This archive report was first published on 2 January 2020.
As Kenya and the world entered 2020, several key events were set to shape the country's agenda. The government had ambitious plans to roll out Universal Health Coverage to all 47 counties, establish one of four proposed new public comprehensive cancer care hospitals, and replace donor funding in some aspects of HIV, Blood Bank, and vaccines' services as donors withdrew.
The government also aimed to stop the decline in child immunisation coverage from 63 per cent and raise it to 95 per cent, reduce waiting times for specialised care at Kenyatta National Hospital from months to 19 days, and employ 100,000 community health workers.
On the education front, the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) was launched in January 2019 in pre-primary and Grades 1, 2, and 3, and was set to be launched nationally in Grade 4 on January 6 when schools opened. The government had also revised the lowest pre-service teacher training qualification from Certificate (P1) to Diploma level, and introduced a bursary of Sh30,000 for each student joining technical and vocational training colleges.
Business-wise, Kenya had to renegotiate trade agreements with Britain after the UK's exit from the EU, and the first principal payment of Sh35 billion to Exim Bank of China for the Standard Gauge Railway was due in February. Safaricom's new CEO, Peter Ndegwa, was set to take over in April, and the reading of the 2020/2021 Budget was scheduled for June.
On the judicial front, the High Court in Nairobi was set to settle the stalemate on the appointment of 41 Court of Appeal judges, and former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga was set to testify in a case involving former LSK CEO Apollo Mboya. The LSK election was also set to be held on February 27, and Supreme Court Judge Jackton Ojwang' was set to retire on February 5, creating a vacancy in the top court.
Internationally, Kenya and Somalia were set to face off before the International Court of Justice over a disputed maritime boundary between the two countries, and the US was set to hold presidential elections on November 3.
