Mtaa Buzz – Page 11 – Mukuru Youth Initiative

27Apr, 2022

Red Fags In A Toxic Relationship You Shouldn’t Ignore

*Participant during coffee bar Tuesday. Photo: Evans Jomo*

Relationships are always perceived to be a space where partners are happy and comfortable to be around each other, it is meant to be a safe space for the two individuals. However, this is not always the case. With the rise number of sexual and gender based violence, individual don’t understand what toxic relationship entails or they assume.

Toxic relationship is a term that we often hear, but what does it mean to be in a toxic relationship? What are some of the red flags to watch out for? Why do people continue staying in such relationships? These were the guiding questions during coffee bar Tuesday held at the MuYI Hub.

If a relationship stops bringing you joy and instead consistently makes you feel sad, angry or anxious, and that your well-being is threatened, then it can be defined as being toxic. Views of toxicity in relationships however vary from one individual to another. These are some of the discussion areas that we had during the session where participants were able to identify insecurity, lack of support, lack of communication, physical, verbal and emotional abuse, being manipulative, lack of respect, lack of empathy as the major red flags in a relationship. If you also notice that your partner is jealous, competitive, and generally unhappy when you are doing well, then that’s a huge red flag

“As much as people focus more on physical abuse, emotional and verbal abuse tend to have much more effect on a partner since it messes with a person’s self-esteem and confidence, which takes time to build up once again” said one of the participants.

Despite people seeing these warning signs, some will still prefer to stay with a toxic partner because of various reasons such as: the benefits their family receive, poor background, presence of children, fear of starting over, religious beliefs and harsh judgement from society.

“ When in a toxic relationship, a person starts to change and suddenly they do not seem happy as they used to, they stop doing things that they enjoyed before and they do not engage with family and friends as much as before” was a view that a participant in the session had

Some people are fortunate enough to realize the red- flags early and leave the toxic partner while others end up facing consequences of staying. Toxic trends from toxic partners often cause feelings of low self-worth, helplessness, fear, anxiety and even depression. Severe cases such as murder and suicide have occasionally been reported due to abusive partners.

Both men and women are usually victims of toxic relationships and they should learn how to speak out in case they are facing abuse from a partner, abuse in any way or form from a partner should not be tolerated, therefore no one should feel obliged to persevere such a relationship at the expense of their mental, emotional or physical well-being, it is never too late to walk away from a toxic partner.

Remember, bravery is leaving a toxic relationship and knowing that you deserve better and letting go is an act of self-care. You shouldn’t have any justification of why you’re leaving a toxic relationship. See you on Tuesday!

20Apr, 2022

NG-CDF Is Not A Manifesto

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

On 19th April 2022, we held our weekly coffee bar Tuesday discussing the role of National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) formally known as Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and how it’s being used a political tool. Through the discussions, most people pointed out NG-CDF not only is it used as tool to seek votes but also as a manifesto. Most people are tricked in voting for someone because of something they received through the office or promises of what the office shall do.

According to book, the NG-CDF should have a committee. The committee should at least have 10 people from the community – There should be representation of youth, women and people living with disability. The Member of Parliament should convene public forums to elect people from the elective wards. However, it’s noted that most of NG-CDF offices are composed with committees that either belong to the same party or are supporters of the Member of Parliament.

Member of Parliament is the patron of the NG-CDF but this has changed to them controlling the funds. An example given – most of the bursaries given have pictures of the MPs which most participants felt it shouldn’t be like that since this is not their initiative.

The NG-CDF should conduct public participation to understand what community priorities are. Most of the time, projects conducted by NG-CDF are usually not community’s priority.

“Imagine a school getting a bus and they are not in a position to fuel it. The priority for that school should be a feeding program, desks or getting more classes.” Participant says

The main aim of the discussion was to understand that NG-CDF is not a favor but its a right that you’re entitled to. No one should make you feel like they are doing you a favor because you’re getting a bursary, a road or a desk. It was also noted that the community is not aware of the money allocated in each financial year or how much is allocated to different sectors such as education, health, sports and arts infrastructure or disaster among others.

