View
227
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
8/2/2019 Kibera Mirror April
1/8
KIBERA MIRRORReal life stories from the slums to the world
Issue 8
April
2012
Cycle of disastersRescue personnel were
forced to demolish
hundreds of houses to get
machinery to the landslide
scene.
By Nicodemus Odalo
and Kizito Nadebu
Twelve people among them two children havelost their lives in the last four weeks after a cycle
of disasters struck the two largest slums in Ke-
nya leaving thousands homeless and raising ques-
tions on the safety of the people living in the slums.
In the latest incident nine people died
when huge rocks crushed into their hous-
es in the early hours of the morning on April 4.
The houses were built on a depression with large
boulders hanging dangerously from a cliff above and
it was suspected that the rocks loosened following
heavy rains that have been pounding the city recently.
Felix Omondi was sleeping when he heard a loud
thud followed by loud screaming from his neighbours.
I thought the city council was evicting us, but
as I was leaving the bed to see what was happen-
ing, several rocks tore through my roof, he said.
He narrowly escaped as he was already at
the door when huge rocks landed on his bed.
My house was attened before my eyes in a
matter of seconds and I could not be speak-
ing to you right now, he told the mirror.
Lack of access roads to the sight made rescue efforts
difcult with the rst body being retrieved at 9am,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Disaster response in slums on the spot as rescue teams struggle to reach affected areas
Red Cross personel retreive a body from the scene of a mudslide at Mathare slums Area 4A.
Photo: Nicodemus Odalo
Nubians still struggling for legal rights in KenyaHusseins story is replicated in the lives of many
members of the Nubian community in Kibera. Theyfeel they are regarded as second-class citizens, a dispos-
sessed, downtrodden minority in their own country de-
spite having arrived in Kenya more than a century ago.
I lost my ID during the post-election violence and when
I went to get a replacement, I was asked to produce my
grandfathers birth certicate to ascertain my nationality, he
says, adding that the fact that his parents were born in Kenya.
www.hopetoshine.com
CervicalCancerCan be PreventedIf detected early enough
FREE SCREENING EVERY TUESDAY
AT JOHANNA JUSTIN
JINICH COMMUNITY
CLINIC
Is charcoal
expensive?
Women in
Kibera have
created a cheaper
form of fuel
Page 4
He used to act for a
packet of chips. Now
he is the most sought
after actor, comedian
and radio presenter
JalangoONE ON ONE
Page 6
That didnt helpeven though he knows that the constitution
states that children born in Kenya gain citizenship automatically.Being without an ID in Kenya pushes you to the fringes of
society. You cannot get a job, own land, transact any ofcial
business, be legally married or access some social services.
Furthermore, you cannot gain access to many buildings, since
you will be required to produce one. The situation is worse
if you are a youth. Young people, especially those from poor
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
By the Mirror team
Hussein spends his time chatting with his friends at one
of the bus stops along Kibera drive. He earns a living from
carrying luggage, which he has been doing from this particular
spot for two years, waiting for anyone who will alight from
a bus with luggage that will need to be carried. As he talks
to us, his eyes rarely move from the road. He says he wanted
to be a driver but he cannot get a drivers license. He lost his
ID ve years ago. Attempts to get a replacement have been futile.
8/2/2019 Kibera Mirror April
2/8
Want to receive a
constant feed of news &
pictures or access the
Kibera Mirror from
anywhere in the world?
We really need better
disaster response in theslums, not politicians
rushing to the scene
In what has become a normal occurrence whenever
disaster strikes in the Kenyan slums, Politicians stream
in their numbers to the scene offering all sorts of political
rhetoric on what they feel should be done. As usual, the
political talk ends just there. Talk. After that everything
goes back to normal until another disaster strikes.
When huge boulders crashed on peoples houses in
Mathare, rescue efforts had to be disrupted each time a
politician came to the scene as they had to be briefed on
the progress made. This happened like ve times taking an
average of ten minutes per each politician that arrived on
scene so a lot of crucial minutes were wasted.
Furthermore, like in each slum disaster, rescue ma-
chinery had a difcult time accessing the scene. Area lead-
ers had to plead with the residents to allow some houses to
be demolished in order to create way for the machines to
pass. When they nally made it, it was six hours after the
disaster was reported. Compared to other disasters, Mathare
residents were adequately assisted during their hour of
need.
Other times, help never arrives. Two weeks before the
incident, the people of Laini Saba in Kibera were left on
their own when a huge re razed hundreds of houses. With
no water and the re brigade not around, the situation got
so desperate that the residents decided to demolish some
houses in order to create a buffer to stop the re.
Indeed you can argue that lack of access roads
prevented the re brigade trucks from reaching the scene
which is true. Whose problem is this? Should we point
accusing ngers at the slum residents who are so desperate
that they occupy every available space or the authorities
who let it happen in the rst place?For a start, we should have a disaster committee in
every slum that would assess the risk of disaster that their
areas are facing and train the people on how preventive
measures and how to react. This would make response
to these disasters faster and this would go a long way in
reducing the number of causalities.
These committees would also have contacts for emer-
gency response teams like the Police, Red Cross, Ambu-
lances and the re brigade.
Instead of rushing each time to a disaster scene, the
politicians should begin with creating these committees and
work to ensuring there are proper access roads in the slums.
