Reject Online issue 107

Read more Reject stories online at www.mdcafr ica .org

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

April 1- 30, 2015

ISSUE 107

Continued on page 2

Turkana flourishing

under devolution

By HENRY OWINO

Landing in Turkana County, one is welcomed by harsh weather of scorch-ing sun with temperatures ranging between 23 and 45 degrees Celsius. The air is warm and the ground is hot as a result of its arid and semi-arid condition characterized by unreliable rainfall pattern.

Nonetheless, that is beyond hu-man Control. With low and erratic rainfall that is insufficient to support livestock and farming, Turkana is one of the regions that were margin-alised by the previous Governments for 50 years without proper develop-ment. However within the first two years into devolution, the County is flourishing with Development proj-ects that other counties may want to emulate.

Residents say given time Turkana County is set to outshine many coun-ties that had benefited from the cen-tralized system of government for five decades. They say especially Lodwar, the County headquarters, is set lead in terms of development. Thanks to introduction of County System of Governments that is working for this county.

AimRoads are under construction

and other projects are going on aimed at restructuring Lodwar town. Major roads connecting the town to other urban areas and neighboring counties are being worked on.

Josphat Nanok, the Turkana Gov-ernor, says he is focusing on roads believing that for any town or coun-try to develop, roads must be acces-sible and be of high standards. He

wants local, national and foreign-ers to trade freely without their vehicles getting stuck in mud and impassable roads.

“I want to see Turkana County grow with major developments and revive all historical sites like the Turkana Boy, which is the old-est human-being ever lived, about 1.5 million years ago. It is an arche-ological site we want to reserve as a tourist attraction and let it be “Tur-kana Wall of Fame” in the county,” Nanok disclosed. It is likely to be officially unveiled by President Uhuru Kenyatta, soon,” he added.

Nanok said for the past 50 years, Turkana has been getting negative Coverage by the media, but this has changed for the better in the past two years under devo-lution.

He says that is the reason why every County ministry is busy re-vamping their docket to make up for lost opportunities.

“I wish the national Govern-ment would allow us to fly the national flag for only the first term of the five years. This would make residents feel that they are in Ke-nya and of citizens of Kenya but for now they cannot imagine,” Nanok says.

The Governor said Lodwar town was being expanded to allow for more space at the County head-quarters which is very congested with traders and customers squeezed in a small section of it.

The bus park, boda-bodas op-erators compete for space side by side with the administrative offices. Nakok laments that the congestion had made Lodwar town look disor-

ganized and unsafe.According to Mark Ewesit Ewoi,

Chief Officer, Lands, Physical Plan-ning & Urban Areas Management, the County has a bright future and there is no turning back.

Ewoi blames the defunct County Council of Lodwar for lack of proper planning for the town making it look disorganised and a challenge to offi-

cers to collect taxes easily. But he says that with inception

of County government, everything is being restructured in the proper way. Ewoi says that plans are under-way to ensure that every trader with similar commodities have their own sections as recommended by the Ministry of Public Health. Already floodlights have been installed and

businesses are booming. “We have built modern markets

to relocate all open air traders selling foodstuff long the roads. I am assur-ing them that it would accommo-date all of them unless need be for further expansion,” Ewoi declares. Other major projects coming soon are a modern bus park next to the

Cross-section of residents of Turkana County demonstrate over insecurity and border disputes linked to the rich mineral resources in the area. Below, Turkana residents outside Governors’ office demanding to be

addressed over Kapedo land dispute. Pictures: Henry Owino

2 U n f i l t e r e d , u n i n h i b i t e d … j u s t t h e g r u e s o m e t r u t h ISSUE 107, April 1-30, 2015

Continued from page 1

Towards improving maternal healthBy Yusuf AmIN

Sub-standard maternity fa-cilities have been blamed for the rising cases of deaths among women seeking for delivery services in Ganze. Ruth Kamoni who is a com-munity health volunteer in Dida said that women have been commuting to Kilifi

County hospital to seek for delivery services. Some women had to deliver by the roadside due to the long distance. For many years women have been delivering in their respective homes for lack of a nearby health facil-ity,” Kamoni says.

DeliverBut now deliveries in

Dida location in Ganze have doubled thanks to an exten-sion for the maternity wing by the Safaricom Founda-tion. The area had been re-cording low hospital deliver-ies due to lack of maternity services at the facility. The dispensary serves a catch-ment population of 10, 851 and has a capacity to handle 32 deliveries per month, but this had dropped to 10 deliv-eries per month. Speaking during the commissioning of a post natal room built by Safaricom Foundation, the hospital nurse in charge, Anne Sebastian, said before the room was put up the health facility was unable to offer delivery services, espe-cially during the night. “We have been having a challenge on where mothers can rest after delivery. This becomes hard when she delivers dur-ing the night and we had only one room,” she said.

RestSebastian said they used to send

women back home and ask them to return the next day due to the lack of a resting place after delivering. “Most women delivered at home after we send them back. Some even loose their babies because of complications

at birth, but we had no option,” she added.

According to Vincent Makori, who is a health officer based in Gan-ze and the one who sort help from the Safaricom Foundation, the pres-sure to appeal for help when they received four pregnant women at ago who were on serious labour. “We could not send them back home and they delivered the same night. We

had to use a room which was being used by KEMRI officers, who were on Malaria vaccine trial research,” said Makori. The Foundation also renovated staff houses and erected a fence for the dispensary at a cost of Ksh 1.2 million. Speaking during the function, the dispensary’s Chairlady, Irene Salim, said the dispensary land was under threat of being grabbed and the assistance by the Foundation

helped secure the land.“People used to access this place

from any part but now they only use the authorized gate and if one has no business here he will not come in,” she said. Safaricom Foundation trustee, Josphine Ndambuki, said they will continue supporting the health sector in line with vision 2030.

Ndambuki praised the hospital committee for utilising the funds

well. She further asked leaders to co-operate with other health organisa-tions to improve health services to the public. She noted that improving health sector is key to development, especially in the remote areas. Some of the areas that also face similar challenges are Bamba and Mnago wa Dhola where women have been forced to walk for many kilometers to access a health facility.

modern market, construction of a recreational facility for the public and a dumping site for both solid and liquid waste by tankers as a way of decongesting Lodwar town.

OrderSurely walking in Lodwar town, one would

spot public toilets, litter bins in strategic loca-tions, youth hired to sweep and clean the town on a daily basis and the County security team arresting residents throwing litter or urinating in public. Ewoi says that with the projects in place, some residents would be displaced and businesses would suffer. Nevertheless, he says that County Lands Ministry has plans for re-locating the residents whose premises, busi-nesses and homes are going to be affected by the new re-organisations. “Turkana County

sits on an area of 77,000 square kilometers and 90 per cent or three quarters of the land is communal. The occupants are tenants so, the process of re-allocation is not based on compensation,” Ewoi says. “The occupants of land got the land through what we call in our local dialect here as “ere’’ (hereditary) none of them has a title deed,” he clarifies. Peter Lokol, County Lands Minister, said the public lands that are in the county are where learning in-stitutions and health facilities are built. Private land could be a lease whose timeframe must be running out now.

Lokol stated that land disputes are very minimal and if there is, they are normally resolved by elderly men and women who are knowledgeable and have history of the land in question. No formal courts are involved in communal land disputes in Turkana County.

“I want the public to know that land use is not always about owning land to do farming and building houses alone. It entails physical planning for it developments like roads, street lighting, putting up businesses, sewer lines, bus terminals, recreation sites among other facilities for public benefits,” Lokol explains.

Mary Maria, a resident of the County, says they are happy with the developments taking place and wished that the County System of Government could have come much early. She says if it did, Turkana County would be ahead in terms of development.

