3 UoN staff Feted with the Uzalendo Award

Three UoN staff have been recognized for their outstanding service in helping the country steer through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prof. Omu Anzala, Dr. Loice Achieng’ Ombajo and Dr. Marybeth Maritim were among the 68 kenyans who received the award.

The President recognized 68 Kenyans with the Presidential order of service,  Uzalendo award during the 57th Madaraka day ceremony.

The UoN management congratulates the doctors.

 

Uhuru seeks speedy reopening of schools and worship places

President Uhuru Kenyatta Monday directed top State officials to fast-track consultations with key stakeholders for gradual reopening of schools and places of worship as more African countries seek partial lifting of coronavirus disease restrictions.

The Head of State said that the guidelines will include protocols like social distancing and hygiene for learners and worshippers’ safety amid the rise in coronavirus cases.

Kenya closed all learning institutions on March 15 while mosques, churches and temples have been closed for two months.

Treasury stretches debt maturity to 5.7 years

The maturity profile of domestic debt has lengthened to 5.7 years from 4.1 years two years ago on the back of a sustained effort to issue longer-term securities, Central bank of Kenya (CBK) has announced.

CBK governor Patrick Njoroge said during a virtual briefing following the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting last week that the option of having maturing Treasury bills rolled over using medium-term bond offerings is another option that the regulator is considering as a means of lengthening the maturity profile of local debt.

Bank of Africa gets Sh535 million in IFC loan loss cover

The Kenyan branch of Bank of Africa (BOA) is set to receive $5 million (Sh535 million) worth of insurance against loan defaults from the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

BOA intends to expand its lending to small and medium-sized firms by up to $10 million (Sh1 billion) and will get guarantees on half the amount from the international financier.

The discussions with IFC come at a time when the bank has registered losses, forcing it to reduce lending amid breach of critical capital buffers.

Corona testing curbed by lack of test materials

Testing for coronavirus disease in the country is being held back by a shortage of test materials in government laboratories.

The Business Daily has established that State institutions like the National Influenza Lab and the Kenyatta National Hospital have a backlog of unprocessed tests, in a sign of the impact of the shortages caused by a worldwide race to acquire test kits.

Over 770,000 youths lose their jobs in three months

Some 771, 439 youths lost their jobs in the three months to March and before the imposition of coronavirus disease restrictions that have led to further layoffs and pay cuts.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that number of Kenyans between the ages of 20 and 34, who are in employment or running a business, dropped 9.89 percent to 7.02 million.

Young people are the hardest hit by joblessness compared to their counterparts aged above 35 years in an economic setting that is plagued by a hiring freeze on the back of sluggish corporate earnings.

Confucius Institute Building Handed Over to the University of Nairobi

Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, H. E. Wu Peng, observed that the Chinese Government attach great importance to education exchange between Kenya and China. In that regard, they have been over 1,000 students with Chinese Government Scholarships. This has enabled many students to pursue further studies in China.  He pledged to continue supporting the Confucius Institute by building an extra modern library equipped with books, multimedia and that will help people understand better the Chinese culture.

Multinationals’ dividends from NSE drop by Sh10bn

Dividends paid out to multinationals for their controlling stakes in Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firms are set to drop by 21 percent this year as a few blue-chips reduced their payouts by significant amounts.

Multinational firms including Vodacom Group, Diageo Plc, WPP Plc and BAT Plc have received or are set to get a total of Sh38.4 billion based on the latest distribution announcements.

UON in 6.7Million Euros Down2Earth Project- Major International project to tackle climate change resilience in the Horn of Africa.

New €6.7M project aims to help rural East African communities adapt to climate change using state-of-the-art predictions of water scarcity and food insecurity. 

An international team of researchers and organisations have been awarded over €6.7M from EU Horizon 2020 to help tackle food and water insecurity in the Horn of Africa Drylands (HAD).