Ghetto Mirror April-May issue 2014

5/27/2018 Ghetto Mirror April-May issue 2014

1/8

ISSUE 10 APRIL 2014 [email protected]

Male child

A woman divorced for

not giving birth to a

boy child

Page 6

Fredrick Obenge

Meet the Lindi coun-

ty representative who

deed all the odds

Page 3

My hood

Sego slum located justa few metres from theStatehouse in Nairobi.

Page 5

Ghetto MirrorReal life stories from slums

FREEDo no buy

Nairobi residents can sigh with relief after the high court moved to postpone the digital migration date

The Digital Migrationdate postponed

Ariel view of some houses in Gatwikira, one of the villages in Kibra, showing

just how people arent prepared for the digital switch. As it seems only a few

families can be able to afford the satelite dishes. Photo: David Otieno

The move by the highcourt to postponevv the

digital migration datecame as a sigh of reliefamong millions of theNairobi residents afterit appeared that a largerfraction was not pre-pared for the migration.

By George Sakwa & Vincent Oreje

The court of Appeal on March 28 ruled in favor of the three

mainstream media houses in Kenya, Nation Media Group, Stan-

dard Group and Royal Media Services ordering the Communi-cation Commission of Kenya CCK to issue media owners with

digital broadcasting license. This was in the bid to further delay

the digital migration date until suitable legislations are passed

by the parliament. The date then was moved to September 30.

The Kenyan government has agreed to comply with an in-

ternational standard to convert analogue television signals

to digital by 2016 and lawyer Paul Muite who was repre-

senting the media houses defended the move by the court

saying the media houses were not opposed to the migration but

only wanted legislation that would ensure smooth transition.

The analogue signal had earlier in Nairobi been switched

continue page 7

Divorced for not bearing a male childBy Johnson Abuto &

Abdul AzizCan the gender of a child (whether male of female) determine how long

or short the marriage should last? It is sad to note that even in the 21stcentury, the digital era; the birth of a female child is considered a stigma.

Njoki, aged 40 years, got married when she was 20 years old.

She is blessed with four daughters, aged 18, 16, 15 and 10 years.According to Njoki, the drama started with paying the school fees

to her kids, My rst born was in school in Soweto area in Kib -

era slums with required school fees of Ksh 300 per month, pay-

ing this was not easy since I had no work and my husband was

the sole breadwinner for the family then, she says. This forced

her to start washing clothes at Langata Estate where she was earn-

ing Ksh 200 per day. She was now able to pay a bit of school

fees for her child, who was later admitted to a Missionary school.

She completed her primary education in this missionary school.

Things became worse, when she gave birth to her third baby, an-

other daughter. My husband changed and became different towards

me; his family members also portrayed the same attitude. I felt lonely

and the only people I could talk to were my children, said Njoki.

She says she went through a hard situation since she had no one

who could advise her on what to do. She became bitter when she

remembered her husband saying I will leave this house to you

and your children because you dont have any of my child.

Njokis daughter remembers how the criti-

cism continued even with the birth of our last born.

Continue page 6

Facts:

First phace had been set

comence on Dec 2012 - Oct

2013 but holted by court

order after COFEK had led

a compliant on behalf of

Nairobians.

The government in a rush to

meet the international dead-

line of the analouge switch off

in 2016.

A large population of the

people living in Nairobi are

not ready for the switch siting

its cost.


2/8

GhettoMirror2

Designer Illustration Photo editor

George Sakwa Boniface Nyamu Ronald Calcano

Editing: David Otieno, Vincent Oreje, ErickOkwama,

Design and layout:Dennis Mwanzia, GeorgeSakwa.

Photography:Erick Ouma, Adan Ibrahim and

Dishon Atira

Marketing and distribution:Pamela Odera,Timothy Nadebu and Clementine Avedi

Contributors:Kevin Ochieng, Adull Aziz,

Cynthia Nyanchama, Mitchel Karush, PaulineKarush , Johnson Abuto , Esther Moraa, Calvince

Omondi , Benard Ochieng,Nicodemus Odalo, and

Lynn Seru

Technical Assistance:Dan Whipple

Quote of the month

Give every manthe ear but few thy

voice.

William Shakespear

TALKING POINTWe welcome letters or topical issues on the stories we publish. Engage us by sending

them to [email protected] can also drop them in

our ofces at Gatwekera near PAG church, Kibra or call 0703 129 808/0723 997175

visit:www.shininghopeforcommunities.org/ghettomirror

APRIL 2014: ISSUE 10

By: George SakwaMore than ten young children between the ages of 6 to

12 years were found locked in a room during the night.

Amongst only two were girls while the rest were boys.

I left our house at 8:30 p.m. to go to my sleeping room, I then

went to take my friends, said Rose Kacheri, a standard ve pupil

at Global Academy, who was one of the children found at the room.

We only managed to identify Rose (not her real name) who

was just 8 years old. when our children have started doing this

(sleeping out) at this tender age, do they have a bright future?

The parents should keenly monitor the movements of their children

during all the times to ensure that there future is not destroyed by the deci-

sions that our children may make due to peer pressure from their friends.

Furthermore, they should also choose their friends keenly, those

who will help go places and not those who will retar their growth

Do yo u know where

your chi ld s leeps?Its time to go digital

Hongera to 2013 form fours in KiberaBy Pamela Odera

Bravo! Bravo! To the 2013

form four candidates from the

informal settlements who have

achieved good grades in KCSE

despite the odds that they went

through during their studies.

