By Maureen Akinyi

Victorious Self Help Group are collecting bones and using them to make world class ornaments.

This has also opened doors for employment opportunities in the slum as most of the youth are in the market.

The commonly used bones are from cows, camels, horse, goat and horse as their basic material in the industry.

According to Fredrick Gor, chairman of the organization the project was initiated in 2006 after realizing their potential in the industry and are making a living out of it.

He said they recruit youths in the industry when they get orders in the market, and pay them according to the sales made in a particular day.

So far the group has more than thirty people who have been employed and earn weekly wages for their labor in the industry.

Gor said it has taken them a lot of patient to reach the level they are in. They use middlemen to market their products.

He however, said they face many challenges in the industry as it’s not easy to meet all the market requirements for their products and this making them incompetent.

Even though they make high quality products their health is also at a greater risk for they cannot afford to have the safety devices to use during the working period. They only get low quality and worn out devices which are not effective.

The working environment is also not effective for their work as its not reliable in terms of transportation of products and nearness to the raw material.

They also use manual machines which is not reliable as they easily breakdown and more time is wasted during its maintenance.

Gor appealed to the government to help them in terms of loans, machines and safety devices for their work to be effective.

So far the group has received a major boost from donors who have found their way in the slums and are trying to market the products.

By Douglas Namale and Leonard Okwako

The Langata CDF committee conducted its evaluation on camera from 22^nd -27^th of August 2011 to ascertain that the 2010 projects had been done successfully.

The meetings were conducted in all 8 wards in Langata, did not feature the long serving chairman, Mr. S.K. Thande. In attendance were the Locational Development Committees LDCs together with contractors and sub- contractors.

It was not clear, what was discussed, though sources from the meetings indicated that, more was needed to achieve the objectives in the Langata Strategic Plan. Again, it appeared there were some disagreements between the contractors and the committees about the status of projects.

A spot check by Kibera Journal team to various projects confirms some projects were shoddily done, some incomplete, others halfway complete or not done at all.

In the previous financial years’ some projects were not done at all, half complete others are stalled.  We also learned that incomplete projects from the previous year get completed in this financial year posing questions about the source of funds used to complete them.

A bridge connecting Silanga to Langata is a good example. Though it serves the residents, it is also a death trap. The big gaps of the lining on the floor send a message that the work done is unsatisfactory.

One can hardly traverse the bridge without having the support of trestles. This has put the residents who utilize the bridge at risk. This is not the only one; many shoddy projects lie strewn in Kibera.

The journalists from local media Pamoja FM and Kibera Journal attempted to access the meeting but their efforts were turned down. One of the participants in the meeting, Mr. Ngare, told our reporter that they will call a press briefing after the meeting but after camping at the venue for more than three hours, they emerged from the meeting mute. Efforts from journalists to ask questions were ignored by the attendees who claimed to be late heading in another meeting which was scheduled at Ayany Primary School.

In one of the surprising event, CDF committee members led by committee chairman Mr. S K Thande toured Kibera to see the projects done by the CDF fund and given a sweeping job to residents that lasted for less than 30 minutes. After the job a wage of Kshs. 250 was paid to each and every person. It was not clear about the total number of people that participated in the exercise.

The payment was done at the DCs ground in Kibera where public funds were used to hire public address system, tents and chairs that were never used by the officials. Some residents questioned about the accountability of the funds saying it was a cover up to embezzle public funds.

By Douglas Namale

Umande Trust together with other Civil Society Organisations CSOs and Community Based Organisations CBOs seeks to demonstrate how the installation of improved bio-centres in slums can serve as focal points for showcasing the green agenda, urban renewal and gradual slum upgrading.

Through Integrated Urban Environmental Planning (IUEP) program, they are focusing on a 60m radius area of influenc

e around a bio-centre where individuals and groups can mobilize themselves, share information, plan together and promote green basic urban services.

The focus is on improving service provision in the slums on water services, access to information and planning, the need for agro-forestry, solid waste management among other economic and social rights as provided for in the new constitution. The main idea is making sure the people living in slums take the lead role in slum upgrading by identifying their needs and also proposing the solutions themselves.

