Radio Fortune Africa -Ukweli na Burudani

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By Cantona Joseph Published on: March 29, 2026 02:55 (EAT)

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Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir in a previous media engagement. Photo: Handout.

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Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has directed the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and other enforcement agencies to investigate the circumstances that led to a fatal road crash in Nyeri County on Saturday. 

16 people have been confirmed dead after a matatu and a lorry collided near Dedan Kimathi University on Saturday evening. While 15 died on Saturday, Regional Traffic Commandant Elizabeth Vivi has said that one more person succumbed to injuries on Sunday. 

Following the deadly crash, CS Chirchir has condoled with the affected families, praying for a swift recovery for those injured. 

In a statement to newsrooms, the transport minister said NTSA and other agencies will “thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash and take firm, decisive action against any violations.”

“The Government remains committed to strengthening road safety measures, enforcing compliance, and ensuring accountability to prevent such tragedies,” said CS Chirchir. 

While urging motorists to exercise caution on the roads, CS Chirchir said there will be intensified enforcement, audits, and compliance checks across Kenyan highways. This, he added, would ensure accountability and protect all road users. 

Commandant Vivi on Sunday called on the public to visit the Nyeri Referral Hospital to identify 6 bodies of victims who died in the crash. 

10 other bodies have been positively identified by family members 

3 adults and a child are among the survivors of the crash. 

According to witness statements, the accident occurred as the lorry driver escaped hitting a boda boda. This led to a head-on collision between the lorry, which had three occupants, and the matatu headed to Mweiga. 

Beyond exams: When survival competes with learning in rural schools

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In Keveye Village, Vihiga County, the morning air is crisp, carrying the faint scent of wet earth, and a distant laughter of children signals the start of a new day. 

For most children, mornings bring anticipation: books, uniforms, and the promise of another school day. 

For thirteen-year-old Blessing (not her real name), mornings carry something heavier. 

Before lessons or homework, she must first confront the quiet realities of loss, responsibility and uncertainty. 

Blessing lives with her grandmother, Miriam Mmboga, in their modest home. Her father died from COVID-19 when she was seven. He had gone to Saudi Arabia to work when he succumbed, and her mother left her in her grandmother’s care. Mmboga herself is unwell, living with a painful breast swelling that remains undiagnosed despite several hospital visits. 

Even so, Blessing attends school like other children. But grief and responsibility follow her into the classroom. 

“Sometimes I feel very tired in my heart,” Blessing says quietly. “Even when I go to school, my mind is not always there.” 

Despite the emotional strain, she wakes early each day, dresses for school, and helps around the home before setting off on foot.  

Across rural Kenya, stories like Blessing’s are common. Poverty, illness, and family hardship often shape the education experience long before a child enters the classroom. 

Health challenges weigh heavily on families. National health data indicates that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now account for 61.7 percent of hospital deaths in Kenya, up from 52.4 percent in 2023, highlighting the growing burden of chronic illnesses on households and the healthcare system. 

In a nearby village lives Angel, another student whose education is shaped by illness. 

Angel lives with sickle cell anemia, a condition that brings frequent pain and extreme fatigue. Some days, attending school becomes impossible. 

“Sometimes I want to go to class, but I feel very weak,” she says. “Even sitting in class becomes hard.” 

Her father, a technical training graduate who now serves as a pastor, works tirelessly to support his children. Angel’s medical care is covered through the Social Health Authority health scheme, but the family still faces financial strain. 

Angel’s brother, who also lives with sickle cell disease, was forced to drop out of school. Today he helps their father at church, where he has become a talented pianist. 

These experiences illustrate a difficult truth: for many children, education competes daily with survival. 

Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) was introduced to transform learning by moving beyond traditional exams. The curriculum aims to equip students with practical skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and resilience. 

It also emphasizes social-emotional learning, ethical reasoning, and active citizenship. 

But in classrooms across rural communities, teachers often face challenges far beyond textbooks. 

