01 December 2017

WORLD AIDS DAY KICHAKASIMBA DISPENSARY

WORLD AIDS DAY 2017

     We traveled almost four hours into the interior of south coast to celebrate World AIDS Day in a remote dispensary in a village called Kichakasimba.  (That means the forest of the lions but they've all gone somewhere else I think!)  The goal is to get to zero new infections.  The theme was INCREASING IMPACT THROUGH TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND PARTNERSHIP or let's be honest with how we spend the donors' money and work together!

During the day we gave health education about prevention of transmission of the virus and the importance of each person knowing their status. Those who are infected need medicines to live a long life and care for their families.  HIV is becoming a chronic illness and so we also concentrated on prevention of other chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure.  We taught about cancer of the breast, cervix and prostate and did screenings for these illnesses.  It was a busy day with a few challenges.  My car had been in the shop till the day before the clinic.  In the morning I awoke at 5am to find water all over the floor of my flat from a leaking sink.  I was unable to get a plumber at that hour and even when I called repeatedly from 8am onwards neither the landlord or the plumber would answer.  Then during the clinic the driver showed me that we had a flat tire.  The clouds gathered and it started raining which meant the roads were going to be a challenge to get out of there.  When I got home there was no electricity!  I started to feel sorry for myself.

     Then I got a message from a friend about more trouble in one of the parishes where I lived briefly in what is now S Sudan.  There were 500 people moving into the parish being chased by rebels against the government.  All the local people were afraid for themselves too.  I stopped feeling sorry for myself and thanked God for having a car, water and electricity!  Will trouble in S Sudan ever end???

     In a good sense it has ended for one man.  I have just heard from one of the patients I treated for kala azar...

In 2000, my mum and I came to Nanyangacor, in what is now South Sudan, from Loyoro about 100 miles away. I had kala-azar (a potentially fatal disease transmitted by the bite of sandflies infected with leishmania) and there was no health center nearby. We traveled on foot to Nanyangacor despite that I was at the deadliest stage of my sickness.
The first day I was surprised to see a white lady for the first time; that was Dr. Susan Nagele, who treated me for one and a half months and became my friend. She would give me clothes to put on because I had none. I was just 10 years of age.
My treatment was successful and Dr. Susan advised my mum to let me join the nearby Good Shepherd primary school. School was a new environment for me. Later that year, Sister Mary Ellen Manz became our new teacher. I remember when she used to bring her piano in class and teach us how to sing do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do in the music lesson. Dr. Susan was responsible for my school needs.
Sister Joan Sauvigne and Sister Marilyn Norris took care of the sick at the clinic. I had a friend named Marty Roers who liked planting trees. So we used to plant trees with him and some of the other students. Marty used to give us petty cash for our services.
The year 2003 was not a good one for me because Dr. Susan and Marty left Sudan. Sister Joan, who cared for six orphaned and poor children, took responsibility for me until 2007 when I finished my primary level. In December of that year I went home to visit my mum after seven years of absence because during holidays I used to remain and help in the clinic. When I returned in January 2008, I learned that Sisters Joan and Mary Ellen had gone back to the States. I was left in suspense. I had wanted to give them thanks, especially Sister Joan for all the help she had bestowed upon me. I thank all the Maryknoll community for the work, mercy and commitment they showed to our people during their time here in Sudan.
Adimo Elijah Lobukui

     I cannot tell you how much joy this letter brings to me.  I don't have my own children but in a very real sense I feel Adimo is like my child.  He was just skin and bones when he reached us, close to death after walking 100 miles.  I must have looked very strange to him, being white.  He was courageous enough to let me give him a very painful injection daily for one month.  And he survived. 

     Adimo got sick because he was a shepherd.  Those little boys would sit in the shade of the ant hills for respite from the blazing sun.  Sand flies lived in the ant hills and would come out and bite the boys.  They carried the little filaria or worm that causes leshmaniasis and that is how he became infected.  This Advent Season I will be thinking of my little shepherd boy from S Sudan who has lived to grow up and give praise to God with his life.

    

29 November 2017

Yesterday was another public holiday and the inauguration of President Uhuru Kenyatta went off in Nairobi with a lot of fanfare.  All was quiet here on the coast and you would have thought it was a Sunday with not much going on.  Interestingly the BBC was not transmitting for a lot of the day and the electricity was very bad from the afternoon until now.  My refrigerator is getting warm!  Not very good signs for the future ahead of us!

The opposition in NBI was not allowed to congregate at the place they wanted to have a memorial for all the people who have died/been killed in the last four months.  The US Embassy didn't send us any warnings so maybe it wasn't too bad. The opposition leader has now announced that he will be sworn into the presidential office on 12th Dec, Independence Day.  Clearly the opposition has some unknown plans and this political roller coaster isn't over yet.

Today is the anniversary of the death of Dorothy Day, a woman of peace who spent her whole life fighting injustice and serving those most in need.  She could show us the way if we would just pay attention and learn something about active nonviolence.

20 November 2017

This morning the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions contesting the rerun of the presidential elections and declared them free and fair.  President Uhuru Kenyatta will be sworn in on 28th Nov...another public holiday which will disrupt my clinic schedule.

I am in Voi, 160km outside of Mombasa.  All is quiet on the coast.  There has been violence in Nairobi and Western with two people killed.  Raila Odinga is in Zanzibar.  The government has said that they are willing to talk to the opposition about moving forward and reinvigorating the economy but not about the elections which for them are over and done with.

This is a very divided country with many challenges ahead.

18 November 2017

Mombasa remains quiet.

Nairobi was not. Yesterday the leader of the opposition came back from ten days in the USA and it took seven hours for his vehicle to get from the airport to town.  There were huge crowds of supporters, heavy police presence with lots of tear gas and five people dead, at least, at the end of it all.

On Monday the Supreme Court must rule on the three petitions challenging the rerun of the presidential election.  No matter what the ruling, half of the country will be upset.  If the court finds the election was free and fair the opposition is likely to cause chaos.  If the court finds the election needs to be done once again the opposition will be jubilant and the country will continue in limbo...meaning a place they have never been before and are not sure where it will lead them to.

