Dennis Kioko

Do Pandemics usher a new dawn?  Over the last more than 100 years, the world has undergone numerous advancements. Human beings have been to space and the moon, we have powerful nuclear bombs and nuclear energy, bullet trains, planes that fly half around the world, and we can now treat and cure hundreds of diseases that tormented our ancestors.  Yet, despite all these scientific advancements, the world is being ravaged by a pandemic. Worse, one that can be eradicated by people just staying home for 3 weeks. What went wrong? Well, it is important to understand that the world, by nature, is destined for pandemics.  Forests get extreme wildfires, wild animals get almost wiped out by diseases or drought, and human beings get pandemic. Drought too was once a problem, but the wonder that is the modern supply chain means shiploads of grains and all sorts of food can be easily moved from one part of the world to another.  Pandemics, like wildfires, droughts and much more are ...

Machakos People's Park circa 2014. Let me assure you, that's neither a Marina nor a Jetty. Such stagnant water bodies around Nairobi form breeding grounds for mosquitoes if there are no control measures.  Ever wondered why some places in Nairobi are mosquito prone, while others are not? There's popular folk-lore that Nairobi was established a settlement because it's altitude, or height above sea level, is above that preferred by mosquitoes. But this proposition quickly runs into headwinds as much of Eastlands, including JKIA, the country's main airport (long pun coming) are frequented by mosquitoes.  So, I got an expert from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology  (ICIPE) to clear some air on this buzzy issue.  Here is what Professor Clifford Mutero of ICIPE had to say: