Link between illicit brew use and jiggers

By KAMAU MAICHUHIE

Kiambu, Kenya: The rampant jigger infestation in Central Kenya has been blamed on high consumption of illicit brews in the area.

Ahadi Kenya Trust CEO Stanley Kamau said the illicit brew menace in the region has rapidly accelerated the jigger problem, since consumers neglect their hygiene, making their bodies a safe haven for the mite.

Speaking at Gachagi slums in Thika during an anti-jigger campaign, Dr Kamau said when young people visit illicit brew dens, they  usually return home too inebriated to take a bath or wash their clothes and houses, which makes jiggers thrive.

He said they also usually sleep on the ground, which is infested by mites that develop to jiggers.

“If the Government manages to deal with the illicit brew menace in Central Kenya, the jigger problem will also have been greatly solved,” Kamau said.

He challenged the Government to seriously deal with poverty, saying it was the cause of the illicit brew menace in the region and other areas as well.

POVERTY LINK

The Ahadi Kenya boss said many young people are turning to illicit brews, crime and other immoral deeds due to desperation and poverty, which are caused by lack of employment.

“I urge the Government to come up with a solution to address the high unemployment rate experienced in the country since it is the source of all the negative things happening, including the jigger menace,” he said.

Meanwhile Ruiru MP Esther Gathogo has launched a road safety campaign aimed at reducing accident related deaths and ensure adherence of road safety rules by boda boda operators and motorists.

The campaign dubbed Ruiru Constituency Road Safety Initiative, which is the MP’s brainchild, is targeting boda boda operators.

Through the initiative, some 250 boda boda operators in Ruiru town and Githurai have been taken through driving school and trained on traffic rules before being issued with driving licences.

ROAD SAFETY

Gathogo said she came up with the initiative after it emerged that the area is losing a lot of boda boda operators due to frequent accidents caused by lack of training on proper road usage.

“This area has had an increase in road accidents since expansion of the Thika superhighway, which has claimed a lot of lives. This road safety initiative is aimed at drastically reducing rampant road carnage as the riders have now been trained and they know what they should or should not do while on the road,” Gathogo said.

The MP was speaking in Ruiru town when she issued licences to boda boda operators who have undergone driving and road safety lessons.

Ruiru traffic base commander Francis Muthamia urged the riders to ensure they apply the knowledge they have acquired in their training while on the road.