According to IUEP Project Officer, Ms. Aidah Binale, IUEP is part of their strategy to contribute to vibrant, dignified and secure urban living environments free of slums.

Aidah anticipates an upgraded slum, even in areas outside the 60m radius. She explains that implementation of the planned interventions will benefit the community through better planned environments, access to improved urban services and information, capacity development to manage basic urban services and help enhance appreciation of rights based advocacy to basic urban services.

According to her, the community has been involved in Mobilizing, Planning, Dreaming and Problem Identification, Collection of socio-economic data, Mapping their own surrounding, Designing and presenting feedback. She adds, the overall objective of the programme is to support communities at 60m radius to prepare integrated environmental plans as a basis for improving the livelihoods and living conditions in their neighborhoods

The Approach

Umande Trust employs a participatory planning approach which emphasizes on the community participation, partnership with all stakeholders, beneficiaries and other key players. According to Jasho Letu planning committee chairman Mr. David  …. Popularly known as  Kihara the community is best suited in identifying  their social problems, settlement dynamics and challenges, and develop intervention strategies for their own slum improvement.

Field Survey

Kihara led the community to conduct a Field survey in Katwekera Village, Kibera to indentify the spatial data on what is existing and areas of interventions. The data collected shows the physical elements within the settlements such as roads, and rail networks, natural features such as rivers / streams, vegetation, and valleys. This data is assisting communities and Umande Trust to appreciate existing conditions upon which planning and interventions should be based.

Population

The 2009 population census shows Katwekera sub location has a total population of 24, 991 persons, of which 54% are male and the remaining 46% are female. Average household size is 5 persons. The field survey conducted in 2010 showed Jasho Letu project area has a total population of approximately 2,100 persons representing 520 households, which comprise 47% females and 53% males.

Housing and Land-use

The survey indicated that 92% of the structures are residential. Approximately 83% of the structures are constructed using mud and wattle, and 10% of houses are made of galvanized iron sheets (GCI), with the remaining 7% made of timber. The bio-centre and Carolina medical clinic are the only existing permanent structures.

Water and Sanitation

Out of the total 76 structures located within the project area only 18% have access to water kiosks / point located in close proximity to them. 82% of the structures don’t have direct access to water services. Approximately 49% harvest rain water using their roofs.

Water services are mainly provided by water vendors. It is a 24hrs business operated by water vendor cartels. Efforts by the Government, WSUP and CCN to provide water in the area have been frustrated several times by having water pipes mains supplying water in the area uprooted. Majority (90%) of water vendors have illegal water connections from the main pipelines.

A 20 litre container costs between Kshs 3 and 10 (during shortage). Unreliable water supply is attributed to the vendors who deliberately fail to supply water in a bid to charge higher prices.

Sanitation:  

Less than 50% of structures within the project have on-site sanitation facilities. The survey revealed that less than 25% of the toilets were in use owing to their dilapidated conditions. The lack of proper bathrooms resulted in many residents taking baths within the confines of their small rooms.  The Jasho Letu Bio-centre charges Kshs 3 per use and Kshs 10 for use of the bathrooms facilities.  According to field survey, 59% of the residents used the bio-centre,

By Jacqueline Novogratz

The year 2011 has many of us around the world trying to catch our breath and make sense of all that is happening at home and elsewhere. Think about the Middle East and North Africa! Egypt has unleashed a global recognition that change is possible – and people want to be a part of that change. And if any words stood out among the protestors, they were Dignity and Freedom. This is a year influenced by social media, rising food prices, unstable markets, unpredictable weather and the growing understanding that we are all impacted directly and indirectly by all of it.

For Acumen, the confluence of events has reinforced our own growing sense of urgency. In 2011, Acumen Fund turns ten years old. (We are celebrating our anniversary this November 9th and 10th in New York City.) This is a year of reflecting on what we’ve learned over the past decade and planning for the future. In Acumen’s next chapter, we intend to expand our geographic presence and accelerate our efforts to invest in innovative companies, leaders and ideas for ending poverty around the world.

There is a lot of work to be done. I’m thrilled to announce our new India Country Director, Meghna Rao, who brings a wealth of operational and investing experience to Acumen. In her new role, Meghna is focused on doubling our India portfolio from $25M to $50M in the next few years as well as demonstrating outsized impact and growing our local community. And the team has just moved offices from Hyderabad to Mumbai.

