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COVID-19

Alarm as Nakuru records 139 new COVID-19 infections

The Ministry of Health says the top counties are Nairobi with 496, Nakuru 139, Kiambu 101, Mombasa 100, Murang’a 67.

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COVID-19 virus

Nakuru County yesterday recorded 139 new COVID-19 infections out of the 1,437 cases reported nationally in the past 24 hours.

This is the highest number of infections to be recorded since the pandemic was reported in the region in early March last year.

The Ministry of Health says the top counties are Nairobi with 496, Nakuru 139, Kiambu 101, Mombasa 100, Murang’a 67.

This comes at a time Governor Lee Kinyanjui has raised alarm over the rising number of cases in the region, especially the virulent Delta variant.

“As of yesterday, we had 97 people in supplemental oxygen in our hospitals and yesterday alone, we lost 10 people,” he stated.

He urged residents to follow the protocols set by the Ministry of Health to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

As of Thursday, a total of 1,970,174 vaccines had been administered across the country. Nakuru is among the top five counties.

The Governor was speaking in Nakuru yesterday during the launch of roads construction equipment under the Boresha Barabara Program.

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COVID-19

County upgrades medical Oxygen production capacity to meet COVID-19 demand

An old plant at the hospital produces 250 litres of medical oxygen per minute and supplies it to all public and private hospitals in Nakuru and at least five neighbouring Counties.

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Hewa Tele oxygen plant at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital. Photo/Simon Mutai

Deputy Governor Dr Erick Korir will this morning preside over the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a modern medical oxygen manufacturing plant at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital.

The plant to be situated near the upcoming modern outpatient department is set to address the high demand for medical oxygen occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The dual-system plant will be one of the only two largest medical oxygen generating plants in East and Central Africa. The other is at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Uasin Gishu County.

It will have a 660 kVA standby generator dedicated to the oxygen plant to offer a reliable uninterruptible power supply to the generating and condensing machines, in case of power outages.

Governor Lee Kinyanjui said the County had had enough Oxygen supply but the spread of the Delta variant has raised the number of patients requiring emergency oxygen in large quantities and over time.

“We want to produce over 2,000 litres of medical oxygen per minute. This is not just for now but also for years to come as part of our emergency healthcare planning,” he stated in an interview.

Mr Hillary Kosgei, the Technical Director at Debra Limited said the dual system will ensure uninterruptible Oxygen supply in the event one unit breaks down.

“When the demand for medical Oxygen is low, one machine can rest and this will enhance durability. One unit can refill 48 oxygen cylinders in 24hrs, which is enough to run a hospital,” he stated.

An old plant at the hospital produces 250 litres of medical oxygen per minute and supplies it to all public and private hospitals in Nakuru and at least five neighbouring Counties.

The Governor said his administration was also increasing the Intensive Care Unit and staff capabilities to enable the County to deal with such eventualities now and in the future.

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COVID-19

Banks heighten efforts to sensitize customers on secure banking

Some of the ways in which customers can protect themselves include understanding how the bank interacts with you, as the institution does not ask for your credentials – Pin or Password.  Do not click on any link requesting to share personal information or to verify account details. Ensuring you have Multi-Factor Authentication, avoiding using public computers or Wi-Fi connections and finally reporting fraud cases immediately to the Bank or the police.

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Bank.PHOTO/Courtesy.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for the migration of consumers from brick and mortar bank transactions to the digital space.

The Kenya Bankers Association’s (KBA) Customer Satisfaction Survey of 2020 indicates bank customers’ preferences for digital services stood at 43%.

This shift has necessitated banks to enlighten the masses on online safety through the ‘Kaa Chonjo’ Awareness campaign, as the country is recovering from the pandemic. According to KBA, there is an increased vulnerability of the public to cybercrimes such as phishing, identity theft and data breaches due to the increased use of online transactions.

According to Equity’s Q1 2021 results, digitization has enabled at least 98% of all Group transactions to happen outside the branches with 86.8% of the transactions being on self-service mobile and Internet banking and 1.6% of the transactions happening on Agency and Merchant banking third party variable cost infrastructure.

Only 1.8% of transactions happened on fixed cost brick and mortar branches and ATM infrastructure, while 89% of the loan transactions were conducted on the mobile channels.

The adoption of digital payments in the sector was accelerated in the number of transactions processed.