Regarding my own troubles, I have been battling ants in my computer for two days!!!  I didn't have time to take it into the shop until this morning where they promise me they cleaned them all out.  I have no idea how they got in there.  I never eat or drink at my office desk.  I tried to kill them by putting the computer in the freezer over night and then blow drying it with my hair dryer. That worked for less than a day.  St. Francis forgive me but I was desperate.

I have managed to find a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.  I have invited about 20 people and am praying the electricity stays on so the oven works.  If the happens I will be truly grateful!!!!

11 November 2017

All is still quiet in Mombasa and through out the country.

Three petitions were brought to the Supreme Court challenging the rerun of the presidential election on 26th Oct.  The court will need to answer the petitions by 20th November, assuming they can raise a quorum.  President Uhuru is now being called the 'President Elect'.

The Opposition Party has begun to form 'Peoples Assemblies' the first being in Siaya, an opposition stronghold.  They are pushing for fresh elections once again.  They want an interim government to rule for six months to address all election issues first.  Raila is in the US trying to get support from the international community for his political agendas. He claims the country is 'hurtling towards a dictatorship'.

The Catholic Bishops all met in Nakuru this week. They are calling for a national dialogue which will address the difficulties of holding elections, electoral reforms, reconciliation, criteria of addressing long term issues of governance, transparency, poverty, unemployment, economic inequality, conflict resolution, injustices and accountability...among others!

There is an eight page tribute to Bishop Korir in the Daily Nation today...the day he is being laid to rest.  Perhaps his absence will now make others take his life very seriously and show them another way to solve their problems.

For my part, I got stuck in a big jam on Tuesday morning going to Giriama.  We had to drive all the way around through Kilifi and what usually takes one hour took three and a half hours.  But my trip to Bamba on Wednesday only took an hour and fifteen minutes on the new road through Mariakani.  Before it was always two hours or more and impassable when it rained.  I saw my little boy with the terrible rash and he is MUCH better.  No more itching and most of the skin is dry and healed.  Thanks be to God!!!

06 November 2017

     Mombasa remains quiet.  Today is the last day for petitions to challenge the presidential poll to be submitted.  So we wait to see what happens.  The political posturing continues.  The opposition party has formed a resistance movement with T-shirts, caps and a closed fist symbol.  They want Kenyans to boycott products from Safaricom, Brookside and Bidco to show dissatisfaction with the Jubilee party of the President.  Jubilee has published their plan to block the resistance movement.  Very hard to know what anyone is planning or what will happen.
     Heidi, my resident lawyer and legal expert has just left to go to Nairobi to do further research on women and incarceration there.  It was lovely having her here with me and is welcome back anytime!!!

ALEX, CAROL, DAD AGE 90 MAY 4, 2013

 

OUR NAGELE FAMILY REUNION JULY 2015

 T

AUGUST 2016 GENEVRA AT LEFT NOW 98!

STEVE AND DAD AT FAMILY REUNION 2015 

DAD, SUSAN AND SUMMER 2014

     Today is the first anniversary of Dad's passing.  It's seems like such a long time ago.  He suffered so with dementia and we all wanted him to have some peace.  But I'm sure he's with Alex in a wonderful place.  I suspect Alex is showing him the ropes and they are anything but peaceful!!!!

     Sorry I don't have a picture of Michael. I have looked and looked.  I suspect he was behind the camera lens in most cases!

01 November 2017

BISHOP CORNELIUS KORIR

ALL SAINTS DAY

     When a person dies I am often inspired by the life that I learn about which was  unbeknownst to me while alive.  That is not the case with Bishop Korir who died on 30th October 2017.  When I was in Kitale during the post-election violence of 2008 Bishop Korir was well known for opening the church compound to 10,000 people who feared for their lives.  He was already an inspiration to me.  But as is usually the case, I have learned even more.

     In 1991 the Pokot and the Marakwet were fighting over livestock.  The Pokot were warriors with firearms.  The Marakwet didn't have modern weapons, just bows and arrows.  To ease tension Bishop Korir helped to build cattle dips and schools on the border between the two communities.  They dug two dams to provide water for both communities.  The Gates foundation helped to put up milk cooling plants.  Since the fighting stopped the communities together produce 20,000 litres of milk per day, earning as much as 20 million shillings ($200,000) a month. They have formed a cooperative with board members from both communities.  Bishop described this as his most successful peace initiative among a litany of other projects.  He will always be known as the peacemaking Bishop and a saintly man who shows us what we can do if we really try to follow Jesus.

LINEAR IgA BULLOUS DERMATITIS

      I know that some of you aren't particularly interested to look at medical pictures but this is my work and this little boy was really stranded.  In January he had been properly diagnosed by a dermatologist at the government hospital to have this rare skin disease which I had never heard of before.  He was treated and improved but then relapsed.  The nurses have been striking since June 5th so the government hospital told him to go somewhere else.  The mother heard of one of our clinics located two hours away from where she lived and across the ferry!!!  She got up very early and brought him to me desperate for help.  He is a cute little boy who itches all over but still manages to smile.  Almost his entire body is covered with this rash from head to toe.  Thanks to the internet I could send pictures to a dermatologist who confirmed the diagnosis and I could read up on the treatment and source the medicine he needed.  I had arranged to see the mother at another clinic last week on the day before the rerun of the elections.  To my shock I learned the night before that the next day was now a public holiday and no one could work.  I arranged to meet the mother at the Cathedral in town to give her the medicine and explain to her it is an autoimmune condition that is not caused by anything that she or anyone else did.  (There are always ideas that the illness is caused by a curse from someone evil).  No one had taken the time to tell her that this is a condition that he will live with for the rest of his life and will need to take medicines almost continuously.   Every patient teaches me something and this little boy has taught me a lot.  It is my privilege to be able to help him heal.

