Month: December 2021
LET US INCLUDE PATIENTS WITH CLEFT IN ACHIEVING UHC IN KENYA
Op Editorial
By Dr. Mercy Onsando (Chief Executive Officer, HENNET Kenya) & Mrs. Jane Ngige-Muturi (Program Director East Africa,
Smile Train)
As the world commemorates Universal Health Coverage on 12th December 2021, it is commendable that there are
strides being achieved, most notably the countrywide rollout in Kenya of UHC. However, persons with cleft are still
being left behind in accessing safe, quality and timely care.
The commemoration for this year was themed; “Leave no one’s health behind; invest in the health system for all”
everybody’s future is dependent upon a resilient health system for all. It is therefore, timely for us to call on the
government of Kenya during this day to pay attention to the needs of children with cleft lip and palate and specifically
ensure as we walk through the UHC journey this category of children/people are not left behind.
Cleft is a congenital birth defect which affects the child’s ability to breath, eat, speak and ultimately thrive. Because of
the unfounded myths and misconceptions, children are isolated, stigmatized and abandoned or in some communities,
even killed. It is difficult to imagine living with an untreated cleft and the associated physical challenges and mental
trauma, simply because they were not aware that there is treatment available. These are missed opportunities to
make friends or even go to school and secure a healthy, productive future because of societal judgement at face value.
The management of the birth difference is made more difficult due to ‘‘late’’ diagnosis of cleft and the lack of resources
to enable prompt management.
Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft somewhere in the world totaling to an annual estimated figure of more
than 200,000 globally and over 39,000 from Africa. There is therefore need to strengthen surgical systems that
prioritize safe, timely and sustainable care for patients with cleft.
Health CSOs in Kenya under the umbrella of HENNET conducted UHC consultations in July 2021 and the findings
demonstrated that such marginalized groups are often left behind (National Consultation on UHC – Kenya, held on
15th, July 2021.Several factors including lack of access to information regarding the available services, stigma, lack of
Human Resource for Health (HRH), finances, infrastructure, commodities, insufficient policies and legislative
frameworks hinder cleft lip and palate children from accessing Universal Health Care (UHC) services. The COVID-19
Pandemic unveiled that mission models are unsustainable in delivering quality care to children. This is coupled by the
lack of necessary follow-up care needed for the patient to thrive in life.
To create more robust surgical systems, Smile Train has been working with 22 partner hospitals in Kenya, 4 of which
are public health facilities- Makueni County Referral Hospital, Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital, Moi Teaching and
Referral Hospital, Nyeri County Referral Hospital and Embu County Referral Hospital. Patients with cleft are not only
able to receive free cleft surgery, but also comprehensive care including nutrition care and speech therapy treatment
all year round. To address the need for strengthening human resources for health, Smile Train offers training to the
diverse professionals within the cleft ecosystem, empowering them to care for all patients.
The vision of the development partners feeds into the Government of Kenya’s vision in achieving various goals
including moving closer to the optimum ratio of 23 health workers per 10,000 population (WHO) by steadily increasing
it from the current ratio of 10 health worker per 10,000 populations to 13 health workers per 10,000 populations and
reduction of out of pocket expenditure from the current 32% to 20% of household expenditure per year by 2022.
As we pat ourselves on the back on the strides achieved, we still look ahead at the journey and call for more
investments within the health systems including health promotion and disease prevention; treatment of pathologies
and reduction of premature deaths; providing care for people with chronic diseases, deficiencies, disabilities, or health-
related handicaps; chronic illness care; the provision and administration of public health care; provision and
management of public health care; taking steps to develop health programs, health insurance and other mechanisms
of financing, and the administration of the health system.
Civil Societies should continue to keep the government accountable at local and national level calling for more
investment in Primary Health Care infrastructure and human resources involved as a driver of UHC. We need the
government to support those unable to afford NHIF scheme to be considered and prioritized. In equal measure, Civil
Society Groups could help the public in advocacy efforts encouraging NHIF contributions that would also contribute to
the financing of UHC efforts.
No child should live with an untreated cleft. Equally, let us all play our part in creating resilient health systems that
benefit all Kenyans
14 Trees announces Africa’s largest 3D-printed affordable housing Project
Nairobi, Kenya 7th December 2021
14 Trees, a joint venture between Holcim and CDC Group, announces Africa’s largest 3D-printed
affordable housing project in Kenya – called Mvule Gardens. The project will be built in Kilifi in partnership
with the Green Heart of Kenya Development, in early 2022.