“Residents here boast of archeological sites the County has which is enough to make our County rich from revenue-collection,” Maria says. “Our County is the cradle homeland of man, rich with sand, stones, fresh fish from lake Turkana, among other natural wonders

that are tourist attractions,” Maria says. With oil presence at Kapeso area, I hope

this County is going to grow and despite nega-tive coverage by the media.” She adds. Maria says unity between MCAs, the Governor and County Executive Commissioners is a con-tributing factor for the developments expe-rienced. She cites a study conducted by the World Bank which ranked Turkana County as second best out the 47 counties that had used funds appropriately for development.

“The World Bank study proved that our Governor is transparent and honest in han-dling County funds. That is why MCAs sup-ports his governance; pass Bills proposes by his County Ministers; all is left for him is to implement,” Maria says. She is also happy with accountability and transparency among the county executive officers in their dockets.

Turkana flourishing under devolution

safaricom Foundation beneficiary Josephine Ndambuki (Centre) carrying her baby as she is accompanied by a nurse and a relative. Picture: Yusuf Amin

3U n f i l t e r e d , u n i n h i b i t e d … j u s t t h e g r u e s o m e t r u t hISSUE 107, April 1-30, 2015

Keeping pupils

waitingBy JANE WANGECHI

Pupils of Morung’ole primary school will have to wait longer for the government to give them funds for the construction of classroom. The pupils who study on makeshift classrooms do not have an alternative. The school that has upto Standard Six has two teachers from the Teacher’s Service Commission who teach from Standard One to Standard Six and one from the County government taking care of the ECD learning.

The Headteacher, Joseph Ngitira, says that they have many problems especially the windy and rainy season some of the roofs have been blown off. This has forced teachers to raise funds and buying iron sheets and re-pair the buildings so the pupils can continue learning.

SanitationNgitiri also said that the school had ben-

efited from NRC, an NGO, where they were given seven desks and three latrines were built but the latrines sank during last rains forcing pupils and teachers to use the nearby bush that is infested with poisonous snakes.

“Every morning pupils have to kill about three snakes that try to disturb them when they are learning, this is a very bad thing keep-

ing in mind that the schools’ toilets sank dur-ing last rains making the pupils more prone since they have to defecate in the bushes near the school,” added Ngitiri. Ngitiri says that he has written Many letters to the education officers, CDF,and NGO’s around seeking as-sistance to build modern classrooms for the pupils. He said that the schools that are in the surrounding have modern classrooms saying

that Morung’ole was established by the gov-ernment in 2007 and became operational in 2010.

“I have tried to reach several organisations for assistance to buy desks for us as the current ones are not enough. Pupils sit six on a seat meant for three or four, the schools near my school were established years after Morung’ole but they have modern classrooms. I am left

wondering why my school is left out,” the school head lamented. The school has 259 pu-pils ECD has 157 (80 boys, 77 girls), 135 boys and 124 girls from Standard One to Standard Six. The pupils are in class from 8am to noon so that they can go looking for water kilo-metres away from their Manyatta homes and school, as the school does not have a borehole to serve the pupils in quenching their thirst.

Pace of implementing land reforms worry land experts By CAROlYNE OYuGI

Kenyans should investigate how the elite are able to hold de facto power despite limitation imposed by de jure land reform enactment.

The chief executive officer of the Kenya Land Alliance, Odenda Lu-mumba, is also urging the public to probe the role of bureaucracy & judi-ciary in implementation of reforms so as to find out whose interest they serve.

Addresses participants to a Land and Natural Resource conference in Nairobi, organised by Tuvuke Peace Initiative and Reconcile, the CEO said community land must be safeguarded against large-scale Land Acquisition and degradation of community envi-ronment.

The Constitution (Chapter 5 Sec-tions 60 – 68) classifies land into pub-lic, private and community land and categorically states that all land in Ke-nya belongs to the people collectively as a nation, communities and as indi-viduals.

Community land in Kenya is held by communities on the basis of ethnic-ity, culture or similar interest. It com-prises land registered in the name of group representatives; transferred to a specific community; and/or land held, managed or used by communities as community forests, grazing areas or shrines.

Ancestral landOther pieces of land that fall under

community land are ancestral lands and those traditionally occupied by hunter–gatherer communities; and

those held as trust land by the County governments.

However, the vast size of commu-nity land and ambiguity of its owner-ship has exposed it to land-grabbing and mismanagement.

This led to the need to have reforms in order to reduce the number of con-flicts related to access to, control, use and ownership of land.

“Grabbing of indigenous, minority, marginalised communities territories that form their community lands is a recipe for conflict and changes their political strength.” he said adding that

community land is investment space for Kenya’s economic growth & devel-opment hence one the land is grabbed or mismanaged then the community suffers economic set backs.

Lumumba also suggests probing of the normal pyramid management structure of community land that is proposed in the Draft Community Land, which includes: the Commu-nity Land Board at the Apex top, the Community Land Management Com-mittee in the middle and the General Assembly of Members at the broad bottom.

“We must stop & roll-back disrup-tion of a system of community land tenure that provides its collective us-ers protection & replace it with forced luring individual landholdings that reward individuals as a shift to mar-ket economy that is not inclusive,” the CEO said.

Kenya has had two types of land reforms between 1945 and 2015. First, there were the traditional Land Re-forms undertaken before 1990s and Market-based Land Reforms after 1990s or in the 21st Century.

According the chairman, tradi-tional land reforms were driven by the need to establish landholding ceilings, redistribution of private land, distribu-tion of public land, restitution of land and privatisation of public land.

Market-based land reforms, ac-cording to the KLA boss, aims to establish land markets to minimise direct intervention by government or public authorities.

“It involves three components: Recognition of property rights, adop-tion of mechanisms regulating the privatisation of public land and de-velopment of procedures to regulate the transferability of property rights,” Lumumba said.

The land rights expert warned that local elites might not resist land reforms if demanded by international powers. He added that land reforms are always enacted as a measure of citi-zen’s power against elite.

He further explained that interna-tional powers would care about land reforms for different reasons. One is to serve their vested interests citing after the Second World War in 1945 U.S.A

pushed and disorganised land reforms in Latin America, Asia & Africa to avoid the trend of socialism and com-munism.

In Kenya, unfortunately, Parlia-ment enactment of land reforms does not mean the elite are totally defeated, but merely hibernates waiting to resist implementation of land reforms using de facto power even in democracies.

Elites who have benefited from the status-quo blocks land reform through slow & deliberate derailment of imple-mentation

“Land reform is about changing the historical feature of elite domination of land in terms of primitive accumula-tion of extensive amount of land.

It is also about a historical fact that land is an economic resource con-trolled by elite – reforming it implies a change of structure of power within society.”

Land reform is therefore a contes-tation between the elite and the citizen.

They are enacted (de jure) as a means of sanctioning them, but imple-mentation is done (de facto).

A fact that Ikal Angelei- Friends of Turkana agrees with, in fact she went ahead to ask Judges in the conference why cases of community land take long in court, private developers are al-lowed to continue with their activities on the land as the case continues and finally in most cases the community looses the case.

“There is a need of disentangling effects of de jure enactment of land reforms and de facto implementation because of use of de facto political power on choice of political policies” Said Lumumba.

Odenda lumumba, CEO, Kenya land Alliance addressing a Land and Natural Resource conference in Nairobi.

Picture: George Ngesa

Pupils of morung’ole primary school taking notes during a Mathematics lesson by teacher Joseph Ngitiira.The school has three teachers teaching 259 pupils. Picture: Jane Wangechi


Charcoal burning ban opposed by residents

Land reforms have to involve communities

By JANE WANGECHI

Despite Turkana County government banning Charcoal-burning, some resi-dents have opposed the move saying it was their sole source of survival. The residents of Nasiger that has over 100 households are charcoal-burners have opposed the move saying that there is no other alternative means for them to eke a living.

