November 1 - 15, 2011 ISSUE 050

A bimonthly newspaper by the Media Diversity Centre, a project of African Woman and Child Feature Service

Battle over the Yala Swamp Multi million investment turns out to be a case of a deal gone sour By OLOO JANAK benefits from this multi-billion project. At the Dominion Farm in Yala, a big white The Dominion Farms at Yala Swamp on the cross stands on a small hill in the centre of the shores of in County of rice fields, a testimony to this religious incli- is turning into a bitter sweet nation. Villagers say this used to be a sacred investment tale that has seen the local com- place for prayer, now fenced off and made in- munity turn against what they initially wel- accessible to them by the farm management. comed with open hands. It all began in 2005, when an American in- Despair vestor, Calvin Burgess, President of Dominion The high hopes and aspirations of the Group of Companies and Chief Executive of local communities that were built through Dominion Farms, appeared at the Yala Swamp church summons and public barazas promis- area dangling what the local community and ing change in their lives appear to have virtu- their leaders believed was carrot that would ally collapsed into despair seven years later. transform their lives and end poverty. It has left in its wake, a trail of complaints, At inception, Dominion Farms presented a disappointments and spawned a conflict be- mixture of economic and spiritual transforma- tween the local people and the Dominion tion to the sleepy and conservative Yala Swamp Farms management, sucking in local leaders community, largely the Alego and Yimbo com- and government officials. munities. “They came with promises and we sup- The complaints range from denial of access From top: The weir on Yala swamp created by Former Town MP Reverend Ken ported the projects hoping it would change to community roads linking Alego and Yimbo Dominion to control the flow of water into the Nyagudi was for a long time the Kenyan face of our lives but now they have instead turned as well as the surrounding villages, which have farms. Women fetch water at the swamp. Fred the Dominion investment through a religious against us, destroying our very sources of been fenced off to denial of access to sources Okoth, a community leader in outfit that drew in thousands of followers who livelihoods,” says Fred Okumu, a community of water or pollution of water sources. points to one of the farms. Women fishing at believed they would get instant and long term leader from Kadenge Village in Alego. Continued on page 5 the swamp. Pictures: Oloo Janak Read more Reject stories online at www.mediadiversityafrica.org 2 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Reject bags world population award By OMWA OMBARA logue on sexual and reproductive rights; Health. Yaaku: A people on the brink of extinction; The MDC has a vision to promote the he Reject is one of the winners of Mourning the death of family planning, ideals of diversity within and through the The Population Institute’s 32nd School that hosts largest population; media Annual Global Media Awards for Violence in the face of HIV; Village Recoups Its mission is to work towards strength- Excellence in Population Reporting after generation is wiped out; Economic ening the liberty, quality, varied and Tin the category of Best Article or Series of disempowerment a catalyst for violence; integrity of mass media in Articles for the special issue of the Reject Power of reading brought closer to infor- AWC enhances its values through its newspaper. mal settlement; Power of leading 4000 vision of a media that enhances diversity The award will be presented in New slum women; Adverse climate change and gender equality for equitable develop- York in January 12, 2012. leaves communities vulnerable to conflict; ment. The award comes close in the wake of Unbearable burden as women die to give The Reject was initially started as a another — The Millennium Development life and The forgotten elderly of Kenya. paper that would highlight issues of com- Goals Award on Maternal Health won by Both The Reject and Strength of a Wom- munities and the marginalized that are not African Woman and Child Feature Service an are publications of the African Woman given visibility in the mainstream media. media, training, research and content last week under a special edition The and Child Feature Service produced under However, it has grown to establishing its development. Strength of a Woman: The Untold Stories the Media Diversity Centre. path within developmental journalism. AWC Executive Director Rosemary of Maternal Health and Death. The Strength of a Woman captures is- AWC, as a non-profit media organisa- Okello congratulated the team for their Among the stories in the 24-page spe- sues of women’s rights as well as empow- tion has the mission promotes diversity, commitment and dedication in helping cial edition on population are: The politics erment and advancement. This particular gender equity, social justice and develop- place the organisation’s products among of population; First intergenerational dia- issue was biased towards Reproductive ment in Africa through engagement with the best in the world. Citizens seeks accountability HIV women leading the way in Kenya’s fight against the scourge

By Duncan Mboyah

The first case of HIV Aids in Kenya was re- ported in 1984 and to date women accounts for approximately two-thirds (65 percent) of adults estimated to be living with HIV Aids. This percentage is higher than the sub- Saharan African region overall which stands at 57 percent. The HIV prevalence rate among women is estimated to be almost twice that of men but efforts by women living with the epi- Dr Alloys Orago, Director NACC demic has managed to reduce the percentage Some of the participants at the forum. Picture: Kigondu Ndavano through awareness creation. still continue to face persistent challenges in They have managed to help move HIV the areas of prevention, treatment, care and By KIGONDU NDAVANO equality and human rights, representatives from Aids from personal circles to social and po- support services. Mombasa Civil Society groups under the Alliance litical agendas because they are sharing their She discloses that the UN values the voic- A scenario through which ordinary Kenyans will for Citizens Driven Reforms (ACDR) were eager to stories and sacrificing their privacy to ensure es and opinions of women living with HIV subject powerful politicians into vetting commen- learn the basic skills on vetting. that other Kenyans stop suffering in silence. and is committed to continuously support surate with what citizens witnessed during the vet- Coast Interface Coordinator Joseph Kamau in- “These women deserve praise for their and engage them through the UN General ting of the judges could soon come into being. dicated that through awareness forums under the dedication and time in responding to the Assembly Special Session (UNGASS). The vetting will materialise if the enthusiasm Jadili programme, he has learnt the value of equal- crisis that was initially met with a lot of re- Threase – Keating notes that the UN will with which the desire for transparency in future ity among human beings and was keen to ensure sistance,” says Kenya’s Gender, Social and continue supporting and strengthening vari- leadership of the country is being adopted gains fairness in dealing with all issues including leader- Children Development Minister Dr. Naomi ous networks of people living with HIV in root especially in , the first elec- ship and integrity. Shaban. the country. toral region on the way to pioneering the new The minister called for the development According to the NACC Deputy Director move. Vetting leaders of a social movement that recognises the Dr. Sobbie Mulindi regional conferences will After concerted efforts to read, discuss and un- Kashero Chinyaka of CAI, while outlining the rights of those infected and prevent new be held up to village level to help bring out derstand the various sections of the Constitution objective of the Mombasa forum explained that infections among women and girls in the the work done by women living with HIV and the launch of numerous awareness forums in since the formation of Mombasa County Gover- country. in the country with the aim of educating the the County, a team of Kenyans drawn from various nance Networks, whose interim committee mem- public on the dangers of HIV. civil society organisations is already sending strong bers are Ali Sudi, Lammy Ngite, Reverend David Feminisation He says that NACC has developed a but firm signals that the time of reckoning for the Luhambi, Reverend John Ouma, Sheihk Ali Mo- She however notes that developing a code of conduct, gender policy and the politicians is near. hammed Abdillahi, Halima Mohammed and Mary social movement can only succeed once Greater Involvement of People Living with Right from those announcing their bid for pro- Wambu groups were keen to ensure growth and women living with HIV and women rights HIV and AIDS (GIPA) guidelines that spective posts in the new dispensation, to those success. movement are strengthened to reposition aims at mainstreaming its role to the larger who have not made their decision as to whether “We wish to see firm reforms in the Mombasa themselves in leadership positions. public. they will contest any seats, all should be ready to County, we want to discuss how we shall make the The minister called on Kenyans to deal The Director of Kenya Network of Wom- face a panel of well prepared and professionally future leaders of the Mombasa County more ac- with feminisation of HIV epidemic while en with Aids (KENWA) Asunta Wagura says sound people in the vetting teams. countable to the electorate,” said Chinyaka. recognising the structural and personal im- that HIV stigma is lowest amongst people He noted the networks had realised better lead- pediments that require bold leadership. with the lowest income and those that reside Accountability ership was an issue and all were keen to ensure that “We must ensure that Kenyan leaders are in informal settlements but worst amongst Perhaps it will not be a surprise to find such ways and means to identify trustworthy leaders accountable to the realities of women, girls the middle and the high class. personalities as Tourism Minister Najib Balala and who would promote development were available. and HIV,” she adds. Asunta who has been HIV positive for who is sure to seek a political office come the next Chinyaka said vetting of leaders remained para- “The journey of women living with HIV the last three decades and has delivered two general elections — having to answer questions mount although the question still remained how from invisibility to the forefront of cam- HIV negative children calls on people who about his private life and businesses and further the networks would undertake the vetting. paigns and activism is one of empowerment have tested positive to share the information how he managed the tourism sector, the Constitu- “We need the means and the skills to vet all and pioneering leadership in mobilising and with others so that others may take the lead ency Development Fund among other questions. prospective leaders; this will ensure promotion of exploring their own marginalisation,” says in protecting themselves. When Kenyan-based Non-Governmental Or- accountability and transparency in the manage- Ms. Maria – Threase Keating, the United “At the onset, stigma was the major prob- ganisation (NGO) Community Aid International ment of resources where we shall be able to finally Nations Development Programme (UNDP), lem as no one appeared ready to embrace us,” (CAI), coordinated an education forum which have leaders and not rulers like has happened in the the Country Director. Ms. Dorothy Onyango, the Executive of The brought together the members of the Mombasa past,” Chinyaka observed. Threase Keating observes that HIV posi- Executive Director of Women Fighting Aids County Governance Network at the Pride Inn, The Executive Director of the Community Aid tive women in the country broke many bar- in Kenya (WOFAK). it emerged that future leaders were likely to face a International Joseph Kwaka, who addressed the riers and understood their own collective Onyango who is one of the early women thoroughly and well informed electorate during civic society representatives, explained that be- strength that can be applied today to further to get infected by HIV challenges young girls their vetting. cause the organisations under Jadili (discuss) pro- the fight. to seek medication and avoid stigma that is Under one of CAI’s three themes covering social gramme focused partly on good governance, lead- She regrets that despite commitments meant to scare them yet antiretroviral drugs justice and whose objectives include promotion ers of a network had the democratic rights to move made to gender equality at the international are available in both public and private hos- of democratic reforms, good governance, gender into politics. level, women infected and affected by HIV pitals for free unlike three decades ago. ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 3 Mama Uhuru still has her candle flickering By Ogada Muo bull) near the dais where Kenyatta and other dignitaries were seated. Commotion erupted Political activism of pre-independence period and hell broke loose with trigger happy security and the one of today cannot be compared be- personnel shooting indiscriminately at the flee- cause the contrast between them is great. The ing wananchi. Several were shot dead. former was inspired by love and patriotism for the country which almost bordered on fa- Activism natism while the latter is a struggle for political Clementina Obong’o Olewe aka Mama Uh- power as a means to amass wealth for oneself. uru was born in Seme location in Maseno divi- These are the words of freedom fighter Cle- sion of central Nyanza district in 1922. She got mentina Obong’o Olewe also known as Mama married to the late Olewe Orina in 1942 with Uhuru when asked about the struggle for uhuru. whom she had two sons Morris Orina, now de- Mama Uhuru, 80, says those who fought ceased, and John Ombalo an ex-prison warden. for independence were real patriots fighting Obong’o is one of the few surviving women for a common cause regardless of their party political activists in the wide Nyanza region. affiliation. She sees the present-day politicians She joined politics at 32 years at the height of as those who are blotted with greed for power, the liberation struggle. selfishness and impunity resulting in the gleam- She was elected Kanu women’s leader for ing poor governance and mismanagement of Kapuonja sub- location from where she con- the country’s resources. tested the locational position for Kisumu loca- tion. She defeated 14 other contestants drawn Fanatical youth from the sub-locations in the wider Kisumu Although the two prominent political par- location. Though uneducated, Mama Obong’o ties Kenya African National Union (Kanu) became one of the three prominent women and Kenya African Democratic Union (Kadu) leaders in the then expansive Central Nyanza were fighting a common enemy — the colonial District. government — the rivalry between them was very severe. Their rivalry dwarfs, by far, the Other patriots present Orange Democratic Movement and Clementina Obong’o Olewe (Mama Uhuru) outside her home. Picture: Oloo Janak The other two representatives were the late Party of National Unity difference. Mama Uhuru Magdalina Aboge who was the “We no longer have fanatic party youth of hills from Bunyore, Odhienyo Hill around be placed at Ofafa Memorial Hall while others district women leader for Central Nyanza dis- wingers who could shed blood for love of their Maseno through to Koru, Muhoroni, Fort Ten- rooting for her Ojola home for the burial wake. trict and Mama Uhuru Sara Bodo who was the party. The party youths we have now are mere- an and Nyabondo Plateau while lowering the My reasoned opinion in favour of her home divisional leader for Maseno division. ly for hire and can switch loyalty at the sight of Union Jack. was supported by the council of elders and it Mama Obong’o says during the liberation money,” Mama Uhuru says. In all this, she recalls some of her happiest carried the day.” struggle the three of them were frequent visi- It is sad that those who were struggling in the moments as a freedom fighter. Obong’o says: tors at the late Jaramogi’s Milimani residence in open, holding meetings to agitate for the release “Seeing my party Kanu winning elections to Sad moment Kisumu town. Here they would hold meetings of the prisoners and attainment of form the first Kenyan government and hoisting “My memorable sad moment was when and strategise on how to check Kadu insur- independence have never been recognised. This, of the national flag to declare our country’s in- I dodged death by a whisker and saw my col- gence in the area. even as the country has legislated Mashujaa Day, dependence.” leagues felled by the bullets during the ‘Russia’ During these meetings at Jaramogi’s home, an occasion to honour men and women who Mama Uhuru has been recognised for be- Hospital massacre. The bullets were fired by the Mama Obong’o says they would meet with pa- have made great sacrifices for this country. ing an elder among her community who always late President Jomo Kenyatta’s security when triots such as Ombok Thim, Odero Sar, Luke Women were recognised in the liberation sought her words of advice. “My moment of chaos broke out during the official opening of Obok, Okuto Bala, Ondiek Chilo, Nathaniel On- struggle and they were given roles to play. For pride was when I was collected from my home the Russian built Nyanza Provincial Hospital in yuto and Ndolo Ayah who was the district youth instance, in Western part of the country, it is by former leader of the Luo Council of elders K i s u mu .” leader, as well as Okelo Odongo and Okune women who hoisted flags atop hills to mark the Ker Riaga Ogalo to go and give my opinion on Mama Uhuru remembers tearfully how Ogango who was Jaramogi’s secretary. country’s independence. where the body of the Maseno divisional Kanu a group of Kanu youth wingers who had re- Mama Obong’o appeals to the Government Mama Uhuru remembers how on inde- women leader Mama Sara Bodo would be placed mained in the party after majority of residents to consider the plight of the few freedom fight- pendence day in 1963, together with a team of for overnight viewing,” explains Mama Uhuru. and politicians in the area had joined Jaramogi ers still living and the families of those who had women political leaders, they went to Kisumu She adds: “There had been a stalemate with Oginga’s Kenya People’s Union (KPU) started died. It is sad that those who fought for Uhuru District hoisting the new national flags on top some people suggesting that the body should to shout the party’s slogan (dume meaning and their families are languishing in poverty. Oldest woman civic leader By Joseph Mukubwa The youngest in the council whom they shall be sharing forums is an age mate of her One of the oldest councilor in the country, granddaughter Elizabeth Muthoni aged 27 Grace Wanyeki who serves at Municipal who is the chairperson of Housing, Education Council has vowed to improve the council and and Social Services. take it to greater heights. Since she was elected two months ago, she Nominated has since realized the need to serve the resi- Having served at the council at sometimes dents diligently of Nyeri despite her age. back as a nominated councilor and as an elect- “That all is possible and thanks to the new ed one, Wanyeki knows much concerning the constitution that considers gender sensitivity. council but she has never been considered for I’m working hand in hand with the mayor Ed- a top seat for the last 27 years she has served in ward Muteru. The God fearing councilor who the council. was nominated few months ago vows that she At the age of 76 years, she is now the Dep- Nyeri deputy mayor Grace Wanyeki, 76 (second right) with other councilors will take the council to greater heights. uty Mayor at the municipal council. She is the recently at Town hall immediately after she was elected. Picture: Joseph Mukubwa first woman ever and oldest deputy mayor in Timely the history of this council and also the larger the larger Nyeri District and also as a chair- in the Real Estates. “The chance given to me by other coun- . person of during the former “I have worked for the public for many cilors was timely. I know that for a long time, Her being elected was however received in President Moi’s regime. years. God has helped me this much. I have also having such a position was very difficult a clear different perceptions as people from the pub- After she was elected, Wanyeki said that worked for many years with the Family Plan- indication why I was not able to clinch the lic gallery shouting, ‘cucu cucu’ (grandmoth- her being elected was a blessing from God ning of Kenya and also served in the boards of same seat due to gender insensitivity but now er, grandmother) as she was being sworn in. to crown the work she has done while in the Land Tribune and HIV/Aids,” she added. with the new constitution, we can now see the Her supporters who had camped outside the council for 27 years. changes.” She said. hall cheered her as she addressed the crowd. She first entered the council in 1974 up Leadership She may be old in age, but at heart she is Some doubted her performance in the to 1997 when she retired. In those years she Currently she is also the chairperson of still young, able to work with the youth and council while others said that she should leave served as a nominated councilor and only Nyeri Town Health Centre. those younger than her as well as her age the seat for the young to contest but has proved served as a elected councilor for one term from In 1974, he served for five terms up to 1997 mates. otherwise so far. 1974 to 1979. when she retired but last year in July, she was This may be due to her wise counsel and the To her, age is just but a number and so she She was later returned to the council last nominated by the minister and returned in fact that she is old in the political arena there- clinched the seat after she beat her contestant year July when Murugi nominated her. the council. She was happy to be elected and fore she knows much. Ndirangu Kabai during the municipal’s may- Wanyeki who is a prominent Nyeri busi- promised to serve the people of Nyeri town She is the oldest and the longest serv- oral elections which were held recently at the nesswoman is among the four councilors diligently despite her age. ing councilor in the Nyeri Municipal Coun- Mayor’s chamber. which the minister has since nominated in Mayor Muteru says that the two with his cil which has 15 councilors both elected and Wanyeki has been the Maendeleo ya Wa- the local authority. She operates businesses in deputy has so far joined hands in improving nominated. nawake Organization (MYWO) chair lady in transport industry and has also invested much the garbage collection services in the town. 4 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Blessing or curse in marshland as partnership falls apart By MICHAEL OONGO

