Government

through NYS
involvement opens
up Mathare, Korogocho and Mukuru
slums >>> pg 8

Informal school
in Mukuru
Kayaba helping
needy children
get basic education >>> Pg 6

Ghetto Mirror

FREE
Do not buy

Real life stories from slums

May 2015

ISSUE 17

Ghetto Mirror

ghettomirror@shininghopeforcommunities.org

Residents to switch
to pre-paid system
Kenya Power is set to
launch a pre-paid system
for residents who wish to
use electricity.
This is in a bid to minimise on their losses and
curb the illegal tapping of
electricity in informal
settlements
By Brian Okinda & Felix Otieno
After an eternity of slum residents accessing electricity through illegal and dangerous means, the Kenya Power company (KPLC) has finally made their
services legally accessible in informal settlements.
Residents from informal settlements are set to benefit from the ongoing slum electrification by KPLC at a
low cost and from a reliable source, according to the Companys Managing Director and CEO, Dr. Ben Chumo.
The project that started in mid-April, 2015 is targeting
two thirds of residents from every slum and has been rolled out
across most of Nairobis big slums such as Kibera, Dandora and
Korogocho. This intiative started after the national power distributor Kenya Power entered into an agreement with World Banks

A Kenya Power worker installing wires to houses of residents ready for the
switch. The system has been approved and disapproved in equal measures
among the residents with cartels leading the fight against the installation while
tenants believe the system will offer cheap and reliable electricity.

Photo: Brian Okinda

continue on page 3

Film school for under privileged slum youths

By Michael Ogutu
Three Danish nationals who have been travelling across the world
offering photography lessons to the less privileged are now in Nairobi
for two years to offer similar services to youth in informal settlements.
The three; Martin the founder and owner, Papa the project manager, and Mark Ephraim the equipment organizer, have offered the
same basic photography lessons to most parts of the world for free.
The programme, called Turning Tables Kenya, however includes more than just photography lessons adding music and film

production opportunities as well. There are so many talented

youth in the slum but most of them dont have a platform to discover their talents due to the many challenges in slums. This was the
reason why we settled for Kenya, because it has slums Papa said.
Martin came up with the idea of teaching music production
after realizing that most youth in the slum focus more on football
than anything else and wanted to introduce them to another hobby.
Initially, Martins idea about the project was concerning music
production, Papa said. I came in and introduced film because I had
my own connections regarding a film that I had made, he added.
The three have been friends for a long time and coming up

with the idea was not difficult. In addition, they had already seen
their achievements from other students in countries they had already worked in. They wanted to give these opportunities to more
underprivileged youth hence the idea of Turning Tables Kenya.
One of the biggest challenges has involved getting funds
to make the project successful. Implementing the whole
idea wasnt always easy because we had to think of how we
were going to attract funds, he started. Our services are
free of charge to those who are willing to join, Mark added.

continue on page 6

Ghetto Mirror | 2

ISSUE:17
MAY 2015

TALKING POINT

This page features

opinon stories on
issues from our soceity

Quote of the Month

Careless landlords

Life is a
progress not
a station

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A publication of Shining Hope For
Communities
Editor

Liz Mahiri

Illustrations

Dennis Mwanzia, Silvester Oluoch

& Oscar Chitiavi

Contributors

Felix Omondi, Grace Ayesa, Faith Nasiswa,

Johnston Mutua, Michael Ogutu, Namayi Kefa,
Erick Ouma, Halima Rajab, Kevin Ashihunda,
Eunice Otieno, Andy Wanga, Kevin Ochieng,
Dorothy Orina & Brian Okinda

Technical Assistance

Albanous Gituru, Lily Bullitt & Emily Akoth

E-mail:ghettomirror@shininghopeforcommunities.org

Ghetto Mirror
ghettomirroronline.wordpress.com

Boys left behind by gender equality programmes

Educate a girl and you
will have educated the whole society. This statement and the belief behind it is the foundation for
the establishment of hundreds of
organizations and initiatives that
are all geared towards bettering
the academic life and raising the
literacy level of the girl child.
These organizations tend
to offer full scholarships or a
lot of support to needy girls at
all levels of their studies. There
are also several campaigns by
these organizations and others that focus on equipping
the girl child with skills and
knowledge to better her life.
While I dont want to appear as a virulent critic of the
good work these organizations
are doing, I am not going to
stifle my protesting conscience
and watch with morbid fascination as the boy child is de-

nied equal opportunity as the

girl child to progress in life.
In the current Kenyan
Constitution, the girl child has
been allocated a chunk of positions in the public sector. The
one third gender rule is just an
effort to earn the girl child more
of those prestigious positions.
Women representative positions created in the National
Assembly is another place where
females get priority. This might
appear to be a way of balancing
power and including the female
gender in what was once deemed
a mans world. However, doing it to the extreme is leading
to total negligence the on other
side of the gender divide. In todays Kenya, this has become
the norm. Do this, do that, all
for the girl because of the girl.
A child is a child no matter
the sex. At two weeks of preg-

nancy, an expectant mother cant

go shopping for girl clothing lest
the child be born a boy. It is horrendous to note the little charity
the boy child receives which is
nonetheless bottle-necked and
stocked with complications.
Surely, what do you
want our young boys to become? Touts? Herdsmen? Yes,
in games and sports there has
been quite a lot of support,
but what about academically?
Today, boys and girls are
expected to ride the wheels of
this country in years to come.
I am not content in believing
games and sports, instead of literacy levels, will be the bargaining
chips of who is fit enough to take
charge of the countrys affairs.
All these organizations
formed in the name of lobbying for gender rights are all inclined towards the girl child.