County executive member on en-ergy, environment Rhoda Loyor has given the ban notice citing land degra-dation due to increased felling of trees leaving the soils naked. Loyor said the most affected areas are Lokichar, Ka-kuma, Nasiger due to the huge number of Internally Displaced Persons who have cleared most of the forest cover.

ShrubLoyor said that charcoal burning

has contributed to the degradation of forest cover where burners are chop-ping trees so that they can get one for burning. She said that after dried trees were completed, those doing the ille-gal business are pouring salt or cut-ting the roots for it to dry fast since there is no dead tree.

Loyor said that the remaining shrubs, if not protected and forest cover added, there is danger citing that many residents have shifted from their areas and converged where there are shrubs.

“As the County government, we have banned charcoal burning due to the decreasing forest cover in the area, Turkana is continuing being a des-ert because more trees are being cut down by charcoal burners” she said.

The official said some the pastoral-ists had stopped selling goats and opt-ed for burning charcoal. The ban as she said was for the good of the residents and their animals in the near future.

“There are no dead trees, the

charcoal- burners are pouring salt or even cutting the roots of trees so that they can dry, as there are no dead trees remaining for burning charcoal” The CEC added. She said that they have several species that

are under observation at KEFRI and also Kenya Forest Service adding that they have partnered in planting trees in all the schools in the county where 850 seedlings have been ear-marked in the 2013/2014.

She also added that market places, public institutions had trees planted but dried up due to lack of water where the water company could not provide water for the seedlings. The official noted that a

water tanker had supplied water but it took four months to return and supply water. As a way of showing dangers of charcoal- burning, she said, there was urgent need for civic education in the County.

By DuNCAN mBOYAH

Land issues in Africa are shrouded in secrecy, conflicts and corruption leading to few positive stories about the continent.

According to a Pan African ap-proach to land reform in the con-tinent, land reform is highly ex-pected to support its extraction to benefit all in the sector and protect the rights of communities who have taken its care over since time imme-morial.

Dana Palade, from the Land Policy Initiative, an initiative of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) says land is a central asset in Africa that requires that the owners acquire quality knowledge on how best to manage it.

“The governments must develop relevant policies to help safeguard the rights of communities that own the commodity,” the expert told a two-day land conference in Nairo-bi, whose theme was: Land Reforms and Extractive Industries.

It was organised by Tuvuke Ini-tiative, Reconcile an Act! and was attended by over 100 participants from across the country. Others who addressed it earlier were Dr Mohammad Swazuri, the chairman of the National Land Commission; Prof Patricia Kameri-Mbote, the

Dean of the School o Law at the University of Nairobi, Mr Maurice Makoloo the Ford Foundation’s rep-

resentative for east Africa, Odenda Lumumba of the Kenya Land Al-liance and Prof Kimani Njogu,

among others.In her speech on Land Reforms

that Support Extractive Sector and Protect Communities – The Pan Af-rican Approach on Land Reforms, Palade noted that the slow pace of land reforms is frustrating and wearing out the faith and trust of communities on the possibilities of addressing their land concerns through structured channels.

In Kenya five years down the line since the Constitution was promul-gated, communities are yet to have enforceable rights over community land.

The policy and legislative frame-work for the management and ad-ministration of community land is yet to be finalised and long-stand-ing historical land injustices are yet to be addressed to promote recon-ciliation, healing and integration of communities.

The communities’ disenchant-ment and frustration with the status of land reforms and the fu-ture it portends is demonstrated by increased violent land-related conflicts in the country in Lamu, Baringo’s Kapedo area, and Isiolo Counties among others.

She observed that regionally and globally, there is a growing dis-course on land in Africa that is on the one hand disturbing, but on the

other hand is promising. This dis-course revolves around expressions such as ‘land grabs’, ‘large scale land based investments’, ‘land acquisi-tions’, and ‘the rising interest in farmland.’

There is also the expansive in-terest in the extractive sector – and the possibility of Africa industrial-ising in the coming years. But this window of opportunity is quickly negated when one considers prac-tices in the ‘corridor development’ concept which appear to build an infrastructure for global export of primary commodities and the im-portation of agricultural and min-ing equipment.

Whatever interpretation one gives to the local and global rush to acquire land on the continent, the fact is that in most of Africa com-munities are mainly in the dark about how political power is ma-nipulated in land acquisitions, use, control and disposal.

She regretted that with virtually no disclosure to communities, large farmlands were being leased to ca-ter for the food and fuel needs of foreign nations.

Palade advices that secrecy in dealing in land matters need to be done away with and communities be made more involved fully as cus-todians of the land in question.

Women packing charcoal at Nasiger village in Turkana County. The County government has banned charcoal burning citing environmental degradation. Picture: Jane Wangechi

Dana Palade, land Policy Initiative, an initiative of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) addressing participants at a land

and Natural Resource Conference in Nairobi. Picture:Tuvuke


Shortage of toilets worries

the World BankBy CAROlYNE NGETICH

Experts say it might take decades for every Kenyan to access a toilet if the country maintains its current pace of building toilets.

According to a study carried out by the Water and Sanitation Pro-gramme of the World Bank, the worst affected area informal settlements like Kibera and Mathare in Nairobi and major towns like Mombasa and Kisumu, and the rural areas.

Indeed, the study shows that Ke-nya loses Sh 27 billion annually due to poor sanitation, an estimated cost of Thika-Super Highway, every year.

Open defecation, according to the study, costs Kenya more than 7.6 Million per year yet eliminating the practice would require less than 1.2 million latrines.

Although it loses 426 million an-nually due to sanitation, Nyeri Coun-ty was ranked the top while Nakuru was ranked the second best county loosing Sh 978 Million. Mandera is ranked the worst county in sanita-tion loosing 1.2 billion annually.

The study reveals that Kenya could lead to an increase in travel and tourism of an estimated Sh1bil-lion based on the current contribu-tion of travel and tourism to GDP addressing sanitation.

Speaking in Nakuru during the World’s Toilet Day.

According to the National director of Public Service, Dr Kepha Ombacho, counties, especially in arid and semi-arid areas, will be allocated funds to improve the provision of sanitary fa-cilities like toilets and latrines.

The director noted that many counties especially in the arid in semi-arid areas like Mandera Coun-ty, which is ranked the worst in sani-tation among the 47 counties, are lagging behind in provision of sani-tary facilities with open defecation a major health hazard.

The World Toilet Day is United Nations observances, on November 19, that highlights the serious prob-lem an estimated 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to proper sanitation.

Each year thousands of people join in promoting the day via social media campaigns, online petitions, and by getting involved in a range of events held in different countries worldwide.

Last year the day was observed in Nakuru town, which used to be renowned for being the cleanest in East Africa. But of late, it is a pale shadow of its former self.

In Nairobi County, the so-called flying-toilets phenomenon in slums like Kibera is being addressed by the national Government under the slums upgrading and cleaning proj-ect under the National Youth service.

YouthScores of public toilets and bath-

rooms have been built in Kibera and Mathare in the past six months by NYS team working closely with local youth and women groups.

“County governments have the responsibility of providing sanitation and sensitising residents on the im-portance of good hygiene. Counties

will be allocated funds to improve sanitation from next year, a move which will see many diseases being managed”, Mr Ombacha said.

Some 14 counties are average in provision of sanitation services while 19 are categorised as below average in the report released by the Envi-

ronmental Health Department with the Support of Water and Sanitation Programme of the World Bank.

World Toilet Day aims to pro-mote public awareness of the need of adequate toilets to improve people’s health and lives.

It is estimated that more people

have mobile phones than a toilet. Of the world’s estimated seven bil-lion people, six billion have mobile phones. However, only 4.5 billion have access to toilets or latrines, meaning 2.5 billion people, mostly in rural areas and slums do not have proper sanitation.

Over 2,000 Kibera residents enjoy tap water initiative, as more are on the pipelineBy THOmAs BWIRE

An ambitious water project has been launched in Nairobi’s Kibera informal settlements with six vil-lages being targeted..

