Mayotte Wire

Kisumu County governor Prof. Anyang Nyong’o has appointed former State Department for ICT and Innovation Principal Secretary (PS) Jerome Ochieng as County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development.

Jerome’s nomination which takes effect immediately however awaits vetting by the County Assembly.

Once given the greenlight, Jerome who served as ICT and Innovation PS in the Uhuru Kenyatta administration will take over the lands docket in Kisumu replacing Kennedy Hongo who was fired.

Jerome has over 20 years work experience in public service having headed the ICT docket at the Public Procurement Oversight Authority and the National Treasury before rising to the level of PS.

He holds a masters’ degree in Information Engineering from the University of Ryukyus Okinawa Japan and is a registered fellow of the Computer Society of Kenya and a member of the Institute of Management Information Systems (IMS) UK.

Once approved by the County Assembly, Jerome is expecte
d to streamline operations at the docket at a time Kisumu is experiencing rapid growth.

Among the key priorities is the implementation of the Kisumu Local Physical and Land Use Development Plan and the Sustainable Mobility Plan which have been rolled out by the county government.

Other pending assignments include the implementation of the recommendations of the Lands task force formed by Governor Nyong’o to look into land issues in the area.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Health officials in Nandi County have called upon parents and care givers to ensure their children are fully immunised

Speaking at Kabiyet sub county hospital during the celebration themed ‘Humanly Possible, Immunisation for All’, Jane Samoei, the County Health Promotion Coordinator stated that proper vaccination improves the health and wellbeing of children and protects them from deadly diseases.

‘We save children’s lives through vaccination. Our aim is to safeguard individuals of all ages through comprehensive immunisation efforts,’ she said

Mrs Samoei said Immunisation remains one of the most cost effective tools to preventing and controlling diseases, disabilities and deaths.

During the week, the Department of Health and Sanitation held a two-day immunisation training for immunisation staff, public health officers and community health promoters from across the entire county.

According to the Nandi County Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Coordinator Susan Biwott, training healthcare staff is
crucial in improving the performance of immunisation programmes.

‘Training and capacity building for immunisation staff is one of the most important factors in enhancing immunisation performance and effectively introducing new vaccines, technologies, practices and policies,’ she said

On his part, the County Reproductive Health Coordinator Laban Talam told locals that the vaccines especially HPV vaccine for girls between ages 10-14 are safe and effective, demystifying the myths around it

‘Immunisation will protect your future generation by saving lives. Every child deserves access to life saving vaccines that can protect them against illness, disability and death. Vaccines make it humanly possible to eradicate disease,’ he said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja has assured residents of Nairobi who were recently displaced by floods that the government will resettle them.

Sakaja said that Nairobi County is working with President William Ruto and the National government on the resettlement and cautioned the affected people against going back to the areas they came from.

‘I am urging the affected people, do not go back where you came from, where our houses have been washed away by the flood waters,’ he warned.

The Governor was speaking during the 59th Labour Day Celebrations that were marked at Uhuru Gardens where the Head of State led Kenyan workers to commemorate the occasion.

He said the county government evacuated residents of Kangemi Dam to prevent a crisis like the one that happened in Mai Mahiu on Tuesday this week.

‘We have sent Water Resource Management Authority to Nairobi Dam to look at it, we might even need to evacuate others,’ said Sakaja, adding ‘we might need to consider again what we do with our schools.’

Sa
kaja said the floods disaster that has affected the country will make the public appreciate more the need for affordable housing in Nairobi as tenants would not now want to reside in flood areas where they pay Sh2000 to 3,000.

‘We support the President and will work with him to make sure the affordable housing is implemented,’ he said.

The Governor announced that the County government has agreed with leaders from the county among them the Senator, Members of Parliament and the government administration that people who were residing in riparian areas should not go back, adding that they will secure the riparian land order to save peoples’ lives.

‘We spoke to wananchi and they agreed that they will not go back to settle there,’ he said.

He at the same time thanked the multi-agency team for working with the county government to save lives of the affected during this time of flood disaster.

‘I recognise one category of workers the 3,500 youths of the Green Army who have been unclogging drainages and removing
dirt on the roads,’ Sakaja said.

He said if the youths were not working on the drainages the effects of the rain would have been worse with the quantity of water that has made the rivers in Nairobi to swell and those along the slum areas.

Sakaja said the County government has started the reconstruction of the 12 bridges that were destroyed by floods to ensure that children can cross over and go to school.

The Governor said Nairobi has challenges as a result of the eight rivers which include Ngong, Mathare and Nairobi River which have burst their banks following the on-going heavy rains.

‘Last Tuesday night, I was at Viwandani where people slept on roofs. I have also been at Kwa Reuben, Kawangware, Mathare, Ruaraka, Utalii, Mabatini where houses were washed by floods,’ he stated.

Sakaja said he visited Mwiki, Mathare North, Eastleigh and Kiambiu where he issued the affected families with food.

He at the same time called upon the striking doctors to resume work, noting that at least 80 percent of doctors
in Nairobi are working, adding that there is no issue that cannot be resolved through negotiation.

Source: Kenya News Agency

West Pokot County government departments are being encouraged to increase tree cover to mitigate the impact of floods and other environmental hazards.

Governor Simon Kachapin who launched 122,000 tree seedlings for the long rains tree planting at the Ministry of Water, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change tree nursery said trees are very essential in reducing the effects of climate change.