    The opposition party announced yesterday that they will not accept the election of Uhuru Kenyatta calling the poll a sham.  They plan to use civil disobedience, economic boycotts and the formation of a 'Peoples' Assembly' to plan the way forward to bring about another rerun of the election in 90 days and to change the constitution.  Mombasa is quiet with no violence.  Nairobi and Western (where many of the opposition live) continue to have pockets of violence but the US Embassy is back to work.  The future for this country is still uncertain.  The President says the decision has been made and we should get on with our lives.  The opposition party says that if this election is recognized officially it will enshrine corruption and impunity in the governance of the country.  

PEACE OF THE 

CLOUD OF WITNESSES

TO YOU

WE ARE SURROUNDED BY LOVE

30 October 2017

It is official for the second time around.  President Uhuru Kenyatta has been reelected with 98.2% of the vote of 38.8% (compared to 79.8% last time) of registered voters.

Mombasa is quiet including Bangladesh, which had violence during the polling.

The US Embassy has sent a message that they are limiting services, cancelling routine services and dismissing nonessential personnel indefinitely.  They're afraid of violence.

Tomorrow the opposition party will announce their way forward.  More uncertainty!

I heard a BBC report today about an elderly Luo man who was hacked to death by Kalenjin warriors.  He worked on a sugar plantation and when the Kalenjin attacked he couldn't run fast enough to get away.  The reporter saw his mutilated body and then walked over the ridge to meet about 100 Kalenjin warriors with spears and arrows with poison tips.  He asked them why they killed the man.  They said because the Luos prevented them from voting and they wanted to vote.  But there is the issue of land and cattle that may have also been a reason.  The Luos are the tribe of the opposition party and the Kalenjin are the tribe of the deputy vice president.  The Kalenjin are reputed to be the best warriors in the country.  

On a very sad note, Bishop Korir died this morning.  He was also a Kalenjin and Bishop of Eldoret.  During the post-election violence in 2008 he opened his cathedral compound to 10,000 people fleeing the kind of violence that happened above.  At that time, the Kalenjin and the Kikuyus were killing each other.  He was a man who tried to follow Jesus and I feel very sad that he is no longer with us.  He will be known as the peacemaking Bishop and will be greatly missed.  May he rest in the peace of Christ.

28 October 2018

Mombasa was quiet all day today.  The US Embassy sent a message tonight that there are violent gangs in Kawangware Nairobi.  No more word from the IEBC regarding the rerun of the election.

27 October 2017

A flawed election begets a controversial rerun begets a colossal sham...Maina Kiai 

Mombasa remains quiet and I was able to go to the bank today.  Businesses were open but fewer people were out and about.

So far it looks like 33% of registered voters have voted (compared to 79% in the first polling) and 98% voted for the President.  The rerun which was to be held tomorrow in Kisumu area has been postponed due to insecurity for the polling officials.  The rerun has to be completed by Oct 31st and the result has to be announced by Nov 2nd.

Is anyone clean in this process?  I can see big problems on both sides.  Can they follow the rule of law and the constitution to avoid what happened in 2008?

26 October 2017

It has been a quiet day in Mombasa for the rerun of the presidential elections.  I got up at to go to Mass at 6:15am.  It was my only choice.  For those of you who know I am not a morning person, this tells you something about my concern for the day.

All the businesses downtown were closed and the streets were pretty empty.  There were problems at Bangladesh where we have a dispensary in St. Patrick parish.  Our clinical officer (physician assistant) slept there last night and stayed until 1pm.  He did not see any patient with injury related to the voting process.  He told me that the residents of the area had spread human excrement in the school which was to be the polling station and they were burning tires outside.  The police brought the items for polling to the main road but were prevented from entering.  Fr. Gabriel Dolan, a St. Patrick Missionary who works with the legal program in the parish, was able to calm down the residents and get the police to take the polling materials away.  Apparently, the police set up a 'polling station' under a tree nearby and a few people voted.  Unless all polling stations can be set up the credibility of the election will be nullified.

There was violence in Nairobi and Kisumu.  There are four places in Kisumu area where they could not set up polling stations and they will try again on Saturday.  The IEBC has one week to announce the results.

Some people want to think that now that the rerun has been performed they can announce that the President has been reelected and move on with their lives.  The President himself has said that Kenya needs to move on.  However, the opposition has announced that they are forming a resistance movement.  This election will surly be contested in the court and it hardly looks credible to me.  There are numerous deep seated problems that will not go away.  Using the Constitution and the rule of law to govern procedures is a new path for this country.  There is a long hard road ahead for all of us who live here.

25 October 2017

I stayed with Coralis last night and this morning I got up early to walk on the beach near her flat.  A young boy, maybe 9 years, came over, shook my hand and greeted me in English.  He was a bit shy and I asked him about school and we looked at the rain on the horizon.  He was from a nearby orphanage.  Then he said goodbye with a smile and waved as he walked towards the man I had thought was his father, but must be a guardian.  The man waved and smiled too.

I have remembered this little fellow all day long.  Town was deserted and very quiet.  I met the mother of a four year old boy with a rare skin disease to give her his medicine.  We met up at the Cathedral and there was no one there. It is the first time I have ever seen the rectory completely closed up with no one present...not even the cook.  It felt lonely.

The High Court ruled that all 290 returning officers were not legally appointed.  The Supreme Court didn't have a quorum to rule on the petition to delay the rerun of the election because it won't be credible.  Only two of the seven judges showed up.  Two were sick, two were somewhere unknown and one claimed she couldn't get a flight back to Nairobi.

The opposition held a big rally in Nairobi and Raila told people to stay home and not vote.  If everyone just stays home and refuses to participate there wouldn't be trouble.  But already in Kisumu there are young people throwing stones and the police are throwing tear gas.  Mombasa is quiet and there is no trouble or violence.

I was able to buy more food at the grocery store and fill up the car with fuel. People are weary and I feel concerned...not yet afraid.  That little boy has had a difficult life if he is in an orphanage and he still has the courage to come up to someone he doesn't know and politely say hello.  I hope that we adults can follow his example, at least myself, because there is going to be trouble ahead.

