    “I am also grateful to the security personnel who ensured peace prevailed during the census exercise. You lived to your true calling by providing the necessary security, not only to the census officials, but also to all members of the public.” Uhuru Kenyatta.

    The President said Kenya was the first Country in Africa to release census results two months after the exercise was conducted.

    “I am happy to note that this is the first Census to be conducted under the 2010 Constitution and was by and large fully funded by my Government. This year’s Census was a first of its kind in Kenya, in that for the first time ever, we fully embraced the use of technology in the census processes.”

  • THE U.S. SET TO EXIT FROM THE PARIS AGREEMENT

    By: Brenda Mongare (brendamongare171595@daystar.ac.ke)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of: weforum.org

    The Trump administration made a statement to the international community that it plans to officially withdraw from the Paris climate accord. The Paris climate accord unites 188 nations to combat climate change.

    President Trump called the agreement “a total disaster” and argued that the Obama administration’s pledges would have “hurt the competitiveness” of the United States.

    The withdrawal is still subject to the outcome of next year’s US presidential election – if Mr Trump loses, the winner may decide to change this decision.

    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration had sent official notification of its plans to the United Nations.

    “In international climate discussions, we will continue to offer a realistic and pragmatic model — backed by a record of real world results — showing innovation and open markets lead to greater prosperity, fewer emissions, and more secure sources of energy,” Pompeo said. “We will continue to work with our global partners to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change and prepare for and respond to natural disasters.”

    But how much can they do to fight climate change in the absence of federal leadership?

    The US would become the only country to leave the pact, a decision Trump promised to boost US oil, gas and coal industries.

    The Paris Agreement was set to provide a foundation for sustainable, low-carbon and resilient development under a changing climate by strengthening community-level resilience in countries suffering the same fate as Kenya.

    Some of the plans that were set forward for countries to follow were:

    1. Planting trees that absorb CO2 from the air is one such strategy.
    2. Reduction of the amount of greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere can also be achieved through the use of energy sources that don’t release greenhouse gases such as fuel efficiency in vehicles, hydrogen fuel cells, solar power, tidal energy, geothermal and wind power, use of carbon sinks, carbon credits, and taxation measures.

    The Trump administration might end up losing a lot of traction with respect to US influence globally and it could take time for the international community to trust the US as a consistent partner in any developments or ties.

    The US and China have been leading negotiations of the Paris “rule book” that outlines transparency and reporting rules for signatories, let’s wait and see what happens next.

  • INTERNS REJECTED BY MINISTRIES AND GOVERNMENT DUE TO GLITCH

    By: Brenda Mongare (brendamongare171595@daystar.ac.ke)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of: the-star.co.ke

    A delay in the introduction to ministries and government corporations saw interns posted by the Public Service Commission (PSC) rejected. Public Service Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia admitted the glitch affected several interns but this was being addressed.

    “The majority of interns are reporting to ministries and a few in State corporations. There are no State corporations that rejected interns. However, some interns reported to corporations with their posting letters while the corporations had not received PSC guidelines on how to deploy the interns,” she said.

    Some of the departments wanted to be allowed to directly contract the interns, while some heads complained that the graduates sent to their dockets did not possess the primary degrees to learn on the job and a suspicion that some of them have been detailed to spy on them and subsequently report them to their bosses or investigative agencies.

    “All MDAs have received guidance letters and interns continue to report with a deadline of November 1. Any recruited intern who has any reporting challenges to contact PSC for assistance,” Prof Kobia said.

    Some turned them away saying they did not have physical space to accommodate them.

    An unemployment crisis continues to bite, with many graduates opting for menial jobs to earn a living. Prof Kobia revealed that 40 percent of Kenya’s productive population, mostly the youth, do not have meaningful jobs. “We are looking forward to recruiting 4,000 health workers following a request from the ministry.

    “Those with certificates, diplomas and degrees will benefit as the ministry moves to address the shortage of manpower,” PSC Chairman Stephen Kirogo said.

    Some of those that have turned interns away are Kenya Ports Authority, Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Kenya Revenue Authority.

    The government recruited 3,600 graduates in a plan the PSC believes will address the problem of an aging workforce when they are finally absorbed after one year.

    Some 3,200 public servants exit the service every year through natural attrition while 18,600 graduates applied for the slots.

    Mr. Kirogo disclosed that they had received 13,000 applications for the second intake that targets 4,000 recruits.

    “There is an overwhelming response and I’m happy people are keen to take part in the program,” he said on Saturday.

    Recruited from all the 290 constituencies, the PSC chairman holds that the program will in the long run cure the dominance of a few ethnic groups.

    A PSC report in July on its ethnic composition tabled in Parliament indicated that five tribes – Kikuyu, Luhya, Kisii, Maasai and Embu — control 53.3 per cent of the 223 jobs.

  • ALWAYS REMOVES ITS FEMALE SYMBOL FROM PACKAGING

    By: Brenda Mongare (brendamongare171595@daystar.ac.ke)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of: www.amazon.com

    Menstrual pad maker Always has announced that it will remove the female symbol from its products to reflect the fact that some people who menstruate don’t identify as women, including transgender men and nonbinary people.

    The company was forced into deciding at the behest of lobbyists, Always’ parent company, Procter and Gamble, released a statement saying it opted to make the change after continued feedback from customers, including trans men and allies.

    “For over 35 years Always has championed girls and women, and we will continue to do so, we’re also committed to diversity and inclusion and are on a continual journey to understand the needs of all of our consumers.”

    “It’s just a way to have accurate, affirming medical care, to exist in your body and be comfortable and recognized for who you are, periods are a biological, reproductive function that has nothing to do with how you think of yourself, which is what gender is. People have to get away from this idea that gender is connected to genitals.” Erika Hart added

    But it’s possible to have a uterus without identifying as a woman, as is the case with transgender men, as well as nonbinary and intersex people since gender identity and sex are two different things.

    Gender identity refers to a person’s internal concept of self and can include terms like man, woman, transgender, and nonbinary.

    For example, a transgender man is someone who was assigned female at birth but identifies as male. A nonbinary person is someone who identifies as neither male nor female, regardless of how they were assigned at birth.

    Some transgender people may choose to have hormone treatments or surgery to make their physical characteristics better align with their identity, but many do not.

    The discomfort of menstruation can be magnified for trans men who choose to take testosterone since the hormone can cause vaginal inflammation and can make using tampons or menstrual cups painful.

    The monthly experience can also be emotionally painful for trans and nonbinary people due to gender dysphoria, or the psychological distress caused by a disconnect between a person’s identity and their assigned sex.

    While gender dysphoria can be brought on by social situations, such as when someone is misgendered (referred to in a way other than how they identify), it can also happen to trans men and nonbinary people when buying and using menstrual products. That’s because periods are typically referred to as only a “women’s issue” and most conversations about menstruation focus on women and girls.