Author: alphyjuma

By Evance Odhiambo Maternal health remains a major health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In Kenya, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was 362 deaths per 100,000 live births according to the statistics by the ministry of health. This among other maternal health challenges has changed since the introduction of Linda Mama program operated by National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). The program that has been running since 2017 in both public and private hospitals has so far yielded notable fruits according to testimonies by mothers, health facilities and the department of health in Kisumu County. The program which offers free maternal services…

By Jejje Muhinde; Even though Adeodatus may have trouble speaking, he has no trouble expressing his gratitude while greeting visitors with a big smile as he grabs their hands to greet them. The 14 year-old who lives in Masaka on the outskirts of the capital Kigali with his mother and two sisters spent the first 11 years of his life either in bed or crawling indoors because he didn’t have a wheelchair. With a condition as a result of a polio virus contracted when he was just two years, Adeodatus developed physical disability and could hardly walk or move his…

By Kabuye Ronald January 10, 2022 Sports is one of those fields that have shaped many vibrant careers and influenced even the most powerful of economies. Many powerful men and women have risen from nothing in the remotest parts of Africa to the European football league or from the Ghettos to America’s number one tennis players or golfers. Sports like any other God given abilities or talents are natured right from a tender age. In Football for example, basics as ball control, passing, heading, dribbling, shooting as well as off and on the ball movements are all taught to the…

By Evance Odhiambo Forty percent of Kisumu City residents reside in the informal settlements including Nyalenda. With such a population, access to proper healthcare has not been a walk in the park due to low income and the distance to health facilities. Over the past years, Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) have acted as a linkage between the residents and the health facilities. The distance between the residents and health facilities as well as many households to be covered hindered the efforts of CHVs to conduct visits and referrals. According to Elisha Ogonda, a CHV in Nyalenda, he is supposed to…

By Kahindi Vilivu The 2021 devolution conference that was held at Wote in Makueni County tasked the county governments to put in place measures that would address the adverse effects of climate change among the communities. The conference that was addressed by President Uhuru Kenyatta via a video link and was attended by 25 governors and a host of senators put emphasis on what the county governments could do to alleviate the suffering of rural communities who face the brunt of the ever changing climate. The county governments were urged to work closely with the national governments and development partners…

By Kioko Nyamasyo Under Kenya’s Vision 2030, the country aims at transforming into an industrialized middle economy country offering high quality life to its citizens in a clean and secure environment. One way of achieving this is through the formation of Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCOs)- formed when a group of people voluntarily meet together to start a savings and credit group to meet their economic, social and cultural needs. SACCOS are distinct from other financial institutions, in that they are user owned, user controlled and user benefitted organizations. Currently, according to Wakandi, 2021, there are over 22, 000 SACCOs…

By Christian Benard Childbearing begins early in Kenya, with almost one in four women giving birth by age 18 and nearly one in two by age 20. Additionally, 18% of adolescent women age 15-19 years are already mothers or pregnant with their first child, according to data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. Further, a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Report notes that Kenya has recorded 378, 397 adolescent and teenage pregnancies for girls aged 10-19 years between July 2016 and June 2017, specifically, 28, 932 girls aged 10-14 years and 349,465 girls aged 15-19 years became pregnant. Key…

By Saumu Juma Teenage pregnancy and associated stigma continues to keep many girls from completing their education in Kenya. Many teenage mothers fear returning to school due to stigma from their colleagues, teachers and even the society. Thus, they are forced to stay at home or get married against their will. According to a report by the National Council for Population and Development, Nairobi tops other counties with 2,379 cases of pregnancy among girls aged between 10-14 years, followed by Homa Bay County with 1,530 underage pregnancies. The report also indicates that every year, about 13,000 girls drop out of…

By Naomi Kitur Kenya has been classified by the United Nations (UN) Water as a water scarce country. With a population of about 50 million, 15 percent of Kenyans rely on unimproved water sources, such as ponds, shallow wells and rivers, according to Water Org, a global nonprofit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the world (www.water.org). Though these are the dominant sources in rural areas, the narrative is changing for residents of Kapkures sub-location in Bomet County, Kenya. Having experienced her community’s suffering due to lack of clean water, Joyline Chepkorir, a PhD student at John Hopkins…

By Joyce Chimbi Nearly seven out of every 10 HIV positive children globally live in East and Southern Africa. Despite progress made to reduce new HIV infections in children, the region remains far behind the 95-95-95 fast-track global targets for ending pediatrics AIDS by 2030. National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCOP) statistics show that out of 1.4 million people living with HIV in this East African nation in 2019, 90,000 were children under the age of 14 years. An estimated 11% of these children were in Homabay County. The reality of HIV is well documented across the Lake Victoria…