24 October 2017

It is 10pm and I have changed my schedule tomorrow about five times.  I had a good clinic today and taught about diabetes.  For that I am grateful and felt useful.  When I came to stay overnight with Coralis on north coast she told me that tomorrow is a holiday just announced by the President.  So I called the clinic I have nearby tomorrow and found out that the clinic will be open but they don't have any patients scheduled for me.  There is a woman coming from one hour away to get medicine for her four year old son with a rare skin disease so I arranged for her to meet me in town rather than come up to north coast to see me.

We've been watching the news and that is a merry go round.  At 10am tomorrow the Chief Justice will hear an urgent petition by three citizens asking that the election be postponed because it cannot be free, fair, credible, transparent and accountable.  Apparently the Chief Justice has decided to work on a holiday.

Meanwhile the driver of the deputy to the Chief Justice was shot in the shoulder at 7pm tonight while purchasing something for the deputy.  His gun was stolen with 15 rounds of ammunition and he is in the hospital...alive.  She was not with him.  Remember, the man who was the IT expert for the IEBC was brutally murdered a week before the August elections.  I keep asking who killed him and why?

Next the Chair of the IEBC has announced a deputy national returning officer, Consolata Maina, to conduct the election in his absence.  The President has legislation on his desk from parliament ready for him to sign to grant the deputy national returning officer authority in the absence of the Chair.

The opposition has been holding campaign rallies during the 48 hours before the polls in defiance of the law.  They will hold a rally in Uhuru park tomorrow at 2pm to announce what they will do on Thursday.

Tomorrow night Coralis, Heidi and I all plan to be at my house together while things unfold.  I live across from a police station so it is relatively safe.  We will try to carry on tomorrow to do something that is useful and meaningful, knowing full well that our plans will most likely change a few more times. Since it will be a holiday tomorrow I probably can't go to the bank or certain stores.  I did fill up my vehicle this morning before I left and plan to fill up again tomorrow if I can.  This is not fun at all.

It has been raining heavily the last two days and there have been big jams from Changamwe to Bangla but otherwise Mombasa has been quiet.  I have not heard of any violence here today.

23 October 2017

Mombasa remains quiet and it rained all day.  But tension is increasing.  The US Embassy has sent out its usual  precautions for anticipating violence...keep two weeks supply of food and drinking water, don't go out and be aware of your surroundings...etc. The BBC reported that 20 countries have warned Kenyan politicians not to incite violence.  Yesterday the Pope mentioned Kenya in his Sunday Angelus prayer:

“I am paying close attention in these days to Kenya, which I visited in 2015, and for which I pray, that the whole country might be able to face the current difficulties in a climate of constructive dialogue, having at heart the search for the common good.”

Many people I've talked to will not vote.  They are afraid, it's too expensive to travel to the polling station, they think it will be rigged again.  So many of us remember 2008 and it brings a sick, foreboding feeling of what awful things are possible.  

22 October 2017

All is quiet in Mombasa.  It is Mission Sunday and it rained...we needed it badly!

21 October 2017

"This country (Kenya) needs prayers.  Prayers may not always change God but they can change us."  Fr. Gabriel Dolan, SPS Catholic priest Mombasa

Yesterday was a public holiday to honor those brave women and men who have lived, and sometimes died, for Kenya...Mashujaa or Heros/Heroines.  The CEO of the IEBC, Chiloba, is taking a three week leave.  His resignation was demanded by the opposition.  The President repeated that the elections will be held on the 26th and said his administration would not tolerate any interference.

The opposition says they will "promise a way forward" to his supporters on the 25th.  Raila stated, "I can assure you we will conclude this matter in an amicable way."  He also told his supporters not to attack innocent people, especially Kikuyus (the tribe of the president). 

People are going home and making plans to lay low this coming week.  No one knows what will happen.  We have prepared for trouble but are hoping for something better.

20 October 2017

'Kenya is in Limbo' - Anne Soy, Kenyan BBC correspondant. 

Yesterday the opposition met with the chairman of the IEBC.  The President refused to meet.  He says the rerun of the election has to occur on the 26th.  The opposition advised the IEBC to postpone the elections to make adequate preparations.  Things are still quiet in Mombasa and elsewhere.

Today I went to the funeral of Charity.  She was only 50 and had worked as a cleaner at one of our dispensaries for 13 years.  At age 12 she was married off to an old man and had four children.  His family was Muslim so she became a Muslim.  He left her to fend for herself and in order to feed her children she prostituted herself.  That infected her with HIV.  I saw her for vaginal bleeding and she had already been to the government hospital.  They didn't do the procedures she needed and Charity wouldn't let me write in her book that she had HIV and was on treatment.  She wouldn't let anyone know she had HIV except me and the Sister who ran the dispensary.  I finally told her she needed to have her uterus out and after a lot of prodding she agreed.  While I was home on leave she started to bleed again.  She went to a nearby hospital because the government is still striking.  They found she had metastatic cancer and ran up a hospital bill of  $4000.  Then they referred her to a more expensive hospital that wanted to do chemotherapy.  When I got back the Sister asked my advice. She was in terrible pain and not even taking a simple pain killer.  I called the hospice, which is the only place we can get morphine.  I talked to the nurse and he agreed to give the morphine to the Sister because Charity was too sick to cross the ferry and come herself.  With morphine the last week of her life was pain free.

She told the Sister that she had officially divorced her husband so she shouldn't let her be buried in his home.  They wanted her body.  Her father couldn't bury her in his home unless he returned the money that they paid for her dowry when he sold her off  to them.  She had been baptized and was an active member of the parish.  The Christians and my mission account helped to pay the hospital bill and pay off the in-laws so she could be buried in her father's home.

Charity died of stigma and fear...not cancer.  And she was treated like property until the last days of her painful illness.  I took the time to cross the ferry to attend her funeral thinking no one would be there.  I found the church almost full of people who cared for her.  She is not in limbo but heaven for sure!

19 October 2017

"We are in a real mess.  I don't know how we are going to get out of it." Dickson Alowe, Kenyan lawyer interviewed by BBC this morning.

Yesterday, after Dr. Akombe resigned from the IEBC, the Chairman of the IEBC held a press conference and stated that he couldn't ensure that the election to be held next Thursday would be free, fair and credible.

