Mingy Christmas and a Hopeful New Year

It has been quite a trying year full of downs and downs may be a few ups like some rains after a terrible drought. As the year is coming to an end things are getting worse, the hardship has climaxed during this festive season. The prices of commodities that doubled and tripled are now hiked as it is the norm during festivities. For those traveling fares are not any better.

Many have to cut down on spending because January the tight month of school opening is next week, many are also worried about Al-shabaab attacks after warning alerts have been issue. I wish Jesus would just pay a short visit to Earth again to save the World from misery. As we celebrate His Birthday the cheapest way we can, we hope for a miracle in the coming New Year.

Deadly strike

This Doctors’ strike is now getting out-of-hand, Kenyans breathed a sign of relief when the strike was called off on Monday evening only to hear that the strike is still on in the morning. It is sad that most Kenyans can only afford treatment at Government hospitals that have been affected by the strike, so many now watch their loved ones pass-on because of lack of treatment. Am also sad because I lost someone I know at Kenyatta National Hospital and hope the Government and the Doctors agree to end this senseless loss of lives.

Many strikes in Kenya now

It is one strike after the other, teachers strike, lecturers strike, Medical staff strike and now Doctors strike all over the Country, there could be others I may have forgotten. Such strikes are helpful to push the Government to fulfill their promise, even after giving warnings of strike the Government does not do anything about the warnings until they take place. However some strikes notices should not be ignored; medical staff and Doctors strike is a very serious issue.

Doctors working in Government institutions all over the country are on strike now, this is a very serious and grave issue because many patients will not get the required services of a Doctor and already a patient has died at a Coast hospital. This is according to daytime news and if this continues how many more patients will succumb to their ailment.

The Government should hold an urgent meeting with the Doctors’ Union leaders to solve this problem as a matter of urgency. However I sometimes wonder why the Government does not allocate enough funds for the Ministry of Health despite the many complaints about the poor state of Government Health facilities Country wide. Patients complain of pathetic situations and medical staff as well complaining of the same situation and poor remuneration.

It’s like the State does not care about the well being of its citizens.

On World Aids day

Politics is a dirty game

Political parties in Kenya are expected to hold grass root elections and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) started last week. We have witnessed live and in the news the fights at the elections that have been termed a sham by some of the candidates. I agree with the candidates that the elections were a sham because of the old method they are using, mlolongo system the method of queuing behind ones candidate of choice. It is unbelievable that in these democratic times mlolongo system can still be used.

One big problem in mlolongo system is that it is too open the candidate sees all who queue behind his/her opponent even the ones who have betrayed him/her. It is also common knowledge that they pay people to vote for them so it is shameful for the ones who have eaten from both sides or all candidates if they are many and that is why secret ballot is a more decent way of voting.

Grass root elections are more chaotic because it is run by parties and not the Government, so the parties cannot organize these elections like the Country’s national elections. Security is minimal so citizens become more rowdy and the candidates employ all sorts of crude ways like hiring goons to beat up their opponents to get elected. The worst candidates are those who want to hold on to their seats, they know the system of the party; they know early enough the time and venue of the elections and are in contact with the presiding officer. Most of those who want to cling to their positions are men and frustrate women opponents.

Armed with information from the party headquarters ahead of other candidates, these people change the venue of the elections without informing others, they go to an extent of bribing the presiding officer with a lot of money. They also by them food and drinks delaying the exercise. The officer arrives at the venue of elections late in the evening to find a very impatient crowd. The crowd is asked to leave the premises for delegates names to be called, without a loud speaker and a long list of names to call the situation because terrible. Before the officer gets anywhere with the names the crowd gets charged and storms the hall, then the elections is called off because intruders are mixed with the delegates. Meanwhile a group had already sat down, elected themselves and submitted their names to the officer. The other candidates who were prepared for a democratic election are left confused.

This is the dirty game played at grass root elections and it is good ODM is repeating some of the elections.