- Gates promised to remit KSh 1 billion to be shared between China and Africa

- The KSh 500 million allocated for Africa will be used to create centres for disease control and prevention for screening and crisis preparedness

- At least 82 people have been so far reported dead after contracting the virus while 2, 800 other have fallen sick

- No case of coronavirus has been confirmed in African states apart from suspicious cases in Ivory Coast and Kenya

World's business magnate and computer software inventor Bill Gates has promised to donate KSh 500 million to help African states fight the spread of coronavirus.

Gates through his foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said he would remit a total of KSh 1 billion which would be divided equally between China and Africa.

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Bill Gates has set aside KSh 500 million to help African countries counter the spread of coronavirus. Photo: Bill Gates.

Source: Getty Images

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The KSh 500 million allocated for Africa will be used to create centres for disease control and prevention for screening and crisis preparedness in countries that will be deemed to be at high risk of being affected by the dreaded virus.

"The money will be spent on emergency funds and corresponding technical support to help frontline responders in China and Africa accelerate their efforts to contain the global spread of 2019-nCoV," the foundation said in a press release.

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The first case of coronavirus was reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December 2019 and has since spread across the globe with latest reports indicating at least 14 countries have been affected.

At least 82 people have died courtesy of the airborne virus with about 2,800 others reported having fallen sick.

As it currently stands, no African country has confirmed any case of the new coronavirus apart from suspicious cases that have been reported in Ivory Coast and Kenya.

In Ivory Coast, a woman with flu-like symptoms was isolated and put under observation after she arrived from Beijing where she was pursuing her studies.

In Kenya, a male passenger who exhibited coronavirus symptoms after landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was equally isolated at the airport and quarantined at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

The government later confirmed the passenger, who was also a student in China, was in stable condition and there was nothing to worry about.

The airline was forced to undertake a raft of safety measures to ensure passengers suspected to have contracted the virus are not allowed on board.

Health officers based at the airports in Kenya and China have been conducting quarantine screening to all passengers before allowing them inside a flight.

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