According to the Ministry of

Education, good grades begin

from C+ (plus) which most of

the students from the slums have

been achieving just as the rest

of other students from well-off

backgrounds despi te the hurd le.

Private/informal schools in

Kibera like Maono school and

Elite academy, among others,

had candidates who scored more

than C+. In Maono School, theyhad even a B which means di-

rect entry to a public university.

In Elite Academy, they too had

students with B+ and above.

This is very encouraging given

that they have come from dif-

cult environments. They have

even outperformed some stu-

dents from reputable schools

and from well-off backgrounds.

First, public schools are so few

in the informal settlements that

some slums even do not have a

Public Secondary School. Lack

of public-funded education fa-

cilities has meant that other

partners like NGOs, Churches

and Community Organizations

have started informal schools

to address the gap. This poses

a clear danger to the quality as-

surance of the education at the

informal settlements, impacting

heavily on the low literacy level.

In Kibera, there are only ve

public primary schools, that is

Olympic, Ayany, Raila Educa-

tion Centre, Shadrack Kimalel,

and Kibera Primary Schools.

Public Secondary schools in-

clude Olympic, Raila, and

Shadrack Kimalel. These

schools cannot accommodate

the high population in the slum.

The County Government of

Nairobi might have realized

this problem and the Nairobi

Governor, Dr. Evans Kidero re-

cently announced that they will

increase the number of public

schools in The County, particu-

larly in the densely populated

informal settlements. This will

indeed boost the education in

the county and therefore more

of the students from such low

income residences will shine

in The National Examinations.

Secondly, these students either

do not have access to or have

limited access to vital resources

for learning, such as a well-

equipped laboratory, a well-

equipped library, ample read-

ing rooms/spaces among other

things. Many of these students

have to look for innovative

ways of doing private studies

and sourcing for learning ma-

terials as they prepare to sit for

the exams as their counterparts

in well equipped institutions.

However in order to help solve

this problem, some organiza-

tions have come out to ensure

that these students learn smooth-

ly without disturbance. Organi-

zations like Shining Hope For

Communities (SHOFCO) hasprovided a community library,

free of charge and well equipped

with resource books that help

the learners prepare adequately

for the national examinations.

The community library also

provides ample private read-

ing space for the students who

may not have electricity in their

homes to use the library Mon-

day to Sunday from 8am to 9pm.

Parents should also be involved

in their childrens study. They

should inspect the books of

their children whenever they re-

turn from schools to ensure that

they actually went to school and

were taught. They should also

assist their children to do home-

work and should be in touch

with the school to know the

academic progress of their chil-

dren. It is also their responsibil-

ity to support their children with

necessary learning materials.

Who knows, The future Presi-

dent or Chief Justice could be

among these children? Let all

parties be it the policy makers,

our representatives, schools

and parents help improve

the performance of our chil-

dren particularly in the slums.

A publication of Shining

Hope for Communities

[email protected]

Art By Dennis Mwanzia #mwaahnzia FB//mwaahnzia


3/8

Ghetto Mirror3APRIL 2014: ISSUE 10

Q: Who is Obenge?A:My full name is Fredrick Owino Obenge, 36 years

old, a husband to one wife and a father of three chil-

dren; one boy and two girls. My rst born is in class

seven at Olympic Primary School.

Q. Tell us about your education background.A. Born in 1978, I attended Ugunja Primary School in

1985-1993, joined Rangala Boys Secondary in 1994-

1997 both in Siaya County and later joined AssociatedComputer Services in Nairobi for a one year course in

Computer Electronics where I attained a diploma cer-

ticate. I will be joining University of Nairobi in May this

year to pursue a degree in Political science.

Q. How did you get yourself in Nairobi?A. Subsequent to completion of my Secondary

Education, I came to Nairobi in 1998 and put up with a

cousin as I looked for a job. Luckily enough, I got a job

with G4S Security Firm as a Security Guard.

Q. Did you also manage to get a job with your

Computer Electronics course credential?A. I actually pursued my Computer Electronics

Courses subsequent to getting employed with the G4S

Security rm but due to the normal dynamics, I have not

succeeded in getting a job with it.

Q. What drove you into politics?

A. My inspiration into politics emanated from my fa-ther and some African leaders such as Nelson Mandela

and Desmond Tutu whom I learnt in History classes

while in school. Having been a school prefect while in

High School is also one of the contributing factors in

venturing into leadership positions.

Q. How then did your political journey begin?A. It all began in 2002 General Election where I was

among the youths who strongly took part in campaign-

ing for the NARC Coalition. I then brought myself to

the public domain in 2007 when I rst contested for the

position of Councillor in Lindi Ward on an ODM ticket

but unfortunately lost to Babu Adams during the party

nominations. I did not lose hope after the defeat and

started preparing for the 2013 General Elections by

taking part in The Referendum campaigns on the YES

side. When 2013 came, I joined the race for the County

Ward Representative for Lindi Ward and won on an

ODM ticket.

Q. How did you conduct your campaigns?A. Since I did not have enough funds, I utilized any

available forum in selling my policies to the people and

also engaged in community sensitization on the Voter

Registration exercise which gave opportunity to interact

with the people.

