In Summary
- Mbori says the youth need to use their phones to expose waste and abuse within the health sector.
- Mbori says if the youth were proactive in ensuring that healthcare which is a basic right is more accessible and efficient for everyone by use of social media then the country will grow exponentially.
- Youth activism gaining traction in Kenya.
The Youth have been challenged to actively contribute to the improvement of the health sector in the country by exposing fraud, waste and abuse within the health sector, particularly at the country level.
Social Media Technology in Health Sector
This was the message that was publicized at the Youth IT Innovation for Health Conference held in Nairobi on Tuesday that was convened by the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) and sponsored by Transparency International together with USAID.
The conference emphasized on the pivotal role of young people in making sure healthcare is more accessible and efficient for everyone, especially if they embraced technology in the country.
According to the AMWIK’s executive director Queenter Mbori the youth need to use their phones to expose waste and abuse within the health sector especially in the counties as health is one of the biggest devolved function hence receive substantial amounts of money.
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However, these funds are often mismanaged, leading to gaps in service delivery.
“What gives me hope is that you are the generation that is connected, informed, and you are ready to make an impact. So how can you as the youths of the smartphone and social media era get involved in making sure resources whether they are for development are being used efficiently?,” She asked.
She said if the youth were proactive in ensuring that healthcare which is a basic right is more accessible and efficient for everyone by use of social media then the country will grow exponentially.
“You need to stay informed keep yourselves updated on how funds are being allocated to your community especially in key areas like healthcare,”
“You can also leverage on social media…. let’s use it to highlight issues dealing with healthcare budget and projects. Your voice online can bring real changes on how these resources are managed,”
She also called on the youth to use their talents to amplify their voices in ensuring every shilling is used effectively for public use.
“Let’s also use our talents to amplify our voices whether through acting, singing, spoken word or illustrations,”
On his part Titus Gitonga, Deputy chief of party Transparency international said by leveraging technology like social media young people can play a crucial role in promoting transparency and accountability, ensuring that resources are used effectively to benefit all Kenyans.
Morara Effect
Meanwhile youth activism has gained traction in the country few months after Gen Z protests was witnessed in the country in June against bad governance.
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One Morara Kebaso, a lawyer and youth activist has been has been seen taking civic education to another level by use of social media.
Kebaso took the internet by storm after he launched a nationwide tour to inspect the progress of projects launched by President William Ruto.
“If it’s not corruption it is incompetence, On 19th October 2018 fuel guzzlers using public money came to Bomachoge Chache where President William Ruto Launched Nyamonyo KMTC at Egetuki. To this date not a single nurse has graduated from here. Public money just lying idle wasting away as we lose the benefits. Remember this is 6 years later, “he said through a video on X.
Morara, who has lately become the king of the accountability movement, has single-handedly spread his tentacles across various counties in a bid to ascertain the true status of a number of projects the President has recently launched even those he launched as Deputy President.