The first phase covers Kayole Soweto Maji- Mashinani project and has 2.439 consumers.

According to Vicky Mayo, a So-ciologist Officer with Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, the project works as follows: First time consumers must apply to (NC-WSC) for a connection; pays a de-posit/commitment fee of Ksh.1.648 out of the total connection cost of Ksh.8.215.

The balance of Ksh.6.602 is considered a loan which is then subsidized depending on a num-ber of factors. It is from there that a consumer gets connected to piped water; they can then use the piped water as per daily requirements like cooking, washing; their water consumption is metered; and fi-nally, the consumers are billed and are required to pay their water bills through e-billing.

Indeed, like many countries in Africa, Kenya’s water and sanita-

tion sector is still constrained by inadequate financial resources that hamper sustainability of services to its people.

With as little as 1 per cent of Kenya’s national public expendi-ture allocated to water and sanita-tion sector, the water utilities in the country need to be creative in order to supply quality water and sanitation services to all regardless of whether they live in upland areas or in an informal settlement areas such as Kibera, Kayole, Korogocho, Mathare and Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums among others.

As stipulated in the Constitu-tion of Kenya 2010 under the Bill of Rights article 43 (1) b, Every person has the right to access and adequate housing, and to reasonable stan-dards of sanitation and clause (1) d stating the need to clean and safe water in adequate quantities.

According to the United Water, water is essential to human health. The human body can last weeks without food, but only days with-out water. Water is essential to our survival. Regular hand washing, is for example one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick,

and prevent the spread of germs to others. As for the human body, in average it is made of 50-65 per cent water. Babies have the highest per-centage of water; newborns are 78 per cent water.

Every day, every person needs access to water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. Water is essential for sanitation facilities that do not compromise health or dignity. The World Health Organisation recommends 7.5 liters per capita per day will meet the requirements of most people under most conditions. A higher quantity of about 20 liters per capita per day will take care of basic hygiene needs and basic food hygiene.

As the world celebrated World Water Day under this year’s theme Water and Sustainable Development, more still need to be done to ensure we achieve Kenya Vision 2030.

Although the Kenya Vision 2030 indentifies guaranteed access to water and sanitation as one of the key targets, majority of Kenyans, including those living in informal settlements still lack access to safe and affordable water and sanitation

services.Indeed, Nairobi has between 60

per cent to 70 per cent of its popu-lation living in informal settlements that are characterised by inadequate access to clean water, sanitation, health care and other social services.

According to Jane Wanjaria, Assistant Director of population at the National Council for Popu-lation Development (NCPD) ex-plains that 93 per cent of urban-isation occurs in poor developing countries and nearly 40 per cent of the world.

“When there is rapid popula-tion growth versus the resources that are available, there is a lot of pressure on resources like water. So the more we continue growing, the more we continue using more water and also generating a lot of waste which requires a lot of water, for ex-ample like water in the homes and for industrial use, and it might not be enough for our country, thus the need to consider the rapid popula-tion growth and resources that we have like water, environment, infra-structure and other resources,” says Wanjaria.

The Unite Nations says water is at

the core of sustainable development. From food and energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to improvements in social well-being and inclusive growth, affecting the livelihoods of billion

A survey of Kibra constituency, shows that some residents have been left at the mercy of curtails supplying water within their house-holds ending up enriching majority of them. According to the Sociolo-gist Officer with Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, there is need for accountability checks put into place.

“Water curtails have mastered the art of knowing which pipes have water and thus divert them to their lines so as they keep their taps with constant running water, leaving residential estates like Olympic and Ayany at the mercy of water ven-dors. They have tapped all main wa-ter pipes like Jamhuri Showground line, Langata line among others” says Mayo.

In addressing such a challenge, the officer says, such curtails should be brought on board or they might sabotage your efforts.

Yolande Coombes, an official with the World Bank during the World Toilet Day in Nakuru.

Picture: Carolyne Ngetich


Uplifting lives through Maji - Mashinani Project in Kayole SowetoBy THOmAs BWIRE

Mama Jane Njeri Njuguna has all the reasons to smile. She now has run-ning water at her finger tips literally. Njuguna is one of the land ladies who own eight rental housing units in Kayole Soweto, Muthaiga section; this is no mean fete, having lived there for more than 30 years.

Indeed, she is one of scores of proud landlords who have embraced a new initiative known as “Maji Mash-inani” within her residential units by having access to water services. “I am glad and happy to be part of this Maji Mashinani project, which is a noble idea to help us in this area to have re-liable and access to clean water.

Imagine we still have drought in some parts of our country, so having reliable running water is everyone’s dream,” says Njuguna. Her sentiments were echoed by one of her tenants, Nicholas Maloba, who has lived in her rental unit for more than two years.

ReliabilityHe appreciates the fact that one

needs to have reliable water where they live. “I am lucky we have water at our doorstep now, because before I moved into this court, my previous house had no water and I used to buy the precious liquid at Ksh.20 for one jerrican which very costly for me,” Says Maloba. Njuguna is fondly known as “shosh,” Kikuyu word meaning an el-derly woman, was proud to show this writer around her rental units where there is a tap with running water, that is shared by all her tenants.

Thursday’s is reserved for her area to receive water the whole day. Her tenants are among the 2,200 low-income households in Kayole Soweto being provided to have access to wa-ter and Sanitation services courtesy of Nairobi City Water and Sewarage Company (NCWSC).

Maji Mashinani (water at the grassroots) is a project that was moot-ed from a baseline survey carried out in the year 2010 August in Kay-ole Soweto which undertook a three months survey period among people who lived there.

Urban Poor Before the project was mooted, Kayole Soweto residents used to depend on water from boreholes and in times of short supply, vendors hawked water fetched from neigbour-ing estates at a cost of between Ksh.15 to Ksh.20 per jerrican of 20 liters.

CostThis translated to an average

monthly cost of between Kshs450 and Kshs 600. Kayole Soweto village in the outskirts of Nairobi County is a home to about 90,000 residents. The village is one of the six in the sprawling Kibera informal settlements, most of which are poorly served with piped water.

Vicky Maiyo, a Sociologist Of-ficer with Nairobi City Water and Sewarage Company, is in charge of the Maji Mashinani Project in Kayole Soweto where they have now been implementing the social connection policy. The officer says: “Most of the households relied on water sources more than 100 meters away, the bur-den of fetching water in most cases was left to women and children.”

The water company then devel-oped a social connection policy that subsidisers first time connections in Nairobi informal settlements and low income areas. That policy intends to improve access to clean water in ad-equate quantities at household level.

Previously low income areas connec-tions to domestic water and sewer lagged behind due to several barriers such as lack of primary water, high costs of connections materials, and landlord structure owner’s guarantees.

The officer says the Social Con-nections Policy addressed such con-straints and proposed several policy measures taken to ensure that water and sewerage services were readily available in Nairobi and its informal settlements and low-income areas.

The ambitious project is being car-ried out in partnership with Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) and the World Bank, which has facilitated financial mechanisms aimed at sup-porting efforts to supply water and affordable sewerage services to the ur-ban poor in Kenya.

According to Maiyo, with the so-cial connections approach, the Kayole residents now have access to piped water in their households at afford-able rates. “There has been demand for paid water and the will by most residents willing to pay for improved water supply,” adds Mayo.

Other areas in the pipeline for the implementation of this project in-clude, Mombasa, Kisumu, Malindi, Mumias. To date beneficiaries in 2.439 consumers have running water connected to a meter in Kayole Sowe-to Maji- Mashinani project.

Like many countries in Africa, Kenya’s water and sanitation sector is still constrained by inadequate finan-cial resources that hamper sustain-ability of services to its people.

