The Anchor September- October 2010- Final Post

Fr. Makewa axed!

By Anchor Reporters

FATHER John Wambua Makewa now stands suspended for two years over the shooting of a  catholic priest at his(Makewa’s) residence.

By suspending him the Catholic Church has washed its hands over the shooting incident and removes any caveat that may have protected Father Makewa from criminal prosecution.

It may also signify frustrations by the church on why police have dragged their feet in investigations since March. Indeed the case is itself a statement on the state of Kenya Police today, giving credence to the belief that police is unable to carry out its obligations to citizens- hence the need for drastic reforms.

The Bishop of the Machakos Catholic Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Martin Kivuva Musonde slapped the two year  suspension on Makewa on August 30,2010 in a letter that Fr Makewa was called to collect from the Bishop’s Office a day later. The Suspension is effective September 1,2010.

Bishop Kivuva cites Cannon Law Number  1397 as the authority validating the suspension and does not mention the shooting incident that left Father Fidelis Nzuki critically injured from two bullets. The Edict relates to actions accruing from homicide, murder or attempts on human life.

The letter lists four  functions that Fr Makewa is forbidden. They include  celebrating Mass or other Sacraments in any church or family within or outside the Diocese of Machakos.

He is to keep off living in the residences of priests or in anyway pur-porting to dis-charge any re-sponsibility of a priest of the Catholic Church.

Bishop Kivuva added  " As a consequence, he is permanently removed as Father In Charge of Makueni Parish"  according to Canon Law 1336  No.2 The Bishop concluded the letter by calling on all Parish priests and Religious Houses, to whom it is addressed, to pray for Fr Makewa during the period. The letter is copied to the Appostolic Nuncio- the Pope's Representative in Kenya and all Local Ordinaries- meaning all Catholic Bishops of Kenya

 Those who know the operations of the Church say that the banishment is a way of setting him free so that the long hands of the law can catch up with him.

The letter was read to all the churches within the Wote Parish  a week ago so that members of the church are informed and avoid hosting  the suspended priest.

It is undoubtedly one of the most widely circulated letter in Kenya. All  Archbishops, Bishops, Dioceses, Convents, Parishes, Priests and Catholic Installations in Kenya and region have received copies of the letter to ensure that the widely travelled priest does not set foot in any catholic facility for whatever purpose. “ All Sisters, Brothers and Priests have been informed of this decision”, said our source.

His suspension , sources say, is a step away from ex-communication from the Roman Catholic Church and must have come as a result of wide con-sultations both within Kenya  and  the Holy See. 

By suspending him, the church hopes to stop Fr Makewa from donning his robes as a priest like he did some months ago during the ordination of priests, forcing Bishop Kivuva to order him to remove the robes and leave the function, held at Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in Machakos.

Bishop Kivuva’s action also follows an inquiry that the Church conducted among priests who were present during the shooting and who had earlier given falsified accounts that verified that there were no gangsters as alleged by Father Makewa.

Makewa’s suspension comes after Criminal Investigations Department recommended his prosecution for the shooting of Fr Nzuki. Files for the case are lying in Attorney General Office awaiting directions.

Fr Nzuki, a Masters Degree student  in Business and Administration in Nairobi is still holed up at the Mlolongo recuperating. He makes frequent visits to Mater Hospital for Physiotherapy sessions.

In the incident, It is reported that suspected gangsters raided the residence forcing Father Makewa to open fire in an effort to fight back at about 4.15 am on March 20,2010.

When gunshots rung out that night, a catholic Priest, Father Fidelis Nzuki was left injured and bleeding profusely. He sustained a shot on his arm and another between his legs.

Reports made to the Police in Wote, Makueni District that morning  by Father Makewa indicated that the alleged gangsters fired at the house, injuring the visiting Father Nzuki and forcing Father Makewa to return fire.

During the night of attack, Father Makewa had  hosted four other priests in his house, among them Father Nzuki. The Priests allege that they were woken up by gunfire with Father Makewa shouting that the house was under attack. They could not hear the attackers other than gunshots that  made them believe that they were under attack. It could not have been that the fire was coming from the priest’s gun.

While fully alert, it is alleged that Father Makewa called Father Nzuki and handed to him a gun and asked him to head towards the door of the sitting room and open it stealthily so that he(Makewa) could have a full view of the gangsters. It is claimed that Father Makewa took a position along the corridor holding rifle, ostensibly to give cover to Father Nzuki as he opened the door.

The other priests remained holed up in their rooms. As Nzuki opened the door, a gunshot tore through his arm and he is reported to have yelled that he had been shot. As he wailed, a voice shouted “you can Die!” as another shot hit him, ripping through the flesh close to his genitals.

All this while, the other priests were shaking in fear of the unknown. It is alleged that Father Makewa eventually opened the door, and after a while, workers at the parish and the priests organised to take the injured priest to the hospital.

It was then assumed that Father Nzuki was hit by the alleged gangsters. Makewa  narrated to The Anchor the story of the alleged raid and did not lock out the possibility that one of his shots may have ricocheted and hit Father Nzuki.

The matter turned nasty when police arrived at the home of Father Makewa and begun interviewing  neighbours and the inhabitants of the house. On examining the scene of crime, they noticed that several windows had their glasses shattered and scattered on the outer side- meaning that shooting could only have taken place from inside the house.

Police sources say they combed the house and neighborhood for evidence that there were intruders and were convinced that the alleged attack may only have been a theory they found difficult to believe. Police have in-ter-viewed close to 20 witnesses and the theory of attack has been narrowing down with each new statement.

