2022 – Mukuru Youth Initiative

15Dec, 2022

Protecting Your Mental Health During Holidays

*Participants during Coffee Bar Session. Photo: Julius Rasat*

December is mostly referred to as mwezi ya sherehe (party month) but not too many due to financial status, family status or not a priority. This week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday focused on how we can protect our mental health during this festive season. During December, many people travel upcountry to share the festive season with their families, friends and neighbors. However, so much has happened this year affecting our lives such as losing our loved ones, losing jobs, lost friends, families broken up amongst others. With all these happenings, it clearly shows that the majority of us will be mentally unstable not unless we act.

Our discussion started with understanding how many of us will be traveling up country for this festive season and how that would make you feel if you’re going anywhere. Majority of the participants pointed out that they are not going upcountry due to reasons that are out of their control. Reports done showed that 64% of people with mental illness report holidays make their conditions worse.

One of the participants pointed out that he lost his grandma early this year, she was the backbone of the family and through her they were able to meet every end of the year. But with her passing this year, no one is talking about going up the country since there’s no one to visit. Another participant shared that after his father’s death, they are no longer planning to have anything since their father was more of a convener of the family. Other reasons pointed out include the hike price of transport, all family members are in Nairobi and not being able to cater for everyone’s needs especially for the firstborns.

“My grandma was the reason why we all went to upcountry, after she passed away, we have no plans of having any get together meetings as of now.” Participant Said

Connecting these experiences and childhood, most families used to cook chapatis and others would slaughter a goat or chicken and then there are those who didn’t even have a meal for the day. This affected the majority of us to a point we stopped visiting our neighbors. During times of cheeriness, not feeling as enthusiastic as others can be stigmatizing. Not being able to match the same level as your friends, family or colleagues can really affect your mental state resulting in you finding a coping mechanism which at the end affects your mental state. We have seen people becoming drunkards day in and day out during this festive season and it could be they are fighting something that we don’t know about. Being left out is something that is not easy to comprehend and this is where you start abusing drugs and substance or you become an introvert.

“As someone who my family looks up to, I am not in a position to spend time with my family due to financial constraints. I am expected to cater for my sisters and brothers transport to upcountry which is currently at KShs 3000 per person.” Participant said

With our focus being how we can protect our mental state, we pointed out a few ways that would help in protecting your mental health. Here are some suggestions on how you can reduce stress and maintain good mental health during this festive season. However, it’s good to note that this may not work on everyone and it’s not professional advice.

Don’t Compare Yourself with anyone.

It is easy to compare your situation to others’ especially if you have lost a loved one or a job one which increases feelings of loneliness or sadness. If you see people having fun and you don’t have the same energy, then it’s okay to leave the place and get to do something else that you love such as walking, reading a book, sleeping, watching movies or documentaries.

Know And Understand Your Limitations.

It’s always advisable to accept your limitations and be patient with others too. You should prioritize the most important activities or schedule activities for after the holidays: It is important to learn how to say “no” when you are overwhelmed by social obligations and demands made on you by others. With the bus fare hike, you shouldn’t force yourself to travel if you don’t have money. Remember that there’s life after the festive season.

Try Not To Feel Alone or Isolated

It’s true that many of us have friends and family to spend time with during the holiday season, but it’s also possible to become isolated during this time. If someone close to you has recently died or you can’t be with loved ones for other reasons, realize that it’s normal to feel sadness and grief. It’s okay to take time to cry or express your feelings. You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season. You can also take advantage of other ways to connect such calling, texting, emailing and social media.

Have a Budget

With so much happening, always have a budget. This will help in controlling your expenses and also protects your mental state. Before you do food shopping or kuchafua meza, decide how much money you can afford to spend, then stick to your budget. Don’t try to buy happiness with gifts. Don’t overspend trying to impress your family or friends, remember life continues after the festive season.

Be Careful With Your Actions

Keeping in mind that everyone is not like you, try to accept family members and friends as they are. If someone gets upset or distressed when something goes wrong, be accommodating and understanding. Keep grievances off until a more appropriate time for discussion. Most likely, they are also experiencing holiday stress and depression. However, if you feel their actions are affecting your mental state, it’s okay to leave and focus on something else constructive.

Seeking Spiritual Help

If you are a spiritual person, this would also be a good time to spend time in your church or reading a Bible. Majority stating that spending time in church makes them feel a higher sense of purpose, peace, hope and meaning. Spirituality can help you deal with stress by giving you a sense of peace.

Regardless of your plans, its important to share with your family, friends and colleagues on your plans.