“Children come to class worried about food or whether someone at home will be okay,” says Mr. Innocent Mukunza, a teacher in the area. “No matter how well you teach, life skills lessons are hard to absorb under those conditions.” 

Education experts say repeated illness, trauma, and chronic stress can significantly affect children’s cognitive development. Concentration becomes difficult, memory weakens, and emotional regulation suffers. 

“Without psychosocial and medical support, even the most ambitious curriculum struggles to achieve its goals,” Cynthia Tambasi, a counsellor at Eregi teachers’ training college, says.

Beyond national education reforms, broader continental and global commitments also emphasize inclusive learning for every child.

The African Union through Agenda 2063 envisions an Africa where education equips young people with the skills and values needed to drive social and economic transformation.

Similarly, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 calls for inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Frameworks such as the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child stress the need to remove barriers to learning, including poverty, illness, and distance from schools. Yet for many children in rural communities, these barriers remain part of daily life. 

Organizations like UNICEF advocate for a holistic approach to education that goes beyond academics. Their framework emphasizes inclusion, equity, accountability, and compassion, while promoting life skills such as empathy, teamwork, honesty, and self-control. 

These skills help children navigate complex social realities and develop the resilience needed to overcome adversity. 

Kenya’s education system is also incorporating these ideas through Value-Based Education initiatives developed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). 

Under this framework, core values including love, responsibility, respect, unity, peace, integrity, and social justice are integrated into daily learning across subjects. 

Seven core competencies underpin the curriculum: communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity, citizenship, learning to learn, self-efficacy, and digital literacy. 

Together, these principles aim to nurture learners who are not only academically capable but also socially responsible and ethically grounded. 

Yet the experiences of children like Blessing and Angel raise important questions for policymakers. 

How can life skills education succeed if children arrive in school burdened by grief, hunger, illness, or caregiving responsibilities? 

“Children cannot separate learning from their lived reality,” explains Tambasi. “If a learner is grieving, hungry, or sick, their ability to absorb competencies is limited.” 

Still, hope persists. 

Blessing continues to attend school, holding on to a dream of a different future. 

“I want to finish school,” she says. “I just hope one day learning will feel easier.” 

For Angel, every day she manages to sit in class is a quiet victory over pain. 

Their journeys reveal a simple but powerful truth: education success cannot be measured only by exams or grades. It must also be measured by whether children are supported enough emotionally, physically, and socially to truly learn. 

In many rural communities, schools do what they can. Teachers offer guidance, neighbors lend support, and families make sacrifices. 

But the gap between education policy and lived reality remains wide. 

According to Mr. Innocent Mukunza, values are not taught as a separate subject in school but are integrated into everyday classroom activities. Teachers encourage students to express themselves through discussions, group work, and collaborative learning. 

“In class, we allow learners to share their opinions and listen to one another,” he explains. “Through group discussions, they learn respect, teamwork, and how to appreciate different views.” 

Students are also encouraged to reflect on their thoughts and experiences through writing. By composing essays and short reflections, learners are able to express what they are thinking and feeling, helping teachers understand their perspectives while nurturing honesty and self-awareness. 

“These activities help children practice values,” says Mukunza. “When learners listen to each other and work together, they begin to understand that everyone’s voice matters.” 

Through such classroom practices, values like cooperation, tolerance, and integrity become part of students’ daily learning experience rather than abstract ideas taught from textbooks. 

Until survival stops competing with learning, the promise of transformation through education will remain unfinished. 

According to Elizabeth Owiti of Mizizi Elimu Afrika, “Efforts to integrate life skills and values in education require a broader system-wide approach that goes beyond the classroom.

Through the Action for Lifeskills and Families programme across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, we are working with governments to strengthen policies, teacher training, and assessment systems so that life skills are not just included in the curriculum, but effectively practiced.

