Joy in Koboko as MP Aate saves expectant mothers with mama kits

By Andrew Cohen Amvesi

Koboko –  Expectant mothers and their husbands in Koboko district have been treated to excitement as their area Woman Member of Parliament Dr. Sharifa Aate Taban gifted them with free mama kits.

Aate donated the mama kits to the expectant mothers following the ongoing outcry for the delivery items in the different health units in the district.

According to Aate, she stepped in to support the women after discovering that most of them are unable to afford mama kits at the time of delivery.

“I’m giving out these mama kits as good will to supplement what the government is giving to expectant mothers. For sure the government through the ministry of health do give these things but they are not for all our women, they don’t even reach a month,” Aate said.

“So, I supplemented on it but on going to the health centers, you discover that majority of the women do not get some of these things; some of them get the cotton only, some of them get the carpets, some of them don’t get the gloves at all and then they are tortured and tormented for not coming with these things to the health center yet you say government services are free of charge,” Aate stated.

Aate said she had to supplement the items for people after noticing that there was a bit of corruption when it comes to the management of mama kits in health units.

“So I decided to give out these mama kits myself as my own project and found a way of making the items reach the beneficiaries directly without involving any person in the middle. You can now see from the faces of the women that they are so happy after receiving the mama kits because they are for their own good. The mama kits will save them from costs and from the energy of going to hustle from the hospital, they like it and they are very happy,” Aate added.

“There is a lot of responsibility in raising a child, it doesn’t stop at mama kits. So, I know that by the fact that I’m giving them the mama kits, they have to raise the whole baby, the whole life, so men can’t boycott their responsibility in any way but I think it is a way of also helping men. I’m helping them and at the end of the day, their wives will give birth properly and they will not be attacked in the health center, they will not have to spend that shs20,000 to buy mama kits but they can use it to buy a cloth to cover the baby. So, for me it is just a way to give back to the society,” Aate explained.

Sauda Tiko, one of the beneficiaries of MP Aate’s mama kit, commended her for the support which she said will come in handy at the time of delivery.

“If we go for antenatal, those health workers usually don’t give us mama kits and when it reaches delivery time, we are forced to buy mama kits. With this economic hardship, at times it becomes very difficult to raise the money for buying mama kits. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to sincerely thank our woman MP Aate for this support which will go a long way to save the lives of our babies,” Tiko said.

When contacted on phone, Dr. Denis Oloya, the medical superintendent of Koboko hospital said they do receive mama kits from the National Medical Stores, but at times they are not adequate to serve the ever-growing number of expectant mothers.

He acknowledged the supplementary support given by MP Aate, saying such support usually makes their work easier.

Dr. Aate has been in good books with her voters for such support including the tractor she bought and delivered to the locals during the 2021 campaigns. Reports now indicate that Aate has bought five more new tractors which are yet to be launched and distributed to the locals very soon.

Before donating the mama kits, she also gave out 100 cups and plates to each of the 432 villages in Koboko district while each LCI chairperson in the district received 4 iron sheets, 890 portable solar lamps were received by VHTs and 50 schools also received solar panels from the MP.

Aate equally supported mosques and churches in the district in various ways besides sponsoring 95 students of which 15 are doing nursing and of the 15, 4 have graduated already. The remaining 80 students are doing different skills training such as welding, carpentry while some are in secondary schools, among many other achievements of the woman MP in barely three years in Parliament.