Why tribal chauvinism will be the death of our beloved Kenya

What you need to know:

  • Investigations reveal that Mr Melly was appointed as a doctor in a Nandi sub-county hospital purely because of his tribe, not his qualifications.
  • The first instinct of our politicians is to go abroad even for the most commonplace health problems.

It seems that tribal chauvinism always trumps common sense in Kenya.

People will be tribalistic even when it is not in their best interest to be so.

Take the case of Ronald Kiprotich Melly, a quack who pretended to be a doctor in Nandi County and who apparently conducted several complicated surgeries without ever having attended medical school.

Investigations reveal that Mr Melly was appointed as a doctor in a Nandi sub-county hospital purely because of his tribe, not his qualifications.

According to the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, Nandi county rejected seven doctors sent to it by the national government because they were from the “wrong” tribe.

Nandi, it seems, does not care if appointing an unqualified doctor would result in the unnecessary death of people seeking health services in the county.

The career of this man was more important than the health and lives of county residents.

If officials in the county government really cared about the majority tribe in Nandi, then shouldn’t they have sought the best and most qualified doctors, regardless of tribe, to treat these people?

Ironically, the chairman of the county’s health committee has recommended that since Mr Melly has demonstrated such a passion for medicine, he should be sponsored by the government to receive proper medical training so that he can continue working. Seriously?

WHAT A SHAME
Talking of medical training or lack thereof, did anyone find it strange when Isaac Ruto rushed off to South Africa for what appeared to be a minor injury instead of seeking treatment here in Kenya?

The first instinct of our politicians is to go abroad even for the most commonplace health problems.

Clearly they have no faith in the country’s doctors and hospitals.

Instead of ensuring that our health care system is world class, they make a mockery of their leadership by going abroad.

What must a doctor in Johannesburg, London, or Boston be thinking when he is treating a Kenyan politician for a hernia?

He is probably thinking, “Poor chap, he comes from a country where there are no proper health facilities so he had to fly all the way here for this minor operation”.

To add insult to injury, after his treatment, Mr Ruto organised a big “homecoming” for himself in his village where many people do not even have access to piped water, let alone hospitals.

*****

When I moved to Malindi some years ago, one of the things I missed about Nairobi was being able to buy tilapia.

So when I saw frozen packets of the freshwater fish at my local supermarket, I promptly bought the whole stock.

But when I cooked it, it did not taste like tilapia at all; it was chalky and tasteless.

Then I read a disturbing report that stated that fish processing companies in Kisumu (of all places!) are importing tilapia from China because there is a deficit of this fish in the country.

Apparently Lake Victoria is not producing enough tilapia to meet local demand.

(By the way, when will the countries that share Lake Victoria consider changing its name to one that does not remind them of colonialism?)

First our sugar industry is mismanaged, then textile and cashewnut factories collapse, and now we are importing tilapia?

Do we or do we not have an industrialisation policy that protects and promotes local industries?

And given that the two “Made in China” clocks I bought recently stopped working within a week of purchase, what guarantees are in place to ensure that the food we import from China is not toxic, adulterated, or sub-standard?

STATE OF AFFAIRS

Still on the subject of Malindi, why is it that none of the economic growth that the government says we are enjoying is being felt in this coastal town?

In the past two years, two major hotels, at least four restaurants, and several other establishments have closed down permanently due to lack of business.

Some say that some of the closures have to do with the collapse of Imperial Bank, where many Malindi residents held accounts and lost a lot of money.

Others say it is a reflection of the general dip in tourism in the country.

Whatever the case, if things continue the way they are, we are likely to see massive human flight from Malindi, which could soon become a ghost town.