By LUKOYE ATWOLI
Sunday Nation 12 June 2011
In the wake of the significant role religious leaders have played in the process of selection of the Judiciary nominees as well as in other key sectors of Kenyan public life, it is right and proper to question the role of religion in our society.
It has been argued that religion is the beacon of morality, the compass that we use to periodically re-orient ourselves whenever we are confused about right and wrong.
Belief in a supreme deity is thought to keep human beings from killing each other, and to maintain social order using rules and commandments contained in religious holy books.
The converse of this is also held to be true, that absence of a religious ‘‘morality’’ portends chaos for society.
We shall later in this article address the veracity of these claims. At this point, we shall assume the assertions to be true.
It then becomes important to study the practitioners of religious values in order to discern this truth.
Unfortunately, as it turns out, the staunchest advocates of any religion are often not the best examples of the observances ordained in their religions.
Examples abound, and it is not useful to rehash the historical mistakes attributed to various bodies of religion, from pogroms to crusades and jihads.
Even if we only choose to dwell on modern, local examples, evidence of misdemeanours on the part of erstwhile religious beacons is legion.
From physical and sexual abuse of children to death sentences on those holding contrary views, religious leaders often appear no worse than the barbarians they seek to hold at bay.
More recently in Kenya, they have engaged in a campaign to demonise an individual because of his mode of dress, his difficulties remaining in a marital relationship, and his choice to speak for marginalised Kenyans.
A few years back they burnt literature meant to educate children on sexuality and the attendant risks, in the mistaken belief that this ‘‘sex education’’ would encourage promiscuous sexual activity among the youth.
Coming back to whether the assertions about the goodness of religion are right or wrong, the debate continues apace.
If religion were necessary for people to be ‘‘good’’ it would follow that almost all non-religious people would be ‘‘bad’’ and almost all religious people would be ‘‘good’’.
Scientists of all shades agree that this determination can only be made on the strength of research evidence.
Some of the parameters that can be used to test this ‘‘goodness’’ would necessarily include crime rates, violence and equality.
A preliminary survey of prisons and other penal institutions reveals a predominance of religious people, and very few, if any, non-religious people or atheists.
A study comparing religious societies with non-religious societies found that non-religious (or predominantly atheist) societies were more equal, less violent, and less crime-prone.
On the face of it this should not be entirely surprising. Many wars have been started on the strength of religious differences, and a lot of modern conflict, from the Middle East to Northern Ireland, is religious in nature.
In Kenya, without religious sensibilities, the arguments about Dr Willy Mutunga’s suitability for the position of Chief Justice would not even arise!
Adherents of the various religious groups should, therefore, be questioning and measuring religious edicts on their own merits and not on the authority of whoever issues them.
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer, Moi University School of Medicine. www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Celebrating 48 years of Madaraka? What Madaraka?
By LUKOYE ATWOLI
Sunday Nation 05 June 2011
Last Wednesday we celebrated the day Kenya attained internal self-rule some 48 years ago.
As is customary, our political leaders trotted out in style, enumerating a litany of achievements since the first Madaraka Day, and exhorting us to continue being proud citizens of this beautiful country.
To the suffering masses, populist promises were made about reductions in prices of essential commodities and improvement of the standard of living.
It is instructive that our double-headed government has perfected the art of reacting to situations with short-term fixes, which turn out to be more expensive in the long run.
Examples abound, and a few of those include the ill-fated cheap unga (maize flour) project, price controls and tax reduction on petroleum products and even the Kazi Kwa Vijana economic stimulus programme.
Often, the real technocrats are side-stepped in these programmes for the obvious reason that real expertise is slow, painstaking and focuses on long term goals.
Politicians hungering for quick fixes with an eye on the next General Election have no time to waste on long-term thinking.
As our leaders marked our 48th Madaraka Day with pomp and pageantry, they could not have failed to notice the irony of the situation on the ground.
The Hague matter
On the eve of the celebrations, the International Criminal Court (ICC) threw out a case filed by our government challenging the admissibility of two cases arising out of the 2008 post-election violence.