When the Dominion Group of Farms first set foot in the sprawling Yala Swamp more than six years ago, Jackline Atieno like hundreds of other locals, was exhilarated. What with the goodies that the new investment promised to bring that would improve their standards of living. Today however, disillusionment and anger pervades the nearly 1,500 hectares of marshy land where the local communities are now up in arms against the alleged activities of the in- vestor. The locals had hoped that with the realisa- tion of the project whose main objective was to reclaim part of the swamp and turn it into profitable rice paddies, they would get em- ployment and general development brought about by such a massive investment. “When Dominion came to this area, it came through by invoking the love of God, they would preach to us the virtues of righ- teousness and the need to do good to mankind . . . their approach was irresistible to many of us,” says Angeline Odhiambo during a re- cent stakeholders forum held in Bondo town. Food security Odhiambo explains: “When they came, they promised to ensure food security. They also promised to improve infrastructure, build more health centres and schools, besides opening up employment opportunities for our KSh45,000 which he claims was not enough to youth. But all we are now seeing is increased put up a simple semi-permanent house. Dur- poverty and a degraded environment.” ing the meeting, it emerged that the Siaya and Her sentiments were echoed by Angeline Bondo county councils entered into a lease Owako from Siaya who says that although the agreement with the company without fully in- coming of Dominion into the area was seen by volving members of the community. This cast many as a blessing to the impoverished area, doubts on the transparency of the arrange- its activities have only brought more misery to ment and hence the negative sentiments. the locals. “When they arrived here, many people be- Encroached gan streaming into our market centres hoping In the initial agreement, it was said that the to share in the fortunes brought in by the new Siaya County Council was to lease some 475 investor but they soon exerted strain on our hectares while Bondo was to give 450 hectares local food supply since most of our farmland of the swamp to the Company but now it is had been annexed to the company’s catchment claimed that the company has encroached more areas,” explains Owako. than 7,000 hectares through unclear means. She argues: “Prior to the coming of the in- The aggrieved members of the community vestor, we were able to access fresh and clean have since gone to court over the issue and water from Yala River and were able to use the vowed not to relent until the problems was From top: Members of the community use water from these outlets for both natural resources from the swamp. Now we properly addressed to their satisfaction. domestic use and bathing as well as washing clothes. See bathing cubicle at the are forced to consume contaminated water be- This encroachment, they claim, has denied background. The rice mills at the Dominion farms. Pictures: Michael Oongo cause of the degraded environment as a result them their farmland and is causing an acute of Dominion’s activities.” food shortage in the affected areas which As a result, they claim, many people in the were once considered as self-sufficient in food mobilise the locals to demand removal of the cals’ minds against us for reasons known to region are now suffering from various water- production. This despite the fact that the Do- investor if he is not keen on listening to their themselves,” said Abir. borne diseases. They are calling for urgent minion rice paddies produces over 14 million issues. On claims of environmental degradations measures to be taken to rectify the situation tonnes annually. “It is true that chemicals used in the rice he said: “These claims are not true because through government intervention. ‘Prime Harvest’ is one of the popular Do- fields are harmful to the local communities we have always been working with relevant There are claims that the chemicals used by minion rice brands and is commonly sold in as they have caused death of our cows and government departments to address these is- the company to spray its rice fields has con- local outlets and also exported to the United goats… We cannot keep chicken,” he lament- sues and there is no way government agen- taminated the water and ecosystem in the sur- States of America. ed. Midiwo added that those who were evicted cies can betray the public.” rounding area to the extent that domestic ani- Reached for comment, Gem MP Jakoyo from their land to give way to Dominion were Abir said that politicians should help mals are not surviving owing to the problem. Midiwo was emphatic that the local commu- under-compensated and he would like want change the negative attitude towards the This view seems to have been corroborat- nities have no negotiated interest in Dominion the issue revisited. company noting that it had brought substan- ed by a local civil society consortium known and asked its management to agree to sort out tial development in the area. as Friends of River Yala Swamp (FOYS). The the issues raised by the locals or they be force- Cheap politics “We have managed to bring electricity to organisation maintains that a water sample fully evicted. Says Midiwo: “We would like However, the Company’s Director and the villages. We have also constructed class- from the area which was taken to the Gov- Dominion to stay but they should tell us what general manager Chris Abir dismissed the al- rooms in some schools and improved road- ernment chemist for testing yielded a lot of benefits we stand to get from them because legations as mere cheap politics noting that networks within our area of operation as well pollutants. they promised us most things which they have his firm had massively invested in the area as paying school fees for orphaned children An official of Friends of Yala Swamp Dal- not fulfilled.” and that the local communities had benefit- among other social corporate responsibili- mas Owino says as a result of the Dominion The MP claimed that local civic leaders ted from the investment. ties,” he observed. activities, most roads in the area have been were compromised to remain quiet on the “Ours is a KSh5 billion investment and we Abir argued that members of the commu- submerged in flood waters. They say commu- environmental degradations caused by chemi- don’t have problems with the community but nity were mistaken in alleging that Dominion nities in Bondo, Siaya and some parts of Bu- cals used in the rice farms. He threatened to with the politicians who are poisoning the lo- had encroached on their land in phase two of nyala have been subdued by local politicians the development of project. He argues that of against raising objections. the 3,700 hectares allocated to the company, Central to the conflict are claims by the they had only used 3,000 acres. surrounding residents that had initially be- “Prior to the coming of the investor, we were able to access The Clerk to Bondo County Council Silas gan its operations under 3,700 hectares of Odhiambo pointed out that the local commu- land, has so far encroached the community fresh and clean water from Yala River and were able to use nities were fully involved in the affairs of the trust land without proper consultations with Dominion through the elected councillors. the local residents who are now maintaining the natural resources from the swamp. Now we are forced On the environmental damage complaints that their land has been grabbed. he said: “The welfare of the communities was Elisha Odindo from Bondo says the to consume contaminated water because of the degraded taken care of by the relevant government de- Company caused some them to be evicted environment as a result of Dominion’s activities.” partments and so far the Company, council from their farms without proper compen- and members of the community have had sation since those affected were only given — Angeline Owako three meetings to discuss the issues.” ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 5 Community’s cries echo over vast Yala Swamp By OMONDI GWENGI operating in the swamp. quired?” He adds: “Some of my colleagues de- “We worked well with Lake Basin since they cided to move away because they have been They danced and made merry to welcome what were working on the land allocated to them and threatened with arrests for interfering with the they thought was a God-send. That was eight not trespassing on our portion,” says Owiti. investor’s activities.” years ago when the Parliament gave a nod to a However, this is no longer the activity talk- However, Dominion Farms General Manager multinational investment company to expand its ing place. The LBDA would move out and in and Director Chris Abir says they have only re- operations to parts of Bondo, Siaya and Busia. came Dominion. Dominion’s initial license is- claimed 3,000 acres of land so far. The move on the area known as the Yala sued in 2004 permitted the company to grow rice He further argues that Dominion has gone Swamp was expected to create over 1,000 jobs to on 3,700 hectares leased from Siaya and Bondo beyond the agreed expectations that they would the local community and introduce commercial county councils. However, today things are not give a total of 300 acres of reclaimed land to the farming. the same and the community feels that the com- community, 150 to Bondo and Siaya each. In- The MPs described the multi-million shillings pany has gone against the agreement. stead, Abir says they have given the communities project as a success story that should be replicated 450 and 470 acres respectively. across the country as an example of partnership Nostalgia Abir says that councils are viewed as repre- between the government and private sector. From Ndiwo Village, Boni- senting the people, thus, the community was rep- Thirty-year-old Augustine Oketch recalls face Abuoga Ogayi, 69, feels that things are not resented through their elected leaders. how they were paid KSh500 each and ferried to the same. He nostalgically remembers how their Kisumu to disrupt a meeting that was organised stores never ran dry. They lived a good life. Signed agreement by Action Aid to discuss ways of conserving the “I don’t know what the future generation will However, community members are now call- swamp. feed on, going by the way things stand today,” says ing the county councils of Bondo and Siaya to “We were ferried to Kisumu and paid to dis- a worried Ogayi. come out and end the tussle between the com- rupt a meeting with the support of a former Kisu- He is not alone in his fears. Angeline Okwako, munity and the Dominion Farms. Boniface Abuoga Ogayi of Ndiwo mu MP,” recalls Oketch. fears for the future of their sons who will have to Part of the MoU signed between the Com- Village in Bondo District. Today, there are more jeers than cheers among pay dowry according to the tradition. pany and Siaya and Bondo county councils on Picture: Omondi Gwengi those who danced and made merry. It has turned “We have lost almost all our cattle. We are left the of May 20th, 2003 reads: “. . . this document out to be like the case of offering the camel room with nothing to give our sons to pay their dowry and all related documents shall be confidential on the North-eastern shore of Lake Victoria and for his head and then it enters with the whole because the chemicals that our cows feed on in as between the parties hereto so far permitted by covers an area of approximately 48.000 hectares. body including the hump to take up all the avail- the fields are poisonous,” laments Okwako. the laws of the Republic of Kenya and shall not The area consists of a complex of swamps and able space. During a recent media and community en- be released to any other person without the first shallow lakes. counter meeting in Bondo, Erastus Odundo, a express written consent of others.” The swamp is dominated by papyrus and Nightmare community representative said that they thought The Government of Kenya entered into an reeds in the shallows, and grasses in the pe- Today every waking moment is a nightmare the land in dispute was their forefathers. MoU with the Dominion Group of Companies riphery. Some of the swamp lakes host rare and to Joyce Owiti, 54, of Odhuro Village, Bondo “The memorandum of understanding (MoU) through the Lake Basin Development Authority threatened fish species that have become extinct District. which was signed was between the county coun- (LBDA) which surrendered its land and some in Lake Victoria owing to the introduction of Nile Having been married in this village 38 years cils and Dominion Farms Limited. The commu- of its equipment while the latter gave funds and perch. Some of these include the last remnants of ago, Owiti recalls how she found the locals fishing nity was not consulted,” says Odundo. skilled workers. the cichlid fish population. and farming. “I found when my mother-in-law According to Yala Farmers Society assistant The Cabinet approved the MOU in 2004 The Yala Swamp is also listed as an important depended entirely on farming and that is when I secretary, Abraham Magero Otiato, he expects which gave the investor 3,000 hectares of the bird area because of its richness in water bird spe- started farming,” she recalls. area leaders to explain why the company is car- original 6,000 hectares that they had requested cies which today are at the brink of extinction due According to Owiti, there was cooperation rying out activities on swamp land beyond the for. to aerial spraying by the Dominion Farms. between the community and Lake Basin Devel- leased area of 3,700 hectares. The Yala Swamp in Western Kenya is one of Other threatened or endemic wildlife also oc- opment Authority (LBDA) which was previously Otiato poses: “How was the new land ac- the largest swamps of the country. It is located curs, including Sitatunga. Multi million investment turning out to be a case of a deal gone sour Continued from page 1 their rights to sustainable utilisation of the land. Women complain that they have had miscar- During a recent community and media en- riages due to contaminated water while livestock counter forum organised by the Institute for Law owners say they have been counting losses as most and Environmental Governance (ILEG), which of their animals have since become sick, thin or is part of the Friends of Yala Swamp (FOYS) and died. “This farm has brought division among us, in partnership with Media Diversity Centre, a with some of our relatives supporting the invest- project of African Woman and Child Features ment while others like us are complaining about its Service in Bondo township, it was clear members negative effects,” says Mary Paul, from Bar Olengo of the community have deep seated grievances Village. She adds: “Families have separated due to that call for urgent intervention. the ongoing conflict with the farm management.” Coordinator of FOYS, Dalmas Owino Okello Members of the local community complain the says they have faced hostility from the Dominion farm management has blocked water or diverted Farm owners and local government officials who some canals causing water to flood their farms and accuse them of inciting the local community A dirty pool of water outside the Dominion farm’s fence where the residents take destroy crops, further impoverishing them. against the project. their livestock to drink water. Picture: Oloo Jamak The neighbouring community members have “We receive threats and are being followed been on a collision path with the Dominion Farms around. At community meetings and even at the “We have built shallow wells for the commu- not our business. They should engage the two management for a long time and despite many en- office, we get visitors who are clearly out to intimi- nity around the farm and are in the process of councils which hold the Yala Swamp in trust for gagement meetings, the disagreements have not date us so that we can stop empowering the com- putting up a water project that will serve more them,” observes Abir. been sorted out. There have been demonstrations munity in addressing their concerns,” he observes. than 1,000 people in the area,” he says adding, The Dominion venture at Yala produces 14 against the farm managers. Okello says they have made efforts to reach “We have also employed 1600 people.” million kilogrammes of rice, which reportedly Recently, the villagers accused Dominion out to the Dominion Farm management, the accounts for 20 per cent of Kenya’s annual rice Farm management of destroying their sugar- two county councils of Siaya and Bondo as well Denying claims production. This, they say, has improved food se- cane, maize and horticultural crops in a section as government officials to bring about a multi- Other benefits, Abir says, include support to curity in Siaya County and nationally. of land which they say was set aside for their stakeholder approach to solving the conflict but Ratuoro Health Centre where they have con- The community has been involved in fre- use, part of the 150 acres outlined in agreement. have met resistance. structed a laboratory. They also incur an expen- quent demonstrations and has even filed a court Dominion farm signed an agreement with the Dominion Farms signed a 25-year lease diture of KSh1 million annually to pay fees for case at the High Court in Kisumu, contesting Siaya and Bondo County Councils to the effect agreement with Siaya County Council to invest local children in secondary schools, repair roads what they claim to be Dominion’s expansion into that they would give the community 150 acres in the Yala Swamp area growing rice, maize and and improve food security. “their land”. Until the case is disposed of, com- on each county side. They say grazing lands have other crops and to also improve fishing using Abir denies claims that the company has munity engagements and other fora for consulta- been reduced and some of their sources of fresh modern methods. compromised some of the local leaders and gov- tion have effectively been paralysed. water are now inaccessible. According to Dominion, the agreement al- ernment officials to turn a blind eye to the griev- The community denies claims that they want The communities have allies, especially non- lowed them to reclaim and use 6,900 hectares ances of the local community. the project to close down and insist what they de- governmental organisations that have stepped of the swamp, 3,700 hectares in phase one and “There are some leaders and NGOs who have mand are the practical benefits that the manage- in to build the capacity of local communities to another 3,200 hectares in phase two. chosen to make Dominion Farms look like a devil. ment promised at inception, a stop to encroach- engage with the farm managers and government “We have only reclaimed and put 3,000 hectres At some point they incited the community to liter- ment on their farms. They have taken issue with and also look at the issues of conservation of to use yet the community is now being incited to ally chase and stone me and the Chief Executive, the poor compensation of the farms bought un- this unique ecosystem. The area is the breeding believe we are encroaching into their land,” says Calvin Burgess in broad daylight!” he told the Re- der the project which was pegged at KSh45,000 ground for hundreds of species of fish that popu- Chris Abir, director and general manager at Do- ject during an interview at the their offices in Ratu- per acre. late Lake Victoria. minion Farms. He adds: “We allowed the com- oro recently. As far as Dominion is concerned, the However, the Dominion aquaculture man- munity to use part of what we reclaimed and community cannot claim lack of participation and ager Enos Were says this price was almost double Friends of Yala informed them when we wanted to utilise the sec- involvement since their councillors participated the going price of land at the time. A network of about seven civil society organ- tion but they have now refused to move out.” at every stage through the negotiations and final Were puts the value of land at the time the deal isations under the umbrella of “Friends of Yala He says the local community and some of the agreement. was brokered at KSh23,000 per acre. However, Swamp (FOYS)” have established a secretariat in politicians do not appreciate the importance of the “They are represented by the councillors who until the current stalemate is dissolved, the area Siaya town as part of the effort to engage the com- investment worth KSh5 billion. Abir argues that signed the agreement with us. If the council- residents will not reap maximum benefits from the munities in advocacy campaigns to demand for the investment has transformed the local economy. lors did not do a good job as they claim, that is swamp. 