A major health crisis is looming in Machakos County after conflicting parties, Mutua and doctors union failed to reach a safe agreement. The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has started the process of withdrawing its members from Machakos county hospitals because of what it describes as poor working conditions and bad human resource policies by Mutua and his administration.
Mutua who is widely known for pulling PR stunts with unsustainable projects under the umbrella of Maendeleo Chap Chap has had bad blood with KMPDU who accuse him of getting way deep into their affairs and unnecessarily being authoritarian along the way firing most doctors unfairly.
Differences between the medics and Governor Mutua started when he suspended one of the KMPDU members last month because of “lethargy”. Some of the issues that the doctors are protesting against include suspension of doctors without following the right procedure, salary delays, lack of promotions, non-remittance of statutory deductions and inadequate housing.
The attention seeking Mutua recently fired a doctor who was in the theatre attending to a patient for not giving him attention when he paid a surprise visit to the hospital. Mutua expected the doctor to leave the patient in the theatre with the surgery halfway to run and kneel before him with ‘Karibu Baba,’ a colonial and Moi era leaders worshipping mentality. Medics are guided by the divine rule that dictates you save lives first and attend to other things later on.
With the Langata Primary School’s land-grabbing attempt still fresh in many people’s minds; memories of innocent school children getting teargassed by the police still vivid, the school has been hit yet another blow from the same hotel.
While National Land Commission promised it would investigate how the hotel acquired the land next to Wilson Airport, like many of the files that Swazuri has sat on after getting his hands oiled, the wait will be much longer. Swazuri, the NLC boss, is in the middle of all illegal land exchanges.
Moles at NLC tell Kenya Insights that Mzee is a darling to land grabbing cartels. His role in the USIU and Eastleigh market land grab hasn’t been forgotten.
Moving on; There is fresh controversy surrounding Deputy President William Ruto’s Weston Hotel after the management allegedly pushed for the relocation of a bus terminus and closure of an intersection on Lang’ata Road to create space. Now, the bus terminus next to the hotel, commonly referred to as The Hague, has allegedly been closed, and motorists are forced to drive up to the T-Mall roundabout and turn back before driving to Wilson Airport.
The terminus has been moved closer to Lang’ata Road Primary School, near classrooms and the main gate. Motorists leaving the airport have to drive past the flyover and use an intersection opposite the gate of the school to get to town.
Moving the stage to the school’s gate puts the lives of the school kids in danger exposing them to accidents besides the hooting and music banging buses will cause major noise pollution. Being next to the classrooms, concentration in class amongst these pupils is most likely to be affected. Last year, Weston Hotel attempted to grab playing ground of the school to expand their parking lot.
Kenya National Highways Authority who approved this shift is another body vulnerable to manipulation, a typical Kenyan authority that with few coins the corrupt officials will kick to space decent grades and bend rules. Taj Mall was spared from demolition after the same body redesigned Outering Road expansion plan to leave out the Sh.5B building on instructions from high places and after millions bribery.
Kenya Insights has been highlighting on the incompetent City Hall officers who conspire with rogue landlords in approving the substandard buildings. This is facilitated by corrupt officials in the County Government’s planning department headed by Khaemba.
The building from our contact in the ground was erected on a swampy ground which shouldn’t be the case if the County officers did their job well to ensure approval of buildings on safe grounds. Occupants of the premise luckily had vacated the building on sensing danger arising from huge cracks on the wall. It was set to collapse the residents say.
Steve the swindler landlord has since gone underground switched off his phones as irate tenants and locals bay for his blood. Luckily, no casualty has been reported since the building had been evacuated
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A general view of the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Barra da Tijuca. The Village will host up to 17,200 people amongst athletes and team officials during the Games and up to 6,000 during the Paralympic Games on July 22, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Getty Images)
Despite the damning doping claims that threatened the chances of Kenyan athletes participating in the Rio games, the country eventually escaped the ban and sent its team of athletes. While we anticipate trophies from the countrymen, they should as well expect a welcome with a record number of condoms allocated and air-conditioners in every bedroom, Rio’s athletes’ village starts welcoming Olympians on Sunday.
