Rumours That Shape Kibera Politics: Party Nominations Dispute

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Steve Banner

Kibera street political analysts, as I may call them, and rumour mongers, have a very thin line separating them if the happenings of the past few days is anything to go by.

After fierce campaigns on 6th and 7th January, the ODM nominations were to take place on 18th.

The 18th came and people went to vote in one peace each confident that his or her candidate will clinch the party ticket.

After a full day of voting, rumours took over and went round on Friday 19th that the ODM Sarangombe county representative ticket had gone to Mr. Owino Ko’tieno, this was later to be confirmed by the returning officer at olympic primary school polling station.

The same rumours claimed that Mr. Amayo, a Kibra MP contestant had clinched the ODM ticket, hours later the same rumours reversed their claim that the confirmed winner was Mr. Ken Okoth. I never got to know how the confirmation came about and never bothered to ask since one didn’t actually need to ask, they would tell it to you anyway.

So I came to believe it when a friend told me that Mr. Ken Okoth had actually updated on social media that he had clinched the ODM ticket to run for Kibra mp.

It was at this point that the street political analysts of Kibera picked the story, and by saying street political analysts, I mean those individuals who stand by the roadside especially at newspapers vending points with a handful crowd around them, as they analyze the political situation of the moment. Try walking at olympic or kamkunji grounds, Kibera on a Sunday and you can’t miss them.

On this day, they took to analyze the possibility of Mr. Ken Okoth winning and how he had done it. According to one such analyst, Mr. Ken Okoth had only won in 2 polling stations and therefore could not be declared the winner. He argued that laini saba area residents had not been allowed to vote, and the area, according to him, was an Amayo stronghold.

As the rumour picked the story and went round with it, breaking it down in different versions, it seemed a group of youths decided to react to the rumour and marched to orange house in kilimani area, which houses ODM headquaters, to allegedly protest over why laini saba residents were denied a chance to participate in the nominations, where they were reported to have engaged in property destruction.

And despite the ODM electoral board announcing on a press conference that no certificate had been issued to any candidate yet, a rumour still went round that Mr. Owino Ko’tieno, who had been announced the winner of county rep. ODM ticket, had been denied the certificate, and, according to the rumour, given to Mr. Kajwang, who was also contesting for county representative ODM ticket in sarangombe. It’s believed that this could have been the reason for the rowdiness that followed thereafter that led to youths engaging in property destruction at Redrose school in olympic, a school that is believed to be owned by Mr. Ken Okoth, who, according to random sources in Kibera, was being accused of working to make sure Mr. Owino Kotieno did not have the certificate. There were several versions of this story depending on who you ask, and which side he/she supported and the mood on the ground. In one particular version, Mr. Ken Okoth is alleged to have been asked who he wanted to work with and mentioned Kajwang instead of Kotieno, but I could never tell who to believe among the several story tellers I listened to.

And even after ODM board made it clear that no certificate had been issued, the youths went ahead to lay barricades along kibera drive near olympic stage.

Moments later, police from the general service unit were deployed to quell the lawlessness and violence. Running battles ensued, leaving scores of people injured among them 2 journalists from the mainstream media.

Posted in Elections, Emergency, Insecurity, politics, Youth | Leave a comment

Taking VOK Platform Awareness to Mashinani

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Sande Wycliffe

forum

It’s barely 3 weeks to the general elections and the political temperatures are rising day in day out. As these events unfold, Map Kibera Trust has embarked on doing different activities in readiness for the big task just around the corner.

Recently we actively participated in the Party primaries nominations and updated what was going on the ground.  The exercise that was characterized by confusion by late arrival of voting materials, voting places so very many citizens wait for longer hours until later in the afternoon when the exercise started.

A few days after, there were riots witnessed in Kibera starting from Olympic where the Road leading to Ayany, Kianda and on was barricaded with burning tires. The bone of contention was that, one of the contestants was to be given a certificate but it later was given to a different contender. This sparked the violence that saw the Red Rose School in Olympic destroyed with angry protestors.