There’s still confusion on county and national government projects. It been noted there are projects that have double allocations from the county and national. The community doesn’t understand which projects should be conducted by county or national government. This makes it easy to embezzle money allocated to those projects.

But with all the loopholes noticed, what can we do?

NG-CDF should not be used a manifesto
We should interact with NG-CDF office to understand how it operates,
We should not be enslaved because we got bursaries, desks, road or any help from office.
Understand the role of Member of Parliament on NG-CDF.
How we can hold the office accountable.
To understand how much is being allocated to their constituencies (Check Out NG-CDF website)

Coffee bar Tuesday is a platform for discussions on issues affecting us and how we can be the solutions to the issues. We believe change is inevitable and it all starts with you. See you on Tuesday!

13Apr, 2022

Do Direct Tickets From Political Parties Affect Us?

*Particapants during the discussion. Photo: Evans Jomo*

Do you think direct ticketing is one way of political parties to stop us from exercising our democratic rights? Do you think direct tickets affects party members in any way? Do you think political parties primaries will free and fair?

This week’s coffee bar Tuesday, participants felt that direct tickets diverts leader’s agenda to them serving their parties agenda. Most participants pointed out that most political parties will give tickets to those who fund or are likely to fund their campaigns. However, it’s noted that at times they get direct tickets through consensus or depending with popularity. Others felt that the direct tickets will not affect us in any way since we are nominating someone and not parties.

“I have a feeling that party primaries will not be free and fair but there will be an improvement from previous party primaries. This is because parties are at risk of losing their party members in case the nominations are not free and fair.” Participant said

Aspirants also have something to loose when it comes to direct tickets. All the ideologies and plans they had for community will be set aside and promote parties ideologies. For those who don’t get the direct tickets means they lose before they even get to nominations. Citizens should be given chance to nominate their preferred leaders.

We have already started to notice some complaints from aspirants of places where direct tickets were issued. Issuing direct tickets mean some aspirants are being discriminated against and citizens are denied their right to nominate someone who fits or at least someone who can represent them during the general elections.

At the end, we all agreed we should nominate someone based on their values and what they stand for and not voting them because they belong to a certain political party. It was clear that if we don’t nominate our preferred candidate, chances are the ticket will go to someone else who might not bring the change we need.

As Mukuru Youth Initiative, we continue to create spaces where community can learn and unlearn through discussions, where community and citizens can understand their roles in decision making. It’s time for change and we all must play our part in influencing and bringing change. See you on Tuesday!

21Mar, 2022

Effects of Covid19 On Livelihoods in Mukuru

*Ann Munyao siting at her house. Photo: Julius Rasat*

“I now depend on my daughter for food and medication since I had to close down my hotel business.” Says Ann.

When Covid19 hit Kenya in March 2020, no one foresaw the effects of pandemic on livelihoods. Many people were only worried and concerned about the rate of infections that were increasing on a daily basis. Few months later, curfews, lockdowns and social distancing were introduced as a way of controlling the infections.

It is with this that most of the companies/organizations had to retrench its workers to follow MOH guidelines on Covid19. A lot of people lost their jobs, others had to close down their businesses because of low productivity in the industries and even others lacked money to restock their businesses.

Ann Munyao , 53, who was badly affected by the pandemic, owned a hotel near one of the industries in Viwandani. Most of her customers were retrenched from surrounding companies translating to not having the usual number of customers she was serving before.

“ I had a hotel here in Lunga Lunga near the industries and that’s where I was getting my income from before the pandemic,” I now depend on my daughter for my food and medication since I had to close down my hotel business. Says Ann.

During the project, mapping, registration and verification of beneficiaries from the vulnerable households was done in the whole of Mukuru;- Mukuru kwa Reuben, Kayaba, Kwa Njenga and Viwandani. Ann is one of the thousands of residents who benefited from Oxfam supported project -Tuko Pamoja in Mukuru. Supporting Mukuru residents was one of the activities in the project which entailed supporting residents with 3 bars of soap, dignity kits for 3 months and 4 jerrycans of water every day for 3 months.

