Reject Issue 21

July 16-30, 2010

ISSUE 021

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

Horrors of the wedding night Young men from northern Kenya say FGM is a nightmare they can no longer live with

By ABJATA KHALIF “I could not penetrate her and it took one week. I tried in vain and I sustained bruises and my wife was crying because of the pain,” says Ali Ibrahim.

He adds: “I asked myself the importance of marriage if one had to suffer so. I nearly called it quits.”

This was Ibrahim’s wedding night. He was unable to consummate his marriage.

The following morning he complained to his family about the problem and was told to be patient as most men undergo the same ordeal. He was informed it was not the groom’s mistake but a problem brought about by the cultural tradition of Female Genital Mutilation.

“I was told even my father and forefathers encountered the same problem during their wedding night,” recalls Ibrahim.

“I was asked to be patient while the problem was being sorted out. My wife was then taken to hospital for surgical deinfibulation,” he says.

Suffering Women who have undergone FGM normally suffer intense pain during sex and when they are menstruating. Due to FGM complication the newlyweds are kept far away from the rest on the first night due to screams and shouts emanating from bedroom as a result of pain the bride is undergoing.

“During my wedding preparations, a house was rented for us in far place away from the rest of the family. I started ques-

tioning it but again I thought the organisers — most of them women — will laugh at or doubt me,” says Ibrahim. He adds: “I realised the wisdom of renting the house away from densely populated area during my wedding night.”

Women’s issues Ibrahim reiterates: “In the past I used to think FGM was a women’s issue meant to ward girls from promiscuity.

But I have since realised it is dangerous to both men and women and must be fought from all fronts.”

“I asked myself why parents have to marry off their daughters because they have to go through a lot of pain not Young men in Garissa at a meeting where they discussed ways in which they could end FGM forgetting the pain they unas it was making their sexual life unbearable. Inset: Ali Ibrahim who has come open on the derwent when they were cut. tribulations of being married to a woman who has been mutilated. Picture: Abjata Khalif I have come to respect Somali girls for being brave in enduring the rationale of the practice in the tutions in northern Kenya, FGM compliing two major painful experiences. community. cations have contributed to 60 percent of Because of the experiences they have The infibulation makes consummation divorce in the region. Both the bride and undergone in marriage, especially when difficult and it is considered a test for man- groom do not enjoy sexual relationships it comes to sex, men from Somali com- hood that leaves both the bride and groom and most men decide to divorce so they munity are now coming out in the fight bruised, tired and tortured. can look for another satisfying marriage. against FGM. Ibrahim and all the men coming out in Most women interviewed admitted that While FGM is done on women, it has the fight against FGM only come to know FGM complications are wreaking homes equally affected men as they too are vic- about the dangers of FGM on the wed- in the region. They said if there is no altertims of damages caused by the mutilation ding night when they discover that their native to the deadly practice then northern on the first night of marriage. wives’ vaginas are greatly affected by the Kenya will be a province of divorcees as a Men complain that wedding nights are mutilation. result of FGM. a torture and they have started questionAccording to reports from Islamic instiContinued on page 6

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ISSUE 021, July 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Gauge leaders before taking sides on new law, Kenyans urged

By KARIUKI MWANGI As the date for Referendum draws nearer, the issue of whether or not the Proposed Constitution is good remains a thorn in the flesh for most Kenyans.

Advocates for or against the new law have come out guns blazing as they campaign to have Kenyans on their side. Gichugu Member of Parliament, Ms Martha Karua has called on Kenyans to first weigh the credibility of all those campaigning for the fall of the Proposed Constitution.

Speaking at a Kenya Girl Guides Association programming Runyenjes, the Narc party leader said: “Some of these leaders have negative character against Kenyans and they should not be listened to.”

She added: “Some of them have a record of incitement, loot-

ing of public resources and loss of innocent lives.”

She challenged those accused of incitement to carry their own cross and stop using their tribe as scapegoat.

“Leaders should learn to take responsibility of their actions and not always running to their tribesmen for help whenever they are in the wrong,” she reiterated.

Karua who distributed copies of the Proposed Constitution Gichugu MP Martha Karua distributing copies of the Proposed Constitution at a meeting where she is campaigning in support of the law. She is asking Kenyans to be careful with what leaders are telling also challenged church leaders to them over the new law. Picture: Correspondent practice what they do best. at the grassroots will have the “Church leaders cannot trans- case of a dangerous pregnancy. closer to the people.

“The 2.5 percent funds for opportunity to plan and decide late the Bible and also translate She added that the Proposed law the Constitution. Leave to Ceasar also preserves the lives of the un- the Constituency Development what development projects will what belongs to Ceasar,” reiter- born child, but added the life of Fund (CDF) will be reaching improve their areas.

Runyenjes Member of Parliaa woman must be put into con- the people through the counated Karua. ties at 15 percent enabling the ment, Ms Cecily Mbarire who The MP said the clause on sideration.

The MP urged Runyenjes resi- common man put up more de- accompanied Karua urged all the abortion in the Proposed Constitution is also taught by the dents to support the Proposed velopment projects,” Karua ex- women to unanimously pass the proposed law saying that they church which also teaches about Constitution reiterating that plained.

With the new law, Kenyans stand to be more empowered. saving the life of a mother in with it resources will be brought

The blind complain over shortage of Private sector popularise Constitution braille materials for civic education

By WAIKWA MAINA

By NZINGA MUASYA As the civic education on the Proposed Constitution gears up across the country, people with visual impairment in the larger Kitui district feel left out of the exercise.

Over 700 people with visual disability in the newly created Mutitu, Mutomo, Yatta, Kitui Central and Kitui West districts have not received Braille formats of the Proposed Constitution.

They also do not have other civic education materials as referendum date draws near.

According to Mr Benson Kitonyi, Secretary General of the Kenya Society for the Blind (KSB), Kitui West branch is at a loss after receiving only five copies of the Proposed Constitution in Braille format.

Few copies The copies are grossly inadequate as there are 755 visually impaired persons in the five districts.

“We appeal to the Government to provide us with more Braille copies of the Proposed Constitution and other civic education materials because our members want to know its contents before they vote,” Kitonyi said.

He reiterated that on matters of national importance like the Constitution, people with visual disability should be given priority so that they can be at par with the rest of the society.

A member of KSB, Mr John Kiamba, who is a teacher at Central Primary School in Kitui said the shortage of Braille materials of the Proposed Constitution was putting the blind in an awkward position as voters.

“I have not even seen the one Braille copy and, therefore, I do not know the contents of the Proposed Constitution.

There is urgent need for more copies because we also need to be at par with other members of the society,” he says.

Kitonyi had received the five Braille copies of the proposed new law on behalf of his colleagues during a recent civic education exercise by the Committee of Experts (CoE) at Kitui Multipurpose hall.

