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Issue 11 July/ August 2012

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KIBERA MIRROR
Real life stories from the slums

Kibra: Expectations and challenges

The race to succeed the Langata MP Prime Minister Raila Odinga at constituency level has started to gather momentum
By the Mirror team
Residents of Kibera are upbeat at the prospect of being in their own constituency after the high court threw out cases filed by various organisations and individuals against the creation of 80 new constituencies in the country. The ruling made by Justices Mohammed Warsame, Ruth Sitati, Pauline Nyamweya, Hellen Omondi and David Majanja at the Milimani law courts on July 9 effectively meant that Langata constituency has been split into two constituencies Langata and Kibra. There is a sense of pride and a lot of optimism in the residents with most arguing that services will be brought closer to the people now that Kibera belongs to its own constituency. Bernard Mbaya, a tout in one of the Matatus on route 8 said the previous arrangement where Kibera was part of Langata constituency did not augur well with him because of demographic differences amongst the areas. I feel this is an opportunity to handle our own issues effectively. I dont feel it is OK to put Kibera in the Continued on page 6

Election drums start beating as it becomes certain Kibera will vote for new leadership

A map showing the boundaries of the new Kibra constituency. The constituency has five wards: Sarangombe, Laini Saba, Makina, Woodley and Kenyatta. Apart from woodley the whole constituency is covered almost entirely by the Kibera slum.

Looming cholera outbreak as school operates without water

By Kizito Nadebu & Peter Ombedha
Pupils and teachers of Old Kibera Primary are risking a cholera outbreak after it emerged that the school does not have water. Though the amount of time that the school has been without water cannot be ascertained, some members of the community living around the school allege it has been eight years. But there is more than meets the eye in this saga. On our visit to the school we counted four toilet blocks in the compound that do not have any of the necessities of a toilet block. There is no running water or functional flushing systems whatsoever. The taps are dusty. The only liquid in sight is urine whose stench can be felt from 50 metres away. All the sanitation blocks in the school were constructed using donor funds and were intended to use water. Without water all the 2,200 pupils and 28 teachers at the school are sitting on a time bomb. Two were funded by Australian High Commission and constructed by Focus On African Development (FOAD), one by Handicap International and another by the Constituency Development Fund for Langata. The ones constructed by FOAD are incomplete. Information on their website shows that the projects were completed and functional. Focus On Africa Development regional office Kenya has successfully completed the rehabilitation of toilets at a primary school in Kibera slum, Nairobi. This project was funded by the Australian High Commissioner Kenya under DAP project. The project was implemented in partnership with the local community, says the website.

Continued on page 4

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Kibera Mirror: Issue 11

We welcome letters on topical issues or the stories we publish and comments on kiberamirror@shininghopeforcommunities.org. You can also drop them at our office at Gatwekera near PAG Church.

OPINION
We cannot look the other way if the community deserves to know something

Having too many bosses with several agendas is not too good for the country
It is unfortunate that the country has moved to a level where everyone wants to be a leader in their own way. Today, in the churches the faithful who feel like they are more religious than others want to start their own churches where they can lead the congregation; in the schools teachers who feel more senior or richer want to have their own academic centres and senior doctors in hospitals start their own clinics. The result is a country full of numerous services offering poor services while duplicating each other. The same is also happening in the political arena where every politician who feels he is a big wig wants to own a political party. Infact at the moment each one of them has got his own party. Most of these parties have one thing in common. They share names like republic, united, coalition, unity, alliance, national and democratic. In reality though they are just political vehicles used to bring power to their leaders. forming political parties names. Words More than half of these terms mean the same thing unity but they dont feature in the actions of the parties as they motivate tribal politics. These terms finally remain to be just names as they only help to bring in new leaders but not new leadership. Why cant these leaders better the future of the nation from within the parties they were elected on instead of jumping ship whenever small issues arise in their parties and expect us to follow them? It is like being in a ship and the captain orders you to jump into the water with him because he has disagreed with the deputy captain. The politicians have a bad tendency of treating us as if we are just numbers in terms of votes and not their electorate who deserve to be served. These parties have another thing in common. Most of them are tribal and are not popular beyond the areas where they come from. Otherwise why is it that every politician is followed almost entirely by groupies from his own community whenever he goes to a rally? If we truly want new leadership in the country we need to judge our leaders not on the basis of their tribes or the popularity of their parties but on their capabilities. We need to have leaders who bring positive change to the country and not those who are hopping from party to party for individual gain.

Kevin Ogola

here have been recent complains from some corners of the society about the content being published by the Kibera Mirror. One of the stories that has brought hullaballoo include the lead story of our June/ July edition where some claimed that the story was cooked up and that there exists no internally displaced persons from Kibera who are walking to Uganda on foot. The fact of the matter is our writers had to travel to Naivasha and they talked with those IDPs after we heard the District Commissioner of that area had threatened to evict them. Otherwise could we also have lied that we visited the District Commissioner and found that he had been replaced? Furthermore the issue has already been highlighted in other mainstream media like in The Star of June 17 so there was no way we could have cooked the story. In any case the photo that accompanied that story had no physical features present in Nairobi like Acacia trees. Some might argue that since we are a community newspaper we should only publish good things about Kibera and avoid reporting on wrong things. That we cannot do. And if we do it we will have failed as the only community newspaper and most visible community media in Kibera and turned into a public relations tool for Kibera. We would also have failed our national and international audience plus Governmental and Non Governmental Organisations who depend on the Kibera Mirror for stories from Kibera and other slums. We would also have gone against our slogan Real life stories from the slums that guides us. It is like waking up at night and you find your house burning and you go back to sleep and try to assume that there is no fire. The media exists to inform, educate and entertain the public and it should not be taken as if it is targeting anyone. The Kibera Mirror has been impartial, balanced and objective in its reporting and our investigative journalistic style is a way of exposing the ills going on in society. Before we report we must have adequate proof and we follow the guidelines of the media act of 2007. Instead of blaming the press it would be good if the communities living in the slums acted on the issues raised because in every society if something wrong is happening it means very few people are benefiting at the expense of many. Good or bad if anything happens in any slum and it is in the interest of the residents of Kibera we will report it.