Kachapin directed all the departments to plant trees on their compounds for environmental conservation and aesthetic value.

During the launch, the ministry aforementioned distributed 5000 tree seedlings to every department to be planted in order to create green spaces within county departments and public land available.

The Governor also urged residents to continue planting indigenous trees saying they help in conserving water catchment areas. ‘When we are planting trees we should ensure that we plant indigenous trees on water catchment areas because they help in water conservation,’ said Kachapin.

He exp
lained that climate change being experienced is as a result of indiscriminate cutting down of trees for charcoal burning and construction purposes and appealed to residents living in water catchment areas to move from such places since they cannot fight against nature.

‘I want to ask everybody who is living in water catchment areas and other public land to move away from those places. My office will collaborate with the national government and other stakeholders to make sure those adamant move away,’ maintained the governor.

He also urged residents to embrace planting bamboo trees which he noted help in absorbing high carbon monoxide and greenhouse gases to mitigate climate change. He said the current floods can be linked to the destruction of the ozone layer.

‘The disaster of floods that we are experiencing is because the ozone layer has been destroyed by the greenhouse gases and atmospheric pressure that is high,’ he claimed.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kwale county government has started distributing free insecticide-treated bed nets to vulnerable households in the coastal county to help fight the spread of malaria.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female anopheles mosquitoes however it is preventable and curable.

Area Deputy Governor (DG) Chirema Kombo who launched the distribution of mosquito nets says the insecticide treated bed nets is expected to protect residents from the bites of the mosquito that serves as the vector responsible for malaria transmission.

DG Kombo accompanied by Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde and County Health Executive Dr Francis Gwama noted the goal is to encourage everyone to sleep inside the treated nets especially the malaria vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children under 5 years.

During the flagging off exercise Kombo said the Fatuma Achani led devolved government will work to increase access to treated mosquit
o nets to vulnerable households and guarantee the wellbeing of the general population.

He said that malaria was a major killer disease in Kenya and constituted a significant public health problem noting that the distribution exercise became imperative owing to the high rate of malaria infections caused by mosquitoes in the country.

Mr Kombo says the exercise will be conducted across the county and includes the distribution of 560,000 long lasting insecticide treated nets to 165,000 households aimed at preventing the spread of malaria.

‘Kwale County government will be waging a total war against malaria in the communities in a bid to enhance the health status of the residents,’ he said adding that the devolved government would not back-pedal on its efforts towards continued sensitisation and awareness campaign against malaria.

The DG said that the county government in collaboration with the National Government is aiming at spreading the mosquito nets in every village across the county with the help of ward
administrators, chiefs and their assistants and community health promoters to make sure every household has received their share.

‘The main objective of the nets distribution programme is to curtail the spread of malaria which for decades has had adverse socio-economic effects on the locals,’ he said adding that the elimination of malaria depended on contributions and support from all and sundry.

He said Kwale is among the 28 counties nationwide burdened by malaria and disclosed that the devolved unit will push for a 100 percent coverage for net distribution and usage by the vulnerable population.

Kombo said malaria remains a public health problem in the country that can be prevented and cured through collaborative efforts such as sleeping under insecticides treated bed nets.

He said the county has started distributing the treated bed nets as part of its malaria prevention strategy especially during this long rainy season because it’s usually the peak malaria transmission period.

County Commissioner Orin
de emphasised the need for households to take advantage of the nets distribution exercise to enhance their health status.

Mr Orinde said that sleeping inside the treated nets would protect people from mosquitoes that spread malaria and also ensure sound and undisturbed sleep at night.

The county administrator expressed the national government’s commitment to preventative healthcare and called for proper net usage in a bid to break the malaria transmission cycle.

He called on members of the public to judiciously use the mosquito nets given to them free of charge and to stop converting them to other improper uses.

Orinde says the treated net distribution campaign was a national effort spearheaded by the Ministry of Health to provide enough lifesaving nets to Kenyans so that they may be protected from the deadly disease.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The maternal mortality rate in Siaya County stands at 491 per 100,000, way above the globally recommended figures, County Executive Committee Member for Health, Dr. Martin K’onyango, has said.

According to Dr. K’onyango, the county’s neonatal mortality rate is also high, standing at 25 per 1,000 live births, against the sustainable development goal targets of 12 per 1,000 live births.

Dr. K’onyango, however, said that efforts were being made to reduce the figures to the required level, adding that the county government was committed to improving emergency medical services for expectant mothers and newborns.

He was speaking in his office when he signed a public-private partnership with Rescue.co aimed at enhancing maternal and neonatal medical services in Siaya County.

The CECM said that timely intervention and care can prevent up to 75% of maternal deaths and half of new-born deaths, hence the need for improved emergency medical services.

‘Through this ground-breaking public-private partnership with res
cue.co, we are dedicated to enhancing maternal and neonatal emergency services in our county, ultimately ensuring better health outcomes for mothers and new-borns,’ said Dr. K’onyango.

Recue.co official Vicky Kaigai said 72% of the emergencies in most counties are maternal and neonatal.

Kaigai said that proper emergency response can help bring down mortality rates, adding that her organisation will use modern technology to coordinate emergency response.

‘We will be using our technology to help coordinate responses and will work with the county through its referral system and also with public and private ambulances,’ she said.

Source: Kenya News Agency