"SPEECH BY H.E HASSAN ALI JOHO, GOVERNOR MOMBASA COUNTY DURING PREPARATIONS FOR THE MALARIA DAY AT TREASURY SQUARE ON 20TH APRIL 2018.
Members of Parliament,
MCAs
Representatives from Reach out Centre Trust,
MSF, DSW, PS Kenya, Madrassa Resource, WOFAK, AFYA PWANI, WAHA, Kenya RedCross Society, Base Titanium and Sauti Ya Pwani
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me pleasure to preside over this important day coming at a time when Malariadeaths have reached an alarming rate.
As you know, Malaria is the deadliest and oldest disease on the planet. According to World Health Organization, every two minutes, a life is lost to malaria in sub-saharan Africa. And that applies to Kenya and in Mombasa County.
For a disease that is completely preventable and treatable, it is completely unacceptable that lives are lost to this disease. In Coast area in general, three out of every 10 people, arediagnosed with malaria. It may seem low – but these are people who could be tending totheir businesses, their families, their daily vibarua – clearly this is time that is lost.
Mombasa County is Ready to Beat Malaria. Now is the time to take collective action; bothpolitical and financial to end this narrative. Now is the time to step up prevention, starting inyour homes. Let me ask, how many of us have nets in their homes? Every member of thehousehold needs to sleep under a net to prevent a mosquito bite.
Does your environment have stagnant water?
Take personal initiative from today to drain any stagnant water and cut grass. Ensure your households are clean. These are practical steps that we can all take to stop malaria at our doorsteps. Ladies and Gentlemen,As a county, malaria cannot be a normal disease.
It cannot be business as usual. We want to demonstrate to fellow Kenyans, that sufficient goodwill, action by citizens and availability of diagnosis and treatments – everyone playing their part – we can kick malaria out, beginning with Mombasa Island within three years.
My government allocates the health sector the lion share of our budget of up to 1.9 billion shillings. I will ensure that we increase allocation more resources to deal with Malaria.
We have bought fogging machines to eliminate mosquitoes from our estates besidesclearing bushes and draining stagnant water from our neighbourhoods. We will step upthese efforts in the coming days. We will also continue reminding our county’s citizens of the simple things that they can do to beat malaria. Starting today, there will a five-day roadshow, traversing the entire county, reminding you on how to stop malaria.
These are things that you already know – pleasemake a commitment to start in your household, in your church, in your mosque – do yourpart, and together we will be on the path to reduce deaths by malaria, in Mombasa County.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank our donors and partners who have been working with us to fight Malaria and other diseases particularly Reach out Centre Trust. We are grateful to you all. World Malaria Day is marked annually on 25th April.
Today, we want to start the celebrations early and culminate at a community event in Mshale grounds on 25th April, Likoni County.
The roadshow will conclude there. The journey does not end there. This is just the beginning.
I am ready to beat Malaria.
Are you?
Asanteni sana."