12.09.2012
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Kenya's High Commissioner to Namibia, Peter Gitau
presents certificate and badge of Honor to
Gloria N. Muballe while Julius Bargorett, Deputy Head of Mission watches on.
By: WANJA NJUGUNA
Muballe was the only foreigner honoured in her category among hundreds of Kenyans, for her exemplary services to both Kenya and Namibia during her long service as the chief control nurse in the country.
The award, which was announced during Kenya’s 48th celebration as a republic on December 12 2011, was officially handed over Monday at a ceremony at Nyayo House, the official residence of the Kenyan High Commission in Windhoek.
Officially handing over the certificate and pinning the medal to Muballe’s jacket, Kenyan High Commissioner Peter Gitau said it was an honour for the government of Kenya to celebrate the work of a civil servant who did her work with dedication, courage and without discrimination.
“One memorable thing that Mrs Muballe always did, while for example receiving the nurses from Kenya, was to stress that the nurses were in Namibia as colleagues to their fellow nurses here and to give services to the Namibian nation and not as Kenyan nurses, and this facilitated the smooth integration of the nurses into their work environment in the country,” Gitau said.
Gitau also emphasised that with the establishment of the new medical department at the University of Namibia, the country will soon have more medical professionals than it can accommodate and it will be time for the Namibian government to send medical personnel to work in other countries.
Accepting the honour, Muballe expressed her gratitude to President Kibaki and to the nursing community in Namibia for recognising her contribution to the welfare of the sick in the country.
“These days, it is rare to see something positive being said about the nursing profession here and this comes as a good gesture towards this humble profession which requires hard work, selflessness and dedication 24/7,” Muballe said. Muballe, who has since retirement become an advisor to the registrar of the Health Professions Council, encouraged nurses to register with the council to strengthen the work of the nursing profession in the country.
“As nurses, it is important for us to remember our work is 28 hours, not the usual eight-to-five schedule. We are called upon by our customers, the sick, at all times and we must do our work from our hearts so that we fulfil the mission of Florence Nightingale who selflessly began our humble profession,” Muballe advised.
“When we do our work to the best of our ability, wherever we are, even in the most remote of places in this country, our clients stand to gain and our profession earns a good name,” she added. Speaking on behalf of the diplomatic corps, Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Namibia, Chipo Zindoga, said: “It is always an honour to be appreciated in countries where we work in and for Muballe to be recognised in Kenya for her work in Namibia, in one of the most difficult professions in the world, is also a great honour for the women of the world and proves that if we do our work well and professionally, we will be honoured both in our countries and beyond.”
Speaking on behalf of the nurses, a nursing officer, Abdullahi Jughe, thanked Muballe for her selflessness. “She has not only been our boss, but our mentor, our friend and there is nothing you would not share with her any time – her office was open any time and her staff members emulated her in her work,” he said.
http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=101713&no_cache=1
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