By api

Stena Line – the ship that takes passengers from Oslo to Fredrikshavn and other destinations like Gøterborg have colourful personnel that give their services unreservedly.

When you get on board, you are met by many smiling personnel ready to make your journey very memorable. Immediately you enter the boat, you cannot avoid to meet the receptionists who gladly guide you and make you as comfortable and welcome as possible.

http://www.africanpress.me - One of the happy Boat receptionists ready to receive the passengers on board for the trip from Oslo in Norway to Fredrikshavn in Denmark, a 24 hour return-trip

Last weekend, the ship had many passengers who mingled with no incidents that disrupts enjoyment on board.

On board, the passengers are overwhelmed with activities. Dancing, swimming, massages and even negotiating with machines for a win engage the passengers throughout. Many take a rest deeper in drinking and discussing with strangers they meet on board – seeking new acquaintances for the 24-hour trip so that they do not get bored sitting alone.

http://www.africanpress.me - While other passengers are out there dancing, drinking and getting super massage, others are seriously negotiating with machines for a win of some kind.

Some of the passengers were allowed to meet the Captain and his crew in the engine room and that added to the fun of the travel.

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THE CAPTAIN’S STEERING ROOM – STENA LINE SAGA

http://www.africanpress.me – In the Captain’s Steering Room – Stena Line Saga Oslo-Fredrikshavn-Oslo trip

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http://www.africanpress.me - Some passengers were privileged to meet the Captain and his crew at the Steering Room.

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http://www.africanpress.me - Some passengers were privileged to meet the Captain and his crew at the Steering Room.

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Spectacular to be in the Ship’s steering room because of the scenery one gets through the massive and large windows.

http://www.africanpress.me - Sammy was one of the passengers who was privileged to meet the Captain and some of his crew at the Steering Room.

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Mr John Malino Lesiamito in the Captain’s Steering Room while the ship was sailing from Denmark to Norway – during a return trip.

http://www.africanpress.me - Malino was one of the passengers who was privileged to meet the Captain and some of his crew at the Steering Room.

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http://www.africanpress.me - Sammy and Malino in the Captain's Steering Room on the ship's return to Norway from Denmark (Oslo-Fredrikshavn-Oslo trip)

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Approaching the end of the roundtrip journey: Before disembarking, Mr John Malino Lesiamito, 2012 parliamentary candidate for Samburu East Constituency in Kenya discus with Uganda’s Solomon Onyango inside the ship on the way to Oslo, Norway from Denmark.

http://www.africanpress.me – Malino discus with Solomon inside the ship

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A bye-bye PHOTO after the journey does not hurt!

http://www.africanpress.me - A passenger, Mr Malino, Oslo Resident and 2012 Parliamentary candidate in Kenya for Samburu East Constituency gets a bye-bye hug and from one of the boat's official at the end of the trip.

http://www.africanpress.me - A happy Boat official at the end of the trip because the passengers are satisfied and the journey has ended safely

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<By Mohan Mathew, Bengalore-India

Kenya Politics; I am reacting to this article: “Ruto’s achievements in just one day can fill newspapers and news bulletins for years; Writes Clay Muganda

Ruto launched his latest outfit, United Republican Party the other day with a lot of fanfare. He and other hand-picked top leaders rolled out their vision for a prosperous Kenya. The manifesto that will deal with all the relevant issues will be out very soon.

“My government will………………….!!!!”. The words are those usually preceding a policy statement or the state of the nation address by a sitting  president. If Ruto used them in good faith, then he was not joking about his presidential ambitions. With those words, he has also dispelled the prospect of a mundane democratic election by secret ballot or acclamation, to nominate URP’s presidential candidate. Ruto is the candidate; Ruto is the president. Period.

More than Ruto clinching the quarry from the apparently tenacious and determined old foxes, Raila, ‘Viper’, Saitoti, et al, what gives me solace is his dream team destined to lead us to the promised land in  the next five years. The first welcome cool breeze since independence!

