Its about 5pm,I was walking around ‘stage’ getting myself some mboga and kanyama ya 50.haha dont judge me i know comrades will understand.So,let me not get into how delecious i made my supper,i dont want to make anyone reading this blog hungry drool
I noticed short confused fellos ,they must be first years i whispered to myself ,then memories came flooding back to when i was a shy first year.i was so excited to be initiated into the life of independence atleast thats what i thought.My friends were so excited,we would walk in fours and tour campus.
As an initiation tradition,universities in kenya hold freshaz bash ,a newbie to campus,or afirst year to campus if i may call it is called a fresha,haha i dont know what that fresh means but i guess innocense.i remember our freshaz bash as if it was yesterday,ill tell you the story someday today i wanted to focus on this new first years but if you insist i might blog about it
Will there be a freshaz bash?are they fresh since they already finished a semester online?how are we going to welcome the first years with this new pandemic?id like to think that we can welcome them online
Kenya is to implement a phased reopening of universities from September under strict guidelines, ending a four-month closure occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.
The universities have been asked to consider a staggered resumption of studies to be able to conform with physical and social distancing requirements, especially in halls of residence, lecture rooms and dining halls.
According to Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha, reopening of universities for face-to-face sessions will be on a case-by-case basis based on approved compliance with Ministry of Health COVID-19 protocols.
Universities, he added, should continue conducting virtual teaching and learning and online graduations for students who have successfully completed their programmes and have met graduation requirements set by their respective senates.
Regulations
“All institutions allowed to reopen must comply with COVID-19 regulations or risk closure. All the decisions that we have made with the stakeholders regarding reopening of learning institutions may change as informed by reports from the Ministry of Health, prevailing circumstances and increased knowledge of COVID-19,” said Magoha on Tuesday 7 July.
On 15 March all universities were ordered to close down to prevent the spread of the virus.
As part of the minimum reopening conditions, institutions will be required to reduce physical contact by having fewer learners.
“Social or physical distancing is the most critical factor in ensuring the safety and health of learners for reopening of learning institutions. Handwashing with soap and-or use of sanitisers, wearing of face masks and monitoring body temperature will be the minimum requirements for the health and safety of learners,” said Magoha.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kenya has been on a steady rise, hitting 8,067 on 6 July 2020, with the death toll nearing 200. The government has projected that the rate of COVID-19 infection is likely to reach a peak during August and September
The Universities’ Academic Staff Union (UASU), one of the stakeholders involved in the development of the reopening guidelines, recently argued for a phased approach to reopening. “Universities have to demonstrate the availability of resources for maintaining social distancing, testing, contact tracing and isolating new cases in every public university,” said UASU in a June 2020 report.
Universities have been hit hard by the pandemic with some slashing salaries and cutting non-core jobs.
As 2020 comes to a close and we hobble into Christmas season, most of us aren’t feeling very happy. It may be the most beautiful time of the year, but we’re just hoping to make it through December. if possible with a vaccine.
Few us thought last year when we celebrated the season, that in a year this strange word called COVID would upend so much of our lives. And even as the virus began to spread, none of us thought pandemic Easter would turn into a Corona Christmas. And yet here we are.
Santa Claus wearing a mask before Christmas, coronavirus concept
Today – 102 years later after the last major pandemic kenya faced another pandemic Christmas is here with us one where a midnight tradition to your local Church to celebrate the arrival of Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ will definitely get you arrested.
The few Nairobi people who sneaked to the village even after Health CS Mutahi Kagwe sounded a warning – will be careful not to annoy the area Chief by entertaining crowds of former primary school mates, cousins, in-laws and drunkards.
Those who will make it to Church in the morning (a majority will no doubt attend the morning Christmas Service because they didn’t dunda last night till morning due to curfew restrictions).
The Christmas hymns, carols, songs, poems and dances will be, however, subdued because no one likes it these days when you shout next to them lest you end up spreading the virus. Of course, Christians, and everyone, in general, would love to go to heaven, but not like that
One can tell that not very many goats will go to ‘be with the lord’. I hear goats don’t taste good when eaten in silence – without Tom, Dick and window-licking Harry arriving with tones of booze ready for non-stop party and shouting so loud they can wake up the dead.