Having just returned from India, I’m excited by the progress of many of our investments, and the learning that comes from using the market as a listening device. Global Easy Water Products (GEWP, our for-profit drip irrigation investment) and its sister non-profit IDE India have served more than 330,000 farmers. Founder Amitabha Sadangi points to metrics that include higher income levels for the farmer (for some, an increase to $5-6 a day, from a start point of $1-2) combined with a 50% reduction in water use, lower electricity costs to the farmer and higher land productivity. Moreover, GEWP has seen sales triple in the past three years and is operating profitably.

What farmers gain most of all from the increase in agricultural productivity, of course, is choice. Interestingly, farmers tend to follow regional patterns for how they use profits. In Maharashtra where I visited, farmers typically invest in upgrading their farms (new equipment, better seeds and fertilizers). In Karnataka, according to Amitabha, farmers will more likely invest in their children’s education. Culture matters – and listening to the preferences of different groups will teach us how to better address real needs.

One of our newest agricultural investments is GADC, our first investment in Uganda. GADC is a commercial cotton ginnery with operations in Gulu District in Uganda, a part of the country plagued by 25-years of civil strife and horrendous violence (it is estimated that war left 1.4 million citizens in the north homeless.) Acumen Fund co-invested with Root Capital to enable GADC to purchase conventional and organic seed cotton from smallholder farmers. Already, we’re seeing significant progress among the 30,000+ farmers, and GADC has plans to expand its operations and enable a beleaguered people to work on solving their own problems. GADC is now exploring opportunities to introduce sesame and other crops to its farmers to further enhance their agricultural livelihood and redevelop the agricultural ecosystem of the region.

In 2011, we are actively exploring expansion to a new geography: West Africa, starting with Ghana and Nigeria. Our colleague Catherine Casey moved to Accra, Ghana in January to examine possibilities for establishing an office that would work with the local business community, secure funding and, if feasible, make 1-2 investments this year. Key to this is not only the local business community and pipeline of potential investments but also our ability to raise significant funding for operations and investing. I am actually writing this letter from Accra, where Catherine and I have been meeting with committed entrepreneurs, thought leaders and students. I’ve been struck by a sense of optimism about the future, and look forward to learning more in these next months – and thank everyone who has been so generous and kind with their time.

Finally, the first weeks of 2011 have reminded me at every level how fragile our lives are, and how the work of using patient capital to release the energies of low-income individuals is so connected to our collective human journey. In late January, we had a truly special event. George Mathew, the irrepressible Artistic Director of Music for Life International, brought together more than 250 musicians and singers to perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Carnegie Hall for the flood survivors of Pakistan, and for Acumen Fund specifically. The musicians and singers all volunteered their time, and many flew across the country. As the musicians played, projected pictures that I took of the flood survivors last summer seemed to float above the orchestra.

I will never forget that evening and feel profoundly grateful to George and the orchestra. The last two weeks of December had been extremely difficult ones for my family and community. On December 21st, the universe took Acumen Fund’s dynamic, 27-year old volunteer chapter leader Jessica Fashano, and less than a week later, we lost my darling 24-year old stepdaughter Zoe. We will forever feel their loss, but are determined to keep the spirits of these incredible young women alive through our work, and the way we live our lives.

Grief releases love and it also instills a profound sense of connection. While in India, I went running in Bandra West near our new offices in Mumbai. The area’s promenade is along the part of the sea that recedes a quarter mile from the land each dawn, leaving muddy, rocky fields where hundreds of men walk to find space where they can wash and use the toilet in public view while trying to preserve some sense of dignity. While I’ve seen this scene countless times, on this particular morning I thought of each individual man, the hardships they face daily, the suffering and losses they each know, the cruelty of their lives. I know if I met them in one of our companies, many would smile at me and tell me good things about their situations. And I suppose that is what life holds – seemingly unbearable pain and exquisite beauty, numbing loss and gorgeous new life all mixed in a swirl of hope and anger and possibility and despair, all bound by how much we need one another.