This festive season, be kind to yourself and put your mental and physical well-being first. Don’t let holidays become something draining you mentally. Instead, take steps that will protect you and others. Also, avoid excessive tobacco, alcohol and drug use. Happy Holidays and See you on Tuesday!

1Dec, 2022

The Role Of Young People In Ending SGBV

*Participants during Coffee Bar Tuesday. Photo: Julius Rasat*

Sexual and gender-based violence remain a major challenge that the world is facing today. Sexual offences have adverse effects that derails social and economic development of an individual and that of a country. A report indicates that as a country we use close to 46 billion Kenyan shillings annually in addressing SGBV. With these figures, it surely shows that there is a high prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in Kenya.

With the commemoration of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, our #CoffeeBarTuesday discussion focused on what we can do as young people in prevention, response and documentation of cases of sexual and gender-based violence – more so on prevention. With young people also being part of the conversation will help in decreasing cases that usually involve their peers.

The conversation touched on what the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence stands for and its main objective which is to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and runs until 10 December which is a Human Rights Day.

It’s good to note that the majority of young people are not even aware of this commemoration and some think it’s a women thing – shows where to concentrate. It also shows there’s a lot that needs to be done in creating awareness amongst the young people. With better understanding of sexual and gender-based violence, its types and forms, it was easy to have a candid conversation on our roles as young people. Sexual violence can affect you mentally, emotionally, physically and psychologically.

Majority of young people believe that sexual and gender-based violence is mainly for the old generation and that’s why they keep off or rarely engaged on SGBV conversations.

“I can’t be raped by someone I call my wife or girlfriend, where does she even start? Furthermore, I can’t rape her since she’s mine, its my conjugal rights.” Participant said

Out of 10 young men, only 2 believe that they can be raped by their partner. The other 8 believe that there’s no way someone you have been married to can rape you since its their conjugal right. This clearly shows why intimate partner violence is underreported and there’s a need for communities to understand consent is crucial whether you’re in a relationship or not.

One thing that stood out during the conversations is young people understanding that having sex with an underage is an offence that is punishable by law. Majority were not aware that having sex with a 17-year-old whether she consented or not is also considered as an offence. We shared that under the Sexual offences Act, having sex with anyone below the age of 18 is a crime.

With our set up, we dwelled more on sexual and gender-based violence forms such as rape, defilement, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, incest and female genital mutilation/cutting. An active bystander action is something that young people don’t involve themselves with. We emphasized on being an active bystander where you should be able to raise an alarm in case you witness someone being violated. That one action will be able to save that person who was about to be violated.

The issue of consent is something that also created a wide discussion with questions such as should I ask for consent from my wife or girlfriend? Why should I be arrested for having a relationship with a 16-year-old and they consented to it? Should we be arrested for having sexual relationship if we are cousins and we are all adults and consented? It was made clear that the law states that lack of consent qualifies one to have raped the other since there was no agreement. The Sexual Offences Act also defines incest as an act which causes penetration with a person who is to their knowledge, a relative.

“Why should I be arrested for having sex with a minor and what happens if she actually came to me? Nowadays its hard to know if someone is of age by looking at their body, people are having a good diet out here.” Participant said

At the end we all agreed that we have a role to play in ending sexual and gender-based violence. Some of key roles that we can play in ending sexual and gender based violence were :- continue creating more awareness on sexual violence among young people, not to be perpetrators, pushing the justice system to be accountable and follow the rule of law, engaging both women and men in these matters, raising your voice when someone is being violated such as someone having a relationship with a minor, not to a bystander of intimate partner violence and to always be careful since everyone is a potential perpetrator as well as a survivor. See you on Tuesday!

17Nov, 2022

Why You Should Attend the CIDP Forum?

*Participants during the Coffee Bar Session. Photo: Philip Papa*

With the coming County Integrated Development Plan public participation forum meant to happen on 18th November 2022 at the Mukuru Health Centre in Imara Daima, our Coffee Bar Tuesday focused on how we can package ourselves together with like minded people and have a 1 voice that shall propose projects to the county to be implement within our wards and constituency.

The County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) is a plan prepared by counties to guide development over a five-year period.The CIDP contains information on development priorities that inform the annual budget process for 5 years. The formulation of the CIDP is usually the first major task of a new county administration.

With participants coming from Kwa Reuben, Viwandani, Kwa Njenga and Kware wards, we got to share some of the challenges that should be addressed by the 2023-2027 County Integrated Development Plan. Through the discussion, we got to understand that the majority of the challenges we face cut almost across in all areas represented during the discussions. Some of the proposed projects raised during the discussion were street lights installation, inadequate drainage system, youth resource centre, creation of ECDE and TVETs, secure land tenure, markets, 24 hour running water, more personnel and medication in our hospitals, access roads, empowerment on groups that are working on environment sector, more empowerment on urban farming, relocation of ward admin office among others.

