Current News Headlines

July 23 –

Four die as speeding bus hits pothole

Another 14 were seriously injured when their bus hit a pothole and landed in a rice paddy. Those that died were thrown out of the bus after its roof was ripped open.

City Hall effects ban on public smoking

The General Nuisance By-Laws provide that any person who:

(1) smokes cigarettes in public places;

(2) spits on any footpath or blows his nose otherwise than into a suitable cloth or tissue;

(3) defecates or urinates on the street or any open space; shall be guilty of offense.

The by-laws also make it an offense to:

(1) tout for passengers;

(2) sound a motor horn or cycle bell except in the case of an emergency;

(3) wash or repair a motor vehicle on the street;

(4) shout, use a bell or gong or loudspeaker for the purpose of hawking;

(5) throw down orange peels, banana skin or other substance likely to cause a person to fall down.

3 million worldwide are killed annually by malaria

Kikwete’s HIV test boosts Tanzania’s war on Aids

Tanzania (Kenya's neighbor to the south) marked a significant milestone in the fight against HIV/Aids when President Jakaya Kikwete and his wife, Salma, took a voluntary test last week. It was the first time that a president had taken such a test in public. This is expected to demystify testing for HIV/Aids and encourage more people to take the test.

With only 13% of the world’s population, Africa accounts for 32% of world rice imports.


July 25 –

Minister’s maternity gift to new mothers

The government has abolished maternity fees in public dispensaries and health centers. Health Minister Charity Ngilu said the fees – which range from sh300 to sh500 ($5-7) per delivery – had been scrapped in all the gazette 3,000 dispensaries and 500 health centers. The move is expected to benefit 1.2 million women who give birth annually.

Yesterday, Mrs. Ngilu said, “Delivery under the care of a trained health worker is one of the key interventions for reducing maternal and newborn deaths. Unfortunately many of our pregnant women are unable to deliver at health facilities due to many factors such as distance, affordability, socio-cultural factors, lack of decision-making power and quality of care.”

Six out of every ten pregnant women deliver at home under the care of relatives, neighbors, or traditional birth attendants. According to experts, one in every 200 pregnant women die every year due to pregnancy and childbirth related causes. Mrs. Ngilu said, “One in every 20 newborns die within the first 28 days of their lives from complications linked to pregnancy and childbirth. The loss of a mother easily translates into increased risk of death of her child.”

A total of 3,951 people have died of malaria (in Kenya) in the past six months

During the same period, 3.1 million cases of malaria were reported.