Mombasa was quiet and as far as I know the whole country was quiet with no violence yesterday.  I feel more relaxed and less concerned about violence.  I don't see how they can go ahead with the elections next Thursday with what has happened.  That would suit the opposition and decrease the chance for violence.  I know that the government is determined to hold the election next Thursday.  I know that many Kenyans are tired and just want this all to be over.

The constitution says that the current president presides until he is confirmed in another election or someone else is elected.  But the lawyer above said that some lawyers are saying that the current term of the president ends on October 30th and if there is no election the Speaker of the House becomes the acting president for 90 days until another election is held and a president is elected.

Democracy is messy when it is messed up by corruption, dishonesty and greed.

I still ask the question...who brutally murdered Chris Msando???

18 October 2017

I awoke at 5am to an interview on the BBC with Roselyne Akombe, an IEBC commisioner who has fled to NY.  She says that there cannot be credible elections on the 26th and she has resigned from the commission.  She fears for her life and for the safety of her family.  Her brother fled Kenya in September.

Who killed Chris Msando?  That will shed a lot of light on the crisis in this country.

I'm going to work today at Likoni dispensary, hoping to do something useful for sick people who have no government health services.

17 October 2017

Today the High Court lifted the ban on demonstrations that the government had put in place until further notice.  People have the right to peaceful assembly. 

Then the opposition called off the demonstrations in memory of their supporters who have been killed in the demos.  A young boy was sent to the store to buy something simple and was shot dead...among others.

Eight days to go till the rerun of the election.

16 October 2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/opinion/kenyan-elections-crisis-odinga.html

This editorial in the New York Times is a good overview of  what is happening here.

Things are turning ugly.  There were demonstrations in Mombasa that ended in tear gas but didn't cause damage businesses or interfere with our daily lives much.  I was in Bangladesh slum today.  My clinic finished at 6:30pm.  There are so many sick people who don't have anywhere else to go.  This area will almost surly have violence when the election is rerun on the 26th.  They want us to keep the clinic open to give first aid.

Amnesty International has reported that over 70 people have been killed in Kenya during this whole process and the rumors I am hearing are sickening.  Unless the two big men talk to each other and try to work things out there will be a lot of chaos.  Only nine days left till then.

15 October 2017

This is Sunday and, as usual, I went swimming in the afternoon at the pool in a nearby school.  From there I could hear the roar of a huge crowd that had gathered along the ocean nearby in a rally for the opposition party.  They have refused to participate in the rerun of the presidential election on Oct 26th.  They have called for daily demonstrations to begin tomorrow in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu (the major town in the opposition area of Kenya).  The political rhetoric is increasingly angry in tone and the opposition calls for their supporters to boycott the poll.  The government insists the polls will be held.  The IEBC says they are ready to run the elections properly and will print the ballots at the end of this week with all eight names of the original contenders in the first poll.  Tension is increasing in the country and no one is sure what will happen from day to day.

Meanwhile, the nurses' strike continues since June 5th.  Marsabit county, which is semi-arid and very poor, has 20 women dying daily due to complications of childbirth.  Maternal deaths from Jan to June were 857 compared to 413 last year.  No child has received an immunization since June.  The big fear is that an outbreak of measles will occur and this virus kills.  The nurses' strike will not be solved until we get a president and a government that is functioning.

I will go to a clinic here in Bangladesh informal settlement, Mombasa tomorrow, hoping peace will continue.  So far Mombasa has been relatively calm. 

13 October 2017

So it seems that there was violence in Nairobi and Kisumu the day before yesterday.  It came out in yesterday's paper but not from the BBC or the US Embassy.  The paper says that the opposition has vowed to block off all the roads to Nairobi if they try to have a rerun on Oct 26th.  We don't need threats like this...and maybe it is fake news.  Some friends have told me that the opposition demos are infiltrated by government supporters who then cause chaos which gets blamed on the opposition.  Someone filmed a police officer breaking the window to his vehicle which he was going to claim was broken by the demonstrators.  Take home point is verify the reports and use trusted sources...like me!  I can tell you for sure what is happening here in my little corner of Mombasa.

So, the Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary, Matiang'i, has outlawed demonstrations by the opposition in Nairobi, Kisuma and Mombasa. The hospital in Kisumu is overwhelmed with sick patients since the nurses are still on strike. The businesses in Nairobi have lost millions due to the protests.  Today there was a demonstration in Mombasa but it was dispersed by tear gas and didn't disrupt much down town.  I was down there an hour later and you wouldn't have known anything happened.  However, there was a big truck full of soldiers passing by the Cathedral.  There have also been many planes flying over head since the middle of the night.  Wonder what they are bringing in.  I doubt it is tourists.

Talking to some friends I found out that when the President came to Mombasa on Monday he fed the people with a rice dish, biryani, that has a lot of spices and oil.  Many of the people who where bused in gorged themselves and then got sick afterwards with diarrhea because they aren't used to such heavy food.  Money was also distributed.  People got anywhere from $20-60 which for them makes the trip worth it for sure!

Meanwhile, 3.5 million Kenyans in the semi arid northern areas face starvation due to drought.  That's almost 10% of the population.

 

12 October 2017

So there is more confusion!  The high court just ruled on the petition by  another presidential candidate that he should be allowed to contest in the rerun of the presidential elections which will be held on the 26th...maybe.  It was the IEBC that said that only the top two candidates could contest so the court said the IEBC made another mistake.  They aren't getting things right at all in this process.  So, if the election is rerun on the 26th they better get new ballot papers printed quickly...and of course that will cost more money. Now the IEBC has said they are going to put all eight candidates on the ballot.  Raila sent a letter to the IEBC to withdraw but he hasn't sent the required form yet.  Living with a lawyer has made all of this much more interesting and I'll miss our discussions when she's gone!

Things are quiet all over the country.  There were supposed to be demonstrations today but there weren't any in Mombasa.  I drove back from Voi and the road is still bad, hot and dusty with lots of police stopping us for no good reason.  But there were less trucks and my medicine order came in so I am happy and have plenty of work to do.