At the same time, the ICC chief prosecutor accused the government of fighting on the side of impunity, instead of working to protect potential witnesses and ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
The Attorney-General’s quick statement indicating that he will appeal against the ICC ruling only served to expose the depth of desperation a wing of the government is willing to go to in order to demonstrate support for the accused in its ranks.
Even to a total lay person in matters of the law, reading the way the ICC three-judge bench shredded the government’s arguments leaves one in no doubt at all that we are just wasting our hard-earned cash on this ill-advised ego trip.
The very fact that these cases are ongoing at The Hague, characterised by some as a ‘‘foreign court’’, demonstrates that we do not have real Madaraka in this country.
Indeed, for a period of time in 2008, we were practically ruled by Kofi Annan from the Serena Hotel, on behalf of the ‘‘international community’’.
Our present government exists with support and even coercion from the same international community.
Regular reports on the state of our nation are prepared and distributed, not by our president, but by a group led by our one-time vizier, Kofi Annan.
Under these circumstances, how then can we claim to be enjoying Madaraka? What Madaraka is this, when we are saddled with a government that is impervious to reason and obvious logic?
Can anyone honestly speak of Madaraka with regard to our border communities — the Somali, the Turkana and Pokot, the Burji and Borana, among others?
How can we speak of Madaraka to people whose lives are routinely lost to hunger, bullets and disease, while government officials wring their hands and talk of diplomacy and Vision 2030?
Maybe it is time Kenyans started scouting around for new faces in leadership that will usher in true Madaraka.
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University’s school of medicine www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Sunday Nation 05 June 2011
Last Wednesday we celebrated the day Kenya attained internal self-rule some 48 years ago.
As is customary, our political leaders trotted out in style, enumerating a litany of achievements since the first Madaraka Day, and exhorting us to continue being proud citizens of this beautiful country.
To the suffering masses, populist promises were made about reductions in prices of essential commodities and improvement of the standard of living.
It is instructive that our double-headed government has perfected the art of reacting to situations with short-term fixes, which turn out to be more expensive in the long run.
Examples abound, and a few of those include the ill-fated cheap unga (maize flour) project, price controls and tax reduction on petroleum products and even the Kazi Kwa Vijana economic stimulus programme.
Often, the real technocrats are side-stepped in these programmes for the obvious reason that real expertise is slow, painstaking and focuses on long term goals.
Politicians hungering for quick fixes with an eye on the next General Election have no time to waste on long-term thinking.
As our leaders marked our 48th Madaraka Day with pomp and pageantry, they could not have failed to notice the irony of the situation on the ground.
The Hague matter
On the eve of the celebrations, the International Criminal Court (ICC) threw out a case filed by our government challenging the admissibility of two cases arising out of the 2008 post-election violence.
At the same time, the ICC chief prosecutor accused the government of fighting on the side of impunity, instead of working to protect potential witnesses and ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
The Attorney-General’s quick statement indicating that he will appeal against the ICC ruling only served to expose the depth of desperation a wing of the government is willing to go to in order to demonstrate support for the accused in its ranks.
Even to a total lay person in matters of the law, reading the way the ICC three-judge bench shredded the government’s arguments leaves one in no doubt at all that we are just wasting our hard-earned cash on this ill-advised ego trip.
The very fact that these cases are ongoing at The Hague, characterised by some as a ‘‘foreign court’’, demonstrates that we do not have real Madaraka in this country.
Indeed, for a period of time in 2008, we were practically ruled by Kofi Annan from the Serena Hotel, on behalf of the ‘‘international community’’.
Our present government exists with support and even coercion from the same international community.
Regular reports on the state of our nation are prepared and distributed, not by our president, but by a group led by our one-time vizier, Kofi Annan.
Under these circumstances, how then can we claim to be enjoying Madaraka? What Madaraka is this, when we are saddled with a government that is impervious to reason and obvious logic?
Can anyone honestly speak of Madaraka with regard to our border communities — the Somali, the Turkana and Pokot, the Burji and Borana, among others?
