Now this is what is called corrupsion!!!!!(corruption)......This is the land ya "kujivunia"
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Nightmare of seeking medical care in Northern Kenya
For 17 days, Khadija Ali watched her eight-month-old baby weaken from disease because there is no hospital near her home village of Dadacha Basa in Isiolo District.
Nurses at the local dispensary treated the baby, Guyat Ali Diba, after physically examining him, but he did not improve and required specialised treatment.
Two-year-old Najma Mohammed at Wajir District Hospital, where she is being treated for kalaazar and malnourishment. Unable to get a vehicle to go to the nearest health centre at Merti, about 55km away, she waited until last week, when she hitched a lift in a lorry to Isiolo town.
"He is very sick and I was afraid he would not live," Khadija said through an interpreter. "I am lucky to have come here."
Her tiny baby, already malnourished, had developed a fever, his eyes had turned yellow, and his belly was bulging. Nurses said he also has an enlarged spleen, all signs of malaria or a disease known as kalaazar.
Guyat is yet to improve from treatment at Merti, where tests for malaria and kalaazar have turned negative.
The nursing officer at Merti Health Centre, Mr Paul Muriuki, said samples for a test for hepatitis have been sent to Isiolo town. But it may take several weeks before they are received because the health centre lacks a vehicle.
"We are helpless during emergencies. People have to raise money to take their sick relatives to hospital," said Muriuki. It costs Sh20,000 to hire a vehicle to Isiolo, about 150km away.
Lack of staff and equipment
Like Khadija’s case, life for residents in Isiolo and other parts of northern Kenya is full of troubles. When disease strikes, seeking treatment becomes a nightmare.
Similar scenes are replicated in the neighbouring Wajir and Garissa districts, both in North Eastern Province.
The recent famine has left residents, especially children, vulnerable to diseases. Local people are pastoralists whose economic mainstay is livestock rearing.
The drought that hit the country last year left more than 80 per cent of livestock dead and poverty levels have shot up. Isiolo Medical Officer of Health, Dr Joel Edalia, said with the deaths of cattle and camels, children no longer get milk to drink and their bodies are weak.
He says as a result, 75 per cent of children are malnourished. In turn, cases of malaria, respiratory infections, diarrhoea, anemia and skin diseases have increased, he said.
The expansive district has only 14 dispensaries. Some are separated by as many as 50km. Seven new ones have been built with cash from the Constituency Development Fund, but they are not operational for lack of staff and equipment, said Edalia.
Soaring temperatures
At Biliqo dispensary along the Isiolo-Wajir route, Tari Diba, a public health technician, battles with soaring temperatures inside the three-room building. The room is dilapidated and the roof is collapsing.
It is 2pm, but there are no patients because he has just opened the facility. The only two nurses at the dispensary are attending a seminar away and had to close it down.
"This rooms serve as a store, an injection and delivery room," says Diba, pointing at a red table in one dark corner. In case of birth complications, mothers have to be transported to Merti, 35km away. But they have to wait until a vehicle passes by.
Like many other areas, Biliqo has no source of clean water. The dispensary uses water drawn from the Uaso Nyiro River, which is dirty.
Diba says the dispensary serves more than 2,000 people living around Biliqo. Although nurses used to immunise children, they no longer do so because the fridge used to preserve the drugs broke down a month ago, he says.
Across in Wajir District, lack of staff is the major problem impeding provision of health care, says the area Medical Officer of Health, Dr Ahmeddin Omar. Seven public dispensaries have closed down because they have no staff, he said.
No reliable road or telephone networks
There have been efforts to increase access to health facilities by building more dispensaries. Like in Isiolo, 17 new ones have been built with the CDF kitty but they have not been staffed, he said.
Dr Omar said 21 of the dispensaries have one nurse each instead of the recommended two. He says because the area is environmentally hostile, many health workers posted there seek transfers as soon as they report on duty.
It is hard to reach far-flung areas where there are no reliable road or telephone networks. Few dispensaries have radio communication equipment, meaning it takes days before emergencies can be reported.
