From: MOSES OPADO
Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki has the opportunity to advance the realization of Millennium Development Goal 5 by Kenya Shillings 1.5 Billion to improve maternal health during this financial year.
President Mwai Kibaki speaking in Rwanda said that Kenya has committed considerable resources and put in place the necessary institutional and policy frameworks in an endeavor to ensure the realization of the Millennium Development Goals.
With regard to poverty, President Kibaki noted that despite the registered decline in absolute poverty levels there were fears that many African and South-Asian countries may be unable to accomplish the MDGs.
“Despite these achievements there is a realization that a large number of African and South-Asian countries may be unable to attain the MDG’s targets set by 2015, especially in relation to elimination of extreme poverty. In addition, the reduction of child mortality rates and improvement of maternal health are still matters of great concern,” said President Kibaki. The President told the meeting that Kenya was committed to meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
We want to see if indeed Mwai Kibaki is a man of his word. He has a fantastic real time opportunity to demonstrate to Kenyans and especially the women of Kenya that he cares for Maternal Health.
There is money in the budget of the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation that appears to have no explicable allocation. The Ministry received Ksh 1.5 billion more than it requested from Treasury and the women of Kenya think this is money which should be spent on improving maternal health care this year.
The Hansard of Parliament records that the Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Committee revealed the existence of the Ksh 1.5 Billion in the ministry of public health and Sanitation that can be allocated towards Maternal health and MDG 5. Will Mwai Kibaki direct his Minister to use this extra money to support women and honour his commitments and those of the Government of Kenya to the women of Kenya?
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Watching out for you
Kenya, like the rest of the world, has only 4.25 years left for the realization of the MDGs. If action is not taken expeditiously, there is not much hope for Kenyan women. Kenya is a society where the president must shout at ministers and heads of parastatals/departments for anything to get underway. A very bad mentality but our mentality. Unfortunalety, the shouting may not be forthcoming and more so, it is campaign time in Kenya all the time. There is just no time for service delivery in most of the ministries.