By Mary Mwendwa.
No roads, no mobile network, banditry , cattle rustling and harsh climate are some of the challenges Sylvia Wangui has to endure as a medic serving Kamurio village in East Pokot,Baringo County.A region only known for livestock keeping as a livelihood and constant drought being the norm.
It takes one around 35 kilometres from Chemolingot Town , District headquaters to Kamurio village. Here there is no road, the poor road terrain cannot allow any public vehicle to offer services here.Four wheeled strong vehicles and motor bikes that charge 2000 ksh one way trip are the only ones that manage the rocky road with seasonal rivers .Illeteracy levels are so high in this region, very few people barely can speak swahili and English.
Born and brought up at Gilgil town where basic services and goods were not a problem, the 30 year old has embarked on a journey to serve that she hopes nothing will block her.
A missionary serving under the Mamlaka Field Mission in East Pokot , a charming Sylvia who speaks most of Pokot language has no regrets about joining the mission field to serve the humble community of Kamurio.
A scene at the Kamurio dispensary reflects of her busy days look like.Patients streaming in the small dispensary most women and children .Many of the women with braids that are black and shiny , dressed in round skirt and beads on their necks and wrists .One by one they enter consultation room and talk to Sylvia who attends to them keenly and scribbles, checks and gives medicine explaining in Pokot and when she needs more assistance Community Health Worker intervenes.One of the women has a one year old child whose symptoms are similar to Malaria.”My baby has fever at night and she has lost appetite, what can I do”Sylvia says that is malaria but with n drugs at the facility she will refer her to another hospital which is far away.
A nother woman and her two children enter , baby with a mo hock hair style is yelling while the other has ring worms on the head.Sylvia attends to them and I get to inquire about the number of people she treats in a day and the common infections she has to deal with.”I treat almost 600 people in a month and since march this year have done ten deliveries.The biggest challenge I have is women prefer to deliver in the villages through assistance of Traditional Birth Attendants hence the low turnout for maternity services here.There is also very low uptake of immunization in these villages.My facility does not offer immunization , Barpelo Dispensary does but not many women take their children for immunization, I get worried about this but I don’t have a solution to it yet.”
Sylvia continues to narrate how Malaria and diarrheal diseases top the list of infections .
”Many people here dont embrace personal hygiene and general cleanliness.This has resulted in many cases of diarrhea among children.Eye infections and respiratory also are common.”
Sylvia’s passion to serve people is greatly seen at how she has decided to leave working for good hospitals which have facilities and better salaries and she has sort to stay in a land where life is tough, constant droughts and neighbours the famous Kapedo where several soldiers were massacred in the recent past.
She has to deal with many cultural issues that even make her work as a medic challenging at times.”For example in this region there is FGM and a lot of early marriages.You find the young women coming here with urinary tract infections which they have contracted from their partners and because the man may not come of other co-wives the infection becomes very difficult to clear as the lady gets reinfected more.I try to talk to them about coming together and it has failed to bear fruits.At times I just treat and keep on treating with hope that they get better.With no laboratory services here , I only rely on clinical symptoms and this challenges me because some symptoms manifest in a tricky way which only needs a laboratory tests.”
She confirms that since the year started she has been facing a serious challenge with supply of malaria drugs. People come as far as Chesawach,Kapau, Chepelow, Tiaty and Napur for treatment here.I get overstretched even if I had enough medicine for Kamurio people only it never lasts. Malaria is the biggest worry now because many cases are brought here and I have no drugs.I have tried my best to report to the concerned people about the problem but nothing has been done so far.
when not treating patients she engages in community projects like house building which help her bond with women very well.”My wish is too see people of Kamurio enjoy life just like any other Kenyan in a privileged setting, it may not be comfortable for them but simple life that is fulfilling is what I want here.
Last year she managed to organize Kamurio half marathon through Mamlaka Hill chapel that was aimed at raising fees for children who were to join form one in the village for the first time.”Kamurio village has never taken a student to high school from Kamurio primary school since independence.When I joined this mission field last year I saw the need to organize for a marathon that raised close to 1.6 million shillings that has catered for the sixteen students to join high school.The money was to cater for their fees for the four years .Education is the only tool that would change the fortunes of this village , it feels nice to see these children transition from primary to high school , something that never existed here before.
”I will live here as long as I can, serving Kamurio people is a calling for me, I would like to see their lives changes, development come here and people here to live like many kenyans who can access basic facilities in a faster way”She signs off.