The United Nations Children’s Fund, which is involved in several programmes to improve the health of women and children, called for the scrapping of fees paid at dispensaries and hospitals.
In the province, 91 children out of 1,000 die before their first birthday. In addition, between 1,000 and 1,300 women out of 100,000 die during delivery due to complications.
For 17 days, Khadija Ali watched her eight-month-old baby weaken from disease because there is no hospital near her home village of Dadacha Basa in Isiolo District.
Nurses at the local dispensary treated the baby, Guyat Ali Diba, after physically examining him, but he did not improve and required specialised treatment.
Two-year-old Najma Mohammed at Wajir District Hospital, where she is being treated for kalaazar and malnourishment. Unable to get a vehicle to go to the nearest health centre at Merti, about 55km away, she waited until last week, when she hitched a lift in a lorry to Isiolo town.
"He is very sick and I was afraid he would not live," Khadija said through an interpreter. "I am lucky to have come here."
Her tiny baby, already malnourished, had developed a fever, his eyes had turned yellow, and his belly was bulging. Nurses said he also has an enlarged spleen, all signs of malaria or a disease known as kalaazar.
Guyat is yet to improve from treatment at Merti, where tests for malaria and kalaazar have turned negative.
The nursing officer at Merti Health Centre, Mr Paul Muriuki, said samples for a test for hepatitis have been sent to Isiolo town. But it may take several weeks before they are received because the health centre lacks a vehicle.
"We are helpless during emergencies. People have to raise money to take their sick relatives to hospital," said Muriuki. It costs Sh20,000 to hire a vehicle to Isiolo, about 150km away.
Lack of staff and equipment
Like Khadija’s case, life for residents in Isiolo and other parts of northern Kenya is full of troubles. When disease strikes, seeking treatment becomes a nightmare.
Similar scenes are replicated in the neighbouring Wajir and Garissa districts, both in North Eastern Province.
The recent famine has left residents, especially children, vulnerable to diseases. Local people are pastoralists whose economic mainstay is livestock rearing.
The drought that hit the country last year left more than 80 per cent of livestock dead and poverty levels have shot up. Isiolo Medical Officer of Health, Dr Joel Edalia, said with the deaths of cattle and camels, children no longer get milk to drink and their bodies are weak.
He says as a result, 75 per cent of children are malnourished. In turn, cases of malaria, respiratory infections, diarrhoea, anemia and skin diseases have increased, he said.
The expansive district has only 14 dispensaries. Some are separated by as many as 50km. Seven new ones have been built with cash from the Constituency Development Fund, but they are not operational for lack of staff and equipment, said Edalia.
Soaring temperatures
At Biliqo dispensary along the Isiolo-Wajir route, Tari Diba, a public health technician, battles with soaring temperatures inside the three-room building. The room is dilapidated and the roof is collapsing.
It is 2pm, but there are no patients because he has just opened the facility. The only two nurses at the dispensary are attending a seminar away and had to close it down.
"This rooms serve as a store, an injection and delivery room," says Diba, pointing at a red table in one dark corner. In case of birth complications, mothers have to be transported to Merti, 35km away. But they have to wait until a vehicle passes by.
Like many other areas, Biliqo has no source of clean water. The dispensary uses water drawn from the Uaso Nyiro River, which is dirty.
Diba says the dispensary serves more than 2,000 people living around Biliqo. Although nurses used to immunise children, they no longer do so because the fridge used to preserve the drugs broke down a month ago, he says.
Across in Wajir District, lack of staff is the major problem impeding provision of health care, says the area Medical Officer of Health, Dr Ahmeddin Omar. Seven public dispensaries have closed down because they have no staff, he said.
No reliable road or telephone networks
There have been efforts to increase access to health facilities by building more dispensaries. Like in Isiolo, 17 new ones have been built with the CDF kitty but they have not been staffed, he said.
Dr Omar said 21 of the dispensaries have one nurse each instead of the recommended two. He says because the area is environmentally hostile, many health workers posted there seek transfers as soon as they report on duty.