Life is a mystery. In December, I was honored to speak at TEDWomen. I ended that talk with a simple phrase: “Our lives are so precious and our time on earth is so short. And all we have is each other.” Those words proved truer than I could have imagined when I first shared them.

I could not feel luckier to work with our global community and feel a deeper commitment than ever before to the very philosophy of Acumen’s work which is embedded in the recognition of and commitment to a world in which every one of us is equal and deserving of a chance to do and be all they can dream. Thank you for being a part of it.
With hopes for renewal and peace,

Amitabha Sadangi (in orange) of GEWP is creating increased income - and choice - for smallholder farmers.

Jacqueline Novogratz

By Douglas Namale

Melinda Gates has added her voice on the significance of having a map in Kibera as a tool for development.

‘When you map where you stay, it marks the beginning of development’ said Melinda as she addressed delegates at TEDx for Change at Kibera Mchanganyiko hall. She said it’s vital to know how many people live around you since this will form the beginning of lobbying for change. According to her, the mapping project has necessitated many things which majority couldn’t understand without a map.

“Its up surd to note that for many years Kibera has appeared on the map as a forest, till the mapping project which has now revealed different facilities present in Kibera.” She added.

Other delegates voiced their interest in seeing Kibera change. Governance Consultant John Githongo said it’s vital for the state to recognize and value the dignity of its citizenry other than leaving them to despair. Githongo noted that Kenya was quickly turning into a very weak nation polarized by cultural differences and ethnicity something that rendered wananchi vagabond in their own country.

Bad governance was pointed out as the reason behind the sprawling slums with little attention given to the inhabitants. Salim Mohamed, a budding youth leader and co- founder of Carolina for Kibera blamed NGOs rivalries as one of the reasons behind little development despite 534 NGOs working in Kibera. He pointed out international economic order as a solution to the proliferation of CBOs and NGOs doing almost nothing, despite billions of dollars spent to improve the living standard of people living in Kibera. Mohamed said there was need for NGOs to work together and support each other for any meaningful change to be realized. His sentiments were echoed by Umande Trust CEO, Josiah Omotto. Omotto added that true partnerships and sharing of information will help to mitigate key issues bedeviling the Nairobi slum. He too pointed on bad governance, corruption and lack of transparency and accountability as factors leading to the spread of the slum.

Elsewhere, Map Kibera has just embarked on the use of the map to develop the Kibera slum. Already, the team has started up a conversation with the City Council of Nairobi and Kibera Councilors on the need to identify map and name the roads in Kibera. This will make sure that the slum is accessible during emergencies like fire and sickness.

Already, some progress has been made. Among the five councilors representing Kibera at city hall, four have already showed interest and one has already linked us with District commissioner’s office and another NGO interested in building sanitation blocks in Kibera.

By Douglas Namale

The recent Quarter system introduced by Prof. James Ole Kiyapi, PS  Ministry of Education to safeguard children from the poor backgrounds as the he called it, is rhetorical and can only be termed as a “political gimmick”.

Children from Urban Slums are at the disadvantage since the slums have no public schools. The ministry terms the schools in the slums non-formal, though these schools follow the same syllabus with the so called academies and public schools.  According to Dr Lukoye Atwoli, a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Moi University School of Medicine “It has been said that parents who can afford private primary school can also afford private secondary school. Are we now advocating the creation of a parallel private education system? Soon learners from private secondary schools will be denied places in public universities.”  Lukoye’s sentiments are a key manifestation there is lack of knowledge on the life in the slums.

By December 2010, Kibera had 228 non-formal schools with a population of 26,400, compared to only two public schools with a population of approximately 5200 pupils.  The ministry should come out clearly and tell us where these non-formal schools are placed.  Slum children are in dire need of education but circumstances and obstacles placed ahead of them makes it impossible to perform well.

The situation has gone a notch hire since the ministry has now sidelined them to access better public schools with quality infrastructure after struggling and performing dismally fair.  Lukoye is now raising fears that what the ministry is planning could eventually lead to graduates from private universities not being eligible for jobs in the public sector.