6 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Haunted houses remain empty as residents seek land By ELIZABETH AWUOR The myth of ghosts popularly known as genies scaring and harassing residents of Mombasa is an old one and not about to die soon. Most people who were born and bred in Mombasa easily admit that there are genies. However, they are quick to explain that there are good and bad genies. They claim the spirits can turn hostile if misused or offended by hu- man beings. This phenomenon has led to a number of buildings remaining abandoned with the alle- gation that they belong to spirits that will not allow human beings stay in them. The said buildings are scattered all over Mombasa and most of them are located in the city’s Old Town. Some have remained unoccu- pied for more than 20 years. Jan Mohammed a 67-year-old resident of Ki- A house with shops on ground floor but the first floor is unoccupied due to fear bokoni in Mombasa says that there are supernat- that the rooms are haunted. An abandoned house in Kibokoni area in Mombasa’s ural powers in some of the houses and families Old Town. Below: Leven house where National Museums of Kenya offices are. who attempt to occupy them are either roughed up or has one member killed or turned insane. Pictures: Elizabeth Awuor Coastal town has been exaggerated. has gone up because many people now find it Unbearable He says it is natural to have genies around a convenient place to operate from. Mohammed says that a white couple once because they are beings just like human and it “Security is good here, we are near the lived in one of the dreaded buildings but had should be left to a family to decide whether or main town and can easily access health facili- to vacate after evil forces made life unbearable not they will be associated with them. ties,” says Mazrui of the town where he was for them. Mazrui also supposes that their forefathers born and bred. “The couple could see their books flying used the story as a defence mechanism to help The Mombasa National Museums of from the shelves, their bed moving on its own scare away people from settling in the Old Kenya‘s Physical Planning Coordinator Dr are yet to attest the presence of ghosts in the and they fought almost daily until they opted to Town. Kalandar Khan, shares similar sentiments with house. vacate the house,” claims Mohammed. “Most of the old houses have been bought Mazrui. Apart from the NMK offices, Leven House Even as Mohammed seems so sure of the and the new owners who are mostly people of He, like others has heard the stories about also hosts a Swahili dishes restaurant run by the existence of supernatural forces in those build- Somali origin are currently renovating them,” genies, knows which houses are said to harbour Kibokoni community, residential rooms occu- ings, 64-year-old Al Amin Mohammed Mazrui says Mazrui. ghosts but has not come across any supernatural pied by people who spend their nights in them thinks otherwise. Since Mombasa’s Old Town has been gazett- being or experienced any extraordinary force. and have not reported any encounter with the According to Mazrui, stories about build- ed as a historical monument, both the new and He says most of the buildings and family beings. ings harbouring genies have been there since old owners of buildings must seek permission houses have been inherited for many years and Leven House was built by freed slaves be- he was a small child but he has never come face from National Museums of Kenya before reno- claims about genies’ presence in some has also tween 1823 and 1824. It has had several owners to face with the phenomenon. vating a house. existed for many years. including a church missionary society, a British He recalls the 1960s when they were often They are allowed to renovate the buildings Leven House, the building where Khan’s governor and an Asian family among others. cautioned against playing near Fort Jesus build- and make changes inside but the houses’ must office is located was previously claimed to har- Khan says he only knows of a Swahili cul- ing which was claimed to harbour a number of retain the original design on the outside. bour ghosts before it was renovated. The Mom- ture that requires individuals to slaughter a goat genies. According to Mazrui, the town is cosmopol- basa Old Town Conservation Office has been before renovating any building and thinks that “This is all human imagination, nobody itan and the cost of renting a house in the area there for seven years. Khan and his colleagues it might have been misinterpreted as a ritual to is sure that there are such beings occupying appease the genies. these houses,” says Mazrui. He adds: “Those are However, he says the feeling could naturally just stories and if the claims were true then we “This is all human imagination, nobody is sure that emanate from the fear one develops once they would not have been living in this town.” have been told that the building is haunted. Mazrui who also heads a community secu- there are such beings occupying these houses.” Other residential areas where stories about rity council in Kibokoni thinks over the years, spirit- inhabited houses exist include; Kisauni, the phenomenon of the genies’ presence in the — Al Amin Mohammed Mazrui Migadini and Likoni. Island on the verge of collapse By SWABRINAH SHABAN and ordered a stop on any developments. Nema expressed fears over the fragile eco- It is an island that many people admire yet have system and banned construction in front of not set foot there. Commonly known as the is- sand dune zones that run from North to South land of donkey transport, Lamu Island is now of the Archipelago that covers 958 hectares. on the verge of collapse following encroach- Kenya Marina Forum (KMF) says grabbers ment and degradation of water catchment have invaded the sand dunes, putting up per- zones by land grabbers. manent structures thus threatening the island’s The Lamu/Shella sand dunes is one of the natural habitat, eco-system and human life. Part of the Lamu coastline. Human activity poses a threat to the existence of sand most important protected sites within Lamu “Any interruption to this fragile natural wa- dunes. Picture: Swabrinah Shaban Island, but now the sand dune regime is under ter membrane shall cause irreversible damage threat from human development activities con- to the palatable water aquifers which have sus- NMK was pushing for re-establishment of Most beaches are backed by vegetated sand trary to the established conservation policy. tained continuous human settlement on Lamu the site boundaries and erection of fences to ridges called dunes, built up by dry beach sand Island for the last 700 years,” notes Mohammed prevent encroachment on the protected areas blown inland and trapped by plants and other Grabbed Athman, chairman KMF. and cancellation of all the illegally acquired obstructions. As sand accumulates, the dunes According to a chronology report from Athman says for some time, government offi- land titles. become higher and wider. Lamu World Heritage and Conservation office, cers, powerful businessmen and politicians have Plants play a vital role in this process, act- a sector of the gazetted sand dunes have been grabbed massive land on the sand dunes putting Dunes ing as windbreakers and trapping the deposited grabbed with confirmed reports which indicate the island at a great risk. National Museums of The Lamu/Shella sand dune regime is lo- sand particles. A characteristic of these plants is that there are plans for development of hotels Kenya (NMK) has also joined in the fight to pro- cated on the southern end of Lamu Island. They their ability to grow through the sand and con- within the confines of the sand dunes. tect historical sites from land grabbers. run from Kizingoni in the south-western tip of tinually produce new stems and roots as more The Lamu sand dunes which act as water These sites include Takwa Milinga, Ras the Island to Ras Singue in the south-eastern tip sand is trapped and the dune grows. catchment for most of the settlements on the Kitau battery and Shella Kipungani sand dunes. just outside the Shella village. Stable sand dunes play an important part island, especially the historic town of Lamu These are protected areas under the National They extend for 12 kilometres and cover 958 in protecting the coastline. They act as a buffer were officially gazetted in 2002 as a protected Museums and Heritage Act 2006. hectares. The sand dunes which rise to a height against wave damage during storms, protect- site under the Antiquities and Monuments Act Recently NMK established an encroach- of approximately 60metres above sea level form ing the land behind from salt water intrusion. Cap 215. ment on the historical sites, demarcating bea- a continuous ridge along the Lamu bay. This This sand barrier allows the development of The sites continue to maintain that status cons and fences erected within the former de- acts as a protection for Lamu Island against the more complex plant communities in areas pro- under the provisions of the National Museums tention camp while four of the old Mau Mau strong winds from the open sea. This was sup- tected from salt water inundation, sea spray and and Heritage Act 2006. wells are now on land that is in private hands. posedly manifested during the Tsunami epi- strong winds. Early this year National Environment Man- Lands minister James Orengo recently re- sode of 2006 whose after effects were felt quite The dunes also act as a reservoir of sand, to agement Authority (Nema) declared illegal all voked title deeds for several plots in the area substantially along the East African coastline replenish and maintain the beach in times of developments near the water catchment areas after sand dunes were grabbed. with the exception of the Lamu harbour. erosion. ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 7 Clan loses custody of their ancestral land By KARIUKI MWANGI The Ndung’u Report states in part: “The complainants argue that the adjudication of the The Kagwanja clan of Meru has for the second area was not carried out in accordance with re- time lost custody of their 340 acre ancestral quirements of the Land Adjudication Act.” land after the Land Tribunal sitting in Embu It is alleged that the land adjudication of- dismissed their appeal. ficers allocated the land to themselves, their The clan had earlier in the year taken the dis- friends and relatives. pute matter to the Meru District Land Tribunal Henry Kinyua, the respondent in the case which ruled that they did not provide sufficient who is alleged to have bought the land told the evidence to show that the land belonged to them tribunal that he bought the land in the 1970s before being bought by a private developer. and by that the time it had no inhabitants. Through their spokesman Captain Kabuti Gitonga Mbau, the clan said they had been liv- Sellers ing in the land since independence. However, Kinyua told the Tribunal he bought the land it was later bought and sub-divided by people from the principal sellers whom he mentioned who chased the clan members away. as Stephen Mungania and John Merete. He assured the sellers that they would take Squatters responsibility of any case that would arise Gitonga told the appeal tribunal that they from the land but nobody came up to com- were denied justice at the Meru District Land plain of it. Tribunal and were appealing to get the land “I even fenced off the land in 1978 to pro- Members of the Kagwanja clan outside the land appeal tribunal office in Embu back to the community who are now living as voke anybody who felt the land was his, but no- after their appeal application was dismissed. Picture: Kariuki Mwangi squatters. body came out,” noted Kinyua. The land in contention was also investigated He claimed to have bought the land even be- ments to the Tribunal showing that he was the the rightful owners of the land. and recorded in the famous Ndung’u Land Re- fore the land adjudication started in the area but legally recognised owner of the land. The members of the clan now have 60 days port whose implementation could have ensured when it started he was given all the legal docu- The appeal tribunal, therefore, dismissed the to appeal at the three-bench judge appeal court justice to the members of the clan who now live ments that prove ownership. appeal application by members of the Kagwanja if they were not satisfied with the ruling of the in utmost poverty. The respondent provided all the legal docu- clan saying they failed to prove that they were appellate land tribunal. Why 3D television sets are Insecurity threatens county take off not found in every home By HUSSEIN DIDO devolved system of governance. By ELIZABETH AWUOR “This region has the ingredients for sta- Endless conflicts and insecurity perpe- ble counties if opportunities are harnessed trated by rising cases of banditry and cat- by the leaders elected to manage the re- News that 3D television sets tle rustling could be a major impediment sources,” observed Elmi. were retailing in the coun- towards inception of devolved system of try sounded tempting but government in the pastoralists region. Peace building there are factors that have The counties might fail to meet devel- Insecurity and climate change are the ma- remained barriers between opment targets and continue to lag behind jor issues which affect all the four counties in most Kenyans and the new even after promulgation of the Constitution northern Kenya. Restoration of lasting peace technology. due to high levels of insecurity and banditry among neighbouring pastoralists communi- Despite having the high- in the area. Minister for Northern Kenya ties is noted as an entry point for preparation est entertainment value, and other Arid Lands Development Mo- for county establishment in the region and many Kenyans do not have hammed Elmi warned leaders from the re- it must improve. Local leaders have been 3D TV sets in their living gion that the counties may not get funding charged with the responsibility of facilitating rooms because the prices are from the central government unless they peace building in the region. unaffordable and 3D content found lasting solutions to peaceful coexis- The leaders present at the gathering is not readily available. One tence and stability in the region. unanimously agreed to preach peace in year after their introduction Elmi singled out 22 districts in the arid the region to eradicate cattle rustling and to the country, Samsung 3D Pammy Billu a sales Executive at Shankar Electronics Mombasa regions that were bedevilled with cattle rus- highway banditry that have been dogging TV models range between shop points at a Samsung 3D TV set. Picture: Elizabeth Awuor tling and clan divisions that contributed to the region for a long time. KSh150,000 and KSh155,000 divisive politics in the counties. He said they They agreed to eradicate retrogressive while Sony models range be- “Whoever came up with 3D technology did a may not take off once the devolved struc- traditional practices which condone cattle tween KSh230,000 and KSh400,000 and the LG 47 noble thing, it is the best movie watching experi- ture of governance becomes operational. rustling and glorify raids reiterating that inches TV set retail at around KSh239,000. ence and those who have not tried it are missing these should be shunned and criminalised out on something great,” Mwazanze reiterates. A Benefits at local level. Elusive dreams survey by the Reject in electronic shops where 3D He was flanked by MPs Mohamud Ali ( The forum on devolved system of gov- Laden with the burden of having to cope with TV sets are selling reveals that most buyers are ) Hussein Sasura (Saku) Abdul Ba- ernment organised by Pastoralists Shed Ini- the escalating prices of basic commodities and the turned away by the high prices but are attracted so hari Ali ( South) and Chachu Ganya tiative in northern Kenya brought together life style of living from hand to mouth, owning a 3D much by their high entertainment value. A sales (North Horr) urged the leaders to form a aspirants, opinion leaders and politicians TV remains an elusive dream to a large percentage executive at Shankar Electronics in Mombasa says formidable united front that would en- from upper Eastern, Laikipia and Samburu of the Kenyan population. 3D technology provides potential customers are put away by the fact that hance their political bargaining power and axis to identify opportunities for the coun- a viewer with unique and exciting experience com- they will be forced to put on glasses when watch- enable communities from the region to ties’ prosperity and deliberate on challenges pared to 2D. It does this by creating an illusion of the ing 3D TV. benefit from the national government after which will hamper their taking off. images popping out of the screen. Pammy Billu who works at the Samsung mod- the next elections. Unlike 2D where the viewer remains outside, 3D els section says people who wear spectacles are also During the occasion, members of par- No infrastructure technology allows the viewer to be part of the movie. disadvantaged because they cannot wear the 3D liament from Isiolo, and Sam- In Isiolo the committee unanimously This sensational experience is what gives 3D a plus glasses with their normal spectacles. “A buyer might buru counties resolved to address insecu- agreed to give preferential treatment to mi- over 2D technology. However, movies in 3D must be compelled to buy more than one pair of glasses if rity in northern Kenya in readiness for the nority groups in the county since they have be viewed using special glasses that will bring out he or she intends to watch the TV with friends and devolved county system ahead of the 2012 been locked out of leadership due to their the added dimension in depth form. The glasses that other family members,” explains Billu. general elections. numerical disadvantage. Ali, who is also mostly have red and blue lenses work by recreating This comes amid fears by the Ministry Assistant Minister for Special Programmes, the way human beings see normally. Kenyan market of Northern Kenya and Arid Lands De- said it is a new dawn for the region as Clifford Okumu, a film producer in Mombasa According to Billu, a pair of 3D goggles go for velopment that most counties in the arid the county governor will be responsible for explains that one cannot be able to make out the KSh11, 000 and the current glasses are dark, a fact districts may not take off due to insecurity. security. He noted the need for co-existing images if they are not wearing the glasses. He cites that some consumers have complained about. How- Five MPs from the region raised con- among communities in the region. a scene in the film Final Destination where a snake ever, she says, there are new models of 3D glasses cern that insecurity was a major impedi- The legislator noted that lack of infra- pops out of the screen preparing to make a bite. This that are clear but have not reached the Kenyan mar- ment to development and that measures structural development in the region will makes the viewer feel like the snake is approaching ket yet. Content to be viewed in 3D is not readily should be put in place to ensure that the derail development in spite of the huge him or her. He says if a viewer closes one eye, the available for Kenyans and film producers have to counties will not drag behind during the potential that exists. “Marsabit is rich but vision becomes blurred. create more content to fit this new technology. take off. we need improved infrastructure to link Mike Mwazanze, a movie enthusiast has been However, although 3D technology is surrounded Elmi called on community leaders and the region with the rest of the country,” enjoying the tantalising experience of 3D technol- by many challenges, those who can afford the tele- other stakeholders to sensitise the com- observed Ali. He added: “To eradicate in- ogy in cinemas. He says he often feels like part of vision sets are buying them. “The clarity of 3D TV munities on how they can co-exist and security in the area an anti-stock theft unit the action and not just someone seated on the couch sets attracts many buyers who think it is worth the embrace the new changes that come with should be established in all hotspots.” watching a movie. money and they make sales every month,” says Billu. 8 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Teenage fathers also need support

By Tafadzwa Sekeso cope with their own feelings, even when they between the ages of 14 and 20 do not know how. years explained that just like My son turned “free!” — his word — not mine During the course of the pregnancy, I went young mothers, they need two in August, this year. As I reflect on that Satur- into “provision mode” with my main worry be- main things. day afternoon three years ago when he came ing whether I would be able to provide for my into the world at 3.15 pm, weighing 2.9 kilo- child. After the baby, clothes, furniture and Growth grammes and measuring 49 centimetres long, diapers had been bought. I turned to worrying They need support to im- I marvel at the challenges, joys and fears that about whether I would be able to afford a “good prove their educational and have characterised my life in this new role. You s c h o o l ”. economic circumstances so that see, I stopped being only a man that day, I be- Expectant fathers can feel left out of the they can fulfil their caregiver came a father. pregnancy as they do not actually carry the and provider roles. They also In time and through reliance on human baby, do not experience hormonal changes need family support and parent- and written resources, I have become better at and cannot do much to eradicate heartburn ing information that can help embracing all my roles and responsibilities as and morning sickness. “Provider” seems to them to support their partners a father. I can only imagine how much tougher be the only role that fathers fit into perfectly. and children. the challenge of fatherhood is for a teenage fa- But a teenage father with no job, no source of I have grown a lot emotion- ther. Research titled Teenage Tata, Voices of income and little family support is at a disad- ally since my son’s birth. I expe- Young Fathers in South Africa (Human Sci- vantage. rienced every emotion; among ences Research Council, 2009), indicates that them anticipation, fear, pride, teenage fathers often do not get a lot of sup- Campaigns frustration and confusion. My port as families, communities and organisa- The SADC Gender Protocol Barometer ability, or not, to meet the so- tions focus on the needs of teenage mothers. (2011) notes that many of the campaigns and cietal and cultural expectations interventions in southern African countries of fatherhood determined these Stability which promote men’s involvement in sexual emotions. My partner and I had our son when we and reproductive health are less focused No one taught me how to be were in our late 20s, somewhat financially sta- on encouraging men’s involvement in fam- a parent, I have had to make up ble and with a supportive network of friends ily planning and in supporting their partners a lot of the rules as I went along and family. Although we were ready to be par- during care. and looked for support and in- ents, I soon found myself experiencing a roller The campaigns focus more on prevention formation where I could find it. coaster of emotions, and increasingly weighed of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. My partner provided some of the under by new expectations regarding the baby. The assumption is that contraceptive use and resources I needed, as did friends While my partner dealt with hormonal prevention of pregnancy is solely a woman’s with children who have gone A father spends time with his son. Expectant fathers fluctuations, I tried to deal with my own fears role, taking responsibility for an unplanned through the same things. A lot of can at times feel left out of the pregnancy as they and challenges. Although as relevant as my pregnancy away from men. Pregnancy, child my information came from the do not experience the hormonal and body changes. partner’s, my fears were very different. My delivery and child care thus become, by exten- Internet. Picture: Courtesy AWC Features partner had a lot of support: from her mother, sion, also a woman’s responsibility. All I know is that I want a good sisters, friends, other women with children According to the Human Sciences Research life for my son, and I will take ad- The writer is a Zimbabwean knowledge and the medical providers paid to listen and Council, many teenage fathers are aware of the vice where I can find it. There are increasingly management and communications consultant help. magnitude of the responsibility of parenting. more resources for men on fatherhood. These based in South Africa. This article is part of The pregnancy “show” revolves around the They would like to play a role in raising their resources also aim to encourage young men to the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary mother. Fathers, left on the fringes, are expect- child. In the research Teenage Tata, Voices of question some of the patriarchal beliefs that dis- Service, bringing you fresh views on everyday ed to simultaneously support their partners and Young Fathers in South Africa young fathers courage nurturing and engagement. news. Parents, teachers Ida launches efforts to retain girls in school By ODHIAMBO ODHIAMBO verted to girl schools only. She encour- and hunger in the area. This prompted accused of killing aged management of the institutions to Ida to call for the start of school based Parents in Nyanza have been challenged set up adequate boarding and learning feeding programmes as part of efforts to children’s dreams to take the education of the girl-child se- facilities. retain girls in schools. riously. “I will supply girls in Nyatike with Managing director of the Kenya Lit- By WANGARI MWANGI Ida Odinga, wife to Prime Minister sanitary towels enough to last one year erature Bureau Eve Obara asked courts Raila Odinga, said it was disheartening and water tanks to make water available to expedite cases related to child abuse Parents and teachers have been accused of demoralis- to see girls dropping out of school to be in the schools,” she said. and hand stiffer penalties to offenders to ing children as they struggle to realise their dreams. married off early or engaged in child la- “I am also asking Nyatike MP Edick act as deterrents. According to Kiragu Magochi, director of education bour along the beaches of Lake Victoria, Anyanga to establish Nyatike Girl Child Anyanga asked provincial adminis- policy, partnership and East Africa Community Affairs gold mines and tobacco farms. Education Trust Fund to support bright tration to take stern action against par- parents and teachers are responsible for