Setback of lack of knowledge

By Catherine Susan 
Ukambani is one area in our country-Kenya which has been faced with a lot of problems compared to other Areas. People are going through a lot of challenges like unemployment; the youth are all over looking for job opportunities. The youth are involved in activities like charcoal burning to meet their daily needs with less knowledge on its effect to the environment.

Cutting down trees has caused problems such as reduction in annual rainfall  and soil erosion, this problem has became major in ukambani due to lack of knowledge, majority of people in this Area are less concern about the knowledge shared by the extension officers. 

This redundancy in information and knowledge sharing has also been extended to young children who are pursuing their education. The school dropout has also increased i.e. 2.4% girls and 2.0% Boys out of the 1634 and 1726 respectively;  Girls are getting marriage at a very tender age, not because they want it but due to lack of knowledge on the effects.   

 

Poor farming methods is also another problem caused by enough knowledge on farming, people tend cultivate on the hill tops, hill sides and river banks, shift cultivation and slash-and-burn agriculture. Unsustainable sand harvesting/mining in most rivers in most rivers in Kyuso consequently interfere with water table in the river beds. This has resulted into destruction of the main water catchment in the district. 

With every efforts made by the NGO and government extension of advising people to dig terraces, use of farm manures, and also building of gabions  has not been taken by most residents in Kitui county.

The resident here relied with relief food until too late when they started thinking about the issue of food security. Most of the food security activities rely on water but people from this area walk for long distance to search for water approximately 10 Kilometers. Due to this most farmers fail to take modern farm technology.

The climate of the district is generally hot and dry for greater part of the year. The maximum mean temperature ranges from 26⁰c and 34⁰c making it hard for water in water bodies in the area to retain water.

Mitamisyi Water Outcry

By David Kyalo

Water is an essential commodity for growth of most of the living things. Wherever they are, people need water to survive. 60% of human body is composed of water. Secondly the commodity is also essential for producing food and washing. With all this facts withstanding there are places with water crisis. 

Photo By : John Njue

In kyuso access to water is one of those areas in the district that has remained disadvantaged owing to the fact that is not endowed with water resources. Except for Tana River that supply water in the district through Kiambere –Mwingi water supply project the rest of the rivers are seasonal. 

Mitamisyi, location of kyuso district is the most hit by water shortage, people from the area has had water shortage even before independence. The residents have to travel for at least 15kms to fetch water which is felled by donkey and sometime women and children have to struggle carrying 10-20 liters jerry cans on their backs.

The water are drawn from earth dams, rock catchments and even borehole that produce saline water that is not health for use. Due to consumption of this saline water the teeth of most people in this area have corroded (Stain)

Biologically a child needs to be given water frequently because they dehydrate faster. On the contrary young children as young as below 10years takes about 8hours without having water to drink as they wait for the commodity to be brought from the river.  To make the matter worse most of the children take bathe for almost twice a week.

Livestock are kept without water for approximately 2 days due to long distance. In these boreholes livestock cannot access water without help of 2-3 peoples for the water must be drawn first. The water is very expensive for the locals because a 20 liter Jerrican trade at Ksh 10 

The people who have been staying in these remote areas live hopeless life. These people have suffered for long they say but hope that their outcry will be heard. They hope the current area Member of Parliament will cast his eyes on the problems they have been sailing on.