In-depth discussions on legal and governance reviews by our legal experts who are both advocates of the High Court; George Kithi and Shadrack Wambui.
Author: KBC Digital
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Internews Earth Journalism Network hosts a workshop on Air Pollution for Journalists
Air pollution poses a significant threat to human health, the economy, and the delicate ecological balance. Just like many cities in Africa, Nairobi, air quality is likely to worsen due to pollution. Currently, its annual particulate matter (PM) is 2.5 exceeding the World Health Organization’s guidelines by more than double.
With this pressing issue, media reports have been weak or hardly articulated how to reverse the emerging challenge.
To enable more effective reporting, a media workshop on air pollution was organized Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and the Global Clean Air Catalyst Project consortium funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 30 journalists from local, national, and international media organizations participated with a majority being women.
Nairobi City County’s Chief Executive in charge of the Environment, Water, Food and Agriculture Maureen Njeri. The workshop was officially inaugurated by the Nairobi City County’s Chief Executive in charge of the Environment, Water, Food and Agriculture Maureen Njeri.
She expressed optimism that the training would lead to higher-quality reporting on air pollution in Nairobi. Njeri emphasized the importance of shedding light on the impact of air pollution on human beings, animals, birds and plants to catalyze efforts to curb pollution.
A participant at the training, admits that “the workshop was eye-opening. I am equipped to report on air quality better interfaced with data for audience consumption but also to push authorities to implement policies to curb pollution”.
Jackline Lidubwi – Project Coordinator, Clean Air Catalyst. Trainers at the three-day workshop were: Dr. George Mwaniki – Head of Air Quality, WRI Africa; Dr. Paul Njogu – Chair of the N-AIR Research and Data Committee; Maurice Kavai – Deputy Director of Air Quality and Climate Change, Nairobi City County; Sammy Simiyu – Co-Chair of the Health Committee, Vital Strategies; Purity Munyambu – Gender Specialist, WRI Africa; Beth Mugo – Gender and Inclusive Development Specialist, USAID; Judith Mutheu – The Conversation Africa; Gideon Lubisa – Embedded Systems and Network Support Engineer, International Relations AirQO; Stella Paul – Clean Air Catalyst Project Officer, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network; and Jackline Lidubwi – Project Coordinator, Clean Air Catalyst.
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Chuka vendor reaps profits from lucrative cabbage business
Commercial cabbage farming is posting high returns among Chuka horticultural vegetable vendors due to demand for the nutritious commodity by consumers.
John Kinyua is making a fortune from selling cabbages at Chuka Open-air market after venturing into the business five years ago.
Kinyua buys the cabbages from South and Central Imenti, parts of Buuri in Meru County where the vegetable is grown as a cash crop and borders Tharaka Nithi County hence reducing transport costs.
He sells the cabbages within two to three days in the market before he goes for more supplies from Meru County. The vendor hires a lorry to transport the commodity which he says costs him about Sh5000 depending on the tonnage of the vehicle.
However, this has posed a challenge to the vendor as he has to pay cess fee to both Meru and Tharaka Nithi county governments hence incurring extra costs that make a dip in his profits.
Following the success of his business, Kinyua tells KNA that during the high peak seasons he hires two to three workers to assist him in selling the vegetable paying them a monthly wage of Sh7, 500.
“During the high season when the cabbages are selling fast, I employ several people to assist me and pay them, I like creating employment for young people but when the business is low, I can only manage to employ one person at a time,” he says.
One of the major boosts for his business include supplying cabbages to hotels in the county enabling him to make a profit of not less than Sh20, 000 per week.
“Depending on the amount of cabbages l buy, I manage to make very good profits especially during the high season such as the festive season. I can make between Sh20, 000 to Sh50, 000 profit per week,” Kinyua said.
He revealed that although the Covid-19 pandemic led to low sales after many people ventured into the business, he is however happy that the venture has managed to pick up two years later.
“The Covid pandemic was such a big blow to many cabbage sellers because of the high levels of competition. Almost everybody became jobless and many people ventured into this business which really affected our sales,” he said
Currently, Kinyua buys his cabbages through a broker from the farmer who is later paid depending on the pieces of cabbages sold. He explains buying from a broker can be expensive as one has to factor in payments for both the broker and farmer.
He said that while buying through a broker, he makes a profit of Sh10 per cabbage head and if bought directly from the farmer he can manage to make a profit of Sh20 and above per cabbage.
Kinyua hopes to grow his own cabbages in the near future and sell them directly to the consumer to make more profits. “I am a farmer as well and hope to grow my own vegetables soon,” he said.
According to the trader, cabbage farming requires a cool, moist climate when the temperatures are very cool to thrive. In plain areas September and October is the ideal time for planting cabbages.
Planting of cabbages is done through preparing the seedlings in a seed bed then sowing, transplanting and spacing them 45cm apart in double rows after which the caring process is done which involves adding fertilizer, watering, mulching, controlling weeds to avoid loss of nutrients from the soil.