This time around – the goats will have to be eaten in silence lest the police get wind of your small gathering.
Meanwhile – guests will be oscillating between wearing their face masks, contributing to discussions – and biting nyama choma.
That said, Kenyans – for the first time – will not be inviting of their relatives from as far as Timbuktu to come and help Mama with Christmas preparations; breathing into hundreds of balloons (and people fear breathing in public these days), cutting and tying ribbons and paper decorations.
Hand sanitizers and face masks will be part of the Christmas furniture – with all discussions centring around Corona and in silence – because you don’t want to alert the police that 10 of you are gathered at a compound in Utawala estate trying to drain EABL.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on November 4th announced that a night‐time curfew would be extended until January 3rd to help slow down a rebound in coronavirus infections.
“We have experienced a reversal,” Kenyatta said in a nationwide address after speaking to leading figures in the fight against Covid‐19, including regional governors.
President Uhuru Kenyatta (Left) Council of Governors Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya and Health CS Mutahi Kagwe pictured during the Covid summit held on November 4, 2020
Fellow Kenyans,
Now therefore, on recommendations of the National Security Advisory Committee, the National Emergency Response Committee and with the concurrence of the Sixth Extra-Ordinary Session of the National and County Governments, the protocols and guidelines that were previously eased are reviewed as follows:
i. I direct all Cabinet Secretaries, Chief Administrative Secretaries and Principal Secretaries to scale-down all in-person engagements within Government and to take appropriate steps to foster the discharge of their mandates by themselves and their officers through virtual means where possible.
ii. Similarly, and to protect government staffers drawn from vulnerable groups, I direct that all State and Public Officers aged above 58 years or who are immunocompromised to work remotely. With the exemption of those serving the nation in critical sectors.
iii. With respect to the Examination Classes that have already resumed learning, I hereby order that they continue with their learning and examination preparations under heightened health safety measures; with all other basic learning classes resuming in-person learning in January 2021.
iv. To foster the State’s preparedness towards the reopening of all other classes in our learning institutions, I, urge Members of Parliament to engage their respective NG-CDF Boards with a view of finding ways to augment the existing interventions that are geared towards reopening. I urge them to make investments that focus on additional handwashing points, face masks, general sanitation and physical distancing of students and teachers.
v. That all Political Gatherings and Rallies are Suspended for a period of 60 days with immediate effect. Anyone wishing to hold such meetings should do so in town halls and must observe all COVID protocols, including limiting the attendees to one-third seating capacity of the hall.
vi. To enforce compliance at both the National and County level, I, direct that the Ministry of Interior constitutes a Special Enforcement Unit made up of the National Police Service, National Government Administration Officers and supplemented by the County Government inspectorate units to jointly enforce compliance to COVID Protocols.
vii. That the nationwide curfew is extended up to 3rd January, 2021.
viii. That beginning tonight 4th November, the curfew will now be enforced between 10.00 pm and 04.00 am.
ix. In consequence of the variation of the 10.00 pm curfew, all bars, restaurants, and other establishments open to the public must now close by 9.00 pm.
x. In view of the restrictions within the hospitality sector, I further urge all operators of Hotels, Restaurants, Eateries, Bars and establishments that sell alcohol on wholesale or retail terms to do all that is necessary to ensure enhanced compliance with the Ministry of Health’s Guidelines and Protocols.
xi. The directions governing religious gatherings remain unchanged: any indoor religious gathering other than for the purpose of a wedding or funeral shall have no more than one-third of its normal seating capacity occupied at a given sitting. The Ministry of Health guidelines remain in force. The Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government is hereby directed to ensure strict enforcement.
xii. County governments to maintain isolation facilities in a state of preparedness through continuous capacity building for healthcare workers, provision of adequate PPEs for healthcare workers and continuous implementation of Infection Prevention and Control measures and provision of piped/portable oxygen.
xiii. Where there is an upsurge of COVID-19 cases in a specific County, the National Government will consult with the affected county to issue localized lockdowns and movement restrictions as may be necessary to stem the spread of the disease.
xiv. County governments and other relevant government agencies to enhance and strictly enforce all public health social measures including hand washing, social distancing and mandatory wearing of masks in public places. and;
xv. To enhance civic responsibility, the National and County Governments have resolved that going forward, services will not be rendered to any one who does not abide by the Ministry of Health protocols. In that regard, I call on the private sector to join the Government in the public sensitization campaign dubbed, “No mask, No service” “Bila barakoa, hakuna huduma”.
