Covid-19 Coverage by the Kakuma News Reflector

By the KANERE Editorial Team

The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (aka COVID-19) has already impacted many countries around the world, especially in China, Iran, Europe and the United States.

In Africa, at least 52 countries have confirmed cases. Over 13,000 people have tested positive, and more than 700 of them have died. Kenya reported its first case in mid-March, and as the virus continues to spread to new counties, refugees in Kakuma are anxious that the virus will eventually reach the camp.

In the coming weeks, the Kakuma News Reflector will make Covid-19 a special focus. The editorial team is working overtime to report on the responses by humanitarian agencies and the government, as well as the ways that communities are dealing with the threat.

Photo Essay: Two months food assistance distributed in anticipation of potential lockdown

By Baluu Wol Makuach – KANERE Staff Writer April, 2020

On April 2nd, KANERE correspondent Baluu Wol Makuach visited Food Distribution Point 1 to see how the World Food Programme (WFP) was delivering rations under the increased health precautions. To curb the spread of Covid-19 in Kakuma, WFP is distributing a double ration of two months of relief food to beneficiaries.

This is the first story published in KANERE’s Photo Essay series, told through images rather than a conventional written article.

Refugees wait to be screened by KK Security officers in the security queue outside Food Distribution Point 1. UNHCR, along with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), instituted precautionary health measures to be followed by refugees while coming to collect their food. This includes thermal screening, two-meter social distancing, hand-washing, and limiting the number of people present in the collection zone to fewer than ten. But outside, crowding put many people into close proximity to one another.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION STRATEGIES AFFECT RESIDENTS OF KAKUMA

By Santos Madhieu – KANERE Staff Writer, April 2020

To prevent the spread of Covid-19, the Government of Kenya called for the closure on March 22nd of social venues such as sporting grounds, bars and hotels, with the exception of takeaway (carry-out) services. Movement in and out of the country is restricted, and a curfew from 7 pm to 5 am was put in place on March 25, 2020.

Businesses owned by Kakuma refugee traders are feeling the impact of this polices,and this week, I met Machar MalithGeu, a businessman who owns a video hall in Hongkong market where many youths gather each day to watch movies and games. The video hall is a major source of income for Machar and his family.