11 October 2017

So the lawyers have a lot of work to do.  The IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) was in a crisis meeting last night.  The President says that they will go on with the elections as planned on 26th Oct.  The opposition claims that the electoral law states that the nominations for a new election must be made and the new election must be held within 90 days of Oct 26th...which is Christmas of course.  All the people I'm with are disgusted and furious.  They are tired of politics and exhausted from caring for so many sick people.  But of course I'm with a group of Sisters who have been working very hard since the nurses' strike began on 5th June.  The average Kenyan is struggling to put food on the table because the economy is down and the business is poor.  Tourism is down and that is one of the biggest employers here on the coast.  I'm sure that the opposition feels differently but I'm not around those people at the moment.  I'll find out when I get back to Mombasa which is an opposition stong hold.

An MP in Nairobi got into a fist fight as he has been arrested for maligning the President.  This kind of thing will give others permission to use violence to vent their anger.  The churches are praying for peace but someone needs to help those who are disenfranchised to find peaceful means to channel their energies.  I just hope Kenyans learned form 2008 and things stay peaceful...no matter what the leaders try to do.

10 October 1917

The opposition has pulled out of the rerun of the presidential rerun election scheduled on 26th October.  Hard to know what this means.  I'm in Voi doing a clinic in the only hospital for the entire county of Taita Taveta due to the strikes of nurses etc.  The president was here campaigning today.  Still hoping and praying that peace prevails. 

05 October

Update on Kenya politics and economics

There is a terrible drought in northern Kenya, especially Turkana, and the government hasn't sent them anything.  Last night on the BBC they reported that the girls and women are resorting to prostitution to get money for food.  They are feeding newspaper to the cattle to keep them producing milk.  I can't imagine this will work?!?  Many men have migrated north towards S. Sudan to look for pasture for the cattle, leaving the women and children behind.   The NGOs trying to help them are very distraught and say the situation is critical.  The government is not functioning and politics is overtaking everything in the country.

A Member of Parliament, Babu Owino, young at 29, was put in prison twice for calling the the president a son of a !!!!!.  The university students demonstrated to protest the way he was treated.  There are many reports of police brutality towards the students as the police response to the demos.  Yesterday the students were all sent home from school because the government fears more disturbances with the upcoming elections on the 26th.

The two main parties haven't agreed on the process of the rerun of the elections yet.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa (CAM) is trying to organize 50 volunteers from every parish, of which there are 50.  This should give enough observers to be posted at each of the 2,889 polling stations in the four counties that are part of the CAM.  My sense is that Mombasa will be relativity quiet but there are other places that are already experiencing chaos which doesn't bode well for the future.

Yesterday I saw a beautiful sunrise over the Indian Ocean and the almost full moon rose over the ocean in the evening.  I'm attending the Kenya Health Commission for the Council of Bishops Annual General Meetings on the ocean.  What a beautiful way to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis!

PEACE OF THE CALMING WAVES AND SHINING RAYS TO YOU

01 October 2017

CLIFFS OF EAST BOURNE                          

SEASON OF CREATION

     We have been celebrating the Season of Creation since September 1st.  It will end on the feast of St. Francis on October 4th.  The Global Catholic Climate Movement has been asking for pictures of the beauty of creation to post on their website and I was enjoying looking at them the other day.  This picture of huge cliffs overlooking the sea with tiny people standing on top caught my eye.  I find great pleasure in the beauty of nature.  The size of the people in contrast to the size of the other features of the picture helped to remind me of the place we humans occupy in the vastness of nature.  It helps me to come closer to God and keep the difficulties of life in perspective.

   

KILIMAJARO IN TANZANIA

So I spent some time looking through various pictures of nature that I have taken in East Africa over the years.  I thought I would share some of them with you too.  Credit for the picture of the full moon goes to Mary Oldham who took this picture on her last night in Mombasa a few years ago.  If you look closely you will see that there is a small boat in the water!!!!

LILY SOUTH SUDAN

     Politics in Kenya continue to disrupt our lives daily.  The nurses have been striking since June 5th.  The Clinical Officers (Physician Assistants) have been striking since the beginning of September.  Last Monday the Lab technologists started striking too.  Hardly anyone is working in the government health facilities.

FULL MOON OVER INDIAN OCEAN KENYA

     All of our health units in the Archdiocese are trying to keep up with the extra needs of so many sick people who have no money for private care.  The government health workers have legitimate grievances but the government isn't functioning.  No one will address the issue of the strikes until the government starts to function again.

     I have asked so many people what they think will happen this month.  At the moment elections are scheduled on October 26th.  One person said that he doesn't think the elections will be held and the presidency will go to the Speaker of the Parliament.  One person said that the best thing for the country would be a transitional government...whatever that means.  Other people say that there will be elections on the 26th.  Some say they will be peaceful and others say there will be violence.  Yet another said he didn't really know what will happen.

     So, I have scheduled my last clinic for Oct 25th and have started to stock up on food, fuel and phone credit.  I plan to just stay in my house and work on medical and financial reports while we see what unfolds.  There's no use trying to guess what will happen.  No one really knows.

     Last night Heidi got the best news of all...she passed the Illinois State Bar exam!!!  I am now living with a fully qualified lawyer.  We celebrated with a half a chocolate bar left in the fridge.  But tonight we went out for dinner and to a music concert.  At times like these, when there is so much uncertainty, it's essential to deal with what is absolutely certain.

MAY THE PEACE OF THE CERTAINTY OF GOD WITH US

BE WITH YOU

21 September 2017

THE ROAD TO BAMBA

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

     Yesterday I was not very much at peace.  I had to travel through 17km = 10 miles of mud in 4 WD which took an hour and ten minutes.  We made the trip there and back and only got stuck twice.  I have a good driver. I had no idea what I was getting into and with all the rain there were only three patients for me to see.

     When I returned to the Sisters' house the TV showed the reading of the full text of the ruling which declared the presidential election on August 8th invalid, null and void.  It took 12 hours for the judges to read through all of it!

     The day before yesterday there had been demonstrations and trouble in the streets of Nairobi with major disruptions of traffic.  However, yesterday when the demonstrators gathered outside the Law Court the police tried to disperse them (both sides) with tear gas.  They scattered but returned...and so did a swarm of bees!!!  That dispersed everyone permanently and there was no more chaos.  Today has been peaceful.

