Weather man warns

of heavy rains but

are we ready yet?
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October 2015

SHOFCO FC downs
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to lift County trophy.
>>> Pg 8

Ghetto Mirror
Real life stories from slums

ISSUE 22

Ghetto Mirror

ghettomirror@shininghopeforcommunities.org

Relief for students in slums as teachers end strike

Teachers end
strike
Teachers end
month-long strike
to continue lessons after court
orders them to
wait for a ruling to
be issued after 90
days

Teachers wanted
the TSC
to abide to the court ruling that approved a payrise of between 50 - 60%.
The government refused to
abide to court ruling saying that
the payrise was unaffordable
The teachers union agreed
to a court order of a suspension of the strike for 90 days

Story page 5

Brief
Residents turn
to energy saving
bulbs as Kenya
Power switches
to tokens
By Brian Okinda
Electronic shops in slums are making huge
profits from the sale of energy saving bulbs.
This comes after Kenya Power& Lighting
Company (KPLC) launched a slum electrification
initiative that provides subsidized electricity in informal settlements across Nairobi. The initiative
that was launched in August of this year is also meant
to reduce frequent fire outbreaks caused by illegal

continue on page 4

Pilot Initiative
promoting
womens
empowerment
By Collince Otung
On Sep. 12, 160 students graduated from
a two-month Show of Force (SOF) course.
Show of Force is a behavior and attitude
change program in Kibera that seeks to empower
women by educating both genders in several age
groups on the need for womens empowerment

Johana Justin Jinich Clinic

Cervical Cancer Screening
& Prevention
HIV Comprehensive Care
Centre
GBV Response Centre

Maternal and Child

Healthcare
Primary Care
Preventive Care and Immunisations

Working hours:
Weekdays
7AM - 6.30 PM
Weekends
7AM - 4PM

continue on page 7

Ghetto Mirror | 2

ISSUE 22
OCTOBER 2015

TALKING POINT

We welcome letters on topical issues on the stories we publish and

comments on ghettomirror@shininghopeforcommunities.org.
You can also drop them in our offices at Gatwikira near PAG Church.

Slum residents
should be more
responsible about
garbage

Are we ready for the long rains?

t is said that the leaders of tomorrow are the youth of today and the
leaders of today are the youth of yesterday. In informal settlements,
residents strongly believe that the youth will bring the much needed
changes required to transform slums. However, as many youth have abandoned
the work of cleaning up their slums due to NYSs suspension, the evidently
dirty state of most slums now indicates that change is still a long way to come.
In a conversation with a few Kibera residents, it was disheartening to hear one Joseph Mutua pointing out the increasingly undeniable truth that Kibera is quickly turning into a big dump site.
Most slum residents claimed that the responsibility was not theirs despite the fact that they throw their household waste carelessly, ignoring the
health hazards they are exposing themselves to. Whats more, a lot ofresidents do not appreciate the good work of organized groups which carry
out clean-up projects in certain areas. Unfortunately, the neat work these
groups is only visible for a few hours before residents go back to dumping.
It is becoming more and more difficult to move from one end
to another of Silanga village in Kibera whether on wheels, railway or
feet. In addition to preventing easy mobility, it is difficult to survive the
stench of the garbage, let alone the horrific bodies of dead dogs and cats.
Worse still, the now blocked drainage channels are left with no option
but to meander out of their proper pathways in order to continue flowing.
Slum residents should realize the importance of keeping their surroundings clean and this should happen whether or not NYS goes back to work.

Quote of the month

Resentment is like
drinking poison and then
hoping it will kill your
enemies.

Nelson Mandela

A publication of Shining Hope For

Communities
Editor

Liz Mahiri

Spare the rod and spoil the child

15-year-old boy in Silanga village in Kibera is spending his

life in a rehabilitation center after
gettingcaughtwhile trying to make
away with a neighbours DVD
player. A couple of days before,
he was caught with a stolen laptop from the same neighbourhood.
As a consequence of stealing the laptop, both the boy
and his mother suffered in
the hands of irked residents.
Despite his constant wrongdoings, the boys mother continually
protects him, which may contribute to the boys repeated offenses.
The neighbors described
the boy as a threat to their peace.
He keeps us alert and always
on the lookout when he is around,
exclaimed one of the neighbours.
The other neighbours also
said that theparents have been
too lenient in bringing up the boy.
In fact, it is well known in the
neighborhood that that the boy left
school in favor of robbery and indecent behaviorand his parents are not
doing anything to correct their son.
Surprisingly, the boys father
is a conservative pastor who believes that the best he can do for his
son is to pray for him so that God
can deliver him from his evil ways.

