Residents threaten to disrupt Malaria fumigation exercise over jobs

Jan 14, 2024 - 16:07

Angurai South residents demonstrate shutting down room meant to house Malaria PMI officer in the ward for 24 days.

Busia,

Sunday January 14 2024,

KNA by Absalom Namwalo

Residents of Angurai South residents have threatened to disrupt and not take part in the Malaria PMI program scheduled to commence on 15th, unless they were offered casual jobs.

Speaking to the press at Aboloi dispensary, Area MCA Joseph Iseme declared that the exercise will not take off unless local youth were recruited in the exercise.

The threat comes after a section of enraged youth recently locked up the store where fumigation reagents in protest, disrupting the program's operation in the ward.

Iseme who led the demonstration has vowed not to allow the exercise in his ward if youths from the area are not considered. “According to the advert, the program of fumigation was supports to be done by locals with class 8 certificate being the minimum requirement for consideration,” said MCA Iseme.

The legislature noted that it was discouraging to establish that residents were missing on the final list which has enlisted uproar among the local. “Most of our youths are jobless and the casual job was meant to help them with at least short term jobs to sustain them at this hard economic times,” the county legislature added.

The three year program worth 600,000 million from USAID now is in limbo as store keepers and supervisors are allegedly nonresidents pulling a standoff with locals. The Kenya Malaria Indicator survey revealed that Uganda is endemic to malaria, with the highest prevalence of 39% reported.

Sami Ekweye, Kepsi Ekabele are among some the youths who had applied for the seasonal jobs as spray operators but missed out on the final list which enlisted missed reaction. Ekweye, a degree holder, applied for a class 8 position but missed out on three other positions, expressing disappointment.

The Malaria Initiative (PMI) funded PMI Measure Malaria (PMM) aims to provide technical assistance to the Kenyan government to strengthen data collection and analysis and to improve the health information system (HIS) that supports malaria interventions, surveillance, and data use.

The department of health in the county government of Busia has been on sport in the recent days with fallout between County Executive Committee (CEC) health and Chief Officer pausing a stand-off as both parties pull in different directions.

Courtesy; KNA