Daily Brief 7.19.2017

An ambulance dropping off a patient at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya's capital is struggling to contain a cholera outbreak that has so far seen four people lose their lives and more than 300 suspected cases that have been reported.The health cabinet secretary, Cleopa Mailu has announced some health measures to put in place. This includes setting up ten treatment centers in the slum settlements especially Mukuru kwa Reuben slum which has been hardest hit. The ministry has also shut down two hotels in the city, Jacaranda and Valencia hotels. The cabinet secretary has ordered for retesting of all food handlers and acquire new certification within 21 days. The certificates are to be issued once the hotels' staff and premises are tested and found to comply with set health standards.
In my opinion, this is a knee jerk reaction from the government. The fact that there are slums in the city proves the failure of the government in providing affordable housing to the city residents. Also, a lot of the hotels do not have proper certification in handling food. The health County Inspectorate ought to answer to how the city did not close down facilities that were not food safe if they normally conduct regular inspections. It is unacceptable that in this day and age we are still facing a crisis that was solved decades ago.
Nairobi is a major financial and logistics hub on the African continent. It is the regional headquarters for hundreds of multinational companies. It has the fourth largest stock exchange in Africa and is home to the UN-Habitat and United Nations Environmental Program. We the people ought to pressure the government to provide adequate services if the city is to attain a world class standing.