The number one enabler for mobile and online transactions was the waiver by the bank of charges amounting to Kshs. 1.5 billion to enhance households’ disposable incomes, while at the same time sensitizing clients to adopt mobile, digital, and online banking, in compliance with health protocols of reduced mobility, minimized interactions, promoting hygiene, and maintaining social distancing. For instance, Equity transactions through the Pay with Equity solutions grew by 31% and the value rising by 58% to reach Kshs.1.07 trillion.

With most transactions happening through online channels, Banks have devised a crucial mechanism to inform and educate the masses on cybersecurity. The bank enhanced online banking, focused on mobile technologies, the internet, and artificial intelligence to drive online channel experience.

Equity has been continuously informing and educating the masses around online safety ensuring that cybersecurity is a top-notch priority. The bank has also been partnering with like-minded institutions such as Safaricom to share technical knowledge and build a common approach to risks such as fraud and cyber-security.

The bank set up a universal customer care number 0763 000 000, which customers are contacted through. This is to ensure that customers are protected from scammers, as they know the bank only calls them using that universal number.

Some of the ways in which customers can protect themselves include understanding how the bank interacts with you, as the institution does not ask for your credentials – Pin or Password.  Do not click on any link requesting to share personal information or to verify account details. Ensuring you have Multi-Factor Authentication, avoiding using public computers or Wi-Fi connections and finally reporting fraud cases immediately to the Bank or the police.

As businesses and individuals become increasingly dependent on technology and digital connectivity, and with Covid-19 exacerbating our dependence, any disruption in our digital progress could be crippling if proper measures are not set. The government regulators, security agents and the banking industry need to continue working together to ensure secure and trusted digital connectivity in a data-driven world, to protect individuals, businesses, and the economy.

According to Data Report, there were 21.75 million internet users in Kenya in January 2021 while the Internet penetration in Kenya stood at 40.0% in January 2021. This number shows how internet penetration has been key in customers uptake of internet and mobile banking. Thus, the need to ensure that the banking systems and securities are uptight to curb the vice.

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COVID-19

Rise in expenditure whets post-Covid media appetite

The report however shows a shift towards digital channels with revenues coming from movie streaming, digital advertising, gaming, podcasts, data consumption, and virtual reality among others.

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PwC Logo.PHOTO/Courtesy.

Entertainment, media, and advertising companies in Kenya are set to reap from rising spending even as traditional components of the sector such as television decline, a new report by PriceWater Coopers shows.

In a report titled Altering the Dynamics of Entertainment and Media (E&M) Industry, PWC estimates that Kenya’s potential annual revenues in the industry will be over Sh900 billion by 2025.

This means entertainment and media revenue in Kenya will overtake Nigeria to deliver just below Sh100 billion ahead of South Africa.

“Over the coming five years, growth in E&M revenues will be the norm across all 53 territories we cover. No country’s combined consumer and advertising revenue will rise at less than a 3 percent five-year CAGR to 2025,” the report reads.

In 2020, Kenya experienced a 28 per cent dip in advertising revenues as outdoor advertising fell sharply as companies cut spending during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This year, not surprisingly, the twin forces induced by COVID-19—economic disruption and powerful shifts in consumer behaviour—challenge our underlying assumptions and frame our insights.

In 2020, the pandemic triggered the sharpest contraction in overall E&M revenues in the history of this research.And it accelerated changes in consumer behaviour to pull forward digital disruption and industry tipping points by several years.

In 2021, those tipping points morphed and coalesced into power shifts that are rapidly reshaping the industry,” says PwC.

The report however shows a shift towards digital channels with revenues coming from movie streaming, digital advertising, gaming, podcasts, data consumption, and virtual reality among others.

The media and entertainment has seen a shift in favour of individual influencers who are now competing against established companies for advertising revenues.

This growth of micro-influencers has allowed advertisers to target influencers in their niche markets helping to lower advertising costs and maximize on their returns.

Powered by high internet and smartphone penetration, Kenya will be a key driver of media industry revenues in Africa. In 2020, consumer spending on E&M fell 5.5 per cent.

But by 2025, PwC estimates that the total is projected to rise to Sh10tn, representing a 3.9 per cent growth from 2021.

“The stagnation of legacy sectors such as newspapers and magazines will be offset by rapid revenue growth from booming areas that cater particularly to younger consumers, such as video games and e-sports,” PWC notes.

That said, traditional TV and home video will continue to account for the largest share of total consumer revenue—even as that segment declines at 1.2 per cent compounded annually through 2025.

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