KIBERA MIRROR ISSUE 8: PAGE 2
KIBERA
MIRROR
OPINIONwrite to us on kiberamirror@gmail.com
or follow us on facebook.com/kiberamirror
A publication of Shining Hope For
Communities
EditorVincent Achuka
The Team
Josephine Gisesa,Kennedy Inditho, Nancy
Akinyi, Michael Omuka, Raquel Oonga,
Sylvia Nekesa, David Otieno, Isaac Gomba,
Kizito Nadebu, Nicodemus Odalo, John
Okewa, Paul Owino
Technical assistance
Dan Whipple& Kathleen Bogan
E-mail: kiberamirror@gmail.com
Quote of the Month
A pessimist sees the difculty
in every opportunity, an
optimist sees the opportunity
in every difculty
Winston Churchill.
We often
preoccupy ourselves
with the symptoms,
whereas if we went
to the root cause of
the problems, we
would be able to
overcome the
problems once and
for allWangari Maaathai
Late Nobel Laureate
Increase in tempera-ture, unfavourable rainfall,
increasing desertication,
and starvation have one thing
in common. They are all are
the consequences of global
climate change and the most
affected continent is Africa
where the impacts are being
seriously felt. Survival is
for the ttest and the ttest
are usually the wealthiest.
Those with money can afford
to purchase food and have a
good life. Those from humble
backgrounds are dying of
hunger and poverty.
The most surprising
thing is that we are not yetlooking for solutions. We
instead assume that all of this
is a day-to-day way of life:
hunger, lack of clean drinking
water for both humans and
Future generations of Africa at risk if the continent
continues to do nothing to combat global warming
livestock, and deaths.
Most of us are waiting for
solutions from outside our
continent rather than solving
our problems ourselves.Africa is known as the green
continent and it has always
been so, but today the green na-
ture is no longer there the green
nature has disappeared.
All those pictures showing
Africa green are myths today
because all suffering of human-
ity is found in Africa. Cutting
of trees and indigenous forestshas led to desertication. Today
the worlds largest desert, the
Sahara is spreading fast in
Africa. No clear measures have
been taken to stop it, so in a
few years Africa is going to
be one big desert.
Today our continent has
all it needs to correct our
misfortune. We have the re-
sources, professionals and the
materials needed. We have no
excuse whatsoever. What we
should do is to have visionary
leaders and have good plan-
ning of our enter continent.
For me, one of the ma-
jor reasons to move beyond
just the planting of trees was
that I have tendency to look
at the causes of a problem.
We often preoccupy ourselves
with the symptoms, whereasif we went to the root cause
of the problems, we would be
able to overcome the prob-
lems once and for all, as the
late Nobel peace prize winner
Wangari Maathai said.
But if we are still on the
left foot, we will be sorry
time is running out. Change
on our continent starts with
you and me. If we dont
deal with our environmental
problems, we will no longer
be in existence in genera-
tions to come. So think twice
every time you pollute our
environment. Let us all come
together to ght for our envi-
ronment to rescue the future
generations from destruction.
Isaac Gomba
Women queue to fetch water from a water point in
Kibera. Despite the rains thre slum has been
grappling with an acute water shortage
photo:le
With the current political
arena in our country, I keep
wondering if this was created
as just another ministry to
add more cash into the pock-
ets of our legislatures. The
other close to forty ministriesare doing very little to attain
this vision that Kenyans live
for.
The ministry of vision
2030 should be the highest
and the most valued institu-
tion in our countrys cabinet
and leadership. It should act
as a supervisory docket to
the cabinet and the govern-
ment at large. Since this
ministry was created after the
controversial elections in our
country in early 2008, four
years have passed yet not
much has been realized interms of development.
W e still have a long way
to go as a country consider-
ing what we expected to have
achieved in 2030, our coun-
trys development ladder,
has not been climbed to the
middle. The only world class
road dubbed Thika Super
In a lifetime one decides
to choose the kind of life
he wants to live. The only
problem is that majority of
people do make it to their
destination while others
dont.
Decision making about
life begins immediately after
birth. To some, their lives
are decided by their parents.
Many though make their
own decisions.
Diverging from an elderly
decision, means diverting
from life But from a childs
perspective, its the duty of
the parents to take note of
the development of their
children, failing to do so will
ruin the future of that child.
Education has been and
still is the major eye opener
to most people in the world
though some people do make
it through other avenues like
sports, music and art.
However education still
remains the greatest basic
need a parent should give to
a child. It does not end with
paying school fees. Some
parents do tend to leave the
responsibility of educating
their children to the teachers
entirely.
A t school, there are
different types of teachers.
There are those that do not
take note of the childs un-
Vision 2030: mirage or reality?
Highway is so far the only
infrastructure development
we can see.
In terms of education,
the system to be used is still
under crucial debate. Whether
it should be 8-4-4 or 2-6-6-3,we are not sure about com-
munication and technology,
the Konza Technology City
that is expected to attain that
has its construction still under
planning; health care services,
our hospitals and health cen-
tres are still far from world
class health care services as
our leaders can be seen going
for treatment abroad, in terms
of economy our country is
still below par.
This is well proven by our
political leaders who politicize
almost everything concerningthe countrys economy.
Citizens and the leaders
of Kenya need to wake up
before it is too late and make
vision 2030 a reality not a
dream that it remains to be.
Kevin Ogola
Nairobi
derstanding. There are those
that are just there because
they get paid for it and thereare there are those who take
childrens matters seriously.
As parents it is therefore
our duty to take care of our
children and make sure that
we give them all the best we
can, but it would be worthless
if love is excluded.
Kennedy Inditho
We need to assist in shaping the future of our
children.
facebook/kiberamirror
OVERHEARD
From what we haveseen here a bulldozer
is required for almostevery disaster in a slum
so each of the disaster
ofces I am proposing
should be equiped with
one
Fedinard Waititu
MP- Embakasi
8/2/2019 Kibera Mirror April
3/8
Slum residents unite against
forced evictionsThey demand the
government to
respect their housingrights through
signing a petition
By John Okewa
Amnesty International pitched
tent at Kamukunji grounds in Kib-
era to collect residents signa-
tures on petitions to present to the
government asking for an end to
forced eviction in African slums.