Every politician who feels he is a big wig wants to own a political party. Infact at the moment each one of them has got his own.

Sarah Jenness and Sharaai Marrero

Memoirs of our time at Kibera School for Girls

We need to change our voting patterns

The troubling fact in Kenya is that the bad leadership that has impoverished the people continues to thrive due to one major factor i.e. blind tribal loyalties leading to un-interrogated political support from the very same people who are its victims. The people keep voting for the same corrupt politicians who have a clear history of mismanaging and misappropriating public resources and institutions thereby denying themselves access to basic public services such as decent healthcare services, decent housing, decent sanitation, adequate security and consequently perpetuating the cycle of poverty. This irrational voting behaviour on the part of the people is as a result of deliberate manipulation and exploitation of their blind tribal loyalties by the vultureinfested political class who see public service as a call to enrich themselves rather than to serve and deliver much-needed services to the people. But the seeming inability of the people to interrogate these blind tribal loyalties which cause the irrational voting behaviour is baffling. It directly contributes to their own impoverishment points. It is a primitive and peculiar mind-set. One would expect a normal human being capable of reasoning in a rational manner to question the wisdom behind the historical trend of voting along tribal lines especially when such voting tendencies have proven to be counter-productive to their own individual best-interests. The overwhelming evidence around us of wanton poverty linked to underdevelopment which is caused by poor leadership should not be taken lightly as we head to the general elections

Quote of the Month

Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings
A publication of Shining Hope For Communities
Vincent Achuka The Team Josephine Gisesa,Godwin Oyindo, Nancy Akinyi, Beth Anyango, Sylvia Nekesa, David Otieno, Isaac Gomba, Kizito Nadebu, Nicodemus Odalo, John Okewa, Paul Owino, George Bush, Peter Ombedha Technical assistance Dan Whipple& Kathleen Bogan E-mail: kiberamirror@gmail.com

Nelson Mandela

Editor

We came to Kibera with hopes that we would contribute something valuable to a cause that we believe in: educating girls and women. As students at an all-womens college in the United States, the summer institute at Shining Hope for Communities seemed like an ideal way to spend a month of our summer. We had a lot of questions and uncertainties ranging from nerves about entering a new city, to our worries about our capabilities as teachers. We left with more questions but valuable insights. Once in Kibera, we not only got to know the teachers and students of the Kibera School for Girls but also the SHOFCO youth and the residents of Kibera who welcomed us warmly. All the groups made our experience meaningful and enjoyable. They embraced us throughout and they were extremely friendly. At times they laughed at our attempts to eat ugali. They even invited us to a community cleanup and a community outreach performance where the youth do theatre performances for the community. One of the most amazing parts of being here is seeing just how much the KSG girls value and appreciate their education. They go to school all year round and for longer hours than any of the volunteers do at our American schools. The upper level students especially appreciate the more academic lessons, such as a science based lesson on stars and constellations and writing intensive poetry classes. Upon arrival we were all extremely impressed with the abilities of the lower level girls as well. Many of us assumed they would not be able to read or write at

all. This assumption was proven wrong and we had to do a re- evaluation of our lesson plans. As wonderful as our trip has been, we left with more complicated questions and curiosity than we came here with. Our short time in Kibera is not nearly enough to understand the lives of our students and peers. However, that does

Many of us assumed they would not be able to read or write at all. This assumption was proven wrong and we had to do a re-evaluation of our lesson plans.
not make our experience here any less valuable. Even though our time here has come to an end, the impact of the people weve worked with in Kibera will leave a lasting impact on our mind and in our hearts. Someone once told us that the heart has an infinite amount of space. The people weve met here will surely have a safe place in our hearts.

The writers were participants of the recently concluded second annual Summer Institute, a three-week educational summer camp for Kibera School for Girls students carried out by volunteers from the community and the U.S

Matthew Olang

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Kibera Mirror: Issue 11

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The sanitary imbalance

By Nancy Akinyi and Sylvia Nekesa
It is early morning in Kibera and Juliet* (not her real name) will not be going to school today. Though she is not sick, the 14-year-old girl from Laini Saba will be staying at home as her classmates attend classes for the next four or five days. She is one of the hundreds or thousands of girls from poor households in Kibera and other slums who miss school because they dont have money to purchase sanitary towels every month whenever they are having their periods. Since many of them attend informal schools where there are no textbooks and pupils depend on teachers to dictate notes, missing school translates to poor performance. Though, the government allocated funds for free supply of sanitary towels two months ago, several schools have never received any pads. When reading the 2012/2013 budget, the Finance Minister Njeru Githae allocated 300 million shillings for provision of free sanitary pads to more than 2.7 million girls in informal settlements, arid and poor areas. The aim was to improve the performance of girls from poor backgrounds. Statistics from the Ministry of Education show that the girls aged between nine and 18 years from poor families miss up to five school days a month whenever they are having their periods because they dont have sanitary towels. This translates to 40 school days a year. Most of these are from poor neighbourhoods like Kibera. According to a teacher from Stara academy who requested anonymity because she is not authorized to speak to the press, up to five girls miss school on various days per month whenever they are having their periods. Our hands are tied because you cannot reprimand a pupil for not coming to school because of poverty. We are aware most of their parents cant afford to purchase them as they would rather buy food, she says.

School gets solar floodlights

By George Bush
Students of Raila Education Centre have a guarantee of extending their games time even after sunset. This is after the school became the first to have solar powered pitch flood lights in Kibera thanks to Philips International Electronic Company. The aim is to demonstrate that a new generation of cost effective outdoor lighting powered by the sun is now available, which has the potential to transform life in Kenya at an economic and social level, in ways which have never been possible before. In total the company provided 4 lighting systems mounted on eight meter high poles on the opposite ends of the schools soccer pitch. They can illuminate a pitch big enough for a football game. During the day the solar panels mounted on top of the poles store the energy from the sun and at night they automatically power up providing up to 6000 lumens of white light each. Speaking during the launch, Tamer Abolghar, General Manager Philips Lighting, Egypt and East Africa said, Our road show aims to highlight the fact that we can now provide cost effective, reliable and sustainable lighting solutions for all outdoor areas, effectively extending the day. Speaking to the Mirror, the schools principal Paul Onjera said company initially wanted to install the floodlights at Ligi Ndogo grounds on Ngong road but since Ligi Ndogo cannot be accessed by the slum residents, the company made a U-turn and selected his school since it is in a slum and has got good security. Stephen Otieno, a form two student could not hide his joy at the prospect of being able to play past sunset. Apart from sporting activities the lights help us do our homework and assignments. Furthermore the school can now organise an event without fearing the dark. He said. To test the effectiveness of the new floodlights, a soccer competition that incorporated other schools was held during the official launch. The games ended at 10 p.m.