The new apartment towers built to house 11,000 athletes and 6,000 coaches during Rio’s Games are being called basic, even austere.
But when you step out on the balcony of one of the 3,604 apartments, the complex — with its swimming pools, tennis courts and bike lanes — looks downright five-star.
The rooms are furnished with single beds and wardrobes made of recycled materials, as well as air-conditioning units to allay fears over the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
Inside of the rooms where the athletes will be sleeping
Organisers describe the 31 17-story towers as a “city within a city” complete with a 24-hour cafeteria, beauty salon and florist.
The rooms themselves are furnished with the basics: metal beds, bedside tables and disposable wardrobes made with recycled fabric.
Ramler said the idea was to make the furniture sustainable but also inexpensive in keeping with Rio’s bid to provide low-budget Games. The complex was built with private money, and the developers are already looking for buyers post-Olympics.
The main entrance is heavily guarded and equipped with metal detectors. Unlike in recent Games, there are no TVs in the apartments. Organisers did finally agree to install air conditioners in the bedrooms to allay fears over the mosquito-borne Zika virus, despite the expected cool temperatures during the games, which fall during Rio’s winter. The opening ceremony is scheduled for August 5.
The apartments are equipped with 13,000 toilet seats, 275,000 clothes hangers and 18,500 beds that can be extended in length for taller athletes. The spartan bathrooms sport plastic shower curtains and a single oval mirror, but no drawers or cupboards to store the 450,000 condoms that will be distributed to athletes — equivalent to 42 per person.
Koffi Olomide when he was picked up from his home by police in Congo this morning
Embattled Koffi Olomide was arrested on Tuesday at his home in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to reports the singer was held shortly before being arraigned in court and charged with the assaulting . He was found guilty and sentenced to a year in jail.
This followed uproar from a video captured in Kenya’s main airport JKIA of the maestro raining in one of his Female dancers with kicks.
Olomide denied assaulting one of his dancers identified as Pamela. His lawyer George Wajackoyah also accused Kenyan police of manhandling the musician during his deportation.
The singer apologised in a Facebook post on Monday, terming the incident a “moment of madness” but not after facing widespread condemnation and outrage since the video of the incident at JKIA was shared on social media.
The latest blow comes barely a day when his scheduled concert in Zambia was cancelled and Kenya government revoked his visa permanently.
Could this be the premature end to an era of the Lingala star. He will be out of freedom for the next year.
At around 2PM today, a group of 8 armed police officers rounded up Blogger Nyakundi’s car at a petrol station in Rongai. Occupants of the car, his friends were quickly whisked out to waiting car before heading to the bloggers home.
In what seems like a well premeditated scenario, the police led the rest to Nyakundi’s house. They must have collected tight intel prior. They stormed into his house ordered everyone inside to surrender. They unanimously tell me they were lightly assaulted with slaps. They say,the officers were armed and brandished their guns.
Nyakundi was immediately held and house ransacked, phones and laptops were confiscated by the police. They were dissatisfied as they missed another target, KinyanBoy, a writer who has been working close with Nyakundi on a number of impunity and corruption exposing topics. It’s still unknown why they wanted KinyanBoy arrested as well.
Nyakundi was bundled into the police car before they sped off to undisclosed location. They didn’t mention reason for arrest neither the station that they were taking him to. Officers eight in number, came in two vehicles, a standard Police land cruiser van and another car.
The blogger had been summoned to record a statement by the CID on an article he posted on his website claiming Interior CS’s officers has been helping a Chinese millionaire Wenjie Li, a once declared illegal immigrant by office of the president stay in Kenya illegally.
He also questioned DCI Muhoro’s links in extra judicial killings and land grabbing. In his ranting posts,the blogger threw blows on the DCI credibility.
As of the time of this blog, Nyakundi’s location where he’s being held is unknown. Friends who has gone to Muthaiga police station to check if he was booked in say they were turned away and two of their phones confiscated in the process.
