An Open Letter to Raila Amollo Odinga
Dear Jakom,
It might seem crazy what I am about to say but I hope you will take it like the soldier you have always been albeit for your own sake. Allow me to begin by expressing my gratitude to for the many years of leadership you have provided for the people of Luo Nyanza. Your personal sacrifices and commitment to our liberation and the fight for democracy are as admirable as they are appreciated by many. Over the many years you have been on the political scene you have inspired and motivated generations and the people of Nyanza and most of Western Kenya to believe in your course and to support you through thick and thin with the hope that one day you will clinch the tools of power and deliver the promise of development to a region that has been alienated by successive regimes left to wallow and die in poverty, diseases, prostitution and underdevelopment.
However, thrice we have gone into the ballot and thrice we have left the ballot bruised and disappointed and slowly the disappointment has grown into a state of despair and frustration which is now growing into discontent. I do hope that for your own sake you have your eyes open and your ears on the ground listening to the disgruntled voices of the people of Nyanza or that you can at least read the writing on the wall.
Sir, it should strike you and your advisers with a lot of concern that for the first time you were recently heckled in Kisumu. While my opinion is that your opponents and political propagandists have read too much from that ‘’Small’’ incidence it must be a course for concern for everyone around you that this time you couldn’t even charm your way into the hearts of the people of Kisumu as you always have even on subjects that are bigger and juicier than a mere sculpture. Jakom Kisumu is the bedrock of Luo Nyanza politics and when things go awry over there you should know that the rest of Nyanza is watching and warming up. Having said that I do not want you or any other person from Nyanza to be as ignorant about what happened in Kisumu as the non-Luo Communities on social media have been.
But what’s up in Kisumu? Why all of a sudden a city that has sung your praise would, almost worshipped you and said yes to everything you have said turn and heckle you and embarrass you in front of the whole nation? Where has the famous ‘’NDIYO BABA!!!!’’ phrase gone to? And has it bothered you that Kisumu treat you with such hostility over this small matter? I sit possible that there is more that the attitude of the people of this city than meets the eyes and if there is what could be the cause?
Baba, Kisumu like many parts of the country was a victim of the post elections violence that plagued the nation after the botched presidential election of 2007. Many lives were lost, property destroyed and people lost their jobs and homes just like it happened in other towns.
But the story is a little bit different for Kisumu, while victims of the PEV from other communities were helped by their politicians to get back to their feet and to their business. A lot of them received and continue to receive compensation because their politicians stood by them and argued their cases to the powers that be. Many of them returned their land and were helped to rebuild and the coalition between two of the main antagonists in the violence has brought some sort of unity between them.
But what happened to the PEV victims in Kisumu? They were abandoned by their politicians including you. They were left to eke out an impossible livelihood from the slums of Kisumu and in fact Luos who were chased or displaced from other town like Nakuru and Naivasha joined their kinsmen in the city to expand that cycle of misery. Of course this was from that ridiculous logic that all Luos are from Kisumu and so the government sent them all their and abandoned them in IDP camps that had littered the city. They were plodded there, left jobless with no means to survive and abandoned by the very politicians they were fighting for in the PEV. They have visited all public offices and local politicians to argue their cases to no avail and it seems their plight will never be addressed. The 2013 elections were to be a defining moment for the people of Kisumu. They had hoped that finally their son would ascend to power and quench their years of thirst for leadership but that did not happen. It should perhaps explain why some even committed suicide after the verdict from the Supreme Court.
What is happening in Kisumu now sir, is that the people want to chart their own course and determine their own destinies. They are not keen on leaving that in the hands of politicians any more as that has had very dire consequences for them and they would use a matter as ‘’small’’ as a statue to drive their point home.
Tread carefully with Kisumu sir. I would advise you take several trips to the city personally and engage in a one on one dialogue with your supporters. Listen to them for the first time and don’t impose things on them. Agree to let them vote in leaders of their choice those they believe will represent their interest and fight the stinging poverty facing the whole of Nyanza. Find means to empower them so they can break from the shackles that make them dependent on the events on the political scene. That way sir you will cement your legacy and remain a hero in the eyes of this people otherwise you will face scathing and this is just the beginning.
All the best in the process.
Kenyan Voter
OPEN LETTER TO SIAYA COUNTY ‘ODM’ POLITICIANS
This is an open letter to pre-2010 politicians from Siaya County (to those who actually will read or give a damn, that is). If you are a pre-August 2010 politician from Siaya County, this letter is addressed to you. If you are reading this and thinking it doesn’t/can’t apply to you, think again: it does.
I do not pretend these words represent more than my own, negligible angry voice. But they might. That is why I will risk using the “I” instead of the “we”. So here it goes.