How can we speak of Madaraka to people whose lives are routinely lost to hunger, bullets and disease, while government officials wring their hands and talk of diplomacy and Vision 2030?
Maybe it is time Kenyans started scouting around for new faces in leadership that will usher in true Madaraka.
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University’s school of medicine www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The church is not an authority on being ‘African’
By LUKOYE ATWOLI
Sunday Nation 29 May 2011
This past week, a section of church leaders held a press conference and opined obliquely that some of the nominees for high office in this country were of questionable morals and had traits that are “unAfrican”.
They declined to give details on these assertions, allowing only that Parliament must select a chief justice and deputy who, among other things, are of high moral standing and respect the place of religion and African culture in Kenyan society.
The insinuation here, of course, is that the two judicial nominees were behaving in ways that are, at some level, inimical to what is African.
These scurrilous attacks on the character of the nominees do not deserve discussion in a family paper, and it is regrettable that our clergymen can sink this low.
However, the assertion about what constitutes African culture merits some in-depth examination. Apart from the church leaders, many other individuals and groups have often taken to labelling behaviour as unAfrican when it does not meet with their own approval, or when they have an agenda they are too ashamed to publicly proclaim.
Traits that have been labelled unAfrican include certain modes of dressing, sexual behaviours including homosexuality, reproductive health issues such as the question of abortion, and even certain types of music.
Interestingly, these issues are often left on the back-burner whenever serious professional attempts are made to address them, but are quickly resurrected whenever some controversy is required to muddy the waters of public opinion.
Judicial nominees
Although the church leaders chose to avoid a frontal attack on the characters of the judicial nominees, it is fair to ask a question or two about their own locus standi in deciding on matters African.
We are all agreed that many of the ascendant religions in Kenya today have origins outside of this country and outside of the African continent as well. By definition, then, none of the religious creeds that command millions of followers in this country is Kenyan, let alone African.
The official appellation of the Catholic Church actually makes allusions to its Roman origins, and the hierarchy owes allegiance to the Pope who sits at the Vatican, a sovereign state under international law. The Anglican Church and many others do not fair any better.
Coupled with the ecclesiastical paraphernalia preferred by the church hierarchy, it defeats logic for these purveyors of a “foreign ideology” to accuse another Kenyan of being unAfrican.
If anyone wanted to learn the behaviour of Africans today, all they would need to do is to find the people meeting the definition of “Africans” and study their behaviour under various conditions. If accurately done, the resultant conclusion would describe what being African is all about.
Peculiar traits
As a matter of fact, there is no transcontinental agreement on what being African entails. Today, there are Africans of all colours, shapes and sizes, with their own peculiar traits determined by their environment and interpersonal interactions.
Dismissing certain behaviours as “unAfrican” presupposes that the clergymen have the manual on what constitutes Africanness. We must not tire to remind them that anything Africans are capable of doing is African.
Further, given its place as the cradle of mankind, Africa lays claim to all the peoples of the world. To paraphrase Thabo Mbeki, we are all Africans.
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University’s school of medicine www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Sunday Nation 29 May 2011
This past week, a section of church leaders held a press conference and opined obliquely that some of the nominees for high office in this country were of questionable morals and had traits that are “unAfrican”.
They declined to give details on these assertions, allowing only that Parliament must select a chief justice and deputy who, among other things, are of high moral standing and respect the place of religion and African culture in Kenyan society.
The insinuation here, of course, is that the two judicial nominees were behaving in ways that are, at some level, inimical to what is African.
These scurrilous attacks on the character of the nominees do not deserve discussion in a family paper, and it is regrettable that our clergymen can sink this low.
However, the assertion about what constitutes African culture merits some in-depth examination. Apart from the church leaders, many other individuals and groups have often taken to labelling behaviour as unAfrican when it does not meet with their own approval, or when they have an agenda they are too ashamed to publicly proclaim.
Traits that have been labelled unAfrican include certain modes of dressing, sexual behaviours including homosexuality, reproductive health issues such as the question of abortion, and even certain types of music.