Hundreds of girls missing school in Kibera because of having their periods

ers will provide the details of the number of needy girls they have so the ministry can include them. Ironically, some schools in Kibera have been receiving sanitary pads as others go without, though they are attended by pupils from the same area. Olympic primary school is one such school. Head teacher Irene Musyoka says that this year they received 60,000 sanitary pads from the government. Sanitary pads are like textbooks to a girl child and in this school we supply to all girls from class six to eight on a termly basis. She says. Musyoka adds that the school even has others still remaining in the stock in case there is an emergency. She says since she joined the school five years ago there has never been a case of a girl missing school because of having her period. A parent whom we spoke to said she has never bought sanitary pads for her children since they are expensive and the total income for her family is 3,000 shillings per month barely enough to support the family. In desperation most of the girls have opted for unhealthy solutions like using cotton wool, mattresses, newspapers or sheets which can cause complications. Some organisations like Youth in Community Development Organization have even devised re-usable sanitary pads. These reusable sanitary pads are made out of washable readily available cotton cloths and a towel like material inserted inside for purposes of absorbing and keeping the user comfortable all the the time They are then sewn round to prevent leakage. One girl who confided in having used the re-usable sanitary pads says they are uncomfortable to use and it feels weird having to use a used sanitary pad. These alternative methods are very risky as they can lead to urinary tract infection or long-term medical issues and should be avoided, warns Maurine Adhiambo, a nurse at the Johanna Justine Jinich Clinic.

Students receive packets of free sanitary towels in the past. Girls from poor backgrounds miss up to five days per month during their periods totalling to 40 schooldays per Photo: Courtesy of Ego image year.
She adds that although donors step in, they only do so once in a while and the problem continues after that. A packet of the Sunny Girl sanitary pads, the cheapest in the market, costs 65 shillings which is equivalent to one kilo of maize floor enough to feed a family of four. The Langata District Education Officer Anne Shiundu says it is unacceptable that girls have to miss school and it is affecting their performance. She says the problem is being addressed. They are working on the distribution mechanisms so that the program can roll out in September. So far, we have 3,378 girls in secondary schools in the district, 7,894 in public primary schools, 3,082 in private schools and 13,228 are in informal schools. Our first priority will be those in informal schools because we know they come from poor backgrounds, she says. Peter Oino, the district quality assurance and standards officer, says that Pulse Experiential Company Ltd. has been selected to distribute the pads on behalf of the government in Nairobi and Coast provinces when the program rolls out. He adds that the company has even offered to donate some pads during the District Education day in September. He further adds that for the remaining schools, the head teach-

Desperate woman turns to religion as a smokescreen to beg as options ran out

Some of the people including a child posing as beggars at the Jamia Mosque. The constitution outlaws subjecting children to exploitative practices like this.
gion since they all offer her help when she is stuck. And just like she decided to practice double religion, Islam and Christianity, Esther Wanjiku goes to church on Sundays, the Korean Church. Not to pray but to beg. Though her going to church might or might not be genuine, she defends her actions. We might have different religions but we serve one God, she says. She says she will make alot on the holy month of Ramathan that has just commenced . Islam preaches that societys less privileged be helped with food, shelter and clothing. Having been in the business for four years, Esther Wanjiku might seem to have made a lot. She says that with every sunny day the least amount that she makes is 2,000 shillings per day. But just like any other business there are always the ups and downs. Esther has twice been caught by senior pastors of the Korean Church forging her identity and once by a Muslim from Makina village of Kibera who threatened her life if she did not fully adopt. When she refused to change her religion, she claims she was tortured by a group of hired people who our sources now reveal were hired by the same woman who introduced her into this business in the first place.

photo: Nicodemus Odalo

By Paul Owino and Nicodemus Odalo

In a desperate move to survive, some residents of Kibera have turned to practising dual religion, begging for money and other essentials outside worship centres One such resident is Esther Wanjiku, commonly known by her pho-

ney Islamic name Nahab Mwajuma .Mrs Wanjiku a single parent of two has no other way to make ends meet. When I was introduced into this way of life four years ago I gladly accepted when I noticed how easy it is to make money without sweating. She says. She says she always finds it very hard to concentrate on one reli-

A senior Muslim official at the Jamia mosque where she always spends her day said he did not know of any people pretending to be Muslims in order to beg. In any case, our religion encourages helping the needy and therefore we cannot chase them away from our parking lot, he said. Esther has also managed to introduce her children into the business. Instead of going to school, the children spend their whole day in town helping their mother to beg. When doing this story, from our hidden point from the nearby Jamia Mall we saw some children changing into hijabs (Islamic attire won by women) behind the mosque at Kigali Lane before going near the gate of the mosque to beg. Article 53 of the constitution says, All children have a right to free and compulsory basic education and protection from hazardous and exploitative practices. Wanjiku however insists that tough living conditions in Kibera have forced her to do this. She is not ready to quit the business as she still has to provide for her children, whom she is not able to take to school. This is despite the fact that the government provides free primary education.

Good roads become double edged swords

By John P. Okewa
Ii is no secret that upgraded roads in Korogocho slums have improved the hygienic conditions in the area, security and boosted busineses. The four roads that cut across the eight villages in the slum were constructed by the Italian Development Cooperation in collaboration with the Kenyan Government,Comboni Missionaries and the UN-habitat at a tune of 141 million shillings. The area assistant Chief Nelson Kambale said, We used to have about 83 cases of insecurity after every two weeks. This has reduced to 2 or 3 cases in a month. However residents complain that after the newly tarmacked roads were completed motorcycle taxi operators took over leading to an increase in road accidents. These people are very reckless and should be trained on road safety. Since we do not have traffic police am pleading with the authorities to at least erect speed bumps. said Pauline a resident of the slum. The operators however see the roads as a blessing for providing them with jobs.

