The News Brief: Kenyan schools to reopen under tough rules

Here is your summary of stories making headlines in the Star today and tomorrow.

by star editor

Health16 September 2020 - 19:33

In Summary

The Star News Brief gives you a summary of the stories making headlines in Kenya today and offers you a glimpse of what to expect in tomorrow's newspaper.

Education CS George Magoha use tape to measure for himself the social distance required in a class room for learners at Asumbi TTC in Rangwe constituency on July18,2020

Schools that report any Covid-19 case after the institutions are reopened will have to be closed, guidelines from the Education ministry state.

Schools affected by such circumstances will have to conduct classes online and ensure access to such materials to learners without Internet connectivity.

School heads will also be required to create an isolation room for handling students with suspected Covid19 infection and have a qualified nurse.

Schools have remained closed since March when Kenya started reporting cases of Covid-19.

President Uhuru Kenyatta flanked by Deputy President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga press a button to officially Launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Report at Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi County.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga could suffer a major blow on their quest to amend the Constitution through the Building Bridges Initiative.

This follows the filing a petition in the Supreme Court on the applicability of the theory of the basic structure of the constitution, the doctrine of unconstitutional constitutional amendments, eternity clauses and limits of the constitutional amendment.

Though their lawyers say it is not linked to BBI, activists David Ndii, Jerotich Seii, James Ngondi, Wanjiku Gikonyo and Ikal Angelei are among Kenyans who have been critical of the process.

Five dialysis machines installed at Siaya county referral hospital.

If you fall sick from Thursday, you may not get admission at a county-run hospital.

This is after the Council of Governors announced that counties would be shutting down due to lack of money.

The county staff have also been sent home on a two-week leave.

It has emerged that Kenya is facing a major cash crunch and the situation in counties has been worsened by the ongoing revenue sharing formula stalemate in the Senate.

On Tuesday, Treasury CS Ukuru Yattani revealed that the country already faces a Sh40 billion shortfall from the first two months of this financial year.

President Uhuru Kenyatta with Deputy President William Ruto during the 57th Madaraka Day Celebrations at State House Gardens in Nairobi on June 1, 2020

The differences between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto played out in Murang’a after supporters of the two leaders met at the home of a family that lost five in an accident.

The president contributed Sh1 million through area MP Muturi Kigano while his deputy gave Sh300,000 through Kandara MP Alice Wahome and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.

Kigano said the President summoned him to statehouse on Wednesday morning over the matter and that he had committed to support the family in burial preparations.

But when the two MPs arrived at the home, the MP said the President did not need extra help in facilitating the burial.

Lab technician sorts and barcodes Covid-19 samples at the center for traditional research medicine at KEMRI headquarters on August 27, 2020.

Getting infected with Covid-19 may leave you with long-term brain damage; a study published in the medical journal The Lancet shows.

Eleven Chinese researchers conducted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scans (MRI) on 60 Covid-19 recovered patients.

They then compared the findings with 39 non-Covid-19 people with the same age and gender.

The study, ‘Cerebral Micro-Structural Changes in Covid-19 Patients – An MRI based 3-month Follow Up’ says neurological symptoms were presented in 55 per cent of the patients during the recovery stage and were seen three months later during follow up visits.