On the other hand, the mother is so blinded by what she

calls parental love, that she
cannot raise a hand to her son.
The dormant participation
of both parents in upbringing
and molding the boyhas landed
them and their son in disgrace.
This should be a lesson to all
parents to engage in active participation of their childrens upbringing.
Current teenagers have rotten behavior because of the path
their parents have chosen for them.
When the issue of students engaging in barbaric behaviors in a public service bus trended in the news,
people wondered who was to blame
betweenthe teachers and the parents.
Teachersare
hiding
behind the governments shadow
that forbids them from punishing students while at school.
Perhaps this is the reason
those students had the nerve to engage in such unwarranted behaviorwhile still in their school uniforms.
If the government does not
want them to be disciplined by
teachers, what will the same government do to them? Baby-pamper them in rehabilitation centers?
As far as every parent would
like his or her child to become a
successful person in life, this can

Illustrations
Dennis Mwanzia

Contributors

Kevin Ochieng, Jared Kefa, Dorothy Orinah,

Felix Otieno, Brian Okinda, Winnie Atieno, Silvester Oluoch,
Bill Clinton, Collince Otung, & Eunice Otieno.

Technical Assiatance

Albanous Gituru & Shilpa Guha

E-mail: ghettomirror@shininghopeforcommunities.org

hardly work without discipline.

The fact that is unknown to
many is that childrensupbringing does not need divided attention but rather depends on the
determination, focus and efforts
of the parents towards the child.
If you will sit back, fold your
arms and watch your child go astray
thinking that his/her teacher will
correct him/her for you, your child
may turn out like the boy thief.
The teacher you are depending on has a heavy task of
instilling the syllabusinto your
childs brain and proper upbringing should be upon you.
It is high time that modern parents learn from older times when upbringing was
a
community
responsibility.
Parents these days are so preoccupied by their careers that they
hardly have time for the family.
Thumbs up to our forefathers for
properly bringing up their children to become good parents.
Parents dont spare the
rod! Strike the iron while it
is still hot because mtoto umleavyo ndivyo akuavyo -a child
grows up as he/she is brought up.

Bill Clinton

SHOFCO Aldut Literacy

is recruiting primary or secondary school
drop outs who want to continue with
their education.

Join today for free

We are located at the Kibera School for Girls compound

ISSUE 22
OCTOBER 2015

Ghetto Mirror | 3

one on one

Fello

By Mirror Reporter
Who is Fello?
My name is Felix Onyango, I am
21 years old and the first born in
my family. I have three siblings,
two brothers and a sister. I went to
Lindi Friends Primary School in
Kibera and Soweto Baptist Secondary School.
How did you start playing football?
I was around five years old if I am
not wrong, we were playing for our
school when Coach Ken Onyango of DX United scouted me and
invited me to his team. I joined his
team and we started training every
evening after school.

Felix Onyango,
SHOFCO FCs captain has guided
the team to its
first ever major
trophy. Ghetto Mirror caught up with
him to shed light
on his football
career so far.

Hustling

What are some of your best moments playing football?

I will start with the most recent one,
winning the Nairobi County minileague at Camp Toyoyo.
I have also played for City Stars
Academy. I also liked it when I
started playing football when I was
young.
Other than football, which others
sports do you like or play?
No other ones, its just football and
football alone.
In terms of hobbies apart from football, I also love doing community
service, social work and listening to
gospel music
When not playing football, what
do you do?
As I mentioned before, I like doing
community service. I get motivated and encouraged when I see

someone with a smiling face after

helping him/her.
Sometimes, I do social work as
well and I have a small business
of selling mitumba-second handclothes.
How did you end up playing for
SHOFCO FC?
Coach Ken advised us to join
SHOFCO in 2007. We were playing
for DX United then.
Who is you favorite player and
role model in football?
I am my own role model, but my
favorite player is the Brazilian
captain Thiago Silva.
How do you rate Kenyan football
compared other countries in the
world?
Kenyan football cannot be compared to other countries since we
lack serious investors who can
invest in our football.
Corruption is also killing the game
in Kenya. Despite this, there is a lot
of great talent locally.
Given a chance to play professional football where would you
like to play?
I would love to play professionally
in Europe, specifically England or
Spain.
Where do you see yourself in five
to ten years?
I would like to have achieved at
least a diploma in Social Work and
Community Development and also
expanded my business.