Police then took away the two weapons- a rifle and a gun, all owned by Father Makewa and begun an investigation that seems informed by both the fear of God, the risk of framing up a man of God or even tearing into turf wars that have seen priests position themselves to bid for the Bishop’s seat in the yet to be created Makueni Diocese of the Catholic Church. Worse still, it may even be that the investigation is crippled by usual official red-tape or outright inefficiency.

Father Nzuki was eventually taken to Mater Hospital to begin a new life. He stayed at the ICU for two weeks and is currently recovering at a Catholic home in Mlolongo.

Devolved Governments: Who will

become Governor of your County?

By MARTIN MASAI

SINCE the passing of the new Constitution, reports have per-meated allover that leaders from various Counties have been meeting- some to plot how to share the seats- while others have been meeting to Map out the Road to Future in their counties.

Even as politicians angle themselves to get to the offices of Governor and Senator in the next General Election, questions must be asked: Who ought to be the Governor of a County?

To avoid falling into the trap that politicians are setting out, The Anchor wishes to answer this question by isolating the character that ought to make the Governor of a County.

It must be stated clearly that the most coveted seat will be that of Governor as it will preside over massive re-sources that will be devolved to counties.

In the case of Machakos, Makueni and Kitui County, an estimated Sh 10 billion will be staggered be-tween them, availing over Sh 3billion, at the very least to each of the counties.

Much as the new Constitution has assuring aspects for Kenyans in general, the counties in particular must get to the drawing board and begin building bench marks through which they will elect leaders for the counties.

Citizens and present day councillors in particular must be educated to see the coming County Governments as very different from the current day county councils that have been used as forums for theft and misrule. County Governments are well beyond the ambit of Local Authorities that in-formed the existence of County Councils.

So who will the Governor be?

The new Constitution was inspired by a clear vision of devolving power to the people.

Constitution has set out 8 objectives:

l Promote democratic and accountable exercise of power

l Fostering national unity by recognizing diversity

l Ensure powers of self–governance to the people

l Enhance the participation of the people in the exercise of the powers of the State and in making decisions affecting them

l Devolution aims at  recognizing the right of communities to manage their own affairs and to further their development,

l Protect and promote the interests and rights of minorities and marginalized communities

l Promoting social and economic development and the provision of proximate, easily accessible services through-out   Kenya.

l Ensuring equitable sharing of national and local resources throughout Kenya and facilitating the decentralization of State organs, their functions and services, from the capital of Kenya and enhancing checks and balances and the principle of separation of powers.

These ambitious objectives indicate that not a near-do-well or a half baked character who hardly knows the difference between right or left can provide leadership  to deliver this set of objectives.

 Your County will have the Governor serve as Chief Executive Officer, sitting at the head of The County Executive Committee( call it the County Cabinet). This team will be accountable to  the County Assembly, composed of elected and nominated Members.

To understand this setting better, one must see the Governor as a Little President- presiding  over functions of the Government (State) at the county level. 

In essence therefore, this per-son must have the capacity to run the en-tire Republic of Kenya- thus all the quali-fi-cations that those vying for Kenya’s Presidency must apply. That is why, just as the President will no longer be a Member of Parliament, so the Gov-er-nor shall not be a member of the County Assembly; just as the President will appoint members of Cabinet from outside elected MPs and seek approval of Parliament, so the Governor shall appoint members of the County Ex-ecutive Committee from outside the elected members of the County Assem-bly and seek the approval of the County Assembly .

The Governor must set out the development objectives of the county, set out a Development Plan( call it The Strategy), develop  an Annual Budget Proposal to fund the programme, must appoint the competent minds to manage  each of the programme, super-vise  on daily basis execution of each component of the plan and account to the County Assembly.

Essentially therefore, since the Gov-er-nor will be an elected person, the candidate must have more than sheer political views seen in some occupants of parliamentary seats in Ukambani. In political terms, the Gov-er-nor must be a Statesman, bearing extraordinary skills to steer the County Government on a path of accountable and trans-parent leadership. Governors must be leaders as well as gifted managers who know how to balance politics with government responsibilities.

The Governor must be an accomplished leader capable of marshaling the best talent in a county to make the best use of resources available and reverse the advance of poverty by providing clear oversight and strategic direction to the County Government in attaining Vision 2030.

This, the Governor does as the County Assembly conducts checks on his leadership- just the same way, Parliament checks the Executive.

The governor must manage a clean, lean, executive, accountable, credible, responsive and democratic government. To do this, the Governor must assemble a team with unassailable integrity, both individually and collectively, for they must pass any integrity check without an iota of doubt.

To be more specific, only men and women with towering ethical and moral standing and the requisite skills to deliver should find their way to the County government and Assembly.

This means that the Governor must be clean, with no record of corruption and sleaze, besides a beautiful track record in public service, a good academic background and the zeal to offer leadership.

Needless to say, the Governor will have to be a respectable family person upon whom residents of the County will look as role model, for the Governors family will the County’s First Family. This is to say, though the Constitution did not have to say it, that the Governor’s Wife will be the County’s First Lady and vice-versa, in case the Governor is a Lady.

The foregoing objectives are intended to rid the counties of the danger of ever becoming monuments of bad governance and  cash cows, where workers line-up to siphon public funds without any services delivered. This is intended to ensure that a County gets it right from the very beginning and lay a solid foundation that would guarantee its citizens the promise to lead quality lives that have not been offered within the transiting constitutional framework.

