by Sauti Yetu | May 19, 2017 | Stories
Luckysummer ward is one of the wards in Ruaraka sub-county, Nairobi County. This ward has six villages; Gatecha, Bakita, Mugure, Gulucola, Sarakasi and Luckysummer.
Sauti Yetu, held a joint community forum on 19th May 2017 at Migingo market whose objectives were; to increase the level of engagement between the leaders and the community; to do issue (needs) assessment and to increase the knowledge of the community on the roles of different duty bearers and the functions of the two levels of governance. Participants were drawn from the six villages in the ward.
The duty bearers who were invited to this forum were; Assistant County Commissioner Kariobangi North Division, Officer commanding station Ruaraka police station, Ruaraka sub-county administrator, Luckysummer ward administrator, Baba Dogo location snr. Chief and Luckysummer sub-location assistant chief. Of the invited duty bearers, the sub-county administrator sent his apologies as he was attending a meeting at City hall, while the ward administrator Mr. Isaac Ali appeared technically and left promising the organizers that he could to come back which he never did. However the assistant county commissioner Mr. Mwangi Wahihia, snr. Chief Mr. Erick Momanyi, and assistant chief Mrs. Joyline Gatakaa were in attendance. The joint community forum was attended by 105 community members.
The community lamented they have nothing to be proud of as progress brought about by devolution dispensation. They claimed that they have not seen any development in the ward. The community posed few questions which need some attention; what process should they follow to recall their MCA?, they also wanted to know why they were being served by an Assistant County Commissioner from Kariobangi North yet they have space. According to them the population in Baba Dogo location is enough to warrant them a division. The community complained that street lights erected within the ward were non-functional hence giving room for thugs to terrorise them. The community lamented that they have never been involved in any public participation forums due to poor communication strategy from the ward office.
Despite this community having those questions, they were able to identify various issues that they felt were affecting the ward and categorized them into five;
(1) Health; the entire ward has no public health facility forcing the community to seek medical services at the Baba Dogo health facility which is sometimes overcrowded. The community suggested that the Baba Dogo health facility be upgraded to the next tire and be provided with an ambulance as it now offers maternity services. The facility should be staffed with enough doctors to enable it to offer services 24 hours.
(2) Employment; many community members are unemployed, a situation that has forced many youth to involve themselves in unlawful activities.
(3) Security; participants felt that there is need of the security agencies to enhance security within Bakita, Gulucolla and Luckysummer villages which boarders Gomongo village and Dandora which the community feel that these are the havens for thugs.
(4) Education; there is need of a village polytechnic in the ward to help train those who did not transit to either high school or higher learning institutions. There is no public nursery school though this was passed in the county assembly that a model nursery school was to be constructed within this ward in the entire county. Bursaries are distributed with discrimination to either friends of the MCA or those whom he thinks voted for him.
(5) Infrastructure; roads within the ward are in bad condition especially the one connecting Baba Dogo to Luckysummer through Migingo market. There is no proper sewer system in some parts of the ward especially Gulucolla and Mugure villages forcing the house owners to direct the pipes to the river or to the open trenches.
Responding to the concerns raised by the participants, the assistant county commissioner Mr. Mwangi Wahihia, informed the community that they are served from Kariobangi North division because Luckysummer is within the administrative boundary of Kariobangi North division and that there is a difference between administrative and elective boundaries. He further informed the community that security entails many issues from food, health education and others. He cautioned the community to be on high alert due to rumors that there is an outbreak of cholera. He directed the snr. Chief to work closely with the public health officer in the district to monitor health situation and report any suspected cases to the relevant authority for action. The officer said that it is not possible for the ward to have a police station as requested by the community but instead make use of the Administration police post situated at Bakita for it is equally staffed and equipped. He continued by cautioning the community on the need of keeping peace during this electioneering period.
The Snr. Chief Mr. Erick Momanyi echoed the same sentiments of keeping peace and order during this period and also requested the community to work closely with security agencies and his office during this electioneering period.
From my experience, the forum was a good opportunity for the residents of Luckysummer ward to learn more on the roles of different elective positions. They learned the different functions of the two levels of government and meet with the assistant county commissioner whom they have never had a chance to interact with. It also gave the residents an opportunity to identify issues affecting them.
From my observation more civic education and accountability forums are needed since many community members are not aware of the existence of some offices and even the roles of their elected leaders. I realized that Sauti Yetu stopped working in this ward about 4 years ago.
by Sauti Yetu | Apr 26, 2017 | Stories
On April 26th, 2017 Sauti Yetu organized a joint community forum in Hospital Ward, Mathare sub-county, Nairobi County which brought together the community and the Ward Administrator.
