NAIROBI STAR:Amref Launches a 5-year Health Project in GSA

By Stephen Astariko

Amref has launched a five-year health project in Iftin sub district hospital in Garissa district. Officially launching the programme yesterday, country director Lennie Kyomuhangi said, "People living in semi-arid lands are bedevilled by a life characterised by social and gender inequalities within a hierarchical clan system. "There is an unequal labor force, early marriages, polygamy, female genital cutting and stigmatization of people living with HIV,97 of the inhabitants of the northern Arid lands like Turkana, Samburu,Gabbra, Rendile, Somali, Orma and Pokomo live beyond the poverty line. "As an organisation this are some of the things we want to tackle," she added.

The director said her organization was prompted to act in response to the health and economic needs of the vulnerable groups and through the support of the American people, the APHIAplus IMARISHA project she said will be initiated in the counties of Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Tana River in partnership with the government.

The programme, is working closely with the GOK line ministries to provide HIV, TB, Family Planning, Reproductive Health, Maternal Newborn and Child Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene as well as household economic strengthening services for these vulnerable and underserved populations. Present during the launch were representatives from GOK, USAID and consortium partners. AMREF, in partnership with the Ministry of Health also offered free medical treatment for area residents.

Quick Hits: Youths Storm Municipal Council Offices & Nurses Assaulted in Sakuri

 This morning, my inbox was stuffed with e-mails from readers informing me about what some of them termed 'a revolutionary fervor' bubbling in our city.

Yesterday, about 8-10 youths from the Northern forum for Democracy(?) were arrested and arraigned in court after they  stormed the Garissa Municipal Council offices. All of the accused youths were released on free bail and will have allegation against them heard by a judge at a later date.

Does this represent a break with our passive past? No one can conclusively say so but we hope this heralds a  change in the fear pyramid where citizens move to the top of the hierarchy.


                                  ****

In an eerily similar circumstance, a bunch of youth were arrested in Sankuri and are now facing charges of aggravated assault causing bodily harm and forcible confinement after they severely beat up two nurses at a dispensary in the village and locked up a third in a room.

The nurses have been brought to Garissa General Hospital for treatment. Its not clear what led to this act of random violence. Sources I've spoken to claim that some one who was claiming to be sick played a major a role.

In any case this was highly unnecessary and avoidable. Attacking healthcare workers for no reason is not part our culture.
We wish both ladies a quick recovery.

Garissa General Hospital is a Disgrace

Waihinya Ngari e-mailed this complaint about Garissa General Hospital. Of course I edited it since I know my readership slightly better than he does but the overall message went something like this:

If anyone knows anyone important in the ministry of health and medical services please let them know that the x-ray division at the Garissa hospital is not even trying – especially the bespectacled guy who apparently recently went on a trip to Dadaab for self enrichment ventures (I know this because he spent like two hours total chatting with random visitors about it). While visiting the hospital I saw what patients at the hospital have to go through on a daily basis. There was the woman who had come in for two days straight to get a dental x-ray. The previous day the x-ray guy sent her home because he had to leave after a three hour lunch break. The next morning when she returned she was made to wait for more than two hours because the said guy had to help out a nurse’s pregnant friend who wanted to have an ultra sound done. The most annoying bit of it all is that the waiting area is right outside the guy’s office and so we could hear all their conversations. The said guy then took another hour doing some paperwork and chatting with friends who popped in about every fifteen minutes. Je, huu ni ungwana???I obviously got annoyed by all this and in my naivety dialed the hospital hotline which is listed under the poster with the costs of all the x-rays outside the doctor’s office. The lady on the other side casually told me that they would take care of the delay and backlog with the x-rays and immediately hung up. Nothing was done. And to imagine that these guys live on taxpayers’ money. I have contacted Mr. Anyang’ Nyong’o himself and I am still waiting to hear from him (Mr. Nyong’o is very good with email, the only other time I wrote him he wrote back within a week)
Sincerely,Ngari

The Problem With NEP

By  Aden Sh-abdullahi Yunis 

We have spent the last 45 years blaming politicians and lamenting about marginalization without addressing the root causes or debating the possible solutions. We have consistently elected the same breed of politicians while the province sank deeper and deeper into political, economic and social miseries. The province is so predictable that we would trail in sports, drama, science congress competition and even in population census. These pathetic scenarios are exaggerated by natural calamities such as heat, low rainfalls and rugged terrains. 

In the education sector, the three old districts (include the newly created)compete at the bottom during KCPE and KCSE results. These is because the performances of our children are being doctored by among others the absence of teachers and teaching aids. Over the years, We have learnt that Kenya's leading student's trail behind our children once they attend same classes in public universities. (No malice intended) 

Healthcare is a nightmare that beats all logics. Dispensaries are either non-existent or ill-equiped, unmanned and so dispersed that basic treatable diseases are the leading cause of death in NEP. Awareness is a non-existent luxury and you can guess the fate of a heart attack patient in a province where burials are conducted within minutes of death.... See More 

There are no reasons why tarmac roads are extended to all the country's border points except North Eastern province. This is a deliberate economic sabotage. It is a folly that tarmac roads are extended to Mombasa, Namanga, Narok, Busia, Lokichoggio and not in the easier terrains of Nep. We are the only solutions to our problems. We have the rights to publicise these issues or tolerate the words silently.I beleive Nep is capable of reaching greater goals. 

We can strenghthen our politicians by setting goals and holding them accountable, by making sure both constituents and politicians appreciate the power of the vote. We can differ on issues and personalities but we will always have common interests and middle grounds. We can bet that all interested parties would prefer better infrastructure, more hospitals and educational institutions, lower taxes and a constitution that gives power back to the people. To achieve these goals, we should encourage a communal approach to the challenges, add up ideas soberly and set the foundation for a better, well administered, politically mature North Eastern province. 

The challenges facing the province today can be solved by awareness campaigns. Some might require time and effort from our generation for the betterment of our successors. CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS: 

Why do NEP residents go to the police instead of the courts when someone is arrested?
Why do we pay fines that are not court-ordered and without receipts? 
Why do we break in ululations when a District commissioner promises to address power outages 
Why shouldn't the KPLC boss do his job? 
If NEP records the lowest crime every year, Why are we leading in police arrests? 
Why is it that only 2% of those arrested reach the court? 
Why are our MPs inaccessible after elections? 
Can our Gov't afford a tarmac road from Isiolo to Moyale(Eastern)? Hulugho to Mandera? 
Can we afford one public university in Nep? JUST ONE! 
Why is media-coverage restricted in Nep and why do we have to buy papers that do not cover our pleas? 

A college degree and finding a middle class job in the city will not change Nep. Our elites must be politically active and negotiate for each vote that the Gov't gets from Nep. We should create pressure groups to keep MPs on the run and deny them a chance to sleep in parliament. Peaceful masses should camp at parliamentarians doors in the wee hours of the morning! What do you think?