Archive for June 25th, 2008
Kenyan IDP Monica Mumbi: “There is nothing to go back to”
 Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN  |
| Monica Mumbi at the Navaisha IDP camp |
NAIVASHA, 25 June 2008 (IRIN) – Monica Mumbi left her hometown of Molo, in Rift Valley Province, in February for the Naivasha internally displaced persons (IDP) camp after violence broke out in her town over the disputed elections. Mumbi spoke to IRIN about her experiences and why she is not looking forward to going back home as the resettlement of IDPs continues.
“We were attacked in our homes by the youths who were angry at the election results. We had to flee to the camp.
“We just left with our children, leaving everything else behind for the attackers. I cannot even go back to farm as our shambas [farms] now have new occupants.
“We have always had problems in the election years in 1992 and in 1997 when different ethnic groups fought each other but this time it was worse because we ended up in a camp.
“Even when we were there [in Molo] we could not live in peace. Our neighbours would graze their livestock on our crops saying we did not belong to the area. They called our farms a ‘free area’.
“My husband was also taken away by a woman from the main ethnic group in the area. When I told the chief he said he could not help. I was left to take care of my children all alone.
“We have been told to leave the camp in 14 days yet we have not been given anything. How will we restart our lives?
“Most of us have many children and we don’t know how we are going to take care of them.
“If I had a little money then maybe I could start a business to take care of my children and rent a house here in Naivasha town.
“There is nothing to go back to.”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Cholera Outbreak Confirmed in Kenya’s Western Region
 Photo: Allan Gichigi/IRIN |
| Contaminated water sources are a principal cause of cholera outbreaks |
NAIROBI, 25 June 2008 (IRIN) – An outbreak of cholera has been confirmed in the Kisumu municipality in the western region, a senior health official has said.
“At least 13 out of 38 cases sampled for cholera have tested positive,” Shahnaaz Sharif, the senior deputy director of medical services in Kenya’s health ministry, said.
Sharif said 34 people had also been admitted to the Kisumu district hospital, with a total of 134 cases reported since the outbreak began on 6 June.
So far, he said, no deaths had been registered.
The most affected areas included the slums of Manyatta, Nyalenda and Obunga in the municipality, which lies in the district of Kisumu East.
“The new outbreak is attributable to the onset of recent rains in the region that have resulted in the contamination of water wells – the main sources of water for the residents,” he said.
This, he said, may have aggravated the already poor sanitation in the slum areas.
Medical supplies have been sent to the affected regions and cholera treatment centres established in the localities of Migosi, Simba Upepo and near the airport dispensary.
Contaminated wells located in close proximity to latrines have been fenced off and the remaining functional wells chlorinated. Other measures included banning the hawking of food in the area and the inspection of food handlers.
Sharif said it was difficult to create public awareness of better hygiene and sanitation practices against a backdrop of low latrine coverage.
The lack of sufficient safe and clean water for domestic consumption within the municipality was also a challenge, he said.
At least 376 cases and 12 deaths have been reported in the Kisumu East district since January when an outbreak of the disease was reported in the rural areas.
The outbreak, which also affected the districts of Bondo, Homa Bay, Kisii South, Kisumu West, Migori, Nyando, Rongo, Siayathe and Suba in the western region, led to the deaths of 46 people with 832 cases being reported, according to a UN World Health Organization (WHO) report on 19 April.
An initial rapid assessment and outbreak investigation in response to the outbreak in April identified poor personal and food hygiene as one of the risk factors contributing to the transmission. The assessment was carried out by a team from the ministry and the WHO.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Symptoms include watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given.
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