Kinyua says the time for harvesting depends on the market value and demand adding that sorting and grading is done before the cabbages are transported to the market.
“Cabbage is a very delicate vegetable and needs a lot of attention and can easily rot depending on the climate. When it is too sunny for a prolonged time, getting cabbage becomes hard because there is no supply of water for their growth, however the business is very promising,” Kinyua states.
He advises anyone that wants to venture into the business to take the risk adding that cabbage selling and farming is tough but very lucrative and profitable.
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Scientists Sound Alarm over threats to Flamingos
Scientists have expressed concern that rising water levels, climate change and habitat degradation are driving flamingos in alkaline Rift Valley lakes to the brink of extinction.
Bird experts and conservationists further indicate that though several East African states have domesticated international treaties on protection of migratory species as part of concerted efforts to save flamingos which sustain tourism besides stabilizing ecosystems, human induced threats such as pollution of wetlands have aggravated an already worse situation for the birds.
According to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Senior Researcher Mr Joseph Edebe, increased volumes of water at Lake Nakuru and Bogoria have destroyed large portions of the birds’ habitats leading to a decline in their numbers.
He noted that unpredictable weather patterns have disrupted migration of flamingos from Tanzania to Kenya, adding that curbing lake pollution and increased public education is vital to strengthening protection of the migratory birds.
Mr Edebe explained that the increase in water levels had reduced the alkalinity of the lakes and as a result weakened their capacity to sustain blue-green algae that flamingos feed on.
In January and July every year KWS, National Museums of Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Nature Kenya, Site Support Groups and volunteers’ partner in carrying out a census of water birds.
Between 2008 and 2015, statistics from the census, particularly in Lakes Nakuru and Bogoria, confirmed a declining trend on lesser flamingos, while the population of Greater flamingos remained stable.
Lesser Flamingos totally depend on blue-green algae as food, whereas Greater flamingos feed on a wider variety of food within the alkaline lakes.
“In 2010, more than one million Lesser flamingos were recorded in total in the water bird counts but in 2014, only 5,000 were recorded,” the report states.
In 2017, the Status of Key Biodiversity Areas report observed that the overall status of the sites, which included major flamingo feeding sites, were unfavorable. Lakes Nakuru and Bogoria were among the 38 sites that recorded unfavorable status during the monitoring period.
Mr Edebe added “Flamingos are not adapted to wading in deep waters and as the lakes swell they relocate to shallow ends, which sometimes are too bushy, or search for other spots,”
In 2021 hundreds of flamingos got trapped in prickly Mathenge weeds that grow on part of the shores of Lake Bogoria. The flamingo population at the Lake then was estimated at 300,000.
The Senior Researcher observed “Flamingo food thrives in brackish or saline water and that is why they prefer the lagoons which exhibit the same features. Over time, the lake waters have reduced in salinity as a result of a large inflow of fresh water,”
The expert said population trends have experienced a sharp drop in breeding sites in Tanzania and feeding grounds in Kenya.
Official statistics and records reveal that the migratory birds’ numbers have been dwindling at two major habitats, from 2011, when water levels started to rise sharply.
A January 2021 bird count indicated that there were 6,000 flamingos in Lake Nakuru, with an additional 4,000 birds recorded within sewerage treatment ponds nearby – a sharp decline from an estimate of 850,000 in the year 2000.
Records from Bird Life International show that populations at Lake Natron, the largest breeding site in East Africa, registered a dramatic decline in numbers between 2018 and 2021.
Due to rising water levels no breeding was recorded in Lake Natron In 2020 and 2021, an occurrence that was also reported in the Kenyan lakes.
Director for Nature Tanzania Mr Emmanuel Mgimwa held that the natural dynamics and change in climate at the lake basin, and beyond, appear to be the main reason for the fluctuation in Lesser flamingo numbers in the past two years.
“Torrential rains at the end of 2019 and early 2020 resulted in water levels rising at Lake Natron. Flamingos are not able to feed in waters beyond 80cm of depth, furthermore, the increased water diluted the waters disrupting the balanced physical-chemical variables,” Mr Mgimwa explained.
According to Senior KWS warden Caroline Mwebia, other bird species threatened with extinction at Lake Nakuru National Park and bird sanctuary include Gray Crowned-Crane, White-barked Vulture and Rueppell’s Griffon.
Ms Mwebia said Abyssinian Thrush, White-headed Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Greater Spotted Eagle and Imperial Eagle are now also considered vulnerable.
“The challenges facing the birds have been aggravated by fluctuation of lake water levels. Maccoa Duck, Lesser Flamingo, Black-tailed Godwit, Great Snipe, Bateleur, Crowned Eagle, Pallid Harrier, European Roller, Sooty Falcon and Gray-crested Helmet shrike have also been classified as near threatened species, added Ms Mwebia.
BirdLife International Africa Policy and Communications Coordinator Mr Ken Mwathe indicated that when numbers are low in Lake Natron, it affects the population of those in Kenya.
