[Vision2020] Kanay Mubita

Sat Dec 10 09:10:44 PST 2005

As much as I wanted to stay out of this discussion I felt obligated to 
mention some brief history on Kanay and his presence in Moscow.  I first met 
the guy while working for a local lumber store.  This was shortly after he 
moved to Moscow and shortly after he married a local Moscow girl.  Kanay 
shared with me some great stories, beautiful photos of his hometown and 
family, and a good friendship.  While working with Kanay it was apparent to 
me and others that he was starting to fall apart.  Aside from his start of 
ruining his liver by drinking, Kanay was suffering through depression and 
starting to head down the path of divorce.

Not long after Kanay was fired from his job, his brother died back in 
Africa, his marriage failed, he was having trouble finding and keeping work, 
and he started drinking heavily.  Concerning his brother, Kanay told me on 
two or three occasions that his brother had died from AIDS.  I also heard 
from others that his brother died in a car accident, either way, losing a 
brother that is half a world away has got to be hard.  Family means a lot to 
Kanay and Kanay felt as though his family in Moscow was the local bar scene. 
  Right at the same time as his brothers death, Kanay got divorced.  He had 
a lovely wife and a modest home, however, their marriage just did not last.  
Kanay also worked odd jobs from being a cook to working construction but 
spent most of his money at the bars.

Kanay's drinking lead him to trouble which ultimately made Kanay even more 
depressed than he was already.  Many could often times see Kanay at John's 
Alley, Gambinos, The Corner Club, The Garden, Mingles, and pretty much 
anywhere that served alcohol.  He drank and drank a lot and with his 
drinking came many problems.  On more than one occasion I saw Kanay being 
asked to leave a bar because of his drunken behavior.

With the recent press that Kanay has received, Moscow potentially has a 
small HIV epidemic on its hands.  As small a town as Moscow is and as 
sexually active as many are in college, it won't surprise me if a few if not 
many more people become infected.  Many may already be infected and just 
don't realize.  But what can Moscow do?  They cannot feasibly test every 
person in he county.  However, it is my understanding that someone is 
working on a grant for monies that will help provide reduced or free tests 
to anyone who feels they need one.  I hope that the Latah health district, 
Gritman, and any other local medical doctors or authorities will reach out 
to those men and women who feel as though they may be infected.  Keely 
mentioned keeping Kanay in your prayers, as great as this sounds, I would 
hope people kept everyone that Kanay had contact with in their prayers as 
well as an HIV problem would not be very good for anyone let alone Moscow as 
a whole.

Now that Kanay has been arrested, maybe he will get both the medical and 
social treatment that he has lacked for so long.  Hopefully Kanay will 
receive alcohol rehab, medical treatments, and other services to help him 
get his life in order.  Please support your neighbors, medical personnel, 
and other local authorities while Moscow deals with this very serious health 
issue.

Tim

<html><div>Revolution is not a word but an application; it is not war but 
peace; it does not weaken, but strengthens. Revolution does not cause 
separation; it generates togetherness. <BR>-John Africa, <EM>Strategic 
Revolution</EM></div></html>

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