Nile Dam row: Egypt and Ethiopia generate heat but no power By Damian Zane

 

While for Ethiopia, the dam, pictured here in 2019, is vital, Egypt sees it is as a threat to its existence

The polite diplomatic façade was maintained but the words of the Egyptian and Ethiopian representatives revealed a belligerence that was hard to disguise.

The recent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss Ethiopia's huge hydro-electric plant, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd), straddling the Blue Nile, was held by teleconference.

The social distance that the participants observed underscored the diplomatic gulf.

It is a gulf that threatens to sweep up the populations of the two countries into a nationalist fervour and mutual distrust.

The Gerd, which sits on the Nile's main tributary, is upstream of Egypt and has the potential to control the flow of water that the country almost entirely relies on.

 

It also will be, when fully operational, the largest hydro-electric plant in Africa, and projected to provide power to 65 million Ethiopians, who currently lack a regular electricity supply.

The construction, which began in 2011, is almost complete.

For the Egyptian and Ethiopian representatives at the UN meeting, the very existence of their countries was at stake.

"A threat of potentially existential proportions has emerged that could encroach on the single source of livelihood of over 100 million Egyptians," the country's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said.

Using similar language, Ethiopia's UN ambassador Taye Atske-Selassie countered: "For Ethiopia, accessing and utilising its water resources is not a matter of choice, but of existential necessity."

When to fill up the dam

The rhetoric may disguise that after nearly a decade of talking, the two countries have managed to agree on a lot of things, but the crucial questions of how and when to fill up the dam, and how much water it should release, remain unresolved.

Years of bilateral and multilateral talks, expert commissions, an agreed Declaration of Principles between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, the third country affected, have still not settled these basic issues. 

And now we are at a point where Ethiopia says it will unilaterally start filling up the dam in the next few weeks to coincide with the rainy season. It is a process that is expected to take up to seven years.

Egypt says the waters of the Nile are vital for its agricultural sector

For Ethiopia, the construction and filling of the dam are not two separate events, one of the country's negotiators Zerihun Abebe told the BBC.

"The Egyptians tried to confuse the international community" by suggesting that they are different things, he added, and argued that the 2015 Declaration of Principles allowed for Ethiopia to go ahead.

But this is not how Egypt sees it.

The US tried, but failed, to get Egypt and Ethiopia to sign up to an agreement

 

After the United States and the World Bank got involved late last year but failed to get Ethiopia to sign up to a document agreed with Egypt in February, the African Union (AU) has now said it will try and find a solution.

If the words of Egypt's foreign minister are anything to go by then a deal is urgently needed.

Colonial-era treaties

"The unilateral filling and operation of this dam without an agreement that includes the necessary precautions to protect the downstream communities… would heighten tensions and could provoke crises and conflicts that further destabilise an already troubled region," Mr Shoukry warned.

For its part, Ethiopia said it wanted to negotiate under the auspices of the AU, rather than the UN, but blamed Egypt for its "intransigence and its insistence on historic rights and current use".

Those rights, as far as Egypt is concerned, go back to at least 1929, when the British government recognised the "natural and historical right of Egypt to the waters of the Nile". It also granted Egypt veto rights on any projects upstream.

Then in 1959, Egypt and Sudan signed a deal in which the two countries agreed to share the Nile's resources, with Egypt taking the biggest volume. No reference was made to any of the other nine countries in the river's basin, including Ethiopia, the source of the Blue Nile.

 

The tributary, which merges with the White Nile in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, provides around 80% of the total flow of the river and Ethiopia sees it as a "historic injustice" that it is unable to take advantage of this natural resource, Mr Zerihun said.

If Ethiopia agrees to allowing a specific volume of water to flow to Egypt every year then this will "confirm a colonial privilege of the most downstream country, Egypt. It's like neo-colonialism and that is unacceptable," he added.

In essence, what Ethiopia is accusing Egypt of is wanting to maintain the flow that was guaranteed in 1959.

Ethiopia says that in the second year of filling it will release a minimum of 31 billion cubic metres through the Gerd, but beyond that it cannot be tied to a specific number.

 

Maintaining the flow of a set volume of water to Egypt regardless of the rainfall pattern could mean that the Gerd will stop functioning during prolonged droughts.

