Kenya There Are Several News Sources, Kenyan,

Kenya

There are several news sources, Kenyan, regional, and international, that cover news relevant to the African nation. Top international news agencies like the BBC do cover topics that are relevant to Kenya. For example, the BBC and other major news sources covered the recent discovery of oil in Kenya. It was the first time that oil was discovered in Kenya, and has huge implications for the country's economic and social development. For this reason, even the American financial and business news media has been covering the topic. Forbes ran an article about how Anglo-Irish oil company Tullow had been drilling in the northwestern region of Kenya. Tullow Oil has drilling rights in 15 African countries. This time, oil was found in Turkana County, which Forbes describes as an "arid" environment ("Kenya Strikes Oil for the First Time," (2012). President Mwai Kibaki admits that it could take several years before Kenya can actually produce oil for sale on the market. The BBC and the African news source Daily Nation also covered the oil discovery story, which is arguably the biggest headline in African news today on March 26, 2012. Even if it takes several years to fully drill the area, and produce crude for sale on the international market, Kenya is set for major changes to its economic and labor infrastructure. The discovery of oil means further investment from ancillary companies, stimulating jobs and contributing to the GDP.

The United Nations runs a unique news source called IRIN, which is humanitarian news and analysis provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Unlike other news sources, IRIN covers stories of humanitarian or environmental value only, such as issues related to wildfires destroying local farmland to the ongoing public health issues related to malaria. In fact, one story in IRIN is particularly interesting because it reveals the managerial issues associated with healthcare organizations in Kenya. Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) treatment works, but in Kenya underdoses have been common due to a desire to stockpile, squirrel, or cut costs. Less than half of participants in a study on compliance with ACT-administration guidelines reported proper doses that would be effective ("Kenya: Malaria Drug Effectiveness Hit by Under-Dosage," n.d.). The under-doses are actually creating terrible waste of what has been proven as an effective treatment for the disease. Malaria remains highly prevalent in Kenya.

Daily Nation is a good pan-African news source that has a wealth of articles related to Kenya. News related to Kenyan domestic politics, foreign affairs, humanitarian and social justice issues, and the economy are covered. A recent story chronicles the ongoing problem of human trafficking. While not isolated to Kenya, the problem of human trafficking is endemic. One article reveals a disturbing phenomenon: officials working at local embassies are placing fake job placement advertisements. Young graduates see an advertisement for a high-paying position in the Middle East. The jobs claim to be in a variety of fields but in reality, they are for domestic slavery positions and target women in particular.