A few days later we organized a VOK presentation that targeted 30 people but 27 people showed up as 11 out of those, showed interest to actively participate in the Voice of Kibera activities as far as covering the events after, during and after the elections.  The presentation was interactive as the attendees asked questions, commented and agreed to participate in the citizen journalism activities.

“Voice of Kibera should make use of social network and beware of its exploitations where it can be tagged and sensor hate-speech from its followers”, said Otieno one of the attendees at the forum.

forum 1

With this in mind, the Voice of Kibera bid to monitor and cover the elections was gaining momentum as we seek to do the same presantation in areas of Olympic,Katwekera, Kisumu Ndogo and Kambi Muru

Why the Community Presentations

These are done mainly to bring the community onboard in terms of monitoring and reporting on what is happening in village’s across Kibera, community engagements and to do away with other mainstream media propaganda which has in the past tarnished Kibera name. It is also done to sensitize the masses of the existence of the Voice of Kibera platform and its works in the community.

We also successfully managed to carry out the posters and fliers distribution displaying the number and what people can report about before, during and after the general elections. The process is still on-going in order to cover a wider part of Kibera with plarking posters in strategic areas remaining but to be completed soon.

The Voice of Kibera together with the other Map Kibera Trust programs also managed to carry out the Stakeholder mapping process last year whose aim was to engage Organizations in Kibera on participation and linking up with local media houses which included Pamoja FM, Kibera Mirror, Kibera Journal and KiberaTV.

We trust that before the elections date, we shall have done awareness enough to enable as many people as possible to contribute to reporting of the happenings during this time that a lot of monitoring is needed so as to present Kibera to Kenya and the world as it is/ will be at that time of elections.

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Party Primary results in Kibera

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Douglas Namale

Lack of ballot boxes and papers, rowdy youth, tear gas, demonstrations, burning tyres and fights characterize party nominations in Kibra and Langatta constituencies.

After the two day nomination melee in Kibra constituency, the  political parties have declared their  parliamentary and County assembly results. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) declared  Kenneth Okoth the winner.   United Democratic Forum (UDF)   will be represented by Ndura Waruinge while James Sigar will fly the Labour Party of Kenya LPK ticket.

In Langatta constituency, United Republican Party URP will be represented by Nixon Korir. Jacob Dundos was controversially awarded the ODM certificate though Joash Olum was declared the winner. Andrew Kibe will carry the UDF flag. Stanley Livondo won The National Alliance (TNA) primaries without any campaign, though he had already decamped to UDF, and awarded the senatorial ticket.

In Laini Saba ward, ODM certificate was awarded to Cecilia Ayot, though nominations did not take place. David Kitavi was clinched the Wiper Democratic Party ticket, while James Kiarie will represent TNA.  In Sarangombe, ODM will be represented by Owino K’Otieno, though his certificate is contested. Other parties are not popular in this ward.

In Lindi ward, ODM is the only party which had released its results.  Obenge, a security guard clinched the ticket, while in Makina, the outgoing Lindi councilor Babu Adams clinched the ODM ticket. Aidaar will represent URP.  Lindi, Makina, Sarangombe,  Laini Saba and Golf course/Kenyatta wards constitute Kibra constituency, with the first four being part of the slum.

In Nyaya Highrise ward,  ODM  declared Maurice Akuk  the winner with Jacktone Kaparo as second.  Although Charles Deya is claimed to have been awarded the ODM  ticket in a controversial way. Deya is also alleged to have decamped to Wiper and awarded a direct nomination.  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be represented by Ochwacho Ojango. Tom Ndeche will carry the UDF flag while Wachira will carry the TNA ticket. Kaparo has since decamped to Ford Kenya, and awarded a direct nomination too.

In Mugumoini, the incumbent councilor Alex Mberia will fly the ODM ticket.