While Egypt is alarmed by the prospect of not knowing how much water it is going to receive.

Nations united over the dam 

The generation of so much heat after nine years of negotiations may reflect the fact that this is the diplomatic end-game rather than an unbridgeable gap and things will soon cool down.

But both Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also have domestic political considerations and populations who have become heavily invested in the issue.

In Ethiopia's case, people have literally invested in the dam. The $4bn (£3.2bn) cost of the project has been partly met by persuading Ethiopians at home and abroad to lend the government money by buying bonds.

While Mr Abiy faces political challenges that have dented his support, the Gerd is an issue that people can rally behind.

 

Some have taken to the video-sharing platform TikTok to illustrate the issues with cups and jugs of water. One that has been widely viewed shows a woman with a jug, representing Ethiopia, pouring water into two small cups and saying that her country is in control.

Egyptians have made their own videos, with one suggesting that the dam is vulnerable to attack.

In general, Egyptian media have been supporting the government in the talks over the dam, with some outlets accusing Ethiopia of being uncooperative during the crisis.

While the media in the two countries may want to up the stakes, it is the job of diplomats to try and calm things down.

It is still not clear, however, that those involved in the talks are doing this.

[BBC]

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South Africa prepares 1.5 million gravesites as coronavirus cases surge

By Cara Anna 

 

 

 

The coronavirus pandemic in Africa is reaching “full speed” and it’s good to prepare for the worst-case scenario, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief said Thursday, after a South African official said a single province is preparing 1.5 million gravesites.

 

Just a day after confirmed virus cases across Africa surpassed the half-million milestone the total was over 522,000 and climbing, with more than 12,000 deaths. With testing levels low, the real numbers are unknown.

 

 

South Africa has the most confirmed cases with over 224,000, and for the first time Gauteng province — home to Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria — has the country’s most cases with over 75,000, or 33 per cent.

Provincial official Bandile Masuku, a medical doctor, startled South Africans when he told reporters Wednesday that Gauteng is preparing over 1.5 million graves. “It’s a reality that we need to deal with,” he said, and it’s the public’s responsibility “to make sure that we don’t get there.”

The province in a statement Thursday sought to calm fears, saying it “does not have over a million already open dug graves” and the number refers to the potential capacity. It also said six members of Gauteng’s COVID-19 War Room have tested positive for the virus.

 

Asked about the comments, Africa CDC chief John Nkengasong said “there’s absolutely no harm to think ahead” and prepare for the worst-case scenario.

‘We’ve crossed a critical number here,” he said of the half-million milestone. “Our pandemic is getting full speed.”

 

He called for more mask-wearing, saying “this battle will be won or lost at the community level.” He also called for more testing, as just 5.7 million tests for the new virus have been conducted across the continent of 1.3 billion people.

 

With painful memories of many people dying in Africa while waiting for accessible HIV drugs years ago, the Africa CDC on Thursday launched a consortium aimed at securing more than 10 late-stage COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials on the continent as early as possible.

“We want to be sure we don’t find ourselves in the 1996 scenario where HIV drugs were available but it took almost seven years for those drugs to be accessible on the continent,” Nkengasong said.

With any COVID-19 vaccine, a “delay in Africa of even one year would be catastrophic,” he said.

He said the new consortium of African institutions will engage with the GAVI vaccine alliance and other entities outside the continent amid efforts to ensure that a vaccine is distributed equitably from the start.

Those efforts are challenged by the United States and others assertively making deals with vaccine makers to secure supplies in advance.

 

The African Union last month said governments around the world should “remove all obstacles” to swift and equitable distribution of any successful COVID-19 vaccine, including by making all intellectual property and technologies immediately available.

Africa in recent days has begun taking part in COVID-19 vaccine trials in the face of increasing misinformation on the continent. Trials have begun in South Africa and Egypt, but Nkengasong said a “continent of 1.3 billion people deserves more than just two countries participating.”

A vaccine “is the only weapon to allow our lives to return to normal,” he said.