Are you fan of Kenyan football,

which club and who is your favorite Kenyan football player of
all time?
Not really, but I like watching Gor
Mahias right back Karim Nzigiyimana playing.
I like his calmness and discipline
with and without the ball.
Do you have plans to play in the
national team?
Of course, that is every players
dream, to play in the national team.
If you were FKF president for a
month, what would you change
or do differently?
First,I would try to ensure there is
transparency in everything we do
since there is none now.
Then I would try my best to invite
more investors in football.
Lastly,I would strive to improve the
playing grounds in Kenya as most
of our football pitches arein bad
shape.
What is your last word to the
youth?
I would like to say to the youth that
unless you recognize yourself,no
onewill. Everyone has a role to
play in this world. You have to start
from somewhere to get to where
you intend to be.
Lastly, I would like to finish with
my two favorite quotes;
A tragedy of life is not death but
life without a purpose. Nobody is a
nobody but everybody is somebody,
so every youth out there, you can
go for it

Women defy norms

to succed in jobs that are
associated with men

Hardship pushes woman to become a bus conducter

By Collince Otung

eborah
Waithaka
wakes up at 4 every morning to get
ready to go to her job as a bus
conductor in Dandora, Nairobi.
She began working after realizing that she needed to help her
family make ends meet. At first
however, her husband, who has the
same job, was skeptical about the
potential for his wife to succeed
in this male dominated industry.
Before she got this job,
Waithakas husband was struggling to make ends meet, let alone
put food on the table. Now she
earns Ksh.1,200 per day, a little
bit more than her husband earns

and has gained his support as well.

My family is fully satisfied
with the money I get, especially my husband, says Waithaka.
Waithaka is happy with
her decision to help her husband
make ends meet, happy to contribute to the households income.
Need to change stereotypes
She explains, Many women
believe that men are the ones supposed to work but I dont believe
so. If I thought the way other women do, we would still be suffering.
While a lot of women nowadays work, there is still a strong
societal belief that only men can
be the breadwinners and only
women can be the caretakers.
Waithaka,
among
many

other women in society, prove

that these stereotypes about
gender roles are not true.
In fact, she started two businesses, a boutique that is attached
to a salon. From these businesses, she is able to pay for her three
kids school fees which amount to
Ksh. 16,500 per year, pays rent and
sends some money to her parents.
In addition, she is part of a group
of other women who also work and
save money amongst themselves.
Because all the women in this
group earn a fair amount of money,
they are able to contribute quite a lot
to their collective savings, and they
can each take out up to Ksh. 60,000.
Her decision to work affords her a comfortable lifestyle
and future security. Accordingly,
she advises both women and men

to let go of their gender stereotypes when it comes to working.

I would like to urge all
women to start doing the duties that men do and they will
be more successful and useful in
the community, Waithaka said.
Husbands death

Another
woman,
Anne
Awour from Kibera, Nairobi,
also started working as a conductor after her husband died.
She had never worked before but she found herself with no
choice but to look for a job in order to support her three children.
She started out by opening a
kiosk but she wasnt making any
profits. She saw that other women

were making good money in conducting buses. Consequently, she

found a mentor and started working with her. Now, Awour makes
Ksh. 800 - 1,200 and above daily.
Work knows no Gender
Like most bus and matatu
conductors, she reports to work
at 5 in the morning and finishes around 10pm. Her earnings
have enabled her to hire someone
to look after her three children.
Awour says, Work should
not depend on gender, but on
ones ability to do the job.
She doesnt see it as a challenge
to be a woman in the industry, but
rather, she believes that its an advantage because more people will get
into her bus because she is a woman.

Ghetto Mirror | 4

ISSUE 22
OCTOBER 2015

Pic Speak

SHOFCO FC players enjoying themselves at

Camp Toyoyo grounds in Jericho after clinching
the Nairobi County mini-league trophy. They
beat Baba Dogo United 2-1 in the finals. The
team now proceeds to Nairobi Provincial
League.
Photo | Adan Ibrahim

Society

Bringing back
the memorable
moments to life

King Needs Motors is filled with water jericans

as the water shortage in Kibera escalates. Boys
who were out of school during the teachers
strike are also seen on top of the jericans perhaps helping the owner transport water to his
customers.
Photo | Collince Otung

One of the loudest massages teachers sent to

the government during the recently concluded
teachers strike. The strike was called off after a
ruling by the industry court ordered teachers to
resume duties until after 90 days when they will
reach an agreement with TSC. Photo | Google Images