Since when did the girl

child represent Gender? If my
memory serves me right, I
vividly recall my lecturer saying that gender is a range of
characteristics pertaining to,
and differentiating between
masculinity and femininity.
Now who will pin me to the
cross when spotted on the streets
shouting myself hoarse and advocating on the boy childs behalf?
Each child has a right to
education as stipulated in the
childrens bill of rights. Discriminating the boy child is gender
bigotry and it leads to imbalances in society that will affect
negatively on any efforts of development and national growth.

Mwaniki J.
Mwanzia

Response to Boys left behind by gender equality programmes

waniki J. Mwanzia
argues that boys and
men in society are left
behind because of the extreme focus
on girls and women by organizations
that work to increase gender equality.
While I agree that efforts should
be made to ensure that both boys and
girls should receive an education, I
disagree with Mwanzias main point
that efforts for gender equality unfairly discriminate against the nale gender.
Mwanzia should understand that the
reason why theres so much focus on
the girl child and women in development is because girls and women have
been left behind for many generations,
so much so that it will take a long time
to fix the problem of gender inequality.
Although women in most societies
in Kenya had better access to land before colonialism, girls and women were
groomed to be domestic housewives and
property was inherited through men.

Colonialism not only stripped women

of access to land, but also strengthened
the attitude that boys and men are superior, and allocated men far more power.
At this point in time, patriarchy
and the male privilege that comes with it,
is so entrenched in society that most men
and women dont realize the damage it
has had on women and societys overall
potential for development and progress.
It is easy to say that history is
in the past and that the work done for
womens empowerment has bridged
the gender gap but the truth is that
these efforts are thus far just a drop in
a vast ocean. Gender equality simply
does not exist yet and we are nowhere
near bridging these gaps as evidenced
by the numerous ways in which women continue to be dehumanized, controlled, discriminated against, and marginalized on many levels of society.
Access to education for all is key
to solving a lot of the problems Ken-

ya faces, but data continues to show

that girls are still lagging behind boys
when it comes to secondary and higher education. According to the 2015
Kenya Demographic and Health survey, The percentage of women and
men with primary education are similar, although more men a secondary
or higher levels of education. (49% of
men compared to 43% of women.)
Women also continue to be discriminated against in modern employment, political positions, and judicial
decision making, all of which are key
to ensuring balance in the way the society operates. Is it that Mwaniki does not
know that these inequalities still persist
or is it that he is afraid of how society
will look like when girls and women
have the same opportunities that boys
and men have had for generations?
There are a multitude of examples in Kenya from this year alone that
exemplify how girls and women suffer

from the cosequences of gender inequalities. In March, several videos emerged

of women getting assaulted in public
by men who sought to control womens choice of dress in violent ways.
This does not take into account the rising number of babies, girls and women
that are adding to the official statistic
that a woman is raped every 30 minutes
in Kenya, according to the Kenya National Commission of Human Rights.
Mwaniki complains about the
1/3rd gender rule in the Kenyan constitution which is meant to ensure that
no one gender, whether male or female,
should take up more than two thirds of
elective and appointive public offices.
He sees this rule as unfair because he
sees it as giving more of these prestigious seats to women. This implies that
Mwaniki believes that women should
not have the right to equal representation, despite the fact that women constitute about half of Kenyas population. If

the gender rule were fair, it would ensure

that that there is true gender balance by
allocating one half of positions to men
and the rest to women in government,
judicial, and public sector positions.
Mwaniki and others that argue this
position end up blaming the victim and
victimizing the privileged. They fail to
understand that educating the girl child
is not leaving boys and men behind. It
is simply bringing them up to the level that boys and men are currently at
due to the history of male privilege.
Educating a girl and empowering
women in order to bridge the gender
gaps has may positive effects on boys,
girls, women and men in our nation. This
is because girls and women tend to give
back more to their families and communities, which ends up solving some of the
biggest problems we face, like poverty.

Liz Mahiri

We welcome letters on topical issues or the stories we publish and comments on ghettomirror@shininghopeforcommunities.org. You can also
drop them in our offices at Gatwekera near PAG church.

ISSUE:17
MAY 2015

one on one

Ghetto Mirror | 3

Abrahbinho
By Halima Rajab
Who is Abrahbinho?
My real name is Abdul Rahman Ahmad Khamis. I was born in
Mombasa on November 23, 1993.
I am the only boy to my
mum and a first born to my
dad. I have a sister and two
brothers from my dads side.
I am an artist and a music producer and a father too. I
have a daughter called Khadija Abdul
Rahman Ahmad.

Abrahbinho advises
aspiring artists to be
themselves because
copycats always die
along the way.
Ghetto Mirrors
Halima Rajab caught
up with the artist.

How was your upbringing?