killing future She asked political and religious lead- girls from needy families. Cases of ents who denied their children right to dreams of their children. ers to advocate for girl-education and teachers and chiefs eloping with school education. Speaking at Murang’a High School during the Kiha- child rights with renewed vigour. girls must also stop in this region,” said He said: “More teachers should be ru Education Day, Magochi said teachers tend to scare Speaking in Nyatike District during Ida. recruited urgently to address staff short- away the girl child from pursuing science subjects by a girl-child education forum, Ida said Some parents said their girls were age being experienced in most schools telling them these can only be pursued by boys. some schools in the area should be con- dropping out of school due to poverty across the country.” “This has been a big challenge for the girl child’s education because of the mentality created that they should only tackle the ‘easy’ subjects,” noted Magochi. He added: “Science teachers are the most notorious Programme to support environmental conservation in discouraging students, killing their morale in pursu- ing their future careers.” By KARIUKI MWANGI to the grassroots. Syengo pointed out that the pro- He said this trend has to stop if education standards Speaking in Embu, he said non-state gramme will also support initiatives that have to be balanced for both girls and boys. Pact Kenya in collaboration with the gov- actors such as community and faith-based are geared towards expanding knowledge Magochi also pointed out that parents are no longer ernment of Sweden and the department organisations will build integrated inter- and access to information by farmers so taking interest in their children’s education matters and of international development (DFID) ventions to address the challenges facing that they can learn the best farming prac- fail in helping them realise their dreams. has launched a four-year programme land, water, agriculture and other envi- tices and technologies which will improve He noted that parents rarely find time in their ‘busy’ geared towards supporting non-state ac- ronmental conservation sectors. food security. schedule to be with their children adding that the widen- tors in conserving and improving the en- “The programme will support advoca- “We plan to invest more on policies ing gap has brought a lot of misunderstanding between vironment. cies for enabling policies such as irriga- that will mitigate climate change, mostly the two. Pact Kenya chief executive officer Titus tion, dry land farming, seed production by promoting demonstrative values of As a result, the parents become dictators and don’t Syengo said the aim of the programme is and credits for small scale farmers to green and renewable energy technologies give their children time to express themselves to give to improve the participation of the pub- enable them deal with the challenges of so that farmers can seek alternatives other ideas of what they would like to become in future. lic particularly the poor and the margin- food security and productivity,” observed than forests and environment destruc- “Parents should be at the forefront in nurturing their alised in sustainable utilisation of natural Syengo. tion,” he said. children’s dreams by guiding them and knowing what resources as a major contribution to the The programme will also support ini- Through the programme, Pact Kenya they would like to become,” he said. realisation of the Vision 2030. tiatives that are aimed at strengthening will offer grants ranging from KSh7.5 Magochi said parents who failed to achieve their de- Syengo pointed out that some critical farmers’ associations and marketing co- million to KSh25 million to the vari- sired careers tend to fight back the failure through their challenges the country faces in sustainable operatives which link producers, market- ous non-state actors which will provide children by forcing them to become what they would management of natural resources require ers and processors as well as in the diver- substantive ongoing projects on environ- have wanted to become. an active participation of all the actors re- sification of livelihoods beyond climate mental conservation and climate change iterating that non-state actors will be link sensitive sectors. mitigation. ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 9 President’s former school marks 50 years By JOSEPH MUKUBWA

President Mwai Kibaki’s former school in Otha- ya has marked 50 years since its establishment. Karima Boys High School marks a joyous occasion since it first admitted students on Feb- ruary 14, 1960. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary recently during a prize giving day held at the school. While the fete could just been any normal Golden jubilee, Karima school was privileged to have had among its students some of the promi- nent Kenyans. However, the most important person in its school records is President Mwai Kibaki. The President is an alumni of the school hav- ing been a student between 1941-1943. By then it was called Karima Mission School, a pre-in- dependence school that had served its mandate well in offering elementary education under the Consolata Missionaries. Kibaki was among the first students who were admitted in the school which then stood for high performance standards as instructed by predominantly the missionary staff. From top: Students of Karima Boys High “With the start of the secondary school, School in Othaya entertain guests during the same high standards were upheld with the 50th anniversary celebrations. Othaya the founding priests led by Reverend Roman DO1 Helen Chege awards one of the best Guadagnini, setting high expectations on their students during the occasion. Students young charges,” says Kamau Chomba, the reading the publication that marked their school’s principal. He adds: “The missionar- anniversary. Pictures: Joseph Mukubwa ies insisted on instilling in them strength and awareness cognitively, socially, physically, spiri- aid of the science laboratory in October 2009. tually and emotionally with a sense of social re- The theme of the anniversary was ‘50 years sponsibility and community service.” of academic achievement forming the founda- President Kibaki was in the school in 1941 tion of the future school of choice’. where he was admitted in Standard One and he went up to Standard Three in 1943 before head- Patron ing to Mathari Mission School for Standard Four. Jimmy lauded the good work which has been done by the stakeholders that has made High standards the school excel in the academic performances. During that time, the high standards of “Since being honoured with the request to achievement set by the missionaries were at- join as a patron by the Board of Governors in tained for most of the life of the school through November 2008, I have come to know more 1960s and 1970s. This made it a school of about the school and appreciate the vision of the choice, and consequently placed a very high de- founders,” said Jimmy. He added: “It is humbling mand for places. to see the output of the school from the very basic The Principal Kamau Chomba said the cul- The starting of a second stream was inevi- facilities that were developed as a primary school ture of performance is instilled in over 98 per table and in 1975 with the assistance of the then from 1937.” cent of the students. This is well shown by the newly elected MP for Othaya, Mwai Kibaki, two Jimmy noted: “With little or no modifica- extremely encouraging results in the KCSE in classrooms were constructed between him and tion, the same facilities have seen a respectable the last several years. his friends. A third stream was started in 1980 institution develop with slightly less than 5,000 Last year, the school recorded the highest as desired for chances in the school increased. students passing through in the 50 years under even Mean Score at 8.0352 that also was above A small group of 33 teenage boys would review.” He said that as patron, he is convinced the target set by the Board of Governors at 8.0. grow and form the foundation of what would the future of the school lies on the continued Even more encouraging was the fact that the eventually become the most celebrated school provision of quality education. school ranked 181 among all schools nationally, after the dream that never died. He acknowledged President Kibaki’s efforts at Position 100 among the provincial schools Although faced with many challenges, the in development of schools in the constituency countrywide and the best school in Nyeri South school would lose neither its roots nor its zeal to with Karima Boys being one where he has district. deepen and share the knowledge. It did not also helped in development more than the rest. chairman Karanja Mwangi. Together with Nyeri lose the warmth of pride. The President has contributed to Karima Growth South DC David Koskei, they have also contrib- The colourful occasion to mark 50 years was Boy’s in many ways; in 1975 he personally paid Jimmy observed: “The 50 years that have uted towards the development of the school. graced by Nyeri archbishop Reverend Peter Kai- for construction of two classrooms; in 1987, he passed have seen the school grow to a respect- “Since its inception in 1960, Karima Boys has ro and President Kibaki’s eldest son Jimmy, who was the chief guest for a harambee to build a able institution that is attracting interest from had its infrastructure expanded with a view of is the patron of the school. A mass was also held dormitory named after him. far and wide. Within the next 50 years, the coping with the growing student population and at the school compound. In 1988, the President facilitated a grant for school must be seen to fulfil its vision.” demand for quality learning,” said James Theuri, The school requested Jimmy Kibaki to serve a science laboratory by the British Government Others who have contributed immensely chairman Board of Governors. He added: “Over the patron, a request he gladly accepted. The and in 1999 he was the chief guest for a haram- towards the school and were also present dur- the years, the school has also expanded and today school has worked closely with the President’s bee to buy the school truck. ing the occasion are board member Priscilla it admits students from all over the country hav- son and is particularly grateful for his support Jimmy lauded the good work of the Catholic Nyokabi who is Executive Director Kituo cha ing been upgraded to provincial status in 2007.” and contribution towards the 50th anniversary Church and urged it to continue sponsoring the Sheria, Othaya District Officer Helen Chege and The school boasts of being one of the best in celebrations and fund raising he conducted in school. Othaya Constituency Development Fund (CDF) central region. NEMA to sue churches, mosques over noise BY ERIC MUTAI ecute offenders. “We may not always be there the church they should use the media,” said homework leaving them at the mercy of teach- to measure the noise levels but we are gather- Njoka. ers most of whom do not understand,” said National Environment Management Author- ing written evidence from residents. Soon we He said residents have filed complaints ex- Mary Muthanje, a resident Embu town. ity (NEMA) has threatened to take places are going to be taking some of these places of pressing their displeasure. He called on them According to NEMA, the generated noise of worship in to court for worship to court as we can’t keep warning them to give more written reports to NEMA for should not exceed 45 decibels and it is only producing noises above permissible levels. forever,” he said. consolidation of cases against offenders. allowed between 8am to 8pm. Area residents have been asked to hand According to Njoka, mosques in upper The residents complained that places of wor- Njoka said that they should not amplify their over written complaints against places of and lower eastern and churches have not ship have been making too much noise in the sound near hospitals or learning institutions. worship producing more noise than allowed heeded to the call to reduce their sound to wee morning hours and during lunch hours. According to the environment watchdog, by the environment watchdog. permissible levels. Those that spoke to the Reject said their the churches have been generating noise in NEMA Eastern Province director Stephen “We have two churches in Embu town sleep has been interfered with and this has excess of the permissible levels in contraven- Njoka called on residents to make written re- which are notorious for producing too much affected their performance at work. tion of the Environment Management and ports saying this will enable the environment sound yet they do not have big congrega- “The music played in the evening is so Coordinating (Noise and Excessive Pollution watchdog collect enough evidence to pros- tions. If they want to preach to those outside much that my children are unable to do their Control) Regulations of 2008. 10 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Tuk Tuk, a necessary but evil multi-million shilling business By KIGONDU NDAVANO The noise and pollution notwithstanding, perhaps remains one of the towns with It is an industry with a monthly turnover of the safest and most reliable mode of transport. more than KSh26.2 million steadily employ- Ann Stella Belli, an Italian who owns a holi- ing at least 500 young people as drivers all who day villa at Casuarina Beach appreciates the together take home at least KSh4.5 million in reliable service provided by the Tuk Tuk not- wages every month. ing that for the years she has been coming to About 500 Malindi business people have to Malindi for her holiday, TuK Tuks remain her date invested more than KSh240 million in the best choice of transport. sector which earns them at least KSh15 million “I use the Tuk Tuk to go to the town and a month while spending up to KSh6.7 million in the supermarket to do shopping and I find for fuel to run the industry. them reliable and affordable,” explains Belli. The easiest mode of transport one can get on Pioneer investors in Tuk Tuk business Ibra- the roads and streets of tourist resort Malindi him Sharrif and Aboud Sutry who at one time in County, right from the central business had at least 20 taxis between them before they district to the outskirts is that of a Tuk Tuk. abandoned business all together blamed their Malindi has the highest number of Tuk decision to leave the industry to a crowded field Tuk taxis in Kenya and it was the town which which ended up reducing profits. propelled Car and General Company to start Sharrif who has since shifted into long an independent entity “Piaggio Kenya” to spe- distance cargo trailers insists: “Initially the cifically deal in sale and after sale services of the Tuk Tuk taxi business was interesting and Tuk Tuks. profitable but then so many people bought The Tuk Tuks have been baptised various the three-wheelers creating a big competition names varying from international football which led to reduced profits in our fleet of teams, footballers to basic sayings. You can ride more than 30 taxis.” on ‘Baby Boy’ before finding yourself inside Another investor James Gitau who had two ‘Migingo’ and may be finally landing on ‘unsat- Tuk Tuk taxis says he abandoned the business isfied hunter’. and sold his two old taxis after he started mak- Given that Malindi attracts a huge number ing losses. Gitau says he was also spending of Italian tourists and investors names such large amounts of money in maintenance fees as Andiamo (let’s go), Amore (lover), Fratello at a time when turnover remained low. (brother) and Italia Due (Second Italy) are eas- While many have abandoned the Tuk Tuk ily seen on the taxis. business, others have joined and Malindi has at least ten new Tuk Tuk taxis entering the Mode of transport market every month. This is according to re- If a would be Tuk Tuk passenger stops on cords from the licensing department at the a Malindi roadside anticipating to catch some Malindi Municipal Council which charges transport, he or she will most likely be con- KSh3,500 for an annual business licence. fronted by at least three Tuk Tuks with the driv- ers all keen to win over the customer. Meeting The now popular and readily available Tuk Recently when the Tuk Tuk drivers briefly Tuks come in all colours and names but once withdrew their services as they held a three one jumps into one, they are assured of reach- hour meeting at the old Sinbird Hotel grounds ing their destination in time and safely be- to discuss new fares, several parts of Malindi cause from record, Tuk Tuk accidents are rare. enjoyed rare lull of comfort and a pleasant relief The Tuk Tuks have been modified and from the noise. From top: a tuk tuk on transit some sleek ones which are smaller in size and “The town was so quiet, making me wonder in Malindi town. Mohammed powered by petrol making them offer a com- what was happening until I realised that there Salim, the interim chairman fortable ride. However, the diesel powered were no Tuk Tuk on the roads,” says Hassan of the soon to be registered ones are noisy and ran down permanently bil- Bien, a Malindi resident. Malindi Tuk Tuk Drivers lowing thick smoke. Barely six years after they were launched Association addresses Tuk The noise inside and outside the popular in Malindi, the Indian Piaggio three-wheelers Tuk drivers with his interim Malindi three-wheelers becomes deafening, now produced in Italy where they have been re- Secretary James Njenga. A making a conversation over the now popular named APE or ‘bee’ due to their bee like noise driver inside his tuk tuk. Tuk mode of transportation almost impossible. they make. They have dominated the short tuks in town. “Conversations over the cell phone can eas- distance transport of passengers in this tourist Pictures: Kigondu Ndavano ily turn into a shouting match between callers resort almost totally. and receivers who use the Tuk Tuks,” says Juan “The first investor in Tuk Tuks in Malindi Kadzo who moved recently to the resort town acquired two such taxis and started operating to KSh210,000 a month,” explains from . what he referred to as door to door transport at Salim. However, despite these challenges they re- a cost of KSh50 per trip but within the next two He observes that in the wake of training forums for the drivers under the traffic main the most preferred and perhaps the best months, the tourist resort had more than 20 growing number of Tuk Tuks, the drivers felt police boss in Malindi Chief Inspector Gabriel means of movement. such taxis,” says Mohammed Salim, the interim that time had come to form an organisation to Mullei who has been training them on laws. chairman of the soon to be registered Malindi ensure smooth and better management of the However, despite everything, Tuk Tuk re- Noise levels Tuk Tuk Drivers Association. services. mains one of the most steady and reliable sources When the three wheelers started opera- Explaining the background of the Tuk Tuk “The new prices of fuel have affected our of employment for the youth in Malindi. If left to tions in Malindi some six years ago, callers to business, Salim says that with a Tuk Tuk then business and income like it has done with operate without set down rules and regulations, Malindi town residents from others parts of costing KSh380,000, the peoples’ interest in many other Kenyans generally and we would incidents of indiscipline may encroach into the the country realised that their listeners were the business grew rapidly with an investment like to increase our prices in an organised and business and give it a bad reputation. raising their voices unusually over the phone. of more than KSh7.6 million in less than two reasonable way,” notes Alfred Mdzomba, in- Mdzomba insists Tuk Tuk drivers still re- “At one time some residents of Malindi months. terim vice chairman of the Association. main some of the best tour guides for newcom- even demanded that the National Environ- According to Salim, the minimum income Mdzomba explains: “With drivers being ers and tourists in Malindi. mental Management Authority (NEMA) ban from the 20 Tuk Tuks stood at KSh3,000 per mainly the youth, we would like to come up with “Most strangers in Malindi arrive in the the Tuk Tuks from operating in some parts of taxi per day meaning the total earnings for the ways and means to ensure discipline, fair fares as tourist resort without much information about the tourist resort because of the levels of noise investors per month was KSh1.8 million. well as respect for passengers and traffic rules.” their destinations and comfortably trust the they produced from their engines,” notes God- Meanwhile the Tuk Tuk drivers would take The Tuk Tuk drivers would like to use the taxi drivers who ferry them to their destina- frey Karume, a Malindi environmentalist. home at least KSh500 per day as daily fee, giv- new organisation to fight for some of their tions,” he observes. Karume, however, explains that after sev- ing an income of KSh300,000 per month for all rights and especially where it involves work- The interim secretary of the Malindi Tuk eral meetings between NEMA officials and the the 20 drivers. ing up to 20 hours every day without compen- Tuk Drivers Association James Njenga says that offended residents, it was concluded that after “Initially the price of diesel to run a Tuk sation. an industry in whose Malindi business peo- all, the Tuk Tuks were a necessary evil due to Tuk for a whole day cost some KSh350 mean- According to Mdzomba, the organisation in ple have invested more than KSh240 million advantages they provided in easing transport. ing that petrol stations gained a turnover of up its formative stages has already organised two should not be taken for granted. ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 11 Cancer is a deadly disease yet curable By HENRY OWINO the patient to suppress any cell cancer to avoid spreading to other parts of the body by mutat- Cancer is the name given for diseases in which ing to cause of the disease. Radiotherapy thereby the body’s cells become abnormal and divide helps in reducing chances of cancer spreading to without control. Cancer is one of the non-com- other parts of the body. municable diseases that are claiming many yet it Surgery is carried out when the patient de- can be prevented from spreading and treated if layed in seeking treatment and only goes to the detected in early. hospital when he/she cannot stand the pain According to Dr John Kamau, assistant caused by cancer which has fully grown, ma- Chief Therapy Radiographer at Kenyatta Na- tured and may spread to other parts of the body. tional Hospital, there are over 100 different It is always the last option to save the patient types of cancer, and each is classified by the which can be amputation. type of cell that is initially affected. Cancer cells Kamau explained: “Cancer harms the body may invade nearby tissues and spread through when damaged cells divide uncontrollably to the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other form lumps or masses of tissue called tumours parts of the body. except in the case of leukaemia where cancer Speaking the during cancer public awareness prohibits normal blood function by abnormal and educational week held in Nairobi and Naiva- cell division in the blood stream.” He added: sha, Kamau said the disease is characterised by “Tumours can grow and interfere with the diges- Kenyatta National Hospital Assistant Chief Therapy Radiographer Dr. John Kamau out of control cell growth in the body. tive, nervous, and circulatory systems and they (left) stresses a point. Next to him is Antony Mamati. Picture: Henry Owino The four most commonly known cancers can release hormones that alter body function”. are breast, colon, lung and prostrate. Others Tumours that stay in one spot and demon- risk of some cancers. Common environmental Opindi confirmed that there are cancers types include ovarian, skin , bone, stomach strate limited growth are generally considered factors leading to cancer include tobacco use, that are common in one or two countries but (gastric), bladder, lung, leukaemia (blood), benign. The presence of cancer can be suspect- poor diet and obesity, infection, radiation, lack are regarded as rare types in other countries. melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, endome- ed on the basis of clinical signs and symptoms of physical activity, and environmental pollut- She said in Kenya lung cancer is the leading trial, pancreatic, kidney (renal cell) and thyroid. or findings after. ants most of which are either lifestyle or infec- killer of all cancers according to the ordinary The list is long. The presence of cancer can be suspected on tious agents and genes. type of tumour it develops and in most coun- The colon and rectal (combined) cancer is the the basis of clinical signs and symptoms, or find- He reiterated: “Environmental factors can tries affects both men and women especially leading killer of all types of cancers in the world ings after medical imaging. It is, therefore, im- cause or enhance abnormalities in the genetic the chain smokers. followed by breast cancer. portant for any person regardless of health con- material of cells.” He added that cell reproduc- “Tobacco use is, therefore, the number one ditions and status to occasionally to visit a health tion is an extremely complex process that is cause of lung cancer and so, the single most Early detection centre for medical check up. normally tightly regulated by several classes of effective prevention step is to quit smoking,” “Early diagnosis of cancer can help a great genes, including oncogenes and tumour sup- advised Opindi. deal in managing and treating the disease before Types of cancer pressor genes. She said breast cancer is frequently affects it matures and spread to other parts of the body,” While cancer can affect people of all ages, “Remember that hereditary or acquired ab- women while prostate cancer affects men. It is explained Kamau. and a few types of cancer are more common in normalities in these regulatory genes can also mostly caused by a combination of factors such However, he said definitive diagnosis of can- children than in adults, the overall risk of de- lead to the development of cancer. A small per- as genetic makeup, hormones and obesity. cer requires the microscopic examination of a veloping cancer generally increases with age, at centage of cancers, approximately five to ten per- Prostate cancer affects men above 60 years biopsy specimen. Most cancers can be treated, least up to 80-85 years. In 2007, cancer caused cent are entirely hereditary,” Mamati explained. and, therefore, human aging is a major risk with the most important modalities being che- about 13 percent of all human deaths world- The leading and the most common types of factor. Lifestyle can also be blamed for what motherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. wide, about 7.9 million. Rates are rising as more cancer in men and women worldwide are those causes prostate problems in men. Opindi “The prognosis in cancer cases can be greatly people live to an old age and as mass lifestyle affecting the skin, lungs and breasts. Different urged women to go for mammography in influenced by the type and location of the cancer changes occur in the developing world types of lymphoma and leukaemia develop in health centres at least after every six months and the extent of disease,” he noted. According to Antony Mamati, Radiation adults but occur more often in children. for diagnosis of breast cancer. The doctor pointed that chemotherapy is Therapist at Kenyatta National Hospital re- According to Roselyne Opindi, Senior Colorectal is another one of the common usually done by prescribing some drugs to the searchers have divided the causes of cancer into Nurse Officer in Cancer Treatment Centre De- types of cancer in both men and women. It is patient to prevent the cells from likely to cause two groups: those with an environmental cause partment at Kenyatta National Hospital experts the second most common cause of death due cancer mutating and this is done in the early and those with a hereditary genetic cause. still do not know yet the world’s single most to the disease. Death rate is especially high stages through regular medical check up. Mamati said cancer is primarily an environ- common type of cancer because it depends among those who prefer a diet with high satu- On the other hand radiotherapy is done to mental disease, though genetics influence the with where and how one lives. rated fats. Draft bill a giant step towards fighting against killer disease By Pam Inoti cases in the rural areas. for lesions that if left alone may lead to can- tal, located in Nairobi, is the only Government While breast and cervical cancer were the cer. The test is carried out using table vinegar centre equipped in handling the disease, the Cancer is no longer viewed as the disease that mainly the diseases that everyone was aware of, that costs about a dollar, and can test up to legislation if passed, will help decentralise can- affects the old and the rich, but its victims come today cases of ovarian, colon and lung cancer 10 women. cer treatment so that Kenyans throughout the from people of all ages and the social-economic among women in Kenya are increasing at an According to the 2011 Global Medicine re- country can access proper care at district and aspects. The disease is claiming our mothers, alarming rate. port, 70 percent of cancer cases are preventable provincial hospitals. sisters, and daughters and seems to be on the The high increase in cancer lifestyle has through adopting a healthy lifestyle. This in- The Cancer Bill will also provide funding for increase in Kenya. been attributed to unhealthy habits that range cludes reduced consumption of red meat, sweet measures to improve cancer treatment technol- In the last few weeks alone, the disease has from poor feeding, sedentary lifestyle and con- and fatty foods, consuming a lot of vegetables in ogy as well as train more oncologists. Accord- claimed two phenomenon Kenyan women; sumption of tobacco products to hazardous en- our diets, active lifestyle and avoiding exposure ing to the 2011 Kenyatta National Hospital’s Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Wangari vironmental conditions. to tobacco products. Cancer Unit’s Report there are only five clinical Maathai and Dr Margaret Ogola, a renowned However, with more cases of women being oncologists and about eight oncologists in the humanitarian and acclaimed author. So many Cervical cancer diagnosed at a younger age, cancer has been country. other women continue to succumb to the dis- Medical scientists have also posited that linked to an increase in the number of young During the launch of the Africa Can- ease every day, only that they are less known, biologically, HIV infection increases women’s women smoking and alcohol abuse. cer Foundation in July, 2011, Kenyans were but they remain unsung heroines. risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, Minister for Medical Services, Professor moved to tears when nine year old girl, Rose A study carried out by the Kenya Medical cervical neoplasia and invasive cervical cancer. Anyang Nyong’o, a cancer survivor, has been Nasimiyu moved the crowd to tears as she re- Research Institute (KEMRI) indicates that can- Although diagnosis and treatment of the instrumental in bringing attention to Kenya’s counted her brave fight against cancer. Doc- cer is the third cause of death, after infectious disease is improving in the developed world, need for improved healthcare. The Minister tors have emphasised on early diagnosis that and cardiovascular diseases. that is not the case in developing countries, Ke- went public with his recent battle with prostate could save thousands of lives each year. Similarly, a report released out by Parlia- nya included. There are inadequate resources in cancer and has helped raise awareness of the ment’s Department of Research ranks cancer as both staff and equipments, high costs of treat- disease. Pap smear the third most common disease causing death ment and most importantly, late diagnostic Nyong’o has on numerous occasions called While a having a routine pap-smear test in the country. stage where chances of managing the disease on women to take simple measures that can may help detect cervical cancer, it is out of reach Owing to a lack of surveillance programmes, are minimal. greatly help in reducing catching the disease. for ordinary Kenyans with meagre income, em- the exact incidence of cancer cases in Kenya is In 2009, faced with an increase in the num- He has advocated for women to be vaccinated phasising the social-economic aspects of the unknown, but it has been estimated at approxi- ber of cervical cancer cases, Kenya adopted a against infectious diseases that are associated disease. Other tests that could detect ovarian mately 82,000 cases are reported annually. simple, cheap yet effective visual inspection with cancers such as human papilloma virus, cancer include pelvic/rectal exam, CA-125 and According to the vice-chairman of Kenya method of detection that was launched at the which causes cervical cancer and hepatitis B, a trans-vaginal ultrasound. However, these are Cancer Association, David Mukami, although Nyanza Provincial Hospital. The test is ideal which causes cancer of the liver. expensive tests to carry out in Kenya. 18,000 deaths of cancer are reported in the for low resource settings, the test is offering Parliament has drafted a Cancer Bill that Currently, the country does not have a can- country annually, based on the Ministry of reprieve to thousands of women who die an- aims to increase access to treatment in the cer registry and surveillance to help manage Health’s statistics, these figures do not include nually from the disease. The detection tests country. Noting that Kenyatta National Hospi- the cancer statistics. 12 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Mike Karabu: Called to serve the orphans By MWARANDU TSUMA lindi district. later in the year. They have a total of hovels like children of a bygone age,” The woman died soon afterwards 236 orphans under their care. he notes. Mike Karabu may be an ordinary and the children were left with a pa- Asked how they ensure they are Through donors, the initiative also folk, but his extraordinary love ternal aunt who took them to an un- dealing with genuine needy cases and donates relief food worth KSh5,000 of mankind demonstrated by be- disclosed destination. not pretenders or orphans who have to each family during school holidays nevolent and charitable actions has “When I enquired from their pa- well-to-do guardians, Karabu says and gives them money for shopping touched the hearts and souls of vul- ternal uncles about their whereabouts they visit schools which keep records during the festive seasons. nerable children in the larger Malindi. so as to help, they became hostile to- of destitute orphans and can easily Karabu who studied Commu- His philanthropy has given hope and wards me and at one time threatened identify them in a group from their nity Development has no intention of optimism to many orphans whose me with death,” Karabu says. “Neigh- tattered uniforms and malnourished starting an orphanage because in his lives would otherwise have gone to bours too did not know where the kids bodies. In addition, they verify infor- view, such children can lose their as- waste. had been taken to. When I think of mation from chiefs’ offices. sets to unscrupulous relatives. Karabu, who left a lucrative ca- the poor kids, I weep for them in my Apart from education, the initia- “Moreover, being at home they reer in the banking industry, is today h e ar t .” tive also provides them with meals have the best opportunity to learn and “I decided to help the owner and coordinator of Wavizi from food kiosks near their respective maintain their culture and native lan- Community Initiative, in Majengo Motivation schools. They also liaise with health guage as well as know their relatives orphans because I within Malindi town where together He says this with a touch of lim- centres where they are treated when better,” he argues. felt the society has with project officer Nancy Kadzo, they itless sorrow on his face. It is this ill. Nearly all of the children return deal with orphan care and support. incident that motivated him to seek However, in extremely needy cases, home in the evenings except for a few neglected them “I decided to help orphans be- funding to cater for more orphans, they seek more funding. For instance secondary school borders who only cause I felt the society has neglected especially those whose parents suc- in 2006, they spent KSh500,000 for a go home during the holidays. for a long time, them for a long time, especially those cumb to HIV/Aids related illnesses. boy who had to undergo surgery for who reside in the countryside,” says In fact, he says, some of them are cancer at Kenyatta National Hospital Insincerity especially those Karabu. He adds: “Only a few of those HIV positive but are now healthy due in Nairobi and another KSh200,000 for How does he feel about insincere in town get support while their coun- to their care and support. a girl who had to be operated on at the people who start similar projects with who reside in the terparts in rural areas continue living Karabu says that each child has same referral facility after swallowing a the sole aim of enriching themselves? in misery and pain.” a bank account where they deposit poisonous chemical by mistake. “Mistreating orphans is an iniq- countryside,” Although two faith-based chari- KSh1,000 every month from the do- “Although the two have not fully uity that exceeds the extremes. It is — Mike Karabu table organisations from the United nor’s monthly funding which trans- recovered, we thank God they are do- grossly unfair to drive an expensive States — Christian Relief Fund and lates to KSh12,000 per year. ing very well,” observes Karabu. car and live in a multi-million man- LAMUSA — now support the organ- “With this money, we are able to Due to the pathetic and deplor- sion while the orphans you purport phans are still on the waiting list. isation, nine years ago Karabu started pay for their secondary school fees as able lifestyles of many of the orphans, to help walk around in rags and sleep However, the greatest success and the initiative single-handedly. we wait for more funds from,” he says. Wavizi Community Initiative has also in dilapidated huts. At Wavizi, we are satisfaction so far is that they have Before Karabu met the donors, he Currently, the institution has 44 built two-bed roomed permanent there to help, not to gain.” managed to give a ray of hope to was introduced to an ailing widow students in secondary school, 13 of houses and toilets for four families at The serious bottleneck that im- God’s creation through the provision who had three young children at whom joined this year. Two are set to KSh350,000 each. pedes them to absorb more children of education and health care among Kaembeni, in the remote parts of Ma- join Pwani University College in Kilifi “This was because they lived in is lack of funding. Currently, 15 or- other necessities. Slum home offers safe haven for vulnerable children By ANN WANGUI rolled up and a black skirt, Nyambura’s eyes tear through mine as if begging me to understand It is a bright mid morning and an excited six- her turmoil. year old Joseph Matano is singing a song. ‘Twin- So what inspires this woman? kle, twinkle little star’ . . . he goes on with passion, “I started the programme six years ago after lifting his soft tiny hands in a gesture. a battle with a long illness,” she says with a sigh. Oblivious of the situation facing this place Being a single parent, her three children he calls home, Matano wants to be a pilot when now aged seven, nine and ten were forced to he grows up so he can fly up with the stars. beg from neighbours because she could not af- His playmate, nicknamed Mash rushes and ford to fend for them at the time. brings a wooden seat — the teacher’s chair — “It was very depressing for me, especially they call it, as they welcome me to Msamaria after my extended family neglected us,” Nyam- Mwema Children’s Home. bura states. Finding the road to the orphanage situated Six long months later, she recovered from at the heart of the sprawling Kiambiu slums, in the illness and after a lot of soul-searching she Majengo area of Nairobi’s Kamukunji Constitu- decided to engage in a project that would help ency was not an easy task. vulnerable children in the society. To get here, one wafts through poorly venti- It was when walking along the streets of Nai- lated shanties, jumps over stinking garbage and robi that she noticed a street child begging for raw sewer flowing through the open drainage as money from passers-by. This further stimulated children in tattered clothes play in small open her that it was time she played a role in bringing grounds. to an end the suffering facing neglected children. “I approached the child, spoke with her and Children in class at the Msamaria Mwema orphanage in . They now have a Infrastructure convinced her to come with me,” Nyambura ex- place to call home. Picture: Ann Wangui We come across staggering drunk men spew- plains. She adds: “At home, I fed, washed and ing out incorrigible words along the tiny foot the clothed her. The rest is history.” tures,” says Nyambura. She adds: I also de- Njeri who aspires to be a doctor offers to paths as women light their jikos in preparation to Two months later, she took in two more cided to include a Voluntary Counselling and show us where she sleeps. The bed is neatly laid cook for their families. children from the streets despite the fact that Testing (VCT) centre which is also open to the with clothes at a shelve standing in the corner of Finally with our guide panting and drenched she was not financially stable. public.” the room she sleeps with the others. in sweat, we arrive at a small old sagging wood- Within six months, the number of children With the support from well-wishers, Nyam- Like all the other children at the home, she en gate which leads us to the school which also in her two bed-roomed house had grown to 25. bura has over the last seven years run the insti- refers to Nyambura as ‘mum’ as they know no serves as a children’s home. Nyambura runs a mobile phone hardware tution which now has over 40 children. other mother to call their own. Once inside the compound, we see through business at the Kiambiu slums from which she Our interview was interrupted by the ring- Nyambura adds most of the children are the tiny classroom with wooden desks, torn pa- earns an average income of Sh4,000 a month. ing of a bell by young Njeri Mwangi, an orphan infected with HIV and are on drugs. She says pers and dirty books scattered on the desks and Just keeping the children at home was not at the institution, as excited children streamed the institution has lost 20 children to HIV dusty earth floor. enough. Nyambura came to the realisation that out of their classrooms making a beeline for the and Aids related complications since it was With the rusty corrugated iron sheets on they needed formal education. kitchen. opened. the roof caving in and the sun’s rays lighting the “With the proceeds from my business, I em- At the kitchen, the children form a line “It is depressing for the children when one classrooms like a rainbow, I shudder to imagine ployed two teachers and we converted the sit- with the youngest at the front and the oldest at of them succumbs to disease. It has prompted the discomfort the innocent children bubbling ting room into a classroom,” she says. the end. They are all clutching squeaky-clean me to enlist the services of a counsellor to talk with life have had to endure. plates with a teacher on duty supervising as a to them,” she says. Opposite the classroom, smoke emanates Donation cook serves them with ugali and ndengu (green Nyambura has had to grapple with the fact from the roof of a mabati structure as the aroma After several months, her undertaking at- grams) mixed with vegetables. in a few years the children will be of age and will of an overcooked ugali wafts through hitting us tracted members of a local church who came After ringing the bell, Njeri runs up to the want join secondary school. full swing in a clear statement that that is the to her rescue with donations. She was later in- director, shakes our hands and breaks out recit- “I am appealing to well-wishers as well as institution’s kitchen. troduced to Conie Cheren, an American social ing a poem before rushing to join the others local and international donor agencies to come “It is almost lunch time,” says Agnes Nyam- worker who brought a mission team that fund- for lunch. on board and assist in planning and facilitating bura, director of the institution, her smile warm raised for the institution. “She is a bright child who was abandoned by the children’s transition to secondary school as and welcoming. “The team donated $15,000 which enabled her mother and we took her in. She is hyperac- that is beyond our scope at the moment,” says Dressed in a red blouse with the sleeves me to purchase a plot and construct the struc- tive child,” says Nyambura. Nyambura. ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 13 Where youth converge with sages Campus students find over a game for knowledge transfer ways of fighting By NICHOLAS ODHIAMBO

