State House News

The link below outlines President Kibaki's visit to Kijabe Hospital yesterday.

http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/news/october2010/2010081002.htm

Rolling Out The Red Carpet

The Red Carpet was rolled out today for His Excellency the Honorable President of Kenya Mwai Kibaki. President Kibaki arrived at Kijabe at about 11 AM in a motorcade of vehicles.



The President greeting various board members of Kijabe Hospital and Pastors of Africa Inland Church.



The newly designed and expanded (and very clean) recovery room for patients immediately after surgery. We can take some pride that Samaritan's Purse (our sending organization) generously donated over 200,000 USD towards the total 500,000 USD needed for the theatre expansion at Kijabe.



The ever present white dry-erase board to keep track of the anesthetist, patient, surgeon, and procedures for the now expanded Theatre with nine different operating rooms.



Several thousand people gathered to view the presentations and hear President Kibaki speak.



President Kibaki spoke for 15 minutes. The president acknowledged the importance of religious organizations in responding to the great health care needs of Kenya. He commended Kijabe on its response to provide excellent compassionate health care at affordable costs to the poor. The President responded to a request by Kijabe to relieve 2 million KSH debt left by patients who could not pay, "I will deal with it," he said. The President agreed to insure that all supplies and medical equipment imported to Kenya with purpose to be used at Kijabe hospital could now come "Duty Free." The President even address the roads leading to Kijabe--and did not go as far as promising they would be fixed, but was sympathetic to the needs to have the roads repaired for safety and comfort for patient travel. In the end I found President Kibaki to be soft spoken, at times humorous from the podium, and responsive to the needs of Kijabe. He seems like a really decent guy.



The president being escorted away from Kijabe Hospital left with the words, "please let us (the government) know how we can help Kijabe." I want to believe the President was moved, impressed, and maybe surprised by this mission hospital that has grown in a hundred years from a little dispensary to a now a level 5 referral hospital with over 20 doctors/specialists, a nursing school, and a medical training facility. And that the Commander and Chief of a sovereign republic of over 30 million people will support and enable Kijabe to continue to share God's love through medical care.

Presidential Preparations

Tomorrow may be the biggest day in the history of Kijabe since 1905 when Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone at Rift Valley Academy. We are excited that His Excellency President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki will be coming to Kijabe Hospital. Kibaki has served as Kenya's President since 2002, but this will be his first visit to Kijabe Hospital. He has agreed to ceremonially open the Theatre (Operating Room) expansion. This expansion will triple the square footage of the operating room by adding 5 new operating rooms, a larger recovery room, patient reception area, staff chai room, and conference rooms. This will enable more patients to be treated and especially expand the capacity of surgical care in Plastic Surgery, ENT, Orthopedics, General Surgery, and make available around the clock an emergency OR (decreasing the wait time for urgent C-sections).

Most of all we pray that with the President of Kenya attending this event, the national spotlight will shine on Kijabe and God will be glorified through compassionate health care.


Gallons of Glossy White have been painted to make the walls sparkle.

Believe it or not, 10-20 casual workers have spent the past week sanding the exterior walls of the hospital by hand (fine grade paper I think).

The buzz of the President's visit has mobile phones ringing and text messages flying.

A stage is being built for the President to speak after the opening of the Theatre expansion. Even more interesting new green turf (seen in lower left hand corner of the picture) is being laid to sharpen up the field.

Even new steps are being laid in cement to the backdoor of the hospital to welcome the President's visit.

Have you ever met a current or former president of any country?

Would You Take This Job?

Your pay starts at 800,000 KSH ($10,500) per month.  That's your base salary.  If you actually come to work (because absconding from the job is the norm) you will receive a daily bonus called a "sitting fee".  On top of your generous salary you will receive keys to not one, but two brand new BMW cars.   Because you must continue to ride in style, we'll replace the Beamers with a brand new set each year.  And for your family full health care, a vacation allowance, and all private education from grade school to professional school will be paid.   A modest mansion awaits your family once you are hired.  The importance of your position dictates that you will not pay income tax.  If the new Beamers did not seal your decision, maybe this will.  A referendum is in place (you get to vote, not the public) to increase your monthly salary to 1.2 million KSH ($15,000 USD) per month (or $180,000 USD) per year.  Will you take the job?  

If you took job you just became a Kenyan MP (Member of Parliament), which there are about 200 in this country of 30 million people.  A Kenyan MP is the US equivalent of a Senator.  Being sympathetic to the MP's, you could argue that a US senators annual salary ($174,000) is equivalent to an MP.   But let's put it in perspective.  A US senator makes roughly 5 times that of an average joe American ($34,000 per year).  A Kenyan MP makes 574 times that of an average joe Kenyan ($314 per year).  If the salary raise referendum passes Kenya will shift its pay scale for MP's to second in the world, only lagging behind the UK.

Missionaries are encouraged to abstain from politics.  In one sense I have abstained.  I don't vote.  I don't have a voter card.  I don't campaign.  I don't wear political shirts. I don't have a sign in my front yard.  I haven't run for any offices here.  

But in the other sense politically, I can't be silent.  But it's their country, not mine.  So I asked a colleague of mine Michael, What do you think of this referendum?   

 "It's wrong.   They have BMW's, and we are grappling for peanuts.  The MP's trade free Mendazis (scones) for votes.   Our nation is struggling economically from the post election violence.  Even the educated can't find jobs.  It's a disgrace to see MP's get a raise, while the poor sit in IDP camps." 

Christians should react to disparity (a loaded term...but 5 times vs. 564 times?). We are called to be distinct from culture and engaged with culture.  We are distinct because our lives have been changed, turned upside down by a new covenant ushered in by Christ.  We engage culture because we recognize that sin has broken individuals (theft, drugs, abuse) but sin has also broken systems (greed, dishonesty).  We engage to show that Christ offered a better way.  And the better way is adorned if we are distinctly Christian.