With as little as 1% of Kenya’s na-tional public expenditure allocated to water and sanitation sector, the water utilities in the country need to be cre-ative in order to supply quality water and sanitation services to all regardless of whether they live in upland areas or in an informal settlement areas such as Kibra, Kayole, Korogocho, Mathare and Mkukuru Kwa Njega slums.

As stipulated in the constitution of Kenya 2010 under the Bill of Rights ar-ticle 43 (1) b Every person has the right to accessible and adequate housing, and to reasonable standards of sanita-tion and clause (1) d stating the need to clean and safe water in adequate

quantities.“Most of the households relied on water sources more than 100 metres away, the burden of fetching water in most cases was left to women and children,” NCWSC official.

According to the United Water, water is essential to human health. The human body can last weeks without food, but only days without water. Wa-ter is essential to our survival. Regular hand washing, is for example one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. As for the human-body, in average it is made of 50-65% water. Babies have the highest percent-age of water; newborns are 78% water.

Every day, every person needs access to water for drinking, cook-ing and personal hygiene. Water is essential for sanitation facilities that do not compromise health or dignity. The World Health Organization rec-ommends 7.5 liters per capita per day will meet the requirements of most people under most conditions.

A higher quantity of about 20 li-ters per capita per day will take care of basic hygiene needs and basic food hygiene.

Despite impressive gains made over the last decade, 748 million people do not have access to an improved source of drinking water and 2.5 billion do

not use an improved sanitation facility. Investments in water and sanita-

tion services result in substantial eco-nomic gains. As the world celebrates “World Water Day” under this year’s theme “Water and Sustainable Devel-opment” More still need to be done to ensure we achieve Kenya Vision 2030.

Although the Kenya Vision 2030 indentifies guaranteed access to water and sanitation as one of the key tar-gets, majority of Kenyans, including those living in informal settlements still lack access to safe and affordable water and sanitation services.

Like in many cities in Africa, Nai-robi has between 60% to 70% of its population living in informal settle-ments that are characterized by inade-quate access to clean water, sanitation, health care and other social services.

Informal settlements The world cities are growing at an exceptional rate as many people move into the cities from rural areas. According to Jane Wanjaria, Assistant Director of population at the National Council for Population Development (NCPD) explains that 93% of urbanization oc-curs in poor developing countries and nearly 40% of the world. “

When there is rapid population growth versus the resources that are available, there is a lot of pressure on resources like water. So the more we continue growing, the more we con-tinue using more water and also and generating a lot of waste which re-quires a lot of water, for example like water in the homes and for industrial use, and it might not be enough for our country, thus the need to consider

the rapid population growth and re-sources that we have like water, en-vironment, infrastructure and other resources.” Says Wanjaria.

According to Unite Nations, water is at the core of sustainable develop-ment. Water resources, and the range of services they provide, underpin poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability.

From food and energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to improvements in social well-being and inclusive growth, affecting the livelihoods of billion. A sneak preview into Kibra constitu-ency, some residents have been left at the mercy of curtails supplying water within their households ending up en-riching majority of them.

According to Vicky Maiyo thereis need for accountability checks to be put into place. “Water cartels have mas-tered the art of knowing which pipes have water and thus divert them to their lines so as they keep their taps with constant running water, leaving estates like Olympic and Ayany to the mercy of water vendors.

They have tapped all main water pipes like Showground line, Lan-gata line” notes Mayo. In addressing such a challenge, such curtails should be brought on board or they might sabotage your efforts. Mayo further explains that scarcity contributed by the vendors can be addressed if more water points can be increased in in-formal areas and ensure estates have enough water.

“I am lucky we have water at our doorstep now, because before I moved into this court, my

previous house had no water and I used to buy the precious liquid at Ksh.20 for one jerrican which

very costly for me.” — Nicholus Maloba

Jerry cans lined up to be filled with water. Below:Jane Njuguna enjoying clean water in her house.

Pictures: Thomas Bwire


Baringo children risk brain disorders as a result of conflict

TB vaccine expected by 2035 as Kenya participates in trial

Josephat Kipsang' , a pupil of Arabal Primary school. Below: an empty class. Pictures: Mary Mwendwa

By mARY mWENDWA

For Josphat Kipsang', his 12-year-old mind can still not comprehend why he is homeless and out of school.

Since the year begun, his village has not known something called peace. Bandit attacks from a neighbouring community have been the order of the day in his humble, dry Arabal Village in Bar-ingo South sub-county, Baringo County.

He vividly remembers "We were in class, by then I was class five , listening to my favorite teacher teach Christian Religious Education when we heard gunshots and bullets straying in the school compound. It was so scary and we had to scamper for safety. All we knew was that our school had been attacked by bandits who also stole livestock and killed people in our vil-lage. Since then, life has been difficult, we have no home and all our livestock were stolen, iam here with part of my family at this Arabal centre where we ran for safety.We hear gunshots every day coming from that side,” Kipsang' says with bitterness as he points at a valley with dry shrubs.

The raging conflict within Baringo County has paralyzed the education sector as many more residents are being displaced. According to a local administrator in Arabal location, who chose to re-main anonymous: ”This conflict where livestock is stolen, property vandalized and people killed can only be compared to the Boko Haram group in Nigeria.If an urgent action is not taken , we will be wiped out as a community here. As a leader I have no livestock and I am also displaced. How do I set an example for peace-keeping yet I am home-less and desperate?” the administrator wondered.

Silence At Arabal primary school, which overlooks

dry hills, no signs of pupils or activities was vis-ible. Silence and only birds ambience are what can be heard. Over ten Kenya Defense Forces soldiers , dressed in helmets and bullet-proof vests stare at us journalists as we arrive at the school.

The whole journey is fully guarded by secu-rity personal with guns ready just in case of an at-tack. A sad and worried head teacher, Mr .Kiptui of Arabal , leads us to an empty classroom full of dust and scattered tins and books that belonged to his pupils. He slowly shakes his head and points to a lighting system that was meant to help the children study during evening classes.”My biggest worry is about the class eight pupils who are sup-posed to register for KCPE exams and deadline is close. I try to look for their families and it is a dif-ficult task. All of them are scattered in the nearby town centers and some parents lost their phones and I have no contact at all. Even accessing results for the last KCPE candidates was not possible, the school was already under siege and therefore no one was able to check their results in the school compound.”He sadly says.

Mr.Kiptui confirms that some of his pupils are now married and others have fallen pregnant.”This conflict has put many children in very vulnerable situations, many of whom cannot bare the harsh type of life they are now experiencing after loosing their livelihood through attacks.Many of them are traumatized and need counseling for them to be able to cope in future.”He urges.

Kipturui recalls how his pupils ran for safety after their school was attacked sometime last year, luckily no pupil lost life but the feeling of fresh attacks is still fresh in their minds. “When schools resumed this year, out of my 246 pupils only 63 reported. I knew they had run for safety.”

David Lechamakany, Area Education Offi-cer, Makutani and Mochongoi Divisions: ” Over 200- pupils are currently out of school because of this conflict, around 50 teachers are displaced and some head are now seeking transfers to safer ar-eas. This conflict may end up being catastrophic if nothing is done urgently. It is no longer about live-stock, it has graduated to vandalism and we are wondering where this is headed to. Children need a lot of psychological support that may interfere with their future beings.”

NutritionDr. David Bukusi, Consultant Pyschiatrist

Councellor, Kenyatta National Hospital says that the psycho trauma and nutritional related prob-lems pose a big threat to the development of these children affected by conflict.”First , these children have their normal social development life dis-rupted and therefore they will be behind others in terms of learning. The trauma they are experienc-ing now , seeing bullets flying all over and people killed will make them develop aggressiveness, hostility,suscipicion and retaliatory behavior over time.

Dr. Bukusu warns ,”Due to destabilization of their normal environment, many are not able to access proper nutrition which is key for brain de-velopment. Basic cognate fucti0ons of the brain especially the memory functions like , thinking would be slowed down and this can also result in stunting as a result of poor diet.”