The problems of non-formal schools are enormous ranging from lack of trained teachers, text books, desks …  Sometimes the proprietors of these schools run them without money to pay rent to provide shelter to the students apart from lack of social infrastructure and other many things needed for a school to perform.  Despite the many challenges they face in their daily vocation to provide education to the future Kenyans, the government seems to be riding on the free primary education edict without clear understanding if indeed the quality of education provided is viable.

A simple analysis of the public schools in Kibera reveals that one class has over 70 pupils and the ratio of pupil to teacher is seriously wanting.  On the question of whether what the government calls free primary education is indeed free, the answer is simply amusing.

For instance, Olympic primary school has a population of about 3500 pupils. These pupils are placed in three main tiers.  Class 1-3, 4-6 and 7-8. Tier one pays Ksh. 100 tuition fee per month, and additional Ksh.10 each Saturday.  Tier two pays Ksh. 200 and additional Ksh. 20 each Saturday while the third tier pays Ksh. 300 per month and additional Ksh. 30 each Saturday.  These figures are exclusive of any other money paid for food and such other dues.  Kibera journal learned that the same system is replicated in all other public schools around Kibera and beyond.

At the end of the term, the parent whose child is in a public school ends up parting away with about Ksh.500 per month for his son’s schooling. The question of how free is free in the public primary schools is in question and Lukoye’s argument is unjustifiable. Maybe we should just go ahead and create a private government to run affairs for private citizens whose only craving is a better life for themselves and their offspring!”

Deborah Nesoba

Residents of Langata Constituency are moving to court to take action against Nairobi City Council and Langata Constituency Development Fund Committee officials for alleged misuse of public funds.

Over 500 constituents said the committees charged with management of Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF) and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) among other devolved funds have squandered rising annual allocations that could provide basic education and health services for some of Langata’s poorest people.

At a meeting held at the Kibera D.O’s grounds, the constituents of Langata said the government’s failure to tackle local-level corruption violates Kenya’s obligation to provide basic health and education services to its citizens.

“Many committees and LASDAP officials in Langata have squandered or stolen public money that could have gone toward providing vital health and education services,” said George Ambunya an opinion leader from Langata.

Calling for the disbandment of the Langata CDFC and the revision of LASDAP guidelines, Mrs. Mary Omondi a women’s leader claimed “Budgets have expanded dramatically in recent years, but mismanagement and theft has left basic health and education services in a terrible state of decay.”

Speaker after speaker from the eight wards in Langata constituency called on the government to enact without delay key reforms to make public officers charged with management of the funds more transparent and accountable to the public. The reforms should institutionalise citizen engagement and participation; improve channels of communication and ensure action is taken against those who have misappropriated funds. It is vital that government at all levels publish and disseminate detailed and accurate information about its use of public resources.

As one embittered resident put it, “There is a lot of tribalism in the operations of funds and even amongst beneficiaries of the projects or funds yet Langata is a cosmopolitan constituency. We need a balance in all committees and in beneficiaries.”

Nairobi Mayor George Aladwa who graced the meeting wondered why local leaders gave the meeting a wide berth yet it is the voters of Langata who had catapulted them to the positions and offices they hold. He supported the residents’ views that area leaders were unnecessarily politicising development and advised them to let their record at the local level speak for itself.

The residents made several recommendations for improvement of devolved funds in Langata that collected about 150 signatures that will be presented to area MP Hon. Raila Odinga; Mr. Philip Kisia, Town Clerk Nairobi City Council and Mrs. Agnes Odhiambo the CEO CDF Management Board.

In their memorandum, Langata constituents said they have lost confidence in the Langata CDFC and insisted on the immediate dissolution of the CDFC and reconstitution of a new one citing suspected financial mismanagement; inaccessibility to residents, failure to give regular updates or share information on the progress of projects to constituents and locational development committees.

They also asked for a clarification on bursary allocation procedures and beneficiaries. They claimed that presently the CDF bursary is distributed through area councillors. This has resulted in nepotism and most beneficiaries are relatives or political allies of the councillors.

Constituents further claimed there is high tribalism in CDF and LATF project committees and called upon the area MP and the Town Clerk to intervene urgently to ensure the two funds benefit all residents.

