The United Nations voiced concerns on Friday over the deadly violence surrounding anti-government protests in the country, including allegations of a heavy-handed response by the police.

“The UN Human Rights Office is very concerned by the widespread violence, and allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, including the use of firearms, by police during protests in Kenya,” spokesman Jeremy Laurence said in a statement.

The interior ministry on Thursday said more than 300 people had been arrested over the protests that left nine dead, according to an independent watchdog created by parliament, which said the toll was shared by the police.

But Laurence cited reports suggesting that “up to 23 people have been killed and dozens injured” in the demonstrations in the past week.

“We call for prompt, thorough, independent and transparent investigations into the deaths and injuries. Those responsible must be held to account. Effective measures to prevent further deaths and injuries must be adopted,” he said.

There were violent clashes and looting on Wednesday in parts of the East African nation as protesters took to the streets over tax hikes in defiance of a government ban.

The opposition has announced fresh demonstrations for next week.

“In light of calls for further protests next week, we call on the authorities to ensure the right to peaceful assembly as guaranteed by the Kenyan constitution and international human rights law,” said Laurence.

He said the policing of protests must seek to facilitate peaceful assemblies, and any use of force must be legal, necessary, and proportionate.

“Firearms should never be used to disperse protests,” he said.

“We appeal for calm and encourage open dialogue to address social, economic and political grievances, with the aim of identifying lasting solutions in the interests of all Kenyans.”

Meanwhile UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, said it was deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of children in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya during the protests.

“The reports of children being exposed to tear gas and other dangers present in large crowds are alarming,” it said, calling for all parties involved to ensure the safety and protection of children.

“Children should never be exposed to harm, and their fundamental right to education must be safeguarded,” it added.

In order to find ways to streamline the labour migration process, Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni Muriuki from the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards met with Hon. Geoffrey Kaituko from the State Department for Labour and Skills Development and Ms. Roseline Njogu from the State Department for Diaspora Affairs.

These three State Departments are working together to create a labour migration strategy. This plan would address crucial issues like facilitation, policy regulation, and the protection and well-being of Kenyan health professionals abroad.

Kenya’s labour exports are large, with the health sector accounting for almost 40% of the total.

PS Muthoni emphasised that there is a significant demand for Kenyan health workers’ services globally because of the calibre of their training and their expertise.

PS Muthoni further emphasised the Ministry of Health’s dedication to collaborating closely with other ministries to find more employment possibilities and enhance the terms and conditions for healthcare professionals working in overseas contexts.

President William Ruto has asked Africa to support the African Export–Import Bank.

He said Kenya appreciates the partnership with Afrexim, and especially the support the bank has extended to the country’s development agenda.

“Afreximbank is our organisation. It supports our development, financing and implementation of identified projects,” he said.

He spoke on Friday at State House when he met Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah and other bank officials.

Also present was former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In Kenya, Afreximbank is financing several special economic zones such as Dongo Kundu in Mombasa, Sagana in Kirinyaga and Nasewa in Busia.

Afreximbank will also finance the operationalisation of Kenanie Leather Park and Rivatex Textiles East Africa.

President Ruto pointed out that the bank will play a crucial role in boosting intra-African trade with its Pan-African Payment System.

The Guinness World Records has disclosed that they have received approximately 1,500 applications from Nigerians.

Following chef Hilda Baci’s recent record-breaking achievement for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, a considerable number of Nigerians have enthusiastically embraced the trend.

In a recent chat with Legit NG, the record body said;

“The attention and excitement that Hilda Baci’s cooking marathon gained was certainly an incentive for many Nigerians to consider attempting a Guinness World Records title.

Since her record attempt, there has been a spike in applications from Nigeria, particularly for marathon records.” 

“We have received over 1,500 record applications from Nigeria since the start of May.” 

In May, Hilda Baci, the Nigerian chef, hit the limelight after setting a new Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest cooking marathon (cook-a-thon) by an individual.

The Akwa-Ibom native cooked for 100 hours to beat the 87 hours 45 minutes record previously set by Lata Tondon, the Indian chef, in 2019. Hilda was certified by the British reference book in June but with a time of 93 hours 11 minutes.

Baci’s feat opened the floodgates of desires by some Nigerians to break her cooking record while others — even from neigbouring Cameroon — sought to set world records in various fields.

From ‘Kiss-a-thon, massaging, lecturing, praise and worship, crying marathon to ‘sex-a-thon, attempts were made to break world records, prompting the GWR to issue a warning, which reads: “Please enough with the record-a-thons”.

In recent weeks, Several attempts have been made by some persons to break Hilda Baci’s  record.

The first was Damilola Adeparusi, (Chef Dammy) who did not seek Guinness World Record, GWR, permission before starting her competition.

Dammy claimed that she cooked for 120 hours but this could not be verified as there were times she switched off live video during the contest.

With the aim of surpassing Baci’s 93 hours and 11 minutes record, another lady from Ondo State, Chef Deo, revealed that she had informed GWR of her intention and received the green light before commencing the cook-a-thon.

Deo completed the challenge of cooking for 150 hours.

In light of the recent anti-government protests in Kenya, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern about the well-being of children during anti-government protests.

This comes after pupils were teargassed during the demonstrations on Wednesday.

In a statement on Friday, Unicef appealed to both the government and the opposition to put in place measures to ensure the safety and protection of children across the country is assured.

“UNICEF is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of children in Nairobi and various regions of Kenya, in the aftermath of recent protests. The reports of children being exposed to tear gas and other dangers present in large crowds are alarming,”  it said.

The UN agency said children should never be exposed to harm, and their fundamental right to education must be safeguarded.

“We appeal to all involved parties to undertake necessary measures to ensure the safety and protection of children. Children should never be exposed to harm, and their fundamental right to education must be safeguarded,” they said.

NICEF further said it remains committed to working tirelessly in partnership with local and national entities to ensure security and the well-being of children across Kenya is guaranteed.

This comes after more than 50 pupils were rushed to hospital on Monday after the police lobbed teargas in their classroom in Kangemi.

The pupils of KihumbuIni Primary School in Kangemi were in their classrooms when the tear gas was lobbed.

The majority of them were allegedly shocked after they were overwhelmed by the teargas fumes but so far no casualties have been reported.

According to one of the locals, the teargas canister was allegedly thrown into the classroom by police officers who were dispersing residents who turned up for the Azimio protests.