Interestingly, these issues are often left on the back-burner whenever serious professional attempts are made to address them, but are quickly resurrected whenever some controversy is required to muddy the waters of public opinion.
Judicial nominees
Although the church leaders chose to avoid a frontal attack on the characters of the judicial nominees, it is fair to ask a question or two about their own locus standi in deciding on matters African.
We are all agreed that many of the ascendant religions in Kenya today have origins outside of this country and outside of the African continent as well. By definition, then, none of the religious creeds that command millions of followers in this country is Kenyan, let alone African.
The official appellation of the Catholic Church actually makes allusions to its Roman origins, and the hierarchy owes allegiance to the Pope who sits at the Vatican, a sovereign state under international law. The Anglican Church and many others do not fair any better.
Coupled with the ecclesiastical paraphernalia preferred by the church hierarchy, it defeats logic for these purveyors of a “foreign ideology” to accuse another Kenyan of being unAfrican.
If anyone wanted to learn the behaviour of Africans today, all they would need to do is to find the people meeting the definition of “Africans” and study their behaviour under various conditions. If accurately done, the resultant conclusion would describe what being African is all about.
Peculiar traits
As a matter of fact, there is no transcontinental agreement on what being African entails. Today, there are Africans of all colours, shapes and sizes, with their own peculiar traits determined by their environment and interpersonal interactions.
Dismissing certain behaviours as “unAfrican” presupposes that the clergymen have the manual on what constitutes Africanness. We must not tire to remind them that anything Africans are capable of doing is African.
Further, given its place as the cradle of mankind, Africa lays claim to all the peoples of the world. To paraphrase Thabo Mbeki, we are all Africans.
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University’s school of medicine www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Monday, May 23, 2011
Somebody save ‘Sonko’ from himself now
By LUKOYE ATWOLI
Sunday Nation 22 May 2011
Mental health specialists rarely make any comments about individual cases they have attended to, unless the clients themselves or their caretakers (where appropriate) give consent for this to be done.
It is even rarer for us to venture an opinion on the mental status of someone we have never interacted with except through the eyes of a media outlet.
However, it is my considered opinion that when a person in a position of responsibility begins behaving abnormally by all standards, including those of his nearest and dearest, something must be done to restore normality.
It is thus with a heavy conscience that I will comment on the case of Makadara Member of Parliament, Mike ‘Sonko’ Mbuvi, alias Gedion.
Youthful MP
Last week we saw this youthful MP leading a demonstration about an issue that one wouldn’t be bothered to remember.
The antics he engaged in would have resulted in immediate arrest and an order for a mental status evaluation if he were an ordinary citizen of this country. He boxed a mabati structure until he sustained serious injuries to his hands, requiring medical attention.
He shouted, lay in the middle of the road, and banged his head a few times on various structures before making his way to some office to register his complaint.
His supporters
Many of his supporters happily went along with his antics, but a few had the presence of mind to try restraining him to prevent further injury to himself or damage to property.
This behaviour was clearly out of the ordinary, and he needed a firm hand to stop him and offer him assistance.
However, his family and friends may be having trouble telling him the truth about his behaviour and the probable need for help for several reasons.
One, they may actually think that there is nothing wrong with his behaviour. This would be a tragedy of monumental proportions, because then this young man would be completely on his own.
He would travel a downward spiral that would only end in tragedy, and the rest of us would be left wondering why we did not pick up the early warning signs.
Two, it is possible that he does not have people close enough to him to tell him whenever he goes overboard with his behaviour. This would be equally tragic.
All those people who are currently enjoying his largesse should be generous enough to make time to help him.
This is obviously in the beneficiaries’ best interests, given that saving Sonko now would ensure that he survives long enough to continue with his much-vaunted philanthropy.
Finally, and more likely, it is probable that his friends and relatives really do care about what is happening to him, but are afraid to confront him with this information or to offer him help.
If this is the case, then they should gather courage and use this column to point out to him the folly of his ways, and offer to help him deal with any social or psychological issues he may be going through.