Through the Tuko pamoja (We’re in this together): project; a 12 Months project implementation jointly by Oxfam Wash and Gender Teams in partnership with local based organizations in Mukuru and Korogocho informal settlements, more than 2000 residents of Mukuru have benefitted with NFIs – soap, dignity kits and water.

Ann has a health condition that requires a lot of care and financial support for her medication. Most of her income she used to get was for hospital check-ups and buying medicines. With the support of the NFIs, she was able to direct that money to her medications.

“Am really grateful for this project since the items I received, I shared with my grandchildren like sanitary pads and this has also reduced some of the household expenses, I would say the support from MuYi and Oxfam came at the right time.” says Ann.

Many families are still struggling to get their lives back on track. Ann Munyao is one of the many residents in the community who find it hard to provide for themselves and ends up depending on their families or the well-wishers for support. However, there’s hope that she will go back to her hotel industry soon.

14Feb, 2022

Provision Of Water And Basic Hygiene Items To Mukuru Residents.

Story by Peris saleh.

*Jackline fetching water. Photo by: Julius Rasat.*

Jackline Mbangari is a mother of three kids, lives in Mukuru Kwa Reuben. She is one of the beneficiaries of the soap, water and dignity kit distribution through the E-voucher system under the Tuko Pamoja Project. Tuko Pamoja (We’re in this together): Project is a 12 Months project implemented jointly by Oxfam WASH and Gender Teams in Partnership with Local based Organisations in Mukuru and Korogocho informal settlements.

Jackline now depends on casual jobs of washing clothes which she does twice a month. The little money she gets is not enough to cater for foodstuffs and other household needs. Jackline lost her job when she was released from work for maternal leave. After completion, she decided to go back to work but the employer didn’t allow her back just telling her to wait. Now it’s one year and a half but still no feedback.

For 3 months, Jackline will be able to access 3 bar soap, 4 – 20 litres of water daily, and dignity kit containing 5 sanitary towels packets, 1 petroleum jelly, 4 tissues and 200g of washing powder monthly.

‘’Am grateful to OXFAM and MUYI for enabling me to be able to access water and dignity kit using the e-voucher system. Now I will be able to save up the little money I used to spend on buying water and soap putting it in other household needs.” She said.

“I used to fetch water, that is far from where I live because the water is free, though it is salty but I still use it for drinking, cooking and washing but now through the program am now able to access fresh water for drinking and cooking.” She mentioned.

Women and girls face a lot of challenges coming to their sexual reproduction health rights most of them not knowing their rights making them to be victims.

She went ahead and added “Indeed, the items especially the dignity kit will help me a lot. I have two girls and it’s difficult for me to provide for them things like sanitary towels considering the cost of one packet being sold at shillings 80 and on my case I need 3 of them, but now for the next 3 months they will be able to access them and they will be confident during their menses. “

“As for the system, it is a good way of ensuring that each targeted beneficiary gets their items with fairness and justice through receiving a unique voucher code.” she added.

‘’The vendors were well organised and served the community with the required number of items with per household. We hope that OXFAM will come up with another program so that we can benefit from it as beneficiaries from Mukuru Kwa Reuben.”

The Tuko Pamoja project objective is to drive positive behavior change to prevent and contain the spread of COVID- 19 and reduce deaths and to protect the lives and livelihoods of survivors of SGBV.

17Jan, 2022

Top 5 Wealthiest Kenyans. Kenya Billionaire and Millionaire Wealth Tax: Revenue Estimates

Using new data from Forbes and Wealth X, Fight Inequality Alliance, Patriotic Millionaires, Institute for Policy Studies and Oxfam have prepared estimates for what wealth taxes on the world’s richest people could raise. We have looked at $USD billionaires, those with $50 million dollars in wealth and those with $5 million dollars in wealth from 66 countries worldwide. We modelled the annual revenue from an annual wealth tax of 2% for 5 million and above, 3% for 50 million and above, and 5% for $1 billion and above. Actual levels of wealth taxation would be agreed in each country, and these estimates are only indicative, but nevertheless, this shows just how much revenue could be raised.