He rooted for regional collaboration to mitigate against the challenges adding that there have not been comprehensive data to indicate the precise population of the birds in the region.
“There is a need for regional collaboration to deal with challenges flamingos encounter in East Africa from Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. An East Africa Flamingo Action Plan should be formulated to guide on the needed intervention. Presently, each country is working on a different action plan yet these challenges can be handled as a region,” Mwathe said.
Evelyn Silali, an assistant research technologist at Lake Nakuru National Park noted that rapid urbanization has escalated threats to survival of flamingos.
She said that the government has focused on public awareness campaigns, evidence-based research and pollution mitigation in large water bodies as part of efforts to boost conservation of flamingos
Paul Gacheru, a bird expert at Nature Kenya stated that the migratory flight path for the flamingos should be protected to avert encroachment while engaging local communities to conserve wetlands.
“Power lines and the killing of the birds along their migratory routes is one of the biggest threats to their existence. These birds either die from impact with the cables, subsequent impact with the ground or resulting injuries,” noted Mr Gacheru.
He said the country should leverage some policy and legal instruments, reconfigure infrastructure development in order to minimize threats to flamingos and other iconic migratory birds.
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Former banker who is offering abused children a second chance in life
A recent report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that one in every four girls and one in every nine boys undergo sexual abuse before attaining the age of 18.
The report also reveals that only 41 per cent of females and 39.2 per cent of males who experienced any form of violence disclosed their ordeals.
What is even more shocking about the findings by KNBS is the fact that the risk of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) is higher for children living in poverty and for those who have experienced other forms of violence or abuse in their home or community.
“Most of the children who experience any form of violence or abuse are afraid of speaking especially if they suspect they are not in safe environment for them to open up or they will be victimized if they share their experiences,” says Ann Wambui, who runs Neema Rescue centre, a sanctuary for survivors of SGBV in Nyeri county.
It is the want of these safe havens and her own childhood experience while growing up in Kiawara slums in Nyeri that prompted Wambui -also famously known as Wambui Wa Ciana- to start empowerment sessions for school going children.
At the time, she would use such sessions at the YMCA to distribute sanitary towels and food to the young boys and girls.
But it was an incident in 2017 that pushed her to quit her job as credit manager at the Bank of Africa, Nanyuki branch and set up a rescue centre for SGBV victims.
The 30-year-old mother of two narrated how her heart broke after one of the girls she was counselling committed suicide after being sexually molested a second time.
“I kept feeling helpless because I had allowed her to go back to the same toxic environment after the empowerment session. Beyond encouragement, I could not take any other step to get her out of the situation or to protect and that troubled me. I had also encountered many situations where young girls would travel all the way from Nyeri to Nanyuki looking for my help and I thought of setting up a permanent premise where I could rescue these children and shield them from getting abused again,” says Wambui.
After working for one year and three months as a banker, Wambui quit her job in 2019 to pursue her passion as a children rights activist.
Part of her send-off package went to renting a two bedroomed house in Thunguma on the outskirts of Nyeri town where she could host the victims.
Wambui says that the first donations towards supporting her course came from her mother who donated her (Wambui’s) old bed to the centre.
Her local church also donated table and plastic seats and from those humble beginnings the rescue centre started its operation.
Today, Wambui runs the centre with the help of Ellah Musasia who is the director , a matron and cook.
The victims depend fully on the support of well-wishers to operate, though, Wambui sells branded merchandise mostly T-shirts and scarfs to supplement such donations.
In the three years that the safe haven has been in operation, 24 minors have passed through her hands.
The centre is currently home to four boys and 14 girls with the oldest being 17 years old while the youngest is a year-old boy.
“We receive calls from as far as Samburu and Busia counties to come to the aid of children who have been violated. We mostly work with the police and the children welfare offices. In most cases, we get these distress calls from members of the community who give us anonymous tips,” says Wambui.
After they are rescued, the victims are first taken through a medical check-up and numerous counselling sessions to help them recover from the trauma.
Out of the 14 girls under her care, three of them are ambassadors who Wambui says help to raise awareness among their peers concerning SGBV and who to speak to in the event one is defiled. Wambui says that not all cases end up at the rescue centre.
In most instances, the process involves establishing whether the SGBV victim has other close relatives who can take them in.
At other times she is forced to refer the children to other homes depending on the nature of each case.
“Most of those who end up at the centre are those who do not have kin to fall back to. The rescue process involves delving into the victim’s background to see if they can be taken in by close relatives before, we can admit them into the centre,” she narrates.
Sadly, Wambui admits that in nearly all instances that she has been called to rescue a minor, the perpetrator is often closely related to the victim.
The other big challenge she has encountered in her years as a child rights activists is numerous instances where perpetrators fight tooth to nail to circumvent the legal process.
She also says that unlike in the past where the larger percentage of SGBV victims were thought to be girls, boys have not been spared.