Much as there is an accounting process, a County Government must first account to its subjects directly. Similarly, the county government must account to the senate and the National Assembly as well as to the executive as regards its policy choices and how it is applying funds given to facilitate development in the county.

Governors must ensure county governments are responsive to the needs of the people. A consultative process must be established where the residents participate in processes on setting the priorities of investments and action.

Your Governor must me mature and well groomed know how to balance between the politics of the county for the heck of it with the massive tasks and responsibilities of the government. 

The governor must be able to relate to the County Senator, the Senate itself, County Assembly Members, County Executive Committee, County Speaker, Members of Parliament elected within the County and the President to avoid precipitating a crisis while at the same time keeping an eye on his core business. Indeed your Governor needs to be knowledgeable on Foreign Relations- because some Nations will come calling some day.

This balancing act requires a civic-minded person of proven resolve, an experienced, meticulous, dexterous, and coherent or- if you want- a dynamic person. Needless to say, your Gov-er-nor must obviously be tough and prudent leader. If you have these credentials, will you please stand up?

People who have run down constituencies, local authorities, or own businesses, political parties, Statutory Bodies, schools, ministries, trade unions, and other organizations certainly need to look elsewhere for a job.

Knut official’s sudden death

sends shock waves among teachers

The teaching fraternity is still coming to terms with the sudden death of the Machakos Knut Branch  Assistant Secretary Mr Nicholas Musyoka.

Mr Musyoka who was the Head teacher and a role model for the teaching fraternity in the whole region passed away after a short term illness.

Musyoka collapsed in Kangundo where he had gone in the company of his wife Mrs. Dolcie Nduku to visit her parents.

According to accounts, he developed a head ache and was given some pain killers. He soon collapsed and was rushed to Kangundo District Hospital and he went into a coma. The next day, a decision was made to take him to Kenyatta National Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

 His bosom friend and comrade-in-arms, Stansilus Patrick Muthengi, commonly known as SP, and Mr. Lawrence Matolo a renowned researcher and teacher, together with Musyoka’s mother were watching when Doctors at KNH unflinchingly declared Mr Musyoka dead.

SP promptly  send word far and wide that Musyoka was dead and that they would transport the body to Machakos Funeral Home in preparation for a burial. This explains how there was a teaming crowd of teachers and friends when Musyoka made his final journey from Nairobi.

His death was received with shock by both friend and foe because of what Mr Musyoka was to all of them.

To a big group of teachers, Mr Musyoka was a messiah in waiting- ready to liberate them from the woes that face teachers at the Machakos Branch of the Kenya National Union of Teachers.

To yet another big group of teachers, Mr Musyoka was the devil incarnate of the union, the opposition leader who became the Knut Assistant Secretary by mistake. Indeed this group viewed him as the Enemy from within and there is no hiding that they were extremely jittery dealing with Knut matters in his presence.

Even then Musyoka enjoyed a seemingly smooth relationship with his boss, the Branch executive Secretary Mr Albanus Mutisya even  as they were rivals and Mutisya had rossy remarks about his long relationship with his deputy from when he(Musyoka) served as his deputy at St Mary’s Primary School.

To the Education officials- and in the words of the Deputy DEO Mr Ndambuki, Musyoka was a teacher with clean records. But indeed, by the time of his death, he was the man they wanted either demoted or removed from Machakos and in the process, remove an unending  head ache from the Knut offices. He had told this writer that the DEO Mr Abdulkadir Ali had warned him that he would take such action since  he, Musyoka, was not co-operative.

The remarks came as Mr Musyoka refused to collect levies that the DEO’s office demanded, questioning why the cash was being demanded in the first place, owing to the fact that the Free Primary Education funding provided for school needs.

Mr Musyoka was a dedicated teacher who took his work  seriously. His class work performance was excellent. While at ABC Academy, he excelled in his teaching subjects which led to his instant promotion at a district educational day after scooping most of the awards for the best performances. It did not take long before he was promoted to leadership position.

Musyoka was committed to his call as a teacher ,he spent most of his free time guiding young boys and girls to excel in their academics. He had remedial classes in town aimed at assisting the slow learners to realize their full potential. Mr Musyoka could be seen late in the night everyday taking  pupils to their homes.  His  gifted methods of teaching made many parents to acquire his services. No teacher has equalled Musyoka in this. Parents were left shocked on what to do next. The cruel hand of death has terminated his services to his family and the society at large.

The retrogressive Education Sector officials in the district have in many occasions tried to block his services to the people. At one time, he was transferred to Mungala Primary School and KNUT leaders went at night door  to door to organize parents for his rejection. This was aimed at tarnishing his bright star. His transfer was cancelled and was taken to Mbembani  Primary where the same  KNUT  colluded with the education office to frustrate him by inciting drunken neighbours who posed as parents in rejecting the head teacher.

His pupils came to his rescue and told the drunken parents that they needed their head teacher and threatened to transfer to the school he will be taken. His bad blood with the KNUT office was based on his role of objecting  the mismanagement of the Masaku Teachers Sacco by a few teachers who were  close to the management and the teachers union.

The union leaders went to the education office and requested it to transfer Mr Musyoka to Mwala  District to join his wife. Mr Musyoka was taken to Kwa Kisau Primary School. By the time he realised about his transfer, the DEO  told Musyoka that his transfer was due to his own request so as to join his wife. The DEO was surprised to find that Musyoka’s wife was not employed by TSC at that time. 