I was born in Mombasa
but my mom and dad separated
when I was 3 years old and my
dad brought me here to Kibera to
live with him and my stepmother.
I completed my primary school
education in Kibera but I attended secondary school in Mombasa.
I finished my A levels in 2010
and went to study mass communication at Grand Tech College in Nairobi.
Tell us about your entry into
music.
My music career started way
back when I was in standard seven. Thats when I released my
first song, Mtoto Wa Kisomali.
This song portrayed one
of my best friends who fell in

love with a Somali girl but the

girl was playing hard to get.
I was supported by DJ
Seen and producer Vernern.
The producer believed I
had talent so he produced my
music free of charge. The first
song I did had no video because I
felt I did not deliver it properly.

attention to me. It is like they

never wanted me to do music
and it felt like they were killing
me emotionally and physically.
At first, I did not have
a platform for my music but
now I thank God that I do.
My inspiration comes from
Alikiba, he is my role model.

Tell us about your music journey.

I have two albums; the
first one is Mtoto Wa Kisomali and the second is Top One.
I also have several video releases like Im Sorry, Baby Why
and my recent video with Ogopa Djs.
I have won several awards
like the 2013 award with Kamekucha Kenya Music awards.
I won the best song of the
year, Te Amo, best male artist,
and best upcoming artist of the year.

Do you have an album or a new

video we should be waiting for?
I have a collaboration with
Kiddis and our song is called
Mto Kati. I am also looking
forward to work with Alikiba but
he is currently busy and occupied.
My new video is called Huddah
Monroe and was released in April.

What was your worst experience?

My worst experience was falling on stage while performing at
Kamkunji grounds. People are still
making fun of me because of that.

What are your challenges and

who inspires you in the music
industry?
When I was still an upcoming artist, people did not pay

What is your last word to the

youth?
I advise people not to be
like Abrahbinho and be themselves because copy cats always die along the way.
I am very proud to be in Kibera
because it made me who I am today,
You should never degrade where
you come from no matter how bad
the place is, home is always home.

Residents to switch to pre-paid system

from page 1

the area have fully disagreed with the

companys move, stating that it is an
unkind move. Maurice Opiyo, an investor from Kibera, says that KPLCs
move will weaken his customer base.
Where will we eat from if our businesses that have allowed us to put bread
on the table have been pinned down?
Should we go rob? he complained.

Global Partnership Output Based

Aid (GPOBA) programme which
will fund the project across all slums.
While
installing
a
power
box in Korogocho, Martin Githinji, a Kenya Power worker said that
the main aim of the programme
is to displace the illegal electricity vendors in informal settlements.
Through this, Kenya Power
hopes to reduce commercial losses
caused by electricity theft and the dangers that result from illegally tapped
and dangerously connected wires.
Githinji also noted that Illegal
connections have been the main cause of
electrocutions and slum fires, which have
been on the increase in the recent past.

Differing opinions

Subsidized prices
Taking into account the fact that
most slum residents cant afford current Kenya Power charges, the programme allows qualifying residents
to pay a minimal charge of Shs.1,
160 per connection. The World Bank
through GPOBA contributes US$
225(Ksh.19,350), while Kenya Power
contributes Shs.11, 970 per connection making the standard capital contribution Ksh.32, 480 per connection.
The area residents will be connected to prepaid meters and the connection fee of Ksh.1, 160 will then be

Kenya Power agent fixing electric wires to an electric meter box. This is in line with Kenya Powers aim of moving from post paid to pre-paid system.

Photo: Brian Okinda

recovered from the customers purchase of prepaid tokens for a period of

12 months according to Dr. Chumo.
This translates to Ksh.100 per month.
This initiative has been received
by mixed reactions from different slum
settlers. Tonny Ogutu, a resident from
Korogocho says the programme would

highly minimize cases of fire outbreaks

within the hoods. Ogutu says, Our own
try-out electrification has really made
us risk not only our goods but also our
lives. He added that this would also
reduce misunderstandings between the
tenants and the current electricity suppliers who are unreliable. Additionally,

most business dwellers at Olympic have

welcomed the programme with the view
that it will boost their businesses since
the power will be reliable. This will
in turn result to reaping higher profits.
Although most residents have
welcomed this project with a positive
view, some power supply investors in

Some residents hold the view

that the project will eventually increase the subsidized price they are
currently offering as compared to
the Ksh. 200-300 they are used to.
Those who are used to avoiding
payments are against this pre-paying
system as they will be required to pay
first before using the electricity. Beatrice
Odhiambo who is a business woman
in Kiberas Soweto West village says
that as much the project tries to minimize theft and frequent fire outbreaks
in the hood, most residents have become used to the normal fee they pay
and the freedom of using the power.
A group of youths from Gatwekera
in Kibera who control some of the illegal
lines say that they have been well served
by the alternate KPLC, the Kibera Power and Lightening Company for a long
time now. They therefore heed the government to retaining their job without
which might force them to resort to far
more dangerous ways of making money.

Ghetto Mirror | 4

ISSUE:1
MAY 2015

Pic Speak

This is a
full page of
photo stories.

A talent in the making. Young aspiring footballers head for playing with their make-shift
polythene bag ball.

Photo: File

A seemingly stern warning for residents not to

dump otherwise be prosecuted but it is annonimous who gave the warning.

Photo:Kevin Ochieng

Even though cholera has claimed a number of lives in the past month,
these young fishermen are not dittered. They are determined to catch fish
using their make-shift nets at a dam in Jamhuri Show Grounds. However,
they do not sell the fish but rear them.