However, for such reforms to succeed, learning environments must also address the realities children face at home, including poverty, illness, and emotional distress, which directly affect their ability to engage and learn.”

For children like Blessing and Angel, every school day is an act of resilience. 

And in their determination lies a reminder: education is not only about passing exams. It is about hope, dignity, and the possibility of a better future.

Special needs teachers want Ruto’s promotion promises fulfilled by TSC

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By Stanley Mbugua, 

The Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) has demanded immediate implementation of a government promise to promote teachers, six months after the pledge was made at State House.

KUSNET General Secretary James Torome said William Ruto directed in September 2025 that teachers be awarded an additional job group, but the directive remains unimplemented, denying teachers the expected salary increments.

“6 months down the line, the Presidential directive has not been implemented. The President promised us.

We are asking TSC to move with speed. Before the end of this month, we want to get the results,” said Torome. 

Torome, speaking during a donation exercise at Hope Special School concern over delays and urged the Teachers Service Commission to fast-track implementation before the end of the month.

He also called on Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to release funds to facilitate the promotions and challenged TSC leadership to act with urgency.

Torome further criticized delays in allocating 20 per cent of affordable housing units promised to teachers, saying the agreement lapsed on March 13 without clarity, and called for the dismissal of Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga over the issue.

COVID-19 variant BA.3.2 is spreading quickly across US; what you need to know

By The Conversation Published on: March 29, 2026 02:21 (EAT)

Woman gets tested for coronavirus in Berlin

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A variant of COVID-19 called BA.3.2, which has circulated under the radar since late 2024, is now spreading quickly across the United States.

As a pulmonary and critical care doctor, I see many patients who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 due to chronic lung disease, as well as patients living with long COVID. All of them ask me how worried they should be about new variants of the virus.

There’s no sign so far that BA.3.2, nicknamed Cicada, is any more dangerous or causes more severe disease than the variants that were circulating in the winter of 2025-26. But because it’s significantly different from them, the current COVID-19 vaccine may not be as effective against it.

Where did the BA.3.2 variant come from?

BA.3.2 is descended from the omicron variant, which emerged in late 2021.

Compared to the current predominant strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, BA.3.2 carries 70 to 75 genetic changes in its spike protein, the part of the virus that helps it get into cells. The spike protein is also the part of the virus that vaccines rely on to coax people’s immune systems into recognizing the virus.

Researchers first identified BA.3.2 in November 2024 in Africa. It started its global trek in 2025 and had made it to 23 countries as of February 2026.

The first U.S. case was detected in a traveler coming into the U.S. in June 2025. Since then, it has been detected in patients and the wastewater systems of 29 states.

Wastewater monitoring is one of the best early methods of detecting strain shift, though the number of states submitting wastewater data to the CDC has declined since around 2022, after the height of the pandemic.

What makes BA.3.2 variant different?

All viruses change over time – and the type of virus that causes COVID-19 does so especially quickly. Every time the virus copies itself inside a cell, its DNA mutates. Most of these changes disappear, but occasionally one gives the virus an advantage over other variants, allowing that version to spread.

These changes make it harder for the immune system to recognize the virus.

Think of it like showing up to your 25th high school reunion and seeing people who have put on weight, dyed their hair and started wearing tinted contacts. You will recognize them, but it might take longer. Had you seen them every month or so for those 25 years, you would recognize them right away.

Similarly, changes to a virus’ DNA also affect how well vaccines work. Vaccines prime people’s immune systems by reminding them of what the virus looks like. Scientists design vaccines based on the most common versions of a virus circulating at a given time.

Current COVID-19 vaccines are made to protect against strains from the JN.1 lineage of the virus, which have been the most common strains in the U.S. since January 2024. However, BA.3.2 is the new kid in the block − it’s almost a complete stranger to residents of the U.S. It is different enough from the JN.1 strains that the vaccine may not do as good a job of priming the immune system against it, allowing it to evade detection.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get a vaccine – a large body of evidence shows that they reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. But a poorly matched vaccine simply won’t recognize the new variant as quickly, which means it takes longer for the immune system to mount its defense.

