HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC ALONG THE SHORES OF L.VICTORIA

A man transporting fish from  the lake

The government is on the verge of carrying out 2012 AIDS indicator Survey in the country to establish the prevalence rate. Health officials and other stakeholders will be keen on the latest prevalence rates to evaluate the effectiveness of the various AIDS programs aimed at reducing infections. Last year, the HIV/AIDS prevalence in Kenya reduced to 6% up from 12% according to National AIDS Control Council. This is a remarkable effort put forth by the Ministry of Health in its spirited campaigns against the dreaded virus. Although a reduction has been recorded, Nyanza province still has the highest prevalence in the country. The situation is dire especially along the shores of Lake Victoria.

Fish for sex

Fishermen and Fishmongers alike are seen to be thwarting the vicious war against the HIV/AIDS epidemic because of their unorthodox behavior. The fishermen/fishmongers have established some sort of ritual that has fuelled the spread of the virus. The fishmongers consist of women in most cases. The unwritten rule that applies here is that, the woman will buy fish from the fisherman and when darkness covers the land, she must sleep with this particular fisherman. As oblivious as it may sound, the intercourse must be unprotected claiming that condoms reduce pleasure. The fisherman also has similar arrangements with other women who are also his customers. Similarly, the woman would have the same arrangements with other fishermen to source for more fish. The rule bends for no one so if you can’t fit in you can as well ship out. This means that you will be locked out of the business hence loss of source of livelihood. Some of the fishermen and fishmongers are married and consequently their partners are at great risk of being infected. It therefore creates a network which eventually ends up reaching out the entire population. Recently an NGO came up and bought 6 fishing boats for a group woman in a bid to stop the dependency of women on men for fish. It plans to continue with this initiative in an attempt to completely stamp out this awful practice along the long the lake. Another obsolete custom that is responsible for the high prevalence is the practice of wife inheritance. This retrogressive practice has also led to the spread of the virus. The practice is still widespread despite the campaigns. 

Drop outs

The fish business is a booming venture associated with high profits however the families of the fishermen continue to languish in poverty. It has also had far reaching effects on education of the children along the lake. Children especially young boys are dropping out of school to pursue the lucrative business. NASCOP and other Non-Governmental Organizations have focused their campaigns along the beaches in a bid to facilitate behavior change. Little has been achieved up to this point in time. Those that take part in this trade are oblivious of the lurking dangers.

Educational Campaigns

The above two practices are the main sponsors of spread of HIV/AIDS along the shores of Lake Victoria. Of course there is the problem of multiple sexual partners which is a predicament world over. This combined with the two practices conspire to infect people in this region. The residents should be subjected to educational campaigns more frequently although they are responding slowly to the message probably because of high illiteracy levels. They should also take advantage of the loan facilities provided by the government through the Women Development Enterprise Fund and Youth Development Fund to start their own businesses where they cannot be held hostage and thus cease being dependent on fishing. This will also help in conservation of fish stocks in the lake which is dwindling at a very high rate.

Gender Equality, Democracy and Justice

Synopsis

There is a looming constitutional crisis regarding the fulfillment of gender equality rule as espoused in the new constitution. However, gender equality cannot be attained at the expense of democracy and justice.

The ongoing debate whether amendments should or should not be made to the law that requires any public institution to have a third of either gender has continued to illicit mixed reactions from various quarters. The assemblies created under the new constitution (parliament, senate, & county assembly) are as such required to comply with this rule. However, if this law is not met and it turns out (as likely to be the case) that the gender rule is not met then, the assemblies will be unconstitutional. This will plunge the country to constitutional crisis of its kind. The Attorney-General has since sought the intervention of the Supreme court in a bid to find a solution to the stalement.

Unsustainable

In order to solve the crisis, the respective assemblies would be required to nominate the difference to meet the constitutional requirement. This rule is a brainchild of affirmative action for women who have not been participating in politics. Nominating the shortfall will be unsustainable for the economy due to the bloated members of the assembly. For instance, if Kenyans decide to elect 290 men in the national assembly, the law requires that 60 women be nominated to meet constitutional gender threshold bringing the total number of M.P’s 350, all of them to be paid approximately Ksh.1M.

Gender Equality Vis a Vis Democracy & Justice

From the foregoing, some have argued that the cost of attaining gender equality in the assemblies will be quite enormous. That aside, I want us to focus on gender equality particularly on elective posts: Does the gender rule promote Democracy and Justice? Can we achieve gender equality at the expense of Democracy and Justice? The gender rule on elective posts negates the principle of Democracy and Justice. You cannot force people to elect a woman or a man. It’s like imposing a leader unto the people and that should not be the case at this juncture given the achievement we have gained in the fight for democracy. Error is to human and that clause ought to have been amended during the making of the constitution. Nobody really pondered on the ramifications of the rule and asked whether it is actually feasible. Changing the constitution now will require a referendum which is not possible. The gender rule ought to be applied on positions of appointment but not elective posts/positions. It perfectly makes sense when a commission of eight members has four men and four women appointed by the president. On the other hand, you can’t force a constituency to elect a woman or a man.  As a matter of fact, affirmative action in regards to decision making has been addressed through the creation of women representatives’ position.

Lack of Interest

The gender rule is not the solution for lack of participation of women in politics. The problem is not male dominance in the political world but rather women are not interested in politics so they have been left out. To truly meet the underpinnings of Gender Equality, Democracy and Justice, men and women should compete on equal footing.