Photo: Michael Ogutu

As witnessed, more than houses were destroyed

by the heavy rains . Even motorists found it
difficult to use roads as they were all extremely
Photo: Kelvin Ochieng
muddy.

Students of St. Jude watch an educational movie

at Mchanganyiko Hall during a sexual reproductive health talk held by YPP.

Photo: Adan Ibrahim

Kids playing by the railway line in Laini Saba Market. Since theres no
space for playgrounds, kids play everywhere in slums. The only playground available, outside AMREF, is usually busy either hosting events
or being utilized by grown ups as a football fiels.
Photo: Kelvin Ochieng

It is called setting goals and pursuing them fully,

these kids with an obvious talent for engeneering have already started operating electronics.

Photo: Michael Ogutu

The name of this fast-food stall seems to chase

customers away rather than invite them.

Photo: Kelvin Ochieng

ISSUE:17
MAY 2015

Entertainment

Ghetto Mirror | 5

Production house that

wants to change stereotypes
about Kibera.

Production house to change residents attitude

Artists from Grandpa Records alongside their creative director and Cheif Executive Officer Yusuf Noah alias Refigha (in gray) pause for a photo outside the Grandpa Records
offices at Olympic Estate in Kibera. Grandpa boasts of having produced music for reknowned artist like Kenrazy, DNA, Kiddis, Lady Pizzo among several others.

Photo: Courtersy

By Halima Rajab
& Dorothy Orina

randpa records is the

first well known recording studio in Kibera. The

studio boasts of producing music for

some of the most popular and talented
artists in Kenya including DNA, Kenrazy, Amelina, and Sudiboy. As such,
it stands as one of the coolest and influential creation to come out of Kib-

era, a place otherwise known for being the second largest slum in Africa.
Ghetto Mirror caught up with the
man behind Grandpa Records, C.E.O
and creative director Yusuf Noah.
Noah started out as a musician

and wanted to take his artistry further than what the industry offered.
After 19 years in the game, he
launched the recording studio and label in 2009 with the name Grandpa that
symbolizes his long and expansive experience in the music industry. He decided to establish it in Kibera because
it is where he was born and raised.
For Noah, becoming an artist, let
alone establishing a record label, was
a long and hard journey. He says that
when he was growing up, no one believed in music and so my first step into
music was really tough. As the go-getter that he is, he had to hustle from the
start and look beyond the seeming impossibility of achieving his dreams.
Noah was known in his musician days as Refigah and recorded songs like Kadumala, Mtoto wa
Kibera among many others. His first
successful song was Kadamula. He
dropped an album called Mtoto wa
Kibera in 2012 but later retired from
being a recording artist to focus more
of his energy on Grandpa Records.
Despite making a name for himself as a musician, starting a record label in Kibera still posed a number of
challenges partly fueled by the negative
stereotypes associated with the slum.
However, it is precisely because of these
stereotypes that Noah pursued his idea
to establish his dream in the place most
dear to his heart. Born and brought up
in Kibera, I wanted to change the mentality about people from here and also
change the face of Kibera, Noah says.
Since inception, Grandpa Records has won twenty seven awards
including best record label in Eastern
Africa and is now recognized world-

wide. He is proud that his success

has also helped others in the industry
succeed. He says that Grandpa Records greatest achievement is bringing back DNA, Mr. Nice, and E.T.C.
He is also proud of the fact he
held his own wedding there late last
year which was opened to the public.
Some of the challenges that
the label deals with include rejection by others because of Grandpa
Records and Noahs background.
Competition is also tough with other
record labels especially since Grandpa Records has worn a lot of awards.
Noah adds that contrary to
popular belief, raising funds is a
never-ending struggle, as there are
a lot of high-level equipment and
costs involved in this business.

Born and
brought up in
Kibera, I
wanted to change
the mentality
about people from
here and also
change the face
of Kibera,

Yusuf Noah

Tell me...
1. How come the word end is an
opposite of endure and not its short
form?
2. Is water in the Black and Red Seas
coloured now that we know water is
colourless?
3. Why are computer games addictive?
4. Why arent there wall clocks with
the 24 hour format?
5. Who bit the Apple logo?
6. Was it ever a living sea before it
became a Dead Sea?

Ghetto Mirror | 6

ISSUE:17
MAY 2015

Society
Funds for the elderly and disabled
Topical stories on
daily happenings
in our societies

By Halima Rajab

he government has initiated an assisted living programme meant to help

out elderly and disabled people.
The programme was initially established to address the problem of homelessness for these groups in certain areas
but has since spread to all the counties and constituencies in the country.
Kiberas Social development officer,
Pamela Moraa, who oversees this program in Kibera slum, says that the funds
allocated to this programme are specif-

ically for elderly and disabled people.

While each family can access this
service, the fund can only benefit
one person in a family. Moraa explained that, The requirements for
those who can benefit from the programme entail that he/she must be totally poor and be unable to maintain
or afford three square meals a day.
The program also serves disabled
people who have no means to support themselves. Moraa explained,
We dont deal with elderly alone but
also people who are severely disabled,
there is no age limit for them as long
as they cant maintain themselves.