They called for institutionalization of social auditing in CDF and LATF. “We request the MP and the Town Clerk to recognize the right of the public to undertake social audits and avail all project information such as bills of quantity and work plans as the new constitution of Kenya gives citizens both the right to manage their own affairs (Art 174C and D) and the right to information (Article 35).

The author is a program officer at TISA, in charge of media and communications

By Douglas Namale

George Orwell’s words “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” Linger in my mind as I write this letter to fellow Kenyans.

According to Prof Alexander Havard, “we cannot change our behaviour through laws.” Prudence is a virtue that leads a human person to make decisions, which Francis Michelin calls “practical wisdom”. The rule of law as President Kibaki called it in his inauguration speech is just another etymology which appears to have very little significance to our politicians.

Marian Wright Edelman said: “If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it.” These words of wisdom are vital to our situation as a country today. We have fought with the issue of constitution-making for more than two decades, I don’t know your take about it but I believe we have learned a lot in our quest for the new law.

We lost the battle at Bomas because the chauvinists were championing their agenda at the expense of (common man) Wanjiku. Our deficiency of knowledge made us lose the battle in 2005 when the banana verses orange tussle led to no constitution. Our political elites must have read this Madagascan proverb “poverty won’t allow us to lift up our head; dignity won’t allow us to bow it down”.

American founders of conservatism John Adams and Alexander Hamilton believed in limited government powers and encouraged individual excellence and personal achievement. This is the only route to Wanjiku’s sovereignty. We need to scrutinise this document and make sure clauses that encourage innovations, freedom of thought, freedom of press and freedom of expression are inclusive. It is time Kenyans fought for residual power enshrined in Chapter One of the harmonised draft “sovereignty of the people and supremacy of constitution”.

The former American president Thomas Jefferson discovered this and believed that knowledge was essential in the liberalisation of a human person. He said: “To expect to be ignorant and free was to expect what never was, and never will be.” The bill of rights Section 63 of the harmonised draft attempts to combat ignorance through the right to education.

It is folly to expect ignorant citizens to govern themselves or uninformed people to protect their own rights. The civil societies have a tall order to educate the populace on the fundamental clauses in the new draft and again start with the current constitution. Educationists have a tall order to fight for the new curriculum that will teach the contents of the constitution from the lower primary level to universities so that the populace is aware of the contents of what governs them. It is the mandate of the governed and the governor to make sure war on ignorance does not only appear in the sessional papers as is the case in Kenya today but to actualise the course.

Let me conclude my case with Okot P’ Bitek’s words, from the Song of an African Woman Song of Lawino: “I have only one request. I do not ask for money, although I have need of it. I do not ask for meat…I have only one request. All I ask is you remove the roadblock from my path.”

The writer is the editor, Kibera Journal: namalebd@yahoo.com

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By Douglas Namale

Strathmore University has become a cornerstone supporting education in the urban informal settlements and rural setups in the country.

Last year, the university donated Shs 1,655,000 to various education projects in Kibera. They have also helped by sending their students to teach in these schools while on attachment under Community Outreach Programme. The schools under the programme include John Paul II Secondary School, St. Gabriel Academy, Soweto Baptized High School and KOPLWA HIV/Aids Centre.

St. Gabriel academy

The university started its collaboration with this school in 2007 through a motivational talk for students and channeling of funds from national and international donors for books, furniture, laboratory equipment and construction of a new access bridge.

So far the university has donated Shs 576,750 to the school. Out of this amount, Shs 145,300 bought text books, Shs 232,950 for laboratory equipment and the remaining went for the construction of a foot bridge.

John Paul II secondary

The school began in 2004 with the sponsorship from Christ the King Catholic Church in Kibera. In 2008, Rockbrook School in Ireland donated Shs 400,000 for the acquisition of library books and scholarships for the displaced students during the post-election violence. The school equally received monetary support that went towards reconstruction of a perimeter wall destroyed during the post-election violence.

In 2009, Rockbrook teachers organised a cultural exchange programme between their students and John Paul students at Strathmore University.