What dangers does the BA.3.2 variant pose?

Because people’s immune systems aren’t as good at detecting BA.3.2, this variant may infect people more widely, potentially leading to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

But even though BA.3.2 is spreading quickly, there’s no indication that it’s any more dangerous or that it causes more severe disease than the COVID-19 variants that have circulated widely over the past few years.

However, especially given that current vaccines may not be as effective against it, protection remains important. That’s particularly true for people with chronic health conditions, who can experience severe illness from a COVID-19 infection.

And while the number of people who develop long COVID has declined as the virus has changed since early in the pandemic, it still occurs in about 3 in 100 cases.

Protecting yourself and your community

People can take these commonsense steps to avoid getting or spreading COVID-19:

First, wash your hands after using the bathroom, before preparing food or eating, and after being in contact with a sick person. Hand-washing decreases the chance of a respiratory infection by 16% to 21%.

Second, if you feel unwell, stay home – not just to take care of yourself, but to prevent spreading disease. You may be hesitant to miss work or school, but the person sitting next to you might have a condition, such as cancer or chronic lung disease, that puts them at risk for severe infection, or they might live with someone who does.

Third, get outside. Reducing your time in crowded environments reduces your chance of exposure.

Finally, if you have concerns about your risk of developing a severe infection due to your own health conditions, talk to a trusted clinician who can offer advice that’s specific to your circumstances.

Konza partners with Microsoft for AI skills programme targeting women

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Konza Technopolis has partnered with Microsoft to launch a new AI skills programme for women at the inaugural Thrive, Elevate & Celebrate (TEC) Women Summit 2026, marking a major push to accelerate women’s leadership in Kenya’s digital and creative economy.

The summit, held under the theme “Accelerating Women’s Participation and Leadership in Kenya’s Digital and Creative Future,” brought together more than 200 participants from the technology, creative, academic, government and non-government sectors.

Convened under Konza’s Silicon Savannah Woman programme, the event was hosted in partnership with EdSource through its Innovate Her initiative, with sponsorship from Microsoft and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

ICT Secretary Mary Kerema urged stakeholders to centre inclusion in Kenya’s digital transformation agenda.

“The future of our digital economy will not be defined by how fast we connect systems, but by how deliberately we include women and youth. Women must be at the centre of designing, leading and transforming that future, not on the margins,” she said.

A highlight of the summit was Microsoft’s official launch of the AI Skills 4 Women Programme, a free online training initiative designed to equip women with practical skills in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics and responsible AI use.

The programme also offers mentorship and leadership development to support women’s career advancement in technology.

Microsoft National AI Skills Director Winnie Karanu said the programme reflects the company’s commitment to inclusive innovation as AI reshapes every sector of the economy.

“Every company is becoming a tech company. Every industry will rely on AI. History will be written by our actions and our ethics because the future is in our hands,” she said.

The launch comes as Kenya accelerates its digital transformation, with demand for AI-related skills rising across industries.

Konza Technopolis CEO John Paul Okwiri said inclusion must be a non-negotiable pillar of Kenya’s digital future. “Women must not only participate in the AI revolution-they must lead it.

“At Konza, we are intentionally building an ecosystem where women have equal access to opportunities, leadership and innovation in shaping Africa’s Silicon Savannah,” he said.

Okwiri noted that Konza Technopolis has met and exceeded the constitutional two-thirds gender rule, with women holding significant positions across its board and senior management and challenged other institutions to follow suit.

Venezuela’s Maduro thanks supporters in first online post from US prison

By AFP Published on: March 29, 2026 02:28 (EAT)

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro holds a copy of the Venezuelan constitution while he speaks during a meeting with members of the Venezuelan diplomatic corp after their arrival from the United States, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela January 28, 2019. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

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Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, captured by US forces in a nighttime raid in January, said Saturday that they feel “steadfast” and “serene” in their first social media post from prison.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been held in a Brooklyn jail for almost three months, after American commandos snatched the pair from their compound in Caracas, and they have reportedly been without access to the internet or newspapers.