Stories on topical
issues happening
daily in slums

Energy saving bulbs Sonko disbands rescue team

find market in slums
By Kevin Ochieng

and
dangerous
homemade electric wiring and to reduce theft from the main grid
transformers within the slums.
Kevin Mwatia, who works at
the Nature Foundation Electronics/an electric supply shop, says
the demand for the bulbs has increased tremendously since the
installation of the power lines.
We
have
so
many
customers
now
he
said.
The shop sells at least 10
bulbs a day with each bulb costing between Ksh.100-250 depending on the type and quality.
The installation of prepay boxes is still going on in houses across
slums and has ensured at least ths
of the households in each slum light
their houses with pre-paid tokens.
Izrael Odhiambo, an electrician who operates along the
Gatwekera-Laini Saba Rail, says

that residents are getting it right by

buying energy saving bulbs. Odhiambo explained, The bulb has a lot
of advantages such as being durable, cool and does not emit heat. It
is also cost effective as it saves on
electricity, thereby reducing the cost
of electricity and it is mercury free.
Macrine Mulembi, a resident
from Lindi in Kibera, who currently uses the bulb in her house
attests that she has saved a lot of
money by using the energy-saving bulb. I bought tokens worth
Ksh. 500 and was awarded 48
units, Ive been using the bulb for 3
weeks now and I still have 44 units.
Most other bulbs that have
100W have now has lost their
market. When asked how they
plan on selling them, bulb suppliers said they are targeting businesses along the streets like kiosks which still use these bulbs.

Relationships

It is official, Sonko Rescue

Team (SRT) is no more. Speaking in Machakos during his fathers burial, the Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko announced
publicly that he was disbanding SRT.
Sonko
also
announced
that he was doing so to support
the Nairobi Governor Dr. Evans Kidero in running the city.
According to the Senator, he
is doing so to show appreciation
to Dr. Evans Kidero who had been
by his side since his father was admitted to hospital until his burial.
This comes as a disappointment
to many Nairobi residents, especially
slum dwellers, who had been benefiting from the projects free services
since its launch earlier this year.
The
flamboyant
Senator
had started the initiative to provide free and diverse services to
people who could not easily access these amenities in Nairobi.

Many of the services SRT offered were vital and provided much
needed support. One of the most
essential of these services was free
ambulances that were especially
suited to drive through the narrow
and decrepit roads inside slums.
Fire engines were equally
important as they were also customized to wade through the many
narrow parts of the city to tame
the frequent fires that occur around
the city and deep within slums.
SRT also provided funeral
hearses to transport coffins to any
corner of the country, a service
that was in high-demand by many.
Residents
whose
neighborhoods suffered perennial water shortages were supplied with
the increasingly scarce commodity at certain days of the
months in all parts of the city.
There were also garbage
trucks that collected waste from
city streets to ensure the city
and its environs
were clean.
In addition, SRT offered wed-

ding transport in the form of Limousines and other high-end cars.

While many Nairobi residents supported SRT, the Nairobi County
Government had its doubts about it.
At one point, the county government
claimed that some of these vehicles
were used to peddle drugs in the city.
Dr. Evans Kidero is said to have
claimed that the initiative undermined
his
administration
but the Senator had always denied the allegations vehemently.
The Senators decision to end
SRT is an indication of his move
to work closer with Governor
Kidero and the county government to better serve the county.
In his speech at the funeral, Sonko
said that the vehicles will bedonated to the county government
to aid indelivery of services.
The withdrawal of these services
has come as a shock to many.
Sarah, a Kibera resident said, The
free hearse service really saved us
from accumulating too much debt.
they used on other funeral costs.

An advice section that answers questions submitted from readers about

their relationshiops problems.

Dear Esmeralda,
I am a 19-year-old woman in love with a handsome
22-year-old man. We have a son but, I dont understand
The first thing you ought to do is to sit down with the father of your son and tell him how you feel and what you
where we are heading coz its like he has other girls in want. Second, look for a job. You are both still young hot cakes, so the guy is just mixed up and probably doesnt
his life. I want to spend the rest of my life with the fa- know what he wants in life. Its not good to plan a future with someone who does not have future plans or worse
ther of my son. Im also afraid of what will happen if he yet, someone who does not have you in his future plans. In any case, its very important to start getting involved
in something productive. It will get your mind off him and improve you in many ways. Lastly, it is not a must for
leaves me because I dont have a job. Please advise me women to be married or live with the man that they bear a child with. Thank God for giving you a wonderful baby
on what I should do?
and put your attention on him/her. One day, the guy may come around and be there for the both of you.But till
then, you have to put yourself and your son first.