Beyond the objective of raising revenue, it is also legitimate to use wealth taxation to fundamentally reduce the total numbers of billionaires and multi-millionaires. With this in mind, in line with the work of Gabriel Zucman, we have also modelled the revenue from a 10% annual wealth tax on the world’s billionaires, which would seek to steadily reduce the total number of billionaires in the world.

1. The Super-Rich and the Pandemic

There are 1,755 households with a net worth of $5 million (Kshs.567 Million) or more, with wealth totaling $37.1 billion (Kshs.4.2 trillion).

There are 120 households with $50 million(Kshs.5.67 Billion) or more with a combined wealth of $17.4 billion(Kshs. 1.97 Trillion).

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of households with wealth over $50 million (Kshs.5.67 Billion) increased from 80 to 120. Their combined wealth increased from $12.73 billion Kshs. 1.44 Trillion) to $17.4 billion (Kshs. 1.97 Trillion)., an increase of 36.8%, adjusted for inflation.

The five richest people in Kenya, as of November 30th, 2021, are:

Sameer Naushad Merali, $790 million (Kshs.89.5Billion)
Bhimji Depar Shah, $750 million (Kshs.85 Billion)
Jaswinder Singh Bedi, $680 million (Kshs.77 Billion)
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, $530 million (Kshs.60.2 Billion)
Mahendra Rambhai Patel, $430 million (Kshs.48.7Billion)

2. The Rich Compared to Everyone Else

The two richest people have more wealth than 16.5 million Kenyans.

3. Annual Wealth Tax

An annual wealth tax in Kenya would raise $900 million a year(Kshs.102 Billion) (with rates at 2% on wealth over $5 million (Kshs.567 Million), 3% on wealth over $50 million(Kshs.5.67 Billion), and 5% on wealth over $1 billion(Kshs.113 Billion), ).

A more progressive wealth tax would raise $1.1 billion(Kshs.124 Billion), (with rates at 2% on wealth over $5 million(Kshs.567 Million), 5% on wealth over $50 million(Kshs.5.67 Billion) and 10% on wealth over $1 billion(Kshs.113 Billion).

4. Health Not Wealth: Impact of Revenue on Health Spending

An annual wealth tax applied to the wealth of multi-millionaires raises approximately $900 million (Kshs.102 Billion) a year, enough to increase the government health budget by 36% OR reduce households’ out of pocket health costs.

10Jan, 2022

How The Use Of The E-voucher System Has Impacted Lives In Mukuru.

*Shadrack Muema redeeming a voucher code with one of the beneficiaries. Photo: Julius Rasat*

Tuko Pamoja (We’re in this together): Project; This is a 12 Months project implemented Jointly by Oxfam WASH and Gender Teams in Partnership with Local based Organisations in Mukuru and Korogocho informal settlements. The project objectives are :-

To drive positive behavior change to prevent and contain the spread of Covid-19 and reduce deaths.
To protect the lives and livelihoods of survivors of Sexual And Gender Based Violence.

The project uses an e-voucher system whereby selected beneficiaries receive water, soap, and dignity kits from select shop vendors in the community. Registered beneficiaries get a voucher code through SMS on their registered phone lines and are supposed to visit the vendor for redemption. This process has made it easier for the vendor and the beneficiary by being transparent and ensuring the vendors know who and what to give out.

Shadrack Mwema, a resident of Mukuru Kwa Reuben, was among the registered vendors in the TUKO PAMOJA PROJECT.

According to Shadrack ‘the beneficiaries appreciated the water distribution because most of the families can’t afford to fetch water for 20 shillings per day thus forcing them to use salty water for drinking and cooking. Some families would fetch water then they pay later on when they have money and this was a challenge since most of the residents depend on casual jobs thus taking too long to pay.”

