Reject Online Issue 25

September 16-30, 2010

ISSUE 025

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

Slum teens pay with unwanted pregnancies

S

By David Njagi

amuel Njoroge (not his real name) and Evelyn Anyango may be from different genders but they share a string of experiences. Both are young, have grown up in the Korogocho slum and are school dropouts. But the most striking similarity is that they both lost their virginity at 14 years.

Now 24 years old, Njoroge remembers that he was lured into early sex through peer pressure. With that initial experience he cannot remember the number of girls he has impregnated who have given birth to children out of wedlock. However, there is a black spot to his young machoist life.

hiv infection Today Njoroge is among the people living with HIV. He discovered his status when he was 17. He was so angry with what had become of his life that he set out on a revenge mission.

“I cannot remember how many times I had unprotected sex so that I could revenge on those who had infected me,” recalls Njoroge. “The best spot was on the open ground along the river but night burial arrangements fitted me fine because I could pick up any young girl I wanted with only KSh50.”

That was the life he led until he met an HIV counsellor three years later, who changed his life.One of the girls who was having unprotected sex with Njoroge could have been 20 year old Anyango, because the promise of instant money was the reason she engaged in premature sex.

Unprotected sex Unlike Njoroge, however, an unwanted pregnancy shocked her into visiting a VCT centre, where she happily discovered that she was HIV negative. She has never had unprotected sex again.

Both Njoroge and Anyango have one regret though. Their parents failed to groom them on matters related to sex.“Here in the slums it is not easy to discuss sex matters with parents because the issue is yet to be demystified,” says Anyango, who is also a mother of a five year old daughter.

Like Anyango and Njoroge, youth growing up in Kenya’s slums find themselves trapped into the vicious cycle of early sex, some even before they have been initiated into teenage hood.

Parents in the slums especially the women are trying their best to instil good morals on their children especially now

A section of Kibera slum. Inset: Evelyn Anyango and a fellow slum teen who are victims of teenage pregnancies and HIV infections at the Korogocho slum.

Pictures: David Njagi and Reject correspondent

that teenage pregnancy is on the rise. Immaculate Musya, a slum women’s leader is calling on slum women to take up the responsibility of educating their children on sex matters to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and early pregnancies.

Open discussions “Women should be open with their children when it comes to discussing issues relating to sex,” Musya says. She reiterates: “Children as young as 14 are engaging in premarital sex. Parents need to talk to their children on the dangers of HIV/AIDS and the importance of practicing safe sex.”

It is because of the high incidence of teen pregnancy that Musya took it upon herself to sensitise slum women on the

importance of constantly talking to teenagers.

Musya, chairperson of the Slum Women Network last week attended a seminar on how to lead a better life as Nairobi women and how to lead better families by the Nairobi Women’s leaders.

“The information that I received from this training is what I have been sharing with fellow parents in the slums,” she says.

A mother of two and coordinator of Laini Saba Project Centre and Home Care in Kibera, Ms Margaret Atieno says she talks to her children as often as possible about premarital sex and HIV/AIDS. “I try my level best to counsel my children about the dangers of engaging in Continued on page 2

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ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Over 500 turn up for free medical clinic

By JEFF MWANGI It can now be justified that when medical services, including reproductive health services such as family planning are brought closer to the people they definitely make use of them.

This was the case when USAid Aphia II Eastern and a medical team from different Government hospitals within Eastern Province held free reproductive health clinics, at Moyale and Marsabit district hospitals. The aim of the free medical clinics was to bring services closer to the people.

The team led by reproductive health advisor with the USAid Aphia II Eastern, Dr Ruth Jahonga, conducted a three day clinic at Moyale District Hospital, where hundreds of the residents turned-up for the services.

The patients particulars were recorded including weight and height before they could be attended to.

Surgical operations for women who needed a permanent method of family planning — tubal ligation — were done

by Dr Stanley Mugo, a gynaecologist and

surgeon from Meru District General Hospital.

Speaking at the end of the three day clinic in Moyale, Jahonga said: “The activity was a success as the team managed to offer different health services from family planning to cervical cancer screening and treatment to over 300 people in the district.”

Ambulance Moyale District Medical Officer of Health, Dr Adano Diba Kochi, urged the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to help avail an ambulance for the district general hospital. Without a vehicle or even an ambulance it has been hard for them to facilitate referrals to the provincial or Kenyatta National Hospital. This has contributed to high maternal mortality.

Koch said shortage of drugs in the hospital was another hiccup impending proper medical care in the area.

At one point USAid Aphia II Eastern had to hire a water buzzer when the hospital ran out of the commodity. Water is scarce in the area.

Surgeons operating on a patient at the Moyale District Hospital during the free reproductive health clinic. Picture: Jeff Mwangi

Dr Kelvin Mwaura a doctor at Marsabit District General Hospital, thanked the team for the free medical services to the locals. He urged USAid APhia II Eastern, to offer the services frequently.

“Being a pastoralist community, with the drought killing most of their livestock, illiteracy and poverty, makes the locals not able to access medical services in the area.”

Health Administrative officer at the

hospital Dr Dominic Mburu called upon other stakeholders to assist in alleviating the suffering of the needy and the sick, by conducting such free medical clinics.

At Marsabit district hospital, the residents’ joy due to the free medical clinic was evident in their faces.

The Moyale and Marsabit clinics saw more than 595 people benefiting from the free reproductive health services among other medical services.

Slum teens pay with pregnancies and HIV infections

Continued from page 1

premarital sex and drug abuse,” she says.

Atieno is urging young girls to speak out on the challenges they face as they grow up so that they can be helped.

“Girls should also speak out especially when abused or raped and not keep quiet about it. The earlier they seek help the better,” she says.

Atieno says the project she is involved in does not encourage abortion in case of rape. “We counsel teenage mothers and provide health care by referring them to hospitals such as Nairobi Women’s Hospital, Lang’ata Health Centre, Jamaa Hospital, Mbagathi District Hospital and Tumaini Health Centre in Kibera where they get the necessary support.”

Teenagers Atieno reiterates that there should be no discrimination on teaching and counselling on sex education by parents to teenager. She says: “Both boys and girls should be treated equally as it takes two to tango.”

A study published in the July edition of Journal of Youth Studies links the trend to lack of proper grooming by parents, poverty, poor housing, as well as lack of a school curriculum on sex education.

The study adds weight to previous ones which revealed the high level of vulnerability among adolescents growing in Kenya’s slums, putting into question the effectiveness of Government led reproductive health programmes.

According to the study’s authors, sexual patterns among children in the five to 19

years age bracket from Korogocho and Viwandani slums as well as Harambee and Jericho estates have been under scrutiny since 2005. The study seeks to determine the likelihood of their engaging in early sex.

The initial results indicated that 26 per cent of the 284 female respondents had engaged in early sex compared to 29 per cent of 303 males.

By time the study was entering its second wave, 103 females and 86 males who had been virgins during the first stage reported to have made their sexual debut, with 70 per cent of them living in either Korogocho or Viwandani slums.

Lead researcher, Dr Caroline Kabiru,

says the study was inspired by the fact that neither parents nor teachers are willing to accept the responsibility of early sex education for Kenyan children.

“The Kenyan social environment does not support young people to get access to information and services on sex education,” says Kabiru. “Yet negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes remain a reality to them.”

According to Kabiru, this explains why slums report the highest prevalence of HIV infection as well as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs).

“Lack of access to voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services is also seen as a leading cause of HIV infection in

FACT FILE ON TEENAGE PREGNANCIES  First pregnancies were more likely to be reported as unwanted. 

In spite of the increased levels of knowledge about modern methods of contraception, rates of teenage pregnancy remain unacceptably high.

 Teenage pregnancy and poverty have a positive correlation. As poverty bites

so do teenage pregnancies increase.

 Each year worldwide, an estimated 13 million births take place among young

women between the ages of 15 to 19.

 In Kenya every year up to 13,000 girls leave school due to pregnancy.  According to available statistics half of girls in Kenya begin child bearing be-

fore age 20 years.