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Kibera Mirror: Issue 11

Pic speak
Even without a surface to paint on, these children had found some paint and they wanted to paint. Anyway they went ahead and painted on a plank of timber used in constructing this house.

It appears the City council has finally realized that Kibera is in Nairobi after all and it needs cleaning services. Someone needs to ask them why it took them so long as we are only five kilometres from town?

The owner of this handcart must have been paid handsomely without sweating for the whole time this handcart was used by this photographer during the peace concert.

They shunned crime for business and made it

By David Otieno
Mizuka youth group have an eye for business. They do not believe in white collar jobs but their business portfolio is impressive. In fact, if you happen to drive into Kibera from town using Kibera drive just past the District Commissioners office and you look on your right and see some rabbits, you are staring at one of their projects. They have been operating from that spot for four years now. It started with the postelection violence in 2007, where many youth killed each other and others were killed by the police. When the violence ended we realized that politicians just use the youth to promote their political interests and we wanted to prosper from our own sweat, says Stephen Okode, a member of the group whom I found feeding the groups rabbits. Okode also doubles as the groups football team coach. Apart from rabbit keeping and football, the group rears guinea pigs and chickens. It also practices sack farming, garbage collection and several other income generating activities. Mizuka is a Swahili name for ghosts. Okode says the group was formed in order to fight the bad ghosts in the society. We were tired of seeing people killing each other and we wanted to get a life. Instead of engaging in crime and drug abuse, we wanted to do something for ourselves. So we mobilized around 40 youths who live around this area and everyone wanted to engage in something that will make him worthy to the community, he says. However it was not easy to turn ideas into action. After registering the group, they realized that they did not have land for their projects. On top of that, they did not have any business skills. As you know, getting a piece of land in Kibera is not easy. After searching for land for a while we met a guy who I only know as John who was working at the district commissioners office by then. He got so impressed with our ideas that he donated this space to us and from then we have never looked back, he adds. The group was also lucky be-

Business Mirror

School risks cholera outbreak

Continued from page 1 The Handicap International facility is functional. Though it was intended to be used by handicapped students only, it is shared by the whole school and the teachers. The teachers have a 50 litre plastic tank that has some water to amnually flush the toilet after using it. The flushing systems do not work. The big question is whether the donors got value for their money since their projects are not being used for the purpose intended. The headmistress of the school chased us away when we sought clarifications on these issues. She directed us to the City Council. However a worker who spoke to us on condition of anonymity said he has never seen running water since he was employed one year and seven months ago. Sometimes we draw water from the mosque at Makina and other times a lorry brings water here once a week, but I can tell you that does not meet the needs of the school, he said. The water brought here is mainly for cooking food for the pupils and not even for maintaining the sanitation of the toilets. The pupils dont even wash their hands after visiting the toilets, he added. Another worker alleged that the water shortage in the school has been caused by members of the surrounding community who disconnected the water pipes. District Quality Assurance and Standards Officer Peter Oina admitted that the ministry is aware of the problem in the school. He says the problems of the school have been caused by the community who have interfered with the water connection. The toilets are there but there is an issue of sharing with the community, he said.

Stephen Okude of Mizuka Youth Group displays one of the rabbits from their farm. Apart from farming the group engages in several other income generating activities.
cause at that time a French organisation held a workshop in Kibera to train the youth on how they can practice rabbit rearing together with sack farming. These two things, Okude says, go hand in hand. The vegetables harvested from the farm are sold as the leftovers and weeds are fed to the rabbits. At the same time, the manure collected from the rabbits is used to nourish the plants. This also applies to the garbage collected. The people from whom the group collects garbage from also pay. When they were starting, most of the members saw it as a waste of time. From the initial 40 members only 12 are remaining today. Some of those who left the group, returned to crime and unfortunately they were shot by the police one after the other. But instead of losing hope, we decided to add more business projects, Okude says. We have a satellite TV theatre where we show football matches. The hall can accommodate up to 60 people. We also have community bathrooms where people shower at a fee and we also sell water. Apart from that we also offer printing and computer services, he says. So what is your most successful project? I ask. Among all the businesses, the most successful business is the DSTV business, he says, then poultry and rabbits in that order. We normally buy 200-250 broiler chicks at Sh65 each, breed them and after three months we sell them to the locals or nearby schools and institutions at 500 shillings each. Members of the group work in turns. Each member works for a whole day feeding the animals, watering the plants and selling water. At the end of the day he gets 450 shillings. 300 is saved in the groups saving account and 150 is taken home. The amount you save in the groups savings qualifies you for a loan from the account. Since there are 12 of them, per month each member works twice or thrice. All the money that is collected saved in the groups bank account.
Photo:David Otieno

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Kibera Mirror: Issue 11

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This train was caught on camera offloading garbage along the railway line at Gatwekera. Ironically, Kenya Railways has been threatening to evict people living along the railway line for among other things; throwing trash on the line

It is yet another season for politicians and their promises. If you have not seen it, it is coming to a street near you soon.

Two satellite dishes with two uses. In Mathare Area 4 some people have turned a satellite dish into a roof for a bathroom while their neighbours use theirs for showing football matches in a theatre.

Health Mirror

Unlicensed clinics run by quacks monopolise health services

Cases of wrong diagnosis and issuance of the wrong medicine are very common as government fails to step up
By Beth Anyango and John P. Okewa
Despite the stringent laws and regulations on setting up medical centres, the number of casualities arising from people seeking treatment in private-for-profit and unlicensed clinics in Kibera is worrying. Most of the people attribute the problems to the lack of governmentrun medical facilities in the slum. According to the State of the Worlds Children: Children in an Urban World report released in February by the United Nations, private clinics account for 83 per cent of all clinics in Korogocho, Viwandani and Kibera. The report says almost all of them are unlicensed. society how long we will continue to suffer in the hands of these quacks because the government cannot intervene, laments Jane Mwende, a mother of three from Soweto.