This campaign was conducted
on March 24, simultaneously in other
African nations, including Nigeria,
Ghana, Zimbabwe, Chad, Egypt and
Kenya. We want to show the Afri-
can leaders that the slum dwellers
must be involved in the decisions
and recommendations they make
and that they are not doing us a fa-
vour, it is our constitutional right to
be sheltered by the government,
said Marcus George from Nigeria.
This African ministerial con-
ference on housing and urban de-
velopment (AMCHUD) was be-
ing held at the KICC Nairobi.
The meeting that brought togeth-
er African housing ministers from 54
countries from 20-24 March, agreed
that the government should consider
the following before evictions: rstly
the government must respect the pro-
visions of article 20 of Kenyas newConstitution; secondly every person
must have a right to live; thirdly there
must be an eviction policy and reset-
tlement guidelines; and lastly com-
pensation of victims in some mini-
mum degree and security of tenure.
Speaking to our reporter during the
event, Daniel Valls, the regional cam-
paigns coordinator at Amnesty Inter-
national, said, Amnesty International
is a human rights organization, it was
founded 50 years ago the organization
stands for the oppressed, those not
able to speak and express their ideas.
We have also included the rights of
those oppressed economically, so-
cially and cultural rights violation.
This road show is in solidarity with
those affected by housing rights viola-
tion and to demand from the govern-
ment, local authority from Kenya to
respect housing rights and stop forced
evictions, he said. The petition be-
ing signed shall be presented to Afri-
can governments in September. This
will compel them to involve the slum
dwellers in their decisions before
evictions. They should be given an
alternative place to reside, he added.
The idea is good. The problem
is that our African leaders just see the
slums as votes. After electing them
they forget our grievances, said Mary
Auma, a resident of Gatwekera when
asked about her views on the event.
The Amnesty International crew
were dressed in t-shirts with different
messages, all trying to persuade the
government to stop forced eviction.
The event attracted a mammoth
crowd. They were entertained by
the energetic gospel musician Ju-
lius Owino Juliani who was the
Amnesty International ambassa-
dor against forced eviction in Ke-
nyan slums that is Kibera, Mkuru,
Mathare and Korokocho. The musi-
cian also led the crowd in observing
a moment of silence in respect to the
people who lost their lives in a re at
Mathare. The crowd was also enter-
tained by outstanding comic perfor-
mances from the Zangalewa dancers.
Water shortage
persists despite
the onset of rains
By Paul OwinoResidents of several villages in
Kibera are facing severe water short-
ages, even after the formation ofa task force to oversee disconnec-
tion of illegal water connections.
Long queues, some as long as 500
metres, are being witnessed at water
points, many of which have run dry.
Though the rainy season has
started, there is no possibility of
harvesting the rain water as it is un-
safe for use because roofs are rusty
and clogged with debris and trash.
The Kibera Mirror discovered
the problem was being caused by wa-
ter vendors who were sabotaging each
other last month. A meeting between
all the water vendors was convened
at the District Commissioners Ofce
on March 14, in an effort to come up
with a simple and long-lasting solu-
tion over the Kibera water shortage.
Those attending the meeting, which
was also attended by the area chief
John Mutai and the Regional Tech-
nical Co-coordinator of the Nairobi
Water Companys southern region,
Mr. Masinde, accused the company
of being reluctant to effectively
deal with the water problem in Kib-
era especially illegal connections.
Lugunga, a water vendor from
Makina, pointed an accusing n-
ger at the company saying that it
was colluding with the people who
have water in their taps. My tap
has been dry for ten years now but
each month I receive a bill, he said.
As this continues some residents
are blaming two NGOs that providewater to the residents. The coming
of the NGOs led to the numerous
illegal connections as they offered
employment to idle unskilled Kib-
era residents who took advantage of
the situation to benet themselves.
Meanwhile long queues are still
seen with the price now averaging ve
shillings in Gatwekera. The situation
is even worse in areas like Karanja,
where the residents are paying as much
as ten shillings per 20 litre jerrican.
Week-long police
search results in
arrests, mob kill-
ings of suspects
By Mirror reporter
A week-long, door-to-door
police search for criminals at Lindi
has resulted in several youths de-
serting the area, and the execution
of other suspects by angry mobs.
Several of the youths who were ar-
rested protested their innocence.
The search, which was conducted
by the Kenya Police with the help of
residents, resulted in several youths
being rounded up, accused of be-
ing criminals. This occurred after a
man was shot dead in broad daylight
by gun-toting thieves. The victim
had refused to let them steal his car.
The area has been perceived as
one of the most insecure places to
stay in Kibera because the crime rate
is high. Even people who sell veg-
etables have been robbed at gunpoint.
The week-long operation was
intended to recover illegal rearms
which are said to be in plentiful in
the area. Some suspects were killed
by angry mobs during the operation.
Nubians still struggling for legal rights
in KenyaFROM PAGE ONE
neighbourhoods, are subjected to
frequent harassment by the police.
The Nubians originated from
the Nuba Mountains in central Su-
dan. They were press-ganged into the
British Kings African Ries in late
1800s to ght during the scramble
for Africa. After conquering Kenya,
the Nubian soldiers were offered land
in Kibera on the outskirts of Nairobi.
Here they could keep cattle, grow
crops and settle with their families.