 Up

to 13,000 Kenyan girls drop out of school every year as a result of pregnancy, and around 17 percent of girls have had sex before they turn 15.

 HIV

prevalence in Kenyan women aged between 15 and 24 is about 5 percent, compared with just one percent for their male counterparts.

the slums,” explains Ms Carol Ngare, NASCOP’s manager for VCTs. “At the moment, VCT centres are allowed to test only those above 18 years,” says Ngare. “However, the door to door campaigns that we initially started in Kibera slum are enabling us to reach children as young as two years old.”

The study recommends that reproductive health programmes should be tailored to focus on young adolescents, especially those living in resource poor settings.

“These young people may be more likely to make the transition to first sex and hence be more vulnerable to negative health outcomes stemming from precocious sexual activity,” says the document.

Statistics This is a trend that has rapidly gained traction. According to Florence Akinyi, a HIV counsellor practicing in Korogocho, community based health workers can be able to contain the situation through peer education. “The Government should channel more resources to support such programmes and this will help both young girls and boys in the slums,” says Akinyi.

The KENYA Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) data indicates that eight out of every 10 young people have had sex before age 20. This forms the bulk of school going adolescents. This high level of sexual activity is associated with risks such as HIV/Aids, pregnancy, unsafe abortion economic hardship and school drop out.

Additional reporting by mercy mumo

ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

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Are these a forgotten people?

By GEORGE MURAGE For over 6,000 IDPs in the various satellite camps in Naivasha, everyday marks dashed hopes and dreams.

There is an estimated 5,800 integrated IDPs who never received any Government assistance after the 2007 post-election chaos. According to the provincial administration, Naivasha has 13 satellite camps holding IDPs from various parts of the country.

Eight of the camps are located in Gilgil while the other five are situated in Mai Mahiu along the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu road. The IDPs occupy a total of 117 acres all acquired from the KSh35,000 token that the victims of the post-election violence received from the state.

After they bought the land, Habitat for Humanity Kenya moved in and constructed 120 permanent houses in Maono Yetu Camp in Mai Mahiu. The move was a blessing to some IDPs who are now living comfortably but with painful memories.

Abandoned Despite this, all is not rosy for the victims of the post-election violence who accuse the state of abandoning them in misery.

Lack of water, education, health, jobs and food are some of the main challenges facing the IDPs. The men among these people spend most of their day either by the roadside or in the camp pondering over an unknown tomorrow.

According to Ms Rose Wanjiku from Jikaze Camp, politicians responsible for their woes have long forgotten about them.

“Getting a decent meal or water is a headache as we continue to sleep on the ground and in torn tents,” she laments.

Wanjiku says food rations from the Government are rare and sometimes the qual-

ity of the maize is wanting.

Just like other IDPs, she says, they are hardworking Kenyans who can get their own food without having to rely on hand outs. “The State promised us arable land and we are patiently waiting for it as we have the will and energy to farm,” reiterates Wanjiku.

Hardships For majority of the IDPs in the area, education for the school going children remains a big problem.

Ms Beatrice Nyokabi from Kikopey Camp says the minors have to walk for over 20kms to get to school.

Nyokabi who is the camp’s chairlady says majority of the children have dropped out of school as they cannot cope with the harsh weather and long distance.

Due to the state of the tents, diseases are common with children and women being the worst hit. “The closest hospital is far away and we have watched some children die as we cannot rush them to hospital at night,” explains Nyokabi.

She adds: “We have lost some of our colleagues to pneumonia, malaria and other ailments mainly due to cold.”

Not left out of the suffering are the people living with HIV whose only hope is ARVs and a proper meal.

“For this category even getting a meal is a problem and with the strong drugs they are taking, we have parted company with many,” says Nyokabi.

As their problems continue to increase, their fate also seems to hang in the balance.

There has been a shortfall in budgetary allocations to the Ministry of Special Programmes which is supposed to cater for them.

According to the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Andrew Mondoh, they

One of the satellite IDP camps in the country. Lack of water, education, health, jobs and food are some of the main challenges facing the IDPs. Inset: a hungry child from the one of the camps in Mai Mahiu.

Pictures: George Murage and Reject correspondent.

received a mere KSh145m against a target of KSh1 billion to deal with IDP issues.

Despite the shortfall, Mondoh is confident that they can get funds from other Government sources and development partners to deal with IDPs issues.

“We expected to receive over Sh1 billion but we shall have to talk to the Treasury so that we can compensate all IDPs who didn’t get their KSh25,000,” explains Mondoh.

Resettlement The PS says that the Ministry is committed to heeding the presidential directive on the issue of resettlement.

“Some land owners hiked the prices after the Government directive but this process will go on until all IDPs are reset-

Integrated IDPs hope for a better life

By BEN OROKO Faced with various post-poll chaos woes, after being evicted from their farms and places they called home in Molo, Kericho, Nandi Hills among other parts of the country, the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Gusii region believe that their problems will be solved by the new Constitution.

The integrated IDPs have pegged all their hope on the new law.

Archbishop Charles Mogwasi of Grace Church in Kenya, who is also the Chairman of Bomachoge IDPs, is confident that victims of the post-election violence, especially the integrated IDPs in the Gusii region will now receive justice.

Mogwasi said that IDPs felt that the passing of the new law would address various injustices meted on innocent Kenyans, particularly those who continue suffering the brunt of the 2007 post-election chaos.

He said: “Though the IDPs from the Gusii region were the worst hit by the post-election violence, they are yet to be compensated by the Government.”

He explained: “It is disheartening to see victims of the 2007-2008 post-election violence languishing in poverty yet they suf-

fered consequences of the violence just like their colleagues elsewhere in the country who have already been compensated.”

Mogwasi said that though some of the IDPs struggle to be self-reliant economically through various economic activities, life is difficult, with those living in rental houses receiving quit notices from piling rent arrears.

To date, over 2,033 IDPs from Bomachoge Constituency do not know their fate on the Government’s compensation and resettlement agenda through the Ministry of Special Programmes. They are yet to receive any official communication from the Ministry regarding compensation.

An integrated IDP from Bomachoge Constituency in Gucha District, Ms Linet Nyasuguta, is a disappointed as she cannot make ends meet. Following the Government’s delayed compensation programme, she is losing faith of ever receiving reimbursement.

Nyasuguta expressed concern that most of them were facing threats of being ejected from the houses they rented for failing to pay rent.

“I wish the Government could bail us out of this problem so that we continue with our lives as usual,” lamented Nyasuguta.

tled,” he says.

According to the vice-chairman of the National Humanitarian Advisory Board, Mr Moses Akaranga, the Ministry of Lands has already received Sh1.4 billion to buy the required land.

He says that 19 registered camps across the country will benefit from 2.25 hectares per family.

He is concerned over the slow manner in which the Ministry is acquiring the land and has called for the process to be hastened.

“These people have the energy and will to farm and once given arable land, the issue of famine relief will be a thing of the past once they are resettled,” says hellen Kiilu, the naivasha dc.

People suffering in camps

By John Kinyua Nyandarua Central District is where some 14,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have been camping following post election violence.

However, it has also recorded the highest number of victims who have died of HIV/AIDS related diseases and pneumonia.

National IDP chairman, Mr Peter Kariuki says so far the camp has lost 371 people in two years owing to the deplorable living conditions. They accuse the Government of failing to take the issue of resettlement seriously.

The IDPs suffer double pain when they lose their loved ones while in the camps due to lack of proper care and the pathetic living conditions in the dilapidated tents.

Most of the makeshift tents are worn out and residents have to brave cold nights and rains amid lack of food.

According to those living at the Mwaingu’s Shalom City in Ol-Kalou Division, Nyandarua Central District, the situation is worsened by the fact that they have to bury their dead several

kilometres away.

Since they have no means to transport their dead about 10 km away to the Karugutu Public Cemetery that is run by the Ol-Kalou Town Council, the IDPs have to invent ways of carrying the remains of the dead.

Most of the IDPs are children and the elderly people who cannot withstand the deplorable living conditions in the camps.

The deplorable living conditions have claimed many lives. The most recent casualties being Margaret Wanjiku, 97 and Elizabeth Njoki, 40 as well as one and half month old George Kamau.

