Low turnout in Chwele as Govt launches free mosquito net distribution countrywide to curb malaria

Written by Daniel Saenyi

A Chwele resident is all smiles as she receives a mosquito net from a medical officer.[Photo/Daniel Wafula/WestFm]

The government has yet made another effort in helping the Kenyan citizens to live free from Malaria by giving out mosquito nets.

The giving out of nets was officially launched on Wednesday across the country.

However there was low turnout in Chwele, Bungoma County a situation attributed to it being the first day of the exercise in the area as many people had not been made aware of the exercise.

An estimated amount of 87, 246 people were registered in the whole of the Bungoma Central district with about 16 distribution centers.

Though some areas had not received nets by Wednesday evening, those places with more net supply were required to give out some to those with low supply.

According to the District Malaria Coordinator Mr. Francis Fwamba, this move is aimed at significantly reducing the infectivity rates of Malaria and it might even assert Kenya as a Malaria free country by 2012.

The nets will be distributed in that one net is allocated to two people in a family so the number of family members determines how many nets one gets.

Mr. Fwamba said that the nets being given out for children and pregnant women had already helped to bring down malaria cases in the hospital from 245 to 40 people diagnosed with malaria in the preceding two weeks.

The nets are meant to build a mosquito barrier and along side other malaria preventive drugs given to pregnant women and children. It’s warranted to bring down the infection from fifty to zero if the residents use them as per specifications.

Misuse of nets was discouraged by Mr. Fwamba as some people use the nets for other purposes as covering their seedlings from pests and even poultry.

This move by the government was obviously a major help to the residents of Chwele as most were happy to receive the free nets. Mrs. Gladys Nyambura, the first person to receive the nets said finally the government has started to serve the citizen of the country.

Malaria was a frequent thing in her family almost like a family member but now all that is about to change. The government treated nets are unlike any other nets as which are not treated and allow the mosquito to penetrate easily. 

Police nab 40 vehicles in crackdown in Bungoma, leave passengers stranded

Written by Daniel Saenyi

An empty matatu terminus at Bungoma town following a police crackdown. Matatu operators Thursday engaged in a hide and seek game with traffic officers in Bungoma town after the law enforcers launched a vicious crackdown to net non-compliant vehicles. The dreaded operation caught the Matatu operators as the traffic officers pounced on the non suspecting drivers and conductors found flouting traffic rules and those avoiding their specified stages and routes. The police nabbed over 40 vehicles and 25 drivers are to be arraigned in court for flouting the traffic regulations. Most of the vehicles caught were found without safety belts or their speed governors were tempered with and some were just un-roadworthy which they actually deserve to be written off. The operation mostly focused on Public Service Vehicles and trucks on the busy Webuye -Malaba highway whereby they were also weighed to ensure that drivers are not overloading the vehicles. The operation was headed by the Provincial traffic officer from Kakamega and this was to be the first of many crackdowns that are coming up. Bungoma Bus station was void of vehicles leaving stranded passengers and transport charges sky rocketing to double the amount for the few vehicles left. Journeys were cut short as some routes barely had no vehicles or motorcycles to ferry passengers. According to some drivers, the police crackdown was not fair as they were not given a notice to be primed. An empty stage. They complained of the police force taking it out on them for not accepting to give them kickbacks. The passengers were an angry lot as most of them were either delayed or missed their prior arrangements. Students were not spared from the effects of the crackdown, some students complained of reporting late for school which had its own consequences. Drivers and conductors were pissed for making losses since they had to maneuver shortcuts just to avoid being caught. This also doubles the amount of fuel consumption and the passengers had to pay extra then, and this obviously caused wiles between the passengers and the conductors. The police have been accused for irresponsibility as the ambush is reckless according to some drivers; it’s easy for them to cause accidents as they try to evade capture. They demanded that the police commissioner Mathew Iteere should come up with different ways of dealing with un-roadworthy vehicles to counter the ambush crackdown routine. However, the Kenya police Deputy O.C.P.D Mr. Mutune Maweu said that they will keep on carrying out these crackdowns in anticipation of ensuring that the roads are safe which will in turn pledge the safety of road users.

