Net Distribution Program_Refined

It’s expansive, as is beautiful. The terrains are rough; the ride is tough as you have to withstand the dust, rocks, and a tough ride up the mountainous Kuria landscape. We have been riding for almost an hour and still on we go. As the bike engines roar through the vast Kuria is landscapes am in awe of Kenya’s beauty; the hills, the fauna, the distant horizons with its crisp blue. We are on a mission to supervise the progress of the net distribution program at Nyakore health facility, Kuria West, Migori County. It is day 3 of the exercise intended to take five days. We later on will meet the Nyakore Community health workers at the station for regular project supervision by KeNAAM’s field officer.

There is a large queue as people eagerly wait to be issued with nets at the health facility. The health officers are busy checking through the forms to verify identification and area details of the recipients. We told this is necessary for accountability of the nets.

“Wamenipatia neti moja peke yake, na niko na watoto watatu.”(They have only given me one net and I have three children), laments an of man as he walks past as with a net in hand.

“According to government policy on net distribution, it is, one net per two persons,” explains an officer at the station. “For families with irregular numbers, say three, five and such odd numbers, the figures rounded off to the nearest even number,” he adds.

Inspite of such programs ensuring high number of LLINs among the community, there still remains a low utilization index, estimated at 31.9% countrywide according to the KHSSP.

“People still hold to superstitious believes on nets, with some saying they cause nightmares” says, Charles Mogaka, Nyamira County Health Promotion officer.

Mr. Mogaka who worked in Kuria for a couple of years before being transferred to the to the Kisii health office, says there still exist a huge knowledge gap that needs to be filled.

Superstition is just one setback in the proper use of ILLNs, several other challenges abound. In some areas, the nets are used as fences; to keep poultry, fence the vegetables. Whilst this practice is slowly disappearing, it still remains prevalent in some parts of the county.

“This is not only a problem of the poor as has often been alluded, even the well off in society, educated people do it” says Miriam Mbone, KeNAAM Kuria field officer.