Q. Are there any challenges you encountered

during your campaign period?

A.

The issue of money politics was my main challengeas the people are used to handouts.

Q. On matters of development, what have you

achieved so far?A. For my accessibility, I have established my ofce at

Sura in Lindi Ward. We have begun projects on instal-

lation of oodlights, improving the drainage system,

construction of community latrines and providing bursa-

ries to Secondary, College and University students.

Q. A part from latrine construction, what are

you also doing to improve the health standards

of Lindi residents?A. We have identied a space for construction of a

Health Centre and we have also taken part in mosquito

net distribution.

Q. What are some of the things you do in

contributing to women empowerment?

A. We have so far identied 65 registered womengroups that we will offer support.

Q. What about the youth?A. For the youth, we are involved in talent promotion

in theatre and soccer, some of which I sponsor person-

ally.

Q. What are you doing to the Lindi residents

regarding security?A. Plans are underway to construct an Administration

Police Post in Lindi Ward. We will also talk to Dr. Wanga

to sell to us the former Wanga health centre to be our

police post.

Q. Your area of representation falls in that

bracket of those susceptible to re tragedies,

what measures do you have in place for mitiga-

tion?A. We have plans to bring a re ambulance and we

have also partnered with the Kenya Red Cross in train-ing the youths on handling any re outbreak.

Q. On political matters, you are a member of

ODM, did you intend vie for any post during the

controversial party elections?A. I did not contest for any post but I actively partici-

pated in the party elections as a delegate.

Q. What is your nal word to the residents of

Lindi Ward?A. I thank the Lindi residents immensely for voting

me in and I promise to work tirelessly in achieving and

fullling the promises I made. May God bless them.

Securing a political position is often

associated with nancial well being.

However, there are individuals in the

society who gradually contribute in dis-

pelling this notion. Meet one of them,

the 36-year-old FREDRICK OWINO

OBENGE who rose from being a secu-

rity guard to a Member of County As-

sembly (MCA) for Lindi Ward in Kibra

Constituency, Nairobi County. Ghetto

Mirror caught up with him in his ofce.

People should not be elected on the basisof money that they issue to the electorate but

on the development agenda that they have for

their electorates. Once elected to these ofces,

we should work for the benet of mwananchi

but not ll our pockets for our own benet.

County Ward Representative for Lin-di, Hon. Fredrick Owino Obenge. He is also

a family man, being a husband and a fa-

ther of three children. His eldest child is in

standard seven at Olympic Primary School.

He is an icon and a model to young people as he

struggled to make ends meet by rst accepting

the career of a night guard with a security rm.

Photo: David Otieno

One on One.

Hon. Obenge during his campaings for

Lindi ward showing voters his certifcates.

for any questions or concerns, get to us:

[email protected]

Photo: File


4/8


Lack of proper dumpsites in basically all the informal settle-

ments across Nairobi has led to careless dumping of wastes.

The upcoming stars nurturing their talent in soccer in a training session

in Hillcrest Academy in Karen. They are among the many children being

coached by Maurice Olum. Photo: Dennis Mwanzia

Kevin Ochieng (back) seems to be digesting what he is read-

ing while his counterpart Kevin Omondi is putting it down on

paper for future reference. Photo: Boniface Nyamu

What a funny way to way relax! The direction does not

matter

A County Council Askari in deep thoughts perhaps of how the Tu-

maini ya Jamii Insurance would benet her it was during the launch

of the insurance at Bus Station in Town. Photo: David Otieno

A bite as we take a walk and chat about the current issues in

this village.Photo: Boniface Nyamu

Pic speak

Photo: David Otieno

Photo: Ronald Calcano


5/8

Ghetto Mirror5

By: David Otieno

Jubilee Insurance, in partner-

ship with Citadel Insurance

Company, have announced the

Tumaini ya Jamii program,

in which slum residents caninsure themselves and their

property for Ksh 450 per year.

The perception people have

that insurance is only meant for

the rich should not be the case,said Mr. Elvis Ackel, C.E.O

of Citadel Insurance Agency.

Tumaini ya Jamii has no bound-

ary and it welcomes every Kenyan

whether the rich or the poor.

Tumaini ya Jamii micro in-

surance offers protection for

low income families against

specic problems in exchange

of premium payment which is

proportionate to the likelihood

and cost of the risks involved.

Many Kenyans living in slum

areas have been losing lives

and properties worth millions

of shillings, either through re

outbreakswhich are frequent

in slumsoods and other ac-

cidents. Despite the frequency of

these accidents, the victims have

had no way of getting compensa-

tion. Mr. Ackel believes that Tu-

maini ya Jamii micro-insurance

can provide affordable insurance

for low income people to pro-

tect themselves from nancial

shocks of unpredictable events.

The risks faced by the poor

are no different from those en-

countered by rich. These groups

of people are more vulnerable

to such risks due to their very

limited resource base, said El-

vis. Jubilee Insurance C.E.O Mr.

Patrick Tumbo urged Kenyans to

take advantage of the microin-

surance that was being launched

because its very much afford-

able. We as Jubilee, we call

upon Kenyans from all walks to

apply for the insurance policy as

they offer different options de-

pending on pocket size, he said.

In order to avoid facing greater

nancial burden when hit by an

unexpected event, such as the un-

timely death of a family member,

deadly illness or injury, or loss

of assets from natural disasters,

Kenyans were urged to register

themselves and their families.