The two constituencies equally experienced more drama during the nomination.ODM and UDF did not conduct nominations in Laini Saba and Mugumoini wards respectively. TNA postponed its nomination on 17th due to lack of proper preparation, though they pointed an accusing finger to IEBC for availing the voter registration list late.

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Destruction of Red Rose Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Lee Ibrahim

After the Party nominations which happened on 17th January 2013 the residents turned into violence which ended up in the destruction of a Nursery School. According to one of the rioters they claimed that one of the MP aspirants who also owns the school had given the Sarang’ombe County representative certificate to the wrong person.

The rioters went  to the aspirants organisation to look for an explanation from the him but it was all in vain. They later matched to the Red Rose Nursery and Children’s Centre where they started the demolition after they found out he was not in the area. During the incident the children had left for their homes and were not around the school compound.

They ran down the gate of the school and were able to get in the school where they broke the windows and the walls. Police were called in the incident and were able to calm down the situation by dispersing the crowd.

Below are some photos of the destruction.

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Posted in Corruption, Crime, Education, Elections, Emergency, Insecurity, People, politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

COUNTING LOSSES FROM TRAGEDIES

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Lee Ibrahim
  1. Fire

In the recent past Kibera has witnessed fire incidences in various locations within the slums. Most recent fires have been reported in Laini Saba, Olympic, Bombolulu, Toi market and Gatwekera villages.

Fire in Gatwekera

But what is the major cause of these fires?

Looking at the infrastructure of Kibera a larger part is an informal settlement where many people cannot comfortably afford the basic necessity in life. Due to the fact that electricity pass by their homes they are forced to do illegal electricity connections by tapping the live wire and improvising the ground wire, which in turn lead to electricity fallout. This causes over consumption which over powers the transformers hence explosion which cause fire.

Other causes are stoves, gas explosions, lanterns and candles which are often left unattended hence cause fire.

Remedies.

The government to enforce strict laws to govern the electricity distribution and a way to monitor the consumption of fire in the informal settlement. People should get the knowledge to handle electricity gadgets and gas cylinders to ensure safety of the people.

Guardians and parents should be more extra-cautious when leaving their children when the electricity is on in the house.

  1. Poor Infrastructure

Most informal settlement have poor infrastructure because they have been ignored for too long. This has retarded the development of the area, for instance inaccessible roads. During fire outbreaks it is not easy to maneuver to tragedy scenes. It is not easy to get to patients during emergencies and police are unable to do patrols during criminal incidences in different locations.

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Poor drainage systems especially during the rainy season cause disasters such as houses being swept away, impassable roads, loss of property and sometimes loss of lives.

Falling of Building in the informal settlement is caused by:

  •  Poor survey of construction land
  • Unqualified engineers and unskilled contractors
  • Heavy rains/bad weather
  • Poor/Low quality materials for construction
  • Low wages to workers hence low motivation
  • Hurry to finish the construction

Remedies

Infrastructure should be improved to ensure good drainage systems to do away disasters caused during heavy rains. Good qualified surveys and constructors should be call up for the task during construction.

VOK Team

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The Dream of the year 2012

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Lee Ibrahim

On the dawn of 23rd December 2011 I had My Dream of The Year 2011 but this one comes four days earlier, I don’t know why.  The world has been presumed to end on Friday the 21st this year two days from now and if this is something to go by then I hand over every reason to Mother Nature. I have had a couple of dreams this year but there is a fact about dreams and going by a recent study; that a normal man can have up to seven different dreams a single night but can wake up the following morning not to recall any of them completely. But this dream I had almost at the dawn of this day the 19th of December 2012 will go along in mind for the rest of my life. The only difference between this dream and the previous ones is the fact that after meditating upon it, leaves me with a message that I believe is going to turn my world around.

