Born to Die ( too soon )

Having lived in a country where Healthcare is free at the point of need and coming to Kenya where it is not, highlights the enormous strains placed on ordinary people when ill. 

While Heathcare insurance is available to the few, the majority cannot afford it. When  they become ill, they struggle on without medical care and as a result live poorer lives and die younger.

Ideally an ill person should receive medical attention as soon as possible but when payment intervenes the patient has to decide without any medical knowledge whether they can manage without seeing a doctor. As a result the treatment when received is often too little and too late and the outcome is poor. 

Kenya has a very high incidence of Obesity and Diabetes due to the poverty of the diet. high in sugar, ugali, rice and oil

Some life/ death statistics 

Life expectancy –Kenya 2025 Males 63.8  -Females 64.69 years 

                              UK    2025  Males 79.     Females   83 years    

Neonatal death rate (2023) per thousand live births: 

Kenya  21 per thousand 

UK. 2.9 per thousand

Don’t the people of Kenya deserve better 

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), Kenya has a doctor-to-population ratio of about 1:16,000, far below the recommended ratio of 1:1,000. 

This shortage leads to overburdened healthcare professionals and potentially compromises the quality of care, particularly for specialized services.

5 Dec 2024

Eradicating Flame Wars in Social Media

In a recent Facebook post, a graphic with photos of historical computer programming language authors was ridiculed and criticized for "leaving out" some languages and their authors.

A commentator named Sree Mahalakshmi employed a substantially different approach in his response.

He chose to expand upon and clarify the history, instead of engaging in a stupid flame war, as many of the earlier commenters had done.

This type of response in social media could give the platforms new life.

The original thread poster really generated a great new "movement" in many respects.

 The Scourge of the Boda Boda

On Friday April 19th 2024, the Daily Nation published an article entitled, Motorcycling, movement gains momentum, by Mr Van de Grisjparde, the CEO of Kibo Africa Motorcycles. 

In it, he describes Motorcycling in Kenya:

    It is the roar of a growing culture founded on a love of freedom, thrill of adventure and desire to make commute (sic) faster and more affordable in hard times. Beyond the practical appeal lies the thrill of the open road and the liberation that can only be experienced on two wheels- a sense of freedom and expression. 

After excelling the virtues of motorcycling he expresses a word of caution. – of course Freedom comes with greater responsibility and caution ( he means risk – my word) and emphasized the importance of wearing protective gear ( knowing full well that the majority of motorcyclists cannot afford the gear that runs into many hundreds of thousands of shillings. 

What are the Facts? 

Data from the National Police Service shows that between May 2022 and October 2023, 2384 people were killed and 5581 seriously injured while 2031 escaped with minor injuries 

In the publication, Nation, Thursday March 14th 2024 -Nation Highways of Death: 

the article says ‘Most deadly roads for motorcyclists -License to Kill - Deadly, boda bodas leave a trail of broken limbs (and deaths - my addition).

This is an irresponsible article by someone who should know better. It should never have been published. It creates a false impression of the Boda Boda. The truth is that these vehicles maim and kill thousands of our finest young people every year, a burden that the country can ill afford.

But there is a solution.  The motor bike comes with an accessory- the sidecar that converts it from an unstable two-wheeled death trap into a stable three -wheel people carrier.

If the governmet has any concern for the safety of its future generations, it will consider subsidizing this. 

June 20th 2024 Kenya’s day of Infamy

An unprecedented run on the Kenya shilling, reaching a low of 127 against the US Dollar was one of the factors that prompted President Ruto to introduce a swingeing Finance bill that included the taxing of sanitary towels. In response, thousands of Protesters, mainly young college-age students. using TikTok, the Gen Zs took to the streets to register their dismay at the price hikes – A demonstration two days earlier went off without an incident but on the 20th of June, everything changed. No one knows who in the government or Police decided to change their tactics but change they did. As the protesters became more brazen, the police first resorted to water cannon and tear gas and finally resorted to shooting down unarmed young men in cold blood. Over 300 young people lost their lives. It was a grim reminder of Kenya's history of violent elections.

 Where was she?

As the last shouts of joy and celebration die down following the crowning of King Charles and Queen Camilla, the absence of any reference to Diana, the mother of William and Harry leaves a deep sadness.  

Camilla now Queen Camilla is guilty of continuing an illicit affair with the then Prince Charles during his marriage to Diana.  She knowingly undermined their relationship to the point where he divorced her. He was complicit in the decision. 

Throughout the whole elaborate ceremony at Westminster Abbey, a Christian ceremony seeped in history, but they omitted to mention her. 

Later at the concert held in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Prince William, her older son and the heir apparent pays homage to his father but omits any reference to his mother.

Such is the deep hypocrisy of our royal family.  

 

Where was she?

 The Elephant in the Room.

The whole world has been enthralled at the ceremony to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth the Second who died at the age of 97 on 8th September 2022 after a reign of more than seventy years. Heads of State from many countries of the Commonwealth and beyond have come to pay their respects to a woman who gained the love and admiration of so many. She is succeeded by her eldest son who became King Charles 111.  

Absent from the ceremony is any mention of a young woman, the first wife of Charles who was the mother of William the heir apparent, and Harry. Her place has been taken by Camilla, Queen Consort. 

Diana was born on the 1st of July 1961 and died in a road accident on the 31st of August 1997.  In July 1981 she married Prince Charles,  They were divorced in 1996 after Charles admitted his continued relationship with Camilla. Instead of walking away and accepting the situation, she continued the illicit relationship forcing Diana to end her marriage.  

Although Diana's death was received by the public with shock and acknowledged by thousands standing in the streets as her coffin passed by; that same public seem to have rubbed her memory out of history. Not one mention of her has been made during the whole lengthy ceremony.  

This observer is appalled at the hypocrisy of the British Public and the British media.  

Covid 19 is real

It is real- the whole world is under attack. From a philosophical point of view, it could be seen as a correction. The earth is returning to some form of earlier order in which life and the planet were in equilibrium. Clearly, modern technology had turned this on its head with global warming, pollution of rivers, increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, plastic waste and much more. 
The effect of Coronavirus has been to stop and in some cases reverse these effects by reducing travel and the consumption of natural resources. The fact that it affects the old and infirm and spares the young could also be interpreted as a re-alignment, a renewal, a fresh beginning, a wiping out of the dependent non-contributors to provide space and opportunity for the young, the next generation. 
For those of us in lock-down, it offers a challenge but also an opportunity. The challenge is to stay healthy and fit, the opportunity is to do something new- a new hobby, learning a new subject- the internet has provided such an opportunity as never before. Grasp it and turn this disaster into a shining success.