Crackdowns
The public health officer disagrees that the government is reluctant in addressing the situation. We have carried several crackdowns and made arrests but every time we do it, they only close for a few hours and after that it is business as usual, he says. On top of that the community is aware of the problems that arise from seeking treatment from the quacks but they still do it even though you do not have to pay to get treated in a government facility. But the only governmentrun clinic in Kibera is the Kibera Health Centre situated at the district commissioners office. Since Kibera is so large, quacks have taken advantage of the situation. Inda says that at the governments health centre they have received numerous cases of people who have been wrongly diagnosed. He adds that some clinics in the slum have also started offering unsafe abortions. Just last month two women died while aborting at Senye clinic, he says. Some clinics even give expired vaccines. The staff at the said clinic were not willing to talk to us about the issue. However, the security guard who also doubles up as a pharmacist as we saw rubbished the district health officers claims, saying that without the private clinics the death mortality in Kibera would rise. You dont require medical training to do this. This is wisdom from God and we are doing the community a great favour as the government has only one health centre in the entire Kibera, he said. He said as he was giving drugs to a patient over the counter. Most girls always try procuring an abortion at home. They bleed for two or three days, then try to seek our assistance. If any died in our outlets it is due to their negligence and the blame should not be on us, he argued.

A mother inside one of the consultation rooms at the Johanna Justin Jinich clinic in Gatwekera. Lack of government health centres inside the slum, have forced nongovernmental organisations to step up to offer quality health care. The clinic is run Photo: David Otieno by Shining Hope For Communities .
the local council and a certificate from pharmacy and poisons board, he says. The situation on the ground is the exact opposite. In true Kibera tradition, almost all of them are constructed with mud and timber. Worse still they are conjoined with residential houses. It can be difficult to differentiate a clinic from a residential house until you see a signboard. Most of them also have expired stock, counterfeit or ineffective drugs like Malaraquin, which is no longer used to treat malaria in Kenya.

Big business
Offering treatment services is big business in Kibera. You can hardly walk 100 metres without seeing either a pharmacy or a clinic. Most of the people running them do not have any qualifications. For instance at Senya clinic in Soweto, the person guarding the premises offered to serve us when the owner of the clinic was not there when we went there to seek a clarification. Apart from academic certificates, there are a number of qualifications that one needs to meet to run a chemist or clinic, says Eric Inda, the public health officer for Langata District. The structure must be permanent, have running water and a proper drainage system. The owner must have good hygiene certificate from

Wrong diagnosis
The results of seeking treatment in these clinics are equally worrying. Cases of wrong diagnosis and issuance of the wrong medicine are very common.

Weve carried out several crackdowns and made arrests but every time we do it, they only close for a few hours and after that it is business as usual.
ERIC INDA Langata District Public Health Officer

Donald Ekati from Kisumu Ndogo is one of the residents who have suffered from being incorrectly diagnosed. Last week I had a persistent headache and when I went to a clinic, the doctor told me I had malaria and he gave me some medicine. Two days later the situation worsened as I started to diarrhoea and I had to seek alternative treatment from the Medicines Sans Frontiers clinic in Gatwekera. They diagnosed me with typhoid, he says. Though he now feels better, Donald has sworn never to go to an unlicensed clinic again. This is one case of wrong diagnosis administered to a patient. In a situation like this, some may die if they dont seek professional medical assistance. We just wonder as a

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Kibera Mirror: Issue 11

Ecko Dydda
For four years now his tracks have ruled the air waves with hits like Me and my house Niko na reason and Ghetto. He also recently beat gospel big wigs Juliani, Jimmy Gait and Daddy Owen to win the prestigious best male artiste of the year in the groove awards. In his own words he says, he crawled through Mathares sludgy streets as a child, survived the post election violence and came out fighting against tribalism. Kibera Mirror spoke with Ecko Dydda Eko Dida Is it true you were born in Mathare? Yeah. Mathare is a huge place. I was born in Mathare valley but I was raised in Mathare North.I went to school in Kariobangi, attended church in Huruma, played soccer in Dandora and shopped in Korogocho. But Mathare was basically my hood. My whole life has revolved around Eastlands ghettos. Is that why you are so passionate about the slums? I know how it feels living in a slum. I have chosen to be the voice of the ladies and ghetto men as there is no one talking for them. That is why most of my songs revolve around issues that touch the people living in the slums. Do you have any particular experience that you can share with our readers? Living in a slum has got a lot of challenges. For example, one day you are arrested by the police without a reason and as so long as you are a youth the neighbours will always complain about you and talk negatively. Like me, people used to say I am a thief because they could not understand that artistes do not have to go to work from 8 to 5. They were wondering how I was surviving, I guess How did you end up in the peace project currently going on? I know one of organizers of the event on a personal level. I am also very passionate about peace. During the post-election violence, some members of my own tribe came with machetes wanting to kill me simply because I dont know to speak my mother tongue. It was God that saved me. My vision is to replace the tribal generation that we are into a tribe-all generation. Honestly speaking, tribalism is stupidity. Hope I am allowed to say this in the media. The general election is just around the corner, how can you advice the youth? As youth we must open our eyes and rise up. If a politician did not do his job in the last five years, we must not give him his job back. You seem to have a lot of energy while on stage... It is Gods grace. It is not glucose or anything. I dont even know where the energy comes from or the ideas that I get when am on stage or when writing my lyrics. Sometimes I even perform without having lunch but the energy is still there. Before talking to you we thought you are a stammerer because all your songs have that effect but apparently you are not.. When I was young, there was a classmate of mine who was had a stammer and in class students laughed at him. For example when the teacher was calling the roll call in the morning and his turn came Gabriel Oduor.. He would answer, P...p...present and the whole class would be drowned in laughter. I empathised with him. When I was starting music I thought what will happen if people who stammered became artistes. How will they sound? That is how I decided to add a stammer to my rap and it turned into swag. Like when I am on stage, the crowd finishes every line I make. Apart from music are you currently working on any projects? There is a project we are organising called ghetto soccer championship meant to unite all the slums because for example guys from Korogocho dont know how kibera is. It is like all the slums are known by their stereotypes. Like Dandora is associated with crime, kibera with politics and so on. This will be a platform where people will know the diverse cultures existing in different slums. What of music? I am running Stammer Entertainment. A talent academy where we teach upcoming artistes how to write music, get ideas and how to flow. Then we push them to studio to record and the rest we let it to God. I dont encourage established artistes doing collaborations with upcoming artists as a way of propelling them because to me I will be killing the artist since people will think the song is mine. That is inspirational, have you had any success so far? We have TK, Yuvi, Metal Black and several others. We are actually working with over 100 upcoming artists right now. We are trying to create employment. Do you think music pays in Kenya? People talk of white collar jobs but they are very few. It does, but I want a situation where people earn a living through talent. Look at what soccer has done to Dennis Oliech. Without music, I was almost becoming a thief. People may not know this, but the truth is I was only remaining with a week before becoming one but God made me change my mind. Tell us something that your fans dont know about you Thats a funny question. Probably it is that I do not stammer. I just represent them Are you dating? I am not dating. I am married with one child, Ecko Dydda Jr.