The deceased have fought a fearless battle with asthma and other illness brought about by bad climate conditions, malnutrition, pathetic living conditions and lack of clean water.

Speaking at the burial ceremony, Kariuki expressed concern over the current political situation in the country accusing leaders of forgotten their plight and instead are fighting for political posts while the number of maternal deaths in Mawingu IDP camp is rising day by day.

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ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

The self-made sewerage exhausters

T

By Robert Nyagah

he sun is setting in the North Coast tourist resort of Malindi. Under the trees that provide shade are a group of young men holding 20litre plastic containers (jerri cans) in their hands.

The journey A middle aged man passes them and approaches a large open soak pit which has been open for weeks at Malindi residential. With his face covered in sweat, he slowly starts to lower the stair into the black sludge filling the pit to the brim.

At the open septic pit, the man with a ladder has identified the best position for his makeshift tool.

He is dressed in tattered clothes barely covering his body. He is also not wearing gloves or any other protective gear. With the ladder now already partly swallowed by the black fluid and stable at the base, it is certain that the young man could just be settling down to work.

“Are you sure that the ladder is firmly settled at the base and is stable enough to carry your weight or you want to force us into a matanga (mourning) session?” asks another man who seems to be the group’s leader.

But the man with the ladder ignores the question and tries his weight by shaking it strongly before he slowly submerges his legs partly covered by a threadbare trouser carefully into the murky black substance searching for the ladder’s steps.

Once sure of the steady position of the ladder and with the sludge now up his thighs, he shouts to his assistants and within moments he is handed an empty plastic container which he uses to fetch the black crude oil looking fluid.

By the time he fetches the first scoop of the thick fluid, at least four assistants, each armed with two containers, are ready to have them filled.

Conveyer belt They are organised in a manner similar to a conveyer system of loading. One man fetches the frothy stuff and hands it over to another assistant, slowly but systematically, they empty the pit in a coordinated move.

Several other young men also in shabby clothes whose views are partly hidden in dark shadows are lined up.

Each young man carries two containers at a go and walking for short distances towards colleagues set at a distance of about three metres apart, they hand them over and the contents are finally poured into an open pit about 20 metres away. The pit is about one metre deep and two metres wide.

Within an hour of work, the fluid in the huge soak pit has been reduced by more than 70 per cent. The stuff being ferried away is thick and requires a short spade to be scooped out into the main container.

Sludge cleaners at work in one of the pits in Malindi. Majority of the cleaners work without protective gear posing great health hazards. Picture: Robert Nyaga

Eventually, two men are required inside the pit. The trench is 15 feet deep, one metre wide and five metre long. With their feet inside the sludge up, they use spades to scoop the stuff out into the plastic container.

A third man has the task of now carrying the sludge in the container up the ladder to hand over to the men on the ground.

The men at work in the open are tired but encourage one another with short choruses, songs and murmurs. Amid the murky operations they manage to light up a cigarette which they share among themselves with little worry about their dirty hands.

It is now dark and the path to the hole where the fluid is being emptied is a real mess, a mixture of all types of rotting muddy substances with an openly detectable smell of human waste.

Welcome to the world of the toughened. They are making a living out of emptying the most unbearably dirty, filthy and at times massive septic pits of residential areas and tourist resorts in Malindi.

Exhausters The self made sewerage exhausters of Malindi, who have no qualms about their source of income, literally dive into human waste to earn their living.

“These men operate without protective gear. They use bare hands to clean up the mess without a thought to the numerous ailments they are exposing themselves to,” notes Mr Dick Mugaza, a concerned public health practitioner.

The men use makeshift containers to drain away hundreds of tonnes of human waste from soak pits, some which are at times precarious due to poor archi-

tectural work, maintenance and age.

They are doing what few Kenyans would volunteer to do, earning a living through draining soak pits.

The group operates with some very basic tools. They use leaking plastic containers to empty the septic tanks by fetching the black thick oil like mess.

Mr Kahindi Ali Kalume is one of the most reputable self made manual soak pit cleaners in Malindi tourist resort. He is one among close to 50 such workers scattered all over the town. They mostly work at night but also take up opportunities that arise during the day.

“When the septic pit is shallow, I just enter it without a second thought and start working straight away,” says Kalume.

He explains: “But when they are deep I use a stair to access the waste and fetch it out.”

Watching Kalume perform this duty leaves one shaken in fear of what could befall him in case of an accident.

Thoughts of the many threats of infections Kalume faces each day as he does his duty may arise but the man himself dispels the fears wondering loudly: “Which work is safe for human beings? Are we not exposed to risks throughout our lives, yet we wake up every morning and go out to make our hands and other parts of our bodies dirty to return home with money?”

In normal circumstances, Kalume and his mates work for at least four hours every day including Sundays. During night shifts, the group can work for up to six hours although the time spent at work depends on the magnitude of the task ahead.

For the years he has done this challenging work, Kalume has never had any serious accidents or injuries. He has also never suffered any water borne infection.

He only admits to have experienced minor mishaps. The only serious scare which brought his skills to the test was one time when he underestimated the depth of one of the pits and nearly drowned in the murky mess.

No risks “I found myself sinking into the septic pit but suddenly shaken and jolted into my senses, I managed to pull myself up with the waste up to my neck,” he explains.

Thoughts of the incident still numb him with fear.

Kalume has earned repute among fellow workers as being the most daring. “I am always the first one in our group who prefers to go down the septic pits because my initial fear has disappeared.”

Fetching the waste and handing it over to his colleagues is easier for him and better than having to always carry the load to dispose of metres away.

Continued on page 5

“Money has no colour and while being used to undertake purchases, it does not announce its origin. Our children have to eat, we have to dress and pay rent. We cannot be selective on work and fear to be dirty.”

—Mr Kahindi Ali Kalume, soak pit cleaner in Malindi

ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

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Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

The self-made sewerage exhausters

A worker off loads the sludge in a temporary makeshift soak pit. Right: A poorly constructed pit covered with concrete slabs. The recommended covers should be air tight. Right: Sludge workers filling the jerricans for transportation.

Pictures: Robert Nyaga Continued from page 1

Mr Ali Kiringa who operates a firm which pursues septic pits cleaning contracts and has won many such projects offers sub contracts to kalume’s group led by Kalume. He says among the several groups which undertake such work in Malindi, the one led by Kalume is the most reliable.

Explains Kiringa: “Kalume’s group is the most dedicated to work but above all he remains a fearless worker who performs his duties with perfection ensuring that septic pit owners do not complain over poor cleaning services.”

Having first served as a matatu loader and a construction worker, Kalume says it was not easy at first for him to accept offers from friends who were already in the business of cleaning hundreds of septic pits in Malindi.

First experience

When he was finally brought into one of the scenes where his friends worked and successfully handled the first bag of plastic containers full of waste, Kalume realised that he could actually do the work.

Encouraged by friends, he was finally admitted into the job which has become his main source of income.

“For nearly three days after taking the first outing to manually emptying pits with friends and handling the mess in the smelly and murky environment, I could not eat or drink properly because I felt permanently dirty and sick,” explains Kalume.

“I would spit for hours and experienced an almost permanent foul smell around me, including inside my house,” he says. For days he lacked sleep and thought he was so soiled to even share the same bed with his wife or lovingly hold his two children.

After days and weeks of working in what he had first considered as a dirty and unsuitable vocation, he gradually settled.

Today he is comfortable with the work.

He is also viewed as an expert even by colleagues who have worked longer than him.

Lead role

Salim Karisa, who has emptied septic pits for the last two years agrees that Kalume has been outstanding in taking the most challenging role ink the group.

“Although any one of us can enter the septic pits, Kalume is always the one who takes that challenging role,” explains Karisa.

In the sixth year of the tough work, which he describes as easy and interesting, Kalume is not planning to quit any time soon. It is from this job that he is able to cater for his family. The father of two says: “I am able to financially support my family because I earn at least KSh35,000 a month.”

Earnings from this work are at times higher depending on the demand. However, Kalume says hard work is encouraged among the group’s members as contracts and work availability will depend on the reputation one has made in the provision of service.