We should avoid last minute

rush when faced with problems

and instead learn to take preven-

tive measures rather than to cure,

said Mr. Dickson Mbugua, the

chairman of Matatu Owners As-

sociation who are also partners

in the micro insurance business.

Mr. Mbugua urged all Matatu

Welfare Association (MWA)

members to join. These comprise

the drivers and touts in the pub-

lic sector and other workers in

the transport sector, from boda

boda operators to lorry drivers

and the rest. These people work

long hours under strenuous cir-

cumstances, performing basic,

essential services. Mr. Elvis

Ackel also believed that theres

need to take care of the nancial

needs of people working in the

transport sector through inclusiv-

ity and socially protection pillar.

We are very grateful for the

insurance company for coming

up with this type of initiative for

our aid, said Mrs. Risper Mutie,

a widow who works as a tout.

I normally nd it hard waking

up as early as 5 a.m. to go to the

touting job only to be handcuffed

by police for committing offence.

At times, I face hurdles when

I have funeral since I am the

only person responsible to cater

for all the expenses, explained

Risper, a Kibera slum resident.

Referring to the re outbreaks in

the slums which led to displace-

ment, e.g. Sinai and Mathare re

outbreaks, Elvis believes theres

a demand for social protection

among the poor. Most of the

families affected whose loved

ones died and lost properties

are mostly forced to start from

scratch but I believe Tumaini yaJamii micro insurance cover will

accommodate every affected vic-

tim and will at least have some-

where to start from, said Elvis.

Tumaini ya Jamii is a combined

family protection cover. It cov-

ers three main risks: re and al-

lied perils for household assets;

disability or any accident that

may rise as a result of re out-

break; and funeral expense sup-

port for all the insured members.

The program is spreading rap-

idly in different Nairobi informal

settlements including, Mathare,

Kibera, Kawangware, Mukuru

Kwa Reuben, Mukuru Kwa

Njenga among others. In or-

der to reach the slum areas and

make the residents feel part of

it, we have partnered with UM-

ANDE TRUST, Elvis Added.

UMANDE TRUST is a non-

Insurance scheme that targets the low income earners

By: George Sakwa & Da-

vid Otieno

Just a few meters in front of the

Nairobi Statehouse gate lies a

low income housing. Very small

to be recognized as a slum, Sego

slum adds to the list of over 160

informal settlements in Nairobi

County. The slum is located

along Milimani Road off State

house road. It is a walking dis-

tance from the Central Business

District as no matatus are al-

lowed to operate on the route for

security purposes. From valley

road,walk along the Milimani

road just until you reach the slum.

The slums proximity to the

town centre makes it to be sort

after by many people, particu-

larly the university students and

others who wish to save on fare.

This has made the rent here to be

very high. Just a single roomed

house cost said Magdalene Muli,

a business lady who has resided

in the slum for over 18 years.

The slum is very different from

other slums as there are decent

houses and it is also divided

into different sections. From the

road, there is the Sego market,

from the market is a dump site

and then the blocks of houses.

Sego market has been the main

income source for the local resi-

dents. Many workers from the

Central Business District, Com-

munity and the construction

workers around have been having

their meals from the area. They

come to have breakfast and

lunch because we provide these

meals at affordable prices than

the price being offered in town,

added Mrs. Muli. The busi-

ness has therefore been boom-

ing over a long period of time.

The slum does not have a school-

neither a public nor a private

school. The children therefore

go to the neighbouring schools

which include St. Georges Pri-

mary School and the schools in

Kibera slum like Toy, Three bells

and Olympic Primary schools.

Our children have been go-

ing to the nearby schools since

we do not have a school in the

slum, said Mrs. Muli. It is

always very far but they have

to cope with it as they have

no other choice, she added.

Apart from schools, we do

not also have health centres in

the slum. We have been there-

fore attending the nearby health

centres whenever we seek treat-

ment, said a resident who

sought anonymity. This has

been a challenge since feeling ill

is an emergency and you dont

plan to be ill. Emergency cases

which need quick attention also

have been a problem, he added.

However, the residents have

high hopes in their elected leaders

beginning wi th their Member of

CountyAssembly Representative,

Mr. Moses Ogetto and Member

of Parliament Mr. Simba Arati.

Since the slum is just some me-

tres from the Ofcial residence

of the President, security is not

a problem. We have not had

cases of insecurity in the slum

over the years. There are always

police patrols during the nights.

This has enhanced the security

here, echoed another resident.

Our attempts to get comments

on security from the area chief,

Mr. Otoyo were unsuccessful.

In this column, the Ghetto Mirror brings you details about the various ghettos of Nairobi, one at a time. This month, we covered Sego slum, a slum

just infront of Statehouse Nairobi. If you want Ghetto Mirror to cover your hood, email us through [email protected]

Cover option 1 2 3 4 5 6

Patrick Tumbo(center) CEO Jubilee Insurance, Sammy Makove

CEO IRA and Dickson Mbugua the matatu owners association

chairman. During the launch of Tuamaini ya jamii micro insurance.

APRIL 2014: ISSUE 10

My Hood.

Just an overview of Sego slums that is located at Milimani off State-

house road. Its main residents are said to be unversity students. The

slum lacks schools and health facilities.

Table showing types of cover, benet payout and annual premium

.