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More than 180 civilians killed in Burkina Faso town, says rights group

Emmanuel Akinwotu

 

Human Rights Watch suggests involvement of security forces in deaths over recent months

At least 180 civilians have been killed in recent months in a single town in Burkina Faso, with evidence pointing towards the country’s often-accused security forces, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Between November 2019 and June this year, groups of dozens of dead bodies were found often tied and blindfolded, strewn along major highways, beneath bridges and across fields in the rural region, the report published on Thursday said. Most of the bodies were buried by residents while the remains of others were left unclaimed.

Djibo, a northern town at the heart of jihadist conflict across north, central and eastern parts of the country, had become a killing field, the report said, amid widespread executions by security forces.

 

As violence from jihadist groups aligned with al-Qaida and Islamic State has raged in the landlocked west African country, government forces long accused of rights abuses have increased their operations, often with deadly consequences.

 

Residents interviewed by the rights organisation said most of those killed were identified as ethnic Fulani, or Peuhl, who are often judged to be complicit with jihadist groups at large within the country and the surrounding Sahel region.

“Existing information points toward government security forces,” said Corinne Dufka, the Sahel director at HRW. “It’s critical to have impartial investigations, evidence properly gathered, and families informed about what happened to their loved ones.”

The report centres on interviews with 23 witnesses in the Fulani-majority town, who described seeing dead bodies and conducting burials. They did not witness the killings but believed security forces were responsible.

 

HRW could not independently verify their claims. Following the report the government said it would investigate the killings, which are the latest suspected by security forces, yet also said jihadists wearing stolen army uniforms could be responsible for the deaths in Djibo.

The defence minister, Moumina Cheriff Sy, said: “It is difficult for the population to distinguish between armed terrorist groups and the defence and security forces.”

Rights groups say a series of government promises to investigate rights abuses have yielded little genuine action.

As a military presence has increased in towns such as Djibo in response to the terror threat, civilian deaths, particularly along ethnic lines, have become commonplace.

In April, 31 men were found executed after security forces detained them in Djibo. Residents told HRW the men were indiscriminately targeted after an Islamist presence was detected in the region.

 

The abuses have exacerbated ethnic tensions and resentment, which jihadist groups have exploited.

Last month, countries at a security summit of regional and European leaders warned Burkina Faso’s authorities that troops found to have committed human rights abuses would be punished severely.

Since 2016, jihadist groups have gained an increasing foothold in the country, with the violence spreading from Mali and Niger and across the Sahel.

Hundreds of Burkinabe civilians have been killed and almost a million displaced by the conflict, leading to one of the most rapidly escalating humanitarian crises in the world. According to the UN more than 3 million people, including 831,000 refugees, are displaced across the Sahel.

 

The violence in Burkina Faso has gradually spread from the north and centre to the east of the country, where in recent months a wave of attacks against remote villages has fuelled further mass displacement of thousands of families to the nearby towns of Gayéri and Fada.

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Coronavirus live updates: Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Ghana... cases, deaths and news

 

Africa Covid-19 update: on Thursday 9 July 

According to the latest figures published by John Hopkins University, 12,128,406 cases have been detected worldwide, with 551,522 deaths and 6,650,675 people recovered.

South Africa: 224,665 cases / 3,602 deaths

Nigeria: 30,249 cases / 684 deaths

Ghana: 22,822 / 129 deaths

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Rwanda claims its readiness to offer ‘any support’ in Kabuga trial — Busingye

 

Minister of Justice Johnston Busingye addresses a press conference in Kigali yesterday. Dan Nsengiyumva

By Felly Kimenyi

Rwanda is ready to offer any support to the UN court trying Genocide crimes and any other jurisdiction to ensure successful prosecution of Félicien Kabuga, who is currently in custody in France.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, July 8, Justice Minister and Attorney General Johnston Busingye said that much as Kabuga is not subject to the Rwandan judiciary, Kigali is following closely on his case.

 

Alleged Genocide financier Kabuga was arrested on the morning of May 16 near the French capital of Paris, bringing to an end a 26-year manhunt for the fugitive.

 

He was arrested on the indictment of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) which took over from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

 

Kabuga, a well-connected top businessman during the Juvenal Habyarimana regime, was a key member of the genocidal machinery, having been among the founders of a hate radio station that incited the killings and leading financier of massacres.

“The technical management of the Kabuga case remains within the ambits of the UN court and, on our part, all we have done is to avail ourselves for judicial cooperation to ensure successful prosecution of the suspect,” Busingye told journalists in Kigali on Wednesday.