Musyoka spent his last days fighting for the rights of teachers as he had lengthy discussions with national  leaders at KNUT  headquarters demanding for AGMS in the branch  .he explained to the national officials that Machakos teachers demanded for-

AGM for the education scheme where millions of teachers’ savings with the union have been squandered. Members have not met since 2004.

AGM for Burial and Benevolent Fund (BBF )where teachers do not get services as stipulated in the by laws. Most of the families who have lost a member complain that they have not been given their dues.

In all the meetings Mr. Musyoka addressed   teachers, he told them openly that they should not let the KNUT leadership destroy their future. Instead, he told teachers to teach the leaders a lesson by voting them out. His emphasis was on removing the “mess team’ who are greedy and who never tell the truth but are full of lies.

Soon after Musyoka passed on, the men he opposed effectively formed a burial committee to organize a send off. The team of Knut officials may have been moved by grief to form the committee and ensure Mr Musyoka got a send off befitting his status.

Intrigue of some sorts dodged the burial plans but in the end, mourners gathered around his casket and eulogized him as a promising leader. 

Those who spoke at the burial included Knut Secretary General Mr Lawrence Majali , national chairman Mr  Wesonga, the national treasurer Mr Ontere, others were NEC members Mr Makuthu,Mr Mutambo,Mr B. Kituku,national vice treasurer  and retired Treasurer Peter Mutulu.

Owing to the intrigues in the planning process, the organizers ensured that they listed a Machakos Trader Mr Sandhu to speak for friends of Mr Musyoka. But as fate would have it, Mr Sandhu never turned up and so the friend’s slot, not even SP was allowed to speak.

Nevertheless, SP managed a coup on the Knut leaders as he crafted a way that close family members and Mr Majali himself could not conclude their speeches without praising SP Muthengi.

However the most striking aspect of the speeches-other than that of  former Machakos Town MP Daudi Mwanzia- is that non of the speakers recognized Mr Musyoka’s struggle to have teachers enjoy the benefits of their sweat at the looted Masaku Teachers Sacco, the BBF or the Education Scheme. Only Mwanzia spoke of Musyoka’s push to have matters corrected at the Sacco.

Even then, as Musyoka was buried, there were rumours without justification that Mr Musyoka may have been murdered and efforts to verify the cause of death were ended when calls for a postmortem were rejected by the family. His Sister summed it all... that much had been said and the family wanted all mouths shut in regards to the rumours.

The Anchor understood that a group led by Muthengi was pushing for a postmortem be done on Musyoka, a move that was thwarted at the eleventh hour by the family.

 Residents raise alarm over

growing insecurity in estates

Residents of Machakos town have appealed to the Government to quickly intervene and check the rising wave of crime in the town and its periphery.

 The appeal follows a wave of burglaries and mugging in several estates and town centre in the last one month where residents have lost property worth thousands of money.

 Mjini Ward Councillor Peter Mutiso said that the insecurity was raising fear among residents who less than two years ago witnessed a wave of robberies, burglaries, mugging and murders that led to a complete overhaul of the entire police force in the area.

 Recently, armed gangs of burglars raided homes in Muthini, Eastleigh and Kariobangi estates and stole electricity meter boxes, water meters and man-hole covers.

 At the same time a woman was stabbed while two people were mugged in Miwani estate in three separate incidents leaving two of the hospitalized.

 A villager in Miwani said the gang of muggers and robbers operated near Kangundo bar in Miwani estate from where they unleashed terror on the villagers.

 He said that the criminals hid their stolen wares at the disused buildings of the former Lock Park hotel noting that a motorbike robbed from a boda boda operator outside the bar was later found hidden in one of the rooms.

 Burglars also broke at a shopping mall in the town centre just a stone throw from the police station and stole property worth thousands of shillings.

 Contacted for comment Machakos OCPD Mr Richard Kerich said police were on high alert and would soon nab those behind the crimes

 EDITORIAL COMMENT

Citizens arise,now your

future lies in your hands

For most people especially in arid and semi arid areas such as Ukambani  which for many years have remained marginalized by successive Governments, poverty, deprivation, hunger, disease, poor physical infrastructure and general underdevelopment is a bitter way of life.
With the new Constitutional dispensation, this historic deprivation can be reversed. Residents of the three Counties of Ukambani- Machakos, Kitui and Makueni now have a chance to transform the lives of residents, most of whom live in abject poverty .
The new constitution aspires to place in the hands of the locals the power to govern themselves by taking  responsibility about the lives and designing the kind of life thy want to lead in coming days.
 Recognizing the social, political and economic disparities existing between regions, this Constitution and provides a way to remedy these disparities through extra funding and self determination through county governments.
 It has a provision for affirmative action for disadvantaged areas and groups in terms of resource allocation to assist in addressing the serious underdevelopment affecting such areas.
 In chapter four dealing with Bill of Rights, there is a special provision for women, young people, children, older members of the society and persons with disabilities, minorities and marginalized groups.
 Under this, the greatest victims of underdevelopment can be assisted to access opportunities and resources that could transform their lives for the better.
These provisions will require the State to take special care of those groups of people for instance on nutrition, shelter, free and compulsory basic education and health care and protection from abuse, neglect and harmful cultural practices for children.
County governments will be entitled to a 15 per cent of the national resources in addition to Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF).
Devolution in turn becomes the most effective structure in addressing the ring of poverty in marginalized areas like Ukambani by ensuring resources and power are exercised more greatly by the people.
Devolved governments will also give the impetus to development of marginal areas through the 1.5 per cent of the national budget under the Equalization Fund. This fund must be prudently and transparently used to develop infrastructure like water, roads and health facilities among others.
In this regard, county Governments should examine the unexploited resources with a view to investing in them and create wealth and employment for the people.
In most marginalized areas many resources including livestock, water, minerals, tourism and human resource have not been fully exploited to the benefit of the people.
Residents must therefore exercise greater say in the management of resources injected into county governments that will be run by governors and county representatives elected by the people. To benefit from this largesse, residents will have to choose the right people to fill the County Assembly and the Governor and Deputy Governor’s slots.
Residents must take this responsibility seriously as it is the gateway to a bright or bleak future. If a county elects thieves and lazy  and foolish leaders, the resultant action of these leaders will be disastrous. While other counties prosper, our counties will retrogress and plunge our people into an endless pit of misery.
Conversely, if residents elect hardworking men and women of integrity whose actions are driven by wisdom, goodwill, transparency, equity, accountability, the probability is that the counties would have a promise of prosperity and good life for all.
As a publication founded on the quest to enhance good governance, The Anchor will partner with residents to demand that leadership in our counties is held to account for all their actions. We will support citizen assemblies that question county governments as they demand for open and explaining government.
This, we believe is part of the civic responsibility of residents in the governance of the counties. Citizens must get ready from the earliest opportunity.
They must get ready because the Constitution now allows citizens to dismiss lazy and thieving MPs under the recall Clause. They must see this as a power devolved to them directly so as to ensure that poor leadership by MPs is ended before their tenure is over.

