Government was wrong in banning importation of Sputnik V

A syringe with the webpage of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus disease in the background.

Photo credit: AFP

What you need to know:

  • Not every Kenyan has access to even the government-approved Oxford-AstraZeneca.
  • Kenya Power can be really disappointing, says Joram Mkunde, on the difficulty in buying prepaid meter tokens.

Folly of ban • The government’s ban on the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine imported by a private firm is wrong, says Joseph Macharia. Rejecting the argument that the drug may be abused by the private sector, he points out that not every Kenyan has access to even the government-approved Oxford-AstraZeneca. “The ban is simply malicious,” he declares. His contact is [email protected].

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Token trouble • Kenya Power can be really disappointing, says Joram Mkunde, on the difficulty in buying prepaid meter tokens. He adds: “When you try to buy tokens, you receive a message saying the organisation supposed to receive the payment is not available. They should go back to post-paid system and insist on self meter reading so as not to inconvenience customers.” His contact is [email protected].

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Loan cons • Kenyans are being ripped off under the guise of loan offers, warns Geoffrey Wesonga. But he can’t help faulting Safaricom for allegedly not helping to quickly reverse M-Pesa transactions. “I was conned out of Sh360 loan processing fee but, on asking for a reversal on Short Code 456, I was referred to the thieves, whose number is no longer in service.” His contact is [email protected].

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Road to nowhere • New Urban Edge Solution, Samuel Wanjohi reports, partially built a road at Skuta, Nyeri. The contractor failed to complete the drainage, he adds. With the long rains pounding the region, Samuel fears that this could become a new big headache for the residents as the storm water won’t find a proper passage. “This is not what we want to see.” His contact is [email protected].

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Show of might • The “multiple and synchronised” 41-gun salute for Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth’s husband, says Robert Mukirae, “was an edifying spectacle of English pomp and tradition at its best”. Today, however, the UK “is a faded, second-rate power but in the business of royal glitz and razzmatazz it’s an unmatched superpower”. His contact is [email protected].

Have a majestic day, won’t you!