French media last month reported that Aurélia Devos, the deputy prosecutor at the Paris High Court, will travel to Rwanda in a few weeks’ time to oversee a UN criminal investigation into Kabuga.

And, according to Busingye, Rwanda is open to cooperation with anyone, including the suspect’s lawyers in case they wish to travel to Rwanda for investigations, as long as they go through official channels.

A French court, the Paris Court of Appeal, on June 3, ruled that Kabuga be transferred from France to the custody of MICT for trial. 

The ruling came after his request for bail was turned down by another French court on May 27.

Kabuga, aged about 85, who faces seven counts linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, had requested to be tried in France, arguing it would be easier for him to be accessed by his family.

However, a judge at the UN court in May ruled that Kabuga should be transferred to its detention facility in Arusha, Tanzania following a request by the UN prosecutor that he be temporarily transferred to The Hague due to the coronavirus travel restrictions.

“What is important for us is that judiciary caught up with Kabuga after all these years on the run. Of course, the case is of much interest for Rwanda, so we shall always monitor closely,” Busingye said.

‘Good signs’ on France

Meanwhile, Busingye said that there are good signs that fugitives in France would finally come to book, following the improvement in bilateral ties between Rwanda and France, and commitments from French authorities.

In a letter addressed to President Paul Kagame on the occasion of the 26th Liberation Anniversary last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to work with Rwanda to bring to book Genocide fugitives living in the European country.

“Rest assured that we are continuing our efforts to ensure that all suspected Rwandan génocidaires are prosecuted,” Macron wrote.

Dozens of Genocide masterminds have found a safe haven in France, including 30 who are being pursued by France-based pressure group, Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR).

“Generally, from where we stand as the judiciary, there is indication that things are headed in the right direction, especially when there is political will from the very top and that is the French presidency,” Busingye said.

France has so far tried three cases related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi but is yet to hear two high-profile cases referred there by ICTR.

In 2007, the ICTR referred the cases of Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, a Catholic priest, and Laurent Bucyibaruta, a former préfet (governor) of Gikongoro prefecture, to French judicial authorities – as part of its completion strategy.

However, 13 years down the road, none of the two fugitives has been prosecuted and the latest that was heard of Munyeshyaka, who is suspected to have masterminded the killing of hundreds of people at Sainte-Famille Catholic Church in Kigali, was still an active cleric in France.

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Hushpuppi: Dubai excludes Nigerians from applying for jobs, tourist visa

 

 

Social media users have reacted angrily to a job opening posted online by a Dubai recruitment firm which excluded Nigerians.

The firm, Shirley Recruitment Consultants Dubai, had said in the vacancy posted three days ago that it was looking for merchandisers.

Among the requirements for the full-time job is that the applicant should be an African.

It, however, says the applicant must not be a Nigerian.

On Nairaland, some Nigerians said the recent arrest of an alleged internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, might have contributed to the firm’s decision.

Others said the image of Nigeria was being battered by the various news of corruption and internet scam emanating from the country.

“Nigerians, inclusive of leaders and citizens, have trampled on the image of the country. If only Nigerians know how Nigeria and Nigerians are perceived abroad, then Nigerians will not be quick to praise internet fraudsters.

“There is a systematic problem with leadership, followership, and our value system. No respect for dignity in labour, thieves, and persons of questionable character get chieftaincy tittles and in religious centers, they are given ‘high table’ during fundraising. We have taken the bull by the horn it didn’t work it’s time we think out of the box and look inward in a bid to change the narrative,” candyguyofficia wrote.

 

Another member of the forum with the alias, dapsoneh, posted a Google search of different job vacancies in Dubai which expressly forbade Nigerians from applying.

 

He called this ‘The Hushpuppi phenomenon’.

“The irony is that the bulk of that money was spent to the advantage of the Dubai economy with his foolish luxury lifestyle. He kept buying expensive cars while paying tax to the Dubai government, spent a fortune on hotels to impress on the gram, all going to UAE pockets.

 

“The same stupid govt that’s been a major beneficiary of Hushpuppi’s largesse is painting every Nigerian with legit hustling bad,” he added.