Benet pay out 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 100000

Annual premium 450 850 1150 1650 2100 4200

governmental organization op-

erating in poor urban areas pro-

viding bio-sanitation services,

including clean drinking water.

These are again basic but es-

sential services and core to the

communities living around the

bio centers. These centers will

not only act as distribution and

claims management points but

more specically act as capacity

building and knowledge cente rs.

All members who successfully

apply for the cover are all given

membership cards and are en-

titled to premiums. Premiums

are paid through mobile money

payments or at any post ofce

for the other members of the

public. The claims are also pay -

able within 48 hours maximum

and will be managed effectively

through respective partners.

Basic documentation such as

chiefs letters and burial per-

mits is devoid of cumbersome

claims procedures normally wit-

nessed in conventional business.

450The total amount

to be paid in a year

Photo: David Otieno


6/8

Ghetto Mirror6 APRIL 2014 ISSUE 10

From page 1

My mother was mocked and ridi-

culed for giving birth to a girl. My

father started mocking my moth-

er and soon enough, relatives,

friends and neighbours followed

suit. I remembered my uncle tell-

ing my father that, why do you

have to waste resources on girls

and their mother who will go and

cant give birth to a baby boy?

At this point, the husband threat-

ened to leave her if she gave birth

to another girl. According to

Njoki, her pate rnal grandmother

and aunts had suddenly assumed

the roles of her worst enemies.She, however, suffered silently.

She prayed to God to protect

her children and to give sense to

those people. Tears rolled down

her cheek when she told me one

of the incidences; the landlord

came to ask for the rent and

found her husband, who retort-

ed, ....this is not my house, the

owner of the house is coming!

Giving birth to our last born,

however, was the toughest phase

of my mothers life, Njokis el-

dest daughter said. By this time,

she was sure if it was not a boy,

my father would leave her. He

desperately wanted a boy, but

to his utter disappointment, she

gave birth to a baby girl. This

was the beginning of a dark life

of taunts, threats and despair for

my mother and sisters. She said

her father started ignoring them,

even the uncles rejected them.

This was a hard situation for the

family and the girls stayed at

home due to lack of school feesafter nishing primary school.

The gloom and sadness was

evident on the faces of the fam-

ily members. My husband was

furious and blamed me entirely

for giving birth to our last born

as if giving birth to a girl was

my choice. My paternal grand-

mother and aunts pushed for

the divorce. All my relatives

wanted my husband to leave me

so that I could bestow my pun-

ishment in proportion with the

crime I had committed of giv-

ing birth to yet another daughter.

Njoki was divorced in 2007

and the husband got married to

another woman. We, his very

own daughters, were a stain on

his reputation, said the daugh-

ter. We had stripped him of his

honour and let him down, all

because we were born girl s. We

would obviously grow up to be

good-for-nothing burdens on

his shoulders, mere liabilities or

perhaps just bad luck. So, ac-

cording to him, it was best that

he left us and cut all ties. Pre-

tending we dont exist is prob-

ably was the solution he resorted

to and made his mind to leave

mum and her four wild cats -

as he normally referred to us.

According to Diana Ayabei,

a clinician at SHOFCO clinic,

many factors can lead to the

birth of a girl. First, a child

comes from God and every fam-

ily should always know that. But

on the question about who deter-

mines the gender of a foetus, theanswer is a man, she explained.

The generally accepted theory is

that males determine the sex be-

cause males have both an X and

Y chromosome, while females

only have X chromosomes.

The female contribution is con-

stant and the males contribu-

tion varies which, under normal

circumstances, determines the

offsprings gender, she added.

According to Diana, because

male has XY chromosome, he

has the vital role to play to deter-

mine the gender since he has both

X- chromosome for baby girl and

Y-chromosomes for baby boy.

The gender can also be deter-

mined by what is called timing

and here requires openness from

the woman side. When a woman

is ovulating, at this time, she is on

the high side of attracting either

Y or X chromosomes from a man

when they have intercourse, she

added. The genetic issue may

also be a problem and therefore

divorce should not be an op-

tion in such a case, says Diana.

Divorced for not bearing a male child

By: Erick OumaBelinda Achieng, 22 years old

and a resident of Gatwekera vil-

lage in Kibera all her life, has a

dream of a better life. But she

faces many challenges. Shehas a mental disability and ear

problem. Belinda left primary

school in class ve and joined

vocational training. She lives

with her mother, Mary Adongo,

and three of her cousins. Mary

is currently working in a hotel

in the Central Business District

which forces her to wake up very

early to make it on time to work.

We live ve people, that is

my mum, three cousins (my

uncles children who are under

the care of my mother) with

my mother the sole bread win-

ner, Belinda Achieng said.

Achieng dropped out of school

in 2003 in standard ve at St.

Charles Lwanga School. She

could neither write nor read. Shenever wanted to waste her moth-

ers income. Her mother enrolled

her in a tailoring course which

she was also unable to complete.

While still in college, my moth-

er would send me to a mans

house whom she claimed owed

her some money for Chama.

He occasionally took advan-

tage of her mental state to have

sexual intercourse without con-

sidering the repercussions. Afterrealizing that Achieng was preg-

nant, her mother could not do

anything as she knew very well

the condition and mental state of

her daughter. She however gave

her the courage and support that

she needed during the pregnancy

and opted to bear the burden

of caring for the new member

despite her meager income.