The objective of the forum was to bring all aspiring members of the county assembly and their leaders on dialogue to discuss specific issues within the ward and to identify workable means to address them. This was organized to increase the level of understanding of the community on governance and functions of this position as clarified down in 2010 Constitution of the Republic of Kenya and involvement of public participation in decision making within the ward. The forum kicked off at 9.30am. The Ward Administrator was present and 125 members of the community. The Member of county assembly (MCA) was invited but he dint show up.
The ward administrator closely engaged the community residents of Hospital Ward in mapping out key priority areas of the ward. Amongst the issues that featured prominently included;
1.) the need for installation of street lights along major streets of the Ward to help in cubing incidences manifested through mugging,
2.) poor roads in the area
3.) delayed completion of Upendo health facility, lack of drugs, Equipment, Maternity ward and ambulance.
Sauti yetu therefore aims to advocate for the prospective member of county assembly to prioritize these issues in their development blueprint for Hospital ward.
by Sauti Yetu | Apr 8, 2017 | Stories
On 8th April 2017 Sauti Yetu organized a pre-nomination political debate at ACK social hall in Kiamaiko ward, Mathare sub-county, Nairobi County. The forum aimed at giving the electorate a platform to vet the suitability of each candidate to represent them in the county and make informed choices in the party primaries. Five candidates with 121 residents of the ward took part in the debate
Here are some of the excerpts from the candidates who participated in the political debate responding on their understanding of the priority needs of Kiamaiko ward and their suitability to represent the residents of Kiamaiko in the Nairobi County Assembly:
Kelvin Gicharu aka Kabuga wa Gas: “I have come here in gum-boots because I understand how our roads are in bad condition. If elected I intend to solve the three challenges that I’ve observed in our ward. Insecurity, joblessness and lack of food. I decided to vie for the MCA office in our ward it’s because I’ve realized that the leaders we elected are not doing the work we elected them to do. They go to the county assembly to enrich themselves.”
Joseph Moses Karanja Kamau: “My leadership if elected will be based on truth and justice. I have been working in this ward as a community Health Worker, I don’t intend to change my residency. My main focus if elected is to organize youth and women into self-help groups and provide them with linkages in the private sector”
Joseph Karanja Ndung’u: “A major impediment to effective service delivery in Kiamaiko ward is the lack of continues involvement of the public in decision making processes in the ward. If elected, my immediate the focus will be to set up mechanism of public participation in Kiamaiko ward”
Antony Kimani Mburu: “Local leadership by the people, It’s your leadership and must be all inclusive, all residents of Kiamaiko must be included in public participation and decision making. We must come together and solve our own problems. If its education we must come together and ensure our children get good grades in school. I work as a nursery teacher, I have interrated with the challenges facing Early Childhood education in Kiamaiko including lack of ECD facilities and enough teachers. This is an area that will of signifinace importence if elcted.”
Joseph Mwangi: “As per the constitution leadership is yours not mine. If elected, my work will be represent your views in decision making spaces, not mine.”
by Sauti Yetu | Mar 28, 2017 | Stories
The Korogocho forum organized by Inuka Kenya between the residents of Korogocho and the member of county assembly was scheduled to take place on the 28th of March but instead the forum took place on the 24th of March just after the MCA arrived from Mombasa where all the MCAs had a meeting. He chose to have the meeting on this day since he was supposed to be leaving the country for committee meetings the following week and he would not be back until mid April 2014.
Steps taken to mobilize for the forum were;
Community mobilization
Influential members of the community from different villages were identified to help mobilize in their respective villages. The target population was; Youth groups, individuals, women groups, schools as well as the provincial administration.
Mobilization of the MCA
The preparation begun with developing and later on delivering a work plan to the MCA to fill in the left spaces on the activities, objectives and out puts set to accomplish the tasks.
The already filled work plan was delivered a week before the forum date in order to aid planning as well as display the work plan document in soft copy during the forum.
Date, venue and forum procedure
The forum took place at PAG church in Kisumu Ndogo one of the villages in Korogocho. The forum begun at around 10:15am but was supposed to start at 9am; this was due to the fact that most of the residents /participants were waiting on the roadside for the MCA to arrive so that they could enter the venue. At first we started with few people then after 15 minutes, the hall was full to maximum capacity.