*Public Participation forum dates. Photo: Nairobi County*

We also shared some of the legal frameworks such as Constitution Of Kenya, County Governments Act 2012, Public Finance Management Act 2012 and Nairobi County Public Participation Act 2016 that promote and support the realization of public participation and communities being at the center of decision making. Article 1 of the constitution states that the power belongs to the people meaning, we the people have all the mandate to choose, propose and give priorities on what we feel would change our lives positively. Sections 87 to 92 and 115 of the County Governments Act, 2012 outline the principles of public participation.

We also emphasized that all these projects will not be implemented by us saying at the discussion. We must turn out in numbers and propose them during the formulation of the CIDP that shall be held on 19th November 2022. It’s only through public participation, communities are able to share their proposals on some of the projects that should be implemented in the communities. Through this, they are able to scrutinize every project and give their priorities. At no point should we have projects being imposed onto us. Keeping that in mind, if they are existing projects that need to be completed then they should be on the list of our priorities.

“Pia sisi kama communities lazima tukam pamoja and tuseme zile vitu zinatuaffect collectively unlike proposing vitu zinaaffect few of us. Pia lazima tukeep the government on toes in order to implement them.” Participants said

As communities, we must understand that public participation is a process and doesn’t end with you only proposing. There should be a series of follow ups from both parties especially from the community. This helps in tracking progress of the projects. As we all wake up on the 19th, we must keep in mind that the change we need has to be proposed during this formulation stage. Let’s propose first and wait for the next process which shall inform the implementation of the projects. As young people from Embakasi South, we shall be dropping memoranda on some of the projects that should be included in the CIDP for the betterment of our communities. Young people have always and will always be the change makers.

We are also calling young people from other counties to make sure they are part of the process. As young people, we have to show that we have improved and bring forgotten young people’s voices to the table. See you on Friday 19th at the Mukuru Health Center hall.

11Nov, 2022

Is COP27 Important?

*Participants during Coffee Bar Tuesday*. Photo: Philip Papa

With the COP27 conference happening from 6 November to 18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt and hitting our newsroom every day, how many people from the community are aware of it and its importance to common mwananchi. Our #CoffeeBarDiscussion hosted Kevin Odongo who is an environmentalist and founder of Green Ambassadors who is also meant to be at the COP27 conference in Egypt.

COP27 which stands for Conference Of The Parties is the largest annual gathering on climate action that’s usually attended by heads of state, ministers, climate activists, civil society organizations and private sector. Kevin explained that the conference builds on some of the commitments made at the COP26 and brings new ones in order to deliver actions on climate. The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany in March, 1995 and this year Egypt is hosting the 27^th conference since its inception.

Participants got to understand how the COP27 came into realization with so many questions such as why do they always meet with no outcomes? Why do they meet knowing together that the biggest gas emissions state heads are not there? Why do they always make commitments and policies that are not met or implemented? How is it of use to us if common mwananchi is represented by the same leaders flying to Egypt through planes?

Kevin Odongo shared that the commitments made there will not only help us as a country and also have mitigation and adaptation mechanisms for the future. In light of the current extreme heat, a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) which is a process that seeks to identify medium- and long-term adaptation needs has detailed approaches that we can adapt to reduce vulnerability, build resilience and adaptability, as well as incorporate climate adaptation into national policies and planning. Kenya already has its first plan on adaptation, and will help the government in mainstreaming climate change adaptation and mitigation.

“Ukiangalia had ice cubes siku hizi zinamelt haraka than before.” Participant said

Also, he emphasized that approximately half of the world’s population is ‘highly vulnerable’ to the effects of climate change, including floods, droughts, tsunamis, and storms, and that is the reason why as a community the COP27 is of so much importance to us. This year’s COP will focus more on mitigation, adaptation, collaboration and make a delivery of $100 billion per year to assist developing countries.

*Kevin Odongo during Coffee Bar Session. Photo: Philip Papa*

With all our leaders representing us in Egypt, it’s important for us to follow up on what’s happening since the outcome of these conferences will determine the next phase of this world. If there is any financial commitment, we should be able to understand and get a share of it.

The term Loss and Damage is not well known by most people, but here he explains it simply as the negative effects of climate change on society and the environment. There have been campaigns on #Pay4LossAndDamage where developing countries claim that developed countries have historical responsibility for climate change. They are calling for compensation from developed countries to help them address loss and damage that have already occurred and to minimize future loss and damage.

