Kenya joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Population Day on 11th July. This year’s celebrations were held in Narok County with calls on the 47 counties to develop policies aimed at ensuring the wellbeing of vulnerable sections of the community in times of emergencies. The event was attended by hundreds of locals who took part in a procession through town to raise awareness on the day. Narok county was in the news recently when a large part of the town was affected by floods, which caused damage to property and loss of lives.
In a speech read on her behalf by the Ministry’s Secretary in charge of Administration Noor Hassan Noor, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Hon. Ann Waiguru said developing countries, especially those that recently faced the Ebola pandemic lost billions of dollars in terms of economic development. She added that as part of lesson learning, counties to come up with disaster management and response teams to as to cater for any eventualities.
Various speakers noted that in many cases during emergencies, women, children, youth and other vulnerable groups are usually the greatest victims. As emergency response teams look to addressing issues of shelter, food and water provision, many sanitary and hygiene issues tend to be forgotten. It is during such times that incidents of sexual abuse abound while lack of basic items such as sanitary towels and condoms are also common.
National Council for Population Development (NCPD) Director General Dr. Josphine Kibaru Mbae called on Kenyans to observe family planning and only give birth to children they can take care of. “Bearing of children is not about how many, but rather the quality of lives the children enjoy. The number does not matter as long as you can be able to provide basic needs and education to secure their future,” said Dr Mbae.
During a media briefing prior to the celebrations, George Kichamu, a Director at NCPD had pointed out that the use of modern contraceptives among women of reproductive age had gone up from 53% to 58%. Such gains are likely to be eroded if proper plans are not made to mitigate challenges experienced during emergencies and disasters.
During the celebrations, various stakeholders had service points and information booths to provide intervention points for locals. Partners present included DSW, UNFPA, NCPD, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Red Cross, St. John’s Ambulance among others.