Additionally, one has to be a citizen of Kenya, possess national

Identification card and be above 65
years to be eligible for the funds.
The beneficiaries also have to be
registered with KCB bank whereas in the past they used Posta Pay.
One of our main challenges is that
some of the beneficiaries get the money and die while others stay for three
or four years after they have registered
then go to their hometowns making it hard to follow up, said Moraa.
One beneficiary, Habiba Mohammad,
spoke about challenges related to the
process that the elderly experience while

trying to get into the programme. I lost

my KCB card and tracing it was hard because I had to take a police abstract and
return it to the office for further clarifications. Mohammad added that, One
thing for sure is that most elderly are unemployed and so what we get caters for
at least basic needs. There are also those
who are so old that they cant even walk.
They sometimes come and cry for the
office to take them but our officer cant
just register them easily since there is a
procedure that has also to be followed.
Moraa echoed Mohammads sentiments in saying that the office deals with a
lot of people coming in who dont qualify.

Bottle water treatment to fight water-borne diseases

By Halima Rajab
& Mirror Reporter
New and affordable water treatment using sunlight known as SODIS (SOlar DISinfections) is leading
the war in the fight against cholera.
The technology is coming in handy
at a time when a number of people have been confirmed dead and
hundrends hospitalized as a result of the recent cholera outbreak.
Sustainable and Viable Organization (SAVO) based in Kibera
is
training
schools
and
households on how to use this technol-

ogy that uses sunlight to treat water.

SAVOs Program Officer, Khadija Saleh, says the use of solar for
treating water is much more affordable than any other method
since it requires virtually no cash.
Cost effective
It costs about Ksh 20 to treat a 100ml
of water, while boiling 20 litres of water
requires about Ksh. 100 worth of charcoal, Ms Saleh said. But with the use
of solar you need ten or so plastic bottles
which are readily available and can be
used over and over and over, she added.
Saleh explained that solar energy water disinfection is a convenient
type of portable water purification

that uses solar energy to make water

contaminated with bacteria, viruses, protozoa and worms safe to drink.
Sun light has ultra violet rays that
kill germs, Ms. Saleh said. To harness the method one has to put water in a transparent plastic bottle
that is not bigger than a 2 litres and
the water should be clear, she said.
The water bottle should be exposed
for at least six hours, on a moderately
cloudy day, sun loses 50 percent effectiveness at a depth of 10mm (0.5 inch),
if the water is clear, ultra violet rays
will lose only 25 percent effectiveness
at the same depth, Khadija added.
The best bottles for use are those
made of PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PETE) otherwise known as soda

bottles or bottles used to for mineral manufactured drinking water.

Saleh confirmed that SODIS is recommended by World Health Organisation
(WHO) as a viable method for household water treatment and safe storage.
She however cautioned that the
that method only treats biological
organism and does not treat water
from industrial and other chemicals
She said that approximately 5000
people in households in Laini Saba,
Kichinjio and Kisumu Ndogo are harnessing the technology and five primary school including Adventure Pride
and Makina Primary are using the
method with more people adopting
the technology in fight against chorea and other water borne diseases.

Basic education for disabled

Organization offers education for disabled
children and those unable to pay their school
fees in Mukuru Kayaba.

of disability such as autism, celebral palsy, down syndrome among

other mental and physical disabilities,
Simon Mungai the resource coordinator
at Songa Mbele said. It also runs a basic education program with provisional
support for education, Mungai added.
They started taking in people with
disabilities who are generally marginalized or ignored by the traditional school
system as well as health and other public systems. Songa Mbele registered 24
pupils early this year, and addition to the
30 pupils that had been registered by the
end of last year. The school takes in students between the age of three and seventeed years with an aim of providing
them at least basic primary education.

Pupils at the Songa Mbele na Masomo Education Centre in class,

By Halima Rajab

onga Mbele Na Masomo -a Swahili word that

means move forward with
education- is an informal school in
Mukuru Kayaba, a slum in South C,
Nairobi, that offers education, medical care, feeding, hygiene, therapy and
parental awareness to children with
complicated and severe disabilities.
The school assists children who
have fallen behind in their education;
those who have dropped out of school,
those who never joined school, and
those who missed out due to barriers

associated with physical and mental

disabilities, with an aim of re-intergrating pupils into mainstream education.
Songa Mbele, which is registered
as a Community Faith Based Organization, was started as an informal day care
centre by the Sisters of Mercy after realizing that there was increase in school
drop-outs while others were not joining
schools at all due to lack of school fees.
Songa Mbele began to work
with children with disabilities in
February 2011, following a request
from the Association for Physically Disabled in Kenya (ADPK).
This
center deals with different kind

100

The number of children

that have so far
benefited from Songa
Mbele na Masomos
program

Our aim is to
support the
advancement of
vulnerable and
special children
to grow, adapt
and be
independent,

said Mungai.

Film
school
for under
privileged
from page 1
The film school is situated behind Coptic Hospital near St. Nicholas
along Kindaruma Rd. inside Global
Platform premises and offers photography, music production, video editing,
videography and script writing lessons.
In Kenya, we chose to settle
in Nairobi for its proximity to various slums in and around the city.
While theyre focused in the city
at the moment, they also have plans
to expand into other parts of Kenya.
We also want to get outside Nairobi and into rural areas
where we can also target farmers and even hunters, Mark said.
Currently,
Turning
Tables
Kenya is organizing workshops tailored to select youth with talent,
dedication and potential to succed.
The workshops are expected to last
for a maximum of three weeks after which
qualifying attendees will be selected to
continue to the next level of learning.
The qualifying youth will get professional training in music production,
videography/editing, script writing and
sound management for five months after which another workshop for the next
incoming class would be rolled out.
They choose locals from slums
who are talented, experienced and
ready to pass information to others
as well as ensure that Turning Tables Kenya stays on after they leave.

