admin – Nomad Press

17 Jan

Health experts criticize Kenya’s ‘dangerous misinformation’ on smoke-free alternatives

admin0 CommentsNewsCigarettes, Health, Kenya, Smoking

Leading health experts have criticized Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni for her “unfounded and misleading” comments about smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes. Muthoni offered no scientific evidence to back up her remarks about the “dire health implications” of vapes and nicotine pouches, which are the subject of proposed legislation being considered by Parliament. Dr. Michael Kariuki, Secretary General of the Harm Reduction Society of Kenya (HRS), said: “The Principal Secretary’s remarks ignore global scientific consensus and risk discouraging smokers from adopting safer alternatives that could save their lives. This approach will harm public health and delay progress in reducing smoking-related…

17 Jan

M-PESA Foundation unveils plans for ultra-modern maternity unit in Bungoma

Lydia Wanaswa0 CommentsNewsBungoma County, Kenneth Lusaka

The M-PESA foundation will set up a modern maternity unit at Naitiri sub- county hospital in Bungoma County worth 45 million. The unit will consist of antenatal and delivery rooms, post-natal amenities as well as improvements to the newborn unit. The foundations recent health programmes in Bungoma County includes several fistula camps at Webuye County hospital where over 200 women received free treatment and surgeries from the county and beyond. According to the chairman of Safaricom Foundation, Joseph Ogutu the foundation partners with governments in all 47 counties to ensure that the required infrastructure and equipment is in place to…

17 Jan

Museveni mourns Babadiri, says death has robbed the nation of a very hardworking citizen

admin0 CommentsAfricaBaba Diri, Jessica Alupo, Uganda, Yoweri Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni has mourned the passing of former Woman Member of Parliament for Koboko district Margaret Baba Diri saying the nation has lost a very hardworking citizen. Baba Diri died last Tuesday on January 09th in Kawempe, Kampala. She had served diligently for 25 years in Uganda’s Parliament. In his eulogy, delivered by the Vice President Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo to thousands of mourners in Koboka district today, Museveni said the country shall remain indebted to Baba Diri for her invaluable contributions and services she rendered during her tenure of service on various Committees of Parliament. “Death has robbed…

12 Jan

Losing my big sister, who was not mad

Kwamchetsi Makokha0 CommentsOpinionsKwamchetsi Makokha, Rasna Warah, United Nations

I fell in love with Rasna Warah's fierce feminist writing when I was around 19 years old. Her column, ‘Straight from the Heart’, ran in Now magazine, a pullout of ‘The Standard on Sunday’ until the editor-in-chief discontinued it when the newspaper’s new owners said they did not like it. During my brief sojourn as an editor at ‘The Standard’, I persuaded Rasna to write a couple of times for the Sunday paper and gave her a standing invitation with the authority of my editor, David Makali, to write a column, which she was unable to honour because she was…

10 Jan

Bilal, Sossion, Oguda among 109 shortlisted for principal secretary jobs

admin0 CommentsNewsDr. Naim Bilal, Public Service Commission, Wilson Sossion

Former KBC Managing Director Dr. Naim Bilal, renowned blogger Gabriel Oguda, and former KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion are among the 109 candidates shortlisted for the Principal Secretary (PS) positions. Other notable individuals are Director-General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, former Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary-General Dr Ouma Oluga, and former Chief Administrative Secretary David Osiany. The Public Service Commission (PSC) announced that the shortlisted individuals will undergo interviews, after which the successful candidates will be recommended to President William Ruto for formal appointment. According to the PSC, a total of 2,517 applications were received, but…

10 Jan

UN Urges Immediate Action for Syria’s Vulnerable Returnees Amid Desperate Conditions

admin0 CommentsWorldSyria, United Nations

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has issued a stark warning, urging the international community to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action to support millions of vulnerable returnees in Syria. Many families face dire living conditions, with limited shelter and economic prospects, as the country grapples with the aftermath of 14 years of war. “In recent weeks, there has been talk in high-level international circles of the need for ‘early recovery’ and ‘rebuilding,’” said Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR Representative in Syria. “But until we move from words to action, for many returnees…their new life in Syria will…

10 Jan

UN Sounds Alarm Over North Korea’s Hypersonic Missile Launch

admin0 CommentsWorldUnited Nations, United Nations Security Council

Khaled Khiari, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Political Affairs, briefed the Security Council on heightened tensions following North Korea’s latest missile test. Two days ago, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched what it described as a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile (IRBM) equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle. Hypersonic Threat According to Pyongyang’s official statement, the missile traveled at 12 times the speed of sound along a predetermined flight path before splashing into the sea. The DPRK claimed the launch posed no threat to neighboring countries, though no advance safety notices for airspace or maritime zones…

10 Jan

Nairobi County Bans Hawking in Central Business District

admin0 CommentsNewsJohnson Sakaja, Kenya, Nairobi County

The Nairobi County Government has announced an immediate ban on hawking within the Central Business District (CBD). The directive, issued on Thursday, restricts hawking activities to specific backstreets and lanes, with operations allowed only from Monday to Saturday, between 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM. In a public notice, Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration outlined the designated areas for hawking, stretching from Tom Mboya Street to Kirinyaga Road. “No hawking will be allowed on the main streets and roads, including Moi Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue, Kenneth Matiba Road, Latema Road, Ronald Ngala Street, Mfangano Street, Hakati Road, and River Road,” emphasized Godfrey…

09 Jan

Lebanon army chief Joseph Aoun becomes president after two-year void

admin0 CommentsWorldHezbollah, Israel, Lebanon

Lebanon's lawmakers on Thursday elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacancy in the position, in a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial crisis. Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday, arrived inside parliament to swear his oath to general applause, wearing a dark suit and blue tie instead of his usual military uniform. "Today, a new phase in Lebanon's history begins," he told the chamber. Aoun faces the daunting tasks of overseeing a ceasefire in south Lebanon and naming a prime minister able to lead reforms demanded by international creditors to save the country…

09 Jan

Guinea to Hold Elections This Year

admin0 CommentsAfricaGuinea

Guinea could hold a presidential and legislative election this year, the government spokesman said on Thursday, more than three years after a junta seized power in a coup. Under international pressure, the military leaders who took control in 2021 initially pledged to hold a constitutional referendum and hand power to elected civilians by the end of 2024 -- but neither has happened. Junta chief General Mamady Doumbouya said in a New Year's speech that 2025 will be "a crucial electoral year to complete the return to constitutional order", but authorities had not yet given a timeline. In an interview with…