GOVERNOR'S MEDICAL TOURISM RIGHTFULLY ANGERS KENYANS

African leaders travelling to the Global North for medical tourism has become all too common. Our elected officials access the best facilities in Europe and the US, while citizens of their countries continue to suffer due to poorly funded health infrastructure.

In recent weeks, Kenyans in Nakuru County filed a petition demanding to know the whereabouts of their governor after her prolonged absence. Susan Kihika is reportedly on an extended maternity leave in the US. Now, some women leaders are trying to re-frame the outcry, saying the public is opposed to women's empowerment rather than seeking accountability for poor governance.

Here, we examine why Kenyans are angry.

Sources

https://nation.africa/kenya/counties/nakuru/where-is-governor-kihika-nakuru-residents-petition-assembly-4972666

https://x.com/SenHamidaK/status/1904525817155055963

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/8/21/muhammadu-buhari-addresses-nation-on-return-from-uk

https://www.socialistnigeria.org/7759/2025/01/08/tinubus-approval-of-20000-foreign-medical-treatment-bullet-proof-suvs-and-other-perks-top-generals-is-an-insult-to-nigerian-workers-and-masses/?doing_wp_cron=1743083223.9668478965759277343750

https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620389/bp-taxing-for-more-equal-kenya-061217-en.pdf;jsessionid=F751D670A9FA9AE9E9DDD91720BAF6CC?sequence=1