one on one

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Expectations and challenges facing new Kibra constituency

From page 1 same constituency with a place like Karen and try to handle their issues together, he said. Kibera, Africas largest slum, is located in Langata constituency, as are Karen and Langata. The latter two are among the most affluent suburbs in Nairobi. Joining them in a single constituency creates a huge social imbalance among the constituents. Ahmed Suleiman cannot wait to cast his vote for a new member of parliament in the election currently scheduled for March 2013. He has high hopes for the new constituencys leadership.Our community has been marginalised for so long by the leadership of this country and this is a chance to have one of us representing us, he said. The race to succeed the Langata MP Prime Minister Raila Odinga at constituency level has started to gather momentum with several aspirants declaring interest. The prime minister will not be vying for either of the two constituencies formed from Langata constituency. He plans to run for the presidency. The Election Act 2011 bars anyone from vying for more than one position during the general election. So the prime minister, who has represented the area for five consecutive terms since he won the seat in 1992 with 24,261 votes, will not seek the seat. With a huge population in their 20s, it will be interesting to see how the succession for Raila shapes up. Most of the constituents have known the prime minister as the de facto leader of Langata constituency and in effect the new Kibera constituency for the whole of their lives. Although he will not be running for MP in either of the new constituencies, the indications are that he still has a large influence in Kibera. Even though he has not endorsed any particular candidate, if he chooses to do it, the candidate will almost certainly make it to parliament in 2013. A large number of candidates have declared their interest in running for the seat under the Orange Democratic Movement party ticket. Though the election is still 7 months away, each candidate appears keen to get a head start from through intense lobbying, community open meetings and organising events to increase their grassroots support. So far the following have declared that they will vie for the Kibra constituency seat: Cllr. Mohamed Gore Ramathan, Fred Amayo, Fred Omondi, George Okewa, Steve Oguwa, Ken Okoth, Hamida Malasen and John Sigor. Apart from Hamida Malasen, who will vie on a URP ticket, the others will battle it out for the ODM nomination. Hamida, who hails from Makina, is the only lady in the race so far. It is rumoured that the prime Ministers son Fidel Odinga will run for the seat, though we have not gotten a confirmation from him. Some of the candidates who were born and live in Kibera feel they are best placed to succeed Odinga since they are best placed to know the problems the community is facing. George Okewa said he understands the problems of the people. Kibera requires home grown solutions, he says. He recently won the national youth assistant secretary position for the ODM. Kibera is our home and all the problems in Kibra affects me and my family, said Mohamed Gore when we visited him at his office at the Kibera District Commissioners Office. He is the current councillor for Makina. The new constituency is faced by a myriad of challenges as it takes its first steps. It would be the only constituency in the country that is covered almost entirely by a slum. It has five wards: Laini Saba, Lindi, Makina, Woodley and Sarangombe. All but Woodley are inside Kibera slum. Kibera has a large population. Its housing problem is a symptom of poverty that can only be solved by empowering the residents first. says Ken Okoth. The constituency lacks basic social services like access to clean piped water, housing, sanitation, electricity, proper road networks and medical care. In most of Kibera, there are no toilet facilities. The constituency also does not have even a single police station. It falls under the Kilimani police division which is a couple of miles away. Though there are a couple of administration camps like at the DCs office and Olympic there is none inside the slum itself. Residents say this is a major contributor to the high rates of crime. Councillor Gore said the reason why there are no government facilities in the slum is because of lack of space to construct them. Early this year, the government demolished several houses in Soweto to create space for the second phase of the slum upgrading program. Most of the political aspirants agree that there is no magic bullet to offer solutions to the problems facing the new constituency. They say their top priorities will be education and job creation. The number of unemployed youth is very high. Jackson Odhiambo, despite having college education, is one such youth who spends his time idling and chatting with his friends. He says he has high hopes what the new constituency status will bring. Even though I am not expecting anything I know things will be better. he says. George Okewa says this is a common reaction. Since Kibera is a new constituency, there is definitely going to be an expectation of new things in the constituency. This is likely to present a huge challenge to the new leadership.

Kibera Mirror: Issue 11

PAGE 7
Councillor hits back as another demolition occurs
By Peter Ombedha
Another round of demolitions took place in Highrise on July 17, just a month after the first leaving hundreds of people homeless and several businesses counting losses. After the first demolition, the residents reconstructed their houses and vowed to continue living in the area because they had not been issued with any notice from the city council. The area councilor for Laini Saba, Samson Owino however claimed the residents are living in that piece of land illegally and they had been served with up to four notices from the city council but still insisted on occupying it. The land is owned by The Riara University and the area needs to be cleared before the university is opened officially by the president in October. Furthermore the City council wants to replace these structures with modern kiosks which it will rent out to traders He said. The councilor also said they have held six meetings with the residents in the past about the said piece of land together with officials from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Riara University and the City Council but the residents have failed to comply.