Disabled people getting relief from the Disability Fund

Written by Daniel Saenyi

In the implementation of the constitution, the government has taken the disabled in consideration by providing them with the disability fund to cater for their needs. Chwele district disability fund was officially launched by the District officer Miss. Dorothy Nyukuri on 28th June 2011. Disabled people are not commonly seen moving around in the society because of stigma, and in some cases, disability is inability. Some people are extensively crippled that they can’t get through life without help. As much as disability is a pity in most cases, some cases are brought about by total arrogance or ignorance of the parents like Polio disabilities. Some parents skip the vaccinations and later blame it on the government for not helping out. Mrs. Rose Om’malia, the District Social Development Officer for Chwele during the disability fund launch in Chwele. Mrs. Rose Om’malia, the District Social Development Officer for Chwele said that the government has issued Sh 667 million in the current budget for the disabled and Sh 335 million for people with severe disabilities. The launch of the fund experienced a low turn out; reason being the meeting was a short notice though some people could not make it because they are not aware of the launch yet. Beneficiaries of the fund were asked to be ambassadors to other people so they can come out and receive the money. In the act of solving the problems of the disabled, the Chwele fund will be issued in four stages, the first stage the micro enterprise for helping the disabled to start businesses and the second is the infrastructure, and this is building schools for the disabled because they also have a right to education    (Mukhweya primary is the centre for the disabled in the area). The third phase of the disability fund is education assistance; this is whereby the disabled are provided for with money for further education. Lastly is cash transfer for the severely disabled, they will be getting Sh 1500 monthly for their own sustenance. Due to the stigma, some disabled people are kept away from the eyes of the society, this, Miss Nyukuri discouraged and urged all the residents to report any disabled people in the society to social service so that they can be aided . Before the disability fund was launched, many of the victims and their caretakers had hard time getting through life, in the case of Mrs Regina Wanyonyi , she has no legs and when her husband died, she was left with a family of two kids to take care of which has been a hustle since then. She had no means of providing for her family and neither could she get a job. The disability fund is relief for this poor lady who went on and on shouting praises for launch the fund. Mrs Regina Wanyonyi. Mr. Godwin Munyole  also said that they previously never received any recognition and their issues were lightly addressed like when they are molested or physically abused they would not be represented accordingly and the this move shows that the government is now willing to stand up for the disabled and address their issues. The disability fund is one step closer to the constitution implementation process and achieving the development goals, because we currently need all the manpower for the development and the disabled have equal rights as any other normal citizen.

To Get to State House, Luhya Leaders Must Unite

By Daniel Saenyi

The campaigns for the next elections are due next year and the western Kenya is still divided. It’s high time the luhya leaders stop playing the “I want to be president” game or else they will lose the presidential elections.

Every luhya MP wants to be president, Wakoli, Eugene, Mudavadi, Wetangula, name them, all want power. Each of them represents the divided luhya communities and the least chances of them making it to the State house.

For western Kenya to benefit from the new constitution unity is the counter. If Eugene’s followers beat up Wetangula’s, Wakoli, or Mudavadi’s or vice versa, and the two leaders may be friends, chatting away in parliament, the ground level citizen will suffer alone. The 2007 post election violence might just happen again at this rate, this time in Western Kenya alone.

In this Bull fight, Wetangula seems to be the Underdog, he hasn’t yet launched his campaign rallies but is quietly spreading the wave of his presidential candidacy, but is going around preaching that Bungoma needs to elect good governors day after day enough to take on Eugene. Trying to play the good boy card as Eugene shoots his chops may be his game to make Eugene look bad. To make it worse, bad mouthing Eugene is only making this rift bigger.

Leading the race to state house at moment seems to be Eugene, with his recent political rally creating a Eugene wave all over Western Kenya has shown he has many followers, but in politics the crowds may be deceiving. His dare devil move to attack his rival Wetangula in his backyard maybe the move that brings out wetangula from his back yard, that, we have to wait and see.

The two leaders represent the top parties for the candidacy but the third player vows to do anything to get the position Bifwoli Wakoli also campaigning for the seat says he is ready to use any vehicle to reach state house, he will shift parties if that’s what it takes, he will step on any toes as long he makes it, that is another quarter of luhya Votes divided.

As for Mudavadi, many Kenyans say he is more likely to make it as Raila’s running mate, but he surely won’t get votes from western. He may have made friends with in Nyanza but running mate is all he will get, should not even contemplate the fact of the alliance.

Wamalwa Kijana paved way for the Luhya’s to make it to the top in parliament, it’s sad that his legacy may just deplete with this level of division.

One politician doesn’t need to be bad for the other one to be good, its time to stop the name calling and maybe they will see that they all have a common goal for western. Not every luhya has to be president but if this continues, no Luhya will make it to parliament.

This is the time for a luhya to be president, Nancy Barasa being the deputy chief justice might just be a sign or some good mojjo.

Even with this division, the final verdict is still the voters; they are the ones to choose who the right person for the job is. Word of advice to luhya’s, don’t share out your votes to the aspirants even with this division, just choose one card for the game.

Not all the luhya leaders have delivered to our expectations, each of them is an MP for a certain constituency, what they have done there so far, if there are no developments, why vote some one for presidency when they can’t deliver as Members for Parliament.

There are many contestants in the country; this has divided the country into many regions based on who is voting for who. But Western has the most partitions each of them representing a fraction of votes from the people.

Would it really hurt to add up the fractions to get one? The Luhya community is the second largest in the country with unity it might make it state house even without other communities voting for them, that’s according to old constitution though.

With the new constitution a candidate needs 25% of votes from each County, which means all other communities, need to vote for the luhya too. How will we get others to follow us if we ourselves are at odds?

Raila is a strong a contender because he has all the Luo’s eating out his palm, but is he really the best thing for Kenya, or Western province distinctively. He had his shot at choosing Permanent secretaries, and no one came from Western.

This is not ethnicity, but its high time Luhyas rise to power, Western needs one of its own, and so we could have some developments done. Its time the road repairs get a move on from Eldoret where they seem to be barred all the way to Malaba.

Counties are coming up the moment this government hands over power to the next one, governorship is the new coveted position in parliament. Bungoma County being the third largest county is going to be receiving an estimated amount of about Ksh. 7 billion yearly all under the management of the governor.

Western residents don’t choose on impulse, you might just get someone on a gold rush and bring down the county to a much worse state.

The Luhya leaders on the race to state house, yes you are all proficient but this is not the means to state house. There is only one path, the only path, UNITY, or other united tribes will surely take the position. we only need to put up one man against Raila not Ten.