Last month, around the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
in Kampala, Uganda, the Secretary of State for International Development,
Douglas Alexander, visited DFID projects in Tanzania and Kenya, as well as Uganda.
Watch the video about his visit to Kenya, left.
In Kenya, the Secretary of State's visit centred around Garissa, a provincial town of 40,000 people, 375 km east of Nairobi.
Here, he saw the reality of daily life in a particularly disadvantaged part of
one of Africa's poorest countries. In this arid area, 50% of people live below
the poverty line, and disease, natural disaster and conflict are major threats.
Visiting a primary school, health clinic, hospital and an internally displaced
persons (IDP) camp, Mr Alexander was able to judge how far development efforts
and Kenyan reforms are beginning to make a difference to people's lives.
Emergency help and better healthcare
The IDP camp is home to around
300 families displaced by floods and river
erosion. The Secretary of State saw how the Government and the international community (with DFID
support) have responded to recurring crises. While the
emergency response has done well in protecting people, it is nonetheless too expensive
and backward-looking. In order to address these issues, DFID Kenya has recently
launched a new ten-year programme of social protection. Staff discussed with Mr
Alexander how the vulnerable can be better protected, and growth can be
encouraged, through more predictable social protection.
A visit to the local hospital offered an opportunity to talk through the impact
of DFID-supported public service reforms with people at the front line. The
Secretary of State was taken on a tour of the hospital by the Medical
Superintendent, Dr Khadija Abdalla, an
exceptional woman who has transformed the hospital over the last five years. She is
a clear example of how effective local leadership and good governance can
transform a facility. Dr Abdalla was described by Douglas as “…quite literally a hero!”
Tackling malaria has been one focus of DFID Kenya’s health programme,
with support to the social marketing of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) recently
increasing to provide a further 1.8 million of these potential life-savers. By March 2009, DFID will have
supported the distribution of 12.8 million ITNs, and approximately 400,000
DFID-funded nets have been given to pregnant women and young children through
clinics.
In addition, in January 2007, DFID funded
The MENTOR Initiative to implement
emergency care in areas of Garissa
and Tana River affected by flooding. The objective was to protect the most
vulnerable from death and suffering and reduce the risk of a malaria epidemic
following the deluges in this region. The 300,000 displaced people who were at risk
were covered by the campaign. In Shable village, the Secretary of State observed
malaria control and mosquito net promotion activities including a play for those
who have received long-lasting ITNs.
Later, at a dinner with civil society and religious leaders, the
Secretary of State heard their views on governance and broader reforms in Kenya and Somalia, and discussed
the impact of global challenges such as climate change, migration and terrorism
on Garissa.
At the end of his visit, Mr Alexander reflected on what he saw in Kenya:
“I have had an engaging, stimulating and worthwhile visit. If I could take every
member of the British public on the visit I undertook to North Eastern Kenya we
would have no difficultly convincing people in perpetuity to give 0.7% of GNI
(Gross National Income) to
international development.”
Directgov |
The IDP camp is home to around
300 families displaced by floods and river
erosion. The Secretary of State saw how the Government and the international community (with DFID
support) have responded to recurring crises. While the
emergency response has done well in protecting people, it is nonetheless too expensive
and backward-looking. In order to address these issues, DFID Kenya has recently
launched a new ten-year programme of social protection. Staff discussed with Mr
Alexander how the vulnerable can be better protected, and growth can be
encouraged, through more predictable social protection.
Tackling malaria has been one focus of DFID Kenya’s health programme,
with support to the social marketing of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) recently
increasing to provide a further 1.8 million of these potential life-savers. By March 2009, DFID will have
supported the distribution of 12.8 million ITNs, and approximately 400,000
DFID-funded nets have been given to pregnant women and young children through
clinics.
Later, at a dinner with civil society and religious leaders, the
Secretary of State heard their views on governance and broader reforms in Kenya and Somalia, and discussed
the impact of global challenges such as climate change, migration and terrorism
on Garissa. 
(1,358
kb). 