Kalume’s wife complements the family income by selling charcoal at Maweni Village where they live.

Kalume’s group of 30 works on contract sometimes dividing itself to several teams especially when there is a lot of work.

On a single day, a group of 10 men is able to empty and clean at least two medium sized septic pits of about 10 to 20 cubic metres of waste earning between KSh5,000 to KSh10,000.

Larger septic tanks serving large populations including council estates take a group of 30 about two days to empty with an average payment of KSh35,000 per pit.

It is easier when the waste is pumped into makeshift tanks and transported away but mostly the thick sludge found in majority of septic pits forces Kalume’s group to do more.

“We empty such septic pits manually and dispose the waste into separate pits which are temporally dug and covered with soil after being filled up with the waste,” he explains.

Gossip

However, like with other jobs, this one too has challenges that they meet. He says that at times payments delay. Some clients delay in payment or refuse to meet the agreed fee, a situation that denies the group what rightfully belongs to them.

Kalume, who is a primary school dropout says that many a times the general public and neighbours back bite him and his colleagues saying how dirty and dangerous their work is.

But according to Kalume: “We generally ignore them and have since grown immune to such gossip and taunts.”

Interestingly Kalume’s wife Leah, is not shy to admit knowledge of the work her husband does to provide for the family.

“I know he works in septic pits. When he gets home in the evening, I first prepare warm water for him to take a bath before setting dinner on the table for the family. We are always happy to share our meals together,” says Leah.

A neighbour at Maweni where the Kalumes stay in a two roomed rented house Susan Kadzo admits to knowing that

Kalume’s work involves emptying and cleaning septic pits. She adds: “In our neighbourhood we respect him and do not mind what he does to earn a living”.

Kadzo explains that initially many strange glances from neighbours would follow him when he returned home from work. However, things have changed today and he is no longer a victim of gossip from neighbours.

The main drive for him and his colleagues is the fact that money has no colour and while being used to undertake purchases, it does not announce its origin.

“Our children have to eat, we have to dress and pay rent. We cannot be selective on work and fear to be dirty,” he argues.

Harmless fluid Contrary to fears that the waste in septic pits could cause skin infections and more especially if one enters the pits with open wounds, any time he has performed his work with open wounds they have healed within a few days.

According to Kalume, the reactive mixture of liquid and solid waste in the septic tanks contains chemicals which kill germs hence the fact. He says even his colleagues have never suffered any infections after the work which involves direct handling of the sludge without gloves.

Even after work, Kalume says they simply use soap without adding any disinfectant. At home, he freely shares meals with his family and enjoys close contact with them, memories about the kind of work he does firmly out of his mind until the following day.

See related story on page 8.

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ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Once a social drink, chang’aa goes on to break cultural barriers

By JOHN KINYUA It is 11am at Maina slum in Nyahururu and scores of young people are basking in the sun. Some are deep asleep while others are giggling as they listen to a bizarre story from one of them. The men can hardly talk about today or tomorrow since they rarely plan for their lives.

The story is about a rat that drowned in a barrel full of Busaa brew last weekend.

The brewer had left the container uncovered in the wee hours of the night under the influence of alcohol. In the morning, the brew seller, known as Gichohi found the bloated rat floating in the brew.

“Can I pour this entire brew because of this rodent? he pondered. “No, after all the rat can not be dirtier than the old blanket used to sieve the brew when the strainer is working slowly amid complaints from thirsty customers,” he reasons.

No loss Gichohi picks the strainer, closes one eye, fishes out the rat and throws it out of the window. He then waits for customers who imbibe the alcohol unknowingly. As the story goes on, the once active young men in their mid 20s do not seem perturbed by the revelation.

As this happens, consumption of illicit brew is on sharp focus in the region from the Government through the Rapid Response Initiative (RRI) where the local provincial administration intends to reduce the brew consumption by 100 percent.

But how did a society find itself entangled in this vice that has just refused to go away?

Traditional practice Nyandarua District Probation Officer, Mr Jason Abukuse says that beer drinking was learnt from our African traditional set up where it was used for socialization purposes in weddings, celebrating harvests, funerals ceremonies and other occasions.

“It united people together and was never abused. Today it has been commercialised and has lost its social function.

Unlike before when there were sanctions, today it is taken any time and the age limit has been lowered to 18,” he says.

Abukuse who supplies vital information as to why people commit crimes in society to courts, correction centres among other government agencies is irked by the notion adopted by many that buying and drinking more is a source of pride.

“Our youths result to embezzled hardearned cash by buying extravagantly to please others. Others are driven by jealousy to stay at par with their peers,” he

explains adding that relationships must always be purposeful.

The probation officer says that once hooked on drugs, one will always be hooked until such a time that he realises the problem himself and sheds off bad company.

Exploring the causes of the increase of the lethal brews in the urban centres, Abukuse says research has shown that a brew like chang’aa is made in rural areas and can not be ferried in quantities commensurate to the demand in urban areas due to the legal restriction. However, this is most likely to change with the new law.

Brewing standard He says that the little transported is then added water to match the quantity demanded and other drugs to enhance the toxic effect.

“Other brews are never cured to standards and are stored under very unhygienic conditions, for instance under sewer lines,” he reveals.

In the ongoing third wave of the Rapid Response Initiative 6,250 litres of chang’aa and busaa have been netted in Nyandarua division which comprises of eight provincial administrative districts where brewers and consumers have been fined a total of KSh795,000.

Majority of those arrested are the unemployed youth between the ages of 15 to 20 years.

However, a brewer by the name of James Kiplagat has defied the law and is a face of failure on the war against the brew in Nyandarua North and Nyahururu districts. Kiplagat, who operates at Kireita area along the border of the two districts appears on Mwamba’s list of shame.

Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni has raided his home severally in company of former Nyandarua Administration Police Commandant, Mr Robert Mulwa.

They spilled the brew, destroyed brewing equipment and arrested him but he has always gone back to the business.

Former Ndaragwa MP Gachara Muchiri

Pupils from Nyahururu DEB Primary School stare at a man in a drunken stupor.

Chang’aa drinking is no longer treated as a social event. Picture: John Kinyua

had even supported him with KSh20,000 at one time to start another type of business in vain.

Olkalou Constituency has 168 bars against 42 schools and the area MP Erastus Mureithi wants all those situated near schools closed. He says brew consumption is a sure way of destroying youth, an opportunity denying the country a productive future generation.

Naming and shaming While Nyahururu District Officer, Ms Lucia Mwamba took a step of naming and shaming all illegal brewers and sellers in her division by pinning 150 of their names on her notice board, Nyandarua North Acting District Commissioner Aaron Koros has been holding numerous meetings with DOs, Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs in his area to curb the problem.

“My decision is quite effective since a big number of the brewers have decided to stop the illegal business and turn to other legally and socially acceptable business ventures,” says Mwamba.

“Beer drinking was learnt from the African tradition set up where it was used for socialization purposes in weddings, celebrating harvests, funerals ceremonies and other occasions. It united people together and was never abused. Today it has been commercialised and has lost its social function.”

— Mr Jason Abukuse, Nyandarua District Probation Officer.

Koros, who is also the Nyandarua North District Liquor Licensing Board chairman says no more bars will be licensed in the area. He says that the Government is exploring ways of reducing the existing number of bars by 50 percent.

He says that drunkenness is largely contributing to poverty, illiteracy, high rate of sexually transmitted infections, home break ups, mental illnesses, blindness, impotence and inadequate sexual prowess amongst married couples in the region.

Koros says that the first bars to be closed in the region are those which violate rules, lack proper documents, fail to observe sanitary conditions and work beyond the recommended hours.

Government efforts Already, area chiefs in Nyandarua North have been put on notice and are required to be making weekly reports on the number of litres poured and number of suspects arrested and taken to court, failure to which they will face the sack.

“They are responding well and we hope by the end of the 100 days of RRI we shall have gone places,” says Koros.

Nyandarua OCPD, Mr Jasper Ombati admits that the fight against illicit brews is not easy because it mainly takes place in informal settlement and the brewers conceal the vice. Most illicit brew consumers are habitual offenders and go on with drinking even after court convictions since they do not leave the prison well reformed.