     The BBC has announced that the rerun of the elections will be on October 26th rather than October 17th.  This fits in well with my schedule and I won't have to change anything again...I've already changed clinics once!!! 

     Just to let you all know that now I am at peace and all is well for the moment.  We're still not quite sure what will happen when.  But my next clinic for Bamba is scheduled for November 8th and by then this stretch of road should be tarmacked and I expect we'll fly over it like we did the first 25km = 15miles.  I look forward to that!

19 September 2017

     Greetings from Giriama, deep in the rural interior on north coast.  I am quite fine except for the heavy rain that came today after I arrived.  This is my first clinic here since June and they had been needing rain.  So, I could take credit for bringing this important blessing along with me.  Tomorrow I am supposed to travel to Bamba, even more interior.  The road will be muddy so I'm planning to take a different route and hope for the best.
     Please note the new picture on the right of this blog page.  We are now three lay missioners in Mombasa and you can see all of us in our radiant beauty!  We are so happy to have Heidi join us.  She is our lawyer in residence and we are helping her to hone her constitutional law expertise.  The date for the rerun of the presidential election on Oct 17th is in doubt.  The IEBC doesn't have a contract to do the next election and the company that did it last time said it can't be ready before the end of October.
     Today there was chaos on the roads coming into and out of Nairobi.  For those of you in the US in particular who may be concerned, I will use this vehicle to keep people updated about my whereabouts.  Tomorrow the details of the judicial ruling which annulled the elections will be made public.  We can expect more violence. I have just heard the Chief Justice on the BBC.  He said the he is ready to pay the ultimate price to protect the constitution of Kenya and the rule of law.

PLEASE JOIN WITH US IN PRAYING FOR PEACE

10 September 2017

Now we are in Mombasa after an 11 hour bus ride yesterday.  It was overcast and cool so that made the long trip easier. Heidi got to see a lot of the country and plenty of dust at the same time.  I hope she doesn't' have to do that again!  I return to work tomorrow and all is calm and quiet here.  We expect it to stay that way.  No one is talking about any fear of violence and it was completely peaceful during the first voting in August so that shows a lot of progress and maturity.  But I have to rearrange my clinic schedule as the next voting day will be a holiday and we can't work at that time.  Hoping for the best!

08 September 2017

Greetings from Nairobi at the Maryknoll Society House!  Heidi and I had a very safe and pleasant trip from Chicago and we leave for Mombasa on the bus tomorrow. 

We've been listening to all the Kenyans we've met to learn about the current feelings regarding the 8th August election and the rerun of the election, currently scheduled for 17th Oct.  Every Kenyan has said that they will vote in the rerun...even one who said he didn't vote in the first election.  The country is deeply troubled by negative ethnicity (tribalism).  The IEBC, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, performed very badly on the first election process according to everyone we have listened to. All are concerned for the future of the country but very committed to participating peacefully.  So, we continue to pray and work for peace.  I will make periodic updates on this blog to keep people informed from this side.

01 September 2017

BACK IN ILLINOIS, USA

     This past month has been busy with mission education about our ministry in Kenya.  This picture as taken at St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva Illinois.  It is the parish of my sister and her family.  They have been supporting us with donations every month for many years.  It was the first time I was able to meet them and thank them for their generosity.

     It is a small world and this woman had already been to both South Sudan and Kenya so she was very interested in our outreach.

     I also spoke at my own parish, St. Patrick in Urbana, at the invitation of the Women of St. Patrick.  I was amazed at how many people showed up as it is August and time for taking vacations.  Not only did they come but they asked excellent questions.  It is difficult, even for me, to get information of Kenya or other news from overseas.  But somehow they had kept up and knew about Al Shabaab, the vaccine disagreement between the Kenyan Bishops and the Kenyan government and the recent presidential elections.  At this point, the elections, which were held on Aug 8th, are contested by the opposition and the courts will give their ruling on September 1st...after I publish this blog.  The violence that occurred after the elections has caused the deaths of over 20 people, one a 6 month old baby and another a 9 year old girl caught in cross fire.  This sounds like a volatile situation and analyses of the democratic process are quite critical of how the polls were managed.  UPDATE The Kenyan Supreme Court has just ruled the elections invalid. They must be rerun within 60 days.  I am shocked and hopeful.

     I also participated in the ministry weekend at my parish.  There is a whole booklet of possible ministries for people to use their talents in service.  I have always been welcomed by the J and P commission to answer questions about Maryknoll and invite people to consider joining us.  It is a huge parish with frequent turnover of parishioners who come and go from the University.  There is now only one priest but the laity are so active the services just seem to grow and grow.  I feel so blessed to have come from this parish and to go with their prayers and loving support.

     All was not work this past month.  On August 21st I traveled to Carbondale Illinois with my brother Michael, his family and Heidi Cerneka to view the solar eclipse.  I have two nieces who live in Carbondale and we gathered at their house for food and fun.  At 1:20pm the sky became very dark and a lone cloud drifted over the moon.  I kept my eyes glued to the place of the sun and the cloud parted for a few moments and I could see the total eclipse of the sun by the moon.  The planet Venus could be seen to the north and Jupiter to the south.  The birds stopped singing and the insects started chirping...just as they do at nighttime.  The sky was a deep blue and it was cooler with a bit of a wind.  It lasted at total of 2 and a half minutes and at the end I could see the diamond as the eclipse began to end.  

     I felt very privileged to see such a magnificent site.  Nature is one of the most clear manifestations of God for me.  It helps me to keep the perspective of my place in such vastness and encourages my faith that despite all of the difficulties and challenges we face I am not alone and all will be well.

     I leave to return to Kenya on Sept 6th, travelling with Heidi, an experienced lay missioner. She will come to do some research for the next year on women in the criminal justice system.  Coralis and I are thrilled to have her with us.

     Today begins the Season of Creation sponsored by the Catholic Global Climate Movement

https://plus.google.com/103310982641750280650

I will attend an interfaith prayer service for the environment at my church, St. Patrick, today.  The season will go until the feast of St. Francis on Oct 4th.  Hope each of you will find a way to celebrate this season too.