According to The Carter Report,
a 1933 document written by British
colonial administrator Sir Morris
Carter which urged justice for the
Nubians, the area which was gazetted
in 1918. It originally measured 4,197
acres and was assigned to ex-soldiers
from The Kings African Ries to live
with their families. Today only about
500 acres remain. It has become Af-
ricas largest slum, where the govern-
ment regards everyone as a squatter.The Nubian community is the
only community that does not have
communal land and its people do not
have a rural home. They therefore
cannot do any meaningful develop-
ment because of the constant fear
of demolition. The effect of this is a
whole community living in poverty.
Article 63 chapter 5 of the new con-
stitution states that community land
shall be vested and held by communi-
ties identied on the basis of ethnicity,
culture or similar community interest.
Ironically, Kibera comes from Ki-
bra a Nubi word for forest or jungle.
Mzee Mohamed is in his late
sixties. He says that their problems
began immediately after indepen-
dence when the government branded
them as foreigners. Since then it has
been a multi-generational struggle
against poverty and alienation.
Sometime after independence
the then governments started carv-
ing out several pieces of land origi-
nally allocated to them by the Brit-
ish for developing present day
estates around Kibera, like Jamhuri,
Otiende, Southlands and Ayani. We
were pushed to the area around Kara-
nja that later turned squalid, con-
gested and overpopulated, he says.
Despite the existence of a state-
ment in article 15 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights of
1948 on nationality that states that
Everyone has the right to nation-
ality, the Nubians in Kenya are
faced with a myriad of challenges.
They lack land rights in Kibera
and other settlements that they oc-
cupy. In Kibera, for instance, there
have been incidents of confrontations
with other communities. They live
in a constant fear of being evicted
without notice or compensation.
When the slum upgrading project
started in Kibera, most of the Nubians
disapproved it because of this reason.
The only piece of land that the
Nubian community owns is the cem-
etery. It is very sad that you are only
accepted as a Kenyan when you
die, Mzee Mohamed says sadly.
They not only have a hard time get-
ting ID card but also birth certicates
and passports. In fact they were con-
sidered as foreigners until 1990 when
the government created vetting com-
mittees to establish the nationality of
each one of them. Those who did not
pass the vetting still live in legal limbo.
The community also faces con-
stant discrimination with regards
to their identity. Mohamed says
that he feels bad whenever he
hears others refer to them as Mnu-
bi which he says is derogatory.
Furthermore the Nubians are
not factored by the government
when it comes to resource shar-
ing and allocation. The commu-
nity is probably the only one with-
out representation in parliament.
With nothing being done to ad-
dress their issues by successive
governments and political leaders,
the Nubians are no doubt Kenyas
most vulnerable and underrepre-
sented communities in social, eco-
nomic, political and cultural levels..
KIBERA MIRROR ISSUE 8: PAGE 3
Hip hop
artist Julius
Owino Ju-
liani
(in a black
t-shirt)
holds
hands with
residents
of Kibera
in solidar-
ity against
forced
evictions at
Kamukunji
grounds
Photo:
David Otieno
Members of
the Nubian
commnity
during a
past meeting
in Kibera.
There have
been com-
plains that
the commu-
nity is being
margina-
lised by the
goverment
photo:
Latah Sabah
8/2/2019 Kibera Mirror April
4/8
KIBERA MIRROR ISSUE 8: PAGE 4
Pic speak
Business Mirror
From dust to money
By David Otieno
Even with the discovery of oil in
Turkana fuel prices in Kenya have re-
mained largely high especially in the
slums where a litre of kerosene is re-
tailing at 90 shillings a litre because of
the number of middlemen involved.
However some women have devised
a much cheaper alternative by creat-
ing charcoal blocks made from char-
coal dust and soil, popularly known
aspunguza (reduce) by area residents.
Way cheaper than charcoal
This new form of fuel is fast
gaining popularity among the resi-
dents who complain that the price
of charcoal has escalated within thelast one year to retail at 50 shillings
for a tin which can only cook one
meal thus more and more people
are turning to punguza as an alter-
native since it can cook more food
and it is cheaper to charcoal. In the
process the women behind Punguza
are making some good earnings.
Ruth Ambani, a 35-year-old lady
who has been in the business for
four years, shared her experience in
the business with the Mirror team.
I have been in this business since the
year 2008 and the business has greatly
benetted me. Through this I manage
to pay school fees for my children of
whom one is in secondary school and
the rest are in primary level. she said.
Ambani buys the charcoal resi-
due from charcoal sellers who other-
wise do not need it at a price of Sh 300
per sack and carries it to the site near
a stream where she works. Water is an
important component of the product
thus she has to work near a river in
order to reduce the production costs.
Immediately after bringing the char-
coal dust, I excavate red soft soil from
the roadside and carry it in a basin to
the site. She said explaining to us the
process of manufacturing punguza
Before mixing the two, she sieves
the charcoal with a net to come up with
ne particles. She told us it is essential
that the larger particles are separated
from the smaller ones otherwise the
nished product would fail to ignite.
She emphasized that the residue
should be as soft as our, which she
demonstrated as she showed some of
the sieved dust, the ingredients are
then mixed in a ratio of 2-to-1 twoparts charcoal dust to one part soil.
Mix them thoroughly and add
some water, she said as she dem-
onstrated. Water is poured into the
mixture until the ingredients stick
together. After the dust is mixed
with the soil and water, they are
poured into a container to create a
block or any other desired shape.
The containers can be 500 grams
or one kilogram, and she prefers to
use a 500 gram container to come
up with the shape of that type, the
blocks must then be placed in an open
area to dry for three or four days.
Per week I can make Ksh1800
after selling a block for three
shillings each, she said.