Lack of finances However, Ms Atsango Chesoni, the CoE deputy chair, who helped in distributing material on the Proposed Constitution said the committee faced financial constraints and could not produce enough civic materials for the visually impaired which are expensive to produce.

During a civic education session on the proposed constitution, Chesoni appealed to area residents to read the Proposed Constitution comprehensively for better understanding of its contents.

Kitonyi said they needed funds to mobilise those who know how to read the Braille to educate the other members and enable them make informed choices in the referendum.

The desire for a new constitution gained momentum in larger Murang’a region following a boost by local professionals and businessmen.

A move by the special groups to conduct civic education and support the proposed document was taken after it was realised that some Members of Parliament and leading politicians were not involved in aggressive campaigns to popularise the Proposed Constitution while others were openly opposed to it.

Forums Lack of information and misinformation by interested parties has led to most of the local voters either deciding to abstain from the process or oppose the Proposed Constitution.

The initiative targets religious organisations and leaders opposed to the new law.

And after the forums, the scheme is bearing fruits in diverse parts of the larger district where they have won the hearts of those opposed to the Proposed Constitution including the clergy and other opinion leaders.

“Ours is to engage the clergy and worshipers in wider consultations. We are pleading with them to allow their flock read and make informed personal choices,” said Mr Peter Kimari, a businessman leading the Mathioya team. He added: “We are also happy that most of the religious leaders we have engaged have changed their mind though they cannot speak openly for fear of been reprimanded by their superiors.”

Kimari’s team has visited various churches including Kiria-ini All Nations PEFA Church where he was accompanied by Interconsumer Products Limited Managing Director Mr P.

Kinuthia, Kiamuturi ACK church and Household of Faith Ministries among others. They also distributed copies of the document.

“The church will allow its members to read and understand the Proposed Constitution and then make informed decisions. We agree that it is important that each Kenyan be given a chance to decide on his destiny,” said Pastor Jack Wairagu of the House of Faith Ministries after consultations with the forum at his Gitugi Church.

“The new law allows Kenyans to recall Members of Parliament who do not deliver to the expectations of the electorate. Shooting down the document will deny Kenyans the opportunity to hold their elected members accountable and demand for services,” explained Kimari.

Sports In Kangema where area MP and Minister for Environment, Mr John Michuki has expressed his opposition to the Proposed Constitution, a similar group has been formed to popularise the document.

Under the umbrella of Super8 Wakati ni Sasa, the professionals have released their programme and phase one will be targeting the youth through sporting activities.

Programme coordinator, Mr Kamau Gichomo expressed concerns that the NO team was using the church to make headway in the region.

“We want to use the tournaments to educate the young people on the Proposed Constitution. This document is good for the youth but they are not being told the truth,” said Gichomo.

The programme started in Kangema Constituency in Kiruri area.

ISSUE 021, July 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

IDPs support Constitution

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By Chrispinus Omar Although they are homeless, living in tents and not sure of what the next day holds, most Internally Displaced People (IDPs) blame the current constitution for glorifying crimes which have fuelled tribal clashes every five years that elections are held.

Those interviewed Eldoret said they are ready to pass the proposed constitution when it is subjected to a referendum on August 4.

“We are still going through the Proposed Constitution before we come up with a final decision. However, from parts that most of us have read, it is most likely that we shall support it,” said Mr Stephen Gaitho, North Rift chairman for internal refugees.

Gaitho said most IDPs believe the country’s style of leadership will change for the better once a new constitution is enacted.

“With the devolved government that will create counties, we believe resources will be trickle down to the grassroots level and ordinary Kenyans will have more say in determining the way they are governed,” he explained.

Land issues The IDPs cite land as the most contentious issue pitting communities residing in the region. Whereas some members of the Kalenjin community claim that their Kikuyu counterparts benefitted from free land during Kenyatta regime, the latter say they bought the land they occupy.

“We shall be happy if the Proposed Constitution will steer clear of issues touching on land. We feel frustrated when we are attacked in the guise that we occupy parts of Rift Valley illegally yet every Kenyan has a right to live in any part of this country,” said Mrs Jane Kamau.

Land remains an emotive issue that the country’s constitution should address well

Internally Displaced People at a transitional camp in Eldoret. Most of them say they support the new law because it will help a situation like that of post-election violence not be repeated again. Picture: Correspondent

to avoid turmoil. Kamau painfully recalls how her husband was killed in the postpoll violence 2007. The chaos left 1,133 people dead and more than 350,000 others displaced.

“We do not want a reoccurrence of such a bloody encounter and all Kenyans should distance themselves from politicians bent on promoting ethnic hatred,” reiterated Kamau.

However, addressing a meeting that included the IDPs, the Kenya Land Alliance National Coordinator, Mr Odenda Lumumba praised the Proposed Constitution saying it will address impropriety and illegalities surrounding land alloca-

Proposed law favours jigger ­infested victims

By JOSEPH MUKUBWA Jigger infested victims in the country have been urged to vote Yes in the forthcoming referendum since it favours them.

Ahadi Kenya Trust Chief Executive, Mr Stanley Kamau said the document removes discrimination and stigma among the 2.6 million Kenyans who have been infested by the parasites.

During a civic education to the Trust social workers at YMCA hall in Nyeri town recently, Kamau said the document removes stigma among those affected by the parasites and there was every need for the jigger victims to support it fully.

He urged those affected by jiggers to support the proposed constitution and vote Yes during the forthcoming referendum.

Kamau said the Proposed Constitution will help to wipe out poverty which is the main cause of jigger infestation

adding that the resources will be equally distributed at the grassroots levels in the counties.

The civic education was attended by 50 social workers among them Community Based Organisations and was facilitated a team of lawyers from the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), Ahadi Kenya and Hann Seidel Foundation.

The lawyers tried to differentiate between myths and facts. Most of the common issues which the locals are yet to understand well include land, devolution, counties, women representation, and abortion and Kadhi courts.

The Trust now moves to Western and Eastern provinces for more civic education. However, participants complained that the civic education in Central Province has not reached villages and it is only offered in towns. They said there are still not enough copies for the people to read.

tion in the country.

Lumumba said the Proposed Constitution has completely detached the Presidency from land matters.

“The President will not dish out land as it pleases him. Parliament has been given the lee way to regulate land use by deciding the maximum and minimum acreage one can hold. The size of land has not been spelt out in the Proposed Constitution as those against are advocating,” said Lumumba.

The Proposed Constitution places management of public land into the National Land Commission, which will help address issues of uncoordinated land administration and management in the country.

Most of the IDPs interviewed want the government to invest in finding long term solutions to the challenges bedevilling communities living in the Rift Valley. They believe the Proposed Constitution has room for that.