*Beneficiary showing a code to the vendor. Photo: Julius Rasat*

He further mentioned that ‘’the system was transparent in that it enabled identified beneficiaries get a unique voucher code for water and so beneficiaries who were not targeted could not claim for water since one has to show his/her code before accessing the water.’’ He added “This system of issuing codes is unique and very transparent.”

With the system being new to the vendor, there were some limitations that were experienced which were system related and also beneficiary related. He mentioned that ‘’as a vendor one needs to be patient when the system experiences delay in responding to successful redemptions’’. Sometimes the beneficiaries would receive the messages and delete them without knowing and hence claim that they have not seen messages on their phone and thus they come to the vendor to assist them in resending messages to get a voucher code.

Apart from supporting the vulnerable community members, the system allows community-based structures and businesses to grow.

Shadrack also recommended that ‘’if there is another chance, I would like to be considered as a vendor for the next project. He added ‘’We urge the donors to include more households since the issue of access to safe drinking water is a challenge to a lot of families”.

16Jul, 2021

Accountability Officer – Vacancy

Accountability Officer Position

Mukuru Youth Initiative (MuYI) is seeking a professional and motivated individual to join our team as an Accountability Officer to be based in Nairobi, Mukuru Kwa Reuben, MuYI HUB.

Profile

Mukuru Youth Initiative is a youth founded and youth led community-based organization founded in 2013. We are located in Mukuru Kwa Reuben with our main office at the MuYI HUB, Opp Reuben Stadium. We are focused on social and economic well-being of Mukuru young people by engaging them in different social activities. Our main focus is to make sure that we have a community of youth who are empowered and engaged in relation to our three strategic objectives;

· Civic Engagement – Youth Leadership Development & Civic Engagement activities and programs involve youth leaders in improving their community while developing themselves and their capacity to become agents of change.

· Social Enterprise – Through the MuYI HUB, MuYI will develop the leadership of youth in the community through employment and entrepreneurship.

· Art and Expression – Through creative expression, young people hone their ability to communicate, acquire cultural literacy, gain industry knowledge, and, most importantly, develop their voice as community leaders

. Climate Justice – We advocate for behavior change through sensitization. We create platforms where community can understand the effects of climate change and ways in which we can protect our planet.

PURPOSE OF POSITION

The purpose of this position is to oversee and ensure consistent systematic information, processing and response to Community Response Mechanism (CRM) in MUYI programming. The position holder will work closely with the project Team, CHVS and community elders/committees to validate, respond and refer feedback received from the various feedback mechanisms established in MUYI programming. They will be working closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability Learning Team to ensure adequate documentation and usage of data generated from the CRM. The accountability officer shall be in a 2 month contract.

Roles and responsibilities of the Accountability Officer

 Daily updates of the complaints & feedback database, all the complaints and feedback received from all the channels available for use by the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries.

 Document all feedback received from the response mechanism, including actions taken into Oxfam’s approved database.

 Submit bi-weekly compiled complaints and feedback to Oxfam MEAL person for review.

 Channel complaints to the persons responsible for follow-up as per Oxfam standard beneficiary CRM procedures.

 Maintain consistent, confidential, and detailed records of all complaints in the COMPFU

 (and other electronic and hard copy filing systems, as appropriate) as well as enquiry reports (as relevant)

 Ensure the COMPFU is always password protected, the confidentiality of complaints data is respected, and the information is shared only with authorized persons as per Oxfam’s procedures.

 Support in the project site-based analysis and dissemination of clear specific CRM information/awareness raising materials in a language and visual format that can be widely understood by the community.

 Support beneficiaries by providing information to related services from Oxfam and other organizations.

 Maintain a proper filing system for all the complaints and feedback with filling codes.

 Conduct Information Provision & feedback sessions with beneficiaries.

 Work closely with the community leaders/committees to follow up and response on complaints received through referrals.