Esmeralda from Majengo.

Good Luck!

Feature

ISSUE 22
OCTOBER 2015

Ghetto Mirror | 5

Teachers return to classes

despite not receiving the
pay rise promised by court

Teachers end strike

By Brian Okinda

he month-long teachers
strike, which was started
by the Kenya National
Union of Teachers (KNUT), affected slum-based students differently
than those residing outside of slums.
The strike that began in early September was made worse
by the governments orders
that closed all schools. Private
schools however, challenged that
order and many of them continued to run their institutions.
The strike, which was suspended for 90 days on court orders, saw a big number of slumbased students staying at home.
Libraries and tuition initiativesin slums filled up each morning as students tried to make up for
lost time and keep themselves busy.
Informal settlements are generally lacking in public schools,
with most slums having only a few
public or government recognized
schools, most of which are located
at the edges of or outside the slum.
Private schools, most of them
informal and under-resourced, proliferate throughout slums to fill the
need for educational institutions for
the hundreds of thousands of school-

Teacher at Gifted Hands Education Center in Gatwekera, Kibera

supervises an internal exam a few days after schools resumed.

Photo | Brian Okinda

aged children living in slums.

Jane Aoko Okeyo, an administrator at Starays Secondary School
in Kibera, said that most of the private schools in slums dont only act
as educational centers, but also as
rehabilitation centers and daytime
shelters for many young people in
slums. Okeyo says that this is one
of the main reasons Starays stayed
open during the strike, to continue
to offer protection to their students
from the many vices present in
slums. Okeyo mentioned a former
student of the school got stabbed to
death in a violent street fight during
one of the school breaks. Be-

cause of these types of incidents,

we decided to keep the students in
school although learning was compromised in many ways, she said.
Indeed, children living in informal settlements are easily prone
to various dangers, from high crime
rates and violence to alcohol, drugs,
sex, and deadly infectious diseases.
Mary Otieno, a mother of six
children says that the strike had
her worried about her older girls
who are about to finish secondary school. But not because of the
possibility of not doing well on
their exams. She explains that, I
had to spend a lot of time looking

after them because I was worried

about the many unemployed and
out of school idling youth who
take advantage of young girls, Im
worried they might get pregnant.
Although Starays kept its
doors open during the strike, the
school suffered from lack of resources as many of the parents
stopped paying the monthly fees
out of fear that their children might
not be able to continue schooling
till the end of the year.Starays students were also quite distracted
from their daily lessons especially
because many of their peers, brothers and sisters were out of school.

Ezekiel Otwori, the head

teacher at Gifted Hands Education Center, a primary school in
Gatwekera Kibera, also reported
that despite the school remaining
open, most of the students attendance dwindled during the strike.
Otwokori said, I agree with our
fellow teachers from the government schools, but it is unfortunate
because this [strike] will negatively
impact our childrens performance.
He suggested that the Kenya National Examination Council
(KNEC) body should postpone the
dates scheduled for national examinations, especially KCSE which
is set to begin on Oct. 12, while
KCPE is set to begin on Nov.12.
Contrary to this, Kevin Rairo, a form four student at Starays,
feels like he is ready for the exams
and prolonging the dates would disrupt his thinking and preparedness.
Akoyo, the administrator of the
same school echoed his sentiments
saying that, the syllabus for the year
was finished much earlier on, most
of whats been happening in schools
has been revising and mentally preparing the students for the exams.
Okeyo believes that the exams
should also go as planned because
it will be hard to get the students
back into the mindset needed to
successfully be ready for the exams.

Relief for consumers as fuel prices drop

By Kevin Owino
Consumers in the city have a
reason to smile following the announcement by Energy Regulatory
Commission (ERC)of drops in fuel
prices. ERC said that a liter of diesel
will now retail at Ksh. 79.9, kerosene

at Ksh.52.55 and petrol at Ksh.102.6.

This might be very good news
to a majority of city dwellers, most
of whom use public transport daily but only if the drop in fuel price
leads to a decrease in fares. But the
public transport industry has been
known for not responding in kind
to fuel price drops.Most commut-

Marcus Garvey
Community Library

we are located next to pag church gatwikira

ers are still waiting to see if they

will benefit from these changes.
Fuel has a big influence in
the economy as its price affects
the price of various commodities from the highest to the lowest level. Since most commodities
are transported through road, fuel
prices will always affect the mar-

ket price of most commodities.