The police boss says that Nyandarua and Laikipia regions have a high agricultural productivity hence youths in the area can be engaged in farming.

ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

7

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Faiths rebuke Government over Chang’aa law

By ODHIAMBO ODHIAMBO Religious leaders from Southern Nyanza have criticised the Government’s move to legalise chang’aa brewing and consumption saying it would lead to moral decay in the society.

They said the Government lacked the capacity to enforce the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill which has been assented to by President Kibaki.

“It will be impossible for the State to ensure adherence to the law. The Tobacco control law is being flouted with impunity since the day it was signed,” said Mr Ebrahim Omar Hussein, chairman of Migori Muslim Development Committee.

He warned that Kenya will now be a “drinking nation instead of a working nation.”

“Although the new chang’aa law stipulates that the drink shall only be manufactured, packed, sold and distributed in glass bottles, the safety standards aspect will still be violated by the brewers,” he warned.

“How will the Government ensure that a brewer somewhere in the village conforms to the minimum safety standards and that the drink is not sold to children?” posed Mr Didakus Sseko, pastor overseer of the Migori Voice of Salvation and Healing Church.

Bishop Esau Jobando of the Caring Outreach Ministries said expecting Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS) to enforce safety standards on chang’aa brewing is “like expecting sunshine at night because the body lacked capacity.”

“The Government has now allowed people to drink and die from chang’aa…this is an unfortunate state of affairs, just coming a few days after celebrating the promulgation of our new constitution,” added Jobando.

He warned that the new law will break marriages besides increasing crime in the society.

The youth are the most threatened by the brew bill adding that the new law has given police yet another opportunity to extort money from Kenyans.

But chang’aa brewers and consumers in Migori, Nyatike, Uriri and Rongo Districts celebrated the new move with others joking Nyandarua Deputy OCPD Robinson Mboloi asseses the quantity of netted illicit brew as his that they would give President boss Jasper Ombati looks on. Picture: John Kinyua Kibaki a third term if he wished bribes to secure my freedom,” said Mr censing to drinking hours. to vie again.

At the same time, consumers will not be “This is the only legacy I will remem- Jared Oyoko.

The Alcohol Bill seeks to regulate every allowed to buy alcohol in supermarkets or ber Kibaki for. I have been to the police cells more than 100 times for just drink- aspect of the alcohol business from manu- corner shops, popularly known as “wines ing chang’aa and parting with heavy facture, consumption, advertising, bar li- and spirits.”

Bar owners sensitised on curbing HIV/Aids

By BONIFACE MULU Bar owners have a role to play towards protecting the community against HIV infections through distribution of free condoms to their customers.

Speaking recently at a workshop for bar owners in Kitui, an official with the Population Services International (PSI) Kenya, Mrs Eunice Ndinda Muia, asked them to remove pornographic materials from their premises as part of the war against HIV/Aids.

Muia asked bar owners to provide their customers with information on condom use and avail the commodity.

She urged them to ensure that alcohol is not sold to minors and for those with premises that have lodgings, to ensure patrons are not allowed to rent rooms in the company of minors.

The PSI official reiterated that condoms are safe for use because they pass through many tests including the Kenya Bureau of Standards before being distributed.

Her colleague, Mrs. Eunice Ndinda Mutisya, said that the

risk facts for the HIV/Aids are the sexually transmitted infections.

She urged that people exercise responsible sexual behaviour to avoid contracting the diseases.

Mutisya said that the women are more vulnerable to contracting Aids than men because of their biological make up.

“The factors that place people at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS include trusted partner myth, multiple concurrent relationships and cross-generational sex,” said Mutisya.

Speaking about the history of condom use, Ms Regina Kamanga, also from PSI said that the condoms were initially being used for family planning but have been mopped by the HIV/AIDS. “For the purposes of family planning, the condoms were being spermicided,” she said. Kamanga said that the Asian countries including China, Singapore and Malaysia are the world’s leading manufacturers of condoms.

“And developed countries including Britain, America, Germany and France are the world’s leading users of condoms,” she added.

Brewers urged to have a change of attitude

By JANE MUGAMBI Illegal illicit brewers in the larger Embu West District have been urged to focus on other income generating projects that have no negative impact to the community as there is no more room for illegal brewing in the area.

According to the Embu West District Commissioner, Mr Maalim Mohammed, brewers should realise that the brews has affected the community negatively and its time to have a change of attitude.

He said: “The Government has created many employment opportunities and provided a conducive environment for conducting business that brewers should take advantage of.”

Alternative businesses Mohammed advised the brewers to venture into other businesses that are legitimate reiterating that illegal businesses will not be allowed in the district.

The Chang’aa Bill that was passed in Parliament will provide for checks and brewers will have to comply with the necessary standards.

The DC also cautioned members of public who have been confronting security officers and resisting arrest whenever they are on the wrong adding that police have the right to keep law and order.

Maalim said that his office has managed to impound 12,000 litres of illegal brew, 19 rolls of bhang and 47 brewers arrested and charged during the just ended 100 days of the third rapid results initiative period (RRI).

He said that the district administration will continue with the raids of illegal brewers arguing that the end of the rapid result initiative is not the end of the fight against the brews.

Elders take a step in curbing drug use in schools

By JANE MUGAMBI Kirinyaga council of elders have come up with a plan towards combating schools’ unrests in the district.

Through chairman Simon Mbogo, the elders will start educating secondary school students on dangers of drugs use as it had led to indiscipline in schools.

Speaking to the Reject, Mbogo said: “Parents should also stop from taking drugs because research has shown that children of drug users suffer as they grow up.”

He added: “Many students if not checked try to imitate what their parents do and this has often had a negative impact on them.”

Mbogo reiterated that students have become unruly in that they even torch school property due to drug abuse. The elders said that through guidance and counselling they will be able to teach the students on the dangers of drugs and how it affects their education and life.

Eight male students from Kerugoya are currently facing charges of arson at a Kerugoya court after torching the school dormitory in May. Another two students were expelled after they were implicated in an attempted to burn down Kianyaga High School.

8

ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Farmer exploits sewerage irrigation

By ELIUD WAITHAKA

The heavy swirl wind blows and gathers dry grass and soil away as some people walking along the Nanyuki-Laikipia Air Base road plunge to the roadside to evade the oncoming clouds of dust.

And in the ensuing commotion, a heavy stench of human waste, concocted with another of rotting carcasses fills the air, sending the group to cover their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs.

In the neighbourhood, some feeble livestock are led towards the Nanyuki Sewerage Treatment Plant, on their way to Mt Kenya Forest.

The entire area is rugged and dusty, while nearby land, which is ostensibly supposed to feed the hungry population resembles a playing ground. There is no vegetation to cover the soil from erosion by the regular wind.

For the last decade, the area has experienced emaciated rains, which have led to serious crop failure over the period, hence the ranging drought.

Tens of carcasses at the same time lie along the 70-kilometre road from Nanyuki town to Doldol, and have on the long run led to an influx of hyenas and jackals, which obstruct motorists along the road as they maul the dry bones.

Breakthrough Desperate times call for desperate measures, the saying goes, and the scathing dry spell and stinging food shortage has led a peasant farmer, Mr Paul Kamwaro, 46, to dip into defied sanitary ideologies.

After tilling his three-acre plot situated just next to Nanyuki Sewerage Treatment Plant for three years without anything to take home, Kamwaro shed smartness and plunged into the waste waters to tap his gold.

At the moment, his land is an attraction that stops every other passerby. He is a man determined to feed a nation that is wallowing in serious food shortage. In his three acre piece of land, an attractive dark green plantation of mobidec flowers, a plot under tomatoes, maize, peas and another under kales and spinach is all the passersby love to see.

The migrating herders also stop over at the land and harvest weeds from the farm to feed their weakling cattle.

When The Reject visited the farm, we found 17 people working on different plots within the farm. The group comprises of casual workers hired to tend to his crops and prepare other maiden plots.

As one group waters mobidec seedlings, another is cultivating a plot under tomato, while others are busy planting French beans.