I’m fed up with you. All of you! Whether you’re a second liberation hero or a pre-independence hog or something else in between… Whether you are secretly corrupt or openly robbing us… Whether you are doing nothing or pretending to actually work… Whether you are the son of someone or the son-in-law of another… Whether you are a woman or a…
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UHURU KENYATTA—PLEASE LEAVE COMEDY TO CHURCHILL
One thing I love about this guy, Uhuru Kenyatta is that he forgets that he is supposed to be a president whenever he sees a crowd and /or the press inform of him.
Don’t blame him, it’s a condition that is synonymous with all spoilt kids… coupled with the belief that he is young and “hippy”, UK is one master attention seeker.
I listened to him address that crowd in Eldoret yesterday, that declaration of “Jubilee will RULE, for 20 years” left me wondering…
- RULE or Govern? The two might share a similar context but have very different meanings— To RULE is to EXERCISE ULTIMATE POWER OR AUTHORITY OVER AN AREA & ITS PEOPLE while to GOVERN is to CONDUCT THE POLICY ACTION & AFFAIRS OD A STATE OR PEOPLE.
It shocked me that Uhuru Kenyatta and his GOVERNMENT have settled down to RULE this country. So, here we go…
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Enough is Enough
Mugabe’s re-election strategy which seemingly is becoming the norm in Africa is to brand your opponents ”PUPPETS OF THE WEST” and make them unelectable while people like him continue to strengthen their hold to power and enrich themselves as their countries degenerate into unfathomable levels of poverty, corruption, unemployment, diseases and crime. While there might be a danger in electing the so called ‘’PUPPETS OF THE WEST’’ it is more dangerous for us to be stuck with aging despots who offer no new solutions to perpetual African challenges. My generation must stand up and say enough is enough to the likes of Robert Mugabe, Paul Biya, Yoweri Museveni, Teodoro Nguema, and Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Blaise Campaore, Eduardo Dos Santos, Denis Sassou Nguesso and King Mswati.
African Union Celebrates 50th Anniversary
The African Union (AU), the single largest organization of states in Africa, marked its 50th anniversary from May 25 to 27, 2013 at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sparking debate among Africans throughout the continent over the organization’s relevance and effectiveness.
The AU began as the Organisation of African Unity, founded on May 25, 1963 with 32 members. Though often criticised for the inability to enforce its decisions, the organisation played a key role in ending colonial rule on the continent through its aid to rebel groups.
After the African Union replaced the Organisation in 2001, many of the same criticisms – that the union had little real power to tackle the poverty and conflict afflicting the continent – have followed. The AU now has 54 member states.
African Union 50th anniversary logo. Image from African Union Website: http://www.au.int/
The anniversary celebrations encouraged discussions among Africans who…
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Kenyans: The Ever Complaining Lot That Never Acts Right
Thank you Mr. President
And my credit this week goes to President Uhuru
Kenyatta. I think he has really demystified the
institution of the presidency and brought it closer
to the kenyan people by attending a crusade here,
a wedding there, an award ceremonies and
apprearing on a documentary marketing kenya as a
perfect destination for movies. Thats how a leader
does it while rulers wallow in the aura of self
importance and sorrounded by contingents of
mean security men who protect them from the
same people who elect them.Thank you Mr.
President though I still hold that you need to cut
down on your motorcade and fire one Francis
Kimemia, he is not indispensable
Reflections on Maternal Healthcare and Maternal Mortality in Kenya
AN OPEN LETTER TO H.E UHURU MUIGAI KENYATTA
I am honoured to have the opportunity to write to you. I must admit that I am inspired by your energy and enthusiasm to lead our country and to deliver on the promise of a new Kenya. I have no doubt in my mind that you will deliver on your promise. May the almighty God provide you with wise counsel as you journey through the process of healing and building our country. May he sustain you through the challenges that come with the task that is ahead of you.
Allow me to provoke your thought on the state of Maternal Healthcare in Kenya as one of the sectors of our development that need swift and urgent attention by your Excellency’s government.
I know of your government’s commitment to abolish maternity fees in Kenya within the 1st 100 days in office. This is a move that deserves huge applause seeing that thousands of women will henceforth access maternities to ensure that every Kenyan child is born in the safety of a hospital. However, this move alone cannot and will not solve the challenges we face with our maternal healthcare systems. This move alone will not help us save the lives of the many infants and pregnant mothers we lose every year to pregnancy related complications.
The 5th Millennium Development Goal (MDG 5) to reduce maternal mortality by 75% during the period 1990-2015, is by far the least MDG on track to be fulfilled in Kenya as in most of Africa. Women continue to suffer and die unnecessary disabilities because of complications of pregnancy. According to the 2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) the current ratio of maternal deaths in Kenya stands at 488 deaths per 100,000 births, a sharp contrast from developed countries that register less than ten deaths per 100,000 births.