Debate on whether the young generation inflation should fully embrace the African culture has been a thorn in the flesh for many. By HENRY KAHARA It is from this understanding that elders from Nyilima Village, Rarieda District, Siaya Campus Students are looking for solutions to County have to ensure youth learn some prac- deal with the high cost of living. With the cur- tices which had been abandoned. rent rate of inflation, it is clear that everybody is The elders have built an abila (hut) in the feeling a pinch when fishing money out of their heart of the village where they meet the youth pocket to purchase anything. and teach them ways of Luo culture. Many have demanded salary increase from When the youths are in the abila, the tradi- their boss and negotiations are on the table tional game, ajua, is played as the older persons whether to or not. Students in institutions pass on their wise words of advice. higher of learning are suffering considering Ajua is a gambling game that is popular that it is a long time since the Higher Educa- among the Luo. However, it is also played in tion Loan Board (HELB) was increased, if it other communities such as Luhyia, Turkana and has ever been, and that their loans are being Samburu. taxed. The game has been named after the seeds The students at the university are settling for used as game counters (ajua seeds) and is purely part time jobs so as to be in a position to fend for men. for themselves without much struggles. Nyilima Community Abila has not only at- Boniface Momanyi, a fourth year Bachelor tracted local people, but even vernacular radio Youth enjoy ajua under of Education student at the University of Nai- stations have also been thronging the place. the abila (hut) in Nyilima robi is one such man. “They started deducting the money when I was in third year. At first, village, Siaya County. The Attraction I thought it is the bank but later I found out elders built the hut as The journalists visit the place to interview that every student was complaining,” he says a meeting place for the the elders on issues of the Luo culture, which adding that they later learnt that Kenya Rev- they air in their programmes on culture. youth to tach them the enue Authority has said they will not escape Most people believed that playing ajua Luo culture. tax payment. was an old man’s activity and no young man Pictures: Nick Odhiambo Above that Momanyi says that the inflation would have the courage to play it. Neverthe- rate has continued messing up with their bud- less, for Nyilima community at the Abila, the get and nobody is speaking on their behalf. teach our youth the way we old mingle with the young to play the game. This has forced many students to look for were taught as young people. Boniface Otieno is among youths playing alternatives to deal with the issue. “Students It is time we used our culture the game. He says that during the game, elders are now looking for the various ways to sustain to help the youth.” take time out to educate the youth on tradi- themselves in campus for HELB money is not Obara says that at the abi- tional practices and what is expected of them. enough,” he observes. la, young men who try to go He says playing ajua is a true portrayal of Luo Momanyi who is an orphan says he would against the culture are mocked culture. The game has united youth from many get KSh60,000 per year which was the total and counselled. villages in the district, who in turn have shown amount of the HELB loan and the bursary. “We do not allow idlers spectacular respect to the elderly in the region. “Every semester I would to get KSh17,000 and lazy bones. We advise our “This has been a noble idea. We get a lot of derway to ensure communities around are in- during my first year, and this was a lot of mon- young children to change and become good training at the place and the older persons have volved in such events. ey. Today it does me very little,” he explains. people to prosper in life,” he remarks. been wisdom passers to us,” observes Otieno. According to John Ogutu, chairman of Piece Initiative Programme has also been Issues affecting families are also discussed Nyilima Community Abila, they will arrange Side hustle started at the abila in the ajua game. during this time. It is during the game that the tournaments with clubs from Western and Rift A student at Nairobi University’s Kikuyu Ajua tournaments are organised with older persons try to teach the younger ones on Valley provinces to cement cordial relationship campus, Momanyi says most of his classmates people from different villages. Plans are un- how to go about family matters including how with communities in the two provinces. have been forced by circumstances to look for a to take care of their children and wives. “It is not carrying gun that brings peace. way forward. They have gotten jobs as teachers “We have learnt a lot. Issues of respect and Our ancestors were always peaceful and this is in the high schools surrounding their college. love for the family and elderly form part of the how they used to bring peace. It is this culture “I have been given a contract by the Board discussions,” remarks Otieno. that we want to embrace,” he notes. of Governors in the school where I teach,” says Aesthetics of the game is achieved through Ogutu says since ajua is like gambling, Momanyi who declines to disclose the name. manipulation of language, which is used to there is financial benefit to some extent. This He makes sure his lessons do not conflict give terminologies to showcase the beauty of makes the youth not only to occupy them- with his classes in campus. “For instance, I may Dholuo as a language of expression. selves with the game but also to gain finan- be teaching Chemistry on Monday morning for There are some expressions that are used cially when playing. two hours, after that I go back to campus for my when playing ajua. These expressions such as studies,” he says. nindo e bam (lying on the thighs), chuowo thu- Gambling Momanyi says that his salary and tuition fee on (spearing with the cock), turo tielo (break- They bet at least five shillings in every which he conducts during his free hours gets ing the leg or to impregnate) and soko wang round of game. This gives up to about KSh200 him more than KSh20,000. He says this is a (poking the eyes) are sarcastic and show pro- in a day, which to the youth is a good return. good amount for it keeps him going. lific literary use of Dholuo as a language. Andrew Owuor admits: “There is serious Like Momanyi, Priscah Njeri, a Bachelor of financial gain in this game. What I get when I Arts and Communication student at the same Expressions win is enough to purchase a tin of maize.” campus says that life is harder for non-residents. “These are expressions that have given us The abila started in 1999 and currently has Njeri says some of them are now even carry- opportunity to value our language and believe more than 30 youth attending the meetings ev- ing packed. “Life is hard these days, we prefer to it is even greater than many others,” says John ery day from 3 pm to 6.30 pm. carry our own lunch because we cannot afford Otieno, another youth. Next to the abila is a traditional granary eating in hotels every day,” notes Njeri. The youths also use this space to share their known as dero. This is a symbol of prosperity Antony Muiriri, an Economics student in problems. The problems the youth bring to the for the community’s culture. the same campus says gone are the days when old people (jodongo) range from domestic to The project’s initiator, John Hongo says a students would learn in the campus for free. taking care of their orphaned children or elderly granary in Luo culture is a symbol of prosperity “Today you must have someone who is help- parents. However, there are times when the el- and wealth in terms of food. This is what it takes ing you but you can’t say that you are just a stu- derly assemble the youth to discuss issues affect- “We have benefitted when it comes to showing thriving culture. dent without saying where you are getting your ing the villages particularly in matters of conflict “Dero symbolises a culture that will never money,” he says. and disrespect. richly from this plan perish easily to the western culture. This is why Muiruri was admitted at the University in Otieno Obara, 70, says they have benefited we have this granary here,” he says. 2004 but declined the admission as he could a lot from the abila since the youth in the vil- and we have hopes Area Chief Eric Okal says the abila has not afford to pay fees at the time. lage now understand the true culture of the helped youth in the area to understand com- “At that time neither me nor my parents community and respect to the elderly. more youths will munity’s culture. could afford the college fees. I declined the “We have benefitted richly from this plan “The culture is embraced here. Most of admission and opted for the National Youth and we have hopes more youths will cherish cherish this.” the youth go for advice at a place where the Service. I later got a job with the ministry. Only this,” notes Obara. — Otieno Obara elders are ready to welcome and help them,” then did I decide join university,” he says. He says: “What we want is to ensure we observes Okal. 14 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Whether as food, or money or used in rituals, the coconut tree remains a blessing By KIGONDU NDAVANO

More than 500,000 coconut crop farmers at the Coast could soon start reaping the benefits of better management of the crop estimated to be worth more than KSh13 billion annually. This follows the initiation of the Coconut Development Authority after some years of teething crisis. Experts from the authority have had several meetings with farmers and despite the few re- sources allocated to it, it has been able to partici- pate in various national agricultural displays in- cluding the Agricultural Society of Kenya show. Coconut is one of the most important tree crops at the Coast offering some of the most important raw products at household level from food flavouring to roofing houses. Socially, the refreshing palm wine from the tree is generally and widely imbibed as a source of joy and entertainment by the elders and public. Above all, the wine has for ages been used as the first traditional and customary gift a man must first offer prospective in-laws of the girl he is interested in marrying. However, the coconut tree could offer more. Agriculture permanent secretary Dr Romano Kiome recently announced that the coconut in- dustry in Kenya had an annual worth of KSh13 billion yet only a quarter of this is currently be- ing exploited. Mnazi Despite the huge potential, among the Mi- jikenda, the tree has its basic benefits and is used in nearly all traditional and customary occasions where blessing rituals are performed. Such rituals are performed many times in a From top: An official of the New Galana Farmers Cooperative Union day. It is a gulp of mnazi, drawn into the mouth Joseph Karisa sorts out the heap of coconuts received from farmers in by an elder that is then sprinkled to the partici- Malindi. Contractors load coconut fronds (makuti) in a hand card for pants or on the ground. transport to a construction site. Coconut trees in Malindi. Malindi MP Elders are cautious that despite a high level Gedion Mung’aro, former Miss World Kenya Cecilia Mwangi and reigning of alcohol found in the coconut palm wine, Miss World Kenya Natasha Metto sample madafu on arrival at a hotel in which is at times intoxicating, the drink is re- the area. Pictures: Kigondu Ndavano spected for bringing people, especially elders, together to discuss important social, family and community issues. Women and mothers at the Coast use the With other studies having revealed “Palm wine was never drunk by the young coconut oil for skin and scalp. It is also used in that the coconut tree could produce an people in undesignated selling points as hap- treating headaches in children. estimated 100 varieties of products for pens in modern times. It was always the drink The tree of so much social and economic local and international markets, the brooms, palm-wine (mnazi), shells which are of elders and taken with respect as well as con- value has for years been taken for granted by new board has its assignments set. Wine consti- used to manufacture ash trays and sugar dishes trol but not excessively,” explains Katana Kalu- the Government. This is despite numerous calls tutes 60 per cent, nuts 24 per cent, makuti (for to give maximum profits to the farmer. lu, a Kaya elder. by farmers and leaders that the Government roofing) 12 per cent, brooms 24 per cent and “We shall also introduce good agronomic Rural communities have unknowingly asso- recognises the coconut as an important crop. coco wood 0.3 per cent. practices and efficient crop husbandry to en- ciated with the coconut tree by use of brooms In the recent past, that recognition came Presently, Kenya imports 95 per cent of its sure that the coconut tree produces maximum from this tree. when the Government formed the Coconut De- annual requirements of edible and industrial yields for the over 500,000 farmers in Coast The Coast region’s tourism sector perhaps velopment Authority (CDA), an entity which is oils amounting to approximately 400,000 metric Province,” he said. enjoys the highest amount of resources from already setting groundwork to ensure better and tonnes at KSh14 billion. About 120,000 met- Sulubu noted that the coconut tree which the coconut tree in that the coconut fronds — profitable management of the coconut crop. ric tonnes or 30 per cent of that is used in soap fetches KSh300 once it gets senile could fetch locally known as makuti — remain the main manufacturing. as much as KSh15,000 from the sale of its tim- roofing material for more than 80 per cent of Coconut board Estimates indicate that the country would ber and its products like stools, window panes the hotels, villas, private houses and restaurants. While presiding over the formation of the save about KSh5 billion annually if vegetable and doors. From the South to the North Coast, hotels CDA, Kiome challenged experts of the new oils for soap manufacturing could be pro- “We have already developed an action along the Indian Ocean shorelines are roofed authority to work hard to assist coconut farm- duced locally through increased processing of plan to spearhead growth and promotion of with makuti creating an attractive site. Across ers fully exploit the tree. Kiome noted that the coconut oil. the coconut tree. This will give farmers maxi- tourist towns of Mtwapa, Kilifi, Watamu, Malin- country had the potential to save on the large Further benefits could be accrued after mum yields from the sale of the crop and its di and Mambrui hundreds of women are found amount of foreign exchange spent in importing the presidential decree on palm oil and repeal by-products while regulating the harvesting with large consignments of makuti for sale. palm oil and related products annually. of traditional liquor Act (section 22) and its of coconut products,” said Sulubu. He added: “The new board would regulate the industry gazettement. The value of palm wine reached “This ensures that it will get its rightful place Makuti and offer advice to the Government for plan- KSh2 billion, which is two thirds the present like other industries in the country’s economy.” Although there are people who have sug- ning purposes,” he said. value of the coconut industry. The Authority’s strategic plan which spans gested that makuti roofing be banned, those Among the first assignments of the board is Managing Director of the Coconut Devel- between 2008 and 2012 spells out strategies who benefit from the leaves have not encour- the formulation of a strategic plan that would opment Authority Jonathan Sulubu said the in- which will add value to the yields and enhance aged the idea. organise how the farmers will grow more trees dustry which currently fetches a paltry KSh3.2 the quality of the products produced by the tree. Mary Kadzo, a Makuti dealer at the Malindi and attract investors. million per year will be revamped to add value According to Sulubu, the authority was Tourist road is opposed to the plan to ban ma- “A Government survey has indicated that to its by-products. already working with farmers after introduc- kuti noting that such a decision would render there are 7.4 million coconut trees covering He told the Reject that the CDA had already ing agronomic practices and efficient crop hundreds of women traders jobless. It would 200,000 hectares with products from the coco- started initiating programmes to streamline husbandry set to ensure that the coconut tree also devastate families benefitting from its sale. nut valued at KSh3.2 billion,” observed Kiome. marketing of the coconut crop which includes produces maximum yields. “We have always depended on makuti sales “We shall ensure that processing of the vari- for our livelihoods. We pay taxes to the local ous by-products of this crop is streamlined to council and readily provide roofing material “A Government survey has indicated that there are 7.4 ensure that players and traders’ role in running to investors in tourism,” says Kadzo. She adds: the industry is regulated in an effort to ensure “This makes us partners in tourism through the million coconut trees covering 200,000 hectares with that the products reach users in a desirable sale of makuti.” state,” explained Sulubu. The coconut is the golden tree crop of the products from the coconut valued at KSh3.2 billion.” He noted that the board plans to put in place Coast and its presence anywhere even in a pic- export mechanisms to market the crop abroad ture of an illustration connotes the Coast. — Dr Romano Kiome in an effort to diversify farming of this tree. ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 15 Land issue in slums remains a thorny issue Evictions By HENRY KAHARA threat leaves The slums are known for informal settlement and nobody would ever associate them with land problems. villagers However land remains a thorny issue in the slums, and according to the residents they are the most affected. To make the situation worse, the slums are composed of diverse communi- worried ties and therefore making it hard to separate is- sues from tribalism. By EDNA MOKAYA Jane Njoki Uhuru, a resident of the sprawl- ing Mathare slum sees herself as one of the big- Residents of Mikinduni village, Mkunumbi gest victims. Location, Lamu District now want the Gov- Njoki who bought three plots of land in ernment to protect them against being evicted Mathare area, can only get access to two. Not from their land. that the third one is unproductive but the area The villagers claim they have lived on this leader has barred her from utilising it. land for many years. Many of the residents here “I was given this land by the project and I are farmers and businessmen. However, the even have the card which they gave me but threat of eviction has now left them wondering whenever I attempt to construct here, the area where to turn to if the Government does not leader incites young men to come and destroy come to their aid. my house,” says Njoki, a mother of three. According to the farmer’s chairman Naftali She says her latest building was demolished Munyoki Mwendwa, they have been brutally in August. According to Njoki, the house cost Jane Njoki Uhuru who has been crying to the Government to give her security after assaulted on two occasions. They have been her more than KSh500,000 but she even didn’t building a house in her own plot in Mathare slums. Picture: Henry Kahara forcefully and unlawfully evicted from an un- get any benefit from it because it was demol- alienated government land located at Mikind- ished before she could recover her money. so they can allow me to construct rental houses come so that we can resolve the issue together uni village. “I built the house and barely two months later here,” says Njoki who supplies firewood in the but he claims he is busy harvesting and prepar- He says that they have also been threatened they came at night around 11 pm and destroyed area. She adds: “I will not as this is my property.” ing land for planting,” says Njoki. with another eviction unless the orders sought it,” says Njoki. When she went to check what was According to Njoki, this is jealousy and trib- This problem has not only affected her. Other by those claiming to own the land are granted. going on the young men threw stones at her. alism which was evident during the last general people in the area are also complaining that some “We have been evicted and on May 26, 2011 election when some tribes were evicted from people built business houses commonly known we were issued with an oral notice to vacate by No action the area. She claims to have been spared be- as vibanda outside their neighbours’ houses the local administration or be forcefully evicted Although Njoki has already reported the cause her husband comes from the same tribe without permission and are blocking them. and suffer further irreparable damage and loss matter to the area chief and at Muthaiga Po- with the area leader. “We have a problem here and it can only unless we vacate the land,” he said. lice Station, nothing has been done as the area “My husband is a friend to these men but he be solved by the Government. People are not Mwendwa who has stayed in the land since leader has defied the orders. is polygamous. At the moment he is in the vil- supposed to be threatening others for no rea- 2000 says when he started living in the area, he “I have reported this to the chief, and he has lage with another wife and I have asked him to son when we are all Kenyans,” observes Njoki found other people were already there. written to the leader and summoned him to his who claims to have been born and brought up “In September last year, a tycoon who claims office but he has defied,” notes Njoki. in this area. to own the land came to the village in two vehi- She says that the last time he was sum- cles accompanied with the District Officer Witu moned, the leaders threatened to evict her from “I was given this land by Germans Division, Mwaura Wanjohi, the Administration that area when Muthaiga OCS called him. “I was born in 1969 in this area we were Police inspector, two Administration Police of- Njoki, whose land is located near Mathare the project and I even have eight children. My mum used to tend this land ficers and three Kenya Police reservists. They River, plot number H093, had it earlier located before the projects begun,” says Njoki. burnt some of the houses and destroyed crops,” near Baraka Hospital plot number G078 but it the card which they gave She adds: “The Germans are the one who says Mwendwa. was transferred by the project owners (Germans) built these houses and their main reason was However, the District officer says nothing of due to bad politics of the area to where it is today. me but whenever I attempt to help the less privileged so they used to pay a that sort happened, claiming he comes from a “Before my plot was near the hospital but small amount.” different district. bad politics made the project owners to transfer to construct here, the area The whole of Njoki’s family lives here. me to this area, even I never wanted it for the The Germans who constructed the houses Fear environment is not conducive for transacting leader incites young men stopped collecting rent in mid-2007. However, Francis Kimani Mwangi, another distraught business,” she says. Njoki is quick to note that there are people resident who has stayed in the village for six Njoki claims the area leader has been telling to come and destroy my whose names are indicated in their books and years says the rich tycoons have now incited her to give up the piece of land so she can be they are the ones who have the cards. Ormas to graze on their crops. allowed to build houses without interference. house.” “The Germans gave us cards so even the law According to Mwangi, they are living in fear “The area leader and his two friends want is aware that the people who have the permits for and spend sleepless nights watching over their me to pay them or to give them a piece of land — Jane Njoki Uhuru the houses are those with the cards,” says Njoki. women and children to protect them from be- ing injured by the Ormas who he claimed have raped some women in the area. “There are some of us who have been How the Kikuyu community has handled land issues charged with forcible entry in Lamu Courts,” says Mwangi. By HENRY KAHARA Every clan had to be given land which was you treated her like your son,” he says, adding He adds: “This is unfair because cases of equal to that which it possessed before the that some people (men) who never married left houses being burnt and rape have not been They say that whoever abandons his culture white man came into the country. their land to the people who treated them well dealt with.” is a slave. Culture varies from one community Contrary to what many say that the Mau in their old age, and mostly these were relatives. Evictions of this kind are currently com- to the other. Among the Kikuyu community, Mau fighters did not get their right portion, Kuraya gives an example of himself. His fa- mon in many parts of the , there is a culture they follow when dealing Kuraya insists that everybody had to get the ther’s brother who had only daughters