“We want to focus on meaningful agricultural activities since this region is considered the country’s grain basket. We can only realise its worth if we are assured of our safety,” said Ms Anne Njeri, a resident of Yamumbi transition camp in Wareng District.

Abandoned The camp is one of the few still operating in the region after the Government through the ‘Operation Rudi Nyumbani’ (Operation return home) initiative facilitated the resettlement of most of the post poll violence victims.

Whereas some IDPs have been assisted to construct houses on their farms, some are still staying in tents at the transitional camps next to their farms. Others relocated with the tents to their farms, after the Government promised to assist them later on.

Two years after the General Election that turned bloody, the IDPs feel abandoned. The victims say they were leading deplorable lives in tattered tents and flooding waters from the rains, stagnated in the tiny tents.

“Most tents are in poor conditions, exposing many families to diseases due to the cold weather and filthy conditions they live in,” said Mr Patrick Ndung’u, chairman Lelmolok Camp, Wareng District.

Ndung’u said most of the IDPs have little trust on the government after the Ministry of Special Programmes backtracked on the promise to assist them.

They feel the current constitution is useless as it fails to put the Government to task over the needs of its vulnerable population.

Minimal compensation Some of the IDPs are still struggling to return to their usual way of life after exhausting the KSh10,000 compensation and an additional KSh25,000 that was meant for construction of houses for those whose homes were destroyed during the skirmishes.

“The money was like a drop in the ocean as the affected families lost virtually everything during the orgy of violence. Some of our colleagues are still waiting after some of the cash meant for the resettlement was misappropriated by those entrusted to handle our plight,” said Gaitho.

The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) led by its chairman Mr Bethuel Kiplagat is among organisations that have held meetings with the Kalenjin and the Kikuyu communities.

This has been in concerted efforts to find a binding solution to frequent misunderstanding between the two communities.

Kiplagat assured the IDPs that the Commission will look back into history to unravel various historical injustices with a view to seeking sustainable peace through justice.

“Peace cannot be attained without justice. We need to foster peace and reconciliation by openly stating what has drawn us apart over the years in order for sustainable interventions to be arrived at,” he said.

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ISSUE 021, July 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Challenges that come with FGM as customs grip communities

After 40 years, Halima still grips the knife

By ABJATA KHALIF The ululation and clapping mark the end of a job well done. For Ms Halima Ali, this means that she is still in business and more customers will come looking for her.

The unapologetic surgeon says: “The cutting ceremony culminates with ululation from the girls’ mothers who celebrate as their daughters endure pain.”

Ali has been in the business of female genital mutilation for 40 years. She has no regrets as it is the only means of livelihood she has ever known.

“Most of these women you see in Garissa town went through my hands. I do not regret as this is the only means of livelihood I have I known,” she says without a tinge of regret.

During the holiday season, school girls are found huddled in groups discussing how they will face the traditional surgeon.

FGM takes place during school holidays because the wounds are expected to heal within the one month the girls are at home.

During the April holidays, girls aged between five to 11 years were lined up to undergo the ritual in Garissa town. They had to undergo counselling to build their confidence.

Women of Northern Kenya who have undergone FGM in a radio listening group; Inset: Ms Halima Ali who has been in the business of Female Genital Mutilation for 40 years. She has no regrets over her business and would do it several times again.

Pictures: Abjata Khalif

Significance The girls were assembled where they were told of the importance of undergoing the practice. Culturally, the practice is significant as it is a sign of transition into adulthood. It is also meant for beautification of the genitalia as well as preservation of virginity.

Ali, who has been in the business of genital mutilation for 40 years, gives orientation to the girls.

During an interview with The Reject, Ali said: “It is important to give the girls a brief orientation on importance of the cut as most of them fear facing the knife due to stories they hear from other girls who have undergone the ritual.”

She admits to cutting ten girls in Garissa town last April. “Yes I performed the cut on ten girls brought by their parents during the April holidays.” She adds: “I did not force them to undergo the ritual as it is the parents’ wishes for the girls to undergo the cut.”

After orientation, the girls are left to share as a way of further building their confidence before the ceremony.

Explains Ali: “They are left together so that they can bond ahead of the ceremony. It gives them confidence as they

“The girls are assembled at my place by 5.00 am and I start working on them one by one. I use razor blades, a special knife meant for genital cutting and other equipment like sharp needles, Sometimes when I miss a needle, I use sharp sticks and thorns for stitching.”

— Ms Halima Ali

discuss with others who have undergone the cut. They come out with a brave face ready to face the knife.”

She says once the girls’ gain confidence, they are allowed to go back to their homes ready of face the knife in the wee hours of morning.

“The girls are assembled at my place by 5.00 am and I start working on them one by one. I use razor blades, a special knife meant for genital cutting and other equipment like sharp needles,” Ali says. She adds: “Sometimes when I miss a needle, I use sharp sticks and thorns for stitching.”

The traditional surgeon says that when the first girl undergoes the cut, the rest panic from the loud cry the girl releases.

“It is the responsibility of the parents and other women present to ensure the other girls are managed properly due to loud cries coming out of the cutting room,” explains Ali. She adds: “I agree it is terrible and girls sometimes faint due to pain they undergo during the cut.”

She receives help from other women who hold the girl’s legs apart so that the cutting can take place without body movement and interferences.

“I use the knife in chopping the entire clitoris and I use needle and threads in stitching the remaining part of genitalia,” explains Ali. She adds: “But again I also use sharp sticks or thorns in stitching the remaining parts.”

She reiterates: “Cutting the clitoris and stitching is the toughest task in the whole exercise due to pain and resistance from the girls. Sometimes they kick and punch me due to pain they are experiencing.”

The Somali community living in northern Kenya believes FGM contributes to behavioural checks and balances that ensure marriageability, family honour, con-

trolling sexuality, fulfilment of religious requirement, cultural identity, prevention of immorality, preserves virginity as well as ensuring cleanliness and hygiene.

The Somali from northern Kenya practice FGM type 3, also known as infibulation, which is the most severe form of mutilation. Type 3 involves cutting of entire clitoris and labia minora while labia majora are thinly sliced or scrapped and the raw surface stitched or sealed altogether.

This severe type of mutilation is practised in northern Kenya, Somalia, Egypt, Ethiopia and some parts of West Africa.

It is associated with various health risks like haemorrhage, fever, shock as well as difficulty in urinating and during sex. It also poses risks to mother and child during delivery.

Fighting FGM However, non government organisations in northern Kenya in partnership with the UNICEF regional office in Garissa have waged a fierce campaign against the practice. UNICEF has taken the approach of training the community on the dangers of the practice and breaking the myth that associate the practice with Islam.