“We concentrated too much on the girl child and forgot about our boys. The sad reality is that we have boys being sexually molested and physically abused but the only difference is that boys are not as expressive as girls,” she says.
A few years ago, a local NGO- Action for Children in Conflict (AfCiC) termed children endangered species due to increasing cases of defilement being recorded in the country.
Unfortunately, according to the organization, many of these cases do not see the light of day since 90 per cent of the children are defiled by people known to them; relatives, fathers, uncles, brothers or cousins and even grandparents.
“Studies have shown that defiled children prefer to keep mum because when they report, a relative would be arrested and maybe he or she is the breadwinner of the family. Action for Children in Conflict (AfCiC) believes that the Kenyan child who is protected by international and national legislation should not have to live in fear of speaking out about defilement and encourages the family members to report those involved,” says AfCiC in its 2014 report.
According to Section 8(2) of the Sexual Offences Act of 2006 any person who commits an offence of defilement with a child aged eleven years or less shall upon conviction be sentenced to imprisonment for life.
Section 8(3) of the same law also stipulates that any person who commits an offence of defilement of a child aged between 12 to 15 years is liable upon conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than 15 years.
Yet despite the stiff penalties spelt out in the law, cases of defilement in Kenya have been on a steady rise over the years, posing a grave challenge to the social and moral fabric of the country.
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NGO roots for a Seed Saving Culture to Boost Food Security
The Agriculture sector has for many decades been the backbone of Kenya’s economy with the sector directly contributing more than 22 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
This is according to a survey conducted by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Monetary Policy Committee on Agriculture in 2022. It employs more than 40 percent of the total population and 70 percent of the rural population.
According to the report, 15 to 17 percent of Kenya’s total land area has sufficient fertility and rainfall to be farmed and seven to eight percent can be classified as first-class land. But this land mass has been dwindling due to various reasons such as climate change, high cost of farm inputs such as certified seeds and fertilizer.
For instance, a World Bank report on the state of agriculture in Kenya released in December last year indicates that the agriculture sector constricted by 1.5 per cent in the first half of 2022 and this poor performance slowed GDP growth by 0.3 per cent.
Indeed, this important sector has over a period of time experienced a decline in agricultural productivity as a result of erratic rainfall and intensifying droughts.
According to the Kenya Food Security Steering Group (KFSSG) report, the maize harvest for instance in the marginal agricultural areas is only 45 to 50 per cent of the five-year national maize production average.
These are perhaps some of the reasons why in October 2022, the Kenya Kwanza Government lifted the decade-long ban on the cultivation and importation of Genetically Modified food products or Organisms (GMOs).
Lifting the ban means that Kenyan farmers can now openly cultivate GM crops, as well as import food and animal feeds produced through genetic modification, such as white maize which is Kenya’s staple food and is grown in most of all Kenyan farms.
Those opposed to the lifting of the ban on GMO products allege that they pose a health risk to Kenyans, particularly the poor and those with low incomes and might lead to the loss of all indigenous variety of seeds which are equally important and of great nutritional value in the country mainly because of cross-pollination.
They also allege that the government lifted the ban without involving Kenyans through public participation as required by the Constitution.
Kenya banned GMO crops in 2012. The ministerial statement on the ban at the time was largely informed by a 2012 a scientific report dubbed the Seralini study that associated GMOs with cancer in rats.
Currently, there are those advocating for preservation of indigenous seed in the face of the looming introduction of GMO seed in the country. They say this indigenous seed preservation will help enhance food security and nutrition in the country.
The proponents for this ideology argue that adverse effects of climate change coupled with abandonment of indigenous crops has been the greatest contributing factor to the rising scare of food insecurity in the country.
Seed saving and distribution is an ancient practice that has safeguarded farming communities from hunger and malnutrition over the years and has been regarded as a measure to secure farmers from losing their yield as a result of drought or due to other factors affecting agriculture.
It is for this reason that Seed Savers Network (SSN), a Non – Governmental Organisation (NGO) has taken it upon themselves to train and equip farmers with skills and resources to mitigate the effects of climate change and address the issue of food security in the country through preservation of indigenous seeds.
Some of the seeds they preserve include; maize seeds, sweet potato seeds, beans and other legumes and traditional vegetables among others.
The program officer at the NGO, Ms Mary Wambui says they are working with over 60,000 farmers across the country in a bid to foster a culture of seed saving in order to ensure a continued steady supply of indigenous seeds that are not available in agro-shops.
“One of the ways SSN is bridging the gap is through organising seed fairs where farmers are provided with a platform to meet and exchange a variety of indigenous seeds with the aim of increasing the seed bank deposits,” Wambui notes.
She however explains that one of the major challenges encountered by farmers and their seed banks is the existence of the Seed and Plant Varieties Act (2012), which prohibits anyone from sharing, exchanging or selling uncertified and unregistered seeds in the country.