It is hard to reach far-flung areas where there are no reliable road or telephone networks. Few dispensaries have radio communication equipment, meaning it takes days before emergencies can be reported.
The United Nations Children’s Fund, which is involved in several programmes to improve the health of women and children, called for the scrapping of fees paid at dispensaries and hospitals.
In the province, 91 children out of 1,000 die before their first birthday. In addition, between 1,000 and 1,300 women out of 100,000 die during delivery due to complications.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
FOOD MEANT FOR DROUGHT AND FAMINE ROTTING IN KENYA
Food aid rotting at port, says envoy By Martin Mutua
The Government’s failure to waive duty on a food consignment worth millions of shillings donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has brought to the fore a simmering diplomatic row.
The Sh31million consignment in 16 containers, has been lying at the Port of Mombasa since May, even as millions continue to starve.
On Wednesday, the Saudi ambassador to Kenya, Mr Nabwel Ahalaf Ashour, said he was unhappy that food shipped in at the request of the Government, should rot while millions of Kenyans went hungry.
The reluctance the envoy feared, could be connected to a Sh144m grant that the Saudi Government gave Kenya last month.
CORRUPTION
The bone of contention, Ashour says, is that the money was channeled through the World Food Programme. This, Mr Ashour told The Standard, seemed to have upset some top Government officials, who he said, have called him to question why he never had the funds channeled directly to the Government instead of through WFP."I don’t want to believe that is why the food we donated is rotting at the port," he said.
Ashour said he was seeking intervention from State House, saying he has spoken to the Vice President, Mr Moody Awori, Finance minister, Mr Amos Kimunya and Special Programmes minister, Mr John Munyes, but with no success."Nothing has moved, despite talking to them," Ashour said in a telephone interview.
Food aid rotting at port, says envoy By Martin Mutua
The Government’s failure to waive duty on a food consignment worth millions of shillings donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has brought to the fore a simmering diplomatic row.
The Sh31million consignment in 16 containers, has been lying at the Port of Mombasa since May, even as millions continue to starve.
On Wednesday, the Saudi ambassador to Kenya, Mr Nabwel Ahalaf Ashour, said he was unhappy that food shipped in at the request of the Government, should rot while millions of Kenyans went hungry.
The reluctance the envoy feared, could be connected to a Sh144m grant that the Saudi Government gave Kenya last month.
CORRUPTION
The bone of contention, Ashour says, is that the money was channeled through the World Food Programme. This, Mr Ashour told The Standard, seemed to have upset some top Government officials, who he said, have called him to question why he never had the funds channeled directly to the Government instead of through WFP."I don’t want to believe that is why the food we donated is rotting at the port," he said.
Ashour said he was seeking intervention from State House, saying he has spoken to the Vice President, Mr Moody Awori, Finance minister, Mr Amos Kimunya and Special Programmes minister, Mr John Munyes, but with no success."Nothing has moved, despite talking to them," Ashour said in a telephone interview.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
THINK LIKE A KENYAN:
Someone says, The Prezzy is in good moods now and thinks, it is the best time to eat something from him..like eat from his goodies...
The presidency of Kenya has lost "taste" to an extent, a president is always seen as the most "corrupt man" on earth, a post which ordinary citizens assume is lucrative,that, If the occupier of that seat is from your people, then you automatically assume you control everyone, your words are just final, you can "eat" the country and it's resources..
There is a new logo from state house Kenya, about "kujivunia kuwa mkenya" which really hurts my senses..Kenya, is a country without enough drinking water, no proper rural electrification processes, virtually no roads as in infrastructure in some parts of the country, schools and hospitals are not well equipped ..illiteracy and lot of corruption..
On the country's voting day, voters will be convinced to vote an Incumbent MP so that
"The Government brings water, build roads, provides electricity, equips schools and health centres" and provide relief food....(as if those are not above the voting processes..)
This is a country that seriously needs reform and I urge all kenyans of goodwill to look ahead for generations to come and think about prosperity
Some countries like the UK, Canada, people who want seats in their parliament will never talk about the same...
