In Kenya, 24 per cent of nurses are male. [Courtesy]
As the world marked Nurses Day this week, gender disparity in the profession came into sharp focus with only 13 per cent of the world s nurses being men.
In Kenya, 24 per cent of nurses are male. In other words, for every ten nurses, just about two are male.
However, according to Seth Panyako, the secretary-general of Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), the world doesn t need more men in the nursing profession but more professional nurses - both male and female.
“There is no crisis to warrant that we encourage more men to become nurses,” Panyako says.
Dr Chibanzi Mwachonda loses KMPDU secretary general post
HEALTH & SCIENCE
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union has voted out Dr Chibanzi Mwachonda as its secretary-general.
Following the elections held today, Dr Mwachonda will now be replaced by Dr Ouma Davji, who secured 36 per cent of the votes. Dr Mwachonda came third after having garneerd 15.5 per cent of the votes.
The incoming national chairperson is Dr Abidan Muchuma, who secured 36.6 per cent of the vote, followed by Benjamin Magare with 32.1 per cent.
The union s new vice-chairperson is Dr David Mundia who garnered 45.6 per cent of the vote.
Some of Dr Mwachonda’s highlights as secretary-general were characterized by calls to the government to review the plight of healthcare workers amid the ongoing pandemic.
May 1st 2021 at 12:00:00 GMT +0300
As Kenyans join the rest of the world in marking International Labour Day on Saturday, it will be the 19th time Francis Atwoli will be in the limelight having been at the helm of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) since August 2001.
And it appears Kenyans will have to wait much longer for a new face to preside over the occasion and, by extension, lead in championing of workers’ rights in the country. This is after the 71-year-old Atwoli was given a fresh five-year mandate as Cotu Secretary General by its 250 delegates on April 9.
The flamboyant Cotu boss retained the seat unopposed during the elections held both virtually and physically at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu after his only opponent, Seth Panyako, the secretary general of Kenya National Union of Nurses, withdrew from the contest.
Bado mapambano: COTU boss set to mark 19th Labour Day in office standardmedia.co.ke - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardmedia.co.ke Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THE STANDARD
POLITICS
Francis Atwoli re-elected as Secretary-General for fifth term. [Collins Oduor, Standard]
In the trade union circles, he is a fighter for the rights of workers while in his Mulembe backyard, he calls himself an elder and a kingmaker.
In the national political sphere, he is a fixer who claims to foretell the country’s leadership and governance direction.
He has mentioned in the Press a number of times that he is the third most powerful person in the country after President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
And on Friday, Francis Atwoli got another five-year term to lead the vibrant Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) as the secretary-general after he was re-elected unopposed.