Annual medical report / East Africa Protectorate.

  • East Africa Protectorate. Medical Department
Date:
[1915]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual medical report / East Africa Protectorate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    BUSH CLEARING. This important duty is directly undertaken by the Health Office gangs in the three chief towns ; and financial aid, where possible, for the prosecution of similar work is given by the division to other centres. The acreage kept clear in the towns is as follows :— Nairobi ... ... ... ... 817 Acres Kisumu ... ... ... ... 205 „ Mombasa ... ... ... l,766j ,, HOUSING. No amelioration in the conditions producing overcrowding call for notice during the year. A Special Committee convened by Government to report on the Native Location at Nairobi has submitted its recommendations, which have been approved ; but, owing to the financial considerations involved, it has been found impossible to establish this greatly needed centre either in Nairobi or elsewhere. The overcrowding in certain areas in townships, and verandah trading and residence, so inimical to ])ublic health, could not be satisfactorily dealt with, and the registration and inspection of “licensed trading premises” has been curtailed. This temporary withdrawal of supervision will be reinforced as soon as a normal condition of affairs is re-established. Representations have been made to allow of the adoption in the future of the “ one man one plot ” system ; this entails in the future alienation of land, the provision of a variety of sized plots, in order to give opportunities to persons for developing their holdings, and to trade legitimately according to the extent of their means, and so minimise the present necessity that exists for sub-leasing and sub-letting their premises. These are details of town planning, on which important measure much consideration has been bestowed during the year. Departmentally, a great advance has been made in the housing of employees, the number of sanitary huts at Kisumu for the accommodation of the Marine, Port and Railway Staff has been increased ; and attention has been directed to the permanent huts for Police, Public Works and other subordinates ; while every effort has been made to standardize the type of dwelling utilised. (iv.) CONDITION OF TRADES AND FACTORIES. PUBLIC MARKETS. There are at— Mombasa Nairobi Kisumu Considerable advance has been made in the erection of the public market at Mombasa ; at Nairobi the greater portion of the Jeevanjee Market still remains unoccupied ; and at Kisumu the control remains in private hands. Small traders with their stores of heterogeneous collection of articles for sale should be definitely excluded from the precincts of markets where fresh commodities are sold ; efforts to achieve this end have been made. In the smaller towns, markets are usually provided with a roof and open sides, and are generally well supervised and cleansed ; but considerable improvement in this direction is needed in the larger centres, where the almost universal absence of adequate drainage renders it practically impossible to maintain the buildings in a sanitary condition. [2007(53] 6
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