Nairobi, 16th July 2016 – Kenya has started evacuating her nationals from South Sudan following a surge in insecurity and violence in the world’s newest nation.
The announcement was made by Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs PS, Monica Juma.
PS Monica Juma: Government of Kenya begins the evacuation process of Kenya stranded in South Sudan due to skirmishes pic.twitter.com/KotANBH5bd
— ForeignAffairsKenya (@ForeignOfficeKE) July 16, 2016
PS Monica Juma: Kenya Amb to S.Sudan Amb Cleland Leshore is leading the evacuation process in Juba pic.twitter.com/YAEN0xxt5d
— ForeignAffairsKenya (@ForeignOfficeKE) July 16, 2016
Kenya’s evacuation begun on Friday with one 1 plane and at least 100 people making it home. Two more flights are expected to head to Kenya with more people.
There has been growing anger towards the Kenyan Government from all corners for taking too long to act.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has also warned Kenyans against travelling to South Sudan.
PS Monica Juma: Kenyans are advised against non-essential travel to South Sudan until further notice pic.twitter.com/EdTGaiTxIu
— ForeignAffairsKenya (@ForeignOfficeKE) July 16, 2016
CCTV Africa has reported that at least 2 Kenyans have been killed in the violence.
Sudan and Uganda have been evacuating their nationals since Wednesday amidst fears that fighting may intensify between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his Vice President Riek Machar.
The recent security deterioration in South Sudan has been occasioned a conflict between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar last week July 8. At least 300 people, mainly soldiers have been killed in the latest spate of violence.
The freshly ignited war in South Sudan that has seen nearly 500 people dead under a week and hundreds of thousands displaced continue to wreak havoc. Despite President Kiir and his Deputy Machar calling for a ceasefire, the tension is still high in Africa’s youngest country and many live in fear.
Countries have put in place evacuation strategies for their citizens held up in the bullet ridden country. US, UK, China, France, Italy, India and other serious countries who mind the safety of their citizens have sent chartered planes to fly out their trapped citizens to safety. While those governments are doing what they’re rightfully meant to do, protect and ensure safety of its citizens in and out of the country, Kenyan government doesn’t seem to have been moved by the bloodbath taking place in its neighboring country.
Since the gunfight began and news of deaths started coming in as the situation worsened, social media have put heavy pressure on the foreign ministry and the Kenyan embassy in Sudan to issue a statement and its plan on ensuring safety of Kenyan citizens holed up in the warring country. They responded by giving out hotline numbers that should be used by Kenyans trapped in South Sudan to communicate with the embassy to ensure their safety. It would later turn out that the numbers were unreachable.
Kenyan citizens have been left in the cold, feeling betrayed by their own government who doesn’t seem to be doing much to rescue them from the bloody streets of South Sudan. I have been contacted by the association of Kenyans living in South Sudan to highlight on their plight and remain unamused by the flimsy efforts put by the government to save them.
“The embassy is unhelpful, they don’t even have an evacuation plan yet, all they’re saying is they can only facilitate issuance of passports and it ends there.” Says a furious Kenyan in South Sudan on her predicament. “While other countries are bringing in planes to evacuate their people, we’re left here on our own like we don’t have a government back home and we pay taxes. We are mad.” She adds.
Most of the trapped Kenyans have resorted to plot their own exit strategies with a huge number left with no option but to wait for the tension to go down. As at the time of publishing, Uganda had sent its army to go rescue its citizens from South Sudan via road and some Kenyans are hoping to hike a ride back home under the protection of the Ugandan army as that is their only remaining hope.
The Kenyan embassy is flocked with distressed citizens but there is little hope for relief. “Our hands are tied, there’s little we can do but were trying to organize something.” This has become the chorus in the embassy’s corridors. Just the other day, some truck drivers braved through the gunshots to try and come back home but were killed by the forces before they could cross the border.
