BY DR JAIMINI GOHIL Last month, as we observed World Immunisation Week themed ‘Vaccines work, Do your part’, we highlighted the collective action needed to ensure that every person is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases yet many of us may not be familiar with the importance of being immunised against infectious diseases that can be fatal. Immunisation is providing protection against an infectious disease by introducing to the body a preventive antigen or immunogen, in the form of a vaccine which is either the killed or altered form of the bacteria or virus. This vaccine is responsible for ensuring the body…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
The change in perspective ten years ago that led philanthropists to focus their money and energy on tackling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in partnership with the Ministry of Health in Rwanda needs to happen at ground-level in communities and public health systems across the continent to sustain the gains already achieved. A deeper focus on driving behavioural changes amongst communities and families, where NTDs such as intestinal worms and schistosomiasis have been pervasive and the source of much suffering, is essential to complement the expansion of access to medication at the fulcrum of the END Fund’s partnership in Rwanda. It…
Around 97% of Kenyan adults with Internet access are using some form of online video service, with nearly two-thirds paying to view digital online content. That’s according to GfK’s international ViewScape survey, which this year covered Africa (South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria) for the first time. The study—which surveyed 1,250 people representative of Kenyan adults with Internet access—shows that 98% of the country’s online adults continue to watch linear broadcast television. One in four download pirated content from the Internet and 94% watch some digital video on YouTube. Kenyans spend around six hours and 37 minutes a day consuming video…
BY PETER WANYONYI As far as I can remember, the period between March and June has been marked by heavy rains in Kenya. In one of the earlier Kenyan curricula, this period was nicknamed “the long rains”, and rural Kenya’s agricultural calendar was planned around the period: farmers would till their land in December, re-till it and plant in February in time for the rains beginning March. Those of us brought up in the rural areas will remember that April – May was weeding season, and the April school holidays were the least cherished of all. Weeding maize and beans…
Over 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the Connected Summit 2018 set for October 22 2018 at the Bomas of Kenya. This year’s forum, which marks the summit’s 10th edition and will be held under the theme “Building for prosperity”, is expected to bring together Information and Communications Technology (ICT) innovators, corporate executives, financiers and key policymakers in the regional ICT industry for a series of high-level discussions geared towards nurturing partnerships that will spur the realization of Kenya’s development agenda. Speaking during the launch event which was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi, the ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru…
For all the promise it holds for the future, artificial intelligence is still guilty of historic bias. Voice recognition software struggles with English accents that are not American or British and facial recognition can be guilty of racial profiling. As this technology increasingly outpaces human discourse on race, China seems to be getting ahead on recognizing a diverse range of faces across the wider world, despite its own struggles with racial insensitivity. Facial recognition in particular has trouble differentiating faces that are not white, according to a study by MIT’s Media Lab. While tech companies grapple with how to teach machines about race, their Chinese competitors…
BY DAVID ONJILI The average price of a Smartphone in the Kenyan market has halved from Sh23000 to around Sh9500 with the vigorous entry of Chinese models. Infinix remains the most popular smart phone by sales to both the low and high-end mobile phone users. Models like Lenovo, Oppo and Tecno are fiercely fighting for a share of the local market. The sales of the gadgets too as observed by the sales from Jumia reveals that the market has continued to grow with over 200,000 gadgets sold via the online platform in 2017. According to a report by Jumia Business…
BY ANTONY MUTUNGA In the engineering field, a number of challenges usually arise whenever one comes up with a hardware idea aimed at having a positive impact on society. The main problem is usually acquiring adequate capital. However, even for those lucky enough to acquire the capital, a number of obstacles still stand in the way to truly create an innovative product. This is because the product requires testing, design iteration, feedback from customers and assistance in design from experts in the same field. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) through its Innovation Showcase (IShow) competition, which has been…
Investors continue to cash in on the real estate sector in Kenya driven by (i) the huge housing deficit, (ii) high returns which came in at 24.3% as of December 2017, and (ii) various government incentives and continued infrastructural improvements. The following were the key highlights of last month; Consonance Kuramo Special Opportunities Fund I, a subsidiary of New York-based Kuramo Capital, bought an undisclosed equity stake in Century Developments Limited, a Nairobi based Pan-African real estate development and Investments Company, focusing on building affordable housing communities across Africa. The deal will see Kuramo invest Sh20 billion over the next…
BY DAVID ONJILI Financial freedom is a term thrown here and there but what truly does it entail? An investment is a risk, what we mostly are exposed to are news headlines of individuals losing millions of shillings at the bourse or through pyramid schemes. What we never realize is that investors do make great returns and have learnt the art of seeking financial knowledge from trusted sources. Mercy, 20 years old, for example, had been promised a car by her father. But when the time came, her father chose instead to deviate from the original promise to something else…