The casuals work under the supervision of Kamwaro’s son, Jacob Maina, 22, and a relative Ms Monica Muthoni. “We pay them KSh150 every day, and also provide them with lunch whenever they are at work. We also give them vegetables and any other produce that is ready

in the farm,” explains Muthoni.

Irrigation Since November last year, the farm has been under irrigation with waters from the Nanyuki Sewerage Treatment Plant.

“I was fed up with the low production I experienced for the last three years, and I had to approach Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to know whether I could use the sewage water for farming,” he said.

A research was carried out and it proved that the water was safe for farming.

“I then connected the farm with the water and set out on my farming business,” George Kanyi a former street boy who he explains. is among the pioneer farmers prepares A look into the inlet furto siphon sewage water for irrigation from the Nanyuki Sewerage Treatment row that feeds the sewer Plant. Below: Casual workers at the farm treatment from Nanyuki attending to lucerne and a garden of town and its environs might sukuma wiki (kales) at the same farm. make someone avoid conPictures: Eliud Waithaka tact with the water used in irrigation.

The inlet furrow is ever He adds: “I have also sold flowing with black raw efthe export flowers (mobidec) fluent that is an attraction to a swarm of on several occasions, not to flies that jam the area just next to garbage forget kales and other vegetadumping site. bles. ” But the farm is served with water from the third pond, where waters are clear after a biological treatment process in three large ponds.

His farm is at the moment Kamwaro, however, says that he does able to offer Nanyuki town resnot use the waters for drinking. idents and those in the neigh“KARI recommended that the water is bourhood a steady supply of only safe for farming and not direct drinkgreen vegetables and tomatoes, ing,” he explains. while maize crop that is nearing maturity gives hope to loAnd since November last year when cals faced with acute shortage he started tilling and using the water on of maize.

“I want to feed my neighhis farm, Kamwaro has pocketed close to bours ahead of selling the KSh100,000 from produce sales. produce to far-away markets.

He sold about 20 crates of tomatoes to I cannot pack a whole pick-up traders, and over ten others to local convehicle with crates of tomatoes sumers. or bags of maize and sell to far-away con“I sold the tomatoes at KSh300 per sumers while people in Nanyuki are suffercrate instead of the then market price of ing, ” he says.

KSh800 as a way of lowering market rates.

Kamwaro’s land is sandwiched between I do this to encourage the traders to recipthe sewerage plant which is managed by rocate and lower the prices so as to ensure the Nanyuki Water and Sanitation Comconsumers are able to afford the produce,” pany (Nawasco) and the extensive and Kamwaro explains. bare tract of land belonging to the Kenya Air Force, Laikipia Air Base.

Nomadic pastoralists recently invaded the neighbouring farms, including the military land with thousands of livestock.

Early this year, herders from as far as Laikipia North, Baringo, Samburu and Isiolo districts started moving their cattle towards Mt Kenya Forest, an exodus which Kamwaro said elicited conflict on his farm.

“Some livestock strayed into my land at night, destroying crops that were nearing maturity,” he reiterates.

Steady supply

Benefits

Since November last year, the farm has been under irrigation with waters from the Nanyuki Sewerage Treatment Plant.

He adds: “I had to seek assistance from the authorities although I later came to understand that the only way out was to play a good neighbour to the herders since their problem was caused by nature”.

Partnership He fenced off his land and also entered into a truce with the herders to provide them with weed vegetation from the farm.

“I am now in good relations with them.

I also give them food crops for free. They come for tomatoes and other vegetables at no charge,” he says.

Kamwaro is optimistic that in the next two years, he will be able to make at least KSh200,000 every season from sale of farm produce.

He insists that his market will entirely be the common folk in Nanyuki who he refers to as “my people and neighbours”.

ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

9

Aloe vera earns community much needed income

By Paul Kimanzi Ukambani is known for being a semi arid region. However, a group of farmers have realised that they make the best of what they have.

The farmers have resorted to aloe vera farming since the plant does well in dry conditions and is able to grow without heavy rainfall.

The farmers in Mwingi District have now ventured heavily in harvesting aloe vera. They use the plant to make soap and detergents which they then sell to local residents at an affordable price of Ksh50 per piece.

Aloe groups The farmers have gone further to form groups to help them in marketing the products. So far they have formed a total of 16 groups in the entire Mwingi District, with the highest comprising of 50 members — both men and women.

Each farmer harvests the plant from their individual farms. However, they make the aloe vera products as a group.

“The Mwingi branch Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers (KENFAP) office has been sensitising farmers on conserving aloe vera,” says Robert Musya, KENFAP secretary in Mwingi.

At Kanyaa location, Migwani district, KENFAP has two hectares dedicated purely for aloe vera plantations. This is the area where aloe vera was first launched by KENFAP back in 2004. The farmers start-

ed to form groups purposely for conserving the plant.

Musya says they keep encouraging the farmers to conserve more of the aloe vera as demand for the product goes high every day in the district.

After making the soaps, each group then hands them over to the KENFAP office for market testing, after which they distribute to local chemists and shops where the locals can access.

Soap products In making the soaps, farmers mix aloe vera with other ingredients such as coconut oil and colours. “We get coconut oil from Mombasa but we are currently facing severe shortage of the oil because coconut is becoming scarce,” explains Musya.

The fact that Ukambani land does not produce much from agriculAloe vera plant outside the Kenya News Agency (KNA) office in Mwingi that one of the ture also makes farmers venture employees planted for medicinal benefits. majorly in aloe vera.

Inset: Soaps and detergent made of aloe vera, One of the farmers from Kaas displayed at Mwingi KENFAP office. vuvwani location, Mrs Mawia Pictures: Paul Kimanzi Munyoki confirms how the project has helped supplement their income.

However, Munyoki does not take pride products to the community,” she says.

Munyoki says they use aloe vera for from the money but rather the promising aloe vera products. “We are not only im- treating common colds, coughs, malaria pressed by the money we earn from the and in treating poultry. Although this is project but also the effectiveness of our not part of the KENFAP project.

She admits medicines made of the product are bitter to swallow. “We mix aloe vera with little honey to neutralise the bitterness especially when the sick person is unable to withstand the unpleasant taste.”

New innovation helping farmers

By GEOFFREY KAMADI Farmers are able to grow crops while utilizing very little water. This is in sharp contrast to other methods of irrigation, which usually waste lots of water and leads to land degradation by unnecessarily washing away soil nutrients.

A new but simple drip irrigation system is helping farmers in Laikipia District reap maximum benefits from just a quarter-acre piece of land.

Drip kit By use of this method, otherwise also known as drip kit irrigation, farmers are able to efficiently use and manage the ever dwindling water resources in the area.

The kit consists of drips, connectors and a water tank. The tank is placed at a higher level so that once a tap is turned on, water flows by means of gravity.

Water passes through a filter, which gets rid of sediments and other large particles.

These particles would otherwise block the extremely tiny holes, equidistantly placed on a series of narrow pipes (drips) that run the length of the quarter acre of land.

It trickles in tiny drops right to the point where it is needed that is, where the plant grows. This, and the fact that the farmer controls the times when the tap is turned on means that water is not wasted.

“The system is suitable for high value crops like maize and vegetables,” explains Mr Gachara Gikungu of Kilimo Biashara Providers, which is a private agricultural extension service enterprise.

Minimal waste Gikungu is an agricultural consultant, who trains farmers in the area on how to use the kit. He has worked with the Ministry of Agriculture for many years.

“The use of sprinklers or flood irrigation to water crops not only wastes this resource but results in the loss of a lot of nutrients, which get washed away,” he explains.

The irrigation kit costs KSh20,000.

However, Ms Lydia Rouse who has just graduated from the University of Virginia and is settling in Kenya is assisting farmers to own the system through a micro finance arrangement. “Farmers can own the kit and pay over time,” she says, adding that farmers sign a contract as an indication of their commitment.

Over sourcing of water resources in and around Laikipia District has been a major environmental and economic concern. Laikipia sits on the leeward side of Mount Kenya and, therefore, does not receive a lot of rainfall.