 

DEO promotes Knut official 

 By Anchor Writer

MACHAKOS District Education officer Abdulkadir Ali has promoted Mr John
Wambua Masila, the controversial Deputy head teacher of Mutituni to
head Miwongoni Primary.
Mr Masila is the Machakos Knut Branch Treasurer and was subject of
protests at Mutituni as parents alleged that he is ineffective in class work
and spends much of his time running Knut affairs. It is not exactly know
what criteria was used to promote Mr Masila and when Contacted, Kadir
could not justify why he promoted a man who was the cause of disruption
of classes in Mutituni Primary School only two months ago. Observers
see corruption as holding sway in promotions in Machakos as they are
not based on merit but a wicked b r o t h e r h o o d b e t w e e n K n u t a n d
education officials.
Masila’s promotion has however brought turmoil at Love Primary School
where his predecessor, Joel Mweu was met with hostility. A former deputy at
the schoo Kennedy Mutungal has been promoted to head Mbevo Primary.
Mutunga, a relative of a Knut top guns only served as Deputy for four
years. There are many Deputies who have served for over 15 years and non
of them was considered for promotion,confirming a belief in Machakos that
the DEO's office has not regard to merit. Education officials routinely collect
cash from teachers and no action is taken.There can be no claim to
concern for dwindling education standards of education when the
DEO chooses to disrupt schools at a crucial exam momment like this
out of considerations that are clearly informed by ineptitude.
Kadir could not explain why he moved head teachers just days to the
KCPE exam, a reason that parents at Love and Mbevo Primary are citing in
questioning the transfers. It is even curious that he came from leave to
specifically make the promotions

 COMMENTARY

New research puts parents in a 

fix on sexuality of their children

A new study has not only revealed that teenagers who enjoy sex in a relationship do not have an ad-verse effect on their school grades but also teens who indulge in casual sex do show a bad effect in their school performance.

According to the research presented at an American Sociological Association meeting in Atlanta this Sun-day revealed that teenagers who have sex with romantic partners have neither good nor bad effect on their school grades whereas the ones who have sex just for fun have a higher chance of not doing well at school.

The findings have put parents at fixed about their children sexuality because they did not only contradict the general belief that having sex at a younger age affects academic performance but also pausing a question as to whether sex education should now lay em-pha-sis on the im-por-tance of a committed relationship, a challenge that cannot go well with some church leaders.

More challenging is the assertion by Bill McCarthy and Eric Grodsky, sociologists at the University of California that abstinence, sexual intercourse in committed romantic relationships is often academically harmless, whereas in other types of relationships it is more detrimental.

According to experts sexuality is a basic human condition that is why it cannot only affect the way you look, feel, and act but also under-standing the changes you are going through makes it easier to cope and that is why sex education is very important.

Some parents and church leaders up to now do not believe that time between the ages 8 and 10 years, most girls’ bodies do not only start to change but also your brain tells your sex glands that  the ovaries have started working.

These signals which are carried by hormones make your body change and start looking more like an adult. That is why children between these ages feel they are mature enough to indulge in sexual relationships just like adults do.

Girls feel good when they watch their breasts and hips grow, gain weight and grow taller- grow hair under their arms and around their genitals. What confuses them is when they first get their menstrual period.

If not educated on matters of sex and sexuality children between these ages may not understand why they may get acne and start to ovulate. That is why parents must be open to their children when it comes to the subject on sexuality.

Like girls boys will also go under similar changes. They will not know what to do when their testes start working and their penis getting bigger. Their sexual glands will sig-nal them that they need sexual intercourse when their penises erect.

 When they start to grow hair on their faces, under their arms, and around the genitals they will also feel they are adults and can do every-thing adults are doing including sexual relationships, especially when their voices get deeper and testes begin to make sperms.

Moreover, during teen years, the hormones that cause the sex organs to grow and function do not only cause strong feelings, including sexual feelings but also may lead them to thinking about sex, to en-joy sexual conversations, read pornographic materials or watch.