The top leadership layer that matters is composed of Zipapa and Jirongo. Zipapa will be Ruto’s running mate, a gentleman who is revered around the coast, and admired and respected all over Kenya, and globally. He is so genial that he is never given to fits of anger or the use of expletives unlike some of our uncouth  leaders. He is rather a  fatherly figure, and can counsel Ruto where he tends to digress from the declared party policies or the manifesto due to pressure of work or stress. When Ruto is overseas, a very regular occurrence by the look of things., Zipapa can take care of the functions of the state for them to go on smoothly. He will also be an asset in interacting and forging close partnership with foreign envoys.

But Jirongo is be star catch. Kenya will be a land of flowing  milk and honey with all ministries coming under him as the majority leader. Budget deficits will be a thing of the past. The mere left-overs from YK-92 will be enough to finance the 1st budget of the Ruto government 100%, and at least for the first year there will be a blanket tax waiver for all Kenyans. In the meantime, he finds other avenues to keep the country tax-free for the next four years, and hopefully beyond.

I am pretty sure the other presidential contenders are now raking their brains to come up with something that can counter the seemingly impregnable popular ace card, The Family Values. No one will have more than one wife, and keeping concubines will result in naming and shaming. No ‘come-we-stay’ either. In less than 100 days, the URP instilled family values in each family will cause a phenomenal chain reaction cleansing and making each village and  county morally upright. Leaders will act as role models by dropping all but one wife. Youngsters will have no choice, but to stick to one girl-friend or boy-friend and are to interact only during day time. This means no unplanned pregnancies and few back street abortions!

Aids prevalence will drop drastically as years go by, because there will be no prostitutes or gays who can ply their trades. Under the watchful eyes of the trio’s Morality Enforcement Squad, these two oldest professions will breathe their last.

The URP invented medical insurance programme will force the private hospitals that have been exploiting the common man close shop, and move to Somalia, Zimbabwe, etc. No single cent will be chargeable for any treatment – from headaches to heart or kidney transplants!

The Youth Marshall Plan to create millions (yet to decide how many millions) of jobs per year will however be modeled on  Kibaki’s 500,000 jobs per year, but will be much more streamlined for easy execution. No more idle youth sitting at trading centres ogling at the boobs and butts of girls and women passing by!

Corruption, I beg your pardon – a slip of the tongue,  the Anti-Corruption Crusade ( ACC) team will be headed by Jirongo himself. There is concurrence on that issue because Ruto sees none among his top team members who can authoritatively speak and do anything about the dreaded malice. Detractors may say it’s sending a thief to catch a thief. For URP the end justifies the means. For the first time since independence, Kenya will have a formulated foreign policy, in the absence of which the country had become a laughing-stock nationally and internationally. Zipapa will be in charge of this Herculean task.

The railway! Yes, the dream project of the URP government!  Didn’t our friend Museveni say the Kenya-Uganda railway of  today belongs to the 18th century, and it must be moved to a museum? The URP govt will even eat grass to make a standard gauge Kenya-Uganda rail line a reality. In two years, that’s before 31-12-2014, it will be there.

The Indians who built the present one for the British is staking their claim saying that they have the largest railway network and the best expertise in the world, and would be honoured to rebuild the present one on a turn-key basis, at a very low-cost. The Chinese on their part are negotiating for the contract on condition that the old engines, bogeys, and the lines themselves can be traded in, and they would deliver a spanking new system cheap. To avoid delay, the president will be the sole authority to award the contract. Both have intimated their willingness to contribute ‘something small’ for a project of His Excellency’s choice. So the work may be split into two sectors, MSA to ELD and ELD to Kampala, each given one sector.

Food and other essential commodities will be subsidized to the extent that even those who earn less than a dollar a day won’t have to skip breakfast, lunch or supper. Imported food will be sold duty-free to vulnerable groups.
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Does Kenya need anything  more to stand and walk tall  among the world nations beginning 2013?

We pray, “Thy Kingdom Come”, Your Excellency  William arap Samoe Ruto!.

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By api

All those who have known about the Kenyan case have waited for a long time now to get the decision on the way forward, and now they will not have to wait any longer than necessary – This is the week it will happen. The truth to be known.