She is currently expecting her

second child in three monthstime. She doesnt know thewhereabouts of the man re-

sponsible for the pregnancy.

The man responsible for mysecond pregnancy came to our

place numerously when he was

in need of seeing me but im-mediately after he noticed I was

pregnant, he stopped coming to

our home. This has made me to

conclude that he only wanted

to use and dump me, Achiengadded with tears rolling down

her cheeks. Wanjera (not his real

name) is a manual labourer at a

changaa den in Kisumu Ndogo

village. He decided not to take

the responsibility as he too is hav-

ing a miserable life in the slum.

Achieng is not mentally t

and at times she laughs in a

very loud voice and this auto-

Women protestors, protesting against gender based violence. Somedemonise being divorced for not being able to bear male children.It has since seemed a norm among in the community. Photo: Ronald Calcano

A woman cooking mandazi just to ensure she makes a living, but doesnt seem

to be caring about her environment. Children are playing around and is just

behind a stream that has for a longtime served as a dumpsite for residents.

Photo: David Otieno

The number of chil-

dren Njoki has at 40

with none being a male.4

matically tells me that she is

disabled and to think that some

men have indeed come and given

her just a twenty shilling coin to

sleep with her without consid-

ering her mental state, is in-

deed irresponsible, said EstherAdhiambo, a close neighbour.

She has an ear problem but

since she lacks funds, she only

visits the local free health cen-

ters for treatment when her

problem arises. She cannot af-

ford to pay for advanced treat-

ment to solve the problem. She

is slowly becoming deaf. My

ears have been having this prob-

lem ever since my childhood and

my mothers basic salary is not

enough for her to take me to an

advanced hospital for treatment.

I can as well say thanks a lot to

SHOFCO since it has brought

some doctors for ear treatment to

the community and many were

assisted through that medica-tion. I was helped though they

were not properly treated and re-

ferred me for further specialized

treatment. Achieng is capable of

sewing and hopes to get her own

sewing machine to help her real-

ize her dream of venturing into

the fashion and design industry.

Ngumos undrying water

By: Erick Ouma &

Kevin OchiengWater has been owing-

throughout the year from

Ngumo Estate into Laini

Saba towards the railway

line in Kibera. It is difcult

to tell whether it rained dur-

ing the night or underground

spring as the water ows daily

for the last six years as noted

by Beth Wambui, a resident and

a business lady at Laini Saba.

The water is clean and if

correctly utilized, it can helpsolve water problems in the

area. The residents believe that

the source of the owing water

is plastic water pipes broken by

vehicles, carts and passers-by.

When the pipes are broken, wat-

eris mixed with mud and sewage

and therefore making the water

unsafe for human consumption.

O c c a s i o n a l l y

the pipes are repaired but

no sooner than not the water

ows again, I guess the owners

have despaired with the re-

pairs, Wambui fu rther laments.

Though there are numerous

plastic water pipes of different

sizes emerging from one angle

to unknown directions, it is at

times believed that the drain-

ing water comes directly from

the water pipes that have been

broken down by the heavy ve-

hicles. Since it has taken placefor over six years, no one can

tell if there is a spring in the

area. At times, mainly dur-

ing morning hours, the place

gets muddy, another resident

complained. Vehicles move at

high speed, hence splashing wa-

ter on us and even our goods.

ID registration

By Mirror reporter

The government will register all

Kenyans and non-Kenyans who

are legally residing in the coun-

try in a national digital databaseas a measure of addressing secu-

rity challenges and to stop cases

of fake identication documents.

Deputy President Hon. Wil-

liam Samoei Ruto said they

will ensure that all Kenyans

are safe and that the move will

minimise criminals en-

tering into the country.

In order to address the prevail-

ing security challenges, we intend

to consolidate all current regis-

ters of persons into a single na-

tional register with accurate and

relevant information, he said.

With this move, all the infor-

mation of an individual will

be contained in one database .

These will include the birth reg-

istration, personal identicationnumber, Public Service Com-

mission, National Social Secu-

rity Fund and National Hospital

Insurance Fund registers and

voter registration among others.

One will only require one iden-

tication document unlike now.

It is a good move though it

will cost the citizen much.


7/8


Your OpinionName: Michael John

Age: 20 yrs

Occupation: Student

I dont support because I

will not be able to watch my

favourite programs since I

am not able to buy a set-top

box. The cost of living has

also gone up that this will

add more burden to us.

Name:Wilberforce Aluda

Age: 23 yrs

Occupation: Security

I strongly oppose this deci-

sion. We are still not ready

to go digital. The govern-

ment should give us more

time to migrate or we should

be left to migrate at our own

pace and wil l.

Name:Rachel Ambassa

Age:24 yrs

Occupation: Business lady

I fully support the digital

migration as it will increase the

number of frequencies avail-

able to media houses. The Gov-

ernment should not backtrack

on this issue but move forwardwith speed because the whole

world is going digital.

Digital migration postponed.

nal converter box costs at least

Ksh. 1499 whereas the lowest

monthly subscription fee is Ksh.

500. This according to the me-

dia houses is a burden to most

of the residents living in Nai-

robi as they struggle with fend-

ing for their families as well

as pay for television signals.

