MOST DANGEROUS WORM ON THE COASTAL SOIL

President Kenyatta flagging off the SGR train.
Photo courtesy of Google

"From now onwards, it would only take 5 hrs to travel from Mombasa to Nairobi and at the most lowest affordable price." This statement brought joy to travelers who use the Mombasa-Nairobi rouute as they will not only spend less time on transit but also save them money during this tough economic situation in the country. The Standard Guage Railway. It's coming also so our youths get employment opportunities as part of it's cabin crew.

Female train drivers.
Photo courtesy of Google

Part of the the cabin crew members.
Photo courtesy of Google

Although the railway came with these goodies for the citizens, the country's economy especially the Mombasa economy is on the verge of death. Discussed below are the negative impacts on the coastal economy as brought by SGR;

The port, which serves as the leading revenue collector for Mombasa County, has been directly attacked by the railway. The port is suffering a slow and painful death. This comes with the announcement that the transportation of containers be done through the SGR, which in turn has resulted to loss of jobs for employees working at Container Freight Stations. If correct measures are not put in place fast, the port will be singing a different song come two years.

SGR Cargo Shipping Train.
Photo courtesy of Google

Second, though the railway opened up job opportunities, it is also the cause job loses in the county. The transport sector is the one paying this price as firms are now laying off drivers since a small amount of cargo at the port is bound for coast region and the remaining destined for Nairobi and other African countries. The fims, except those at the Coast, have then resorted to the use of SGR to transport their cargo hence firring their drivers thus resulting to loss of jobs and employment opportunities.

Hotels, lodgings, fuel stations and garages along the Northern Corridor have closed down. This is due to lack of customers who where majorly comprised of the long distance truck drivers. There are no more trucks to be fueled at the fuel stations and to be serviced at the garages. Also there are no more people to eat and a pass their nights at the hotels and lodgings hence their collapse. This is due to the directive of the government, stating that all cargo be transported via the rail. Consequently, it has resulted to the lose of billions of revenue to the County Government of Mombasa.

Photo courtesy of Google

Market disruption is also another disadvantage brought about by the rail. Many traveling companies along the Coast are counting losses and others have closed down due to stiff compention and lack of market. This is because alot of long distance passengers now opt to travel by the Standard Guage Railway because of its efficiency and affordability compared to the buses and shuttles which they say are expensive and slow.

Lastly, the cost f living in the Coast has drastically shot up. This comes with the introduction of VAT on zero rated items. The County Government opted for this measure in order to compansate the  revenue lost due to the introduction and use of the Standard Guage Railway. The poor citizens are the ones now paying the price.

Author
Kageha Deborah

THE MYSTERIOUS MURDERER

Coronavirus is the culprit! And covid-19 is the newest strain of Corona virus that has been identified in humans recently, in Wuhan, China. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. The name coronavirus originated from a Latin word 'Corona' meaning crown, since the image of the virus looks like a solar Corona under an electron microscope.

Image of the virus under an electron microscope

Coronaviruses cause illnesses ranging from the common cold the more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), both which are life takers.

Fever, cough, breathing difficulties and respiratory symptoms are the common signs of the infection. However in severe cases it causes pneumonia, multiple organ failure and even death.

Patient exhibiting the symptoms of the virus

Apart from being zoonotic, it has been confirmed that the virus is also transmitted from human to human since it's airborne. This is why there are standard recommendations to prevent its spread which are, regular washing of hands, covering the mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing and avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illnesses. Self quarantine is also advised for those with such symptoms.

Image showing human-human spread of the virus and the symptoms

However, one must be very careful because most infected patients can be asymptomatic, meaning they don't display any symptoms of the virus despite being infected.

China is the most affects country since the discovery of the virus, with vast majority death cases reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The virus has then spread to many countries in the Asian-Pacific region and well as Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. This being a result of people traveling to this countries for China.

Photo courtesy of Aljazeera

And the economies of affected countries are the ones paying the bitter price for the spread of the virus.

Though yet to be proven, there is a MYTH surrounding the origin of the virus as stated in the novel, The Eyes of Darkness.

The book states that the virus was scientifically created by a Chinese scientist, as a biological weapon to conquer the world years ago. 

Amarture image

Sylvia Browne, in her book 'End ot the Days', also foretold that the virus would be unleashed in the Year 2020 with no remedy to it, and that is what is happening.

Amarture image

As per now, the virus has no cure nor vaccine hence lots of efforts is being used to curb the spread of the virus. For instance, China has sealed off Wuhan restricting movements to and from other cities. Also,any international airlines have cancelled their flights to and from China. Meanwhile, scientists around the Globe are racing to develop a vaccine and treatment for the virus.

Author

Kageha Deborah

VARSITIES REALITY

This week's article is finally here. Read and critic where possible.

         VARSITIES REALITY

University. A new life and a new journey to self-reliance and self-discovery. This is the place where one gets to  discover more about self that vhe/she didn't during the previous education levels.  Being a gateway to a better future, it's both heaven and hell to its target depending on how they use the freedom and privileges associated with it.

Most students consider University as an escape goat from their strict parent and guardians but being a second year student, I see it as a halfway house between leaving home and getting a job. This is because once getting to campus, the academic and life exposure one gets is enough to equip one with the skills to fit in the job market. It's  always a pleasure whenever you are admitted to campus and it's always a beginning of a better future.However those who have gone through a system will let you know there is more to University life than just a known positive idea of getting knowledge , skills and a better job.Many people join campus having hopes that the campus is going to prepare them for their future careers. And during their first semester you will hear them talking about their career and final destination.

Deborah

Balancing academic work and social life is one of the biggest challenges faced by campus students. With lots of freedom, many students rather than focusing on their career they are busy perfecting their social life that at the end result to disastrous experiences. I remember during my first year, it was hard for me to balance the two. I would spend alot of time partying and doing movies leaving less time for my academics. The only solution to this is to set your priorities right and adhere to them. This is possible with the application of good time management skills.

Like many other students, adjusting to the new life also possed a challenge to me. Being brought up in a nuclear family, I found it hard to open up to socialisation. It was a difficult option for me. But as time went by, I easily adapted to the chance making new and real friends. Homee sickness also took a toll on me since I was hundreds of kilometers away from home and my family with whom am really attached to.

Academic nuclear family

Although studying is enjoyable since you get to learn new things everyday, it comes with alot of pressure which affects a student both phycologically and mentally. Such pressure, if not controlled at an early stage,it might lead to depression. I was once a victim to this due to the overwhelming pressure brought about by the urge to pass my exams. Also bulky assignments with fixed deadlines was one of the leading causes of academic pressure.

All in all, during the two years I have been in campus, all the experiences were both educating and life changing.  Credit goes to my friends and my lecturers because both parties have contributed to the experiences I have.

Author

Kageha Deborah