 Validate feedback and complaints received through different channels of CRM (specifically hotline), and ensure follow up and response on complaint.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

 University degree / Diploma in a field related to social science or health.

 Creative and able to come up, embrace and coordinate innovative thinking, and problem-

 solving skills

 Good analytical, writing skills and communication skills

 Good interpersonal skills and, abilities to work as a team.

 Strong computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

 At least have an experience in a similar job.

 Ability to set priorities and undertake new tasks quickly.

 Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences.

 Willing to work at odd hours when necessary.

 Cross –cultural sensitivity, flexible worldview, emotional maturity, and physical stamina.

 Ability to work in and contribute to team building environment.

 Position requires availability and willingness to visit implementation sites, attend meetings and Capacity Building.

Interested candidates should submit an application letter quoting expected salary and detailed Curriculum Vitae to info@mukuruyi.org quoting the job title on the email subject “Accountability Officer” by 21st July 2021.

Only email applications will be considered, and only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. Mukuru Youth Initiative is an equal employer.

19May, 2021

Donate to MUYI

18May, 2021

Finance Manager – Vacancy

Profile

Mukuru Youth Initiative is a youth founded and youth led community-based organization founded in 2013. We are located in Mukuru Kwa Reuben with our main office at the MuYI HUB, Opp Reuben Stadium.

We are focused on social and economic well-being of Mukuru young people by engaging them in different social activities. Our main focus is to make sure that we have a community of youth who are empowered and engaged in relation to our three strategic objectives;

· Social Enterprise – Through the MuYI HUB, MuYI will develop the leadership of youth in the community through employment and entrepreneurship.

Role Purpose

We currently have an exciting career opportunity for a Finance Manager, Mukuru Youth Initiative. The position holder will report to the Executive Director and will be based at Head Office in Nairobi.

The position holder will be responsible for maintaining highest levels of integrity, quality & timeliness in financial and management accounting function of the Organization in compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements and International Financial Reporting Standards. Including and not limited to maintaining a robust internal control environment, preparation, review and submission of financials on a timely and accurate basis & managing stakeholder.

Main Responsibilities

· Responsible for both internal and external Financial Reporting.

· Responsible for the business planning process including coordination for collation of data, input, review & submission of accurate and timely budget estimates.

· Ensuring integrity of the Trial Balance at all times.

· Responsible for recommending and authorizing all entries including post balance sheet transactions.

· Capital Management by ensuring optimization of available cash & liquidity requirements.

· Responsible for the development of the Audit Plan.

· Follow up for quick resolution to outstanding internal and external audit issues.

· Authorization of expenses within the approved limits and following due process.

· Staying abreast of all Donor reporting matters.

· Managing and providing leadership to assigned team.

· Documentation and continuous review of the internal control environment to mitigate risks.

· Embed international best practice and culture within the staff compliment of the team.

· Develop management information systems that will enhance decision making.

· Submission of various statutory returns to KRA, NHIF, NSSF or any other.

· Assist the Executive Director with tasks assigned.

· Responsible for the timely preparation and review of Board papers and other management reports.

Qualifications

· Demonstrate good communication and leadership skills with high personal integrity

· Organized, numerate, analytical and fully computer literate

· Very familiar with the current Insurance, Retirement Benefits Authority and Capital Markets Authority regulations

· High levels of energy, drive, creativity and innovation.

· Ability to prioritize and work on a wide range of deliverables at once.

· Self-starter who shows initiative and is able to drive projects to completion with minimal guidance.

· Excellent project management, accounting and expenditure verification skills

· Degree in Bachelor of Commerce – Finance option

· Certified Public Accountant at least CPA Part 2

· Minimum 3 years of financial and grants management experience in an NGO.

· Excellent working knowledge of Excel and standard accounting packages

· Management/Supervisory.

Interested candidates who fully meet the above criteria should send an application letter and detailed Curriculum Vitae to info@mukuruyi.org quoting the job title on the email subject “Finance Manager” by 28^th May 2021. Only email applications will be considered, and only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.