Donkey to help in ensuring food security in Kyuso

By John Njue
Women in Kyuso sub-county have something to smile about after they were introduced to use of donkey for land preparation. 

Even though donkeys have been extensively used by people in many areas in the world their use has been synonymous with backwardness, underdevelopment and low status.

Donkey ownership has been associated to women in this area but is only used for ferrying water and farm produce to the market. The symbolic animals for wealth have been considered to be cattle, goats and sheep whereas donkeys reflect poverty and marginalization. 

The Sustainable Land Management (SLM) project under the Ministry of livestock production in Kyuso led by Mr. John Chege Ndung’u has done a difficult work to convince the residents to use donkey for other activities such as land preparation through plowing.

The farmer have been sensitized to use donkey for plowing as well as how to make proper harness for donkey using locally available materials. Speaking with Mr. Chege at  a women plowing competition using donkeys at Kyandoo he said use of donkey for other chore except ferrying water in the area is alleged to lower the social status of the user.  

He informed the congregation that each family in U  kambani has a donkey but few have oxen for plowing. Family without oxen and especially woman led family are queued last when it comes to plowing services by those who have the oxen.

Due to the unreliable rain fall experience in the area, farmer can use donkey for plowing instead of waiting for those who have the oxen to come and offer the service at later date. It’s expected that if farmers adopt using of donkey for plowing they will do early planting and hence producing more leading to ensuring food security in the area.

Kyuso Maarifa centre Field officer Mr. John Njue also promised them of marketing linkages after harvesting through Sokopepe platform which he said can also be accessed on mobile phone. E.g. check agricultural commodity prices by sending a SMS Price#commodity name#Town to 20245. E.g. Price#maize#Nairobi.  For more info http://sokopepe.co.ke/

Hope for kyuso Maarifa centre to resume ICT training.

By Carlos Mutua

Kyuso community will have all the reasons to smile again as resumption of the ended ICT training is on discussion to cater for high demand for IT knowledge in kyuso. It’s now three months since the
last group of trainees were trained on free basic ICT skills.

‘’The ICT training project late July due to end of the Access to learning award that was Granted to ALIN by the Bill and Melinda Foundation, as the donor funded ICT training only for two years, ALIN has sokopepe as the only funded project with the aim of linking the producers/farmers with buyers’’, said Esther Lungahi- ALIN project officer. She added that apart from sokopepe connecting farmers with market, farmers can access affordable inputs as well as banking services such as loans. 

Speaking at a meeting in Kyuso empowerment center on Tuesday Esther added that sokopepe platform is aimed at ensuring that farmers get fair prices for their agricultural commodities for the improved livelihood.

Mr. Antony Mugo who presented the country director in the meeting urged the people at the meeting to encourage people to be registered in sokopepe through their mobile phone or online at the Maarifa. He shared with participants the short code used for accessing sokopepe services using mobile number which he said is 20245. He added that any mobile phone as well as service providers. The field officer Mr. John Njue too promised to be visiting farmers group to help them in sokopepe registration.

The former ICT trainer furnished the participants of the meeting with data of people trained and the impact of the training in larger Mwingi sub-county. Julius Mwonga the ICT trainer said that more than five hundred people have benefited from training since January 2012. He added that many people have been asking for enrollment in ICT training.

Agnes Mughi the advisory chairperson said that with help of other members will do all possible means to have ICT Training back to its feet as well as sokopepe registration so as to improve the community livelihood and bridging digital divide.

A lorry hit a teenage girl to death

By John Njue, Hellen Lennah, Vaati Mwandikwa

An epileptic girl was on Friday knocked by a reversing lorry to death. The incident occurred in the morning when a lorry was reversing near Osa vinya petrol station –Kyuso.

Screams from the girls attracted residents who came to her rescue but all was not well because the girl died on the spot.

The girl is said to have spend the night at the market at unknown place. She is said to have bought chapatti at a hotel for supper and was left with Kshs 20 which she was found with even during her time of death.

Due to her condition she couldn’t have realized that the lorry was reversing. More over the lorry is said to be non road worthy vehicle since it didn’t have prover side mirrors. It’s alleged that if the lorry had all the side mirrors in place it wouldn’t have knocked the girl

Eye witness alleges that the girl was knocked and then run over by the rear wheels at around the head and shoulder before the driver realized he had run over something.

The lorry is said to have been used for distributing beer ‘Keg’ to various bar owners in Kyuso as well as fetching water from the dams to construction sites

The deputy county commissioner gave a vehicle that took the body to the mortuary as the lorry was taken to the police station.

This accident happens recently after the father was brutally murdered as he was manning church crusade pulpits at kyuso market.

After the body was taken to the mortuary, people are speculating what might have caused the grandmother of the deceased to collect the blood remains put in her hand bags and go with it.

Rural to Urban Migration on the rise

By Rose Mwasya

Population in urban areas is increasing day by day. Consequently, the population in rural areas is decreasing. In kyuso district, significant number of young people has moved to urban areas in search of green pastures, leaving an image of deserted homesteads. The population here basically consists of elderly people who are comparatively less active to push forward the development agenda of this area.

Photo by geography GCSE

Idleness among young people has been rampant recently. Some youths here engage in activities such as alcohol abuse and other drugs. This can in turn result to social crimes such as theft which results to insecurity.

This has left many of the residents here with many questions as to who will be responsible for the growth and development of these rural areas. According to Mutie, a resident in kyuso district, many young people get frustrated after completing their studies and move to urban areas to look for employment. He therefore urges the government to put a proper framework for the young people to empower themselves economically. This may in turn reduce rural to urban migration whereby which has led to congestion due to over population in major towns and cities.

Initiatives such as youth enterprise development fund however, can be useful to those young people wishing to become job creators rather than job seekers. This may in turn lead to young people pushing forward the development agenda in rural areas.

However, according to mwikali a business lady in kyuso town says there is need for mobilization of the young people to start focusing on entrepreneurship since agriculture seems not to bear much fruits as the climate is not favorable. On this issue, the government in rural areas needs to take an action in order to inform and educate young people on the issues of economic growth.

Police car swept by stream raging water

By John Njue

Kyuso police division is counting loses after their vehicle was swept away by raging water at Kwa Mangutu stream at around 8-9pm at night.

The accident took place at approximately 1km from Kyuso market when the vehicle was coming from katse police post to collect inmates who were to be taken to court the following morning. Its recently acquired police patrol vehicles bought by the government

The vehicle assigned to the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD)-Kyuso is said to have been carrying 3 police officers (1 driver and 2 more officers). Due to the condition of the road on the stream the vehicle is said to have stuck on the sand.

The vehicle is said to have stack before heavy rain started. When the officers were trying their way out of the area heavy water flow came and swept the vehicle away. No casualty was reported since the officers had to run for their life.

“The water came with a lot of pressure as we were crossing the river. I felt I could not move the vehicle so we stepped out of the car before we saw it roll down the river," an officer who sought anonymity said.

The vehicle was carried away for approximately 50 meters downstream where it lied until the following morning. The vehicle was pulled back to the road by the residents, administration police and Kenya police officers.

The vehicle was extremely damaged since the body was removed by raging water, windscreen broken, window and door mirrors broken as well as side mirrors.

There has been complains from the community on how the kwa ngutu drift was constructed and more specifically how the contractor was awarded the tender.