We want them to gradually be

accepted in the community and be integrated into normal schools because they
are also human beings. We also advocate
for children with disability, he added.
The school boasts of over 100
benefitiaries as they have are moving on towards reducing illetracy within this marginalized group.
The organization also has two
special units that cater to different
needs that our student might require.
The normal basic skills unit focuses on children with basic disabilities
and teaches painting and drawing. The
action of daily living focuses on children with severe disabilities and
provides medical care and therapy.
Mungai says that their biggest
challenge is not being able to take in
more children with disabilities because of funding issues. Most of the
organizations funding comes from
donors, well-wishers, and the church.
Mungai adds that there is a conflict of interest between the organization and government authorities as they
have offered no support. The organization hopes to receive some support
from the government because their
efforts alone are not enough for the
many vulnerable children they cant
help. However, as Mungai says, they
are really happy that they have indeed,
really moved forward since inception.

Health

ISSUE:17
MAY 2015

Ghetto Mirror | 7

Cholera outbreak leads

to the crackdown
of fast food kiosks

Crackdown on city food kiosks amid cholera fears

By Jared Kefa

eavy rainfall and flash

floods in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi
over the past month have submerged
parts of the city in rain water causing contamination of water sources
and prompting the spread of cholera.
Poor drainage and sewerage
systems, dirty water and food are the
main causes of this outbreak, said
Andrew Suleh, the CEO of Mbagathi District Hospital in Nairobi.
In Kibera, the outbreak has
caused at least eight peoples lives
and about 100 others have been hospitalized in Mbagathi district hospital.
The outbreak caused hospitals in Nairobi to fill up, forcing some patients to share beds.
We only have four wards

here and each ward has six beds.

This means we can only accommodate 24 patients at a time, Suleh said.
Health officials said overcrowded areas in Nairobi -- like Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa known for its poverty and lack of
sanitation -- are highly vulnerable to
water-borne illnesses like cholera.
St. John Ambulance spokesman
Fred Majiwa said, Overpopulated areas with poor drainage and sanitation
such as Mathare, Kibera and Eastleigh are the most affected. He added.
Cholera
is
highly
treatable but can cause death quickly due to acute dehydration.
According to the Langata Districts Head of Surveillance, Samuel Muturi, most cases reported coming from
Kibera were from Laini Saba, Kisumu
Ndogo, Lindi and Kichinjio villages.
He added that precautionary mea-

sures were being taken to prevent more

outbreaks and spreading of the disease.
Leaders in Kibera have come out
strongly urging the county government
to take up the matter and put necessary
measures to fight against the outbreak
in the area. Former Lindi ward aspirant,
Bakari Saidi Lusala, led a group of politicians to accuse the County government for failing to fight Cholera in Nairobi by making sure all water is treated
well before its supplied to residents.
They also accused the national government of bringing in water via National
Youth Service (NYS) lorries that have
been being supplied to residents without being treated. Laini Saba Member
of county assembly David Kitavi has
been accusing the County government
of failing to take up measures to curb
the situation even after the firstcCholera
death was reported a few weeks ago.
A section of Laini Saba residents

are also accusing the City Council Officers who are believed to have killed
stray dogs and dumped them in a stream
in Laini Saba. The residents believe
this was the root cause of the outbreak.
Sammy Mukolwe, a resident of Lindi and a victim admitted at Mbagathi
District Hospital for a week, advised
residents against ignoring warnings
about cholera. He said it is real and
they should take maximum precautions.
Mukolwe recounted his experience saying, It was around 2am when
I felt stomach upset, immediately I
started experiencing diarrhea, I went to
the toilet running but before I reached
I was already down. He added that,
My neighbours are the ones who took
me to the hospital where I was admitted
and treated. I want to tell people that
cholera is real and its already here so
lets be careful and maintain cleanness.
The County Government of Nairo-

bi has shut down several unlicensed fastfood stalls to try and control the growing
threat of cholera. However, businesses
that met the health standards as per county public health regulations were spared.
The County Executive for Health,
Mercy Kamau, says the exercise will
go on across Nairobis informal settlements to help curb the situation. We
cannot allow our people to be exposed
to health risk by businesses that are
operating under poor conditions due to
ignorance by the owners, Mrs. Kamau
said. She however stated that the move
by the county government was not just
because of the cholera outbreak but also
a basic responsibility of the county government to protect its people. Mrs. Kamau added that the exercise will also be
carried out in all the estates of Nairobi
following reports that there were several
businesses operating without licenses.

ed with oral rehydration salts commonly

referred as (ORS). However severely dehydrated patients require administration
of intravenous fluid and appropriate antibiotics to diminish the duration of diarrhea and reduce volume of dehydration.
4. 75% of people infected
do not develop any symptoms although the bacteria is present in faeces for 7-14 days after infection and
are shed back to the environment,
thus potentially infecting others.
5. At-risk areas, like poor urban slum where there is no or there
is inadequate infrastructure are vulnerable to the disease because of
limited access to safe and drinking
water and lack of proper sanitation.