Mildred Achieng, one of Ruths
customers, told the Mirror, I like
buying from Mama Ruth because
they are affordable and are of veryhigh quality, too. Instead of buy-
ing parafn at Sh 50 daily, I just use
Sh 10 to buy three stones at Sh 9,
and still receive a shilling as change.
Tell me how much you can save if
you do this everyday for a year?
Rain challangeHowever the business is also
faced with some challanges as Ruth
says she still loses a lot ofpunguza
during the rainy season because the
blocks are partly made of soil so
they are carried away by the rain
water. they also fail to ignite be-
cause of this reason so most of the
customers shy away and opt to use
Challenged with the high cost of fuel some innovative women in Kibera have created a cheaper
alternative-Punguza
Instead of buy-ing parafn at Sh
50 daily, I use Sh
10 to buy three
stones at Sh 9, and
still receive a shil-
ling as change.Tell
me how much you
can save if you do
this everyday for a
year?
Mildred Achieng
charcoal which is not affected that
much by the rain if stored properly.
Another challenge is when chil-
dren play around her mixing site as
they can easily break the blocks and
you cannot sell a brocken block.I believe anyone can make it, as
long as you can dedicate your time,
be determined and work hard at the
same time, Ruth says . She encour-
aged women without jobs to take the
initiative in a business like this one.
she says that it instead of waiting for
solutions from outside, people liv-
ing in the slums can come up with
innovative solutions which can be
used to solve universal problems like
fuel shortage and degradation of for-
est cover which is the main cause of
the effects of global warming that
the world is currently witnessing.
A stack of
nished char-coal blocks
(punguza)
made by mix-
ing charcoal
dust with red
soil ready for
sale in Kibera.
This new form
of fuel is gain-
ing popularity
due to its low
cost. A block
goes for three
shillings whilecharcoal retails
at 50
shillings a tin
and Kerosene
is 90 shilling a
litre
Photo:
David Otieno
Members of Jah Army youth group have decided to
turn to street theatre as a way of not only entertaining
but educating the community. On this day they were
at Gatwekera teaching people on family planning .
When re broke out at Laini saba and with no help
from the city council, people did everything they
could to put it out. This man risked his life walking
on a roof-top just to offer the much needed help.
This old lady indeed proved
that age is nothing but a number
when she danced during the Iin-
ternational womens day celebra-
tions to the amazement of many.
8/2/2019 Kibera Mirror April
5/8
KIBERA MIRROR ISSUE 8: PAGE 5
Health Mirror
The symptoms
common to these
diseases include
nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, fever, and
a generalized
malaise.
By Nancy Akinyi and
Sylvia Nekesa
In Kenya, 1.6 million people,
mostly children die, every year from
diseases related to unclean water and
poor sanitation, according to a World
Health Organization report.In Kibera, 55 out of every 100
people are infected with water-borne
diseases at some time in their lives,
according to Dr. Henry Oyatsi of
Johanna Justin Jinich Community
Clinic. The risk of contracting water-
borne illnesses is higher during the
rainy season, because of poor drain-
age, especially in Kibera. Lack of
proper waste disposal mechanisims
and lack of enough toilets compound
the problem further. It is common
to get a single latrine serving up to
100 people which is quite unhealthy
while the rest resort to ying toi-
lets. Food vendors who form a large
percentage of small businesses in
Kibera slums also pose risk to their
clients and themselves if they do not
observe hygiene.
Water contaminated with human,
animal or chemical wastes can cause
many diseases that are potentially fa-
tal to humans. These can occur f rom
drinking water containing dangerous
microorganisms including viruses,
bacteria and single-cell organisms
called protozoa and larger parasites
such as worms.
Examples of water-borne
diseases are cholera, enteric fever
(also know as typhoid), amoebiasis,
rotavirus, E-coli infection, dysentery
and shigellosis, among others. Ty-
phoid can lead to meningitis , and to
infections of the bones and the heart
if not treated. Amoebiasis impairs
liver function and leads to intestinal
ulcers.
The symptoms common to these
diseases include nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, fever, and a generalized
malaise. Consult a doctor when these
symptoms are in evidence because
they can be fatal if not treated
promptly.
Dr. Oyatsi says the best way
to prevent infection is to maintain a
clean environment. Everyone must
constantly maintain cleanliness and
hygiene everywhere. After using
the toilet, people should wash theirhands with clean water and soap.
Vegetables should be washed thor-
oughly before cooking. Fruit should
be peeled before eating. Water must
be boiled for ve minutes or treated
with chlorine before drinking. Avoid
areas of poor drainage and poor sani-
tation. Vaccinations have also been
developed to prevent these diseases.
These vaccinations are available for
free at the Jinich Clinic.
Treatment for water-borne
diseases include antibiotics and the
use of oral rehydration salts. If oral
rehydration salts are not available,
a home rehydration solution can
be made in an emergency. This
emergency solution consists of six
level teaspoons of sugar and one-half
level teaspoon of salt, dissolved in
one litre of clean water. Be very
careful to mix the correct amounts.
Too much sugar can make diarrhea
worse. Too much salt can be ex-
tremely harmful, making the mixture
a little too diluted.
The infected person should be
given about one glassful of the solu-
tion every six hours. But be sure to
consult a doctor as soon as possible.
More than one litre of clean water
is not harmful. If correct amounts
are taken, it can prevent diarrhea,
especially in children.
Waterborne diseases will increase
during rainy season, doctor warns
Patients wait to be treated at the Johanna Justin Jinich Clinic. In Kibera about a half of
the people who seek treatment suffer from water borne diseases. Photo: David Otieno
GRASSROOTSUPGRADED
EXHIBITION
RUNNING TILL 20TH APRIL
NAIROBI GALLERY
MUSEUM CHARGES APPLYDEMISTIFYING EASTLANDS THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY
They might not be in a fancy well equipped class
room but these pupils from Future Star Development
Centre sure do know education is the key to success.