“As we push for climate mitigation and adaptation, there’s need to have more awareness and simplify and localize information” Kevin Odongo said

With the discussion touching more on what COP27 is focusing on, we also touched on what we as individuals can do in order to reduce the emissions that are contributed by human activities. Through the discussions, it was clear that we all have a role to play in making sure we save the planet. Some of the ways in which we can reduce emissions include ending the usage of fossils, powering your home with renewable energies, plant more trees, recycling, fly less or when need be, stop plastic pollution and drive cars that are climate friendly among others.

As Mukuru Youth Initiative, we believe in the power of having knowledge. It’s only through knowledge, that you are able to know what, how, where, when, why you need to do something. We continue to create spaces where information is shared for the betterment of individuals and communities. See you on Tuesday!

2Nov, 2022

Teen Pregnancy – What’s The Solution?

Narok County Ministry of Education reported that 741 school going children were impregnated and out of that number 409 were below 18 years. It’s good to note that the data shared is only for the girls who have attended different health facilities and there could be many other pregnant girls who are not counted because they have not been to the health centers. Mukuru hasn’t been left out or spared by this teenage pregnancy pandemic. There’s no data indicating the number of teenage pregnancies for Mukuru but we can tell that we have young mothers around. This week’s #CofffeeBarTuesday focused on some of the contributing factors that could lead young girls to be pregnant and get solutions on how we can continue protecting young girls.

Some studies indicate that 1 in every 5 teenage girls between the ages of 15-19 years has already given birth or pregnant with their first child. Kenya’s Ministry of Health reported 45,724 pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 19 in January and February 2022. This is worrying and needs a lot of attention from the government, stakeholders, communities and parents. Teenage pregnancies are a major challenge for socioeconomic development.

Through the discussion poverty, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services, peer pressure from the family and friends, early sex initiation, sexual violence such as defilement/rape, harmful cultural practices such as child marriage, lack of goodwill from the government in prosecuting perpetrators, social media, technology- having too much accessibility to internet, drug abuse and substance abuse, societal pressure and recent demolitions in Mukuru Kwa Njenga were some of the contributing factors to the rise of teen pregnancies in Mukuru. In addition, lack of empowerment among young boys was cited as a reason why the numbers are rising.

*A pregnant school going pupil. Photo: Kwaela News Network*

“Young boys are not well informed on how to handle an empowered girl. It may happen that a girl visits her boyfriend and he does not understand how they can have safe sex. The girl will just accept whatever the boy decides, putting all of them at risk.” Participant said

Participants pointed out there are a lot of barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health services. Some of the barriers are that Embakasi South doesn’t have any youth friendly center where young people can seek SRH services, the already existing private ones are not conducive to seek services and there’s less information about what kind of information someone can inquire from those centers.

In September 2021, part of Mukuru Kwa Njenga was demolished leaving residents homeless and not able to access basic services such as education, water, housing among others. Majority of private schools were demolished leaving thousands of pupils not attending school. With only 2 public schools, this couldn’t accommodate the majority of the girls and this led to many girls getting pregnant, dropping out, getting married and others using drugs.

With us understanding the problem, it’s easy to know how to get a solution. One of the solution raised by the participant was for the government to enforce its well outlined policies and laws addressing child marriage, defilement and access to highest attainable health. The government needs to work hand in hand with communities in prosecuting anyone having sex with children. For a relationship to work, there must be a boy translating to boys also needs to be empowered and with both genders empowered, it will be easy to curb teen pregnancies. As parents, you need to be watchful of what your children are searching online and who they talk or engage with. Sex education continues to be resisted by parents, religious leaders, political leaders and other stakeholders despite data showing that young people are engaging in sex earlier than in the past. Parents also need to be close to their children in order to share some of the changes our girls experience puberty.

For us to end teen pregnancies, it is essential that we confront the hard truths of the issue in an honest and open manner. It should be noted that teen pregnancies hinder our girls from maximizing their full potential, which impacts their socioeconomic development as they are unable to further their education or achieve their career goals. However, some do come back strong and achieve everything they ever wanted. We all have a role to play in ending teen pregnancies. A key component of the solution is making sure that those who commit teenage pregnancies face the full force of the law. Also, we must ensure that all pregnant girls go back to school as soon as possible. See you on Tuesday!

26Oct, 2022

Youth Opportunities? Where Are They?

