The fight against Malaria in Mombasa has gotten a boost following the flagging off of over 900k nets set to be distributed across the county.

The consignment of 932,000 treated mosquito nets from Global Fund was flagged off on Thursday by Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir and Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) CEO Andrew Mulwa.

“The mosquito nets will be distributed in all 30 wards across the county as well as all county health facilities ensuring adequate protection against the spread of Malaria,” said Governor Swamad.

The over 900k nets are to be distributed in the next two weeks.

The mapping had already previously been done, now it is only an issue of ensuring the nets reach the beneficiaries,” said the Mombasa Governor.

The nationwide mass net distribution exercises is targeting counties that have high Malaria incidents in the country including Mombasa, Kwale and Taita Taveta.

“The Malaria net distribution is a national program that covers Malaria endemic areas across the country. We have some 22 counties that have high Malaria incidents in the country which are targeted for the mass net distribution every three years,” said KEMSA CEO Andrew Mulwa.

“So this program is coming after the earlier exercise which was done in 2020/21,” he added.

16.2 million nets are set to be distributed across the country in an exercise set to end in May.

“So far, because we are doing it in clusters, we have done five counties as KEMSA ie Kisii, Nyamira, Kisumu, Siaya and Migori. We are now doing Mombasa then we will move to Taita Taveta, Kwale as cluster two,” said the KEMSA CEO.

Funds have been allocated to build classes for grade nine, especially in Mvita schools that need classrooms.

This is according to Mvita Member of Parliament Mohamed Soud Machele.

Speaking while issuing bursary cheques to secondary school students, the Mvita legislature said the sub-county was building additional classes in preparation for grade nine learners next year.

“Next year, 2025, there will be no form ones. Learners will be transitioning to grade nine, and our schools are many but do not have grade nine classes. We have started building the classes because if we wait around, our children will study under trees in 2025,” said Machele.

He said they have reports that there are schools with a lot of children, for example, Sparki, Tom Mboya, St. Augustine, Mvita, etc,” said Machele.

“We have allocated funds to ensure we add two classrooms (for two grade nine streams) in Tom Mboya Pri Sch, four classes in Central Girls, a lab and two classrooms for Sparki pri sch, and three classrooms Mvita pri sch,” said Machele.

Also Read: Over 5000 secondary school students get bursaries in Mvita

“We have built additional classrooms for Serani Special School and allocated one million shillings to buy furniture. Ziwani School for the Deaf also needs two classrooms for grade nine,” he added.

Meanwhile, Al Farsy Secondary will get a 51-seater bus as a gift for producing 50 university students following the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results.

“We are also building laboratories in Makupa and Mvita Boys,” said Machele.

Over 5,000 students from Mvita Constituency have received bursaries totalling sh.44 million.

Speaking during the issuance of the bursaries at Ronald Ngala Primary School Grounds, Mvita Member of Parliament Mohamed Soud Machele said 250 students who scored over 350 marks in last years Kenya Certificate of Primary Education got sh.15k each in bursaries.

“The provision of quality education to our rapidly growing youthful population is fundamental to the success of our Socio-Economic Development Blueprint. We are fulfilling our promise to the people of Mvita Constituency to provide access to quality and affordable education,” said Machele.

The Mvita legislature also promised parents to work with school heads to find a way to reduce school fees that is burdening parents.

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“Parents are paying sh.20k school fees, capitation coming from Nairobi is sh.20k which totals to sh.40k. Out of the sh.20k parents pay, sh.5,000 goes to paying Board of Management (BOM) teachers because the number of teachers we get from the Ministry of Education is not enough. The remaining sh.15k goes to what your child eats 165 school days, which is around sh.95-100 daily,” said Machele.

“There’s an NGO in Nairobi ‘Food for Education’ that the Governor has partnered with in the ECDE feeding program. We want to bring them on board to see how the children can eat at a cheaper price. So if I give you a bursary of sh.6,000, the Governor gives you sh.6,000 then you pay sh.1,000 for the BOM funds,” he added.

However, the Mvita MP called on parents to take responsibility of and be more involved in their children’s education.

He cautioned them against depending on politicians for everything, saying the tough economic times was affecting everyone.

“Some parents want politicians to give them fare for their children to go to school, buy their children uniform and pocket money, they want a politician to do everything when his salary is not even enough for him. This also leads to corruption because a politician will try to do anything to get money. The situation is difficult for everyone, so take responsibility then we will help where we can,” said Machele.

Also Read: Mvita MP building additional classes in preparation for Grade 9

Meanwhile, the former Mama Ngina Girls premises is in the process of being registered as a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) center.

MP Machele said the presence of a TVET institution in the constituency will help deal with unemployent in the sub-county.

“We wanted Mama Ngina to be made a TVET because 70 percent of our learners don’t perform well for university. So a vocational training center is better to train them on different skills that they can use day to day to earn a living,” he said.

Community-Based Organization Pwani Youth Network carried out training on safeguarding to strengthen safeguarding measures and policies in the organization.