While girls will enjoy being held and touched sexually, boys will enjoy stimulating their penises and masturbate. Both sexes will admire each other sexually. They may be-gin exchanging romantic messages- just to say ‘I love you’ is enough to make them sleep sexually satisfied.

Due to too much escalation of hormones girls and boys between these ages may reach orgasm even through sexual conversation. Boys may ejaculate even by touching girls breasts.

 During vaginal sex, a boy be-tween- 12-15 is not only able to spurt semen, which contains millions of sperm into the girl’s vagina but also fertilize an egg of a girl between the same ages.

 It is here the parents are again challenged as to whether they should talk to their children about birth control used to prevent pregnancy or abstinence. Parents are in dilemma whether to tell their children that if you have sex and do not want to get pregnant, use birth control every time, or do not involve at all in sex until marriage.

Some parents are even more in di-lemma as to what to do with their children who are touching or rubbing their genitals simply to get pleasured. While these touching may be helpful as children grow to enable them learn what kind of touch makes each feel good, many cultures and religious norms prohibit them.

 Some parents are even confused what to do with their children should they meet them watching or reading pornographic materials, or being shown on television, in movies, and in music videos, especially in internet.

 Such parents are not even aware that sexually active teenagers who identify their relationships with partners as romantic and who go out socially with those individuals are more likely to use contraceptives than similar teens in casual relationships, according to an analysis of data collected by Child Trends.

Teenagers who identify their relationships as romantic may be more likely to use contraceptives because they feel more comfortable talking about them with a partner they know and trust, according to Jennifer Manlove, a senior research scientist at Child Trends.

According to the study, girls were more likely to use contraception with boys of their own age, compared with older boys and men. This may be be-cause they feel more comfortable talking about contraception with a partner they know and trust.

Limestone mining: Kitui 

County approves 30 firms

At least 30 mining firms have sought permits from the County Council of Kitui to prospect and mine various mineral deposits in the larger Kitui region.

Council chairman John Mang’uye  confirms that all the applications have been approved and permits issued per designated areas to prevent conflict between rival mining firms.

Each firm has obtained a common minerals license from the council as per the provisions of the Mining Act, bringing revenue to the County Council of Kitui.

The resolution to invite new investors into the lucrative mining business in the region has been unanimously approved by the 39 member full council.

The significant decision may send a warning signal to two wrangling cement firms in Mutomo district who have a long standing dispute over limestone deposits in the area.

The clever move, according the Mr Manguye is intended to circumvent the two-year saga of legal battles between Athi River Mining and Bamburi Cement.

He said: “The potential investors were first vetted by the council to establish their financial and technical capacity to prospect and mine before being issued with the permits”.

Mr Mang’uye  said that the council was overwhelmed by the number of investors showing interest in the minerals

Leading the pack in the fresh scramble for minerals in the region is Devki Steel Company which has sought clearance from the Council to invest a whooping Sh 53 billion in three different plants.

The steel making firm, according to County clerk George Wambua wants to establish a Cement plant, a steel plant and a Coal fired power generating factory.

Senior managers from Devki Steel Mills led by Mr  Naval Narendra alias Guru have twice used a helicopter to survey the mining fields and the proposed factory sites.

 Another key investor is the state-owned East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) which has formally expressed interest in setting up a cement factory in the area.

  ”As a council we are keen to ensure there is no conflict between different investors on the ground. The permits indicates only one investor operates in a designated zone,” he said.

 He added that investors were more interested in limestone, iron ore and coal at Mui basin. Others minerals found within Kitui region are copper ore, gypsum and manganese.

 The council has offered Simisi, Ikutha and Kasaala locations in the district, where limestone deposits are not subject to the pending court cases as the alternative investment areas.

  The move came after attempts to get the two firms to reach an out of court settlement failed.

  However, it is hoped that the resolution will jolt the two firms into reconsidering their positions to avoid being overtaken by competitors in staking claim to the deposits.

  The two firms are fighting over control of huge limestone deposits in Mathima and Kanziku locations.

  “We could not just sit and watch as the two firms fight forever while the resource is in plenty,” said the council chairman adding “Let them continue with their court cases as the council engages other serious investors”.

 The chairman warned that investors holding old permits were required to re-apply and renew their licences failure to which they will be revoked.

 “Investors with permits issued last year backwards must renew them, if they don’t comply we shall revoke their licenses and arrest their personnel on the ground,” said Mang’uye.

  He said that the council was working with local leaders and provincial administration to sensitize the local community and ensure that they are not exploited by mining companies.

FEATURE

Sand Harvesters face tough

times as officials compete over graft

Hardly a month after authorities slapped a total ban on sand harvesting in Machakos, defiant transporters have sneaked back to the district to harvest the commodity.

 Sand harvesters were found in Mung’ala, Kasinga  and Machakos teachers college area loading lorries with the commodity from dry river beds oblivious of the recent ban and the dangers sand scooping is posing to the environment.

Last  month, The Anchor authoritatively exposed a lukewarm response by law enforcers as they line up on the other end to benefit from stolen harvest.

Residents can not understand why sand harvesting has persisted even as the authorities announced the ban. So who was fooling who in sand harvesting? That is what is in the minds of many residents. Is it the administration Poile and their local commanders or is it the mandarins  in the National Environment Management Authority(NEMA) or is it the greedy money makers of Machakos who are keen to rob the community of an viable environment in Machakos County?Two weeks ago acting Machakos DC, David Wanyonyi together with  NEMA acting under pressure, slapped a total ban on harvesting to save the environment from further degradation which has resulted to most rivers in the municipality drying up just months after heavy rains.