This is a matter of great concern, as these deaths arise from well-known preventable causes-obstructed labour, complications of unsafe abortion, infections, haemorrhage and high blood pressure. Yet all these are treatable. In fact pregnancy is not a disease. With skilled health care during pregnancy and delivery, provided in an adequately supplied and equipped health facility, these premature deaths can be prevented.
The ambiguity in the jubilee coalition’s manifesto on the solutions to the challenges facing the healthcare system in Kenya and in particular maternal healthcare is overwhelming. While your coalitions manifesto clearly underscores these challenges, it is not very clear on the specific interventions and key performance indicators laid out to improve the maternal healthcare system and save the lives of our women.
Allow me to point out a few of the challenges that bedevil our maternal healthcare system and offer my two sense solution.
In general, 15% of all pregnant women are at risk of serious obstetric complications. All pregnant women should therefore have access to quality basic or comprehensive emergency obstetric care.
Obstetric care in Kenya is limited, especially in rural areas where the majority of women live. The services that are available, whether provided by the government or private medical practitioners, are mainly concentrated in urban areas, and are thus inaccessible to the majority of women. Maternal health facilities in Kenya are also often poorly equipped and lack important components of maternal health, i.e., normal delivery, postnatal care and emergency services (NCAPD et al., 2004). This means that even in cases where the mother gets to the health centre, there is no guarantee she will get the services she needs whether for free or at a fee.
The risk of death for mothers is highest immediately after delivery (the 48 hours after delivery). Postnatal care is therefore essential to prevent complications after childbirth. Only 42% of women receive postnatal check-ups within two days of delivery, and more than half of women who give birth do not seek postnatal care. These figures are worrying, given that pre- and postnatal care are critical to women’s health. The mothers mostly affected are those in the lowest wealth quintile, those with low levels of education and those in remote areas like North Eastern Province where 79% of women do not receive postnatal care. Targeting services to such areas would potentially have a great impact on mortality levels.
The risk of maternal death increases with each pregnancy, and with pregnancies that are too close together. Satisfying women’s unmet need for family planning, that is, ensuring access to contraceptives by women who want to space or avoid pregnancies but are currently not using contraception, could reduce unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths.
Kenya continues to have a high unmet need for family planning. About a quarter of currently married women who want to space or limit their births are not using any form of contraception. Access to modern contraceptives would enable women to avoid unwanted and too many pregnancies, which can lead to unsafe abortions and complications associated with too many births. It could also reduce maternal deaths by more than one-third (UNFPA and Guttmacher, 2009).
Antenatal, delivery, postnatal and other obstetric care services provided in public health facilities are substandard. Service provider harassment and mistreatment of women in public health facilities in Kenya is reportedly rife. Providers are not only frequently unfriendly to women, but also regularly fail to answer their questions, ask them for important routine information or counsel them during antenatal care consultations.
Many if not most service providers also lack more advanced skill, for example recognizing and treating life threatening complications. It is important to improve the performance of health care providers by increasing training opportunities and making them accountable to the public.
Kenya’s public health sector capacity to respond to the needs of women is limited. The sector is under-financed and characterized by shortages of most basic essentials. It frequently suffers stock-outs of medications and basic supplies including contraceptives, shortage of personnel and a lack of key equipment.
Investing in health systems is critical to the improvement in maternal health and achievement of the MDGs. Perhaps more to the point, as indicated above, if adequate family planning services were available there would be fewer unintended pregnancies and thus much less demand for induced abortions.
It is possible to reduce maternal deaths if women have access to skilled attendance at delivery, emergency obstetric care when needed and family planning. This would go a long way in reducing mortality and improving the health of women, and as a result move Kenya closer to achieving the MDG 5 targets on maternal health and the goals of Vision 2030.
Political and financial commitment is needed to ensure maternal health is protected. Strengthening health systems to ensure the country can deliver proven interventions effectively is critical. We must Increase government allocation for contraceptives to ensure that women who want to space or avoid pregnancy have access to modern contraceptives. The government must also provide adequate and sustained government funding for maternal health, mainstream the output-based approach project piloted in Nairobi, Nyanza and elsewhere, train health workers appropriately to improve client relations and quality of care, make health providers more accountable to the public in order to improve their performance, e.g., through enforcement of Citizen Service Charters and individual performance contracts with the government, enforce existing laws and policies against early marriages and female circumcision.
These solutions are by no means comprehensive. There are a myriad of other things the government can do to improve the state of Kenya’s maternal healthcare. But more importantly we must make sure that we protect our women and babies. Few or no lives should be lost to pregnancy related complications.
Every Kenyan is guaranteed the right to life in Kenya’s Constitution and the government has a duty to protect each life no matter what.
Yours faithfully
Concerned citizen
Kenyan Voter 