There are people in Kenya and around the world who wish to see some of the suspects prosecuted even with no evidence, but simply because of political motives. In a case like this, which will affect people in many ways, the truth must be one that decides the way forward and not creed for power.

According to the ICC, some will most probably be free while some may have to be investigated further.

Will this affect the Kenya nation in any way? Yes, because those who will face further investigation will have their careers disrupted one way or another.

There is some fairness at the ICC because the court wants to be respected internationally and the judges know the only way to achieve that is to be fair in their decisions.

The decision comes any time now.

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KENYA: The downside of male involvement in PMTCT

Photo: Obinna Anyadike/IRIN

An HIV diagnosis can lead to domestic violence

KISUMU,  – Involving men is increasingly being promoted as a key element in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and while its benefits are well-documented – in one Kenyan study it reduced the risks of vertical transmission and infant mortality by more than 40 percent compared with no involvement – it can occasionally lead to domestic discord and even violence.

Silvia*, a 33-year-old mother of six, now living at her mother’s home in western Kenya, says her 14-year marriage was doomed the minute she followed her healthcare worker’s advice to bring her husband for an antenatal visit after she tested HIV-positive. “I was tested and I was told I was positive; I asked if I could go ahead and just carry the pregnancy and the nurse assured me it was fine,” she said. “She, however, asked me to bring my husband when coming for the next visit and I agreed.”

She convinced her husband to accompany her on her next visit, but when he tested HIV-negative, he accused her of cheating on him. “He left me at the hospital… When I got home, he beat me up and said the child I was carrying wasn’t his and he chased me away,” she added. “The nurse thought she was helping us but it turned out to be a curse for me.”

There is limited research into the area of gender-based violence following HIV-testing, but a presentation by the NGO, the Sonke Gender Justice Network, at the 2010 International AIDS Society conference in Vienna, Austria, reported that women’s experiences upon disclosing their status to their male partners were often “complex and positive”: some studies reported violence levels of up to 14 percent, while others stated that about half of HIV-positive women said their partners reacted supportively to the disclosure.

According to Beatrice Misoga, PMTCT programme officer with the AIDS Population Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA Plus), gender-based violence is more common in discordant relationships where the man is HIV-negative. “Male involvement has helped realize success with PMTCT programmes where it has been applied because prevention of mother to child transmission is a family issue, but yes, there have been challenges in certain aspects like the possibility of gender-based violence targeting women and more so in a situation where the male partner is not willing to be part of it.”

Tensions

A woman comes to the facility but the moment you mention her man, she disappears and might resurface to give birth - some go to traditional birth attendants

In 2009, Human Rights Watch (HRW) cautioned the Kenyan government to ensure that human rights were protected during a large-scale home-based counselling and testing programme; HRW noted that HIV-positive mothers – among them girls under the age of 18 – sometimes suffered violence, mistreatment, disinheritance, and discrimination from their husbands, in-laws, or their own families.

Some women, too fearful of the repercussions of revealing their HIV status to their husbands, opt out of PMTCT programmes altogether. “A woman comes to the facility but the moment you mention her man, she disappears and might resurface to give birth - some go to traditional birth attendants,” said Julie Miseda, a nurse at Nyanza Province’s Siaya District Hospital. “Some will tell you they are not married but the day they give birth, a man appears and claims he is the father.

“At times, involving both of them creates tension between them and they tend to keep very crucial information, for example, a history of a sexually transmitted infection, to themselves,” she added.

Supporting men

According to APHIA Plus’s Misoga, to preserve the benefits of male involvement in PMTCT, health clinics had to become more aware of the counselling needs of men. “Despite the disadvantages, the benefits of male involvement are immense and what needs to be done is to make these antenatal clinics male friendly. It is also important to give constant information and messages targeting men on the need to be part of prevention of mother to child transmission programmes,” she said.

Christopher Mukabi, a local peer educator, says male support groups have proved useful in improving the way couples deal with an HIV diagnosis. “Bringing men together in male support groups and then using these groups to convince them to get into PMTCT programmes can help deal with some of the challenges, but stigma and alcoholism are still problems in getting men involved.”

ko/kr/mw
source www.irinnews.org