Wambui says that it is critical to initiate policy change in order to accommodate the farmer managed seed system as it is important in the whole food value chain and in ensuring preservation of indigenous seeds.
The program officer says that her organisation has been focussing on training farmers with best farming practices in the past 10 years to foster the creation of a farmers’ network grounded on principles of solidarity and trust where for instance highly trained and engaged farmers from different villages in Nakuru County have become Seed Ambassadors.
“Seed ambassadors are farmer leaders who have been trained on mustard seed saving and other agro-ecological practices and have shown an interest in disseminating such information an d practices using the farmer-to-farmer extension (FFE) model,” Wambui says.
One such seed ambassador is Mr James Kariba who hails from Gilgil in Nakuru County who explains that Seed Savers Network (SSN) has been instrumental in helping farmers through the knowledge and skills gained from various training and extension services.
Kariba says they have learnt to practice organic farming hence abandoning the use of chemicals that has enabled them produce healthy foods fit for human consumption and the re-introduction of indigenous crops that are considered to be of high nutrition levels.
According to Kariba, the training has also enabled them to develop their own seed banks in their home to preserve seeds some of which were on the verge of extinction, adding that this has tremendously boosted their food security as well as acted as a source of income through the sale of surplus produce.
Another farmer, Beatrice Wangui from Langalanga area in Gilgil who is also a beneficiary of the program says the training has helped them to practice climate smart agriculture, adding that before the program, farmers heavily relied on the unpredictable rainfall patterns which exposed them to low yields and hunger when it failed.
However, they were trained on alternative means of farming including use of irrigation and this has greatly increased their yields and making them food secure.
Despite the biting drought in the country that has transcended four seasons in some areas causing massive loss of livestock and starvation and malnutrition among the affected population, Wangui says the knowledge gained from the trainings has helped them devise ways of preserving their produce through using traditional ways of drying for use during the dry season.
Some of the common foods they dry and preserve she says include green leafy vegetables, carrots and beetroot among others. Apart from food preservation, the farmers are trained on how to make their own organic fertilizer from mixing dry leaves, charcoal dust, top soil and farm manure to create foliar diverting from the use of chemicals in crops to control pests and diseases.
She says this has helped them produce foods that have lesser chemicals which have been known to contribute to lifestyle diseases that spring from the long-term consumption of chemically grown farm produce.
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Women thriving in handicrafts, aquaculture
Long are the days when women were limited to the kitchen and viewed as typical housewives in a society that was male dominated in almost every field.
In this era, women have broken these chains and are flying higher to make names for themselves, not forgetting their responsibilities as wives, mothers and daughters.
An example is Vivian Oluoch, the sole founder of Avianna Eco Arts and Decor Foundation who is soaring high and also uplifting other women in Homa Bay.
Through her organisation, the 26-year-old graduate is creating outstanding home decors and arts and selling them to earn a living.
Avianna Eco Arts and Decors is making use of environmental wastes such as wine bottles, carrier bags and plastics to create its products, a move that has double benefits, earning a profit as well as conserving the environment.
“Avianna is a social enterprise where we make use of environmental wastes to create pieces of art which we sell to earn a living as well as preserving our environment,” she notes.
Wastes like carrier bags (Popularly known as uhuru bags) just like plastics, are over the time becoming major pollutants which Ms Oluoch and her trainees have come up with biodegradable shopping baskets as an alternative to carrier bags.
“These biodegradable shopping bags can help minimise use of carrier bags,” Ms Oluoch notes.
These women create beautiful flower vases from bottles, serviette holders from beads, and other home decors that are appealing to the eyes.
“These wastes are easily available in our environment. If you have a bottle, you buy a thread at Sh50, decorate the bottle and sell it at Sh200 or 300 where at the end of the day you have earned an income,” she says.
They also promote and encourage the use of carrier bags and sacks for kitchen gardening.
Ms Oluoch has trained a lot of young girls especially those with physical disabilities in Homa Bay to strengthen their financial standing and make them independent through making and selling these beautiful pieces of art.
“I worked with vulnerable women including those infected with HIV/AIDS as well as the physically handicapped. When you go to the community, the reality hits hard, you find a woman is beaten because she asked for money to buy salt,” she says.
These girls were going through a lot of hardships before they were picked from slum areas of Shauri Yako Estate and transformed into business ladies capable of sustaining a living.
Orphaned at an early age, Ms Oluoch notes that life has not been easy for her and understands how young women and girls especially from poor families are struggling.
With this initiative she is trying to protect these girls from going around seeking ways to make ends meet through activities that will destroy their lives.
“As a woman I know how it feels to live in poverty. Young girls these days can be easily lured by sex pests especially when they lack essential items like sanitary towels,” she says.
She adds that due to their vulnerability, there is a need to economically empower them for their protection against early marriages and pregnancies.
While in college, Ms Oluoch together with her classmates, would make art pieces such as key holders and bracelets, selling each at Sh50 to enable them meet their daily demands.