left him leaving more and more people landless and with land issues. share he possessed before. However, he is quick his land because he (Kuraya) took care of him homeless. According to Joseph Ndung’u Kuraya, the to note that the land was being divided by the during his old age. Sharia Nyange an advocate with Kituo cha Kikuyu community placed a lot of value on educated people of the time. “When his daughters got married, I am the Sheria says that to curb this problem, Members land and for this reason men would guard their “Most of the surveyors were the children one who was left to look after him for his wife of Parliament must enact an act of Parliament land with all they had. It is when a man was old of the people who supported the white men so had died before him,” explains Kuraya. on evictions and resettlement. enough and his children have grown up when he they knew where there was good land that was Nyange said that the Government should used to give them a piece of land as inheritance. not possessed by anybody and kept it for them- Constitution take quick action to ensure that these people be According to Kuraya, land was not sup- selves,” notes Kuraya. Contrary to Kikuyu culture where land was they squatters or landless are resettled. posed to be sold or given out without a reason. These people also purchased land for their owned by individuals, the new Constitution in “The biggest problem now is that the coun- There had to have a good reason for doing so. relatives and those who had money, thereby Chapter Five Article 61 (1) states that all land try doesn’t have eviction and resettlement “That is the reason why the community leaving the less fortunate out. in Kenya belongs to the people of Kenya col- guidelines. As a matter of urgency, the Ministry found it worthy to shed blood because of the According Kuraya, a Kikuyu man was the lectively as a nation, as communities and as of Land must enact laws to guard against evic- land,” observes Kuraya. owner of everything at home and therefore he individuals. tions and provide a proper guideline on how an is the one who would give land to his sons and The Constitution also states that today eviction should be done,” noted Nyange. Displacement daughters. women whether married or not are in a posi- He said since the law might take a long time The community could not have allowed co- He says that most of the time the man would tion to inherit their father’s land the same way to be implemented, the Ministry of Land should lonial masters to displace them from their land give his people land as inheritance but some- as their brothers. immediately adopt United Nations internation- because this was their source of livelihood. times he would favour those who looked after According to Kuraya, previously in the Ki- al conventions on evictions and resettlement. “That is the reason why when we gained him when he was old or sick. kuyu community if a man never sired any sons Sharia condemned the use of force when independence, we had to be taken back to our Women who got children and never got to inherit him, he would either leave his land to evicting people from any land. “Anyone with- home from the camps and we were placed ac- married were treated like sons. “If your daugh- a person he was willing to but it was not obvious out a court order should not evict people,” he cording to our clans,” observes Kuraya. ter never got married you had to give her land, that his daughters were the ones to inherit him. said. 16 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Farmers accuse tobacco companies War declared of leading them to abject poverty on ghost By BEN ONYANGO incur if consumption were to be discour- because the application of the chemicals used coffee farmers a g e d .” covers the period from nursery to when the By BEN OROKO Tobacco farming was introduced into East Af- It is for this reason that Uriri District Com- crop is harvested. rica in the 1560s by Portuguese traders before missioner George Chelagat has called on the Speaking in Migori town at an agricultural Faced with the challenge of ghost coffee farmers it spread to other parts of Africa. area residents to consider switching to more stakeholders meeting, angry farmers said the and inflated weight of cherry coffee delivered to In Kenya, tobacco cultivation started in environmentally friendly cash crops instead of chemicals they have been using have leached primary producer coffee co-operative societies, early 1990s whereby its use has increased. It relying tobacco. into the soil and eventually found their way small-holder coffee growers in the is estimated that over seven billion cigarette Tobacco has been grown in abundance into rivers, streams and food which they pol- have declared war on the vice which has been eat- sticks are smoked annually. in Uriri since 1968 but the farmers continue lute. The end result is destruction of biodiver- ing into the genuine farmers’ coffee sales. This ac- Sometime ago, farmers in languish in poverty. The crops are said to be sity. tion has led to poor net coffee payments. ventured into tobacco farming with an aim causing environmental degradation as well as The process of curing gives tobacco its The move has prompted small-holder cof- of getting rich from the motivation of its de- pollution on rivers and mass destruction of characteristic taste, aroma and colour. It in- fee growers contracted to Nyamonya Farmers mand. indigenous trees. volves cutting down of trees to provide fuel Co-operative Society and her affiliates in Bobasi However, it was not as rosy as it looked. which has led to severe deforestation apart Constituency in the Kisii County to declare war They now regret after realising that they are Exploitation from being very costly in terms of wood fuel against factory record keepers and some farm- in constant poverty because of increased to- Chelagat regretted that poor farmers from prices. ers engaging in the vice of trading in ‘ghost’ ki- bacco outputs. This has forced the farmers to Migori County were being exploited and only The crop has never been environmental logrammes of cherry coffee delivered to factories. sell their produce to the companies at lower paid peanuts after harrowing and gruelling friendly because pesticides and other chemi- Farmers who spoke to The Reject disclosed prices. work in procuring tobacco grades. cals used in tobacco farms pollute the imme- that, some record keepers colluded with some Tobacco farming in Uriri District of Despite the fact that the tobacco manu- diate environ before being washed into the growers who have no coffee to buy ’ghost’ coffee Migori County has generated in- river to poison animals and hu- kilogrammes from them at an agreed fee, a de- tense heat arising from a significant man life. velopment they claimed had negatively impacted threat to food security and a catalyst The farmers said tobacco has on their earnings. The fake kilogrammes of coffee to increased poverty among the local made many crops like maize strained the genuine farmers’ net sales and pay- communities growing the crop. not to do well on soil where it ments. Caleb Twenya, a veteran farmer has grown because it drains all The affected farmers from Nyamonya village from Uriri District says he ventured the necessary nutrients from and its affiliates have since passed a resolution into tobacco farming 28 years ago the soil making it impoverished through a General Meeting, endorsing disciplin- hoping it would change his life. How- to sustain other crops. ary action against the factory clerks and growers ever, because the farming is done un- Speaking at the same forum, found engaging in the vice. der a contract system where tobacco Rongo District Public Health They expressed fears that such a negative companies give them credit in the Officer Samson Olilo said to- move would lead to the collapse of the primary form of seeds, pesticides, transport, bacco farming is one of the producer coffee co-operative societies in the area, fertiliser and others facilities, this leading causes of preventable since majority of the farmers may withdraw from forces the farmer to sell his or her deaths in the county because it delivering their coffee produce to the co-opera- produce to that specific company at a contains over 4,000 chemicals tives due to poor payments. price set by the company. This action some of which are dangerous. “Ghost coffee kilogrammes sold to some grow- leaves them with no alternative option “Tobacco smoking is casual- ers by the corrupt factory clerks contributes to of where else to sell. ly associated with increased risk poor coffee payments since they eat into the gen- Farmers picking tobacco leaves. Picture: Courtesy of chronic obstructive cancer of uine coffee earnings when determining rates of Poor returns the lung and of the upper aero payments against the net coffee sales,” said Moffat Before payment, the company de- digestion,” explained Olilo. Moindi, one of the local coffee growers. Moindi ducts what was loaned to the farmer. What- facturing companies are minting millions of Tobacco farmers have been accused re- regretted that if farmers and other stakeholders ever remains is insufficient to provide for food shillings, the poverty index in the area has re- peatedly by locals, leaders and professionals do not fight the syndicate, the scenario paints a or cater for education of the children needs mained steadily the highest. within Migori County for being responsible gloomy picture on the future of the sub-sector. forcing them live below the poverty line and “Since I came to Uriri, I have not come for land degradation and deforestation. “It is no secret that ‘ghost’ coffee kilogrammes remain in debt. across any primary or nursery schools nor Over 400 farmers have begun an afforesta- reflected in the factory gross for kilogrammes “Many prominent farmers from this region health centres and dispensaries put up by to- tion programme to compensate for the wood of coffee delivered to the co-operative societies have died poor as compared to others who bacco companies as an appreciation yet the burning in tobacco curing through the sup- has been a serious challenge to the management ventured into small business. They are driving farmers continue to wallow in abject poverty,” port by BAT which is giving seedlings that the when processing payments,” observed Moindi. big cars compared to us who dedicated all our said Chelagat. farmers ask for. time and land to tobacco farming,” explained Tobacco is a sensitive plant prone to many Oyani BAT branch manager Charles Poor terms and conditions Twenya. diseases and pests hence farmers use a lot of Mwangi said with the support of their partners However, he admits that poor wages and sala- He added: “Tobacco companies centre fertiliser to increase foliage weight and quality in the British American Tobacco Biodiversity ries for the factory workers is partly contributing their arguments on employment and trade so as to maximise yield and returns. Partnership, farmers have further developed to the vice. He challenged co-operative societies’ benefits of tobacco for developing countries Twenya noted that huge amounts of herbi- long term plans and objectives in afforestation management to revise wages and salaries up- and the losses that these economies would cides and pesticides are used in its production and wood use. wards, to motivate workers to shun corrupt ac- tivities. According Agnes Moraa, a coffee grower con- tracted to Nyamonya Main Co-operative Society Initiative seeks to save Mt Kenya melting to death exposing factory workers to adverse working By ERIC MUTAI plant 20 trees on behalf of your website or the main rivers flowing from the mountain. conditions tempts to them device ways of making blog,” it says. Nwanze said conservation efforts will re- extra cash to sustain their livelihood. Stakeholders and the communities living on The Tupande Pamoja Initiative is a joint duce conflict between people and wild ani- Moraa noted that terms and conditions of the slopes of Mt Kenya are working to revert venture between the United Nations Envi- mals in an area with great eco-tourism po- work for factory workers dictated the way they the melting of glaciers on top of the moun- ronment Programme (UNEP), the East Af- tential. execute their duties either to the advantage or dis- tain and restore the water catchment tower. rica Wildlife Society (EAWS), Kenya Forests According to the Mt Kenya East Pilot Proj- advantage of the co-operative society members. Africa Point has partnered with East Africa Working Group (KFWG), Nature Kenya (NK) ect (Mkepp) natural resources manager Paul “There are cases where factory guards smuggle Wildlife Society’s Tupande Pamoja Initiative and Kenya Forest Service (KFS). Njuguna, logging without replacement left the ready coffee beans from the factory drying beds to to donate seedlings to be planted on the slopes The International Fund for Agricultural forest degraded but this has been rehabilitated sell to middle-men in the black coffee market to of the mountain. Development (IFAD) is also helping plant through community involvement. earn a living after exhausting their meagre wages Scientific reports indicate that glaciers on three million seedlings as part of the rehabili- The Magacha Forest was logged off in the and salaries,” observed Moraa. She added: “When top of Mt Kenya, which is Africa’s second larg- tation process. 1960s and 1970’s and converted into farm such wages and salaries are delayed, they will have est mountain after Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania About 200,000 seedlings have been planted lands. However, rehabilitation has taken place no option but to engage in vices such as smug- are melting at an alarming rate due to global to help stabilise slopes along 150 kilometres of covering 16,000 hectares. gling farmers’ coffee beans to sell to brokers.” warming and deforestation the river bank with nearly 900 local schools Njuguna said that tree replanting was not Oanda Maronga, one of the farmers contract- Africa Point is raising awareness through enlisted to encourage conservation ethics done after the conversion thereby degrading ed to Motonto Farmers Co-operative Society, an the social sites Facebook and Twitter and among young people. the area. The Government suspended the affiliate of Nyamonya Farmers Co-operative So- hope to plant at least 100,000 trees in the next IFAD president Dr Kanayo F. Nwanze dur- shamba system in 1986 and finally banned it ciety endorsed the farmers resolution that any two years. ing a tour of the Mt Kenya Forest at Irangi in in 2003 though it is now being piloted again factory worker found selling ‘ghost’ coffee weight It said on its blog that it will donate a seed- Embu North District said it is collective re- through the Plantation Establishment and will be prosecuted and the grower involved de- ling for every tweet or like on Facebook to sponsibility to ensure that degradation does Livelihood Improvement Scheme (PELIS). registered from the co-operative society. the East Africa’s Wildlife Society’s ‘Tupande not happen again in the forest. The project co-financed with a grant from The Co-operative Society’s chairman Julius Pamoja’ initiative. “To become a partner and More than 1,600 acres of degraded forest the Global Environment Facility works with Maganga confirmed that the committee had help raise awareness of this initiative, please have been rehabilitated since 2005 at Magacha community groups to boost their skills to commissioned a coffee tree census to determine display the ‘Save Mount Kenya’ Campaign as communities around the forest are respond- formulate and implement plans to sustain- genuine coffee growers as part of the efforts to banner on your website or blog and we will ing by forming water users’ associations along ably manage land and water resources. fight the vice. ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 17 Infant mortality remains high in Eastern Province By David Kiarie 189 member states at the United Nations spe- cial session on children in May 2002. Children who are born in and Meru Gatungu said the survey was conducted as North districts of Eastern Province have higher part of the third round of multiple indicator chances of surviving as compared to those born cluster survey carried out in over 50 countries in other areas in the province. in 2005 and 2006. This is according to a recently launched sur- “The data collected from this survey is com- vey that was commissioned by the Kenya Na- prehensive enough to generate information tional Bureau of Statistics and supported by the which will enable policy makers, planners, re- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). searchers and programme managers to make The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey evidence based choices,” explained Gatungu. He (MICS) III puts the infant mortality rates, the added this would help in monitoring the well be- death of children before they attain one year, ing of women and children in Eastern Province. in Machakos District at 27 per cent while that of is 28 per cent. Complications Mothers with their children at a local hospital waiting bay. Access to maternal has the highest infant mortality rate at , Kitui and Makueni also led in the health care is still a challenge in many rural areas. Picture: Reject correspondent 63 per cent followed by Makueni and Tharaka number of children who are stunted with the districts both at 45 per cent. rates of 38.7, 37.9 and 34.1 per cent respectively. childhood education and only 21 per cent of sec- tendants during delivery at 88 per cent followed At the provincial level, the infant mortality The lowest rates were recorded in Meru Central ondary school-age are going to school. by Meru Central at 84 per cent. Marsabit also rate was 40 deaths per 1,000 live births while at 14 per cent and Isiolo at 15.3 per cent. Wasike said the country’s moderate eco- recorded the lowest percentage of skilled atten- the under five mortality rate was 54 deaths per Marsabit and Mwingi districts have the nomic growth has not proportionately been dants during delivery at 25 per cent followed by 1,000 live births. highest numbers of underweight children at translated into equitable and improved living Kitui at 39 per cent. The survey also shows Kitui as having the 28.5 per cent and 28.2 per cent as compared to standards for the entire Kenyan population. Meru Central recorded one per cent in ap- highest mortality rate of children under the age 7.9 per cent in Meru Central and 10.4 per cent proval of female genital cut followed by Meru of five years at 86 per cent followed by Tharaka in Embu District. Breast feeding North at three per cent. Meru South and Mach- at 67 per cent and Mwingi which rates at 64 per Moyale and Meru North districts recorded Mbeere and Marsabit districts had the high- akos had four per cent each. Marsabit had the cent as compared to Meru North’s 35 per cent the highest percentage of timely initiation of est number of women who breastfed their ba- highest approval rate at 75 per cent followed by and Machakos at 38 per cent. breastfeeding at 82.3 per cent and 80.2 per cent bies exclusively for five months at 44.1 and 37 Moyale at 60 per cent. A total of 15,600 households were samples respectively. The survey indicates that women per cent respectively with the lowest rates being Women in the province believe that hus- in Eastern province with 1,200 households be- in Embu and Machakos were late in initiating recorded in Meru at 12.7 per cent and 12.8 per bands are justified in beating their wives when ing sampled in each of the 13 districts which breastfeeding for their babies with only 45.5 cent in Makueni. they go out without informing the husbands, made up the province when the survey was per cent of them starting at the right time. Meru North also recorded the highest per- neglect children, argue with the husband, burns conducted between April and August 2008. Planning and Social Specialist with UNI- centage of continuous breastfeeding of children food or refuse to have sex. CEF Bonee Wasike said national data collec- between the ages of 20 to 25 months at the rate Survey tion is vital for proper planning and ensuring of 66.3 per cent followed by Marsabit at 65.3 per Child protection The province had a population of 6,966,123 that equitable national development is realised cent. Isiolo and Moyale had the lowest percent- In the child protection category, Embu re- residents and 1,312,002 households when the as embodied in the new Constitution. age in that category at 37.9 and 45.9 respec- corded 80 per cent in birth registration followed survey was commissioned. “One of the ways to enhance national devel- tively. by Meru North and Meru Central at 77 per cent The survey findings which were broken into opment is by undertaking national surveys and The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey also each. Isiolo recorded the lowest in birth regis- districts probed into education, child rights, or- data collection such as population census, the shows Moyale not only had the highest total tration at 19 per cent followed by Machakos at phanhood and vulnerability, nutrition, repro- Kenya demographic health survey and the mul- fertility rate at 72 per cent but also recorded the 36 per cent. ductive health, water and sanitation, marriage, tiple indicators cluster survey,” noted Wasike. lowest percentage in contraceptive prevalence Moyale led in child marriages with 60 per domestic violence, female genital mutilation, Wasike said efforts to monitor progress in rate at eight per cent. Embu had the highest cent of children being married of before attain- HIV/Aids, breastfeeding, supplementary feed- relation to human rights or the Millennium De- contraceptive prevalence rate at 75 per cent. ing 18 years followed by Isiolo at 48 per cent. ing, child immunisation, child mortality and velopment Goals depended on evidence-based In Marsabit, the survey revealed that only Meru South had the least percentage at 12 while access to health services among other issues. statistics. 