Kenya has committed to six grants from the Global Fund totalling KSH 59.7 billion, with the aim of strengthening health and community systems and providing support for HIV, TB, and malaria intervention over a three-year period.

The overall sum allocated to each component is KSh.30 billion for HIV, KSh.9 billion for malaria, KSh.8.7 billion for tuberculosis, and KSh.4.4 billion for health systems strengthening.

The assistance provided by the Global Fund since 2003 has enabled the nation to accomplish remarkable results.

The number of new HIV infections has decreased dramatically; this notable trend is attributable to greater community and facility-level access to HIV testing, treatment, and prevention programmes.

The purchase of commodities such as antiretroviral drugs (ARVS), HIV test kits, condoms, and laboratory reagents has been funded by the Global Fund for HIV. Additionally, they have backed programming initiatives at the community and medical facility levels.

This improvement is credited to cooperation between the government, development partners, non-state actors, counties, and communities as well as the decentralisation of HIV care.

Also, the Ministry of Health reported that 86% of patients in the TB programme completed their course of treatment.

Along with the Kenyan government, the Global Fund trained 18,500 community health promotors (CHPS), 3,700 Community Health Extension Workers, and established 1,933 community health units (CHEWs).

In a similar vein, Kenya’s malaria burden has decreased overall thanks to the Malaria project, with countrywide prevalence falling from 8.2% in 2015 to 6% in 2023.

The Global Fund contributed KSh.1.2 Billion to the building, furnishing, and digitization of the KEMSA National Supply Chain Centre in collaboration with the government.

This investment will increase responses to pandemics and catastrophes brought on by climate change, improve the supply chain, and help Primary Health Care’s service delivery by providing adequate storage.

The new Global Fund awards will help to achieve universal health coverage by providing comprehensive prevention, treatment, and care, as well as by supporting the provision of high-quality care and prevention services for all individuals with lung diseases, leprosy, and tuberculosis.

By 2027, it will also build community and facility-level health systems, lower the incidence and mortality rate from malaria by at least 75%, and purchase supplies such as test kits, medications, and lab equipment to combat TB, malaria, and HIV.

A Kenyan force will leave for Haiti on June 25 to lead a UN-backed mission to tackle gang violence in the Caribbean state, despite court challenges against the deployment, government and police sources said Sunday.

Kenya offered to send about 1,000 police to stabilise Haiti alongside personnel from several other countries, but the deployment has run into legal challenges in the East African nation.

President William Ruto has been an enthusiastic backer of the mission and said this month that the deployment would begin within weeks.

“The departure is this week on Tuesday,” an interior ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

“Preparations are set for the team to depart for Haiti on Tuesday. We already have two advance teams that left — one last week and another one yesterday,” a senior police official said.

A UN Security Council resolution in October last year approved the mission but a Kenyan court in January delayed the deployment.

It said the Kenyan government did not have the authority to send police officers abroad without a prior agreement.

The government secured that agreement on March 1 but a small opposition party in Kenya has filed a fresh lawsuit to try to block it.

Aside from Kenya, other countries that have expressed willingness to join the mission include Benin, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados and Chad.

Global monitor Human Rights Watch has raised concerns about the mission and doubts over its funding.

Rights groups have accused Kenyan police of using excessive force and carrying out unlawful killings.

On Friday, a police watchdog said it was investigating allegations that a 29-year-old man was shot by officers in Nairobi after youth-led demonstrations against proposed tax hikes.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has launched a data cleanup exercise for all registered taxpayers’ pin registration details.

In a statement on Monday, June 24, KRA said the exercise is aimed at ensuring the integrity of the taxpayers’ register and improving efficiency.

“Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), would like to notify all registered taxpayers of the ongoing data clean-up exercise of taxpayers’ Personal Identification Number (PIN) registration details. The exercise is aimed at ensuring the integrity of the taxpayers’ register with a view to enhance service delivery to all taxpayers,” read the statement in part.

The taxman noted that it has rolled out a One Time Password (OTP) for update of taxpayers’ contacts in the iTax system as part of the clean-up exercise.

“Upon logging into iTax, the system will display the mobile number registered in iTax through which an OTP will be sent for validation of contact details,” KRA stated.

Where the number is incorrect, taxpayers are be required to capture the correct mobile number through which an OTP will be sent to enable access to the iTax system.

“We urge all registered taxpayers to update/correct their registration details as appropriate, on iTax, including their phone number, physical address, email address, physical location of businesses, residency status, directorships or partnerships held etc.,” KRA added,

The authority urged taxpayers with challenges to visit the nearest Huduma Centre or to contact the KRA contact center.