6. Surveillance is important to
identify vulnerable populations living in hotspots. This will lead to timing preparation and preparedness.
7. Cholera is preventable provided that safe drinking water and
proper sanitation are made available.
8. Once an outbreak is detected, it
is very important to focus on treatment
and control measures. This can be done
by reducing deaths through provision of
adequate treatment, controlling the disease by providing safe water, proper sanitation, health education for improved
hygiene and safe handling of food.
9. Safe and effective oral cholera
vaccines are now part of the cholera
control package. There are two types

of vaccines that are WHO pre-qualified

and are licensed in several countries and
have shown to provide sustained protection at 75% against cholera among
all age groups. Vaccines should target
vulnerable people living in high risk
areas. However, vaccination should
not disrupt the provision of other proven interventions to control the disease.
10. No country requires proof
of cholera vaccination as a condition of entry. This is because past attempts to impose them have shown
that quarantine measures and embargoes on the movement of people and
goods are ineffective and unnecessary.
It is also worth noting that people with low immunity and those liv-

ing with HIV virus have higher risk

of infection. Another thing, epidemics have not arisen from coming into
contact with dead bodies. Vaccines
are just short term remedy of combating the scourge. Long term remedy is improving water and sanitation.
It is also very important to
wash hands with soap immediately after visiting the toilet.
Waste
should be disposed of properly because garbage contains germs that
can cause infections. Wash fruits and
vegetables well before consuming.

Basic facts about cholera you didnt know

By Kevin Ochieng
According to the World Health
Organization (WHO) the following are basic facts about cholera.
1. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal
disease that infects the gut. It is caused
by consuming food or water contaminated with a bacterium called vibrio cholerae 01 or 0139. The disease
leads to rapid dehydration. It can kill
within hours if the victim does not get
quick and urgent medical assistance.
2. Cholera kills 100,000- 200, 000
people yearly. However only a proportion of these deaths are reported to WHO.
3. Close to 80% cases can be treat-

Business

Woman makes a
living by selling
chicken parts

Woman makes a living selling chicken parts

Grace Anyango (in yellow), commonly known as Mama Kuku, during one of her busy
days prepares parts of chicken that she sells to make her living.

Photo: Eunice Otieno

By Eunice Otieno

race
Anyango
is
a
well-known
figure in Kibera with
two defining characteristics that
are not commonly found together.
Not only is she a single mother of three children, she also makes
more than the average Nairobian from her side-street business.
Popularly nicknamed Mama

Kuku, she has been a lead business-woman in selling chicken parts (known as
katakata) since she started in 1998.
She has established a guaranteed customer base for her business
in Gatwekera village, opposite Pentagon Bar, where she gets more than
300 hundred customers in a day.
She receives a daily average of
Ksh.1, 100 from chicken legs and Ksh.3,
000 from other parts of the chicken.
Mama Kukus average gross monthly
income is about Ksh. 500,000 and her

net income is close to Ksh. 150,000.

She believes that one of the
reasons for her strong and loyal customer base is because she is clean
and brings fresh chicken every day.
To maximize on this asset, she has a special way of preparing her chicken for sale that
keeps her customers coming back.
Linda Baby, one of her former
customers says that her chicken parts are
so good, imuodo nyaka e koki that you
can find yourself eating even your nails.

Linda decided to start the same

business after Mama Kuku introduced
her to the business and showed her how
to prepare these parts of the chicken.
Mama Joy, another one of Mama
Kukus customers, shares her own opinion saying that, People likes Mama
Kukus chicken because they are cheap.
Starting at about Ksh. 20, Mama
Kukus prices are affordable to most
Kibera residents, who wouldnt be
able to afford store bought chicken or other market prices where a
full chicken can go for Ksh. 500.
It is clear that Mama Kuku
has made a name for herself as
Mama Joy adds, she will even
give it to you on credit, and give
you advice on how to prepare it.
Before Mama Kuku started selling
chicken, she was selling fish. However,
she had a big problem with it because
she found that the fish had a market
for people from a certain tribe, Luos.
I found it difficult because in
Kibera there are so many tribes who
do not eating fish, so the demand of
fish was low and I would end up with
a loss on most days, said Mama Kuku.
The fish business also had other
challenges as it had to be supplied from
Kisumu and the distance created a lot
of delays. Additionally, the supply for
fish is seasonal, meaning that she would
often have to out her business on hold
and jeopardize losing her customer base.
Mama Kuku has never regretted switching to the chicken business for the many benefits it offers

over

other food-based businesses.

For one, most people in Kibera love
chicken therefore ensuring a guaranteed
customer base. And she now gets the
chicken parts herself from Gikomba or
City Market, cutting out the middleman.
Another advantage that Mama
Kuku gains from her business is providing customers with ready-made
chicken in a convenient location.
A lot of people, like bachelors,
who either dont want to or have no
time to prepare a full chicken come
to Mama Kuku in Kibera slum because they find it easy and cheap.
Lavina Achieng, another customer from Kileleshwa estate says
that she usually comes on Fridays to
buy Mama Kukus chicken because
it cuts down her cooking time as
shes too busy to cook it from scratch.
Although Mama Kuku has
been quite successful, she still experiences challenges that come
with the business. She says that
the biggest problem is the rain.
I dont have a closed space,
so when it rains, it becomes significantly harder to operate the
business,
Mama
Kuku
said.
She also added, another challenge is when I dont get some parts
of chicken for the regular customers
and they normally fight for their favorites parts when they are not enough.
Mama Kukus business has allowed her to educate her three children,
something she might not have been
able to do after her husband left her.