A user, loneprof, said the companies should realise that no African country had the skills and qualifications of Nigerians, who are mostly hard-working.

He wondered why the bad actions of a few people were being used to judge the character of over 200 million Nigerians.

“Lately our image across the world has been terrible. A country where the anti-corruption boss was detained for being corrupt,” another member, Valves, wrote.

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Africa’s COVID-19 deaths have surpassed Ebola casualty —WHO

 

File photo: AFP 

Lara Adejoro

The number of people who died of COVID-19 in Africa in less than five months has surpassed the West African 11,308 Ebola deaths of 2014-2016.

The World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, on Wednesday said confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa had surpassed 500,000, even as a total of 11,959 persons have died of the contagion within five months.

It may be recalled that a renowned virologist, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, in March said Ebola virus was more severe and dreadful, compared to COVID-19.

Tomori, also a former president, Nigerian Academy of Science, said, “Neither Ebola virus disease, nor COVID-19 is good.

“Certainly, coronavirus is more widespread and has killed more people; but in terms of severity and dread of the diseases, Ebola can be termed ‘superman.’

“This is because, when you see a severe case of Ebola and how the virus turns a sick man into a zombie, then, you will understand that it is extremely serious.

“Remember also that with coronavirus, young and healthy people are less affected, but Ebola virus hits all,” Tomori said.

Again, experts say though Ebola is rare, it has a high mortality rate of about 50 per cent (although that rate had ranged from 25 per cent to 90 per cent in past outbreaks), with the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa regarded as the largest Ebola epidemic to occur, as 28,610 people were infected and 11,308 died.

The WHO noted that the number of COVID-19-related deaths has overtaken the 11,308 lives lost in the world’s worst Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016.

“Cases have more than doubled in 22 countries in the region over the past month. Nearly two-thirds of countries are experiencing community transmission,” the update read in part.

The UN body noted that five countries comprising Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa account for about 42 percent of Africa’s COVID-19 cases, even as South Africa alone accounts for 29 percent of the continent’s total cases.

“However, the accelerating growth trend is not uniform across the continent, with some countries recording a steady rise in cases, indicating a protracted pandemic.

“Eritrea, Gambia, Mali, Seychelles and Togo are witnessing long doubling times and low growth rates.

“Seychelles had not experienced a case in nearly two months, but in the past week had dozens of new imported cases, linked to crew members of an international fishing vessel,” WHO added.

It said there were also some signs of progress as 10 countries have experienced a downward trend over the past month; noting that although Egypt accounts for 15 percent of cumulative cases, it has seen a decline in the past week.

The WHO Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said, “With more than a third of countries in Africa doubling their cases over the past month, the threat of COVID-19 overwhelming fragile health systems on the continent is escalating.

“So far, the continent has avoided disaster and if countries continue to strengthen key public health measures such as testing, tracing contacts and isolating cases, we can slow down the spread of the virus to a manageable level,” she said.

According to WHO, 88 percent of COVID-19 infections are among people aged 60 and below, likely due to Africa’s relatively young population.

However, it added that the likelihood of dying from COVID-19 rises with increasing age and the existence of co-morbidities, with the risk of death among patients aged 60 years and above being 10 times higher, compared with those below 60.

“Communities across the continent have a crucial role to play in controlling the pandemic, especially as countries begin easing lockdowns and opening up their borders,” said the WHO Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari.

“As governments continue to implement public health measures, individuals must remain as cautious and vigilant as ever to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. Hand washing, mask use, physical distancing and other preventative measures are key to controlling transmission, saving lives, and ensuring that already overwhelmed health systems are not stretched to breaking point,” he said.

The UN body noted that as COVID-19 continues to spread, thousands of health workers have also fallen ill.

“Equipping and protecting health workers is one of the central pillars of the COVID-19 response.

“WHO is working to support countries respond to COVID-19 by providing technical guidance, crucial medical equipment and has remotely trained more than 25,000 health workers.

“WHO has also organized more than 420 shipments of key equipment, including more than 3000 oxygen concentrators, 23,000 GeneXpert diagnostic testing machines and almost 4 million pieces of personal protective equipment for health care workers,” it stated.