UNICEF child specialist, Ms Zeinab Ahmed says: “The alternative rite of passage replaces FGM with ritual that retains the cultural significance of becoming of age without physically harming the girls involved.”

To address FGM prevalence, UNICEF is working closely with Ministry of Education to increase access to education through mobile and boarding schools as well as better quality teaching in child centred, girl friendly classrooms.

ISSUE 021, July 16-30, 2010

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Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Challenges that come with FGM as customs grip communities

Maasai continue to hold on to age old custom

By Malachi Motano Bright-eyed with curiosity and boundless energy of an 11-year-old girl, Toshi Mahmud underwent the FGM slightly over one month ago.

Born into the community of Ol Donyo Nyokie in Kajiado District, Toshi has no problem narrating her experience in the hand of an FGM traditional surgeon.

However, she winces as she recalls the pain she endured when the practitioner cut-off her clitoris.

My experience “She [the surgeon] slept with me on the same bed the night before. My mother woke me up at 6.00 am and poured a bucket of ice-cold water over me. Then I was taken back into the hut and cut,” Toshi narrates her experience in Kiswahili.

At just 11, Toshi is below the traditional age of cutting but her case had to be hurried. When the oldest girl in the family comes of age, her parents might have all her younger sisters cut to save the cost of having several ceremonies.

Toshi says she dreaded the pain but looked forward to ‘becoming a woman’.

She wanted to be cut because it would make her more acceptable in the eyes of her peers and community.

“If you are not cut, nobody wants to talk to you. The girls and boys in school laugh at you because you are still a child,” she says. With the mind of an adult she adds: “No man will want to marry you if you are not cut.”

Despite her reasoning, Toshi says she does not support FGM and insists that she will not allow her own children to be circumcised. “We are taught in our school health club that FGM is a harmful practice and I wish the Maasai would stop forcing girls to do it,” she says.

Several circumcised teenage girls in Ol Donyo Nyokie say they would never put their own children through FGM, having been educated about the dangers of the practice. They are adamant that they will not bow to the community’s pressure to have their daughters cut.

Toshi and her friends, who were all circumcised in the same month, say their wounds were coated with paste made from cow dung and milk fat to stop the bleeding and accelerate healing. All maintain they had healed perfectly.

A traditional surgeon in the village says it is done to keep a girl chaste. “When you cut a girl, you know she will remain pure until she gets married, and that after marriage she will be faithful,” says Nashiru Ole-oyote, an experienced traditional surgeon in Oldonyo Nyoike Village. “But when you leave a girl uncut, she sleeps with any man and brings the disease into the community.”

However, the head teacher of the Ol Donyo Nyokie Primary School, Ms Rebbeca Pateli, says there have been several

incidents of injury and even death from FGM. “You hear of girls who die but there is never an admission that it was FGM-related. The practice is so hidden that it is hard to know how many but they do get sick, and some die,” she reiterates.

Pateli, an anti-FGM campaigner says she was forced to circumcise her own daughter when the community threatened to ostracise her family.

Kapande Ole Saitoti, a young warrior in Ol “I had refused but my daughter was Donyo Nyoike outside a Maasai shelter. under so much pressure from her Young Maasai men are still engrossed with peers and elderly women that she culture and believe only in marrying girls begged me to take her for the procewho have been circumcised. Inset: A female dure,” Pateli recalls.

Maasai surgeon. Pictures: Malachi Matano The young men in the community, who on becoming of age are known as moran (warrior), strongly believe that FGM is a useful practice that keeps women Most of them merely made a symbolic chaste. “I am married to a woman who is incision rather than removing the entire cut and will be cutting my daughter when clitoris. However, the women could not the time comes,” says Kapande ole Saitoti. make this public knowledge, for fear of He adds: “You cannot claim to be a Maa- the repercussions if they were found to be sai man or woman if you are not circum- shirking on their duties.

The Ol Donyo Nyokie community is cised.”

In fact, the girls in the community re- clinging to their old ways in the face of ported that men were the biggest hindrance pressure to change from all sides. Most of to the fight against FGM because they con- them support education, and education tells them to abandon FGM. Today, the tinued to reject women who were uncut.

Change in Ol Donyo Nyokie is slow prevalence rate of FGM in the community but it is happening. More sanitary condi- is 100 percent.

While admirable, the strength of Maasai tions during the procedure means fewer women suffer hygiene-related complica- culture makes it resistant to change, espetions. The use of a different blade for each cially with traditions as deeply ingrained girl has cut down the risk of passing on as the practice of FGM. Like many other cultures, the Maasai have myths about their infections.

Samson Ntore, a community-based origins, and the origins of their customs health worker with the African Medi- and traditions. Folklore explains the origin cal Research Foundation (AMREF), says of female circumcision in the story of Naimost practitioners in Ol Donyo Nyokie pei, a young girl who had intercourse with had greatly reduced the severity of the cut. the enemy of her family, and whose punishment came in the form of circumcision, a decision her family took to prevent her from feeling the urges that had led her to commit the crime.

Since that day, in a bid to protect their honour and that of the community, all Maasai girls have to be circumcised once they get to the adolescence stage.

Transition

“If you are not cut, nobody wants to talk to you. The girls and boys in school laugh at you because you are still a child. No man will want to marry you if you are not cut.”

— Toshi Mahmud, 11 year old Maasai and already circumcised.

The FGM ceremony marks the coming of age of a girl. She sheds the last vestiges of childhood and joins the league of womankind. It is traditionally performed on girls between 12 and 14 years and is part of the traditional rites of passage.

After the ceremony, follows a seclusion period, during which girls are educated about their rights and duties as women.

They learn how to prepare food, take care of a home and children, and how to look after their husbands. Once this is over, a girl is considered an honourable woman and is free to marry. The importance of this practice among the Maasai is considerable. They have held on to the custom despite it being outlawed in 2002.

Many educated Maasai men and women still favour the practice of FGM, not because they are uninformed about the risks involved, but for fear of social repercussions. An uncircumcised woman remains a girl in the eyes of the community, however much education she may have, or whatever status she may attain in the outside world.

For a woman who refuses to be circumcised, the risk of isolation is great, the chances of finding a Maasai spouse are reduced to almost nil.

The FGM ceremony takes place once a year and brings together all girls who have come of age. It is a large community event, marked by joyful revelry and feasting. A traditional circumciser, usually an elderly woman with great experience, performs the actual procedure. All the girls are circumcised on the same day and, until recent times, with the same instrument, usually a sharp knife known as an ormurunya.

The end of the period of seclusion is also marked by celebrations officially welcoming the girls into womanhood.

Alternative rights The Maasai practice type-1 FGM, also known as a clitoridectomy, involves removal of the clitoral hood and all or part of the clitoris. Doctors say the physical effects of the clitoridectomy include: reduced sexual desire, bleeding (often severe enough to cause death), infection, particularly due to poor sanitary condition, risk of HIV transmission due to sharing of cutting knives as well as complications during childbirth, often leading to maternal and child mortality.