Everyone in Mathare slums wanted a copy of of the
Kibera Mirror when it hit Eastlands. These two decided
to share a copy while their neighbour waited in agony.
The other just read his palms probably thinking he had
a copy
Still in Mathare, this man had
his nap disrupted when bull-
dozers came calling in order to
create space for rescue machin-
ery to access a disaster scene.
8/2/2019 Kibera Mirror April
6/8
KIBERA MIRROR ISSUE 8: PAGE 6
ONE ON ONEJalangoHe is currently one of the most sought after event MCs in the country, radio presenter at Kiss 100,
actor, comedian and event organizer. However it has not always been rosy for Felix Odiwor Jalango . He says
hard work raised him from acting for a packet of chips pay to co-hosting one of the top rated breakfast shows
during a chat with TheKibera Mirror.
Our readers would be interested to
know what Jalango really means.
Jalango refers to a Kalenjin in Luo.
So guys who are light like me in
Sondu are called Jalango and its
actually Papa Shirandula who gave
me that name when I was acting in
the show.
Is it true you grew up in Mathare?
No, but I lived at Mathare area four
near the social hall. From there I
went to Mwiki in Kasarani
How was it as a child?
I am an upcountry guy born in
Homabay then came to Nairobiafter form four. You know I was not
born in a privileged background so I
learnt to survive quite early.
Did you ever think you would be
this big?
No but if you are focused and work
hard, things just open up. That is one
advice I would give to the youth.
People think that being a come-
dian, just making people laugh is
the easiest job. Is this true?
It is even harder than being an ac-
countant or a doctor, making people
laugh. Just ask yourself why you are
not laughing right now? You know
jokes dont just come by you mustresearch and do rehearsal. Even on
radio all those jokes are rehearsed,
that is why I wake up at three in the
morning.
What is your typical day?
It starts at 3 a.m., at 4 a.m. at the
studio at Kiss 100 till 10 a.m. Then
there is a one hour meeting with
Caroline Mutoko that I attend. From
there I go to Arena Media, a com-
pany that I formed that does a lot of
thingsoutdoor advertising, video
adverts and event management.
In short you have employed the
youth..
Several of them, not only through
Arena Media, but also through the
plays that we stage monthly that pay
around 30 actors.
Are you always that funny or is
there a time that you are actually
serious?
When I am at home with my family,you know I have a one-year baby
girl called Salika, so there is Jalango
and then there is Felix. Jalango is
only on stage, radio and TV. These
other times I am Felix. Fans only
know me as a funny guy who never
gets angry. Its tricky I have to make
them laugh regardless of how my
day started or what I am feeling.
How did you end up in Kiss 100,
because all of a sudden you are
everywhere?
I am a hustler. I did not come to
Nairobi to look for a job, I came to
look for money and I used to walk to
town from Kayole just to rehearse.
That was before I moved to Mwiki
so that I could ride on top of the train
to town to avoid paying 30 shilling
fare which was too high. Then I
moved to Kibera.
You have actually stayed in Kib-
era?
There is no slum I have not lived in.
But between 2000 and 2010 things
happened too fast. I have slept
outside in the cold and at Norfolk,
I have walked to town and driven a
range rover, I have slept hungry and
eaten in a Chinese restaurant. There
is no side of life I have not lived in,
the only thing that comes to people
who are sleeping is dreams, but if
you work hard there is something
God has in store for you.
Does art pay?
Nowadays it depends with which
type of art you are doing and which
group you are working with. I
remember we were being paid with
a packet of chips and chicken after
rehearsing for a whole month. Op-
portunity comes once and if it comes
grab it. My motto is if you cant beat
them, arrange to have you beaten.
When the microphone is switched
off, what dont people know about
you?
I fear heights, my greatest fear is
ying and even though I have done it
several times I have never overcome
this fear.
Your advice to the youth
Your life is your destiny, you have to
decide and take charge. My greatest
inspiration is my late father. When
I was in form three he once boughtme some clothes and told me that
was the last time he was doing so
and I took charge. My best fr iends
are Otoyo, Shafe Weru, DNG and
Larry Asego. Whenever we are
together we love discussing how far
we have come and it motivates us.
Felix Odiwor Jalango Hosting the Coca cola Open
Happiness concert at the Gusii stadium in Kisii early this
year. Photo: Courtesy
Mathare and Kibera hit by concurrent
disastersFROM PAGE ONE
almost three hours after the incident.
Red Cross personnel said they
could even communicate with some
of the people who were trapped for
sometime up to 10 am but could
not rescue them as the rocks were
too heavy. It took a combined ef-
fort of the military, police and the
Chinese company constructing the
Thika super highway who later
came with appropriate equipment.
The machines however could not
access the sight and bull dozers de-
molished several houses to create way.
Area residents claimed that more
people would have been saved
if the rescue teams arrived intime and with proper equipment.
The military came at around noon,
eight hours after the dawn incident
though the Kenya Air force is a
stone throw from Mathare area 4A.
Rescue efforts had to be stopped
from time to time as politicians
among them prime minister Raila
Odinga, Kasarani MP Elizabeth On-
goro and Embakasi MP Ferdinand
Waititu who came to the scene were
being briefed on the rescue efforts.
Still in Mathare, re razed down
hundreds of houses claiming three
lives a forth night ago, while another
one broke out the next day at Laini
Saba in Kibera. Though the city
council responded in time at Mathare,
their re engines could not access the
scene prompting demonstrations by
angry residents who blocked Juja
road stoning motorists. It took the po-
lice several hours to contain the situ-
ation as the re razed on in the slum.