Travelling back home by road is very risky and Kenyans in South Sudan are left living in full fear. It is not clear for how long our brothers and sisters have to suffer before the government can wake up and do what is expected of them- ensure the security of her citizens.
Health CS, Nicholas Muraguri delivering his speech during ‘Anza Sasa’ campaign launch at Weston Hotel, Nairobi.
The Ministry of Health through the National AIDS and STI Control Program (NASCOP) has launched a campaign dubbed “Anza Sasa” to encourage all those who test HIV positive to get ARV treatment regardless of their CD4 Count. In the past, only those with a CD4 count of 500 and below were eligible for treatment.
“ The aim of providing antiretroviral treatment to all people living with HIV is two pronged; first,, it will enable the individual who is on antiretroviral therapy to reduce the level of the virus circulating within their body to an undetectable level and as such reduce further damage to their immune system and improve the body’s ability to fight off infections averting unnecessary illnesses, disabilities and even deaths related to HIV said Dr. Sirengo, Head of the National AIDS and STI Control Program (NASCOP). Secondly, with an undetectable viral load level, further transmission to people who are uninfected with HIV will be minimized”.
New Guidelines on Use of Antiretroviral Drugs for Treating and Preventing HIV Infection in Kenya 2016 were also launched to provide guidance on the use of antiretroviral medicines for treating people living with HIV. Kenya currently has 1.5 million people living with HIV and an estimated 900,000 have been receiving treatment.
“As a paradigm shift from previous guidelines, these new guidelines that are in line with international standards and World Health Organization recommendations stipulate that all people living with HIV be put on treatment with the lifesaving antiretroviral medicines”, said Dr.Nduku Kilonzo, NACC. The services will be offered free of charge at all public health facilities providing HIV care and treatment services in Kenya.
Another new shift is that the use of antiretroviral medicines to prevent HIV transmission will particularly be emphasized through the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV (eMTCT) program where all pregnant women identified to be HIV-infected will be started on antiretroviral medicines immediately upon diagnosis in order to reduce transmission of HIV to the unborn baby. Upon delivery, infants born to a mother who is HIV-infected will be tested for HIV at birth or within two weeks after delivery.
“The infants who are identified to be HIV-infected will be initiated on antiretroviral medicines immediately in order to increase their chances of survival whereas infants who are not infected will be provided with preventive antiretroviral medicines for twelve weeks after birth, this will go a long way in reducing new infections among children, said Cabinet Secretary for health, Dr. Cleaphas Mailu. The breast feeding women will be closely followed up to ensure that they closely adhere to antiretroviral therapy and remain virally suppressed throughout the breastfeeding period in order to prevent HIV transmission to their babies.
Antiretroviral therapy is now also recommended for HIV negative persons to prevent acquisition of HIV and is known as pre-exposure prophylaxis. This intervention will be accessible at specific HIV prevention, care and treatment service delivery settings under close supervision by NASCOP and County Health team and will be available to populations at high risk of acquiring HIV .
“The Ministry of Health is committed towards the implementation of the recommendations provided in the Guidelines on use of Antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV Infection in Kenya 2016 towards reducing new HIV infections and deaths related with HIV and reaching HIV epidemic control” said Dr. Cleaophas Mailu Cabinet Secretary, Health
Other guidelines and documents that were launched during the same function included Integrated Biological and Behavioral Survey for Key Populations, the Polling Booth Survey 2015, Report, Reaching the Unreached: The Evolution of Kenya’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme for Key Population report and a training manual on Responding to Violence against Key Populations to Promote Access to HIV Services
NASCOP’s Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision program also launched Results of Active Adverse events surveillance for PrePex circumcision in Kenya. To prevent occupational exposure to HIV among health workers, a report on Occupational Exposure to Blood/Body Fluids and HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis in Health Care Facilities in Kenya (2011 – 2014) was also launched as well as several handbooks on HIV treatment literacy materials for parents, caregivers, children and adolescents were also launched. And as the country moves towards strengthening quality and efficiency in the health sector, HIV commodity management guidelines were launched.