The alternative rites approach has had mixed results and among the Maasai has met with only limited success. Although well intentioned, alternative rituals do not provide the guarantee of low sexual desire that FGM does and, therefore, cannot satisfactorily replace the custom as far as the Maasai are concerned. The challenge anti-FGM campaigners face is changing an aspect of Maasai tradition without undermining their culture.

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ISSUE 021, July 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Traditional surgeons mourn loss of jobs

...as campaign against FGM gains momentum

By BENDARO TSUMA Traditional circumcision surgeon, Ms Zeinab Digale, 50, is a worried woman.

She is worried over the loss of business that she has been doing over the years as the campaign against circumcision of girls in Tana River District bears fruit.

All the well-established traditional surgeons now remain unemployed. Digale decried the loss of income and urged the Government to help her start an income generating activity.

“I used to circumcise about three girls per day, earning KSh1,500. Now that I am out of the business, I want the Government to help me start another business,” appealed Digale.

Reduced cases Cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) have drastically reduced following a vigorous campaign among the Cushitic communities by non-government organisations, the communities and other stakeholders.

Representatives of various community based organisations (CBOs) and NGOs working in the area said they had made some gains in the war against the outdated cultural practise.

From a situation where about 50 girls were being circumcised each school holiday just over a year ago, only about three cases are reported in Galole Division today.

Campaigns The success of the campaign has been made possible through involvement of locals, most of whom work voluntarily, moving from homestead to homestead to talk to affected girls, parents and the community in general. However, not everybody in the community is happy with attempts to stop female mutilation.

“The anti-FGM campaign still meets strong resistance among the Orma, Wardei, Waata, Malakote and Mnyoyaya communities,” Ms Saadia Hussein, from the Tana River Women Against FGM and HIV/Aids told The Reject in an interview.

She was speaking in Gafuru Primary

Continued from page 1

Young women from Tana River District celebrate after marking an alternative rite of passage. Many girls in this region have failed to complete school as they are married off immediately after FGM. Inset: Women demonstrate to show they would like an end to FGM in the area. Pictures: Bendaro Tsuma

School at the end of a two-week period that witnessed the most aggressive phase in the campaign against FGM. The community was marking ’16 Days of Activism Against Violence on Girls in School’ organised recently by Action Aid and Girl Child Network among other NGOs and CBOs. “It is hard to dissuade the community against FGM because it is deeply-rooted culturally. However, we are fighting it because of the effect it has on the girls which is traumatising,” explained Hussein.

She added: “Until recently, up to 90 per cent of girls dropped out school after undergoing FGM at the age of 10 or 11.”

As a consequence of the reduced cases of FGM in the division, the transition rate of girls from primary to secondary school has improved.

A field officer with Girl Child Network, Ms Salma Ennet disclosed that only 64 girls sat for Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination (KCPE) in Lower Galole South Zone in 2009 against 126 boys. She said this figure was too low.

“Although we are winning the war against FGM, we have to create community awareness and mobilisation so the people understand that FGM is not good for the girls,” reiterated Ennet.

Other than schooling being affected, cases of HIV infections have also been common since the traditional surgeons use the same non-sterilised on all the initiates.

A local representative of Aphia 11, an NGO that was part of the campaign, Ms Bathula Ali Mohamed believes that FGM leads to polygamy which has in turn exacerbated HIV infections.

“Men usually lose interest in their circumcised wives after they give birth to the first or second baby since the woman’s private parts are seriously destroyed during delivery due to the mutilation,” Mohammed said.

She explained: “The men then finding no sexual pleasure in their wives go for other women who are not circumcised and this leads to spread of HIV/Aids.”

The area Action Aid Programme Officer, Mr Sheikh Maro said the 16 Days

Campaign Against Violence on Girls in Schools was aimed at educating the students, teachers, parents, chiefs, community leaders and council of elders (gasa for Pokomo and wayua for the Orma) on the negative effects of FGM.

Harmful practices “We are not fighting the culture or tradition. We are simply trying to improve the well-being of the communities, especially in education and health,” said Maro. He added: “We are telling the communities that traditions which are harmful should be discarded.”

These sentiments are supported by Mohammed, who said: “Women who undergo FGM experience painful and complicated births, and are likely to also undergo caesarean section during delivery. They get traumatised so much and some even die.”

The programme which is in its second year will last five years within which time the stakeholders hope to have improved school enrolment and transition as well as eradication FGM.

Nightmares of the wedding night

A woman who declined to be named claimed she was divorced 20 days after her wedding. She said: “I loved my husband very much but I was divorced due to circumstances beyond my control. We could not enjoy our matrimonial responsibilities due to chopping of my genitalia.

I would make noise and always resisted his advances or requests for sex.”

Married girls often opt for divorce due to the unbearable pain and accept to be married by other men as second wives so that the husband does not have to make too many demands.

Ibrahim says he opened up to other

newly married men in Garissa to discuss the FGM problem as it affects everybody and needs a lasting solution to save future generations from its effects.

The men have formed a group that meets every Saturday to discuss the problem and how to tackle it by educating parents in various villages in Garissa on the danger of the practice. “We took the responsibility of educating the society because both we (the men) and our wives are victims of this practice which has destroyed many lives,” explains Ibrahim.

The men meet to discuss strategies of educating and convincing the communi-

ties. They started by educating their parents on dangers of the practice and the problems it poses to marriages. They said that it was easy to convince their parents as they also witnessed the problem on their wedding night.

Says Ibrahim: “It was easy convincing our parents as we complained to them of the difficulties we encountered during the first night of marriage. They agreed with us and vowed to denounce the practise completely.”

The youth group took their anti-FGM campaign and fight to village level where they educated women as well as young

girls and boys on dangers of the practice.

Ibrahim explains: “The locals listened to us as they often missed on avenues for dialogue or information sharing. It worked very well as we showed them that the practice has no religious backing and is, therefore, unIslamic.”

He says leaders from northern Kenya should be at the forefront in fighting FGM instead of moving outside the province to look for Muslim wives who have not been circumcised. Most of the prominent leaders in the province are married to second wives from the coastal region where there are Muslims who do not practice FGM.

ISSUE 021, July 16-30, 2010

7

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

The long search for justice

With a bleak future, former political detainee puts all his hopes on the TJRC

By BEN MWANGA He still endures the pain of losing his chances of leading a productive life due to the many years he spent in jail.

Now impoverished and dejected, the 52-year-old former political prisoner says incarceration destroyed his hopes of a good career. Unlike his contemporaries, he now has to struggle to support his family.