Building on 14 Trees’ world-first 3D-printed developmentsin Malawi, the Mvule Gardens housing complex
will offer 1 bed, 2 bed and 3 bed units starting at Ksh2.46m in a low density gated community project
close to Kilifi Town.
Colm Halley, General Manager 14 Trees Kenya: “We are excited to be building one of the world’s largest
3D-printed affordable housing projects in Kenya. The Government of Kenya have made huge efforts to
accelerate the development of Affordable Housing in Kenya. 14Trees is committed to using innovative
technology to support this, with houses that have a lower carbon footprint than traditional methods. The
announcement of Mvule Gardens and the inauguration of the show house in Nairobi are an extremely
exciting step to deliver beautiful affordable, eco-friendly homes in Kenya.”
Lachie Gordon Athi, Green Heart of Kenya Managing Director: “As East Africa’s first regenerative town,
the Green Heart of Kenya is proud to be hosting this incredible project. Our vision is to show how
development can have a positive impact on the environment and community around it. The reduction of
embodied carbon and construction costs that construction 3D printing represents, as well as the
environmentally conscious design of Mvule Gardens, is an important step towards realising the Green
Heart of Kenya’s vision.”
Seddiq Hassani, the Managing Director of Bamburi Cement, which is also Holcim’s Kenya subsidiary: “As
part of Bamburi’s commitment to supporting the Government of Kenya’s Big 4 Agenda on affordable housing, we are delighted to be supplying our innovative building materials for this truly ground-breaking
project. The material to be used in Mvule Gardens is part of our soon to be launched Tector range of
mortar products, reaffirming our commitment to offering the Kenyan market with the highest quality,
most innovative and greenest building materials.”
The Mvule Gardens in Kilifi, Kenya, is one of the largest 3D-printed affordable housing projects in the
world. It is part of the Green Heart of Kenya regenerative ecosystem, a model for inclusive and climate-
resilient cities. Its advanced sustainability profile won an IFC-EDGE Advanced sustainable design
certification, which recognizes resource-efficient and zero-carbon buildings.
14Trees is dedicated to addressing Africa’s shortage of affordable housing with 3D printing and smart
design while creating skilled local jobs. As proven in Malawi, the technique can reduce the environmental
footprint of a house by more than 50% compared to conventional methods, while the walls can be built
at record speed in just 12 hours compared to almost four days with conventional building techniques.
MASS Design Group, an American and African-based architecture practice, designed the Mvule Gardens
to advance affordable, sustainable and replicable housing units adapted to Kenya’s environment.
NAIVAS UNWRAPS 2 NEW OUTLETS AHEAD OF CHRISTMAS 2021
Nairobi, 06.12.2021 Kenya’s number one retail chain, Naivas Supermarket will this week be
opening doors of its newest outlets in Malindi and Embakasi on 9
th and 10
th December, 2021
respectively.
The Malindi outlet becomes the second branch in Kilifi county after the retailer opened shop
for the first time in the county in Kilifi Town along Bofa Road. This new store
covering 28,000 square feet of trading space is the new anchor tenant at the Oasis Mall in
Malindi along Lamu Road.
On the other hand, the Embakasi outlet located along Road B off Airport North Road just
opposite Nairobi Bottlers covers 27000 square feet of trading space. The outlet is the 7th
store within the greater Eastlands region and the second along Airport North Road with the
other being Embakasi Express which opened its doors in July of this year.
“We are excited that this double store opening comes just in time for the kick off the
Kenyan festive period traditionally marked by Jamhuri Day. The excitement is further
expounded by our annual Christmas campaign which this year is dubbed Krismas Kilocol
where all shoppers have been enjoying the best offers in store and every day 400 Reward
Card holders are winning gift vouchers. More so, for 12days since 1st December, they have
also been winning the Naivas signature Mbuzi,” said Willy Kimani Naivas Chief Commercial
Officer.
“As always, our commitment is to Kenya since our DNA is Kenyan and we will remain
focused on the Kenyan consumer. We are elated that our store openings have been greatly
enhanced through the support of our stakeholders and investors who have strengthened
and improved corporate governance, increased accountability and professionalism within
the business,” concluded Willy Kimani.
Naivas plans to open an outlet at Greenspan Mall in Donholm, Nairobi before the year ends
The whistling African 
You must be logged in to post a comment.