#1Milli4WanjikuRevoltsMum Fundraising Appeal

Hi Compatriots. My name is Mutemi wa Kiama, also known as "WanjikuRevolution

Kenya" on Facebook or @WanjikuRevolt on twitter... Am a social justice activist
opposed to all manner of uthamaki, whether in Central, RV, Nyanza, Ukambani or
wherever...Am one those guys the DP describes as non-hoard-working Kenyan
activists who drink till 11pm and wake up at 11am... but seriously, am a typical
Kenyan hustler who asks questions on why things are not the way they should
be. Like where are the 5 stadiums promised to us in 2013...

State of public healthcare in Kenya

Whenever am questioned on my activism, I simplify it thus: I would like my
mum whos retired to have a competently staffed and equipped government run
health center within a 5 Km radius of her location anywhere in Kirinyaga that can
attend to minor ailments, diagnose and refer more serious cases to a wellequipped, well-staffed government run level 4 or 5 hospital within the county.
There should be no need to ferry my sick mum to Nairobi unless absolutely
critical. Little did I know I would experience the sorry state of our public
healthcare system first hand, and that our mum would die in the process!
Here are a few points...
1) Mum went to have an abdominal operation to correct a hernia Kerugoya
Medical Center, a private hospital. These are usually routine but she was
hypertensive. She went into cardiac arrest and had to be transferred to Kenyatta
National Hospital (KNH) ICU via ambulance without operating. Reason, no ICU in
Kirinyaga or the environs, not even private hospitals. Options were KNH or
Mathari in Nyeri. How is this possible 54 years after independence?
2. Surgery was done at KNH, but turned septic. She was at KNH ICU for 23 days,
had several cardiac arrests, did not survive the last one and passed on.
By then she had incurred a bill of around 1.6 million shillings after 23 days in a
public hospital. Is that right?
3. Mum had been a teacher for 32 years, paid her taxes and other statutory
deductions at source dutifully (well, one has no choice). She was a pensioner.
When she started getting sickly 4 months ago, we discovered she didn't have
NHIF cover. We reactivated it. She died a day after it became active on 3 rd
October 2016!
Questions on Kenyan Healthcare System:
a) Why aren't pensioners covered automatically and deducted from pension just
as it was when they were employed, especially former government GoK
employees?

b) Please urge everyone to get NHIF cover as it would have taken care of this bill,
and enrol your relatives, especially the retired and the elderly parents. Have your
retiree family and friends check the NHIF status.
c) Why would someone who has served Kenya as a teacher for 32 years have to
sell off hard earned land or other property because of illness or death to pay off a
hospital bill in a government hospital? Does that make any sense? Isn't the state
meant to take care of its people?
Other notes...

KNH Casualty section is understaffed. Relatives and friends have to find

beds for themselves. Many patients die there waiting to be attended.
County hospitals are referring cases they can easily attend to to KNH
causing an administrative log jam.
KNH only has 20 ICU beds in the main ICU plus a few others scattered in
different sections. This is a disaster. There is need for the government to
address this.

As a family are humbly appealing to Kenyans to support us offset the bill through
Paybill number or Equity Bank account below:
Instructions for sending money:
Go to: Mpesa LIPA NA MPESA
PAYBILL OPTION
BUSINESS NUMBER: 849651
ACCOUNT NUMBER: YOUR NAME
AMOUNT: ENTER AN AMOUNT
ENTER YOUR PIN
SEND
Or through Equity Bank
Harambee Avenue Branch
Stella Karimi Kiama-Medical Fund
Account number 0240170059583
Asante and God bless you!