“My children live like street urchins because I cannot provide for them,” says Thomas Mutuse of his situation.

And the story of Mutuse is a heart breaking one. It is indeed a tale of immense trial and tribulations. He was student at the University of Nairobi when he was picked up and charged before being thrown into jail.

Sad tale “I had not done anything to deserve incarceration. I was not a protester and was not even in a clandestine group as alleged by my oppressors,” says Mutuse, who is still suffering from emotional trauma narrates.

As his family continues to live with devastating effects of his long incarceration, Mutuse hopes that the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) will be a better avenue for those like him who have stories of historical injustices to tell.

“Although there is a lot of politics surrounding TJRC, I am hopeful that aggrieved Kenyans will find an avenue to present their issues,” he says. He adds: “I hope the Commission will open an avenue for justice against those responsible for the brutality meted on innocent citizens.”

As if pondering about what to do next, the father of five children bluntly looks at the empty sky above and says he has left his fate to God. “My situation requires divine intervention as nobody is ready to offer me employment despite the fact that I have the relevant qualifications,” he says as tears start rolling down his cheeks.

Left out The state of his wretched face is worrying and personifies the suffering he underwent. He blames the government for having messed up his life.

“I have never shared my predicament with anyone in the Government at the moment because Water Minister, Ms Charity Ngilu, used to visit me at the Industrial Area Remand Prison and is aware of my plight,” says Mutuse.

“I also used to meet Prime Minister Raila Odinga as well as Medical Service Minister, Prof Anyang Nyong’o, former minister Joseph Munyao and many others to strategise on the coming into power of a mwananchi government. But look at what do we have today!” he says with a tinge of regret.

Today, his former college mates at university such as the current Central Provincial Commissioner Mr Jasper Rugut have become successful.

“I was also detained with former MP David Murathe and Mr Wachira Waruru of Royal Media Service in Industrial Area but you can see where they are after completion of their studies,” he says.

Former political detainee Mr Thomas Mutuse who hopes he will get justice for an unjustified incarceration once the TJRC takes his statement.

Pictures: Ben Mwanga

The question that keeps running in Mutuse’s mind is ‘why me?’ “I keep on asking, why me? I would be somebody in this republic if I had promptly completed my studies,” he notes.

“Somebody decided to use us as guinea pigs to teach the rest of the university fraternity a lesson we would never forget,” Mutuse says. He explains: “Not that we committed any crime, but somebody picked on us for no good reason at all.”

The former detainee has sent countless applications for jobs in the public service but has never received any reply. In some of the interviews he has attended, he is asked to state his work experience. “How do you get experience without even getting employed first?” he poses.

Mutuse is among the few surviving former political prisoners who served a five-year jail term at Kamiti Maximum Prison in 1982, having been accused of ‘participating in a demonstration likely to cause disaffection against the government during the abortive coup spearheaded by the Kenya Air Force’.

At the time of his arrest and conviction he was a final year student at the University of Nairobi. “The charges levelled against me were framed and I hope one day the Government will accept responsibility for mistreating me and compensate me and others who suffered historical injustices,” he notes.

Narrating his ordeal, the frail looking Mutuse says at the time of his arrest he had only two weeks remaining to sit his final examinations.

“I was witnessing the unfolding events at the University Way roundabout. We noticed a white man known as D. Matt who

was an employer of one of my colleagues at the university. We then tried to save him.

Detention “The car the white man was driving had been commandeered by Air Force officers who were also arrested with us and we were taken to Embakasi. We were later moved to Kamiti before being brought to GSU Training School,” he says in an interview at his Makindu village.

Mutuse recalls: “We were held incommunicado all the time, almost two weeks at Kamiti, three months at GSU Training School, three months at Industrial Area Remand Prison and almost a month at Kamiti Remand Prison before being sentenced to five years imprisonment in March 1983.”

Among those he was held with were Watson Wahinya Boore, Jeff Anthony Mwangi Kwiriki, Johnson Kituyi Simiyu, Francis Kinyua and Francis Ongele Pala from Kenyatta University.

He is still in touch with Onyango Oloo, Pale, Wafula Buke and Mwandawiro Mghanga among others.

Apart from Mghanga who made it to Parliament in 2002, the other survivors like him have no employment.

Mutuse says his worst experience was when the six of them were separated from the rest of the 67 students held at Industrial Area and transferred to Kamiti under tight security. The 61 were released following the AG’s order the next day.

“My family expected me to be released but they were shocked when they could not trace me at Industrial Area Remand.

They did not know that we were in Kamiti at that time,” he explains.

“I have had no meaningful employment. I tried my hands on self employment but with my track record I could not secure any financial support.

— Thomas Mutuse

They got a report of the release of their colleagues from inmates who had gone to court from Kamiti. “What a bad day that was for us in custody,” he recalls.

Their lawyer, Dr. Gibson Kamau Kuria asked that they be allowed to sit for the final examination but the university refused.

“It was a pity because the prison is expected to be a correctional institution but this was punitive move to teach us a lasting lesson,” says Mutuse.

Without sitting for exams, his career prospects were shattered. “I was doing political science, sociology and literature.

This specialisation was to make me join either journalism or the public service that was a leading employer then,” he says.

Inspite of all this, Mutuse tried to make himself useful in prison. He became a teacher and it was a great wonder that he could teach other prisoners to better their lot.

“But the Government could not allow us to complete our studies since we were a ‘threat’ to the state security and we were already classified as a dangerous lot.”

While in jail they were frequently stripped naked, a dehumanising act. They slept on a hard makuti mat and were issued with lice and bed bag infested blankets complemented by very poor diet.

“We thank God that we got out of prison alive as others like then SONU Chairman, Mr Titus Adungosi died,” he recalls.

After he left prison, Mutuse did several odd jobs. He was employed as a teacher at Chyeni Secondary, a privately owned school in 1988 because public schools could not employ him.

No job “I have had no meaningful employment. I tried my hands on self employment but with my track record I could not secure any financial support.

Mutuse is on a hand-to-mouth existence. Many times his family relies on hand outs from well-wishers in their church.

“The church made me to be respected and I grew from a simple church elder to the post of national treasurer from 1999. I have also been appointed the National Director of Mission Board of the Good News Church, responsible for establishment of churches in East Africa and locally for the last five years,” he notes.

In 2004 the University of Nairobi readmitted Mutuse and he was able to complete his degree in literature in 2005. “I’m satisfied that I accomplished what I started way back but my only regret is that no one can offer me employment,” he says.

Like his contemporaries he has twice tried his hands in politics. He unsuccessfully contested the Kibwezi parliamentary seat in 1997 and 2002. He says the high rate of corruption deprived him nomination in Social Democratic Party (SDP) that was once a popular party of Ukambani. He had to settle for the little known Kenya National Congress (KNC) and garnered over 7,000 votes.