A report from the Red Cross
indicates that a total of 582
people were left homeless.
In Kibera, the residents had to de-
molish some houses which had not
been affected by the re in order to
create a buffer that would prevent
the re from spreading as no assis-
tance from the city council was on
sight two hours after the re broke
out. The re that is said to have
been started by an electrical fault
lasted for close to three hours leav-ing over a thousand people homeless.
When we visited the scene alot
of personal effects and furniture res-
cued by volunteers was scattered
all over the streets. however some
of the people posing as volunteers
took advantage of the situation and
resorted to looting. One person who
was found stealing a television set
beaten badly by an angry mob be-
fore admininistration police rescued
In another re incident Stara Chil-
drens centre was razed during the
Easter Holiday leaving over a hun-
dred students without classrooms. the
school hosted rap star 50 Cent Cur-
tis Jackson when he came to Kenya
FIRE FURY: These residents of Laini Saba in Kibera could do nothing but watch as re
continued to raze down houses on March 21. With no help coming from the re brigade
residents decided to demolish houses which had not been affected in orde to create a
buffer eventually stopped the re Photo:Vincent Achuka
8/2/2019 Kibera Mirror April
7/8
KIBERA MIRROR ISSUE 8: PAGE 7
Society MirrorFrom a
childs
perspective
By Isaac Gomba
To most people Nairobis East-
lands is not just the area that occu-
pies the eastern region of the city.
It is also the poor, disorganized part
of the city in the sun, the cradle of
shengSwahili street slang origi-
nating in the 1970s. Many of the
Kenyas celebrities grew up there,
but relocated after making big.
There is a stark contrast be-
tween Eastlands and Westlands
that dates back to the colonial days
where the western part of Nairobi
was a preserve for the whites. In-
dians occupied the areas next tothe central business district. Afri-
cans were only allowed to live on
the area east of the railway station.
Today it is crammed with old
city council houses, countless rows
of apartments and a high percentage
of Nairobis slums. Businesses are
based on the streets, walking ven-
dors ply their trade in every avail-
able space, people collect water from
public water points. The youth spend
their time chewing Khat (Miraa),
telling stories and watching out for
police land cruisers that pass oc-
casionally picking anyone whom
the police think is idling and free-
ing them after they part with a bribe.
However a photo exhibition that
has been running at the Nairobi Gal-
lery on Kenyatta Avenue (Old P.Cs
ofce) demysties this stereotype that
is Eastlands. The exhibition, subtitled
Grassroots Upgradedreections
on Nairobis Eastlands by Slum
TV and Goethe institute, which has
been running all through the month
of March and will end in Mid-April,
is a collection of photos shot over a
period of three years by youth living
in Mathare slums. The exhibit also
includes cartoons and video shows.
Organizers say that their aim is to
challenge the stereotypes associ-
ated with life in the areas that the
city council seems to have forgot-
ten and to show the positive aspects
of life in these neighbourhoods.
The photos themselves are amaz-
ing and it seems the organizers outdid
themselves on this one. There is one
with women lining up to fetch water
from a water point. Another, shot
from a low angle, shows a woman
crossing a narrow steel bridge over
a murky stream full of garbage and
plastic bags. There is also an interest-
ing photo of a boy sitting on aMkoko-
teni (Handcart) written Bomas no
17 that is raising a lot of conversa-
tions among the visitors at the exhibi-
tion perhaps because it is supposedly
supposed to ferry passengers to Bo-
mas of Kenya as its writings suggest.
The cameras used are Lomo,
inexpensive, with xed lenses.
They use old fashioned lm. With
the companys motto of Dont
think, just shoot, they have pro-
duced magnicent resultsalthough
some of the photos look blurred.
One of the most interesting pho-
tos is David Mbuthias photo of a
house under construction with a
pool of water on the foreground
with old cars and thrown away tins
completing the frame. The image
of the house is reected in the pool
giving it a very authentic effect of
photography that is hard to achieve,
especially if you are using an old-fashioned camera like the Lomo.
Though shot with nonprofessional
photographers, the exhibition scores
highly on the variety and richness of
the content of the photos. Once inside
you feel as if you are being taken
on a journey through another part
of Eastlands that you have not seen
beforethe vibrant side. The fact
that the photos were actually taken
by youth from Mathare slums makes
the exhibition even more interesting.
The exhibition is running
daily up to the end of April
and Museum charges apply.
Demystifying Eastlands
through photography
Some of the photos on display at the Grassroots Upgraded
exhibition Photos: Isaac Gomba
What would you
do for the peopleof Kibera if you
were the President?Victor Muliande-6 yrs
Future star development centre
I would provide better housing
and food for everyone. I would
make sure every thief is arrested
Esther Kerubo-6 yrs
Future star development centre
My rst priority would be food.
alot of people in Kibera do not
have enough food. especially the
children
Letisha Atieno-5 yrs
Future star development centre
I would make better houses for
everybody and repair shoes thatare torn for free.
Kof Anaan-12 yrs
Holywik Academy
I would make toilets accesible
free of charge and make sure
each person is treated
Phanice Auko-13 yrs
Holywik Academy
I would tell people to stop ghting
compiled by Michael Omuka and
Kennedy Inditho
8/2/2019 Kibera Mirror April
8/8
KIBERA MIRROR ISSUE 8: PAGE 8
Slum teams battle, for peaceNo entrance fee
was charged, most
of the teams hadno uniforms but
on a dusty and
rocky ground
deep inside
Mathare slum
they all played for
one thing: peace
By Kizito Nadebu
It was a battle of the titans on17 March, 2012, at Mathares Kiboro
playground when soccer teams from
major slums: Kibera, Mathare, Ko-
rogocho, Huruma and Kariobangi
gathered for the Mathare Peace Soc-
cer Tournament, dubbed Amani Ni
Haki Yangu (peace is my right) soc-
cer tournament. It was organized by
the Maji Mazuri youth group, Ghetto
Transformers, Outreachers youth
group and Simama Pamoja Initiative.