*Participants during the discussions: Photo: Julius Rasat*

Are youth opportunities there and how visible and accessible is the information on these opportunities? This week’s #CoffeebarTuesday is a continuation of last week’s discussion on understanding some of the youth opportunities that are there and the ones that are yet to be implemented by both the county and national government. We have collected some of the opportunities that young people can access. However, some if these opportunities are not always receiving applications, you should be on the look out in case they ask for applications.

Youth Enterprise Development Fund

The Fund seeks to create employment opportunities for young people through entrepreneurship and encouraging them to be job creators and not job seekers. It does this by providing easy and affordable financial and business development support services to youth who are keen on starting or expanding businesses. For more info http://www.youthfund.go.ke/

Women Enterprise Fund

The fund will continue to provide Kenyan women with access to alternative financial services. It is expected that the loans women will access as a result of the establishment of the fund will have a positive impact on family welfare. In addition, it will increase the estimated earned incomes (purchasing power parity). By using a group approach, it is envisioned that the fund will serve to strengthen women’s voices and bargaining power within the home as well as the wider community. To access the fund, you must fill an application form from you sub county office.

Uwezo Fund

Uwezo Fund is a flagship programme for vision 2030 aimed at enabling women, youth and persons with disabilities access finances to promote businesses and enterprises at the constituency level. The Fund is highly devolved and adopted the concept of bottom-up approach with decision making done at the grassroots level. To access the fund, you must fill an application form from you sub county office. For more info https://www.uwezo.go.ke/

Access To Government Procurement Opportunities

The aim of the AGPO Program is to facilitate the youth, women and persons with disabilities owned enterprises to be able to participate in government procurement. The procurement Act states that any procuring entity shall allocate at least thirty percent of its procurement spend for the purposes of procuring goods, works and services from micro and small enterprises owned by youth, women and PWD. https://agpo.go.ke/pages/agpo-registration-requirements

Ajira Digital

aims to introduce Kenyans to digitally-enabled jobs and provide the tools, training and mentorship needed to earn an income from digital work. is a Government initiative driven by the Ministry of ICT to empower over one million young people to access digital job opportunities. The program seeks to position Kenya as a labour destination for multinational companies as well as encourage local companies and the public sector to create digital work. https://ajiradigital.go.ke/#/index

Green Card

Having a Green Card (officially known as a Permanent Resident Card (PDF, 6.86 MB) allows you to live and work permanently in the United States. The steps you must take to apply for a Green Card will vary depending on your individual situation. Once you find the category that may fit your situation, click on the link provided to get information on eligibility requirements, how to apply, and whether your family members can also apply with you. To apply click here https://dvprogram.state.gov/

Kenya Youth Employment Opportunities

Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP) is a transformational project that aims to empower and uplift the wellbeing of the youth in Kenya by equipping them with essential training, internship, and business grant opportunities. Create your own business! Get support for your business with a 40,000 business grant or coaching on running a business and Get trained in one of our trade areas, do an internship in a company or an apprenticeship with a Master Craftsman. This is usually works with cycles and is not always opened for application. https://kyeop.go.ke/

MbeleNaBiz

The MbeleNaBiz Business Plan Competition aims to expand new and existing youth-led enterprises by providing them with grant funding. The Government of Kenya recognizes the need for job creation to address the challenge of youth unemployment in Kenya. By investing in young entrepreneurs whose ventures will generate employment opportunities and earnings for unemployed youth, MbeleNaBiz will contribute to the development of an inclusive economy that provides opportunities for as many Kenyans as possible. https://www.mbelenabiz.go.ke/about-us.php

Future Bora Initiative

Future Bora Initiative is unique from the other KYEOP products in that it does not target the intended beneficiaries directly, but seeks to benefit them through intermediaries (organizations that give specific focus to the hard to serve groups to better their livelihoods). The initiative will therefore identify high-potential interventions and fund them to scale. https://www.futurebora.go.ke/

Ndoto Nzetu

The initiative focuses on partnering with Kenyans to implement health, education and economic empowerment projects. aims to support Kenyans who are keen to make an impact in their communities through social investments. Through the initiative, we ask Kenyans to share their dreams and aspirations that they hope to achieve in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment. Each dream we help fulfill translates to thousands of lives being uplifted and transformed. Ndoto Nzetu is going to partner with you to bring dreams to life. https://www.safaricomfoundation.org/ndotozetu/

Tenders

Tenders is also another opportunity that young people can tap into which is usually left for the elites and old people. Majority of local schools do advertise calling in for tenders but majority of young people don’t apply due to lack of information and others citing not having enough money. There are young entrepreneurs who are making a mark in the business world through entrepreneur. Its upon young people to also get share of the cake by making sure they have necessary documents and applying for the opportunities.

