PEACE MUST PREVAIL IN KENYA

Kenya's heart

When the courts remanded one Waititu on Thursday (27^th September 2012) following his remarks in Kayole, Kenyans’ hearts gave a unanimous rousing ovation to the much hyped ‘judicial reforms’ that is maturing presto.  The social medial went frantic on Chief Justice Will Mutunga’s decisive leadership in the Judiciary taking center-stage in the fight against impunity and political lawlessness.  Surely, the three lives lost indecently due to the reckless statement, must be impressed, smiling at the judiciary determination of turning around this country.  The legal action against Waititu served as a precedent to dissuade other culprits of his ilk from polarising the citizenship.

Unfortunately, that is where our jubilations ended and the worries began.

Given the still lingering bitter-taste in our mouths after the 2007/08 pandemonium, and given we are approaching a similar time in the history of Kenya, what we have witnessed in Kilifi, Tana, Mombasa and Kisumu in the past few days is frightening and painfully so even by the deplorable standards that has always governed this country.  Therefore, such primitive and archaic incitements, harmless as they may appear to the literate, lethal they may be to the illiterate lot out there and should never ever be entertained anywhere on the Kenyan soil.  Later, releasing Waititu on a just 1 million bail was an insult to Kenyans, to the lost lives, and a tell-all of how in Kenya, murder, whether in first or second or third degree, is an obvious thing, can be denied and easily bailed out with a few affordable millions.  What a fragile rule of law.

As a concerned citizen, and a peace-loving youth, the worrying trend is that the disguised vengeance in poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, tribalism and illiteracy in our youths is boiling up really hard snowballing by the day into a nasty time-bomb awaiting ‘sparking plug’ from Waititus of this world.  What if he was not caught on camera?  What if a senior police was not beside him on the scene?  We could be still baffled the same way we have done on Tana River massacre so far.

This is bound to happen again because it is happening again.  Kisumu town, with its fair share of tribal troubles, is equally spiralling out of control with the emergence of two youth gangs: Chinese Squad (for TNA in Nyalenda) and American Marine (for ODM Kondele), all a spin-off of Baghdad Boys (Jeshi la Mzee), a proscribed group that has been terrorising Kondele junction along a trunk road opening Western Kenya and leading to almost all dormitory suburbs in the town.

The perpetrators, the schemers and the financers of the erstwhile gang are yet to be identified and dealt with maybe after we have butchered one another once more (God forbid!).  Right or wrong rumour has it that the new group members are swearing they must loot as they admire the looting that occurred in 2007.

The chilling message is that these kinds of militia, having not been demobilised so far, seem to have multiplied with newer formations and bull-headed stamina in a menacing rate.  That itself is worrying but what aggravates the matter is when the police have all indications that they have been overpowered, overwhelmed and downtrodden.  If I were the PPO I could suggest a curfew to idlers along Kondele, Nyalenda and Bus Park at least to put this groups under check, I could also crackdown the already known culprits. But any junior-most police officer will tell you even the PPO is only available in Kisumu in very few limited days.

The rapidity of occurrence of criminal activities by such groups compounded by a whimsical whiff of concern or conscience from political leaders and a frail robustness of counteraction by national security agencies usually result in massive destruction of properties or loss of lives.  In such cases, then, we are stuck as a nation, and we have stuck tragically in the wrong end.  In deed this is a tragedy of our nation, a nation cursed with a clues government, a government that could watch her citizens languish or even die in the hands of crooks without even blabbering for a massive emergency response.  Is it true the government doesn’t know itself?  Even the political leaders pointing fingers at the government?  Who is he/she anyway?

As they say, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Alphonce 

As appeared in local dailies

NAIROBI RIVER WOES, THE PICTURE OF KENYANS IN THE WASTE-LADEN WATERS

WHO WILL SAVE NAIROBI RIVER? There is no way to a healthy nation, environment is the way.

Alphonce Magati, Sustainable Urban Environment (SUE) Campaigner and Expert

Snippets

• It is an interesting matter of conjecture when we are caught up in a web of politicking dubbed as reforms, revolution and new dispensation, yet we are ignoring the critical and vital issues in life; deteriorating environment

• A tribute to Kenyatta hospital (or any other hospital for that matter) will ascertain that many patients suffer from water-borne or water pollution related diseases.

• The much hyped Nairobi River Basin Programme, after pooling more than 10 government institutions, have misunderstood the problem and the solution all together

• Apart from the almost tourist-friendly site between the Museum Roundabout and the Globe Cinema Roundabout, the rest of Nairobi River is hysteria.