A life size grafti on one side
of the football pitch that had people
uprooting a railway line and others
scampering to safety as a police tank-
er sprinkled water on them acted as a
reminder on the need to preach peace
and to inform different communitiesof the importance of respecting each
others cultural and tribal backgrounds
to encourage peaceful coexistence.
The theme of tournament was
to sensitize and educate slum com-
munities the importance of living in
peace. Slums were the epicenters of
chaos after the disputed presidential
Samuel Kiriro, a social worker
and Maji Mazuri youth coordinator
said he was happy to see communi-
ties which had been abandoned by
the government come together and
play against each other for peace.
The post election violence
was propelled by tribalism. If you
visit any slum today you will real-
ize that some areas are occupied by
specic tribes which is a recipe for
chaos. Organizing events such as this
brings different tribes together and
playing against each other helps us
interact more and accept each other
in the society and this makes me
happy. He told The Kibera Mirror.
SHOFCO FC from Kibera emerged
overall winners after beating Maji
Mazuri from Mathare 3-1 in an ac-
tion packed nal and thrashing
Outreachers 8-1 in the semi-nals.
Simon Macharia, a resident from
Mathare 3 C and a member from
the Outreachers group who were
one of the organizers of the tour-
nament, said, We organized this
event in order to bring people to-
gether. We advocate for peace.
Apart from organizing tour-
naments their group also nur-
tures talents that help individu-
als transform and reach out to the
society through performing art.
Our vision and mission are
intertwined with performing art
be it music, or sports. Thats our
area interest basically. he added.
As regards to maintaining peace in
the slums and in the country, Mr.
Macharia said, Instead of politi-
cal leaders coming in and preach-
ing peace for us, as youths from
the slums we have a responsibility
of choosing to live peacefully and
engaging in nation-building activi-
ties, be it ensuring our environment
is clean and security in our area in
order to make the slums habitable.
He wants the youths to choose
and dene the kind of society they
want to live in. As we approach thenext election, his message to the
slum youths is for them to avoid be-
ing used. Politicians come, they in-
cite us we ght each other and burn
property. Yet we benet nothing and
for them they reap big through their
hefty pays. He urged the youth to
remain calm and engage in activi-
ties of benet to them that will lift
their livelihoods and transform them
from idling and chewing miraa to
being economically empowered
through engaging in viable projects.
At the end of the event all teams were
awarded certicates of participation.
The organisers say they are planning to
hold a round of such tournaments in all
the slums in Nairobi before the gener-al elections in order to preache peace.
NO WAY TO PASS: David Muturi Of Outreachers nds it difcult to pass through a
double tackle from SHOFCO FC players during the groups stages of the Mathare Peace
Soccer Tournament. SHOFCO thrashed them 8-1 Photo: Kizito Nadebu
If you visit anyslum today you will
realize that some ar-
eas are occupied by
specic tribes which
is a recipe for chaosSamuel Kiriro
Social worker
The Kibera Mirror, ispublished and distributed monthly for free by Shining Hope For Communities as part of its programs aimed at empowering the youth
through developing their media skills and also to bring attention to the issues affecting the residents of Kibera and other informal settlements. All the work that
goes into production of this newspaper is done by youth from Kibera. Correspondence should be addressed to kiberamirror@gmail.com, You can also visit our
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kiberamirror for constant news updates, photos and videos . News and advertising: 0721689996, 020-2329661
Slum upgrading launched amidst concerns
that residents would not benet
Phase two of the slum upgrad-
ing project was ofcially launched
by President Mwai Kibaki amidst
concerns that it would not benet
the slum residents as it has been the
case with two previous projects.
The new project involves the con-
struction of 912 housing units, 230
business stalls, a nursery school,
a social hall, a youth centre, three
solid waste handling sheds, three
toilet blocks and a boundary wall.
The rst one was the construction
of High rise estate but it later became
a cropper after it was let out to tenants
from other parts of Nairobi who were
able to afford the high rent being
charged in the Estate. A one bedroom
house in the estate now costs an up-
wards of 15,000 shillings. The second
one funded by UN habitat in 2004 has
had its fair share of controversies af-
ter it emerged that some of the ben-
eciaries rented out their new houses
and returned to live in the slum. Oth-
ers have turned their rooms into busi-
ness premises where they are operat-
ing kiosks and selling illicit brews.
Speaking during the launch at
Kibera Soweto East in Langata Con-
stituency, President Kibaki said apart
from providing the land, the govern-
ment has budgeted Sh850 million
for the project this nancial year.
I am particularly happy that the
programme I inaugurated in Octo-
ber 2004 has turned another leaf in
realizing the governments objective
of ensuring better housing standards
for our people, the president said.However most of the people we
spoke to remained pessimistic that the
project would benet them.Of par-
ticular concern was the inclusion of
car parks in the architectural design.
How will a car park assist me?
Just walk around and ask how many
people own cars in Kibera. This is
the rst sign that this project is not
ours. A man who did not want to
be identied questioned when asked
about what he felt about the project.
The rst batch of apartments constructed under the slumupgrading program in 2004 Photo: le
MARCUS GARVEY
COMMUNITY LIBRARY
Gatwekera, Next to PAG Church
ALL OUR SERVICES ARE FREE
Recommended