Kenya

Health & Safety

Kenyans are shocked, joyful and skeptical: a slice of life post-COVID emergency

3:18pm May 10, 2023

by Thomas Bwire

Our reporter spoke to residents of Kibera, known as Africa's largest urban slum. Many had not yet heard that the World Health Organization ended the state of "emergency." Here's what they told us.

Visitors to "Wangechi Mutu: Intertwined" at the New Museum are greeted by "In Two Canoe" (foreground) and "For Whom the Bell Tolls," two sculptures by the Kenyan-born artist that feature fantastical hybrid creatures set against a landscape that uses gray emergency relief blankets to depict the silhouette of Mount Kenya.

The fantastical art of Wangechi Mutu: from plant people to a 31-foot snake

10:32am May 08, 2023

by Vicky Hallett

Mutu, who lives in Nairobi and Brooklyn, is the star of a show at New York's New Museum. Her art takes on viruses, genocide, junk mail (the "sleeping serpent" is full of it), her own hybrid identity.

A table showing documented cases of possible spillovers of dog coronavirus, pig coronavirus and MERS by year, animal and country.

How do pandemics begin? There's a new theory — and a new strategy to thwart them

5:00am February 15, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Animals carry millions of pathogens. So it's a daunting task to find the one with the greatest potential to spark a pandemic. Now scientists are rethinking the way they hunt for that next new virus.

After winning a prize in Quebec, Michael Kaloki went on to sculpt ice at other competitions, such as the Helsinki Zoo International Ice Carving Festival.

Health & Safety

Climate change gave a Kenyan youth a 'crazy' idea: Become a world-class ice sculptor

5:01am November 26, 2022

by Michael Kaloki

Ice sculpting and tropical heat don't usually go together. Kenyan journalist Michael Kaloki tells of his ... unusual ... journey into global snow and ice carving.

Senior Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif poses in December 2016 for photograph prior to recoding an episode of his talk show at a studio in Islamabad.

World News

A Pakistani journalist living in hiding was killed by police at a roadblock in Kenya

11:06am October 24, 2022

by The Associated Press

Arshad Sharif, 50, had been in hiding since July after he fled Pakistan to avoid arrest. He had been critical of the country's military and the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Benard Mwenja's reserve water supply has helped him weather the drought better than many of his neighbors. He is now focusing on more stable crops like kale, carrots and onions instead of relying only on corn with its fluctuating prices.

Health & Safety

One of Kenya's luckier farmers tells why so many farmers there are out of luck

1:03pm October 06, 2022

by Michael Kaloki

Erratic weather is just one problem. Many farmers can no longer keep pace with the rising cost of fuel and fertilizer (which previously has been largely imported from Ukraine). What's the solution?

Kenya's new president William Ruto, seen Tuesday behind fountain fireworks, holds up a ceremonial sword as he is sworn in to office at a ceremony held at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi.

World News

William Ruto, sworn in as Kenya's president, touts his chicken seller roots

11:12am September 13, 2022

by The Associated Press

Ruto also seemed to have mended fences with his former boss, outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta, asking him to keep leading talks on regional crises. His ascent concluded a markedly peaceful election.

Justine Adhiambo Obura with one of the "No Sex for Fish" boats at Nduru beach. She is the chairperson of the cooperative that came up with a radical idea in a community where fishermen often demanded transactional sex before giving a supply of fish to a woman to sell: What if women had their own boats and hired men to fish for them?

Whatever happened to the 'No Sex for Fish' women after the flood? Hint: It's 'amazing'

9:20am September 11, 2022

That's what a charity worker said of their latest plan. The Kenyan fishmongers got their own boats to escape pressure to trade sex for fish to sell. Then floods wiped them out. Now there's new hope.

Urban farmer Victor Edalia (right) with three beneficiaries of his free veggies in 2020 (left to right): Sheila Musimbi, a single mom; Celine Oinga, who comes from a family of 9 siblings; and Jackline Oyamo, jobless due to the pandemic. He's expanded his

Health & Safety

Whatever happened to the Kenyan farmer who turned a dump into a garden of giveaways?

7:52pm August 30, 2022

by Thomas Bwire

Victor Edalia turned a trash dump into a farm. He hoped to earn extra income but decided to give away free produce during the pandemic. Now hundreds of needy families enjoy his harvest.

Supporters of Kenya's president-elect William Ruto hold posters of him as they gather while waiting for results of Kenya's general election in Eldoret, Kenya, on Monday.

World News

William Ruto is declared the winner of Kenya's presidential election

7:02pm August 15, 2022

by Eyder Peralta

The elections had been hailed as step forward for Kenyan democracy, with politicians focused on economic issues rather than tribal mobilization. Across Nairobi, scenes of celebration mixed with anger.