That was a turning point in her life where she said to herself that she needed to reach out to other women in her community and impart the same skills.
She returned back home in the year 2020, with a resolve to change lives where she volunteered in training vulnerable women.
She notes, “I asked these women to allow me to teach them how they could earn money by making crafts that sell quickly.”
After the training, the students are in turn released to go out and touch lives of others in the society, just as Christine Osano, a beneficiary says.
Like many other girls, Christine married at a very young age out of poverty and desperation, but life became even unbearable for her marriage comes with its own challenges.
“Madam Vivian came into my life as a blessing and trained me together with others on how to make beautiful decorations using waste around us. As women we are truly grateful to Avianna, because it has helped us become better versions of ourselves,” she says.
Another beneficiary, Tracy Otieno, a form three dropout sings praises of the organisation saying she has seen the sweetness of making own money.
Tracy is a form three drop out who joined her grandmother in her fish vending activities where at the end of the day, she would get some money for her personal needs.
She says due to poverty, she had to discontinue her studies because her grandmother could not afford to pay her school fees.
She however came to know about Avianna through other girls who had benefited from it.
“I joined the girls and we received the training. We were idle and as we know an idle mind is the devil’s workshop and Madam Vivian came to us at such a time when we were vulnerable,” she says.
It is usually out of helplessness that young women are lured into early sexual activities and marriages but Tracy and others were saved from such temptations which destroy girls like wildfire.
Ms Oluoch says she picks these girls and trains them for free. “I train them for free but the only things they have to bring with them are the materials like thread and bottles,” she adds.
Another organisation, Echo Network Africa (ENA), is also changing lives of women in Homa Bay through fish farming. This organisation has so far empowered and transformed 17 women groups into cage fish farmers.
Previously, these women were fish mongers in Rongo, where a number of them were selling sex for fish.
Rose Kauta is the chairlady of Rongo Women Group, a group that practices cage farming in Rongo Beach Management Unit (BMU) courtesy of ENA.
She says ENA came to the BMU and selected groups of women who were vulnerable and suffering with an intention of empowering them.
These women have flourished in fish farming after they were introduced to cage fishing, through training and donations of fingerlings, cages, boats, deep freezers and other tools.
They were also given machinery for value addition in their fish selling businesses.
“ENA empowered us to do away with jaboya (Selling fish for sex) and gave us cages, fingerlings, and boats. We also received mixers for value addition,” notes Kauta.
The group harvests 5.3 tonnes of fish yearly from the cages and sells them to Rio Fish Farm in Migori County.
These women can now educate their children and live comfortable lives thanks to ENA.
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Light industries in Nakuru optimistic of lower power tariffs as construction of IPPs kicks off
Three power firms identified to set up power plants at the Menengai geothermal wells are expected to kick off operations as construction works near completion.
After drilling geothermal wells and building the steam gathering systems at the Menengai Crater fields in 2013, the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) competitively selected three firms that would set up power plants in a Public Private Partnership.
The three Independent Power Producers (IPPs) Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power, Quantum Power East Africa and Orpower were expected to build at the crater’s floor power plants with a combined generating capacity of 105 Mega Watts or 35 Mega Watts each.
For a long time, there was no activity as the companies experienced difficulties in raising capital to construct the power plants.
The Menengai Project is the second large-scale geothermal field being developed in Kenya after the Olkaria units in Naivasha Sub-County whose exploration is carried out by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).
Nonetheless after a decade long wait the much-talked-about Menengai Project in Nakuru County, is finally starting to take shape as construction of Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power Plant is 90 percent complete while Quantum Power East Africa has secured Sh8.89 billion funding ($72 million) to develop its 35-megawatt (MW) power plant.
Investors at Nakuru’s Burma Light Industries are upbeat that once the IPPs are commissioned the cost of electricity will fall dramatically, which will translate into reduced power bills and cost of living. For business it will mean lower cost of production and therefore affordable products.
Burma Light Industries is the result of over 200 ambitious men’s quest to produce goods that compete with imported ones, create more jobs, and raise Kenya’s share in the regional market.
At Burma, there is a factory for almost everything. Everything is possible here, from egg incubators to hinges, to posho mills, solar water heating systems, to ovens, to bakery equipment, utensils, carpentry items, jikos, flush doors and vehicle spare parts.
Today, more than 100 factories share space in the small zone set aside by the County government, and the numbers keep growing.
Mr Fredrick Gathuita, a Director at Shuk Technologies, says availability of affordable, reliable power will bolster the development of light manufacturing which he notes is an important part of Kenya’s plan for industrialization as articulated in the Kenya Industrial Transformation Programme (KITP).
“Completion of these three IPPs (Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power, Quantum Power East Africa and Orpower) will significantly address power costs in Kenya. This will boost the competitiveness of Kenya’s economy,” he quipped.
Mr Gathuita noted that lower electricity tariffs will translate into lower production costs and affirms that this is also likely to knock some imported products from Kenya’s shelves in favour of locally manufactured ones while creating more jobs for the youth.