According to Mr Dominic Maringa, project manager of Ngusishi Water Re-

Dominic Maringa demonstrating how a drip kit irrigation system operates.

Picture: Geoffrey Kamadi

source Users Association, the area receives less than 900mm of rainfall every year. “The situation is made worse by uncontrolled water extraction,” he says.

Preservation The association is encouraging farmers to preserve water by adopting the drip kit irrigation method. Maringa says the reason for this is because of the area’s past experiences involving different communities, who have clashed over the meagre water resource in the area.

The association has been one of the most successful in the region. Its awareness campaigns to preserve Ngusishi River have been exemplary.

“Levels of awareness on water conservation here is very high. Scouts who regu-

larly patrol the course of the river have also helped to reduce misuse of water,” he says.

Ngusishi River is the only one emanating from springs, according to Maringa and it is one of the smallest of streams in the region. It stretches for no more than 17 km and its upstream width does not exceed one metre.

Yet, he says, it is shared by 16 water projects. It serves a population of over 8,000 and is the most fought over. Even so the river has never dried.

Many communities use water from this river. Pastoral communities can be found downstream while the agricultural communities, which include both small and large scale farmers, can be found up stream.

10

ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Soldier exchanges gun for a jembe By nzinga Muasya Life after retirement can be quite boring for many retirees especially if you have nothing to fall back to. But not so for Major (retired) Matthew Maingi.

After 27 years service in the military, Maingi retired to the sleepy village of Kwa-Ukungu, in the outskirts of Kitui Town. Looking for an activity that would leave him as fit as a soldier, Maingi picked on mango farming to begin with.

When he came back to the village, he looked at the barren land and decided he would make the best out of it. Today, the land that was characterised by brown dust has turned green through mango farming.

Active farmer At 70, Maingi is still physically fit and carries his farming activities with a lot of ease. He has turned out to be a huge consultant who many a farmer in the area turn to for advice.

His eight-acre piece of land has 350 healthy mango trees and he says the returns are enough to cater for his daily needs and upkeep.

“I started with 156 grafted mangoes specialising on apple and kent varieties but the number has doubled in three years and the returns are good,” explains Maingi.

His life in the shamba is even better compared to the time spent in the military barracks. As a child Maingi had liked farming and is happy to have turned his hobby into a worthwhile occupation.

Maingi joined the military in 1958 as a Junior Leader after attending the then Junior Leader Academy that trained young military service officers from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.

He graduated as a private soldier and joined the Kings African Rifles (KAR) that later became 1 KAR and 11 KAR in 1983. Because of dedication and exemplary work to the service, Maingi was promoted to Cadet-Major before he went for six months training in India.

He remembers with nostalgia a major assignment he undertook as a Platoon Commander to combat the notorious Shifta attack in the Northern Frontier District.

Then Maingi was an administrative officer at the Embakasi Garrison.

His exemplary service caught the eye of the Command-

er-in-Chief, President Jomo Kenyatta who awarded him with a certificate for good work.

When he retired from the military in 1985, the retired President Daniel Moi saw the potential in him and appointed him a commissioner with the Presidential Commission on Water, Afforestation and Soil Conservation headed by fiery Ukambani politician the late Mulu Mutisya.

“The Commission opened up my eyes and I saw the potential in Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) as long as people were taught methods of harvesting rain water,” Maingi says.

When the Commission wound up, the retired Major retreated to his rural home with only one agenda to turn the area green with fruits. His first assignment was to sink eight boreholes on his farm and thus began his project in earnest.

The former soldier partnered with a Belgium sponsored project in Kitui that was educating the farmers on arid land farming. He offered a section of his shamba to act as a model learning site for the farmers.

Benefits

Above: Retired Major Maingi resting in his house at Kwa-Ukungu Village in Kitui.

Left: Maingi admires his mango trees at his shamba at Kwa-Ukungu village, Kitui.

Pictures: nzinga Muasya.

Maingi is now reaping richly from the fruits of his sweat. He has been able to make between KSh20,000 to KSh30,000 from mango sales annually.

Maingi commands a lot of respect within the local farming community. He also has a tree nursery where he grows different tree seedlings for sale to the local community and schools.

The venture, however, is not without challenges as he says that pests and diseases have affected the yields a lot, thus reducing his returns.

“Marketing of mangoes is another challenge since I only sell the produce to Kitui fruit dealers who buy the commodity in small numbers. One fruit sells between KSh10 and KSh15,” he says. He notes that the returns could be better if there was a ready market for the mangoes.

And to prove that Maingi has decided to go full throttle into farming, the farmer has ventured into fish farming

after being inspired by the Ministry of Fisheries Development. Of the 100 fish ponds the ministry intents to establish in Kitui District, he is a beneficiary and his fish pond is now on final touches.

He has also started a tissue banana plantation after getting seedlings from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Maingi initiated the establishment of Kitui Horticultural Farmers Association to spearhead interests of horticulture in the region. Through the Association, farmers will be able to sell their produce in a centralised market and do away with middle men who exploit them.

Maingi is a father of five girls and four boys of whom two are retired Majors from the military.

“My appeal to other retirees is that they should not mourn loss of income but instead venture into farming as a business.”

Researchers unleash biological weapon against fruit fly

By Muasya Charles A parasitic wasp has been released in mango-producing regions to control fruit flies which cause great damage to the mango fruit.

This new biological weapon against fruit flies, uses ‘beneficial’ insects or parasites called parasitoids, for effective control of the fruit fly.

Mango producers are being educated on the new innovation through the Organic Farmer Magazine, a publication of ICIPE that is distributed free of charge to farmers practicing organic farming.

The technique is the brainchild of the African Insect Science for Food and Health (ICIPE), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the Ministry of Agriculture.

A senior scientist at ICIPE, Dr Sunday

Ekesi, says the parasitic wasp is highly efficient in controlling the fruit fly menace, and can be used alongside other measures that are applied against the pest.

He says in collaboration with KEPHIS, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the Ministry of Agriculture, the wasps have been released across the country.

“The parasitoid is self perpetuating, works free and needs no input from the grower,” notes Ekesi. He adds: “If the technique succeeds, farmers will greatly improve the mango yields.”

For the parasitoid to work effectively, growers must minimise cover spray of pesticides in their orchards to avoid killing them.

The weaver ant attacks the eggs of the fruit fly and develops through the larval stages of the fruit fly before it kills the host.

To retain the weaver ant during dry season farmers can provide dried fish for the ants to feed on for their energy and nutritional value.

There are four dangerous types of fruit flies which destroy mangoes and other fruit trees. The weaver ant must be induced to feed on the other pests in the trees grown along with the mango. Ekesi says that although there are several methods of controlling the fruit fly, ICIPE promotes a combination of methods through the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technique.

The techniques being applied include baiting, orchard sanitation, mechanical fruit protection and inoculation with fungal pathogen.

Mango farmers in Kitui Central District are counting the losses as a result mango fly invasion, a pest they claim has recently been notified.

Area District Agricultural Officer, Mr Munene Mutindwa says affected farmers are those who grow grafted mangoes for sale in Zombe and Central divisions.

A large scale mango farmer along the banks of Thua River in Zombe division, Mutito District, Mr Benard Singi, says the pest has led to reduced yields from seven to five tonnes in the last two months.

“I have been using normal pesticide for spraying the plants but the pests have persisted,” explains Singi.

A mango farmer in Kwa-Ukungu Village in Kitui Central District, Major (Retired) Mathias Maingi has been forced to seek assistance from KARI researchers in Machakos after a pest unknown to extension officers invaded his farm.

Despite the advice given, the devastation is still great though the pest has been identified as the fruit fly.

ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

11

Migingo Island: The fishy ‘gold mine’ in dispute

Fishermen at the shore of the Migingo Island in lake Victoria. Inset: One of the fishermen Joseph Odoyo at the lake.

Pictures: Odhiambo Odhiambo

By Odhiambo Odhiambo While Migingo Island is known for the political rancour between Kenya and Uganda, there are other good things coming out of this isle on Lake Victoria.

However, despite the stand off over which country actually owns the island, fishing activity in the waters that surround this rocky isle has turned Kenyans and Ugandans into instant millionaires.