• The Kazi Kwa Vijana (KKV) on Nairobi River on various sections of the river can be likened to an infantry sent to battlefield without any armoury, for defence or attack

• There is no way to a healthy nation, the environment is the way

SIRI Magatzine. The prevailing effervescent and now reloaded political atmosphere, which is disturbingly endemic to Kenya for a longer time now, condemns some of the critical and vital issues in life to drown in the political cacophony like any other pollutant. It is an interesting matter of conjecture when we are caught up in a web of politicking dubbed as reforms, revolution and new dispensation. At the rate we are taking political appetizers, it is more apocalyptic especially when we are losing the right course. The Hague will come and go, the Ocampo Six will go and come back, but Mother Nature is here to stay with us.

In times of narrow-minded intolerance, in times of political instability and in times of anarchy, it is easier to point fingers and in the process justice accessed; yet when the environment means to avenge on humanity for mistreating her, there will be no scapegoat nor sacred-cow. But where are these sentiments coming from? Take a look. Now more than ever it is an obvious knowledge that 75 % of the ailments that trail Kenyans and African at large, are purely because of poorly managed environment. A tribute to Kenyatta hospital (or any other hospital for that matter) will ascertain that many patients suffer from water-borne or water pollution related diseases. But the question that begs for an immediate answer is, why is that continuing unabated?

It is amazing that in a country with a natality explosion of over a million people annually cannot predicts its future waste generation in black and white. A close eye on the Nairobi River itself could speak volumes of how we are on a non-moving lane, environmentally speaking. Despite the much hyped Nairobi River Basin Programme, the pace and vaguely defined institutional responsibilities clearly state how we have misunderstood the problem and the solution all together. First, pooling more than ten institutions into one objective with a cheque of more than 3.5 million dollars yet deliver such undoing, is a self-inflicted insult and gets gravely close to corruption and impunity.

Nairobi River Rehabilitation Program (NRRP)

For starters, Nairobi River Rehabilitation Programme is a multi-stakeholder undertaking tracing back into 1999 that merge the Government Ministries, United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat, the private sector and the civil society to restore and manage the river’s ecosystem. But apart from the tourist-friendly site between the Museum Roundabout and the Globe Cinema Roundabout, the rest of Nairobi River is hysteria. Nairobi River and its tributaries traverse through the whole of Nairobi; from Mathare River, Motoine and Ngong’ Rivers join and flow to Athi River and eventually the Indian Ocean.

Starting at the bridge of James Gichuru Road, the river is fairly clear with a faint trace of smell. At the next stretch to the Museum Road and to the Globe Cinema roundabout, the river is still clear. From this section the total overkill of the river livelihood begin. The automotive garages, car washes, illegal sewage discharge, solid waste dumping take over the river. At the Kariokor Roundabout, the stench heightens. Down further, it meanders into Bondeni and Gikomba market. Here the worst damage is not enough as it meets more shoddy garages. As the river flows through Eastleigh, Buruburu, Kariobangi, Dandora through Kasarani it is no longer a river but an open sewer line. Mathare River, a tributary, starts to get the same lashing at Mathare phase four. Ngong River, another tributary, gets the worst damage from the industries illegal and untreated discharges laden with all chemicals and heavy metals. All these enter Athi River and threaten lives downstream. A case in point is the Kabaa irrigation scheme which is straining from solid waste and chemicals resulting from Nairobi River.

The short stretch between Museum Bridge and Globe Roundabout has not won the hearts and minds of Kenyans, and donors too, given the funding and time period. Something needs to be done.

Kazi Kwa Vijana (KKV) on the River

The Kazi Kwa Vijana (KKV) on Nairobi River on various points can be likened to an infantry sent to battlefield without any armoury, for defence or attack. They work against hostility from people farming along the river banks especially in Imara Daima estate and Mukuru kwa Njenga. Illegal sewer lines and discharges by known and unknown industries/firms at night when there is no surveillance. The presence of illegal electricity wiring across the river poses more danger than the polluted river itself. A part of Donholm estate uses the river as a dump site. Despite of all these, the KKV people have no protection gear leave alone appropriate river-cleaning tools.

There is no way to a healthy nation, environment is the way. Contrary to popular expectation, just encouraging a 10 % tree cover in Kenya is not good enough for environmental sustainability. And especially when Nairobi, Kenya is the home of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), as well as many other international and national organisations like National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). A visitor to Nairobi could be easily mistaken that this city is the cleanest city. Behind the glittering facade, Nairobi is brimming with filth jeopardizing a normal life. A visit to many of our bedroom-suburbs or estates confirms this. There is dirt and dirty water almost everywhere! As for garbage, the eyesore is everywhere including on roads, open spaces and rooftops. Indeed, many urban dwellers wish for sustainable environment. But all the responsibilities will start with us as individuals. Otherwise, environmental negligence and degradation, which is the greatest hazard to existence both on earth and in the heavens above, will cost us dearly.

Name: Alphonce M. Magati

Environmental Engineering,