Responsible citizens
Leaving things as they are would be a dereliction of duty on their part.
At the end of the day, it is the duty of all responsible citizens to point out the king’s nakedness, in order to save the kingdom the embarrassment of seeing their ruler parading through the streets in all his natal glory.
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University’s school of medicine www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Sunday Nation 22 May 2011
Mental health specialists rarely make any comments about individual cases they have attended to, unless the clients themselves or their caretakers (where appropriate) give consent for this to be done.
It is even rarer for us to venture an opinion on the mental status of someone we have never interacted with except through the eyes of a media outlet.
However, it is my considered opinion that when a person in a position of responsibility begins behaving abnormally by all standards, including those of his nearest and dearest, something must be done to restore normality.
It is thus with a heavy conscience that I will comment on the case of Makadara Member of Parliament, Mike ‘Sonko’ Mbuvi, alias Gedion.
Youthful MP
Last week we saw this youthful MP leading a demonstration about an issue that one wouldn’t be bothered to remember.
The antics he engaged in would have resulted in immediate arrest and an order for a mental status evaluation if he were an ordinary citizen of this country. He boxed a mabati structure until he sustained serious injuries to his hands, requiring medical attention.
He shouted, lay in the middle of the road, and banged his head a few times on various structures before making his way to some office to register his complaint.
His supporters
Many of his supporters happily went along with his antics, but a few had the presence of mind to try restraining him to prevent further injury to himself or damage to property.
This behaviour was clearly out of the ordinary, and he needed a firm hand to stop him and offer him assistance.
However, his family and friends may be having trouble telling him the truth about his behaviour and the probable need for help for several reasons.
One, they may actually think that there is nothing wrong with his behaviour. This would be a tragedy of monumental proportions, because then this young man would be completely on his own.
He would travel a downward spiral that would only end in tragedy, and the rest of us would be left wondering why we did not pick up the early warning signs.
Two, it is possible that he does not have people close enough to him to tell him whenever he goes overboard with his behaviour. This would be equally tragic.
All those people who are currently enjoying his largesse should be generous enough to make time to help him.
This is obviously in the beneficiaries’ best interests, given that saving Sonko now would ensure that he survives long enough to continue with his much-vaunted philanthropy.
Finally, and more likely, it is probable that his friends and relatives really do care about what is happening to him, but are afraid to confront him with this information or to offer him help.
If this is the case, then they should gather courage and use this column to point out to him the folly of his ways, and offer to help him deal with any social or psychological issues he may be going through.
Responsible citizens
Leaving things as they are would be a dereliction of duty on their part.
At the end of the day, it is the duty of all responsible citizens to point out the king’s nakedness, in order to save the kingdom the embarrassment of seeing their ruler parading through the streets in all his natal glory.
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University’s school of medicine www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Doctors too suffer from poor health services
By Lukoye Atwoli
Sunday Nation 15 May 2011
The health care delivery system in Kenya is in a mess. Almost everyone agrees on this.
Indeed, prominent Kenyans would not trust their lives with the local health facilities, and often travel abroad for treatment that even newly-qualified doctors in Kenya could deliver.
Despite this acknowledgment of the poor state of affairs in this sector, the Kenyan populace often turns against the poor health care worker whenever things go wrong, blaming them for all sorts of things including profiteering and unethical practice.
Whenever doctors appear in the streets or at press conferences complaining about the conditions under which they work (which incidentally are also public health facilities), the average citizen is wont to dismiss them as pampered overpaid brats just asking for more money.
Nothing can be further from the truth, as illustrated by the following incident. Less than two weeks ago, a young public servant working in Busia managed to get some time off to visit with his family in Kiambu.
While there, he developed malaria and decided to visit the Kiambu District Hospital for treatment.
Malaria is usually a straight-forward diagnosis, and the medications are readily available at all public hospitals, so everyone expected the young professional to be treated quickly and get back to his usual routine.
Unfortunately for some patients, malaria can complicate and cause more damage than normal. In this young man’s case, he developed kidney failure and his doctors determined that he needed dialysis to save his life. This is where the problem began.