“You can be good in Kenyan politics, a patriot and a man of the people but without money you head nowhere,” Mutuse says.

8

ISSUE 021, July 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Students turn to hobbies, parttime work to make ends meet

By HENRY KAHARA There is a local proverb that goes, lack of money is due to your foolishness. Those who can think of ways of making money will always find that in one way or another they are never broke.

College and university students are getting innovative as they too run in all directions and places in search the missing despite their tight schedules.

It is called “the extra coin”. And they have little choice but strive for early selfemployment, as job opportunities — formal or otherwise — are increasingly becoming scarce. For those born with talents, the temptation to plunge into a hobby-cum-self-employment makes good sense.

Ms Nancy Wanjiku alias Shiku, a second year Information student at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, is one among the many Kenyans with this frame of mind.

Wanjiku is now using what started as a childhood hobby to make money. She recalls how together with peers at her primary school they used to plait each other’s hair to while away time during the holidays.

“We just used to plait one another’s hair with my age-mates back at my home in Kirinyaga, especially during,” Wanjiku recalls. She adds: “But the hair would be shaved just before the school reopened, since during that time most public schools did not allow pupils to plait their hair.”

It was during this time that she learnt that she had a talent as some of her relatives were pleased with how she worked on their hair, and encouraged her to stay the course.

Wanjiku has never been to any school to learn how to plait hair but she discloses that on a good weekend she makes KSh600

from her colleagues “Mimi sijawahi enda kusomea hii kazi lakini marafiki zangu wamekuwa wanakuja niwashuke (I have never attended hair making school but my friends who know I do it come for me to plait them),” she says in Kiswahili.

To balance between her parttime work and her class responsibilities, Wanjiku is forced to work very hard during the week to compensate for the weekend chore.

“I make sure I am through with my class work in the course of the week,” she says.

The added novelty of her parttime work is that her parents who are not wealthy, no longer have to send her pocket monMs Nancy Wanjiku, a communications student ey. In any case, they have to raises extra money by braiding her colleagues at the college. She is among many students who support her sister who is also are going the extra mile to make a few shillings. in college.

Picture: Henry Kahara.

“I don’t like bothering my hind in the search for part-time employparents very much for they pay for my college fees and that of my sister ment as he continues with his studies.

He mostly works in the evening, and as well. I also have a son and they take care unlike the two female students who must of him,” she explains.

Wanjiku is not alone in the quest for change their work places as dictated by self-employment and sustenance. Her col- their clients, Binaisha, operates from a lege mate, Ms Diana Katiech, makes at permanent station — an enclosure with a Singer sewing machine. least KSh6,000 on a good weekend.

A visit to his work-station will espy the Diana, who is an actor with different groups in Nairobi, makes sure that she avid tailor seated before the equipment leaves school every Friday afternoon to going about his business, or negotiating prepare for her busy weekend programme. payment with his customers, mostly fellow The actress who in the recent past has students.

According to Ms Jane Okumu who is featured on the popular TV programme, Tahidi High, says she is still looking for- Binaisha’s customer, she feels free when ward to winning a permanent part in the this classmate is taking her measurements.

Many students who talked to The Reject, program, categorising it as one with the expressed their intentions to go into busibest terms.

Mr James Binaisha has not been left be- ness before completing college education.

Efforts to recapture catchment areas

By RYAN MATHENGE Government has launched an ambitious programme to help conservations of water towers in the country by encouraging planting of trees.

Senior Deputy Secretary forestry and Wildlife Director at the Kenya Forest Service, Mr Onesmus Kibuna said the department in partnership with other organisations has given rehabilitation of water towers top priority.

Kibuna was speaking in Kinyona Location, Kigumo District after leading members of the public in planting trees along the slopes of the Aberdare Mountains which has been affected by years of illegal logging.

He said the country’s water towers of Mau, Cherangani, Mt Kenya, Mt Elgon and Aberdares have been given special attention by the Government in efforts to raise the national forest cover as required by international standards.

Kigumo DC, Mr Omar Salat urged the public to protect water towers against de-

struction by loggers and to report culprits to the relevant authority.

Gatare Forest within the bigger Aberdare Forest remains a crucial water catchment area as it will help supply water as far as Nairobi.

However, leaders from the region urged the Kenya Forest Service to enter into partnership with tea processing factories in Murang’a to ensure area residents get access to tree seedlings for intercropping.

Kenya Tea Development Agency regional board member, Mr Peter Mwangi said through partnership tea processing factories will ensure transportation of seedlings to farmers at village level.

Mwangi urged the forest management organisation to give tea processing factories access to Aberdare Forest to carry out a feasibility study on the best location to mount a wind mill that would be used to generate electricity.

During the tree planting session, students from Kinyona secondary and primary schools were taken through a session on climate change and its effects.

Airstrips countrywide to be upgraded

By DAVID KIARIE Kenya Airports Authority is in the process of upgrading airstrips in the country to improve air transport services.

Transport Permanent Secretary, Mr Cyrus Njiru said the Authority will first upgrade airstrips at provincial headquarters before improving the rest in other major towns.

Njiru was speaking during a tour of Embu Airstrip by officials from Kenya Airports Authority and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. He said Eastern and Central provinces are the only provincial headquarters lacking a good airport.

The Authority will upgrade them to the recommended standards and they will be used by various types of planes. The expansion will entail the acquisition of extra land around the Embu Airstrip to extend the runway, build a terminal building as well as put up houses for security officers. Other improvements include servicing the runway which has chipped off and making it wider.

Once upgraded, the airstrip is expected to serve horticultural farmers from the area who will have the option of using planes to transport fruits and vegetables.

The facility will also help miraa farmers from Maua and Mbeere areas to transport the produce faster to desired destinations.

It will also reduce the many road accidents that occur along the Meru-Embu-Nairobi and Kiritiri-Embu-Nairobi roads.

Embu Mayor, Ms Agatha Muthoni who was said the airstrip would greatly assist area residents and urged them to fully utilise it once it becomes operational.

She called on Kenyans to use air transport and to stop the notion that this form of transport is only for the rich.

“We want to demystify air travel and let people know that this is not a preserve of the elite,” she said.

Other airstrips to be improved include Kakamega and Isiolo, while the Kisumu Airport will be upgraded to international status.

Government to audit coffee debts

By RYAN MATHENGE Government is carrying an audit to help establish coffee growing regions that never enjoyed KSh5.8 billion waiver.

Many of the coffee farmers in Murang’a are reported to have abandoned their coffee after incurring huge debts from servicing loans the Government claimed to have cleared on their behalf in 2006 from the Cooperative Bank.

Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta told farmers in Murang’a that they know the fate of their loans as the Government was conducting an audit on the previous amount of money it paid to waive the burdening loans.

