Kenya and the entire world to face defining moments

HEALTH

  • Rollout of Universal Health Coverage to all 47 counties.
  • Establish one of four proposed new public comprehensive cancer care hospitals.
  • Replace donor funding in some aspects of HIV, Blood Bank and vaccines’ services as donors withdraw.
  • Stop decline in child immunisation coverage from 63 per cent and raise this to 95 per cent.
  • Reduce waiting times for specialised care at Kenyatta National Hospital from months to 19 days.
  • Employ 100,000 community health.

EDUCATION

Pupils at Akingli Primary School in Kisumu West during a class session in September 2019. [File, Standard]
  • Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) launched in January 2019 in pre-primary and Grades 1, 2 and 3. The new 2-6-3-3-3 will be launched nationally in Grade 4 on January 6 when schools open.
  • Government has revised the lowest pre-service teacher training quali­fication from Certi­ficate (P1) to Diploma level. A curriculum for this new level of training has been completed and the new cohort of learners will be admitted to various colleges in 2020.
  • 70 technical and vocational training colleges across the country upgraded by government. Bursary of Sh30,000 for each student joining the institutions also introduced.
  • Reforms launched by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha in universities, phase out over 200 courses that don’t attract applicants.

BUSINESS

  • January 31: Once the UK exits from the EU, Kenya has to renegotiate trade agreements with Britain afresh.
  • February: First principal payment of Sh35 billion to Exim Bank of China for the Standard Gauge Railway.
  • April: Peter Ndegwa takes over as Safaricom CEO. This follows the death of Bob Collymore last year.
  • June: Reading of 2020/2021 Budget.

COURTS

  • Judgement of Huduma Namba case on January 20. Justices Weldon Korir, Mumbi Ngugi and Pauline Nyamweya will determine whether the data gathered and stored in National Integrated Identity Management System should be used.
  • February 6: High Court in Nairobi to settle the stalemate on appointment of 41 Court of Appeal judges. The Judiciary and the Executive are tussling over the issue.
  • February 6: Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga to testify in a case where former LSK CEO Apollo Mboya is seeking to reverse a Judicial Service Commission’s decision to admonish Supreme Court Judges Njoki Ndung’u and Jackton Ojwang’. The lawyer had wanted the two judges kicked out of office.
  • LSK election to be held on February 27 in quest to seek a successor to current president Allen Gichuhi.
  • Supreme Court Judge Jackton Ojwang’ retires on February 5, ending his 16 years tenure as a judge. This will create a vacancy in the top court. He leaves the Judiciary months after a tribunal formed to investigate his conduct cleared him of the allegations.
  • June 8. Kenya and Somalia face off before the International Court of Justice over disputed maritime boundary between the two countries.

WORLD

  • Jan 2, US: Boeing to suspend production of its 737 MAX jet, its biggest assembly-line halt in more than 20 years as fallout from two fatal crashes drags into 2020. The stoppage is likely to a­ ect suppliers and the wider economy.
  • Jan 15, US: Talks between foreign ministers of Ethiopia and Egypt in Washington DC aim to agree on how Nile River water will be shared once the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is functional.
  • Jan 31, UK: Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s clear election majority handed him the mandate he needs to ratify his Brexit deal and take Britain out of the European Union on this date.
  • Nov 3, US: The US will hold presidential elections, as Democrats – who are yet to pick a candidate – try to unseat Republican President Donald Trump, who was impeached by Congress last year. [Graphic News]