21 per cent of deliveries are made at health Embu recorded 15 per cent. Speaking during the launch of the survey in “This data provides the Government, de- facilities with many women opting or being About 86 per cent of parents and caretakers Embu town, Director of Production Statistics velopment partners and civil society with the forced to deliver at home. Moyale was the sec- of children in the province believe in psycho- with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, necessary information to influence, imple- ond last in performance in that category with logical or physical punishment of children. Dr James Gatungu said the survey was largely ment and ensure that social policies and pro- 24 per cent of women delivering in health in- In the HIV/Aids category, Embu and based on the need to monitor progress to- grammes benefit particularly those who are stitutions. Embu recorded the highest institu- Mbeere districts led by 48 per cent on compre- wards targets emanating from the Millennium excluded from decision making on issues that tional deliveries with 84 per cent followed by hensive knowledge about prevention of HIV Development Goals, adopted by UN member ultimately affect their lives,” observed Wasike. Meru Central and Meru South which tied at infections among young people. Tharaka and states in September 2002 and the Plan of Ac- He regretted that only 32 per cent of children 81 per cent. Marsabit had the lowest percentage at 21 and tion of A World Fit For Children adopted by between three and six years access or attend early Embu District also led in having skilled at- 22 respectively. Medics seek partnership on interpretation of the ‘right to health’ article By HENRY OWINO ernmental organizations among others. Development Goals (MDGs), especially Four abortion fatality cases do not seek care even in The chairman of the KMA, Dr Boaz Otieno- and Five that seek to reduce child mortality and the event of a complication after abortion. The high maternal mortality rate in Kenya is Nyunya, said the conference was being held to improve maternal health respectively will not be However, these statistics might be underes- worrying despite efforts by health professionals pursue the way forward on how the alarming achieved unless enabling policies and develop- timated since the World Health Organisation to offering the best services at various hospitals death rates among Kenya women could be re- ment are implemented. notes that more than any other aspect of sexual and health centres in the country. duced. He added that most deaths occur during The recent Kenya Demographic and Health and reproductive ill-health, abortion suffers It is from this trend that the Kenya Medical pregnancy or after delivery. Survey (KDHS) indicated that maternal mor- gross underreporting. Association (KMA) is now calling on the Com- Nyunya said most maternal deaths are due tality ratio in Kenya stands at 488 deaths per These high rates of morbidity and mortality mission for the Implementation of the Constitu- to haemorrhage, infections, high blood pressure 100,000 live births. These figures pose a chal- from unsafe abortion are due to restrictive laws tion (CIC) mandated to oversee the implementa- during pregnancy, obstructed labour and unsafe lenge towards the attainment of MDG Five by that include criminalisation of abortion. tion process and interpretation among others to abortions. 2015 and Vision 2030. seek legal advice from medical doctors fraternity Despite the Constitution giving Kenyans the Approximately 21,000 women are admitted Partnership as they interpret Article 26 (4) of the Constitu- right to quality healthcare including reproduc- every year in public hospitals for treatment of The KMA now would like to work with like- tion on abortion. tive health, many of them still die from diseases complications from incomplete, unsafe, sponta- minded individuals and organizations to ensure It is estimated that over 2600 women die and conditions that are preventable. neous or induced abortion. that the Constitution is interpreted in a manner yearly due to unsafe abortion carried out by un- Unsafe abortion is a major public health cri- that promotes its purpose, values and principles professional medics in the back streets. These Family planning sis in Kenya, accounting for 35 percent of Kenya’s and that it occupies its rightful place in inform- abortions are done illegally without genuine “During this conference we will focus on maternal deaths. World Health Organisation de- ing health related policies and legislations as well reasons though some might be genuine but abortion related maternal deaths because unsafe fines abortion as a procedure for terminating an as ensuring its objectives. crude methods are applied leading to compli- abortion kills more than 2,600 Kenyan women unwanted pregnancy either by persons lacking The Constitution of Kenya recognises repro- cations. each year,” said Nyunya. He posed: “So why does the necessary skills or in an environment lacking ductive health as a key component of the right The Kenya Medical Association (KMA) in abortion kill so many women?” minimal medical standards or both. to health and specifically states in Article 43(1) collaboration with Kenya Obstetrical and Gyn- Nyunya pointed out that lack of adequate However, medics says the definition fails to (a) that: “Every person has the right to high- aecological society (KOGs) and other profes- knowledge, inadequate supply of family plan- capture the full range of painful, dangerous and est standard of health, which includes the right sional associations held a two–day conference to ning services, poor quality of reproductive health often lethal methods used when women are un- to health care services, including reproductive discuss the state of maternal mortality and safe services, restrictive abortion laws, especially the able to safely terminate a pregnancy, including health care. Article 26(4) of the constitution abortions. penal code and lack of adequate policies or laws inserting catheters, crochets or knitting needles, also permits abortion, “if in the opinion of a The conference brought together several that address women’s reproductive health com- sticks pipes, coils, wires and pens that harm trained health professional, there is need for stakeholders; health care providers, international prehensively are some of the major challenges many leading to deaths. emergency treatment, or the life or health of experts, lawyers, religious organization leaders, facing health sector. A study conducted in Nairobi’s informal the mother is in danger, or if permitted by any political leaders, university scholars, non-gov- He said Vision 2030 and the Millennium settlements found that more than 50 per cent of other written law”. 18 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Self-help groups team up to fight poverty CSO threatened By OCHIENG JUMA By WAIKWA MAINA

Poverty remains a challenge for many Civil Society Organisations must start reor- communities in the country. It is only ganising and strategising on how to claim their through self reliance and bottom-up ap- space after introduction of the County govern- proach that Kenyans can ensure food ments. security among other factors to help al- During a consultative meeting in Nyeri, lead- leviate poverty. ers from various non-governmental organisa- This is why 250 residents of Mwala tions, community based organisations, societies District affiliated to 21 self-help groups and associations expressed concern that some have teamed up to fight poverty. governors and their county assemblies may im- They have come together under a pose draconian laws to hinder the CSOs from community based organistion called playing their watchdog roles and community Wamunyu On Time () that runs participation in running of respective county a micro-finance project to support its governments. members investment interests. Dialogue Africa Foundation official Jacob Individual members are able to ex- Etiang said organisations registered by District ploit the credit facility to meet pressing Social Development Office may be abolished on family obligations. Such needs include grounds that they are illegal structures since the school fees, medical care and other basic new Constitution has no provision for district requirements. The loan scheme is funded structures. through the table banking concept, lo- “District Social Development Officers will go cally known as chama. with the districts. This means dishonest gover- “This involves administration of three nors may use this as a reason to ban such or- credit facilities, namely normal or devel- ganisations especially if they are aggressive and opment, upesi and urgent,” explains Ben- critical in monitoring the county government jamin Katuma, the organisation’s chair- operations. Such organisations should register man. as trusts or societies to be protected by the na- Other proceeds are generated through Members of Mbukililye Ngukilye Women Self Help Group tend to their watermelon tional government,” said Etiang. selling of shares to the affiliate groups and farm along Mutendea River in Kitui Central District. Picture: Ken Ndambu individual members. No funding Investment Expressing concerns, Nyeri Residents As- munity Micro Credit Scheme (COMICRES). Applicants for development loans are sociation chairman Baragu Mutahi said county Currently each share goes for KSh200, The credit is offered at affordable interest discouraged from pumping the money into governments may not receive any funding be- which guarantees the members annual divi- rates agreed unanimously by the members. non-viable activities with no meaningful fore Parliament passes laws on funding and dends. Normal or development loan as the name income. county structures which the legislative arm is “Educating our children, adding values to suggests, is strictly for investment purpose “Members are guided to ensure the funds required to make not later than three years after our self help groups, sourcing for training op- and is borrowed at an interest of five per cent are invested prudently to ensure the loans are the date of elections. portunities for our members and the commu- monthly. repaid smoothly to empower more people in How will the county government run with- nity on key life issues form the organisation’s To get an application form each member the society and uplift their standards of liveli- out funds? It is most likely that the governor and core values,” noted Katuma. pays KSh100. The credit ceiling is four times hood,” explained Katuma. his assembly will introduce taxes that maybe ex- The organisation also pursues joint in- each member’s shares. Two per cent of the The organisation supports training for ploitative to the community and investors with- vestments in trust funds, stock market and amount caters for insurance cover. members on financial management to ensure out community participation. CSOs must be other ventures as agreed by the members. Upesi loan is disbursed instantly as the proper utilisation of resources. very vigilant and prepare for the task well ahead Interest rates and commissions charged on name suggest. Its interest is charged at ten “We promote primary health care and as they have the responsibility to watch out for the loans attract earnings to the kitty as well. percent monthly. Calculation is pegged on environmental conservation among our extremes. A registration fee of KSh3,500 is charged members’ shares. Urgent loan attracts an in- members in addition to fostering tree plant- During the forum, the participants resolved to to self-help groups intending to be affiliated terest of 10 percent weekly. Maximum ceil- ing,” he observed. form a county network which will be the umbrel- with the organisation. This forms another ing is KSh1,000. la body for the CSOs and an interim committee source of income. Registration of the current Personal needs dictate what kind of credit Concept elected to map the way forward. 21 groups earned the organisation KSh73, facilities members go for. “They are free to The community based organisation oper- Etiang said that his organisation is holding 500 when it was formed. apply for money for school fees, medical care ates from the Wamunyu Baptist Church. The similar forums in all counties and such networks Each group must acquire passbooks sold and purchase of property or other invest- organisation is planning to buy land and build are already operational in parts of Nyanza and at KSh100. ments of their choice so long as they pay- an administration office. Western provinces. “We resolved to pool resources to advance back,” explained Katuma. The initiative was introduced to the groups Mutahi said that the interim committee will our economic well being,” explains Katuma. He added: “The credit facilities provide by Pastor Sammy Mbiti who heads the Baptist develop strategy for participation, mobilisation, He was speaking with the Reject after pre- members with an opportunity of securing church. “I learnt of the concept when serving community education, information sharing and siding over the organisation’s annual general capital to venture into viable income gener- as a board member of the Australian World cooperation. meeting held at Wamunyu Baptist Church ating activities.” Aid and sold it to local residents,” explains “Such a forum is critical in helping us claim compound. He said WOTE was formed to Katuma noted that some members have Mbiti who is the organisation’s patron. our space and fit in the county government. serve as the umbrella for the affiliate self-help been advanced money to pursue livestock Katuma commended the Ministry of Gen- We can’t wait to be caught unprepared,” noted groups. and poultry rearing. In the event of drought, der, Children and Social Development for Mutahi. The organisation oversees disbursement the organisation advises the livestock keep- educating the groups on project sustainability of loans to the members through the Com- ers to sell them out to avert losses. and bookkeeping. Community challenged poverty alleviation By BEN ONYANGO opportunities to make the best decisions for Cooperative societies play a significant role ers. The end result is that it will automatically themselves. in economic development especially in rural contribute significantly to economic develop- People living in Luo Nyanza have been urged “I believe that cooperatives can contribute areas where there is a huge absence of large ment. to form cooperative societies to help alleviate a great deal to poverty alleviation as well as financial institutions. This scenario does not “Cooperatives have provided an alternative poverty in the region. empower youth and women by raising stan- attract private investments to harness local channel to ordinary people from the central Speaking in Uriri District during the launch dards of living,” said Muga. skills and resources that can uplift the living part of the country by improving their basic of Luo Nyanza Development Cooperative So- She observed that cooperatives play a cen- standards besides exporting produce to distant needs to affordable cost,” noted Odola. ciety, Migori county project coordinator Con- tral role in the strategies for promoting youth customers in the cities. Speaking at the function, Omondi Abila, solata Aluoch Muga said there was continuous employment and combating child labour. Speaking at the same meeting the chief ex- a teacher at Oyugi Ogango Girls’ Secondary rise in poverty levels among the Luo due to “The interventions will also reach out to ecutive officer of Sony Sugar Company Paul School said that it is high time Nyanza separat- lack of unity despite their being education. informal young workers through cooperatives Odola reiterated that cooperatives will enable ed politics from development reiterating that “The formation of microcredit pro- as a continuation of Luo Nyanza development consolidation of fragmented land, investments the former was the worst inhibitor to progress grammes have successfully contributed to alle- efforts,” observed Muga. in mechanisation and irrigation as well as bet- within the community. viating people from poverty in many countries ter bargaining power to buy seeds and fertil- “We need leaders who are development around the world,” observed Muga. Interventions izers cheaply. oriented. We have a lot of potential that is un- She noted that in Central Province and Ki- The interventions to reduce poverty in- Other benefits include arranging for prop- tapped,” reiterated Abila. sii region within Nyanza Province it was coop- clude capacity building, training on organis- er common storage and greater bargaining The move came after Cooperative De- eratives that contributed to poverty reduction ing and creating decent employment oppor- power in selling farm produce to traders as velopment Minister Joseph Nyaga visited by generating income and employment. This tunities for informal workers and establishing well as making banks comfortable in provid- Rongo District and urged the community has also enabled children attend school, fami- mechanisms for micro credit services through ing agricultural credit. This will improve pro- to venture into cooperative so as to mobilise lies receive medical care and individuals got cooperatives. ductivity and generate income for poor farm- resources. ISSUE 050, November 1 - 15, 2011 Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth 19 Church turns a blind eye on blind children By NZINGA MUASYA

The church is portrayed as a sanctu- ary where people go to seek solace and comfort in times of distress. This is so because the men and women of God are expected to offer hope and encouragement to those that are on the verge of despair. However, for over 100 visually impaired children in Kitui most of whom have albinism, the church has turned out to be the source of their misery and untold anguish. The chil- dren, some of whom are orphaned and others from single parent fami- lies have suffered in the hands of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), Kitui parish. For the last ten years, the children, all of whom come from poor back- grounds have been accommodated at St Luke’s Centre in Kitui town under a programme sponsored by Chris- tophel Blinded Mission of Germany and run by the church. The children are integrated in two local schools within Kitui township: Central and Muslim Primary schools under a special programme for the visually impaired. Mwalimu Katua (Centre) with other blind children when they demonstrated in August. Pictures: Nzinga Muasya Hostels A few who have completed Stan- supervised by the chairman of the is way beyond her reach. pays KSh36,000 for his son’s stay at such as livestock and a vehicle. dard Eight attend local day secondary ACK board Paul Kyathi. The children “I am jobless, where do I get this the hostels. He wondered why no- The children accused the manager schools within the town but in the confirmed these claims saying most amount of money? It is a way of tell- body was coming to their rescue. of the centre John Mainga of frustrat- evening retreat to the hostels. of them suffered injuries in the attack. ing us our children are no longer “We have political and other lead- ing their academic performance by For a very long time, there have Mwikali says: “I have been walk- wanted,” said Mwende. ers in this region, can’t anybody hear blocking special teachers from at- been endless protracted battles be- ing around with these children in all Another parent Titus Mulwa our cry, why are these children being tending to them at the hostels. tween the church and the poor chil- the Government offices but no action whose blind son is a Form Four stu- subjected to this kind of inhuman- “We used to have special teachers dren, sometimes resulting in the chil- is being taken. For nearly five years dent at Engineer Ngilu Day School ity?” posed Mulwa who comes from coming to coach us and assist with as- dren sleeping in the cold. the children have suffered under the said the church demanded that he , . signments but Mainga blocked them. The ACK church has finally kicked cruel hands of the ACK management. The land where the hostels stand This has really affected our academic out most of the children from the The church has treated the blind and belongs to the Municipal Council of performance. We wonder how we are hostels. They now roam the streets poor children like worthless beings,” Kitui. Trouble for the children started expected to compete with other stu- looking for alternative accommoda- she explains. when the donor pulled away. dents if our teachers are not allowed tion as they attend classes. In August this year, the children to assist us,” said one student who suf- According to Margaret Mwikali, No action poured out in the streets of Kitui town fers albinism. a representative of the visually im- “I reported the matter to the lo- waving twigs and placards following paired in Kitui, the last five years have cal police and the area DC Joshua alleged harassment by the church ad- Frustrations been rough for these children since Chepchieng’ but no action has been ministration. They had spent the pre- One of their teachers who spoke the church has been trying to kick taken. When I visited the ACK of- vious night in the cold after they were on condition of anonymity said that them out of the hostels in order to fices, Kyathi, the chairman of the thrown out forcibly and the gates to the church diverts food donations relocate their privately run school to board and the manager told me that the hostels locked. and other supplies to their privately the facility. the children must vacate since they The children walking with the aid run school within town centre in a Mwikali says that many times are a bother. Now where do they go?” of white canes stormed the DC’s of- scheme meant to frustrate the chil- the children have been beaten by the posed Mwikali. fice where the administrator called dren so that they can leave. church administration, denied food She says the administration in “I have been walking the church officials to resolve the “The ACK church has for a very and generally lived in squalid condi- Kitui knows the plight of the blind matter but they declined to attend. long time frustrated these poor chil- tions. pupils but for unknown reasons they around with these dren so that their parents can with- have decided to look the other way. Challenges draw them. Their plight is a public Fight Mwikali appeals to the Govern- children in all the Although various charitable or- secret here,” said the teacher. “This was to frustrate these chil- ment to come to the rescue of the ganisations have been giving food Kitui Deputy DEO Peter Maun- dren so that their parents could with- blind pupils noting that their aca- Government offices donations and other necessities, the du acknowledged receiving reports draw them. The children have no- demic performance has gone down but no action is being children claimed that the same was of the children’s problems with the where else to go since the centre is the due to years of unwarranted frustra- being diverted by the church to their church, noting that the matter had only central place for them to attend tions. taken. For nearly five private school. been referred to the provincial ad- school,” she observes. Some of the parents who talked to “We have endured problems for ministration. Mwikali, a judicial officer at Kitui Reject said that the church is now de- years the children have a long time. We only persevere sim- Efforts to get a comment from Law Courts who is also blind, has manding hefty accommodation fees ply because we have nowhere else to the ACK Bishop Josphat Mule were taken it upon herself to shoulder the for their children’s continued stay at suffered under the go. It is very unfair for the Church to futile as he was said to be constantly responsibility of fighting for the visu- the facility. subject us to this kind of torture,” said out of office. Even previous efforts ally impaired children. Mwende Mutua, whose daughter cruel hands of the ACK Mwalimu Katua, one of the pupils’ by the press to get the church’s side She says they were finally evicted a is a Standard Six pupil at Central Pri- leaders. of the story have always hit a snag day after schools opened for the third mary School said she had been told management.” They also complained that the as they maintain those are internal term. She claims the children were to pay KSh76,000 for her daughter’s —Margaret Mwikali church had taken away some of the matters that do not warrant press brutally assaulted in a callous attack upkeep at the hostels, an amount that centre’s property given by donors attention.

Executive Director: Rosemary Okello Write to: Editor: Jane Godia [email protected] Sub-Editors: Florence Sipalla, Omwa Ombara and Mercy Mumo Designer: Noel Lumbama Contributors: Oloo Janak, Kigondu Ndavano, Duncan Mboyah, Ogada Muo, Joseph Mukubwa, Michael Oongo, Omondi Gwengi, Elizabeth Awuor, Swabrinah Shaban, Kariuki Mwangi, The paper is produced with funds from Hussein Dido, Nzinga Muasya, Tafadzwa Sekeso, Wangari Mwangi, Odhiambo Odhiambo, Henry Owino, Pam Inoti, Mwarandu Tsuma, Ann Wangui, Nick Odhiambo, Henry Kahara, Edna Mokaya, Ben Onyango, Eric Mutai, Ben Oroko, David Kiarie, www.mediadiversityafrica.org Ochieng Juma and Waikwa Maina.