Speaking during a public rally in Mathioya, Uhuru said the Government would first conduct a review of how the KSh5.8 billion was spent before committing itself to the waiver of the KSh1.8billion debt that farmers still owe micro-finance institutions.

However, he assured the farmers that the government was committed to assist-

ing them to realise maximum profits from their produce after years of suffering with poor returns despite the crop fetching millions of shillings in the international market.

In the past two years, Members of Parliament from the region, led by Assistant Minister Peter Kenneth (Gatanga), Elias Mbau (Maragua), Muturi Mwangi (Kiharu), Maina Kamau (Kandara) and Clement Wambugu (Mathioya) together with civic leaders have been pressuring the Government to assist Murang’a coffee farmers with waiving the loan.

Kenneth said most of the farmers had lost hope as money fetched from the international markets is channelled to service loans yet farmers from the region only acquired loans from their local vibrant Saccos and unions not from Cooperative Bank.

Cooperatives Development Minister Joseph Nyagah has recently indicated to have prepared a Cabinet paper seeking to have the debts written off.

ISSUE 021, July 16-30, 2010

9

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Joint effort to conserve border wetland

By FRANK OUMA Kenya and Uganda have joined hands in protecting Sio-Siteko trans-boundary wetland that is drying up due to human encroachment.

The wetland that straddles Busia and Samia districts has been affected by destructive activities arising from human encroachment.

The Nile Basin Initiative now wants the site in the Samia-Busia border districts, conserved and elevated to a Ramsar site as it has all the qualifications for investment in tourism, trade and conservation.

The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Conservation

According to area District Environmental Officer, Mr Palapala Muteshi, those who have encroached on wetlands will have to be moved to areas that will be identified by the Government.

He further adds that fish and horticultural farmers who will use the wetlands sustainably will be encouraged to continue using the wetlands responsibly.

Ms Judith Orgia, a farmer in the area said the locals will be very happy to assist the Government in conserving the wetlands and see no reason why those in the wetland should be moved.

“The wetlands are key for the development of any region and as farmers we need capacity building so that we are part and parcel of environmental conservation. I do not expect the Government to evict any person,” Orgia added.

Another are resident, Mr Japheth Ojiambo praised the initiative to protect wetlands in the region saying that it will help in conservation of biodiversity and cultural activities that were at risk due top the destruction of Sio-Siteko wetland.

Treaty

Negotiated in the 1960s by countries and non-government organisations that were concerned over the increasing loss and degradation of wetland habitat for migratory water birds, the treaty was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.

It is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem and the Convention’s member countries cover all geographic regions.

The Convention looks at “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development

www.mediadiversityafrica.org

Kenya’s Assistant Minister for environment Mr Ramadhan Kajembe leads a delegation that toured the Sio Siteko transboundary wetland on the border of Kenya and Uganda. The two countries are in a common effort to conserve the land.

Picture: Frank Ouma

throughout the world.”

“There is new evidence to show that the quality of water has started deteriorating as a result of unwise use of the wetland,” says Ms Henriette Ndombe, Nile Basin Initiative Executive Director.

She observes: “The wetland was the source for some of the fish seed for aquaculture and is also the source of purifying and storing water that goes into Lake Victoria. There is urgent need to protecting it from pollution.”

Variety of species Ndombe explains further: “Sio-Siteko trans-boundary wetland is rich in its biodiversity. There are 206 known species of plants, 29 species of fish, eight species of reptiles, over 300 species of birds, 25 species of mammals and a variety of invertebrates and unique species of plants, insects, birds and fish that are only known to Sio Siteko.”

Ndombe made these remarks in a speech read on her behalf by Ms Rose Sirali, an environment specialist at Nile Basin Initiative during the recent launch of SioSiteko Transboundary Wetland Management Plan at Mulwanda in Samia District.

The management plan that was launched

by Kenya’s Assistant Minister for Environment, Mr Ramadhan Kajembe, Uganda’s State Minister for Fisheries, Mr Fred Mukisa and State Minister for Environment and Water, Ms Jesca Namuyangu.

“I would like to thank the scientists from Uganda and Kenya who assisted in

making the revelation through the rapid assessment study,” Ndombe said.

She reiterated that Sio-Siteko wetland is precious to Kenya and Uganda and if wisely used can contribute significantly to poverty alleviation along the border.

Gazettement Kenya’s Minister for Environment and Mineral Resources, Mr John Michuki said his ministry has embarked on a nationwide wetland profiling and database development for the purpose of streamlining their management.

“My ministry has also gazetted wetlands regulations to guide proper management of wetlands, river banks, lakes and ocean shorelines in which growing of eucalyptus trees is prohibited,” explained Michuki in a speech read on his behalf by Kajembe.

He said: “All these instruments are intended to address wetland degradation and encroachment and to resolve conflicts among resource users in the long term.”

Kenya’s Ministry of Environment is working closely with the Ministry of Lands to repossess wetlands that have been encroached on to create sanity in their sustainable management.

“My ministry has initiated development of guidelines on environmental significant and sensitive habitants, including fish breeding areas, coral reefs and mangroves as well as guidelines on sustainable tourism development,” stated Michuki.

The full implementation of the inte-

Executive Director: Rosemary Okello-Orlale Programme Coordinator: Wilson Ugangu

Programme Officer: Florence Sipalla

Programme Assistant: Mercy Mumo

Editor: Jane Godia

Designer: Noel Lumbama

Contributors: Abjata Khalif, Kariuki Mwangi, Nzinga Muasya, Waikwa Maina, Joseph Mukubwa, Chrispinus Omar, Malachi Motano, Bendaro Tsuma, Ben Mwanga Henry Kahara, David Kiarie, Ryan Mathenge and Frank Ouma

grated management plan will go a long way in promoting educational interest, as well as enhanced science based knowledge for informed decision making. Pollution prevention guidelines will soon be rolled out to check on recurrent environmental pollution incidences. Michuki appealed to the Lake Victoria Basin Commission and the Nile Basin Initiative to develop a fund-raising strategy to fast track the implementation of the proposed programme activities, and where possible upscale them to cover more areas in the region.

Management plan The management plan will ensure proper utilization of wetland resources and that members of the communities from Kenya and Uganda sharing the wetland resources will play a key role in management of the wetlands.

The Sio-Siteko wetland system stretches along the district of Busia in Uganda and Busia-Kenya as well as Samia Districts in Kenya and Uganda. The project will be carried out under the Nile Trans-boundary Environmental Action Project. It will improve the understanding of the relationship of water resources development and the environment in the basin to provide a forum to discuss development paths for the Nile with a wide range of stakeholders.

The participatory management plan gives a community-based perspective on how resources in Sio-Siteko wetland system would be managed and conserved.

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