healthybefit-blog

[healthybefit-blog]

Dumping A Threat to Human Health

Developing countries are threatened by waste management problems. Recently on a tour to a part of our capital city Nairobi, I was amazed by the utter neglect of decomposing waste lying next to a housing line. The residents were going around their business oblivious of the dangers to human health posed by the heaps of garbage next to their homes. I stop and ask myself is it the role of the city management authorities, who have failed to realize the hazards of these heaps to human health or it is the residents who have no idea of what threats there exists or both.

What’s worse, these heaps are the legacy of the leaders who are in charge today. Our parliamentarians who claim to champion the rights of the poor need to know that their elections will come and go but the problems they are elected to solve will continue to haunt Kenyans.

Since the turn of the century Kenyans have been clamouring for a new constitution that will accommodate all Kenyans regardless of tribe or region. My position has always been that Kenyans must come together to write the constitution that will answer all their concerns and if the constitution contains all the proposals from the various groups, I will support the document even though some may not approve. But we must not waste our time by embarking on a fruitless exercise that will also benefit their political parties.

Earlier this year I was taken aback by a survey report that was issued by the European Union. The report on Global governance found that by 2050, the world will have about 1040 persons of just over 2 billion citizens. The United Nations predicts that by 2030 the world population will increase to over nine billion. It is to be predicted that by 2050 Kenya will have more than 45 million people as opposed to the present 47 million. All these projections point to the fact that the resource we have been using to address our growing population is fast depleting.

What’s more, the capital city will be burdened with an additional 30 million citizens. But more importantly the statistics speak to the fact that Kenya’s foreign aid is dwindling at an alarming rate. For example, between 2010 and 2014, Kenya received less than 40 percent of what she applied for in aid. We cannot wait until such a disaster occurs before we think about our foreign policy and seriously think about giving our son an identity.

Sometimes a poor country has to opt for an advantageous stance on international relations and not wait to be ‘demolished’ before taking a position. After the American Civil War, after being devastated by the war, the South took an example from Britain’s ‘Black Standards’ in education and other sectors to put the Confederacy back on its feet. As a country we cannot wait for our brothers to demolish us before taking a stance. And when our brothers decide to demolish us, we cannot wait for them to do it alone.

Kenyans must demand that our leaders deliver on their promises by working hard and not chasing rainbows. We are not running a charity and must have a conscience on how our money is being spent.

Let’s also remember that when foreign missions are asked to raise funds for government services, our mission has a responsibility to report their performance to their country governments. And if the missions report that the requests are not fulfilled, the government authorities should act and not leave Kenyans vulnerable to diseases like Ebola.