The industrialist, who fabricates aluminium water boilers, solar water boilers and bakery equipment observed that light manufacturing is labour intensive and this feature makes it attractive for Kenya as an entry point into industrialization as it has the ability to absorb large pools of labour.
“While this is attractive, am convinced that it can create considerable pressure to rapidly skill up a relatively low-skilled labour pool,” Mr Gathuita added.
The industrialist believes that the solution to the Buy Kenyan build Kenya drive will be greatly come from light industries and if only cost of production comes down and quality of manufactured goods is improved by embracing technology.
Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power was initially scheduled to start operations by September last year after receiving Sh6.5 billion funding from the China-based Zhejiang Kaishan Compressor to construct a geothermal power plant. The two parties further entered into a 14-year Sh1.8 billion operations and maintenance of systems agreement.
The IPP will now pay GDC Sh1.7 billion per year for the next 25 years before eventually handing over the plant to the government.
Menengai phase one is part of a 5,000 Megawatt project by the government to produce affordable, reliable and green energy.
The State Corporation has drilled steam wells with an output of 165 Mega Watts. This steam is more than enough for the first 105MW of electricity expected to be generated by the three IPPs.
GDC has already constructed the steam gathering system while Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) has set up a 132-kilovolt (kV) substation that will transmit electricity from the three power plants.
Under the arrangement, also known as Menengai Model, GDC was to take care of upfront risks and then invite private sector players to construct, own and operate the plants for 25 years.
Paul Muhende, a civil engineer and a planning superintendent overseeing construction of Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power says the first and second unit of the plant feature screw expanders, while the third and fourth ones are equipped with screw turbines to optimize utilization of steam from GDC wells in generating power
Engineer Muhende explains that dry steam from GDC wells will be channelled into the screw turbines to generate electricity while wet steam which is a by-product of the initial run, will be directed into the screw expanders where, as it is transformed into dry steam yet again, it will move rotors that are coupled with generators to produce power.
He adds, “This type of engineering model makes our power plant a full system that uses the overall potential of the whole power of steam before reinjecting it into the system. In the model, dry steam is immediately reinjected into system once it runs turbines.”
According to 25-year-old Chrisantus Shireka who manufactures solar power equipment at Burma Light Industries, energy consumers have been paying for expensive power from diesel- and thermal-powered generating plants and adds that cheaper electricity from geothermal sources is welcome news.
“Independent power producers (IPPs), introduced in 2000 in an emergency plan to sustain electricity supply during droughts, have become the biggest beneficiary of a business model that compensates them fully for the fuel they use in operations,” he observes.
He notes that since the cost of manufacturing goods is directly passed to consumers, they can expect prices of products at the light industries to go down once the IPPs at Menengai Crater are fully operational.
Mr Shireka a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics graduate from the University of Nairobi petitions the government to expand the incentive structure for manufacturers to expand their night shift production, when there’s plenty of idle power.
He suggests manufacturers take up more power at night at half the cost of daytime rate to improve on their bottom line.
According to Kenya Power the peak demand from industry and households is 1,770 MW but, after 9 pm, the demand halves as most of the country goes to sleep.
“Improving infrastructure and security in shopping areas and residential neighbourhoods would encourage light industries and micro and small enterprises to stay up late and consume more low-cost power,” adds Mr Shireka.
Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) has been picked by a London-based power firm Globeleq as the general contractor, who will design the infrastructure for the Sh8.89 billion Quantum Power East Africa plant as well as procure the necessary material and equipment.
Technically known as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor, the Japanese conglomerate is expected to commence work during the first quarter of 2023.
Globeleq Chief Executive Officer Mr Mike Scholey said his firm and the Nagoya-based company, a unit of the Toyota Motor Corporation had also executed a long-term service agreement (LTSA) which will take effect once the power plant reaches commercial operations in 2025.
In 2021, Globeleq acquired a majority stake in Quantum Power East Africa. British Nation Investment (BII – formerly CDC) holds 70 percent of shares in Globeleq while the rest are owned by Norwegian DFI Norfund.
Mr Dennis Mwangi whose firm manufactures egg incubators at Burma Light Industries says that the projects will bolster Kenya’s efforts towards a 100 percent transition to clean energy in a bid to provide cheap electricity besides protecting the environment from the pollution of the thermal power plants.
“When talking about sources of employment in Kenya, the Jua Kali sector has to feature on the list. It provides employment to up to 83 percent of the working population and lower power costs will even make it more sustainable,” he opines.
Mr Mwangi says completion of the IPPs will address one of the biggest challenges the sector faces since it will be a panacea for the problems of poverty and unemployment
For example, Kenya Power disclosed that the uptake of electricity from thermal energy plants jumped from 876-gigawatt hours (GWh) to 1,539 GWh in the 2021/22 financial year.