Sack farming provides cheaper alternative as price of vegetables soars

By Isaac Gomba & Peter Ombedha
A smiling Samson Orimba waters sukuma wiki plants early morning in Raila village. When almost everyone is complaining of soaring food prices, his group is harvesting their own vegetables thanks to small-scale urban agriculture that is making its mark in Kibera. Because of lack of space and high food prices, many doorsteps in Kibera today are flanked by earth-filled sacks planted with kales, spinach, onions, tomatoes and other vegetables. Beneficiaries say it has become a source of income as well as food. Those with more sacks sell the surplus vegetables. Samson belongs to Kisima group which has for two years practiced garden sack farming in a small 20-by-30 foot space in Raila village. The 20-member group started after the members attended a seminar organized by Solider Rights International on how to practice urban agriculture. Today the group produces surplus food that they sell in the market. This type of farming only requires little space, Dancun Ngoya, a member of the group, says. It is also very easy to set up because ploughing is not required. You only need a sack which goes for around 20 shillings, soil and some stones, he says as he waters some plants. The only problem is getting fertile soil for your farm, but you can dig it up or buy it from Langata where they sell one wheelbarrow of red soil at 150 shillings. It sounds expensive but if you think of how much you spend on buying vegetables, it is worth it, he adds. After getting the soil, you fill it into a sack. Stones are placed in the middle of the sack from bottom to top. These stones make it easy for water to flow quickly through the sack and it reduces the amount of water required to water the plants. For a better harvest, some farmers dry season the price goes up. Some vegetable vendors opt to reduce the size of the bunch. Tomatoes are the most expensive. One can cost five shillings while onions may disappear from the grocers altogether. A family of five will need five bunches of Sukuma wiki and two tomatoes for one meal. This translates to 60 shillings per meal for vegetables only which is quite expensive, says Lillian Oonga This type of farming is suitable in slum areas where there is practically no space and in urban centres where people have to go to work in the morning. It is hard to get weeds growing in the sacks, Samson says. You can even have a garden on your roof, he jokes. The International Committee of the Red Cross recognized sack gardening as a solution to food security in urban areas during the 2007/08 political crisis in the slums of Nairobi. For approximately a month, no food was allowed to enter any of the slums from rural Kenya. But thanks to the number of women growing food in sack gardens and on public land (railway lines, river banks), most residents didnt go without food. These unassuming looking sack gardens provide big benefits both to the family and the rest of the community. The owners of the gardens enjoy better nutrition, food security and possibly some additional income. Any surplus produce these farmers have is sold to their friends and neighbours who enjoy the benefit of incredibly fresh produce. It doesnt get any fresher than being bought the same day it is picked. All the women who own sack gardens swear that their home-grown vegetables taste better because they are grown without chemicals and are eaten at the peak of freshness. The pride of eating the fruits of their own labour probably adds a certain spice that vegetables bought from grocers dont have.

Society Mirror

Nubians oppose land deal

By Mirror reporter
A section of Nubians have presented a petiton to the Ministry of lands against the proposal by the government to issue the community with 300 acres of trust land in Kibera. Addresing the press on July 30 at Ardhi house, the group led by the community spokesman Shafi Ali demanded that the government issues them with a total of 4000 acres which the community claims belongs to them. In reality however, their demands seem impossible to meet since the area they are demanding has been occupied with other infrastracture like the Moi Girls School and several Estates along Ngong road up to the Ligi Ndogo grounds. The Nubian community living in Kibera settled in the area after being conscripted into the British Army in the 1900s to help the British to capture Kenya. When the colonial rule ended, they were left as squatters and they claim the government has been marginalising them.

Samuel Orimba tends to his groups garden sacks at Raila village. Without any farming space in Kibera, this type of farming is turning into a popular venture
mix the soil with organic manure. This makes the plants mature faster. After filling the sack with soil, you should make holes around the sack where the seedlings will be planted. The seedlings can be bought from the market at five shillings each, Orimba explains. One sack can hold 10 to 15 plants which is enough to feed a family of five for three days, says Mary Adhiambo, another resident from

photo: Peter Ombedha

Kambi Muru, who has five garden sacks at her door step in the village. With five sacks her family can be food secure for 15 continuous days. By the time they get to the last sack the first three have already replenished. This can give them a constant vegetable supply all year round. A bunch of sukuma wiki costs 10 shillings at the moment in Gatwekera. The price depends on the season and availability. During the

Peace concert attracts big crowd

Hip hop artiste Henry Ochieng Octoppizo performs during the concert. He was born in Gatwekera but is currently one of the best artistes in Kenya.
Photo: David Otieno

the theme Keep peace alive the community for peace concert organised by Kibera Fruitful Organisation saw more than 30 artistes perform one after the other from 8 am to 8 pm.

They included groove awards male gospel artist of the year Ecko Dydda and rap sensation Octoppizo. Apart from entertaining the crowd they also gave messages of peace urging the youth to desist from violence during the upcoming elections. Speaking to the press during the event, Ecko Dydda said he was happy to be involved in the push for peace since he was a victim of the post-election violence and that he had committed himself to fighting tribalism. Some members of my own tribe came with machetes wanting to kill me simply because I dont know to speak my mother tongue. It was God that saved me. My vision is to replace the tribal generation that we are into a tribe-all generation. He said

While addressing the crowd during the event, the area chief for Sarangombe location Francis Kimutai advised the youth to avoid politicians who might try to influence them to engage in violence. Peace is vital because when there is peace, children get a chance to go to school, businessmen open their businesses and everything that is essential runs smoothly. He said He also advised them to elect leaders who will empower them and shun those who pay them for votes and disappear for another five years. Organizers said they plan to hold similar events in other slums where violence was witnessed and Kibera was chosen to start since it was worst affected. Slums witnessed the worst form of violence after the disputed general elections in 2007 and it appears a lot of stakeholders are keen on not seeing a repeat of the same next year.

Community gets more water

By Peter Ombedha
Perenial water shortages are expected to ease after another borehole was sunk at the Kamukunji grounds. The 20 metre borehole sunk by Human need projects will serve the residents of Gatwekera and Olympic Estates with a constant supply of water once the organisation starts its operations in the area within 4 months. William Ogutu, the project cordinator said the borehole will be able to serve up to 1400 people per day. On July 17 when the borhole yielded water, the residents were allowed to fetch water for free for four days.