“We are well, steadfast, serene and in constant prayer,” the pair said in a message shared on Maduro’s X account, though it was unclear who made the post on their behalf.

“We have received your communications, your messages, your emails, your letters and your prayers. Every word of love, every gesture of affection, every expression of support fills our souls and strengthens us spiritually.”

A source close to the Venezuelan government told AFP that Maduro reads the Bible and is referred to as “president” by some of his fellow detainees in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal prison known for unsanitary conditions.

He is only allowed to communicate by phone with his family and lawyers for a maximum of 15 minutes per call, the source added.

His son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, known as “Nicolasito,” has said in public appearances that his father is well, calm, and even exercising in prison.

Maduro, who has declared himself a “prisoner of war,” had not spoken since being arraigned in New York on January 5.

“We feel a deep admiration for our people’s ability to remain united in difficult times, to express love, awareness, and solidarity, within Venezuela and beyond our borders,” the couple added in Saturday’s post.

During a one-hour hearing on Thursday, the judge rejected a defense motion over Maduro and his wife’s apparent inability to afford their legal bill without aid from the Venezuelan government. Neither spoke during the court appearance.

Maduro has pleaded not guilty to charges of “narco-terrorism” conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

The January operation deposed Maduro, who had led Venezuela since 2013, forcing the oil-rich country to largely bend to US President Donald Trump’s will.

Delcy Rodriguez, who had been Maduro’s vice president since 2018, is now at the helm and grappling with leading a country saddled with the world’s largest proven oil reserves but an economy in shambles.

Since Maduro’s ouster, Rodriguez has enacted a historic amnesty law to free political prisoners jailed during his tenure and reformed oil and mining regulations in line with US demands for access to her country’s vast natural wealth.

This month, the State Department said it was restoring diplomatic ties with Venezuela in a sign of thawing relations

Nepal’s former energy minister arrested in money laundering probe

By AFP Published on: March 29, 2026 01:52 (EAT)

Police stand guard while Nepali former prime minister KP Sharma Oli’s supporters protest against his arrest in Kathmandu on March 29, 2026. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)

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Nepal’s former energy minister Deepak Khadka was arrested on Sunday as part of an investigation into money laundering, police said.

The announcement came a day after ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested over their alleged roles in a deadly crackdown on anti-corruption protesters in September.

Khadka “was arrested this morning in a case relating to money laundering”, Shiva Kumar Shrestha, spokesman for the Central Investigation Bureau, told AFP.

Nepal’s Department of Money Laundering Investigation will oversee the probe, he said.

Newly appointed Home Affairs Minister wrote on Facebook that Khadka had been “detained today in connection with the investigation of the money recovered from his residence during the 9 September protest”.

The youth-led uprising that month began over a brief social media ban but grew to include longstanding frustration over corruption and economic hardship.

At least 76 people were killed in a crackdown on September 8 and 9, according to an inquiry commission into the violence.

Demonstrators set fire to the parliament building and government offices, and eventually brought down Oli’s administration.

Khadka’s residence was set ablaze, and videos went viral showing protesters throwing cash found in his home up into the air.

Nepalis held elections this month that the Rastriya Swatantra Party won by a landslide.

Its leader, rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, formally took office as prime minister on Friday.

The government unveiled an ambitious 100-point agenda for governance reform on Saturday, including a plan to form an investigation committee to look into the assets of politicians and high-ranking state employees.

The same day, Oli and Lekhak were arrested. A government-backed inquiry commission had previously recommended that Oli and other officials be prosecuted for neglect after not acting to stop security forces from firing on protestors.

Oli and Lekhak have denied ordering forces to open fire on protesters.

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