According to some residents

the moved had come in handy

as the cost of living is steadily

rising. I would like to go digi-

tal as the world is all digital, but

I cannot manage to pay monthly

from page 1off by the respective media

hous on December 26 2013 that

had been the initial date set by

the court after it had failed on

its earlier date December 13.

The media houses however re-

versed the move allowing resi-

dents enough time to comply.

Switching from analogue to

digital requires that each owner

of a television set purchases a

signal converter box for their

television. The cheapest sig-

for viewing television, Mr.

Phanuel Owino, a Kibera resi-

dent complained. He further

added I am paying school

fees for my children, paying

rent, electricity and provid-

ing food for my family, this is

too much for a common man.

Whereas there are those who

have already purchased the set

top boxes while others wishing

they could afford the set top box-

es there are those that perhaps

careless about the migration.

Alice Molo a Mathare residents

talking to the Ghetto Mirror

said, I will use my television to

watch movies from the compact

disks and listen to music because

the cost is too much for me.

The government though has

been making efforts to make themigration affordable and friend-

ly to the low income earners. It

had promised to issue a third

broadcast signal distribut ion

license through a competitive

process. The license however,

will be ring-fenced to restrict

it to only local investors which

is expected to lower the cost

back to low income earners.

The good news however, could

be that not all set-top boxes

are paid monthly. Consum-

ers who may not want to sub-

scribe to pay TV have the op-

tion of buying an approved free

to air set-top box at a higher

price though and be able to

watch local channels for free.

Consumers must exercise care

when purchasing set-top boxes

to avoid being duped by unscru-

pulous vendors who are out to

make a quick buck. They should

ensure that the set-top boxes or

other digital receiving devices

they are buying are original from

the manufacturer and approved

through Communications Com-

mission of Kenya (CCK).

Some of the advantages of

digital signals are that they

will increase the quality of the

signals and images and sound

will be very clear. Furthermore,

there will be a number of chan-

nels to choose from as com-pared to analogue transmission

Compact disks dimmed to sell as many residents have re-solved to buy them as an alterantive since they cannot afford

the set-top noxes.

Call: 0715830070

Photo: David Otieno


8/8

Ghetto Mirror8 APRIL 2014: ISSUE 10

A student From Express Soccer Acedmy shows

off his skills during ther training session at Hill-

crest Preparatory School in Karen.Photo: Dennis Mwanzia

Coach Kennedy Onyanyo (right) wathces as MauriceOlum (in Red Jerseys) issues instructions to his playersduring a training a session in Karen Photo: Dennis Mwanzia

The Ghetto Mirror, is a monthly 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 atten-

tion to issues affecting the residents of the informal settlements. All the work that goes into production of this news -

paper is done by youths from the slums. Correspondence should be addressed to ghettomirrornews. You can also vis-

it our facebook page: www.facebook for constant news updates, photos and video. News and advertisement: 0703 129 808

By Daniel Mwanzia

I wanted to be an international

player but due to unavoidab le

circumstances, my dream was

not realized, said Mr. Olum.

Maurice Olum a football coach

who grew up in Kisumu Ndo-

go, a village in Kibera slum.

He also featured for KiberaGolden F.C and Recymianto

F.C during footballing career.

In spite of not living in his

dreams he wanted to achieve

them, as a result founded

a soccer academy Express

Soccer Academy. The acad-

emy was started in 2011 as

a stepping stone targeting

young talented soccer player

from low income families

but mainly living in the slum.

The soccer academy though

is situated at Hillcrest Prepara-

tory School in Karen most of

the players are from slums and

showing his love for the slumplayers, Mr. Olum came up with

the motto of the academy, Che-

za Boli a sheng word mean-

ing Play Football. Sheng is a

language formed by combining

some English and Swahili words,

and the main language used by

residents of informal settlements

especially among the youths.

The academy currently has ten

children from different infor-

mal settlements who are fully

sponsored in terms of costumes,

training facilities, equipment

and training. Unlike those fromwell off families.The coach too

pays for the mode of transport

for those from low income

eraning families just to ensure

they get to the training ground.

Players joining the academy are

not picked randomly but scout-

ed for. The academies scouts

are sent out to look for fresh

talent and passionate players

especially from the slums and

ask to recommend suitable ones.

Mr. Olums love for the game

and children has been the

drive for him to perhaps in-

vest in nurturing young talents.

As I see children training, I

see a world champion, efforts

well earned, he said talking

to the Ghetto Mirror. I wasbrought up in Kibera slum in

Kisumu Ndogo village. I there-

fore do not want to see talents

wasted and children taken ad-

vantage of by people who do

not see their potential but only

want to benet themselves, I

want to see them living up to

their expectations, he added.

Olum though doesnt do all

the work by himself; he is

helped by ve experienced

coaches who also share in his

dreams of building the game

through growing young talents.

Mohammed Ibrahim, Ken-

nedy Onyango, Felix Onyango,

Yasin Ngurai and Eliakim.

In a year, Express has three

seasons. Each season takes a

duration of twelve weeks. The

twelve weeks are inclu-sive of

school coaching and Saturday

coaching. Most of the young soc-

cer players from the slums meet

on Saturdays from 9 oclock

until 12 noon. During these

meetings, the coaches helping

Olum in running the academy

are assigned different duties

and different stages to handle.

Coach Olums dream was to

become Kenya internat ional

player but never came to be.However though he is very op-

timistic that through Express

Soccer Academy the kids can

make him live in his dreams.