Dr. Bukusu further reveals, due to high stress levels experienced by the children, stress hor-mones; cortisol, adrenaline and epinephrine which are released by the body in situations that are interpreted as being potentially dangerous ,will be heightened and this puts a lot of pressure on body tissues and generally increases chances of illness.”He concludes.

According to Jirma Hussein, County Drought Coordinator, National Drought Man-agement Authority (NDMA),”Insecurity and drought enforce each other. Although it not ND-MAs mandate to deal with issues of insecurity, we have witnessed it affect many sectors of life. This has made people so vulnerable to drought effects and this can result in activating the con-tingency fund earlier that expected.”

Jirma notes the Baringo South conflict has be-come dynamic in nature and needs well thought efforts to contain it.”We have been joining peace meetings and even now we have a joint petition with other partners in this region to see that peace is restored for the sake of lives suffering es-pecially children who are now out of school and have to bear with this kind of situation.

Obeta Sirma, Sub-County administrator con-firms twenty eight schools are now closed and over 16, 400 families are displaced due to the fighting.”We have an influx of people moving to nearby towns like Marigat and we are forced to assist with humanitarian support with other part-ners. There is pressure on the environment too,

a lot of charcoal burning is ongoing and cases of poachers invading the National Reserve are being reported. Some Tourists have also cancelled trips to Soi Lodge and this has had a big impact eco-nomically to Baringo County”. He confirms.

The conflict at hand was initially alleged to be as a result of two communities, Tugen and Pokot over livestock and natural resources sharing, wa-ter and pasture. Now , it is graduating to more than pastures and water.

During a meeting that brought together both elders from pokot and Tugen commu-

nity to try and bring peace, a heated debate on sharing resources and how stolen livestock were to be handled.Pokot elders agreed to try and return the stolen livestock and also urged the Tugen community to allow them use the water and pastures as the dry spell continue to hit most of the country. Tugen elders were hesitant pleading their Pokot counterparts to use sections of the resources but not to meet at any point.”How does it feel to see your stolen cow grazing just near you, this will torture our people”. A Tugen elder said.

By CAROl KORIR

Kenya is among the three African Countries that have been selected to participate in TB vaccine trials that will go on for the next three years.

The trials which will involve 3506 people between ages 18-50 will be shared between South Africa Zam-bia and Kenya.

The participants referred to as CO-HORTS must be having Active TB bac-teria and they must not be pregnant at the start of trials.

According to the Principal Inves-tigator Dr. Fidelis Nduba from Kenya Medical Research Institute who is based at the trial site in Siaya,t he COHORTS have been on preparation since January.

“We were given a number of 450 we have recruited over 80 people and we believe by the end of the month we will have gotten the number. We nor-mally get around 20 each week and we are confident we will have the number,” said Dr. Nduba.

He adds, “We give them the vaccine and then we follow them throughout

this trial period to see if they will catch Tuberculosis.”

He is urging patience saying the re-search is in its second phase and may be available after 2024.

“We are not answering the questions on when will the vaccine be ready, what we are trying now is the efficacy of the vaccine. We will need to do another phase three and maybe from 2024 we can start of talking of a TB vaccine,” said Dr. Nduba.

Last year May, World Health As-sembly put a target of reducing TB cases

by 95% by 2015 and having a TB free world by 2035.

Experts and researchers are now urging countries to support the vaccine development as a way of eradicating TB.

Doctor Jane Ongongo of KEMRI says that it was important for TB vac-cine to be developed since the current BCG vaccine given at birth to every child was becoming ineffective.

“The BCG doesn’t protect you fully nor does it protect you from all forms of TB.What it does is that it protect chil-dren against TB in the Brain and other

complications that comes with it.Sibusiso Hlatjwaku director of Pub-

lic Affairs at AERAS involved in the trial argues that development of vac-cine was going to be more cost effective given the high cost of treating TB.

“It cost 8bn USD to treat TB each year and 600bn to 1Ibn USD to develop a new vaccine. Drug resistant will cost 200 times more,” said Sibusiso

It is estimated that 4,000 people die everyday of TB globally and over 90% TB deaths are reported in low and mid-dle income countries.


Biogas production relieves farmer in EmbuBy mARY mWENDWA

For Nehemiah Nyagah and his neigh-bor, Samuel Njeru, life has never been the same since they discovered bio-gas technology last year.

According to Nyagah: “I have seen great change within my family since I started generating bio-gas, my wife and four children can also testify to this. My wife no longer uses firewood to cook, and this saves us a lot of time and funds to prepare food. We don’t have to cut trees or use charcoal any-more.”

According to experts, it costs about 100,000 ksh to install a basic biogas unit in Kithungurire village, Embu County.

Similarly, Njeru, who lives in in Kiriare village has a success story to tell. He says dairy farming has trans-formed his life as a mixed farmer and he is no longer looking back.

“I was a teacher by profession and what I earned then cannot be com-pared to what I get now. With dairy farming, I can generate biogas, sell milk and supplement my income .The biggest gain in this biogas production is that I do not have to cut down trees for firewood. These days we are re-ally hit by climatic phenomena, with biogas we get green energy and emit very little carbon dioxide in the atmo-sphere,” Njeru says.

Since he embraced that technol-ogy, Nyagah, who is a mixed farmer, says it has transformed his life com-pletely at his two acre farm where he specialises in bananas, arrow roots, macadamia, coffee, tea and livestock.

Looking back, Nehemiah says he is proud and happy that he took the step of faith and has no regrets in ven-turing into mixed farming. He attri-butes his great success to dairy farm-ing which has brought many benefits apart from milk production. “Dairy farming has proved to be very reli-able for me since I started my farming after I inherited a farm from my late father; I enjoy so many benefits and above all this biogas that has saved me from emitting more carbon in the air. These days we hear of climate change effects and it is high time many peo-ple invested in green energy to reduce on the adverse outcomes,” says the small-scale farmer.

His biogas unit was installed with the support of Norwegian Church Aid, a Non- Government Organisa-tion, who donated Shs60, 000 and he paid the balance of Shs40,000.

“I am glad that I was able to get their support which has made me a proud farmer who uses bio-gas. Bio-gas generation is not expensive after the initial installation cost,” says Nya-gah.

In a recent interview, he revealed

that he uses cow dung from my cows and the same waste is directed through small trenches to his farm to be used as organic manure. By so doing, he avoids the cost and environ-mental effects related to fertilizers.

The simple technology of connect-ing a tank, digester and channeling it to a central point where gases are produced has seen many farmers like Nehemiah and Njeru transform their lives in a big way.

In the hilly villages of Embu County many farmers have planted trees and the introduction of biogas technology will go a long way in spar-ing the trees from loggers for sale as wood fuel.

So far, this has had a big impact on the protection of the environment and led to a predictable weather pattern.

For Nehemiah, the main raw ma-terial for the biogas production is the waste from his nine heifer breed cows. He earns about fifty litres of milk ev-ery day.

“These cows generate a lot of dung during feeding and this is fed in the digester which in turn produces and mixes gases as a result of breaking down the organic matter, in the ab-sence of oxygen. The primary gas pro-duced is Methane plus other gases like Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen Sul-

phite in small quantities. It is here that energy is produced in form of cook-ing gas and directed to the kitchen

through special pipes where it is used for heating purposes like cooking.

Biogas can also be compressed, the

same way natural gas is compressed in advanced countries, and can be used to power motor vehicles.

BREAKTHROUGH: new open-heart surgery technique unveiledBy KIANDA mAlITI

Heart disease complications specialists will be smiling all the way through their operations which have been simplified and hastened and made safer than before. Heart value replace-ment in this African region and the south of Sahara, using a technique that only requires two punctures in the groin is seen as a big boost in patients` safety.