However, with the weakening Kenya Shilling, the price might
actually become higher as fuel is
bought in dollars. The regulator
adjusts fuel prices monthly and
the latest changes will run from
September 15th to October 14th.
Another factor that affects

how fuel price changes reflect in

real market value is the distance
the fuel travels from Mombasa.
Towns further from Mombasa port
always pay more, Nairobi included. Mombasa residents however,
enjoy the lowest fuel prices due to
their proximity to the port where oil
is stored once it has been shipped.

Ghetto Mirror | 6

Society

ISSUE 22
OCTOBER 2015

Topical issues on
daily happening
in our societies

Campaign against drugs intensifies

By Felix Otieno
On Sep. 18, the PCEA Bahati
Mateaus Church in Bahati played
host to a ground breaking event
dubbed kua sober naujiundue kazi-get sober and get entrepreneurial.
The one day event was mainly organized by the Ready AidersFoundation (RAF) who partnered
with Nairobi Visionary CBO from
Bahati, the Rotary Club Parklands
and the National Campaign Against
Drugs and Alcohol abuse (NACADA) to help make this day a success.
The events aim was to create
a platform for reforming and rehabilitating all those who had left the
consumption of alcohol and drug
abuse after the national campaign
for a sober nation through the crack
down on illicit liquor and drugs.
The initiative is targeting
youth who, it believes, still have
a chance to reform and turn their
lives around before its too late .
The area was chosen as it was
strategically located in the heart
of Eastlands in Makadara Constituency and was therefore easily

accessible for many areas such as

Mbotela, Maringo, Jericho and Majengo, which are some of the places
that are most affected by this issue.
Kenneth Apopa, RAFs chairman, said that they came up with
the event so as to create an avenue
for all the youth who decided to
abandon alcohol and drugs to find
ways to stay sober and develop
skills to support themselves without
having to depend on other people.
Mr. Apopa said that the event
was necessitated by the vacuum
created after the national crackdown on illicit liquor and drugs.
In the aftermath, the many alcoholics and drug abusers who had
abandoned this lifestyle needed
something to do to keep them from
reverting back to their addictions.
RAF invited various groups
and organizations to help them
with the difficult task of spreading the message of the benefits
of sobriety and self-dependence.
The Nairobits School of Digital Design that offers subsidized
ICT training to slum youth contributed by conducting a free computer
literacy class for the day and offered

to sponsor three of the best students.

The One Stop Youth Center from Makadara and the
Makadara Huduma Center talked about their programs that are
tailored for youth and that help
youth groups receive government
funds to support their businesses.
Equity bank Buru Buru branch
manager Godfrey Watheru took
to the stage to advice the attending youth about entrepreneurship.
Also in attendance was Ghetto Radio presenter, James Kimani Kangethe who hosts the show
Sare Madree Say No to Drugs.
The Ghetto Radio team
was brought in as their show
is among the only one that appeals to the youth to quit drugs.
Ghetto Radio offered to
air the upcoming musicians that
had performed at the event as
a sign of their commitment to
supporting developing talents.
Invited guests from the entertainment sector were Kibera-bred
comedian cum musician Michael
Omuka who is commonly known as
Smart Joker and former Ogopa Deejays hit maker Kenzo whose hit song

Mama Milka made him popular.

They both thrilled the audience with comedy and music.
Guest speaker, Mrs. Susan
from NACADA talked about the
deeply negative effects of alcohol and substance abuse and how
NACADA helps rehabilitate all
those who abandon the drug life.
She also sensitized the
youth on some of the problems
that people face at the rehabilitation centers and the importance
of staying and remaining sober.
The RAF chairman, Mr. Apopa
was pleased with the turnout of the
event saying, the event was amazing, we had a really good turnout
of youth from Makadara, the invited speakers and artists, the various
organizations and government officials all turned up in large number.
After this pilot event the RAFis looking forward to working with
other groups from other counties
and spread their message of sobriety.
Kiambu County has already
confirmed their desire to partner and
has welcomed the foundation to come
spread their message in their county.

Making a living braiding

lons more than women because

men are more professional.
She explains, I think women can very easily get jealous
and decide to do a less-thanperfect job because of this.
Better at caring

Two male hair stylists working on their female clients at a salon in Kawangware. As more
and more men get into this traditionally female industry, rumors abound that they are
popular because they seduce their female clients. However, as these two prove, its all
about passion and skill, gender and tricks have nothing to do with it.
Photo | Eunice Otieno
By Eunice Otieno

3-year-old
Benson
Mwangi,
popularly known as Mwas,
runs a hair salon business in
Kawangware on Naivasha Road,
opposite
Kinyanjui
Junction.
Mwas is among the small but
growing number of men who are
challenging the stereotype that only
a woman can style womens hair.
His passion for hair styling began
when he was in primary school.