According to GDC Managing Director and CEO Engineer JaredOthieno,once the three IPPs are fully operational electricity generated from the multibillion-shilling Menengai Geothermal Project will cost at least Sh7 per kilowatt less than diesel or hydro power.
“When electricity is finally generated at Menengai, our country will save more than Sh13 billion as fuel levy annually and ultimately lower the cost of power bills,” said the Regional Manager, adding that Kenya would save some Sh45 billion spent to buy diesel.”
The CEO noted that the Menengai GDC plant had the capacity to produce enough electricity to serve almost 500,000 homesteads and 300,000 businesses.
GDC began drilling at Menengai site in February 2011 and has so far sunk over 43 wells, 24 of which have been tested giving 165 MW. The rest of the wells are still undergoing tests.
GDC plans to pump an extra 1065mw into the national grid in the next ten years which will be generated from Menengai (465 Mega Watts), Baringo-Silale (300 MegaWatts) and 300 Megawatts from South Rift region as the government seeks more geothermal energy.
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‘The Glory’ serves its revenge slowly and coldly
By Muusi N
“Revenge is best served cold.”
Ah, there’s nothing quite like a juicy revenge story to sink your teeth into, am I right? Whether it’s in the movies or on TV, revenge plots always bring the drama, and the best part is, they can unfold over years—even decades! Hold onto your seats, folks, because there’s a new Korean drama that takes the cake when it comes to plotting out the perfect revenge.
The Glory revolves around a woman who was bullied in high school and finally enacts her revenge on her tormentors when she becomes the teacher to one of their children. This revenge plot unfolds in the series in two parts, but for Moon Dong-Eun revenge takes 18 years. Talk about a slow burn!
When I first started watching this show, one of the things that intrigued me was what Park Yeon-jin and her friends did to Moon Dong-eun. This was not just bullying; it was assault. Even so many years after the fact, her body was still scarred. Furthermore, the mental harm and trauma she suffered is still present and they completely got away with it!
This captivating show was written by Kim Eun-sook, a true mastermind. I believe Kim Eun-sook wants to give viewers a dose of shock and awe by revealing the harrowing experience that Moon Dong-eun had to go through. Additionally, I think she succeeds in making us believe in Dong-eun’s elaborate and intricate revenge plan—which is no small feat. To buy into this plan, we need to accept the fact that Dong-eun has devoted her life to seeking revenge against her tormentors, even though it may seem far-fetched that her abusers were able to maim her right under the nose of the school administration.
However, the show’s appeal goes beyond its gripping revenge plot, as it delves into the complexities of class issues that permeate Korean society. Yeon-jin’s mother, for instance, is the epitome of a heartless parent who is quick to cover up her daughter’s misdeeds, thanks to her deep pockets and influence. In contrast, Dong-eun comes from a humble background, living in a dingy slum with parents who view her as a nuisance. Although this is all we know about the rivals, it is enough to comprehend the motivations behind Dong-eun’s insatiable thirst for revenge.
Overall, I highly recommend The Glory. In my book, it is a 10/10, the writing is superb, the acting is top-notch, and the pacing is just right. It’s the kind of show that leaves you eagerly waiting for the next episode, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next. Stream it and prepare for an unforgettable revenge story!
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Mwatate United FC inks sponsorship deal with Teita Sisal
National Super League, NSL, side Mwatate United from Taita-Taveta County has received sponsorship boost after inking a Ksh. 3Million shillings deal with a local sisal-processing firm, Teita Sisal Estate.
Speaking at the event, Teita Estate Farm Administrator Anthony Nelson said the sponsorship was part of the company’s commitment to promote sport and ensure diverse talents were developed in the region.
He added that already, the company was supporting over 15 other local football clubs.
Mr. Nelson urged Mwatate United FC officials to prudently use the sponsorship money to promote the welfare of the club and players stating that the firm has in the past year halted its support towards local clubs due to lack of financial prudence from club administrators.
“We have assured the club that we are willing to support them and we have just started with three million shillings. We are committed to promoting talent and sporting skills amongst the young people,” he said.
Mwatate United is one of the 19 teams in the National Super League and the only team from Taita-Taveta County.
Currently, the team is ranked position 13 out of 19 with 23 points.
Mwatate United Coach Mark Asa said that the sponsorship will a go a long way in assisting the team attain desirable results in the league as they eye top flight promotion next season.
“We have conceded goals that we should not have allowed. We are now confident we are going to recover and gain more points,” he said.
The team captain Robinson Joshua said the sponsorship deal with Teita Sisal Estate was a timely intervention that will boost the players’ morale and confidence.
He said that absence of sponsorship in the past made the team struggle to meet operational expenses and this affected the players’ focus.
“We are thankful we have this boost. The players will not focus wholly on training and playing,” he said.
Gamariel Mwarabu, a club official promised that the funding will be properly utilised calling on other sponsors to come on board.
“We are still calling out for sponsors to come onboard and partner with us to nurture and grow talent. The cost of running a club is high and we welcome other well-wishers to support these young players,” he said.