AFP

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WHO Studying Evidence Showing Airborne Transmission Of COVID-19 Virus

 

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a press conference organised by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, on July 3, 2020 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. Fabrice COFFRINI / POOL / AFP

 

The WHO said Tuesday it would study fresh evidence on airborne transmission of the coronavirus, after an international group of scientists concluded it could spread far beyond two metres.

The World Health Organization said it would put out a new scientific brief within days, rounding up the knowledge about how the virus can be transmitted and ensuring its guidance stays in line with the evidence.

The two-metre (yard) physical distancing guideline has been a major factor in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 538,000 people and infected over 11.6 million since the outbreak emerged in China last December.

However, the new coronavirus can spread through the air far beyond two metres, an group of 239 international scientists said Monday.

When an infected person exhales, they expel droplets. Droplets under five micrometres in size can become suspended in the air for several hours and travel up to tens of metres, they said.

Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO’s technical lead on infection control, told a virtual press conference: “We acknowledge that there is emerging evidence in this field.

“And therefore we believe that we have to be open to this evidence and understand its implications regarding the modes of transmission and also regarding the precautions that need to be taken,” she said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, said the UN health agency was producing a scientific brief consolidating the growing knowledge around transmission.

“It is important that what we know fits into the guidance that we have,” she said.

“We will be issuing our brief in the coming days, and that will outline everything that we have in this area.”

World taken hostage: Tedros

Meanwhile WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic was showing no signs of slowing down, as 400,000 new cases were reported over the weekend.

It took 12 weeks for the world to reach the first 400,000 COVID-19 cases.

“The outbreak is accelerating and we’ve clearly not reached the peak of the pandemic,” Tedros said.

“While the number of deaths appears to have levelled off globally, in reality some countries have made significant progress in reducing the number of deaths, while in other countries deaths are still on the rise.”

The virus has “taken the world hostage”, he concluded.

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro — who caused huge controversy for repeatedly flouting containment measures and minimising the risk of the virus — announced on Tuesday he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The WHO sent him their best wishes for a speedy and full recovery.

“It brings home for us all the reality of this virus: no-one is special,” said the WHO’s emergencies director Michael Ryan.

“Whether we’re prince or pauper, we’re equally vulnerable.”

 

AFP

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Kenya Declares School Year ‘Lost’, Classes Back In 2021

 

 

Grade 7 students of the Sitoromo Junior Secondary School in Sterkspruit, sit in their class on July 6, 2020. – The school reopened today for their Grade 7 pupils only, after being shut for two weeks due to a case of COVID-19 coronavirus among its staff. In addition, the school opened today to their Grade 7 pupils only, following a decision by the South African Minister of Education that the Eastern Cape province will see delayed the return of the Grade R, Grade 6, and Grade 9 students due to the high number of infections. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)

 

Kenya on Tuesday declared that its school year was considered lost because of the coronavirus pandemic, and primary and secondary pupils would return to class next January.

The school year in the East African country runs from January to November when it climaxes with end-of-term exams.

But Education Minister George Magoha said in a statement that the curve of COVID-19 infections was expected to flatten only by December.

As a result, no primary and secondary school examinations will be held and “the 2020 school calendar year will be considered lost due to COVID-19 restrictions”, he said.

Kenya closed schools on March 15 when it had only three confirmed cases, among a raft of measures taken that month including a nighttime curfew to combat the spread of the virus.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday announced a “phased reopening” of the country, with international flights resuming on August 1 and the lifting of internal travel restrictions that had cordoned off the capital for four months. The 9 pm to 4 am curfew will remain in place.

However, cases are surging, with over 8,000 reported infections and 164 deaths.

“Faced with this uncertain environment, the stakeholders have resolved to reopen all basic education learning institutions in January 2021,” said Magoha.

“This is based on the assumption that the infection curve will have flattened by December 2020.”

The decisions “will apply to all children,” the statement said, specifying that this included schools offering an international curriculum.

Initially Kenya had planned to reopen schools in September for those in their final years of primary and secondary school to allow them to take their exams, however the mounting infection rate resulted in the shelving of this plan, the statement said.

The re-opening of universities will take place on a “case-by-case” basis, and the institutions were encouraged to consider phased re-opening and continue holding virtual classes and graduation ceremonies.

 

-AFP

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