PEACE OF THE WAXING, SOON TO BE FULL, MOON TO YOU!!!

16 August 2017

It seems that now the opposition WILL go to court to challenge the presidential election.  (They had said they wouldn't)  So far the country is at peace for the most part.  The doctors and nurses are still striking!!!!  I will return on Sept 6th.  Hope I don't find the same mess that was there when I left during the previous strikes.  Our clinics are way overloaded with work and no support from the government.

15 August 2017

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION

FOUNDING OF 

MARYKNOLL MISSION ASSOCIATION OF THE FAITHFUL

1994

    I was privileged to attend our founding assembly in August 1994.  I'm in the middle of this group up near the top in front of the man with the red shirt.  It was a great gathering of so many faithful committed people trying to be faithful to a call to follow Jesus by going oversees to other countries and cultures to serve those in need.  Happy Feast Day to all of us!!!

     The elections for the president declared the current President, Uhuru Kenyatta the winner by 10%.  The opposition does not accept the results and four days after declaring the winner the electoral commission still hasn't finished tallying the votes.  It seems there are discrepancies between the polling station report forms and the constituency report forms.  Still hoping no one will start fighting over the whole thing.

PEACE OF OUR STRONG GENTLE MOTHER TO YOU

09 August 2017

Greetings to all.
      Just to make sure that everyone knows that I am in Urbana Illinois USA.  The election process in Kenya took place peacefully on the 8th August and the returns are coming in.  The opposition claims that the incumbent party has rigged the election and claims the returns are fraudulent.  Demonstrations and 'calls to action' have begun in the bigger cities like Nairobi and Kisumu.  So far I hear that Mombasa is calm.  No need for anyone to worry about me. I am safely residing at our family home and following these developments from afar while praying for peace and safety for all...susan

01 August 2017

SUSAN AND FRIEND ON PEACE WALK

KENYA ELECTIONS 8 AUGUST 2017

PEACE IS THE WAY OF LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING

    

Greetings from Urbana Illinois where I am enjoying sweet corn and beautiful summer weather with my family and friends.  I've had some challenges with cross cultural issues.  The air conditioning in the grocery stores, churches and restaurants almost gives me frost bite. I go everywhere with my light Mombasa wrap to cover my neck and shoulders.  Everything here is BIG!!!  I couldn't find a green pepper smaller than the size of my foot. But the up side is that people are so friendly and courteous.  It is a joy to drive on roads where people follow the rules and vehicles stop for pedestrians.

     At the moment, my thoughts and prayers are with my friends back in Kenya, especially Mombasa.  The elections for the President, as well as governors, senators, Councillors and others will be held on 8th August.  The news my friends send me by email is not good.  In 2007/8 there was terrible post election violence while I was in Kiminini/Kitale.  Issues of land rights, negative ethnicity and corruption caused many problems.  Those issues have not been resolved and seem to have increased.  Kenya has a democracy but it is fraught with dangerous politics.

     The Kenya Council of Catholic Bishops printed a prayer card which we have been praying regularly for peaceful elections.  In June I participated in a peace walk from our Cathedral sponsored by the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya and wore my Maryknoll T-shirt.  It uses a swahili proverb for peace and has the word PEACE written in English, swahili (AMANI) and Arabic (SALAAM). The first of every month we lay missioners in Kenya always pray especially for peace.  This month we are most concerned with Kenya.

PAUL MARY SUSAN MARTY

     While visiting my family in Minnesota I was able to meet up with former lay missioners Mary Oldham and Marty Roers.  Mary's husband Paul is also with us and we had a lovely evening together remembering our times together in mission.  Many people in Kenya and Sudan still ask about them and a picture is worth much more than poorly descriptive words.  In short, they are all very happy and healthy.

     I will be in Illinois until 6th September when I will return to Kenya.  By then I hope the country has a president and functioning government so we can get on with the important tasks of caring for each other with love.

MAY THE PEACE OF SUMMER BIRD SONG

AND

MOONLIT NIGHTS BE WITH YOU

01 July 2017

DYSFUNCTIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

     I'm tired and not quite sure where to begin!  The government nurses began to strike on June 7th.  As this article shows so starkly, there is a big difference in public and private health care in Kenya.  The 8 month old son of a doctor died of malaria while the President's wife was opening a new heart laboratory here in Mombasa.  I suppose such discrepancies are the status quo everywhere but it hit me like a brick that if a doctor can't save the life of his son it is impossible for those who live on the margins to get the health care they need.

I've just come back from a 5 day trip to 1 hospital and 4 dispensaries.  This picture shows me teaching the staff at Chumvini Dispensary about Diabetes.  The day started at 5:30am and ended at 7pm.  We squeezed in this teaching session as they are overloaded with patients because of the nurses' strike. The woman in the white coat to my right is Monica, the clinical officer (physician assistant). She is a gem...so interested to learn and sharp as a tack. They normally do 5 deliveries a month but they've done 31 this June.  In 1 day they had 5 deliveries!!!

      Since we're talking about newborn babies, here's some good news.  The percentage of children born with HIV has dropped from a high of 17% in 2014 to 6% in 2016. We have worked very hard to make this happen and our goal is to completely eliminate transmission of the virus from the mother to the newborn child by 2021.

       I love avocados and I sprout the stones in every one I eat. Then I give the young seedlings to children and people whom I hope will keep them alive. This avocado seedling was given to the Sisters at St. Joseph Shelter of Hope in Voi.  I was so excited to see it as tall as this young man at my visit this week.  The hospital was full to overflowing and everyone was exhausted at the end of a day that kept going on and on.  Before I left the following day, I checked on my seedling and it brought me great joy.  It is one small contribution I, and we, can make to care for our home, planet earth, while providing nutritious food.
     I will  be traveling to the US on July 9th for a two month break.  I am more than ready for it.  To all my friends in Kenya, know that you will be in my prayer that the nurses go back to work soon.  To all my friends in the US...here I come!

PEACE OF THE FLUTTERING LEAVES TO YOU