Thursday March 30, 2023
HEALTH SERVICES: Kiunga women entertain guests during a recent visit by Governor Issa Timamy. Image: CHETI PRAXIDES
Lamu residents on the Kenya-Somalia border have decried poor health conditions that have left them predisposed to constant infectious disease outbreaks believed to be from neighbouring Somalia.
Residents of Ishakani, Ras Kiamboni, Sarira, Kiunga, Madina, Mkokoni, and Kiwayu have frequently been victims of cholera outbreaks and other infectious illnesses said to be originating from neighbouring Somalia.
For years, Somali citizens, more so pregnant women and children, have crossed into Kenya to Kiunga and Ishakani in search of medical attention, a situation that has left residents in the areas exposed to disease outbreaks.
They want more hospitals and dispensaries established in the areas to alleviate the situation.
Residents of the immediate border town of Kiunga complained of the lack of drugs and personnel in the dispensaries and called on Lamu Governor Issa Timamy to look into setting up more facilities and equipping the existing ones with drugs and medics.
Community leader Omar Mujahid said that, as a result, residents have to travel by road or water all the way to the King Fahd hospital in Lamu Island in search of medical attention.
Travelling from these border villages to Lamu Island is an extremely expensive affair, whether one chooses to go by road and water.
Hiring a private boat from Mkokoni to Lamu Island and back for instance is not less than Sh40,000 while connecting from Mkokoni to Kiunga via a private vehicle hire will cost you not less than Sh14,000.
Cross-border cholera outbreaks have become quite a common occurrence among these communities who are left reeling in aftermath with no obvious medical setup or interventions.
“The government is aware about these outbreaks and the fact that it’s so hard for us to access help. We need hospitals here and we need medics and drugs. We are asking the governor to intervene since he has the resources,” Mujahid said.
Fathima Athmani said it’s impossible to rule out interactions with their counterpart from Somalia as they are on the border.
“We cannot say we will stop interacting with these people because, geographically, we are neighbours and we cannot do anything about that. But our governments must help us because they know the situation,”she said.
Over the recent years, these border towns have seen a steady population growth that continues to put a strain on the available facilities, a situation that has seen pregnant mothers bear the brunt as they are subjected to home deliveries.
Halakhe Siyad, a traditional doula, said the situation has seen an increase in maternal and infant deaths during childbirth.
In a recent tour of Kiunga, Governor Timamy promised an immediate intervention to the situation.
“We shall have the hospital expanded and enough drugs and personnel brought in, in the shortest time possible," the county chief said.
'For the first time, we shall also send in a permanent doctor. It’s a shame to have women and children dying during childbirth in this day and age.”
(edited by Amol Awuor)