There is no dialysis machine at the Kiambu Hospital, although there are doctors qualified to administer this life-saving treatment.
Transport arrangements were quickly made and the patient was put in an ambulance for transfer to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for dialysis.
I am made to understand that the only other public facilities with dialysis machines are the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the Coast General Hospital and the Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru.
The young civil servant did not make it to KNH. He is said to have died in the ambulance. This incident is an indictment of the health sector in this country.
While our ministers fight over turf, and struggle to introduce programmes for the treatment of cancer and other exotic illnesses, people are still dying of easily manageable problems all over our country.
While the government spends large sums of money on the ICC process and foreign trips, many are still contracting malaria and dying of its reversible complications.
The larger tragedy in this story, however, is that the young civil servant who suffered this fate was a new doctor who had just completed his internship and had a brilliant future ahead of him.
Although I never met the young civil servant, his short life and unfortunate death provides a big lesson for all of us working in health.
Evidently, even doctors cannot afford the care they give to their patients in high-cost hospitals.
A friend remarked that the doctor’s life might have been saved had he been able to visit the Karen Hospital or some other private hospital in Nairobi.
Clearly, a rational plan needs to be developed, with appropriate health priorities for our population. And don’t get me started on the ministry’s pet project — the opaque taxation system christened NSHIF!
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University’s School of Medicine www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Sunday Nation 15 May 2011
The health care delivery system in Kenya is in a mess. Almost everyone agrees on this.
Indeed, prominent Kenyans would not trust their lives with the local health facilities, and often travel abroad for treatment that even newly-qualified doctors in Kenya could deliver.
Despite this acknowledgment of the poor state of affairs in this sector, the Kenyan populace often turns against the poor health care worker whenever things go wrong, blaming them for all sorts of things including profiteering and unethical practice.
Whenever doctors appear in the streets or at press conferences complaining about the conditions under which they work (which incidentally are also public health facilities), the average citizen is wont to dismiss them as pampered overpaid brats just asking for more money.
Nothing can be further from the truth, as illustrated by the following incident. Less than two weeks ago, a young public servant working in Busia managed to get some time off to visit with his family in Kiambu.
While there, he developed malaria and decided to visit the Kiambu District Hospital for treatment.
Malaria is usually a straight-forward diagnosis, and the medications are readily available at all public hospitals, so everyone expected the young professional to be treated quickly and get back to his usual routine.
Unfortunately for some patients, malaria can complicate and cause more damage than normal. In this young man’s case, he developed kidney failure and his doctors determined that he needed dialysis to save his life. This is where the problem began.
There is no dialysis machine at the Kiambu Hospital, although there are doctors qualified to administer this life-saving treatment.
Transport arrangements were quickly made and the patient was put in an ambulance for transfer to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for dialysis.
I am made to understand that the only other public facilities with dialysis machines are the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the Coast General Hospital and the Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru.
The young civil servant did not make it to KNH. He is said to have died in the ambulance. This incident is an indictment of the health sector in this country.
While our ministers fight over turf, and struggle to introduce programmes for the treatment of cancer and other exotic illnesses, people are still dying of easily manageable problems all over our country.
While the government spends large sums of money on the ICC process and foreign trips, many are still contracting malaria and dying of its reversible complications.
The larger tragedy in this story, however, is that the young civil servant who suffered this fate was a new doctor who had just completed his internship and had a brilliant future ahead of him.
Although I never met the young civil servant, his short life and unfortunate death provides a big lesson for all of us working in health.
Evidently, even doctors cannot afford the care they give to their patients in high-cost hospitals.
A friend remarked that the doctor’s life might have been saved had he been able to visit the Karen Hospital or some other private hospital in Nairobi.
Clearly, a rational plan needs to be developed, with appropriate health priorities for our population. And don’t get me started on the ministry’s pet project — the opaque taxation system christened NSHIF!
Dr Lukoye Atwoli is a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University’s School of Medicine www.lukoyeatwoli.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)