The dream: I was at a neighbors homestead in Kibera slums that I assume I had passed by or merely gone to visit, on my way home. I was amazed at how they were practicing some poultry farming in their small home and had a very good number of ducks and chicken well protected in a temporary structure. I could visualize the number of eggs that they were harvesting and the amount of profit they most probably had been making at that time.
On my way home I had the notion to introduce that kind of an idea to my family and I was so excited. On reaching home I was astonished after I discovered that my home had a taken a different look and something almost similar to what I saw in my neighborhood was going on! There were structures that were meant for chicken rearing and a few of the chicken already in place although not as many as those in the neighborhood but I had the feeling that that was a good start.

While taking a walk across the compound, I was noticing some enormous changes in it and some of the land that was grabbed and built on during the 2007-2008 post election aggression by the enemies then had already been returned to us. The unfamiliar houses were demolished and my mother was trying to put a bamboo fence across the boundary, trying to bring back the shape of the homestead almost similar to what it used to be. I was so amazed.
There was also a very huge water tank raised a few meters high the ground on the compound that was supplying the area with enough water but it was owned by one of the culprits who had stormed into the foreign land. His house did not exist anymore and when I asked why, my mum told me that he had disappeared under unclear circumstances. My mum was then trying to find a way to fix our own tank. I missed this home and the feel to be home again was overwhelming, but something was still eating up my mind and that was where I had been all that time that the native home was taking back to its original shape. I even had thought of asking my mum a simple question like where I was the previous day, but she wasn’t next to me at that moment. I was beginning to get a bit confused! But an answer inside my mind told me; that all that time of change I must have been in the dream land. No sooner had I thought of having been in the dream land than I turned my body only to find myself on my current bed! So the joy of being at home again with my family was all but a Dream? I could not resist a tear drop. I was so grieved because first I woke up before the dream was over and second I wish it gave me a chance to meet my dad and siblings too and third; I miss the joy, the fun, the pets, the poultry and the family bond that was brought about by the family while staying together and more so the initial home.

Joe Gathecha KNN

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Map Kibera Trust on a map distribution drive in Kibera Slums

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Sande Wycliffe

Team Map Kibera Ready to go out !!

Having been the first organization to put the entire Kibera slums on the world map, Map Kibera Trust; an organization that seeks to be a hub where access to open information contributes to positive community transformation was on the road again to ensure that the maps that were produced reached the community which in-turn would put them to use.

To achieve this, the program coordinators met for the preparation of distributing the maps; there intention of meeting was to bring the attention of the three programs on how they will be working together towards achieving the objective of the exercise and to come up with relevant locations for maps distribution. It was there that they agreed that members from the 3 programs; Mapping, Voice of Kibera and Kibera News Network were to go to the field to distribute the maps which had been developed based on themes. Maps on Education, Security and Health are the themes that were distributed.

 

The aim of the exercise was to give back to the community through the high quality printed maps that contain the informational that came from them during the first phase of the mapping exercise.

Villages covered.

For the 2 days that we were in the field, we were able to cover all the 13 villages; Gatwikera, Raila, Olympic, Soweto west&east, Kianda, Kambi muru, Kisumu ndogo, Lindi, Mashimoni, Makina, Silanga, and Laini Saba.   

Positive Feedback From the Field.

As we visited different places, we collected feedback from the people we found so that we could ascertain how the maps will be put to good used.

MKT member explaining to a community member details on the Map!

  1. The local administration appreciated our work and accepted to be interviewed i.e. Sarang’ombe and Laina Saba ward chiefs.
  2. Most of the institutions accepted to use the map for positive transfiguration most of the institution wanted more than one map so they can use it for informational purposes as well as Education especially the Schools we visited.
  3. We even had a chance to meet with D.O 1 (District Commissioner) who had a compliment for us saying that our map was outstanding compared to the one they had before.
  4. For those who were not able to access our maps online were able to access them on hard-copy something that was important for us since it was now realized.
  5. We ensured equal distribution of maps in at least all villages in Kibera.

Some of the Challenges.