In UK, Whether this person wins/looses his seat for the parliament, it is the duty of the government to provide those services..
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
KENYA SOMALI PROVINCE(NEP)
Eighteen-month-old Najma Mohammed lies on a bed at Wajir District Hospital, where she is undergoing treatment after contracting the deadly kalaazar.
Najma hails from Isiolo’s Merti division, where the disease has killed more than six children. Picture by Rebecca Nduku of EA Standard
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
I have got some interesting things about NFD Kenya or pictures of what is reffered to as North Eastern Province of Kenya...
Enjoy this link................. http://toby.spacetownusa.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=18
You will remember so many things.. also in this website
http://www.gordonmumford.com/Photos07.htm
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
CLASHES AT THE REFUGEES CAMP IN KENYA
Story by NATION Team Publication Date: 8/2/2006
Three people have died in Turkana District during a clash between refugees and residents.
The clash occurred after three men allegedly shot dead a Sudanese refugee who was asleep at Kakuma camp.
The victim's kinsmen embarked on a revenge mission and attacked two residents they accused of having taken part in the killing. They beat one of them to death.
There were conflicting reports on the number of those who died in the Thursday incident. Initial reports from the local people said eight people had been killed while police said only three died.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Emmanuel Nyabera said only two died. He said that a resident, who was beaten up by the refugees, was rushed to Kakuma Mission Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
Turkana district criminal investigations officer Jason Obilo said three people died in the conflict. He identified them as Mr William Diong, 20 (Sudanese), Mr Ebei Loyeru, 20 (Turkana) and Mr Yusuf Dirie, 32, a Somali.
Relatives claimed that five women might have been among the dead, but Mr Obilo said it had been established that the five had not been killed.
The CID boss said Mr Dirie was killed on Thursday and his mobile phone stolen. "On Saturday, three armed gangsters struck at the refugee camp and shot Mr Diong in the stomach, killing him instantly," he said.
On Monday, when Mr Diong was being buried at a cemetery, Mr Loyeru and a friend, who were passing by, were attacked by mourners. Mr Loyeru was killed while his friend was injured, he said.
Mr Nyabera said calm had been restored at the camp by the General Service Unit (GSU) personnel from Lokichogio.
A meeting was held yesterday to reconcile the groups and restore calm at the camp with a population of about 90,000 people.
Last year, 13 people died in a similar dispute between the local people and the refugees when they fought over the use of water from River Tarach.
Story by NATION Team Publication Date: 8/2/2006
Three people have died in Turkana District during a clash between refugees and residents.
The clash occurred after three men allegedly shot dead a Sudanese refugee who was asleep at Kakuma camp.
The victim's kinsmen embarked on a revenge mission and attacked two residents they accused of having taken part in the killing. They beat one of them to death.
There were conflicting reports on the number of those who died in the Thursday incident. Initial reports from the local people said eight people had been killed while police said only three died.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Emmanuel Nyabera said only two died. He said that a resident, who was beaten up by the refugees, was rushed to Kakuma Mission Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
Turkana district criminal investigations officer Jason Obilo said three people died in the conflict. He identified them as Mr William Diong, 20 (Sudanese), Mr Ebei Loyeru, 20 (Turkana) and Mr Yusuf Dirie, 32, a Somali.
Relatives claimed that five women might have been among the dead, but Mr Obilo said it had been established that the five had not been killed.
The CID boss said Mr Dirie was killed on Thursday and his mobile phone stolen. "On Saturday, three armed gangsters struck at the refugee camp and shot Mr Diong in the stomach, killing him instantly," he said.
On Monday, when Mr Diong was being buried at a cemetery, Mr Loyeru and a friend, who were passing by, were attacked by mourners. Mr Loyeru was killed while his friend was injured, he said.
Mr Nyabera said calm had been restored at the camp by the General Service Unit (GSU) personnel from Lokichogio.
A meeting was held yesterday to reconcile the groups and restore calm at the camp with a population of about 90,000 people.
Last year, 13 people died in a similar dispute between the local people and the refugees when they fought over the use of water from River Tarach.
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