In a groundbreaking two-day safeguarding capacity-building training, the critical importance of safeguarding took center stage.

“Safeguarding are the measures put in place to protect individuals, assets, and everyone from harm, damage, or even loss. It includes policies and practices that are there to ensure the well-being and safety of people and resources,” said Saumu Hussein, Pwani Youth Network Project Officer.

“For an organization like PYN, since we are working in a community, and work with children and vulnerable groups in the community, it is important that we learn and get to understand what safeguarding is,” she added.

During a capacity-building initiative led by Shared Services Platform (SSP) in 2023, the Lack of integration of safeguarding practices and policies into daily operations was among the gaps prevalent in CBOs and NGOs.

The process reviewed the policies and processes of identified local CBOs and NGOs.

“Safeguarding role should be played by everyone. it is not just about identifying concerns but also creating a culture where safeguarding is prioritized and everyone feels empowered to speak up,” said Saumu after the PYN training.

Others identified in 2023 include gaps in governance which underscored the critical need for bolstering the capacity of board members and key decision-making staff, along with the establishment of comprehensive governance structures.

There was also the absence of thoroughly documented safeguarding measures which underlined the urgent need for more robust and compliant safeguarding frameworks.

“Addressing these pivotal areas not only ensures adherence to legal and ethical standards but also cultivates a secure and nurturing environment for all stakeholders, thereby enhancing organizational integrity and well-being,” read a communique from Global Development Incubator (GDI Africa).

“The training was very important for us as an organization as we now understand what we need to do and also help us plan on how we are going to put our policies and measures in place,” said PYN Project Officer Saumu Hussein.

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Speaking after the training, Derrick Omondi from PYN said the training had enlightened him on some of the measures to take when working with children in terms of safeguarding.

Derrick said “I always knew that children need to be safeguarded but had no idea on the extent the safeguarding should be. The training opened my mind to different ways to avoid having a negative impact when working with children, the community, and others.”

The two-day PYN training held in February under GDI Africa was facilitated by Peter Ouma Muga, a governance, human resources, and safeguarding expert.

“In an era where safeguarding, the prevention from abuse, exploitation, and neglect, has become an increasingly prominent global concern, particularly within the development sector, ensuring compliance has never been more crucial,” said Peter Ouma.

On day one, the focus was on laying the foundation with robust institutional governance policies and procedures aimed at preemptively addressing and managing safeguarding issues across diverse organizational functions.

Day two ushered in a deeper exploration into sports safeguarding, delving into the nuances of protecting participants in sports programs.

“This was particularly relevant for initiatives like PYN’s Education through Sports (Edu-Sports) and PLAY program, which aim to empower coaches and youth in recognizing and honing their talents,” said Peter.

“At the heart of sports safeguarding lies the implementation of tailored policies, procedures, and support mechanisms designed to navigate the unique dynamics of the sports environment. It encompasses proactive measures to prevent incidents and prompt responses to any safeguarding concerns, ensuring the safety, well-being, and dignity of athletes, coaches, staff, and all individuals involved in sporting activities,” he added.

Mombasa Muslim clerics have faulted the national government for allegedly using Ramadan food donations to gain political mileage in the county.

Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, the clerics, drawn from the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) and the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK), said distribution of the food should be done by the two bodies and not politicians.

“Every year during the holy month of Ramadan, the government provides food for needy Muslims who are fasting. This year, they have also done the same but we are told that the food will be distributed by politicians,” said SUPKEM Mombasa Chair, Athman Ali Akbar.

SUPKEM and CIPK say the food is usually distributed by the two bodies as they have all the necessary data on the mosques, orphans, and needy families in all sub-counties.

“We followed all due process and wrote a letter to the County Commissioner in January requesting for the food, and already had an agreement with the then County Commissioner but then the reshuffle happened. So when the new Commissioner came we did the same and sent our request again,” said Athman.

“We were at the County Commissioner’s office today to enquire but what he told us was that following orders from Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza, the food will only be released for distribution to Nyali Member of Parliament Mohammed Ali and Nominated Senator Miraj Abdillahi, both from Kenya Kwanza,” he added.

The Mombasa SUPKEM Chair added that the move was a show of disrespect to religious leaders, especially Muslim leaders.

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His sentiments were echoed by CIPK Mombasa Organizing Secretary Sheikh Mahmoud Abdillahi who questioned the criteria in which politicians will distribute the food.

“We want the distribution to go back to SUPKEM and CIPK. What if you are in need but do not support Kenya Kwanza or the said politician, will I be denied food?” questioned Sheikh Mahmoud.

According to the leaders, it is only in Mombasa that the food distribution has been delayed and is being done by politicians.

“Other counties already received and have distributed the food. We want to tell the national government that if they decide to give the food to politicians then they should not expect us to take part in the distribution,” said Sheikh Mahmoud.

“We will only distribute the food when we get it directly from the County Commissioner,” he added.

Their complaints come even as Muslims continue with their fast.