Like many other girls who

have a passion for hairdressing, he would find himself braiding grass during break time.
He likes his work, despite
the challenges he experiences as a man at his workplace.
In fact, most of the problems he experiences stem from
the fact that he is a man in a
female
dominated
industry.
For instance, there is a running
rumor that men and especially younger ones working in salons seduce the
wives and girlfriends of other men.

I have lost a lot of customers

because this idea is so vivid and disturbing to many men, says Mwas.
His female clients also sometimes give him trouble as they
prefer to get their hair done by
him and not the other female hairstylists working in the same salon.
However, this does not only
overwhelm him, but it also creates
tension with his coworkers as they
can do the job just as well as he can.
One regular client of his,
Lydia Githanga says that she
prefers the way men work in sa-

Unlike most men, her husband encourages her to choose the

male hairstylist because men hairstylists are better at customer care.
The women wont pay particular attention to your desires
and are less likely to compliment
you on the final result, she says.
Githanga adds that people who complain about male
hairstylists should be more progressive and realize that this is
helping
curb
unemployment.
She believes that there is
nothing wrong or abnormal about
male hairstylists and urges opponents to see the benefits it has
on society by keeping young and
vulnerable men off the streets
therefore preventing them from
engaging in crime and drugs.
Perhaps one of the only non-gender related problems that Mwas faces is accessing original products.
He complains that he has to import a lot of his products because most
of the ones in Kenya are unoriginal.
However, the taxes and delays that come with importing
make business a little harder.
Mwas urges the government
to help young entrepreneurs and
business people who want to nurture their talents like himself by
reducing the taxes they take from
hustlers at the bottom of the chain.

SMS causes
a mans life
By Kevin Ochieng
A man lost his life following a
fight with his wife who had demanded to read a short message (sms)
on his phone. The incident happened late last month in Buru Buru.
According to the area police
chief, Richard Kerich, the argument between the couple escalated
into a fight and the woman identified as Wanjiku Kamanda stabbed
her husband, Fahid Mohamed,
several times in the stomach.
Neighbors said they heard
noise coming from the house
and upon inquiry found the
man lying in a pool of blood.
Police have since launched
investigations into the matter. The
woman is in a hospital under tight
security and is expected to be arraigned in court to answer to the
murder charge once she has been
discharged. The body was taken to
the City morgue for post mortem.

Dispute in
ODM elections in Kibera
By Brian Okinda
Pascal Otieno commonly
known as Ous Tall was elected
Youth Leader while Florence Awino
Otieno the chairlady in the Orange
Democratic Party (ODM) grassroots
elections held in mid September.
The results for the constituency chairpersons post were
however disputed between the
two contestants, Samson Ochieng
Jera
and
Jekonia
Ochieng.
There was a mixed reaction between supporters of the
two after the announcement
that Jekonia Ochieng had won.
This dispute influenced Raila Odinga to intervene in person.
Speaking at Kamkunji grounds in
Kibera, the former Prime Minister asked his supporters to stop in
fighting as they are looking forward to winning elections in 2017.
I didnt come here to know
who has more followers than the
other; all of you are corded and
should not fight among yourselves,
you should embrace dialogue and
resolve your problem as we all eye
a win in the 2017 general election.
He also asked the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning,
Ann Waiguru, to step aside for truth
to take its course on the NYS scandal.
Among
other
leaders
there were the area MP Kenneth Okoth, Sarangombe ward
Member of County Assembly,
Pius Owino Otieno Kotieno and
all the elected grassroots ODM
leaders from the constituency.

Gender

ISSUE 22
OCTOBER 2015

Ghetto Mirror | 7

Course that educates community

members about womens empowerment.