Local Organization

Through partnerships, young people can be able to access opportunities that are there set by development partners/organizations. Majority of these opportunities don’t get to young people because they are open to the public domain or there’s no godfather somewhere. Young people should also be on the lookout and aligning themselves with organizations that work in the same field.

Hustler Fund

The Hustler Fund is emerging as the most popular affirmative action fund from the government. The fund is set to be operational in December and will see the government set aside Sh50 billion to provide cheaper credit for micro and small businesses. The word going around is that they fund is not free money and for you to access it, there must be a track record of your savings. We save first to get the funds.

Film Fund

The Film Fund is expected to support the creative industry under a plan to add value to Kenya’s exports such as fashion, leather products, and craft industries. The new government will push Parliament to pass the Creative Economy Bill that will enable the establishment of a film fund which will in turn facilitate the access to modern equipment and entire film production infrastructure available for local film makers on a hire and lease basis.

Biashara fund

The County Government of Nairobi has promised to set aside funds under the Biashara Fund that shall work towards facilitating optimal production of standardized globally competitive goods through establishment of modern technology facilities. However, this is yet to be finalized and we should be on the look out.

As a youth-led organization, we are particularly keen on how the youth can be guided and benefit from the tenders, opportunities and funds that the government, institutions, and private sector has set aside for them. In the coming weeks, we shall be looking at how young people can also understand financial security. One thing that young people should also keep in mind is majority of these funds will only be accessible if you’re in a registered group and savings with different Saccos. See you on Tuesday!

Reference: Kenya Youth Employment Procurement Opportunity , Business Daily

20Oct, 2022

Missed Youth Opportunities

This week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday focused on youth opportunities and getting to understand some of the opportunities that are there for young people and if they are accessible. For so long, young people have not been able to access opportunities due to lack of information and the opportunities themselves. We noted that some of the opportunities, especially the government revolving funds are hard to access since some cited that you need to have godfather. Many have applied but have never received any response on their application. As much as young people don’t have a source of income, we noted that the majority are also not aware of financial security and how they can be able to plan their money.

During the discussions, we discussed on some of the opportunities that are already there such as Youth Enterprise Development Fund, Uwezo Fund, Women Fund, National Fund For The Disabled of Kenya, Ajira Digital, Access to Government Procurement Opportunities, Kenya Youth Employment Opportunities and Mbele NA Biz. Both the county and national government have promised to have different funds that can be accessed by young people such as Hustler Fund, Biashara Fund and more commitment on Access to Government Procurement Opportunities.

Other opportunities that young people can tap into are applying and expressing interest in advertised tenders, short courses and training, Ndoto Zetu by Safaricom, Green Card, looking out for local organizations that give different funds or training to young people among others . Young people don’t know how to express interest on tenders and this is mainly because this information is not easily accessible or the information is reserved for the few. As much as some of the tenders are advertised for formalities, young people also need to express their interest and apply.

*Participants during the discussion. Photo: Julius Rasat*

When it comes to savings and financial plans, young people are not aware or don’t understand how to save and minimize their spending. For those who have a form of income, the majority don’t have a saving plan. On this one, we also checked on how money market funding, shares and saccos work and how they can help in building a sustainable financial plan for the future. Keeping in mind there is no guarantee that you’ll make money from investments you make. But getting the facts on saving and investing and following through with a well outlined plan, as a young person you should be able to gain financial security over the years and enjoy the benefits of managing your money.

For you to get some of these government opportunities, you must first be a registered group or at least belong to one. For those with great ideas that would create employment, MbeleNABiz competition is suitable for you. This is an initiative by the government that aims to expand new and existing youth-led enterprises by providing them with grant funding and/or business plan training. Advocating for young people to have and access opportunities is crucial so as to have financial independence.

Mukuru Youth Initiative vision being having a community that is free from social vices and youths who are focused on seeing the community develop both socially and economically, we believe in creating spaces where young people can access information that will be able to change their lives positively. Coming next week, we shall be dissecting savings and investment plans that young people can adopt for their own future. See you next week!

28Sep, 2022

What’s Your Role In CIPD?

That road, social hall, street light or ECDE we have been wanting will only come if it’s put in plan and budgeted for in the coming County Integrated Development Plan. This week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday focused on the County integrated Development Plan with participants from Mukuru Kwa Reuben and Viwandani. What is CIDP, how is it developed and the different sectors that are there. It was shocking that in 15 people only 1 has an idea of what CIDP is or entails.CIPD is a plan prepared by all counties to guide development over a five-year period.