In return he has put all his ef-

fort to ensuring they play their

best in order to see them join

the Kenyan Premier League

big clubs or even play abroad.

As a matter of fact the young

kids are all grateful for him.

Morgan Tabu 13, is among

those sponsored players told

the Ghetto Mirror how grateful

he was to the academy and the

coach. Express Soccer Acad-

emy made me know what foot-

ball is, and I return my sincere

gratitude to the coach for being

with s and building us, he said.

Other than the soccer acad-emy coach Maurice Olum actsas the coach for both Hill-crest and Banda schools all inKaren and it was while actingas an intern coach in Banda

that the idea of creating anacademy crossed his mind. The academy though was

only meant to nurture talentshas ended up creating job op-portuniti es for one lucky slumdweller, this is apart from offer-ing training to their young kids.Most of the people who visit

Hillcrest are from well estab-lished homes, I agreed to helpone youth from the slum to sellsoccer boots to the visitors ofHillcrest School. He brings theboots to the training groundand with the help of my wifePholter Adhiambothe soccerboots a re sold at an affo rdable

prices, said Maurice.

By: David Otieno &

George Sakwa

Kounkuey Design Initiative

(KDI) s: /con-coo-ee/ is a Thai

word meaning to know intimately.

The organization transforms

impoverished communities by

collaborating with residents to

create low-cost, high-impactbuilt environmen ts (also re-

ferred to as Productive Public

Spaces) that improve their daily

lives. Begun in 2006, KDI is an

innovative international partner-

ship specializing in the practices

of architecture, engineering,

landscaping and urban planning.

KDI believes that participatory

planning and design are key to

sustainable development. Byworking collaboratively with

communities from inception

through implementation, we

build on their ideas, enhance

them with technical knowl-

edge and design innovation,

that connect them to external

resources. Says Charles New-

man, the Country Director. In

doing so, KDI empowers com-

munities to advocate for them-selves and address the major

physical, social, and economic

challenges they face. He added.

I am very grateful to KDI for

coming up with this initiative in

our area, says Irene Ochieng,

Community coordinator. At a

personal level Im very thank-

ful because through KDI I se-

cured a job and that enables me

to feed my family since Im thesole breadwinner of the family.

added Irene, a mother of two.

5. Targeted areas that employ

strong design concepts to create

beautifu l and aesthet ic places

6. Catalysts by which com-

munities improve the so-

cial, economic, and environ-

mental lives of their residents

The KDI has 4 different projects

in Kibera slum located at Lindi

and Katwekera respectively.

We normally work with orga-

nized groups based in the slums

where we offer them opportunity

to apply for our services there-

after the qualied groups are

taken into consideration. ex-

plains Charles. Since we dont

evict anyone from their residen-

tial areas we therefore consider

groups who have not occupied

public space, normally before

we start building the projects,

we follow the legal process of

acquiring and developing land

by liaising with relevant gov-

ernment departments, chiefs

and local leaders. he added.

B e f o r e A f t e r

By: Mirror Correspondence

All the teams that have been

promoted to the various l eagues

have been urged to put up a

spirited ght to ensure that

they remain and continue mov-

ing up the league standings.

The local residents noted that

through this, they will show

their talents to the outsideworld and the local players

will also have a platform to

showcase their talents as they

participate in their own teams.

These teams include SHOFCO

FC, KIBRA UNITED FC, MT.

ZION FC and LUCKY BOYZ

FC which have been promot-

ed to participate in the Nai-

robi County League. They join

KIBERA CELTIC and other

teams in the county league.

This is a great opportunity for

these young talents since they

can be scouted by corporations

that would in turn pay them

better and provide a source of

income to support their fami-

lies. Furthermore, they willnot engage in criminal activi-

ties which has been the case

with many footballers from

the slum and they end up be-

ing killed by the security men.

The ladies teams should also

be supported so that they can

emulate their men counter-

parts by also working hard

and then joining the league.

If this will be achieved, then

hopefully, Kenya will be a

country of great soccer players;

both men and womens teams.

Federation of Kenyan Foot-

ball (FKF) presiden t, Mr. Sam

Nyamweya, recently said that

they will fully support womens

football and will start the wom-

ens league to also run as the

main league. This will be a boost

to the women football which has

been on the dark over the last

years. This is the right direc-

tion that our country has taken.

Well donePassionate coach nurturing young Talents

Kounkuey Design Initiative

(KDI) partners with residents

of impoverished areas to de-

velop and implement design

solutions that improve physical,

economic, and social aspects of

life. We refer to the low-cost,

high impact environments we

create Productive Public SpacesProductives Pub-

lic Spaces (PPS) are:

1. Formerly unusable and some-

times unsafe areas that become

active public spaces such as com-

munity meeting areas, vegetable

gardens, and micro-enterprise

and recreation spaces, along

with basic infrastructure (e.g.

sanitation, bridges, walkways

2. Conceived, constructed and

managed by the people who

use them, in collaboration with

local and international partners

3. Income-generating, socially

constructive, and sustainable

4. Projects that would oth-

erwise not be realized

through traditional channels

Ghetto

Mirror

Wasted land that Kenya Design Initiative (KDI) reclaimed and transformed

into a social and rcreation facility center that also provides a meeting place to

the local residents Photo: File

Documents

Ghetto Mirror April-May issue 2014