Ghetto Mirror | 8

ISSUE:17
MAY 2015

NYS projects offering employment for residents

Thousands of youths have been employed as a result of NYS involvement in Mathare, Korogocho and Mukuru
Ministry of Devolution and Planning
has already seen other slum areas like
Kibera become more accessible and
has opened up more business opportunities after construction of roads.
It is estimated that over 3,500
youths who had been previously idle
have been employed by the program
in Mathare. The program also employs
National Youth Service (NYS) officers
as managers in ensuring that the workers
follow protocol like getting to work on
time and completing their tasks correctly.
The President, while speaking during the launch of the program
at Kiboro grounds in Mathare, said
that his administration is aiming at
ensuring equitable distribution of resources to all the areas in Kenya.
Equitable development

Residents of Korogocho cleaning up their sorrounding as National Youth Service Officers

supervise. Community Clean-ups, road construction, construction of washrooms among
many others are part of the jobs residents engange in.

Photo: File

By Kevin Ashihunda

he commencement of
the National Youth Service (NYS) Initiative

has so far reported positive effects

in the lives of residents in Mathare,
Korogocho and Mukuru slums.
The initiative that was pioneered by President Uhuru Kenyatta
with the aim of creating job opportu-

nities for unemployed youth has seen

many engage in community clean-ups,
road construction, street lighting, and
building of medical clinics and police posts in the respective villages.
The program that is under the

As a government, we are committed to ensuring equitable development in informal settlements as well

as other parts of the country, he said.
President Kenyatta added that
it was unfortunate that informal settlements which harbour 75 percent
of Nairobi residents lack social amenities and said his administration
will work towards changing that.
It is an unfortunate fact that
in the past, development has been
skewed in favour of areas where the

rich live. My government is addressing the situation, the President said.

When young people are involved in income generating actvities, the tendency to participate in
other dangerous and or illegal vices drops, said Mr. Githinji. The
most recent results we have received
show that levels of insecurity have
gone down drastically he added.
Crime rates in informal settlements, based on estimations by
NYS, have tremendously reduced as
a result of the program. The director general of NYS, Nelson Githinji stated that although youth are already reaping from the program, it
is still too early to rate the program.

The most recent

results we have
received show that
levels of insecurity
have gone down
drastically
Nelson Githinji

Football team prevents youth from engaging in crime

By Eunice Otieno
Town Star Soccer Club in
Kawangware has recently created an
all-categories league to help discover and nurture talent in young players. The initiative has been established with the aim of engaging youth
in useful activities and to prevent
them from being idle and getting involved in dangerous and bad activities.
The soccer club came up with
this initiative after realizing that

a big number of talented footballers and youth in general were ending up on the wrong side of the law
by engaging in criminal activities.
We have to keep our youths
busy in order to reduce the level
of insecurity and other vices in our
community, team manager Reagan
Nyakundi said. This is the main reason why Town Star Soccer Club was
started in 2009,added Nyakundi.
The club takes youth from 15 years
and above and tries to include everyone
regardless of tribe, gender, religious affiliation and other identity markers. Their

Johanna Justin Jinich Clinic

Family planning
Adult & Paediatric
care

Cancer comprehensive care

Cervical Cancer
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V.C.T Program

M.C. H Program

Hours:

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7 AM - 6.30 PM

league in Kawangware has 24 teams.

Although the club is still growing
and has a lot of young players, it operates with a professional outlook to try
and foster an atmosphere of hard work
and ambition. The league is run and
managed in the same way as the countrys top flight league, Football Kenyan
Federation Premiere League (FKF PL).
Behavior change
To help instill good behavior and
integrity, we charge the members a pen-

alty fee of Ksh. 500 in case of lateness

and other behavioral related issues, said
Micheal Gitau, the leagues midfielder.
Because it is run and managed like the top country league, they
have regular meetings from Monday to Friday. But since a lot of the
younger members are in school on
weekdays, they also hold weekend
sessions to ensure everyone stays in
school but still has access to the club.
The team captain, Ken Mwabeshi
Ite, explained, We also try to make
sure they understand the value of education and how it goes hand-in-hand

with our own mission to make sure

that they not only keep out of trouble, but also nurture their talents and
potentials in every way possible.
Peter, one of the members, attests
to how the club has had an impact on
them in saying, Our coaches reward us
by giving us vouchers and FKF awards
us with certificates for our achievements
which will come handy in the future.
The club wants the government,
through the ministry of sports, to improve their support of soccer in slums
so they can achieve their dreams. Their
hope is to participate in national league.

SHOFCO clean water

@
2/= per 20
litres
water cans
We are located in Gatwekere at the Kibera School for Girls headquarters

The Ghetto Mirror is a monthly publication published and distributed for free by Shining Hope for Communities as
part of its programs aimed at empowering the youth through developing their media skills and also to bring attention to the
issues affecting the residents of the informal settlements. All the work that goes into production of this newspaper is done by youths
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