The formulation of CIDP is the first major task of a new county administration and it aims to coordinate the work of both levels of the government in a clear plan to improve the quality of life for all the people. The plan contains information on investments, projects, maps, statistics, development initiatives and a resource mobilization framework. The County Governments Act, 2012 (CGA), 104 obligates a county to develop an integrated plan, designate planning units at all county administrative levels and promote public participation and engagement by non-state actors in the planning process.

The CIDP also helps in the formulation of the County Annual Development Plan (ADP) which is an annual component of the 5-year CIDP and it highlights the short term priorities for the county. It outlines the priority projects/programs for the county for the year.

Through the discussion, we were able to cross check the Nairobi County CIDP 2018-2022 for both Mukuru Kwa Reuben and Viwandani together with Nairobi County Annual Development 2022-2021. We noted the plans indicated in the CIDP were diverse but didn’t touch on many sectors and others had repetitions. Some of the proposed projects include:

Mukuru Kwa Reuben

Rehabilitation of Katope road link to Police Post Simba Cool
Construction of link Rd from police to Lunga Lunga road, Kangana to Railway, and Riverside roads from bridge to Diamond
Construction of bridge link Kingstone
Lunga Lunga to DiamondSome of the priorities indicated to in the CIDP
Establishment of ECD centres
Creation of job employment through strategies such a training youth on entrepreneurship and building their capacity to access devolved funds among others
Construction of a health centre
Provision of waste collection and designation garbage storage points and regular collection of garbage.
Construction of bridges connecting Kware, Kwa Reuben to Lunga Lunga Road

Viwandani

Old dysfunctional drainage system
Upgrade existing health clinic to a 24- hour health centre
Overhauling of the entire drainage system within the ward
Re-carpeting of all feeder roads within the ward
Establishment of a rescue centre for survivors of GBV in Viwandani ward
Construction of a social hall in Viwandani Ward
Implementing of a programme to nurture sports talents while providing facilities, materials and equipment
Construction of a footbridge across Ngong River to facilitate access to Embakasi

In Mukuru Kwa Reuben, there were 64 participants in attendance in the initial forum held on 30th August 2017 and 43 in attendance during the dissemination forum on 5th December 2017 while in Viwandani there were 54 participants in attendance in the initial forum held on 30th August 2017 and 95 in attendance during the dissemination forum on 5th December 2017. Comparing with other wards, this clearly shows that our communities were not well represented.

Public participation has been a way of having our views and priorities taken to account but it has also been a challenge getting to these forums. Participants pointed out that public participation notice should be clear and transparent in order to accommodate the majority of the residents. In the last couple of years, notices were shared late or the venues were changed on the actual day.

From 2018-2022 CIDP evaluation, it clearly shows that the majority of the projects were not done or were not completed. This coming CIDP will give us a good platform for proposing either new projects or asking for completion of the already stuck projects. However, we must note the projects will only be prioritized and put in the plan if we attend the public participation forums. In this coming CIDP, we must be part and parcel of the formulation and we must make sure that our priorities as a community are noted and put in the plan. See you on Tuesday!

21Sep, 2022

Who Owns The Relationship?

*Participants pouring coffee during the session. Photo: Julius Rasat*

Between two people, who owns the relationship? When getting to a relationship, what do you expect to gain from it?

During this week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday discussion, it was clear that we all have different views on who owns a relationship. Some of the insights on who owns the relationship were whoever cares less is the owner of the relationship, whoever loves much is the owner of the relationship, a man is the head and should be the owner, a woman is the owner of the relationship since she accepted to be in a relationship, both are owners of it while others felt the levels of the relationship will determine the owner of the relationship.

We are still groomed in a patriarchal system and that’s why you will get someone saying that the man is the owner of the relationship. Both the two parties are bringing something to the table regardless of who approached who. Participant said

a relationship, some of the interests pointed out during the discussion include comfort, commitment, financial support, peace of mind, ownership, unlimited sex, confidant or someone who can listen and give advice to the other. Some of these interests vary from one person to another and the majority are not even aware of the interests they want. From the discussion, sex stood out as one of the common interest that drives young people to be in relationships.