The cleanup exercise comes ahead of the June 30, 2024  deadline for filing individual income tax returns. 

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has announced a temporary closure of a section of Mombasa Road between Salama and Sultan Hamud.

In a statement on Sunday, June 23, KeNHA Director General Kungu Ndungu said the road will be unavailable from Sunday June 23, 2024, midnight to Monday, July 1, 2024, at 6 am.

The affected area is 11km from Salama towards Mombasa and 10km from Sultan Hamud towards Nairobi.

“The Kenya National Highways Authority wishes to inform the public that there will be a temporary closure of a section of Mombasa Road (A8), Mombasa bound lanes between Salama and Sultan Hamud, which is 11km from Salama towards Mombasa and 10km from Sultan Hamud towards Nairobi. This closure will commence from Sunday, June 23, 2024, at 12:00 Midnight to Monday, July 1, 2024, at 6:00 am,” read the statement in part.

Ndungu noted that the closure of the section of Mombasa Road is to allow for highway maintenance works at the section.

He noted that one lane will be closed while the other will remain in operation.

“Throughout the closure period, Nairobi bound traffic will use the diversion while Mombasa bound traffic will use the operational lane on the carriageway,” the KeNHA Director General added.

The authority urged motorists intending to use Mombasa Road (A8) Mombasa bound lanes on this section to approach the affected section with caution and to follow the traffic signs and guidance in place as directed by Police and Traffic Marshals on site.

Chief Justice Martha Koome Has announced that the Madaraka Law Courts will re-open on July 1, 2024, for plea taking.

In a statement on Sunday, June 23, Koome said only fit-for-purpose and secured courtrooms would be used for plea-taking.

The Chief Justice noted that hearings and mentions will resume in a manner advised by the Court Users Committee (CUC).

“1st July 2024 Plea-taking shall resume at Makadara Law Courts. Only secured and fit-for-purpose courtrooms shall be used for plea-taking. Hearings and Mentions shall resume in the manner advised by the CUC,” read the statement in part.

Koome that the Makadara Law Courts will on June 28, 2024 reorganize the court diaries to assign new dates and implement the recommendations of the CUC on the modalities of resuming court operations.

“Pursuant to resolutions of the CUC, the Head of Station shall issue a notice on new dates for cases affected during the suspension period. This shall also include directions on mention dates, payment of cash bail and guidance on virtual hearings for the pending matters. The notice shall be posted on the Judiciary website,” Koome stated.

The Chief Justice mentioned that all matters from Makadara Law Courts shall be handled at Milimani Law Courts as she had directed earlier.

At the same time, CJ Koome announced that the Makadara Law Courts team and all key stakeholders working in Makadara Law Court will undergo trauma counselling from Monday, June 24 to Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

According to Koome, the measures will include individual and group counselling sessions led by professional counsellors.

Simultaneously, the Directorate of Building Services shall oversee the dismantling and removal of the makeshift structures at Makadara Law Courts.

CJ Koome closed the Makadara Law Courts after Magistrate Monica Kivuti was shot by a police officer on June 13, 2024.

Kivuti was rushed to hospital for treatment but succumbed due to the extensive injuries on Saturday, June 15.

She was laid to rest on Saturday, June 22 in Machakos County.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir has condemned the rising cases of abductions in the country during the ongoing anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests.

In a statement on his X page, the Mombasa County chief noted that the abductions threatened to reverse democratic gains in the country – returning Kenya to a dark past.

Governor Nassir explained that Kenyans will not be silenced through intimidation and unlawful arrests.

“The rate of so-called unknown abductions clearly indicates a return of an era Kenyans had wished away. You cannot silence people through making them disappear. A young boy was abducted today at Bamburi Go Kart and others abducted in Nairobi.

“This is definitely not the Kenya we want,” Governor Nassir stated.

Governor Nassir has urged the government to respect the rule of law, allowing Kenyans to freely express their views and frustrations against the government.

The governor shared a video of a young man abducted at the Mombasa Go-Kart where he had gone to spend time with his family.

In the video, the young man could be seen walking towards their vehicle with his family, thereafter, four men emerged from behind the cars and dragged him away as one held off his family.

His whereabouts are yet to be established.

The Mombasa abduction follows a series of other unlawful kidnapings in Nairobi. A number of social media influencers have been abducted by police over the past few days eliciting anger from the general public.

On Sunday, June 23, activist Shad Khalif was abducted and is yet to be released.