The 2010 Rare Placement at NEPHAK

The 2010 Rare Placement at NEPHAK
As a national network and an advocacy organization, NEPHAK has always provided room for volunteers and Fellows seeking opportunities for placement. Such opportunities not only benefit the individual offered the placement but also enable NEPHAK fulfill specific objectives. Past placements have been beneficial in advancing NEPHAK advocacy agenda.

In 2010, NEPHAK had a rare placement under the Parliamentarian Volunteers Scheme organized by VSO Jitolee. The actual placement involved Hon. David Cairns, MP. joining NEPHAK in September 2010 and working actively with NEPHAK for a period of more than 2 weeks meeting staff, NEPHAK members, NEPHAK board, partners and key policy and decision-makers in Kenya. Hon. David Cairns, MP. was initially accompanied by Veronica ...who was then the Policy Advisor to the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS in the UK.

As expected, a placement of a parliamentarian in any institution has the benefit of using the MPs status and connections to open doors and get the chance to undertake advocacy at the highest levels. In deed, as summarized in Table X below, this was the real outcome of this rare placement at NEPHAK.

Table X: Summary Placement Outputs


Placement Objective

Placement Output/Outcome

To enable NEPHAK staff  improve     their capacity to plan advocacy           work and undertake research to       support their communications

NEPHAK staff and representatives of members were           provided with a 2 day training on        research,            documentation and development of advocacy briefs,           including case   studies needed for advocacy and      communications.

To open doors for NEPHAK and        VSO Jitolee with key decision-       makers and enable NEPHAK     understand and respond to ARVs      stock-out
  • Meetings were held with Minister for Medical services,      Assistant Minister for Public Health and Sanitation and the leadership of the National AIDS and STIs Control           Programme (NASCOP) and the issues and needs of PLHIV discussed. An assurance was secured from NASCOP that no eligible PLHIV will go without the drugs.
  • Meeting with Minister of State for Special Programmes discusses the issues of HIV and AIDS Prevention and     Control Act and the need to support the HIV and AIDS Tribunal. In the same meeting, the issue of treatment as             a human right is also discussed.

To see first hand the work of           PLHIV and NEPHAK member organizations and  learn the        challenges PLHIV in Kenya face

Hon. David Cairns visits individual PLHIV and affected       families as well as support groups affiliated to NEPHAK  in Nairobi and the Rift Valley

To lobby for Home Based Care kits
  • In meetings with ministry of health officials and NASCOP, the need for HBC kits is discussed and also the need to          support community health care workers (CHWs).
  • The need for HBC kits also discussed with head of       PEPFAR, DFID staff and WHO representatives.

To galvanize Kenya MPs around
HIV and AIDS and make useful    contacts for NEPHAK

Although parliament was under recess, a member of         Parliament for Imenti South was met and discussions held on the need for future meetings and collaboration

To understand the importance of the    GFATM in Kenya and get useful information in advance of the        GFATM replenishment conference          in October 2010

Discussions on the role and importance of GFATM to Kenya discussed with PLHIV leaders, key government officials    including minister for Medical services and key development partners such as the World Health Organization, DFID and PEPFAR


Hon. David Cairns, MP from UK meets the Kenyan counterpart Hon. Warutere, MP. during his visit to NEPHAK.


Hon. David Cairns, MP., …meets British High Commissioner to Kenya during his Placement at NEPHAK.


Hon. David Cairns, MP meets with Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o, MP at the ministry of Health Headquarters.

Building on the Placement Objectives
The placement of Hon. David Cairns at NEPHAK did not just end with the staff capacity building and meetings with the key decision – makers outlined in the table above. The placement did reveal to NEPHAK and partners the vital role the political class and particularly Members of Parliament can play in the national response to HIV and AIDS. Subsequently, NEPHAK and other civil society organizations working on health sector and related initiatives have been working out modalities on how to engage parliamentarians in the response to HIV and AIDS. In essence, the establishment of All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV and TB will be the ultimate goal of the consultations NEPHAK is holding with other partner civil society organizations.


Hon. David Cairns, MP. join NEPHAK members in Kajiado County to campaign for Universal Access.