Though most of the places we went to were very receptive, we experienced some hostility in a few areas where we were thought to be a different group out to just take advantage of the situations in Kibera by walking around to talk to people as we take photos to go and sell. After a few minutes of sharing our intentions with them, they understood us and we gave out the maps, something they congratulated us for showing a good example to organizations by sharing the findings of the work done with the community. We also found some schools that were to get maps already closed for holiday which means we will have to give them the maps when they resume school.

Conclusion.

In general, the exercise was a success only for the schools that had already closed. Going forward, we need to print big and more visible maps a suggestion that came from one of the places we visited.

Bigger Versions of the Maps Needed for Easy Visibility!

We hope that the maps distributed will not only be put to good use but also help Map Kibera Trust bond more with the community so that even as we get ready to cover the vents before, during and after the elections, we can work together to achieve optimum results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Education, Empowerment, Health, Kibera, People, Security | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Rising Insecurity in Kibera

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Lee Ibrahim

There has been reports and cases of increased insecurity in different parts of Kibera over the resent times. This has led to a number of deaths either by mob justices, police killings and even some caused by the gangster’s attacks that have seen a number of demonstrations being staged at different intervals by the residence in the quest for justice and against the local administration that has been accused for laxity. One of such cases is when two carjackers of a gang ambushed a bus along the Ngong road off Kibera drive and drove it inside the slums and as they tried to robe the passengers at gun point were shot dead by police who were in civilian and the other members of the gang managed to escape around Makina area where the Kibera law courts is situated. That incident did not provoke or even agitate the residents of Kibera for the bus belonged to a different residential rout only to be dumped in Kibera and by Kibera gangsters. Residents here are of the notion that: “it’s better if by any chance you are born a gangster in Kibera that you should not steal or terrorize the same residents who are just as hustlers as you are”.

On 11th September 2012 a Matatu driver was found dead along the Kibera drive next to Karanja road and it was suspected that robbers caused his death the previous night while attempting to steal from him. This incident aggravated too much anger and especially to the Nubian community where the driver belonged to. They responded by burning of tires and distracted the movement of vehicle along the busy drive in protest, and also accused the police for having taken too long to come to the site. Police arrived hours later and managed to cool the protesters down by promising to probe into the matter and taking the necessary actions.

A few days’ later four armed robbers were killed along the Joseph Kangethe road off Kibera drive after what was believed to be a carjacking mission while two of them managed to escape towards the joseph kangethe Woodley grounds. The killings were undertaken by police who were patrolling the area on a police patrol car who on suspicion pursued the passenger bus. That incident did not click into the minds of the residents of Kibera for reasons best known to the residents and that is the fact that the bus belonged to a different route and the police were also in pursuit and did their job ‘perfectly well’.

Bombolulu Incidents

Not a while ago, there was an incident in Kianda village where armed gangsters as early as eight in the evening a few meters away from the busy Bombolulu area robbed the residents anything worth stealing from including money, mobile phones, not to mention food stuff from the neighboring shops. “They were armed with an AK-47 and they forced everyone to lie down and were pointing the gun at us” recalls a victim who never wanted to be identified. “They threatened to shoot anyone who defiled their orders”. When the Wananchi of Kibera received the information they organized a massive crackdown on 14th October 2012 on a Sunday morning that saw two suspected crooks mobjusticed and lynched to death. During the incident police efforts to save the suspects were futile and it was dreadful the way the police were numb with fear and left to witness the whole scenario helplessly. I also found out that the two were high school students in a local secondary school. Before being murdered they were forced to mention their crew thug members and a list was developed and the angry youths were left to hunt the remaining gang members.