One of the biggest challenges that we faced was the PA system which was hired from another neighborhood to come serve the forum in Korogocho. This was not perceived well by the community members and it took a lot of effort to calm them down. Just to mention, Kisumu ndogo is always a conserved area and has quite a number of youth groups. The youth are well organized and majority of them are in the business of hiring PA systems and other equipments as well as mobilizing and providing security in various occasions. This is a lesson to learn and taken as an important matter instead of making rules that does not look at both sides or are not concerned with the security of the people working on the ground. Each area has its strong points and uniqueness and should be treated with the attention required.
We should invest more on mobilization and allocate sufficient funds to the process since without participants, our forums will not be successful, and we depend on the participation of every individual in the respective communities. The process should enable community members/mobilizers to own the process and influence others too.
Written by Mary Njambi
Area cordinator
by Sauti Yetu | Feb 17, 2017 | Stories
On 17th February, 2017 Sauti Yetu organized a political Debate in Kibra Constituency; Nairobi County. The forum was held at Christian Action Church; Kibra.
The Kibra Constituency political debate was in response to a request from one of the youth groups in Kibra; (Langata Youth Network). The group had sought Sauti Yetu to consider bringing together various aspirants on a common and levelled platform that will enable them engage each other on an issue-based perspective. The community group had been convinced that Kibra Constituency parliamentary seat had attracted many aspirants with many engaging in propaganda and personal attacks campaigns that would compromise election of a suitable candidate to represent the residents of Kibra.
Sauti Yetu heeded to this call and worked closely with the community group; Langata Youth Network to organize for the political debate in the Constituency.
The forum brought together residents of Kibra constituency; community groups; religious groups, individuals and prospective candidates for the Member of Parliament from different political parties in Kibra Constituency.
The event was attended by 160 participants and was facilitated by Mr. Tony Mboyo and Mr. Felix Odhiambo.
Activity Objectives
To provide a platform to the public that shifts political agenda from politician-led to community-led and give community members the opportunity to assess and ascertain the suitability of potential leaders to vie for public office;
To cultivate, shape and sustain issue-based electoral process that utilizes the principle of leadership and integrity as the supreme criteria of choosing potential leaders;
To increase and sustain productive engagement between the potential duty bearers and the right holders through public participation in a way that fosters responsiveness and responsibility.
In the preliminary sessions the moderator engaged both the aspirants and residents in understanding the roles and responsibilities of an elected Member of Parliament that will represent Kibra constituency after the general elections. This was followed by Setting of Ground Rules and Explanation of how the debate shall be conducted. The session that followed focused on presenting the cross-cutting developmental needs of Kibra Constituency as captured in the needs assessment forum preceding the political debate. Each aspirant was then given an opportunity to articulate their manifestos/agenda to the electorate in line with Kibra constituency’s pressing developmental needs. The subsequent session involved question and answers session that involved the residents vetting the suitability of each candidate through putting each of them to task to outline practical remedies to address different developmental challenges in the constituency.
Results
A total of four (4) aspirants were brought on board for the political debate with the residents of Kibra Constituency. They included: Hon.Kenneth Okoth (current MP for Kibra, vying on an ODM Party ticket), Mr. Kassim Abdul (Jubilee Party), Malasen Hamida (Jubilee Party) and Suleiman Yusuf (ODM Party);
The residents of Kibra Constituency used the Sauti Yetu political debate platform to assess the suitability of each aspirants who intend represent them;
Unlike in other circumstances where incumbent leaders shy away from debates with the public for fear of being put to task to justify their development record, Sauti Yetu also managed to bring the incumbent Member of Parliament for Kibra Hon. Ken Okoth on board to respond to benchmark his development record against what he promised the residents in the previous election;
The Kibra Constituency political debate played a central role in cultivating and encouraging campaigns based key developmental issues affecting the residents of Kibra, marking a major shift from conventional campaigns that are characterized with personal attacks and propaganda;
With the upcoming elections presenting a litmus test for the aspirants and residents of Kibra to maintain peaceful coexistence during and after the elections; all aspirants in the political debate forum for Kibra committed themselves to hold peaceful campaigns;
The key priorities issues of concern from the residents of Kibra zeroed down to three major issues: (1) the need for an elaborate plan for slum upgrading that should focus on improvement of housing conditions and access to health care services; (3) A clear policy frame work that will address the employability of Persons Living with Disability in the constituency and (4) enhancement of access to education through construction and upgrading of ECD and Polytechnic facilities in at least each ward; in partnership with community based groups that have been trained and mentored, Sauti Yetu aims to advocate for prospective Member of Parliament to prioritize these issues in their development blue-prints for Kibra.