It also reliefs the uncertainties experienced earlier, of excessive blood loss and general mis-management of the while exercise. This kind

of breakthrough in the health sector, therefore, eliminates the need for an open-heart surgery.

The new trans-catherer aortic valve imple-mentation (TAVI) will be found in very few hospitals world over that specialize in cardiolog-ical matters as it requires a comprehensive team with experts who must have international rec-ognition and experience in open-heart surgery including other techniques. Kenya’s Aga khan University Hospital of heart and cancer center is the only facility of its kind in the Sub-Sahara Africa outside South Africa which has earned international credibility and hence approval on

this technology that is coming to us very soon.Dr. Mohamed Jelian, led a team of doctors

who performed the procedure and emphasized the importance of an integrated and highly skilled team of specialists comprising of car-diologists, heart anesthetists, cardiac surgeons and specialist nurses. Leading world experts in this field have approved this technology, de-scribing it as the most important breakthrough in cardiology in the last 20 years and being put into use in the United States of America since 2013.

``the main advantage of this technique is

that it is less invasive and is associated with a faster recovery in most cases. Patients are able to get back to normal duties faster, `` said Dr. Jelian. ``the technique is currently recom-mended for patients who, after review by a heart specialist are considered at high risk with an open heart operation, `` added Jelian.

The operation too, like most others has its own risks that include damage to the vessels in the leg because of blood left-over that clot way down-ward of the foot. This therefore, requires a surgeon who knows something about com-plications relating to leg arteries to be present.

A biogas digester that provides energy in Embu County. Below: Nehemiah Nyagah happy to use biogas energy. Pictures: Mary Mwendwa


Human Rights Activists call for Kenyans to address inequalities By flORENCE sIPAllA

“There is nothing natural or normal about in-equality,” says Atsango Chesoni, the Executive Director of the Kenya Human Rights Com-mission (KHRC).

She highlighted article 27 of the Constitu-tion of Kenya 2010 that prohibits discrimina-tion on the basis of different inequalities. “The realisation of the promise of that protection is a different matter,” she adds citing the example of young women and women with disabilities who could be disadvantaged because of their gender, age and disability.

The director was speaking during an event organized by Akiba Uhaki to mark the World Day of Social Justice. It was marked on March 20 and held at the University of Nairobi, Park-lands Campus. The day is commemorated globally on 20 February, however, this forum was held a month later.

In a keynote address that framed the af-ternoon’s discussion, Irungu Houghton from the Kenya Dialogues Project at the Society of International Development (SID), stressed on the importance of talking about inequalities in plural, to highlight the different forms of in-equality that exist in society.

Irungu cited an SID report titled Pulling Apart: Facts and Figures on Inequality in Ke-nya; he highlighted examples of stark inequali-ties between different regions in the country.

The study highlights ten striking features of inequality in Kenya citing differences in in-come, life expectancy, employment between men and women, HIV/AIDs prevalence, school enrolment, health reach, access to wa-ter, immunisation and mortality, gender out-comes and poverty levels.

One in three children in North Eastern Kenya attends primary school while most of their counterparts in Central Kenya have ac-cess to primary and secondary school educa-tion. This is one example of inequality on the basis of school enrolment cited by Houghton.

“In Central Kenya, 20,000 people share one doctor while in North Eastern, one doctor is shared by 120,000 people,” says the study which also focuses on gender disparities in education in the country. While almost 92 per cent of females in Nairobi are literate, only 6.4 per cent are literate in the North Eastern region.

The SID official spoke of disparities with regards to land occupancy citing that 60% of the Kenyan population lives on 10 per cent of the land mass.

Inequalities in the education system were highlighted and criticized at the forum. “We are using education to create and perpetuate new forms of inequalities,” argued Prof Karuti Kanyinga, who challenged the middleclass ar-guing that they are engaged in a discreet ef-fort to feign ignorance about inequalities with

regards to education yet they are part of the problem.

The don cited the controversial high school student selection where middleclass parents demand that their children in private primary schools be admitted to the few public second-ary schools. He also cited the parallel univer-sity programme as another example that helps to perpetuate inequalities as students from poor families have fewer opportunities com-pared to those whose parents can afford to pay higher fees.

“What kind of society abandons 300,000 children year after year?” asked Economist David Ndii with reference to the Standard Eight students who miss chances in secondary schools after their primary school education.

On his part, Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar said access to education was a universal right, regardless of where one hailed from. He took issue with the inequalities in the educa-tion system.

“You should address the problem of pov-erty and inequality because you are only a kilometre or two from the marauding youth,” said Kanyinga.

The university don called for the middle-class to address inequalities and reminded them that unless they did, they were likely to be victims o the unrest that could ensure.

Through the equalisation fund, the Consti-tution seeks to address historical inequalities

that exist especially in marginalized areas in the country. Mombasa senator Omar called for radical equalization of wealth as it is cre-ated. “If you have had a 50-year advantage, we need to advantage the one who has been disadvantaged for 50 years.”

“The fundamental tools for creating an equitable society are freedom and educa-tion,” said Ndii. He questioned why Nairobi lacks proper sanitation facilities for its resi-dents who live in informal settlements such as Kawangware, Kibera, Korogocho and Muku-ru. He also questioned why society tolerates the exploitation of young women as domestic workers especially in homes in urban areas.

“In many religions, selfishness and greed are sin, yet they are the root causes of inequal-ity,” said Dr Francis Kuria from the Interreli-gious Forum of Kenya. “Equality and justice are the key tennets of religion,” said Alhaj Yusuf Murigu. Describing poverty as a moral scandal, Kuria called for a conversation on national values such as sacrifice for common good and the value of work. “The sanctity of work has been eroded in Kenya,” lamented Kuria.

The Constitution provides a roadmap for addressing socio-economic rights in Article 43. During the forum, most of the panelists called on the 47 County governments to ad-dress inequalities within the counties in the devolved government.

Kenyan roads ‘unfriendly’ to non-motor transport usersBy CAROlYNE OYuGI

When Thika super highway in Nairobi County was being constructed Nai-robi residents and their neighbours in Kajiado, Kiambu and Machakos were happy that finally traffic jams will be history on that route.

Then the road was completed and the former president Mwai Kibaki launched it, pictures were taken, media got excited, it was trending on Twitter for some days, but few months later things went back to normal.

Infact some say things went from bad to worse. Motorists might be enjoying the multiple lanes without potholes, but traffic jams was not completely cleared and pedestrians, cyclists and motor cyclists started to grumble.

The ultra modern Thika Highway, just like other roads in Kenya, does not give consideration to non motor users. In cases where they are designed to ac-commodate pedestrians , the spaces are filled with hawkers or kiosks.

According to Adarsha Kapoor, Deputy Programme Manager, Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility pro-gramme, Centre for Science and En-vironment, New Delhi, Flyovers and expressways are not the solution to traffic jams.

“Mobility planning is a solution. plan for movement of people and not of machines.

Make the city more accessible by encouraging more people to prefer

the use of public transportation, walking and/or cycling instead of us-ing private vehicles,” said the manager during a workshop organized by CSE in patnership with MESHA in Nai-robi.

The Guiding Principles, Kapoor said, is to reduce private vehicle depen-dency and promote public transport use – through design, policy and en-forcement measures.

The government should also pro-vide Public Transport access to maxi-mum number of people – through densification and enhanced connec-tivity.

This also come when Carbon emis-sions has become a major global threat to sustainability, and given that the share of the transport sector is increas-ing, it is important to consider trans-port systems with sustainable carbon emission levels.

On her art, a lecturer at Makerere University, Ms. Amanda Ngabirano, observed that transportation indus-try played a crucial part in promot-ing our quality of human lives, and it was no longer a luxury for helping people move from point ‘A’ to point ‘B.’

Ngabirano says: “Transport involves safety, accessibility, choice affordability, efficiency convenience freedom and all‐inclusiveness.”