On 17th October 2012 at 10pm armed gangsters stormed the area close to Bombolulu again but that time fired a bullet that got an ear of one of the residents who was in a crowd that had manage catch one of the suspects who thereafter escaped together with the rest of the suspects. This time the gangsters were targeting retail shops and a close friend of mine was not speared either. He say that on that evening as he was on his way home he noticed a group of young men stealing from a shop but he acted as if nothing was peculiar as it should be when one encounters such a criminal activity going on and especially if you think that you can identify the criminals by names for your own security. So as he was pretending and kept on with his business he noticed some of the boys coming towards him and to his surprise they ordered him to face the opposite direction forcing his face down the floor and asked him to hand over his handset, and he never defiled their order. They then disappeared leaving the area at a standstill after paralyzing the businesses around the village and every shop closed for the entire evening in trepidation. There was speculation that the thugs were on a revenge mission after two of their gang members were lynched to death four days ago. The following day the youths ganged up and forced all the business closed and obliged everyone to join in a demonstration against the rising insecurity and of illegal arms. The demonstrations were held along the Kibera Drive and the rowdy youth barricaded the road with burning tires and were sending warnings to any person(s) that might have been associated with robbery. They latter marched to the District Commissioners Offices at (DC) in Kibera to air their grievances to the local authorities. The demonstrations and the protesters were also reported in the news, on a national TV station that entire evening.

On the 23rd 0f October a police raid was done at the Bombolulu area where three suspected robbers were arrested at around 3pm. The two, among the three were caught at an ambush close to a river an area suspected to be a gangsters den. During the arrest they were tortured and forced to produce any illegal arms they may have had and they directed the police into a bush towards the Ngong forest but it is not clear whether they surrendered any arms or not. They were later taken away for further interrogations. This was seen as a step the administration was taking to act upon the latest moves by the residents to demonstrate on the risen state of insecurity.

Leathal Cop

This action by the law enforcers was received with exhilaration by the residents but for how long will the police stick to their mandate of securing the people? After the 2007/2008 post-election violence Kibera become a no go zone after the cases of insecurity had risen to their greatest heights in the history of kibera. The situation brought fear and resentments amidst the residents of Kibera until the administration responded by applying an active measure and a very skilled and feared police man was deployed at the administration police post at the Olympic chiefs camp in Kibera. He was nicknamed ‘stupid’ and that was because he had formed a habit to use that term. He was also nicknamed ‘Mkisi’ a Kenyan community tribe where he was believed to have come from. He was believed to give warnings to bandits and even provided fair for transport to suspected thugs so as to relocate to their respective rural areas and only allowed them back after they had fully changed to better people. The bandits who took him for granted and dogged his instructions he would still bump into them and spray them bullets in cold blood. He was perceived a man of his words who was never intimidated and had the ability to identify the real crooks. There were rumors that he could tame the criminals in different ways at times dressed like a woman and at times in the Maasai attire that enabled him to identify the criminals effectively. Rumor had it that he was using black magic, most of the times he would stroll into the densely populated slum alone and no one could harm him. During the time gun shots were almost becoming a normal thing especially during the nights around Bombolulu and so many young suspects lost their lives. At that time the levels of insecurity in the slum declined drastically. It was not until he was transferred after there were claims that he was taking the lives of innocent young voters a cry that reached the area Member of Parliament ears.

Despite the fact that so many young suspects lost their lives there has been an increased cases of insecurity two years from the time ‘stupid’ was transferred and more rampant over the resent times. Now that we have a new constitution should we still expect to acknowledge the kind of killings that took place during that past error that almost restored Kibera from criminal gangs? Or when will we be in a position to experience a more diplomatic way by the authority to handle criminals especially now that they have been triggered by protests and demonstrations? How about the rising insecurity and the resident’s mob injustices?

Something needs to be done!!!

By, Joe KNN.

Posted in Crime, Death, Emergency, Insecurity, Kibera, People, Security, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Developments in Kibera.

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Lee Ibrahim

It all started with the Vision 2030 unveiling on 10 June 2008. Many of the Kenyans were curious if the nation could achieve the goals it had set when the President announced about the initiative. It has been a dream back then but now it was turning to be a reality as projects are being finished and unveiled to the public; an example is the Thika Road project which started earlier last year.

Back home in Kibera it was the Kibera Slum Upgrading program which many people were heard saying Kibera ni kubwa sana haitamalizwa kujengwa (Kibera is too big to be fully constructed). Which we are yet to see!