With all the interests, there’s always someone who has more say than the others. Some of the interests raised during the discussion were

Financial Status: In this era, whoever has more money has more say in that relationship. Money has been a contributor to the survival of many relationships.
Appearance: So many relationships are surviving because of how they look. Whoever is more beautiful or handsome has more in the relationship because they know they can move out of the relationship and get someone else easily.
Family background: This also plays a key role in some relationships. The family that has more money has more say in a relationship. It doesn’t matter the sex of the person as long as the family has more money.
Source of hope: When you are a source of hope, you tend the family to have more say. For partners that help their partners overcome drunkenness or depression, they have more say since they believe without them the other would still be depressed or drunk..
Sympathy: Sympathy stood out as another way of people staying in a relationship. In example the other partner is incapacitated or their heart is fragile. So out of sympathy, the other partner will have to stay in a relationship out of the fear of what would happen if they leave.
Societal Pressure: Some felt that people stay in a relationship because of societal pressure. Society has made us believe marriage is a must or at least have a boyfriend or girlfriend. There was an example from 1 tribe where after a man gets his house, the mother always checks to see if a girl comes out. With no girl visiting the boy’s house, the mother is always worried about her son.

There were mixed reactions on how important sex is in a relationship. Majority feeling that there’s no relationship without sex and sex is the backbone of any relationship.

When getting into a relationship, you should make sure you have the same interests as your partner and have the same energy. So many relationships hit the rock because of choosing the wrong person or having someone with different interests as you. The purpose of this discussion was for us to share why we decide to be in a relationship and how we can learn from each other and understand that relationships are for two people only. See you Tuesday!

7Jul, 2022

Manifesto – Lies or Promises?

*Participants during Coffee Bar Tuesday. Photo: Peris Saleh*

What is a manifesto? Do feel like the recent manifestos touched on some of the key issues that we as a community and different sectors are going through. The participants touched on the recent 4 manifestos launched by the presidential aspirants– Kenya Kwanza Coalition, Agano Party, Roots Party and Azimio La Umoja coalition. Majority of the participants were not in the creation process but were aware some meetings and different charters were happening. Participants viewed manifestos as promises, lies, an outline of what they are going to do and an agreement between the people and whoever is vying.

The 4 manifestos have similar points such as tackling the issue of corruption, reviving some of the sectors that are either collapsing or collapsed, creating a social protection plan, making education accessible and affordable to everyone, boosting the manufacturing sector and supporting the small and medium enterprises.

Participants felt that the majority of the manifestos didn’t have “the how” to raise the money to fund the manifestos. Azimio La Umoja has a good manifesto touching on different sectors but doesn’t explain how they will be able to accomplish what they have stated in their manifesto. Kenya Kwanza touches on crucial sectors but doesn’t explain how they are going to raise the money stated in their manifestos. The Roots Party’s manifesto touches on how we can be able to reduce the current debt but doesn’t touch on other sectors.

While perusing through some of the manifestos, we noted young people are not included in the manifestos especially the issue of job creation or how the jobs will be created. Out of 47.6 million Kenyans, 35.7 million are under the age of 35 and they are mostly the drivers of this country. If well empowered, they would be able to raise our current economy status to the next level.

Majority of these manifestos will raise our debt ceilings to something that we will not be able to manage while others will make crucial sectors to underperform. A good manifesto should be able to include and cater everyone, it should not touch on some while assuming others.

Wajackoyah has been in the limelight for his manifesto that proposes marijuana and snake farming in order to clear the current debt.

“Wajackoyah from The Roots Party has a very good plan for us in terms of creating employment through snake and marijuana farming but hasn’t talked about education, health, creatives or sports. Raila Odinga also has good plans for the textile company but he shouldn’t kill one sector to revive the other. He should work on how the two can complement each other.“ One Participant said

*Johnson Sakaja signing Mukuru Peoples Manifesto. Photo Ruben Centre*

With the coming elections it’s our role to elect someone who has a manifesto that will be able to change or elevate our life. Before voting, make sure you peruse through the manifestos and ask how they are going to achieve that, what they are going to use to accomplish that, where are they going to get the resources, when are they going to deliver and why are they focusing on that.

Majority of the points indicated in presidential manifestos will mostly be implemented by the national government while others will be aligned with gubernatorial manifestos. Our focus should not only be in the presidential manifestos but the gubernatorial also. The county government is in process of developing the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) and this is one of the ways in which we can also be able to push for our own priorities to be included in the CIDP. Let’s be on the lookout for the public participation advertisement.

Mukuru Peoples Manifesto was launched and has been signed by MCAs, MPS and Governors. The Mukuru people’s manifesto outlines priorities drafted by the community. For so long the community has been promised a lot of things which are never implemented or are not a priority to the community. The peoples manifesto addresses Mukuru SPA, education, health, sanitation, electricity, land, governance and youth employment. The incoming aspirants should be able to include the peoples manifestos in their own. See you on Tuesday!

Yearly Archives: 2022