In a district environment committee meeting, the DC and environment officer, Stephen Kimutu said that illegal sand harvesting in Machakos was beyond control and a total ban was inevitable to save the fragile eco-system.

What this meant was that administration Police officers, often using the official vehicle of Machakos District Commissioner would have no opportunity to police illegal sand harvesters and extort from them hefty sums of cash as the illegal harvesters were complaining.

The Adminstration Police  now accuse the regular police of releasing lorries impounded for harvesting sand from non designated areas instead of taking them to court to answer charges.

Some weeks ago, Administration police  impounded 7 lorries but by Sunday morning, only 2 were still in the yard while the others were released under mysterious circumstances’ an AP source revealed.

Sand harvesters have been quiet for a long time because, we understand, the authorities have been seeking affordable bribes to buy their passage to the market.

But matters came to a head when the Administration Police struck a competitive stance against the regular police and demanded hefty bribes. With the bribery competition between the two arms of the police, the sand traders found themselves cornered because failure to pay the bribes would be arraigned in court, where magistrates slap them hefty fines.

This is what led to their outcry in the media, leading to pressure on the District Environment Committee, one of the many committees in Machakos that are usually moribund due to a level of lethargy existing within the Provincial Administration that chairs them.Apparently, illegal sand harvesting has been going on unabated over the past months with transporters colluding with enforcers to harvest the commodity which is in very high demand in Nairobi.

The national environmental management authority (NEMA) has issued a list of guidelines to sand harvesters and traders in larger Machakos district. Sand harvesting is causing massive environmental degradation  and this calls for responsible harvesting which can only be realized through establishment of a regulatory framework.

 The Nema boss said sand harvesting from any riverbed shall be undertaken in a way that ensures adequate reserve of the sand is retained to ensure water retention. He said sand harvesting will not be allowed on any riverbanks and also loading of sand will be done in the designated harvesting sites through controlled access points.

Kimutu said no sand harvesting shall take place within 100 meters of either side of any physical infrastructure including bridges, roads, railway lines, dykes among others

He said where underground tunneling or extraction of sand is to be undertaken, appropriate extraction technology should be applied to safeguard human safety. As per the national sand harvesting guidelines any person who wishes to remove and/or transport sand will fill an application form available at the district environment office.

The period of the validity of the approval to remove and or transport sand will be indicated in the approval document. Where a vehicle is used for the transport of sand the approval document will remain in the custody of the driver while the sand is on transit-and the approval document issued will be made available to any public officer upon request for verification.

Mr Kimutu said no person will harvest, extract or scoop sand between the hours of 6pm to 6am and no person will transport sand between the hours of 8pm to 6am.

He added that the Technical Sand Harvesting Committee may provide minimum pricing guidelines for sale of sand within the district but such prices shall take into consideration the requirements of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act and the market forces of the day.

“Any person who sells sand will be required to issue a receipt to the purchaser and keep records of such for periodic inspection by the relevant authorities” he said.

The Nema boss said an appropriate proportion of the sand sale proceeds will be devoted to the rehabilitation of the designated sand harvested sites saying subject to the local Government Act, the guidelines do not prevent the local authority from receiving revenue or cess owed to it from sand harvesting activities.He said where a district environment officer has reasons to believe that an approved dealer or a transporter of sand has undertaken activities in violation of the conditions that may be attached to the approval document, the officer may suspend or cancel the approval after giving notice of such intended action.

Mr Kimutu said the Technical Sand Harvesting Committee will ensure that sand loaders are over 18 years of age residing within the local community and approved sand dealers will pay a negotiated and agreed wage to sand loaders.

He said “ The loaders will organize themselves into recognized groups with clear operational structures for their self regulation. The Riparian Resource Management Association will oversee the operations of the loaders”.

He urged those concerned to form groups or associations which will manage sustainable removal of sand in legalized areas since sand harvesting is of major concern in the greater Machakos district and the larger lower eastern region of eastern province. The sand harvesting business is booming due to the growing demand in construction industry.

Kimutu said sand acts as a safe aquifer for water flowing below and through it. Removal of sand results in destruction of underground aquifers and loss of safe water. Sand scooping adversely affects surface water quality and quantity and damages the aquatic ecosystem.

 He  said haulage of sand by heavy trucks causes environmental degradation by accelerating soil erosion and affecting soil stability. Storage of sand causes destruction of surface areas through clearing of vegetation and uses land that could be used for agriculture.

“The results show that the local community gains the least from sand harvesting, but stands to suffer the most if the degradation of the river system continues. Suggestions are made for safe and sustainable methods of managing sand harvesting, in which greater local involvement and stricter enforcement of regulations to protect the environment are vital” he said.

 Kimutu added that Waste Management Regulations are meant to streamline the handling, transportation and disposal of various types of waste. The aim of the Waste Management Regulations is to protect human health and the environment. Currently, different types of waste are dumped haphazardly posing serious environmental and health concerns. The regulations place emphasis on waste minimization, cleaner production and segregation of waste at source.

He said these are common eye sores in most towns in Kenya as Councils continue to rely on internal capacity to collect and dispose off garbage. He urges Mavoko municipal council, Machakos municipal council, Town Council of Matuu and Town Council of Kangundo to develop proper waste disposal, saying there has been laxity and that they should obtain licenses to own or operate those facilities. Surprisingly, Privatising waste management has been a thorny issue for most Councils in Kenya.

 EMCA, 1999 provides for the establishment of an appropriate legal and institutional framework for the management of the environment and related matters. It is a framework environmental legislation that establishes appropriate legal and institutional mechanisms for the management of the environment.