Soweto Baptist high school

The school was transformed from a professional education centre for dress-making, carpentry and other vocational training in 2004 to a secondary school under the support from the nearby Soweto Baptist Church. In 2008 collaboration with Strathmore University through motivational talks and assistance in teaching. Last year they connected them with both local and international donors. Same year, they received Shs 200,000 from Cadwork in Czech Republic for acquisition of lab equipment. This followed by another Shs 145,300 donations for the scholarships and Shs 232,950 for teachers textbooks.

KOPLWA HIV/Aids Centre

Kenya Organisation of People Living with Aids Centre (KOPLWA) was founded in Kibera in 2007 by a group of adults living with HIV/Aids who decided to join forces to help each other and their children who were being stigmatised at school.

The organisation has 72 members and 70 children under the age of 10 years, 21 of whom are HIV/Aids positive.

The university’s Community Outreach Programme began collaboration with the centre in 2009 by giving some courses on living with HIV/Aids as well as giving support the neighbouring church with education of the children. The university has so far donated Shs 100,000 for infrastructure improvement.

Elsewhere, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) sponsored five students from Kibera to study justice and peace at the university. The students studied advanced certificates last fear and they are to proceed this year at the diploma level.

By Leonard Okwako

Four girls aged between three to six years were raped within a month at Undugu village, Silanga sub-location.

This prompted Youth Development Forum YDF and Care Kenya to stage the Children’s rights campaign in the area to enlighten residents on the rights of children.

Care Kenya has trained paralegals who offer legal advice on the steps to follow after rape or similar cases arise. They also offer counseling and refer the cases to lawyers who offer legal advice. Ann Wangui, a paralegal advised residents to take rape victims to recognised hospitals like Kenyatta National Hospital, MSF clinics, Nairobi Women’s Hospital and any other public hospital. She said, private clinics prescribe antibiotics to the victims which destroy the evidence and no examination or documentation is done.

Victims are also advised to report such matters to the police for legal action and subsequently seek counseling from recognised institution.

On rape prevention, Care Kenya’s project officer Ms Pauline Muhonja, advises both young girls and boys to avoid gifts from strangers, walking alone in isolated areas and refuse lifts from strangers. This was witnessed by a resident who testified of an incident where seven children from Silanga were saved from a stranger who had given them a lift to unknown destination. She said the stranger had lured the children in his car with goodies but on realising that the road at Darajani had been blocked, he dropped the children and disappeared. She advised the residents to adopt Ujamaa type of stay where a child belongs to the community, adding that friendship to children should be intensified.

Representatives from Mbagathi District Hospitals who attended the function asked parents to be careful with their children. They decried on the high rate of rape cases that are reported at the hospital. They advised children to report to their parents anybody who talk or touch them seductively.

In their campaign to curb the menace, the two organisations have set up five reporting centres where the community can report such cases. These are: In Laini Saba, Youth Development Forum at Ushirika children’s centre, Makina at Hakishep offices at hawkers market, KISEP near Freepals, IDEWES next to Maries stopes Kibera clinics and KOPLWA.

nyatta National Hospital, MSF clinics, Nairobi Women’s Hospital and any other public hospital. She said, private clinics prescribe antibiotics to the victims which destroy the evidence and no examination or documentation is done.

Victims are also advised to report such matters to the police for legal action and subsequently seek counseling from recognised institution.

On rape prevention, Care Kenya’s project officer Ms Pauline Muhonja, advises both young girls and boys to avoid gifts from strangers, walking alone in isolated areas and refuse lifts from strangers. This was witnessed by a resident who testified of an incident where seven children from Silanga were saved from a stranger who had given them a lift to unknown destination. She said the stranger had lured the children in his car with goodies but on realising that the road at Darajani had been blocked, he dropped the children and disappeared. She advised the residents to adopt Ujamaa type of stay where a child belongs to the community, adding that friendship to children should be intensified.

Representatives from Mbagathi District Hospitals who attended the function asked parents to be careful with their children. They decried on the high rate of rape cases that are reported at the hospital. They advised children to report to their parents anybody who talk or touch them seductively.

In their campaign to curb the menace, the two organisations have set up five reporting centres where the community can report such cases. These are: In Laini Saba, Youth Development Forum at Ushirika children’s centre, Makina at Hakishep offices at hawkers market, KISEP near Freepals, IDEWES next to Maries stopes Kibera clinics and KOPLWA.