 

Laying the Drainage System.

In various parts of Kibera you will find big holes dug by the road side. These are drainage tranches which will help ease the drainage system in Kibera. Drainage has been a very key issue in the region for the area is full of small drainage streams which lead to the 3 rivers which pass through Kibera. These drainage streams are usually dirty and sometimes causes diseases to the residents.

The drainage systems which are about to be finished will really help Kibera in:

–          Keeping a clean environment.

–          Reduce the cases of water bone diseases

Mashimoni Road Construction.

The idea of the Government is to complete most of the roads by June 2013. This has seen road construction project brought forth also here in Kibera. 

The southern bypass which is a big project in itself passes through Kibera and it will benefit Kiberians in one way or the other. Another Project is the Makina to Highrise road which will pass through Lindi and the DC to Highrise road which will pass through Mashimoni. These are some of the project to be constructed to achieve the Governments goals.

The Mashimoni road just kicked off  after the completion of laying the drainage pipes. Some kiosk owners who were doing business by the road side had to move their kiosks or demolished their residents after the road was marked ready for constructions.

Youth Employment.

Many projects have started and this has seen youth from Kibera get employment. “This is where I get bread”, says Said who works with the road constructions in Kibera. Many youths from a certain region get to work on a project once it get to that particular place. It is usually hard to get people from a different place working in another region hence the employers pick youth according to the area or village.

We the people of Kibera hope to see the completion of the projects and which will help the people of Kibera. It will all go down to the next president to continue from where President Kibaki has left. Indeed the vote of the people Kibera will decide if the projects end in time or see what we have experienced in the past. The decision is in the people’s hands.

Posted in Empowerment, Environment, Kibera, People, Uncategorized, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Graduation Ceremony at Red Rose Children Center

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Sande Wycliffe

It was around 10:30am when we arrived at Red Rose children Center in Olympic. A very hot morning it was and everyone was looking for a place to hide their heads from the hot sun. Those with handkerchiefs wiping off the sweat from their faces as they went on with their duties.

At the centre, everyone was busy from the look of things! Teachers were busy preparing the pupils with gowns, the staff cleaning up the rooms, Cooks busy preparing the meals. On the playground, despite the hot sun, happy children were busy running up and down, in the dust, others reciting poems, while others sang songs of joy for the day. Its’ the last day for the term and pupils are going off for vacation, as others expect to graduate to the next level.

The Pre-unit Graduation Ceremony:

It was the pre-unit’s graduation day as 24 happy pupils were graduating to standard one. Parents had filled up the graduation hall to congratulate and support their children for their deserved best performance.

Importance or the Graduation:

“The importance of graduation is that it boosts the Children’s morale to the next grade, it also provides them with a sense of security and identification, especially for those planning to switch for admission to other schools, and parents are also able to realize the worth of their money paid in school”, said one of the teachers.

“I want to be a pilot”, said Oprah, one of the graduates. This really shows how inspiring and ambitious all are

Brief History of Red Rose:

Red Rose a school started under children of Kibera, came into existence in 2004 as a preschool. Over  time it has grown to grade eight, with a total of 210 pupils with a staff of sixteen teachers. It consists of both self-sponsored pupils, those parents are able to pay tuition fees, and those bright but poor. Sixty of the pupils are under full sponsorship. These are the bright and needy/children from the community.

Upon completion of level eight, the best pupils, with a score of 380 marks and above, are sponsored through the high school curriculum.

Children Of Kibera:

Children of Kibera is an umbrella organization with several programs and collaborates with a number of education related institutions within Kibera with the aim of empowering and improving the literacy level among the upcoming generations.

They support other education institutions in Kibera by providing learning materials, food stuff and sponsorship to the bright and needy children from the community .They also have exchange and interactive programs besides the sporting activities. Among the supported is Olympic, which, over the years has shown excellence in academic performance, not only in Kibera but also Kenya at large.

By Fredy and Sande

 

 

 

 

 

 

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