 It provides for improved legal and administrative co-ordination of the diverse sectoral initiatives in order to improve the national capacity for the management of the environment. This is in view of the fact that the environment constitutes the foundation of national economic, social, cultural and spiritual advancement.

Transformer thieves arrested

Administration police officers have smashed a racket involving vandalism of electricity transformers in Mwala district.

This follows the arrest of three suspects believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate involving stealing oil from electricity transformers for sale.

 They were identified as Mwangi Karanja, James Wambugu and Paul Mutisya, according to Deputy District AP commandant Mr. Joseph Mugo quoting their identity cards.They have since been charged with the relevant offence in the Penal Code.

 He said the three were arrested at Ndeini area near Wamunyu trading center along the Machakos-Kitui highway as they attempted to escape on foot. 

“Upon interrogation, the trio named one Moses Gathongo as the mastermind of the racket,’’ inspector Mugo said adding they claimed he formerly worked with the Kenya Power & Lightning Company [KPLC].

“ The alleged accomplice will be sought to assist with investigations,’’ the police officer said in his office while confirming the incident. He suspected that the three were also behind the spate of vandalism of the KPLC units in the neighboring Yatta, Masinga and Mwingi districts which had caused heavy loss to the firm.

 The APs cornered the three as they attempted to drain the transformer using two hose pipes. “The officers struck suddenly prompting the trio to runaway but were arrested after a few minutes chase,’’ the AP boss went on adding the suspects abandoned a Toyota corolla car registration number KBC 986 Q in the ensuing confusion.

 “ The car was promptly impounded by the officers led by Corporal Stellamaris Ndinda in charge of Wamunyu AP camp,’’ noted Mr. Mugo and congratulated a resident who he said alerted the police of the suspects’ mission, saying it was demonstration that the concept of community policing was bearing fruit.

 ” He [the resident] found them interfering with the gadget at around 3:15 am and became suspicious alerted the officers who responded swiftly,’’ he said adding they had pulled down the transformer resulting in a black out. 

 “ They also left behind 11 jericans and two hose pipes measuring 5 and 3 meters respectively plus a jacket they claimed belonged to the mastermind,’’ inspector Mugo went on, adding they confessed that they sold the stolen oil to a Machakos based dealer they identified as Kamundiu whom he said will also be sought to aid in the probe.

 Interference of the power units by the cartel has prompted public outcry in the affected districts as a result of power outages. In the months of March and June this year, the vandals tempered with 6 transformers in Mwala, Yatta, Masinga and Mwingi districts throwing some areas into lengthy blackout.

 5 of the units were destroyed along the Thika-Yatta-Mwingi and Mwingi-Nguni roads and another one at Makutano market. The racket cost KPLC an estimated loss of Sh 3.6 million considering one transformer goes for about Sh 500,000. ‘’Draining the oil causes the transformers to burst which are expensive to replace,’’ said Mr. Maina, the head of Mwingi regional KPLC maintenance office.

Kitui town awaits

major face lift

KITUI Mayor Alex Mwendwa Munyoki has exonerated the municipal council from the blame by the public over the stalling of the Kitui Buspark’s construction work.

The mayor said that the construction work is run by the government through the Kenya Urban Development Programme and not by the Kitui Municipal Council.

The construction work of the Sh 45 million shillings project by the government started in August 2005 but it stalled shortly after under uexplained circumstances. Only 20 percent of the work had been completed by the time the contractor left the site.

 There has been persistent public outcry against the council over the bus park. The mayor spoke to a group of Kitui town’s business people who had met him to discuss the town’s affairs.

 The business traders were led by Mr Wilson Muema. The mayor said that the council has a lot of development plans for the town. He said the Kitui municipal councillors went to the Local Government Minister  Musalia Mudavadi  over the Kitui Bus park.

He said that the minister notified them that the construction of the Kitui Bus park together with many other bus parks in the country stalled due to lack of funds. “The minister told us that the construction works for all the stalled bus parks in the country will resume after reallocation of funds for the projects by the government under the 2010-2011 financial year.

Munyoki said that the Kenya Urban Development Programme people had sent their engineers to inspect the Kitui Bus park last month “and we are now waiting for them to construct the bus park.”

The civic leader said councillors and council officials had resoluted to purchase the permanent dust-bins so as to make the town clean.

He said that they reached the decision after they noticed that the town was  dirty. Munyoki said that plastic bins they had purchased to serve the town had gone missing. He said the bins had been taken away by people. The mayor said that they had awarded a tender to a manufacturer of the permanent bins which he said will be in use within the town soon.. “The permanent dust-bins will be serving the public alongside the garbage yards that we have already constructed in the town,” the mayor added.

He said that the Kitui Municipal Council is among  13  councils that have been selected to benefit from funding by the World Bank through the Kenya Municipal Development Programme and the Kenya Improved Settlement Integrated Programme.

 Munyoki said that the KMDP and the KISIP will buy fire fighting engines, construct drains in the town and assist them in the solid waste management. Munyoki added that the said the project would install street lighting in Kitui town’s Kunda Kindu market and along the Kitui High School-Majengo road.

 He at the same time disclosed that they (the council) had come up with plans of installing sign boards within the Kitui town to direct people where they are going.

Civic men retain

committee seats

THE 39 Kitui County Councillors  conducted their council’s committee chairpersons’ elections where they retained all the seven chairpersons unopposed.

The Anchor July-August 2010

The Anchor June 2010