Fellow Kenyans,
I want to conclude by emphasizing again that our staying power in the fight against this pandemic should not succumb to the COVID fatigue. Both the leaders and the people must not backtrack in their vigilant observation of the health protocols. If public responsiveness to these protocols goes up, then enforcement becomes easy.
Finally, I must return to the issue of leadership. Without leadership, enforcement, civic responsiveness to COVID protocols and all necessary actions to beat this pandemic, will amount to nothing. That is why I call on leaders to stand out and be counted. And while at it, they must choose to take bold decision, instead of popular decisions, if the latter is good for country.
First let me take you through,A covidiot is the new ‘coronaspeak’ it defines A person who annoys other people by refusing to obey the social distancing rules designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19
You’d think that months of reading about overflowing hospitals and mounting death statistics would scare comrades into wearing masks and following all the necessary protocals to protect them from covid 19.one of the major recommendations is: wear a mask in public spaces to protect others from possible infection, especially since there is no current way to be sure who may be an asymptomatic transmitter — particularly in relatively crowded urban areas.
As i was walking to class (im a 4th year student at the school of information science)i noticed, at least half the people that I saw were not wearing masks — or were wearing their masks around their necks, as though those pieces of cloth or paper are good-luck totems rather than items with a specific purpose.
But as temperatures have rised up — and, let’s face it, some social distancing fatigue has set in as the pandemic continues — health officials have had to remind people that pulling their masks down below their noses or their chins renders the mask basically useless.And while we’re staying vigilant about washing our hands,comrades forget to wash their reusable face masks..some even repeat non reusible surgical masks .
The question is,are students even prepared to beat this pandemic?
“Can you hear me?”,”hello?,”Classrep”,”mute your mics please.”These are the words commonly used by our university lecturers as they attempt to teach online.For some veteran lecturers moving from traditional classroom to the world of virtual teaching and learning was like starting over.Moi university has undergone a huge challenge trying to cope up with the online way of teaching and learning
A recent survey that was carried out in 12 public and private universities in Kenya that offer open and distance learning programmes, showed that students preferred face to face or blended methods of teaching and learning. Just 19,000 out of 500,000 students were enrolled for open and distance learning. This points to the challenges that students face in online or distance courses – they prefer to enrol in regular programmes.
Less than half (about 45%) of students enrolled in distance learning programmes accessed course materials through their university’s online platforms; the rest either received them through email or in hard copy. And, to my knowledge, there are no programmes on offer that don’t require face to face meetings, for introductory lectures or exams. This shouldn’t be the case for e-learning programmes. All students should be able to access all material on a university portal. Physical meetings shouldn’t be necessary.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted these issues. lecturers quickly turn to online courses to learn how to use digital methods, and many use meeting platforms – like Zoom or Skype – that are not very well adapted to large online classes. They’re also not very good at encouraging students to participate.
Hello my lovlies,its your girl chantale Ruto taking you through a different journey.You may remember me from https://fashionistaoverload.wordpress.com.Where i took you through different fashion trends around Moi university.
The pandemic has made me switch up a little bit,we will get to read about how the pandemic has affected comrades and the people at my hometown ,we shall also read about the new lifestyle which is the new norm if i may say.first,let us understand what the covid 19 pandemic means
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the immediate closure of learning institutions across the country in a bod to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the east African country.
Kenyatta gave the order during a nationwide broadcast on Sunday at the Harambee House. The president also confirmed the discovery of two more Coronavirus cases in the country.
The first case was reported in Kenya on March 13, when Health CS Mutahi Kagwe urged the public to remain calm. On the school closure, Uhuru ordered school administrations to ensure all students in day schools are home by Wednesday and those in boarding school by Friday.
Kenya’s shuttered universities would face the twin challenge of rolling out online learning for thousands of students and finding money to pay salaries and meet their financial obligations at a time when major revenue streams are shut.
Like private institutions, public universities rely heavily on tuition fees to fund their operations since any subsidies they receive from the government are inadequate to meet their financial needs.Are we ready to face the pandemic as comrades?
Chantale Ruto 