The island records landing of about 10 tonnes of the nile perch daily worth over KSh1 million, according to records availed by the Fisheries departments in Kenya and Uganda.

Outside interest The catches are sold to processing firms in Kisumu and Nairobi for export to the European Union market. Senior Ugandan government officials are also reported to be engaged in the business, a situation that explains their inordinate involvement and pathological desire to retain the Kenyan islet at all cost.

Fish transporting trucks usually line up at the Muhuru, Nyangwina and Sori beaches daily to wait for the catches delivered by boats from Migingo.

Fisheries officials have since confessed that if Uganda succeeds in taking away the island, the local fisheries industry is likely to suffer a big blow.

On the island, fish is the lifeline of the men and women who reside on the onesquare acre island with their families.

Although there are Ugandans and Tanza-

nians on the island, Kenyans are the majority and the Kenya shilling is the currency being used.

Ownership wrangles Since the ownership dispute begun, most fish processors are operating at half capacity due to inadequate quantities of the nile perch. As a consequence, Prinsal Factory in Migori Town is now operating for only three days a week.

“We anticipate a major drop in fish production if the row continues,” says Mr Simon Munguti, Migori District Fisheries Officer. Out of the 200 engine boats operating in the Nile perch-rich Migingo, only 14 belong to Ugandan fishermen. There are about 800 Kenyan fishermen in the area.

The fish processors in the region are now harvesting between eight and 12 tonnes a week, down from the previous 20 tonnes.

Over 90 per cent of Nile Perch from the lake is processed and exported to countries such as Netherlands, Israel, Belgium and France, among others.

“What remain for the local market is the poor quality Nile perch and the undersize catch which is normally less than 50 centi-

metres in length,” explains Munguti.

However, despite the current woes, Migingo still remains “a gold mine”, hence Uganda’s desperate effort to retain the island.

Big time fishermen and brokers who have reaped from what it has to offer are living in posh estates of Kisumu and Kampala. They are also driving top of the range cars as a result of proceeds from fishing.

Harassment Mr Joseph Obala, who owns more than 50 boats in the lake is among the Kenyan fishermen who claim to have lost millions of shillings to Ugandan soldiers and policemen since the latter’s seizure of the island.

The Kenyan fishermen claim to have lost boats, engines and nets impounded over alleged trespass without valid permits. Some Kenyans arrested in the past have been released following negotiations, or charged in Ugandan courts.

Armed Uganda marine police, the fishermen explain, harass and extort money from them. The Ugandan marine police, all armed with AK47 rifles and machine guns, have set up a camp and a detention cell at

Big time fishermen and brokers who have reaped from what it has to offer are living in posh estates of Kisumu and Kampala. They are also driving top of the range cars as a result of proceeds from fishing.

the island, where suspects are detained before being moved to the Bugiri law courts in Uganda, about 300 kilometres away.

During a recent visit to the island by the Reject, both the Uganda national flag and that of its Marine Police were found still flying atop the makeshift structures.

They have also set up a radio room for transmitting signals to Bugiri District and Kampala, besides running a modern police patrol boat.

Previous appearances of arrested Kenyans in the Ugandan courts, have led to fines of between KSh10,000 and KSh20,000 beside forfeiting their boats and fishing gear worth millions of shillings.

Cross border conflict Nyatike Member of Parliament, Mr Edick Anyanga, is among the Nyanza Province MPs who are demanding a lasting solution to the recurrent cross -border fishing conflicts in Lake Victoria.

“We cannot continue to have the conflicts for years and pretend to be comfortable in the East African Community block… The fisheries sector gives Kenya over KSh7 billion annually and must be protected from external interferences,” says the MP. He insists that Migingo is in his constituency and warns Ugandans against attempting to grab part of Kenya as this could create a big diplomatic row between the two nations.

The fishermen are proposing that the lake be demarcated with a red ribbon to enable them know where the national boundaries are located.

12

ISSUE 025, September 16-30, 2010

Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth

Project offers opportunities to youth

By MICHAEL OONGO

The Busia Municipal Council has embarked on a tree planting project that has offered jobs to 25 youths under the Kazi kwa Vijana programme.

The project aims at greening the town within the next few years. Town Clerk, Mr Jonathan Keino, says the project aims at producing 300,000 seedlings by the end of the year. These will be released to area residents for planting in their homes and business premises.

Support

The Council intends to plant about 30,000 trees within the town centre before releasing the rest of the seedlings to town residents who will also be advised on how to tend to them.

“We have identified this project as part of our performance contract service to the people of Busia. The town is starved of trees and this poses a threat to better environmental management by the council,” explained Keino.

The Council has injected a substantial amount of money into the project to supplement funds from the central government to employ young people under the Kazi Kwa Vijana Programme.

According to the youth who are currently engaged under the programme, Kazi kwa Vijana Programme has offered them an opportunity to earn an income to meet their basic needs.

Teaming up with officers from the Forest Department who offer technical advice, the youth have so far produced 200,000 seedlings which are ready for planting but are yet to be claimed by residents.

Youth employed under the Kazi Kwa Vijana initiative at Busia municipal council prepare tree seedlings that are being grown at the council’s nursery. Below: One the youth, Marklowe Wafula who used to operate a boda boda taxi waters some of the tree seedlings at the nursery. Pictures: Michael Oongo.

“My previous job sapped a lot of my energy while the returns were very small compared to work at the Programme. I hope to get a lump sum amount of money at end of the month that will cater for my needs,” he explains.

Teresia Okuku who has worked under the programme since May says it has changed her life. She would like the Government to continue channelling funds to the programme so as to keep the youth gainfully busy.

“I earn about KSh4000 a month and with this, although still little, I am able to meet my basic needs without bothering my parents,” says Okuku, 19.

Elated youth The youth aged between 19-30 are grateful to have been considered for employment under the Kazi Kwa Vijana Programme. They are asking the Government to extend the programme to sustain those already working under it.

Susan Anyango, 23, and mother of three children says she can now earn a steady daily wage of KSh250 as opposed to her previous business of hawking pineapples which fetched unpredictable income, hardly enough to keep her family going.

Anyango who dropped out of school in Standard three was introduced to the programme by her brother-in-law. She is grateful to have a steady income that enables fend for her children.

“My previous occupation of selling sliced pineapples was very demanding and needed capital to run but this one only demands a little of my energy and no capi-

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tal,” explains Anyango. She is now able to supplement what her husband earns as a butchery attendant in Busia town.

Another beneficiary of the project, Mark Wafula says he dropped out of school in Standard eight after scoring 267 marks in KCPE and was unable to proceed to secondary school.

He previously worked as a bicycle taxi operator commonly known as boda boda.

He can now afford to have some basic needs like food and clothing.

Better escape Besides the money, young people working under the programme are able to keep away from mischievous activities.

“Some of the young people here could have been engaged in crime and prostitution to make ends meet but now they are busy from morning to dusk working on this project,” Okuku notes.

The Council in its efforts to beautify the town sent one of its employees for envi-

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

Editor: Jane Godia

Sub-Editors: Florence Sipalla and Mercy Mumo

Designer: Noel Lumbama

Contributors: David Njagi, Jeff Mwangi, Michael Oongo, George Murage, Ben Oroko, John Kinyua, Robert Nyagah, Odhiambo Odhiambo, Boniface Mulu, Jane Mugambi, Eliud Waithaka, Paul Kimanzi, Muasya Charles, Geoffrey Kamadi and Nzinga Muasya

ronmental management training with the Forest Department to oversee tree planting activities in the town.

Persuasion However, the programme faces challenges because some of the plots that are suitable for tree planting are under freehold and the owners can only plant trees if they want to.

“We are trying to convince plot owners to plant as many trees as possible in their premises to ensure that this project succeeds,” said Keino.

Busia town is home to over 70,000 people and is strategically placed as a border town. It is expected to be a business hub with the realisation of the East African Community Customs Protocol which will open up the five member states for free movement of goods and people as an economic block.

According to the Town Clerk, more movement of people and goods are expected to come from Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda in the next few years and hence the need to ready the town for the challenges.

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