Six journalists attending the Africa Science Journalists Conference in Nakuru witnessed the challenges residents of the remote Eremit village in Kajiado county face in accessing healthcare.
“Accessing health services here is a nightmare. You have to visit a place like this to appreciate how in poor infrastructure affects provision of services,” says The Star journalist Joel Magu.
For many of the 2,891 residents, a visit to the doctor involves a trek for hours through difficult semi-arid terrain, up and down hills and to get to the nearest hospital in Ngong.
According to the Ministry of Health the area is served by one health facility which is visited by a clinical officer from Ngong District Hospital once a fortnight. The nomadic lifestyle of the Maasai who make up much of the population has forced the government with assistance from AphiaPlus and LVCT to start a mobile HIV voluntary, counseling and testing service.
We move from Manyatta to Manyatta but we have to arrive very early in the morning before the Morans move out to herd and shepherd” explained Alice Njoroge, the district AIDS and STI coordinator.
The journalists were mentored by Internews in Kenya in health feature production.