In order to achieve sustainable development that the government of Kenya has been talking about, it is important to include all sectors in-cluding that of transport and hence the need for sustainable transport systems.

Kenyan roads have improved but the problem is non motorized trans-portation has been forgotten.

The don suggests the use of bicy-cles whenever possible. “The bicycles are space efficient, affordable, easy to maintain and cycling has health ben-efits.”

Many health surveys have shown that obesity, that was considered to be a western problem as a result of an imbalance of energy uptake and its expenditure, is increasing in Africa.

“Statistics have shown that 10 per cent of Uganda’s population is obese and these include children and adults,” she quoted a leading Ugandan daily newspaper, the Daily Monitor of Octo-ber 9, 2010.

Other benefits of cycling are; En-ergy Efficient, reduced transport costs (transport consumes a huge percentage of household incomes in Africa) and reduce air pollution.

According to Prof Shem Wandiga, University of Nairobi, air pollution im-pacts negatively on the human health and development. Dioxins and furans have been detected in mother’s milk

samples. This is due to contaminations from

environment throughFoodstuffs like Dioxins and Fu-

rans. Prof Wandiga called for increase in awareness among the general pub-lic to control impact of human activi-ties that contribute to persistent or-ganic pollutants releases.

Traffic jams, pollution and conjes-tion were deemed to be a Western problem, but are now an African problem due to continued develop-ment and urbanize in most African countries.

In order to promote non motor transport usage, UNEP has developed a design guideline titled: “Share the Road.”

The guideline is for NMT in Africa. The first pilot was a 1.7 Kms on UN Avenue, Kigali Rwanda and Demon-stration project, Rue de la revolution 1.5. Km. The other is a 3.5Km. stretch in Kampala’s NMT.

UN‐Habitat has already launched an NMT pilot project in informal set-tlements in Kenya in Kibera, Mirera‐ Karagita and Kamera areas.

National Road Safety proposed

Cycling lanes in Uganda, National Urban Policy; Compact cities, and cycling facilities proposed‐Uganda National Transport Policy in Ghana, critics say similar efforts by the gov-ernment was god but not enough as more needs to be done.The major challenges in this process are imple-mentation gap and negative attitude such as cycling not for women, for the poor, the weather, terrain.

There is also poor prioritisation or lack of funding.

Lack of awareness has also led to many people dreaming of owning a car.

Good air quality monitoring prac-tices in the two regions to track air quality: Good practices are evolving in both the regions. For example, the Senegalese Ministry of Environment and Sanitation has set up a Centre for Management of Air Quality in Dakar and a laboratory. They also have a portable air quality monitoring van. The air quality data is communicated

to the public through a simple air quality index. Similarly, Delhi in In-dia has set up six online monitoring stations that report real time data in a properly laid out format for people to understand.

There are over 10 monitoring sta-tions in residential, industrial, com-mercial and road side locations in Ac-cra, Ghana. Roadside and commercial sites recorded highest pollution levels.Road Expansion‐Unfortunate trend?§This process is now going on world

wide.§Also in expanding cities in Africa

and Asia.§This may not only be irrelevant but

also pagina 14 Nairobi increases pollution levels Carbon emissions (17%), being a major global threat to sustainability, and given that the share of the transport sector is in-creasing, it is important to consider transport systems with sustainable carbon emission levels.

A pedestrian struggles to walk along Ngong’ Road. The path meant for pedestrians has been dug hence one has to squeeze

very close to the vehicles. This exposes them to road accidents. Picture: Carolyne Oyugi


Executive Director: Arthur Okwemba Editor: Jane Godia Sub-Editors: Carolyne Oyugi, Joyce Chimbi and Odhiambo Orlale Designer: Noel Lumbama

Contributors: Yusuf Amin, Jane Wangechi, Duncan Mboyah, Carolye Ngetich, Thomas Bwire, Mary Mwendwa, Carol Korir, Kianda Maliti, Florence Sipala, Henry Owino, Wahinya Henry

Write to: [email protected]

The paper is supported by:

www.mdcafrica.org

Muranga County residents demand share of Ndakaini revenueBy WAIHINYA HENRY

Nairobi County residents might have to dig deeper into their pockets if their Muranga neighbours get things their way.

This is because Muranga County Assembly leaders are demanding that revenue from Ndakaini dam, which serves Nairobi and its environs, be shared with its residents.

At the moment, all the revenue is pocketed by Nairobi Water Company.

But over the years, the city fathers have turned that request down saying the dam was under the national and not County government.

Indeed, this is a conflict that will take some time to resolve.

The Executive Director, Institute for Environment and Water Management, Annabel Waititu, told a national work-shop for grassroots women promoting natural resources management and sustainable agriculture in various Ken-yan counties that:

“The new Constitution is emphatic

that every Kenyan has a right to clean water and a healthy environment. Community ownership of natural re-sources has been strengthened in new laws and this development heralds a transformation in their management and utilisation,” Waititu says.

Demand for a stake on the wa-ter resource by locals reached new heights after Muranga County As-sembly passed a motion seeking to have a share of the huge revenue gen-erated from water at Ndakaini dam, which is sold to city consumers by Nairobi Water and Sewerage Com-pany.

The motion generated conflict be-tween Nairobi Governor, Dr. Evans Kidero’s city county government and his Murang’a counterpart Mwangi wa Iria.

Leaders argue the commodity is ex-ported for business purpose and they have a right to be compensated as well.

Charles Kirigwi, who is the chair-man of trade and industries committee, pointed his County, which has natural

rights to the Ndakaini water is unfairly treated and short-changed by Nairobi government.

Data from Nairobi Water Company indicates that the County made a profit of Sh. 200 million from water sales in 2012.

Muranga leaders want Dr Kidero to at least compensate the county with Sh 25million from the profits. This amount is being demanded by his county government, arguing residents within the dam locality continue to suf-fer from lack of water and other chal-lenges while the resource is exported to mint money elsewhere”.

Ndakaini Dam, or Thika Dam, is 70 million cubic metres of fresh wa-ter reservoir, lies about 80km north of Nairobi, and 40 km west of Thika town on the slopes of the Aberdares at an altitude of 2040 metres above sea level.

The water resource sitting on that land that once belonged to members of the local community before they were re-located is approximately 60 metres

deep, covers a surface area of approxi-mately three sq km, has a 1.3 megawatt power generation facility and provides significant opportunities for commu-nity investment.

In 1988, the Government compul-sorily acquired approximately 1,200 acres of land to create space for the construction of Thika Dam (Ndakaini) to supply portable water to Nairobi and its environs.

Construction of the dam was un-dertaken under the Third Nairobi Wa-ter Supply Project between 1989 and 1994.The funding was from the World Bank, ADB, European Investment Bank and the Kenya Government, among others at a cost of Sh2 billion at that time.

According to Rebecca Mwicigi, a nominee to the Assembly,

The establishment of the dam has brought some environmental abuse and changes with adverse effect on the health of the residents and agriculture investments.

Elsewhere, Murarandia ward rep-

resentative Martin Mwangi demanded the imposition of a reparation levy on the use of the dam’s water. He argued local resident’s natural rights and jus-tice of access to this water resource are denied.

He says, this is contrarily to the con-stitution and natural justice. “People living within a natural resource should not be denied their rights to use it while it is taken away to benefit other people elsewhere,” he told the Assembly.

The passing of the motion is the first step of expressing determination to tackle the unfairness locals are sub-jected to over the management of this resource, members of Murang’a assem-bly points.

But Nairobi Water Company main-tains land and water asserts are under Athi Water Resources Board and the company only, manages the resource while land ownership belongs to the national government and that the principal owner of the land and water resource is the national government in this case under existing law.

sasumua Dam in Muranga County. Picture: Courtesy

Documents

Reject Online issue 107