By Mirror reporter
Hundreds of youth from Kibera braved the July cold and thronged the

Kamukunji grounds on July 28 for what is being billed as the biggest peace concert seen this year as the general election draws closer. Under

PAGE 8
Kibera Black Stars prove to be a hard nut to crack

Kibera Mirror: Issue 11

LEAGUE UPDATE FOR HOME TEAMS

Unbeaten

KPL Division 1 zone A

Kibera Black Stars FC placers relax on the bench after a match with Intercity FC at the World Hope Centre in Kawangware. The team has a good chance of qualifying for the Nationwide league next season if it continues with its winning streak.
Photo: courtesy of Black stars

By Paul Owino and Godwin Oyindo

Despite the financial challenges facing them and lack of solid home fan support, little known Kibera Black Stars have turned into a surprise package in the Nairobi Provincial league. They remain unbeaten in the 17 games played so far with 37 points, just six points below the top team, Jericho All Stars. They have three games remain-

ing. If they win just two of them, they could unseat the league leaders on goal difference. The team has been leading the standings since the league started but financial problems have made them postpone a couple of fixtures. According to the Nairobi Provincial League secretary general, the club had not made the necessary payments to the league secretariat to enable them play their games. However after holding a fundraising, the club managed to raise the money required. Despite the cash problems, the

ambitious team has boosted their arsenal with four new players in their quest to win the league and be promoted to the nationwide league. The have recruited Brian Yego, 18, Hawi Abwonji, 17, Dennis Kyengo, 17, and Berry Brian, 18, all from soccer academies. Kennedy Dulo, the assistant coach and a former player for the team, attributes the clubs success to commitment and a high level of respect among its players. We have young and committed players who

are not after money, but who know what takes them to the field, he says. James Waweru, one of the players in the team says, It is God first, team work and motivation that keep us moving. The coach says they are sure of making it to the nationwide league and will outdo their local rivals Kibera Celtic, whom he accuses of having bought their way into the league. Unlike Celtic who were assisted to qualify playing in the Nationwide League, we have come from far and played in every stage, , he says. Celtic are currently placed 14 in the nationwide league and they recently signed three players from Black Stars. The team that wins the Nairobi Provincial League joins the Nationwide League in the next season while the winner of the Nationwide league joins the Premier League, which is the highest league in the country. If the Black Stars manage to win their league and Celtic manage to hold on in theirs, we will have two teams in the Nationwide League from Kibera next season. The coach however, thinks otherwise. He wants the team to be the first ever club from Kibera to play in the Premier League. To play in the Nationwide League and be the first club from Kibera to play in the Premier League is our only expectation as a team. He says. The coach is also confident that they will be unbeaten all the way. You will be killed if you talked about losing in front these players. Everyone wants a win all the time and draws are equally unappealing, he asserts. Despite existing for 25 years though under several names Green Rovers, Silver Strikers and finally Kibera Black Starsit does not have a solid fan base in Kibera. Very few residents know about the club beyond its name. Many prefer to support larger clubs. Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards have the most followers in Kibera. Leopards have a lot of fans in Makina while Gor Mahia is loved in Gatwekera.

P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20

TEAM Bandari Kariobangi sharks Bidco United AP Ligi Ndogo Mahakama Congo JMJ Admiral Nairobi Stima K.R.A. Sparki Youth Coast United Moyas Kibera Celtic Magongo Rangers Iron Strikers KSL Thola glass Green Berets Gatundu Stars Mathare Youth

P 24 23 23 23 23 24 25 23 23 24 25 22 22 23 23 22 23 22 23
24

W 13 14 12 13 10 10 10 9 7 8 8 6 7 5 6 5 5 5 5

D 9 5 8 4 9 9 8 9 11 7 4 7 4 10 7 7 7 5 5

15

L 2 4 3 6 4 5 7 5 5 9 13 9 11 8 10 10 11 12 13

17

PTS 48 47 44 43 39 39 38 37 32 31 27 25 25 25 25 22 22 20 20

Nairobi Provincial League

P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

TEAM Jericho All Stars Bedjos Sports Eistleigh Youth Kibera Black Stars Nakumatt FC Fisa FC Kemri FC Forest Service KNH FC Re Union Huruma youth Uprising Makarios III FC Sid Dandora Youth Black Mamba Umoja Renegades Baba Dogo United St Johns

P 19 20 20 17 18 18 20 20 20 19 18 19 20 18 20 19 20 17 18

W 12 12 11 10 11 8 9 7 6 6 7 6 7 6 3 5 5 4 4

D 7 5 6 7 3 6 3 7 7 6 3 5 2 4 9 3 1 2 1 5

L 0 3 3 0 4 4 8 6 7 7 9 8 11 8 8 11 14 11 7

PTS 43 41 38 37 36 30 30 28 25 24 24 23 23 22 18 18 16 14 13

20 Pioneer United

19 2

12 11

Top performers rewarded

The Kenya Wheat Grass Farm Presents
By Josephine Gisesa
Top academic performers at Olympic Secondary school were recognized during the schools second speech prize giving day on July 27. During the event students who scored B and above in last years KCSE exams were awarded with certificates. Two students from the school got Ain the exam and they were the only ones from public schools in the whole of Langata District who got that grade. The event sponsored by Equity Bank, Oxford Foundation and various NGOs also saw trophies being awarded to students who have excelled in co-curricular activities like sports, debating, music, young farmers and leadership. The director of secondary and tertiary education Robert Masese who was the guest of honour noted that

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Kibera is lucky to have the school in the area and motivated the students focus on achieving their ambitions. Do not look at where you are coming from as it does not really matter, what matters is where you are going to. He said. He challenged the teachers to ensure that they leave an impact on the lives of their students by not only helping them in their studies but also motivating them. Before the awarding ceremony the guests were treated to traditional dances, poems, songs and choral verses from the students. Brief speeches from the P.T.A chairman, BOG chairman and the principal followed. The event was attended by the District Education Officer Anne Shiundu, Upper Hill school Principal Peter Orero and officials from Equity Bank.

KIBERA MIRROR

The Kibera Mirror, is a monthly community newspaper published and distributed for free by Shining Hope For Communities as part of its programs aimed at empowering the youth through developing their media skills and also to bring attention to the issues affecting the residents of Kibera and other informal settlements. All the work that goes into production of this newspaper is done by youth from Kibera. Correspondence should be addressed to kiberamirror@shininghopeforcommunities.com. You can also visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kiberamirror for constant news updates, photos and videos . News and advertising: 0721689996, 020-2329661