Out of Africa

Nairobi, Kenya:

• Schools are closed and exams are cancelled
• Curfew in Kenya from 7pm to 5am
• The Government can’t have a full out lockdown as they cannot close work; majority of the population earns their income daily so cannot afford to not work
• The number of coronavirus cases continues to rise every day… as of 4 April there are 126 cases and the number of deaths equals the number of recoveries, standing at 4
• Slums and shanty areas like Kibera (biggest slum in Africa) are large, but dense and compact. If the virus hits those areas because of lack of education as well as lack of simple ‘necessities’ at this point in time (e.g., soap, masks, hand sanitizer, etc) the virus would spread very fast and it would be a catastrophe. While the World Bank and UN have tried to support it, that isn’t enough – 70% of Nairobi’s population live in slums, where the virus prevention is low on the list compared to hunger and survival.
• On the positive side because school is closed I’m spending all my time at home…and I get to play with my dogs, Tsavo and Caesar (picture below). They give me a lot of joy!!