Pilot Initiative promoting

womens empowerment

from page 1
and how to put what
they have learned into action.
The free course goes on for
8 weeks with each week focusing
on a module that explores various
womens issues ranging from gender roles to maternal child care.
Each class must include
10 men and 10 women, a method that seeks to make the class as
realistic as possible in exploring
the ways gender relations work.
Including
both
genders
also ensures a learning setting
that is inclusive of as many issues as possible that affect womens empowerment and guarantees effective implementation of
the things learned in the course.
Additionally, each class also
consists of specific age groups that
are divided into the following years;
13 -16,17-20, 21-24 and 25-40.
The lessons are held once a
week for two hours. After the two
months of lessons are over, the students are given three months before
graduation to apply the modules
theyve learned to their daily lives.
Mary Mogana, one of the facilitators, says she has witnessed

many of the programs participants

from both genders not onlychange
their views about womens roles in
society but they also actuate what
theyve learned in their daily lives.
Of her experience facilitating for the past year, she says,Its
been awesome, Ive met people
who think women should be inferior but when they start taking
these lessons and we tell them
about how women can be equal,
they start changing their attitudes
and its amazing to witness that.
Mogana says that her favorite
and most influential topic is that of
maternal health. Many men come
in with the belief that the womans
role is to bear children and take
care of them. A lot of them have no
idea what goes into pregnancy and
the childs health. Mogana said.
She further explained that once
they go through the importance of
ensuring a mother and the child is
healthy throughout pregnancy and
after, and the equal importance of
fathering the child, a lot of men and
women are convinced of changing
their behavior towards this issue.
The pilot program in Kibera
began on Sep. 2014 and there have
since been four graduating classes.
Marcus Abuto,23, one of the

graduates, found that the course

was very valuable as he gained
a lot of knowledge that he could
apply daily in society. I really gained a lot, I learned so much
about gender and child care and
I am now able to apply gender
equity anywhere,Abuto said.
The program, has inspired
him to become a youth peer provider (YPP) volunteer at Shining
Hope For Communities (SHOFCO)
where he can provide information
and create awareness about the
importance of sexual and reproductive health to youth in Kibera.
One of the very first graduates
of the program was so impressed by
the lessons and methodology that he
decided to open a similar one in his
hometown, Waibuye. He loved the
seminar style setting of the lessons
which relied on sharing and learning from ones own and others experience.A pastor by profession,
the SOF graduate went through the
very first pilot classes and loved the
course for the way it challenged accepted social norms about women.
After one year of running the
program, the facilitators are taking
a break from classes to evaluate and
produce a report on the impact the
course has had in the community.

El NIO | How prepared are we?

In preparation for the coming El Nio rains, residents living on

the river banks have decided to construct gabions that
might help minimise damage to their houses.

Photo | Brian Okinda

By Collince Otung
Eric Wachira, a resident of
Gatwekera village in Kibera woke
up one day to find that one side
of his house had been destroyed
by floods from heavy rain. It was
January 1998, one of the rainiest months during one of the
worst El-Nio storms in history.
He was afraid of reconstructing
due to the risk that it could rain again.

Weather experts around the

world have confirmed that another strong El-Nio storm is
set to hit East Africa, with forecasts of the harsh weather lasting from October to December,
or up to January in some places.
In a press briefing about ElNios likely effects in Nairobi,
County Environment Executive Evans Ondieki said, Predictions are
that the enhanced rainfall will reach
the strongest levels ever seen in the

last four decades.Areas where the

major rivers in Nairobi join including Nairobi, Ngong and Mathare
rivers will be majorly affected
during the floods, Ondieki added.
The government has assembled
a multi-department team to plan the
necessary responses to emergencies
in the next couple of months. The
government has also set aside Ksh. 5
billion to respond to expected emergencies that will be caused by the
storm in the next couple of months.

National Youth Service workers

are also supposed to be on standby
to respond to emergencies as well.
County governments have
been told to allocate some of their
budget to dealing with damages and
emergencies caused by the storm .
Ondieki also emphasized the
need for everyone to be prepared
including residents, county governments and other stakeholders.
He said that county departments
like Planning and Roads and other key actors such as Nairobi
City Water and Sewarage Company will start unblocking water
ways and fixing roads to minimize
the negative effects of the storm.
This is especially necessary as
Nairobi tends to shut down not only
during strong El-Nio- like storms,
but due to normal rainy seasons.
Every year during the long
rains season, between late March
and early June, most parts of Nairobi
suffer from flash floods. This years
rainiest season was one of the worst
in history as many parts of the city
experienced floods that blocked major roads, destroyed many buildings
and led to the death of many people.
Slum dwellers are at a higher risk of getting adversely affected by these types of disasters. This
is because slums are completely
unplanned with blocked drainage
systems and no sewage systems.

Whats more, slums are heavily congested with people and

structures, most of which are extremely vulnerable to heavy rainfall.In addition, two of the biggest slums in Nairobi, Kibera and
Mathare, have major rivers running
through them which may cause
landslides and heavy flooding.
That El-Nios effects will
likely be worse than the heaviest
downpour of any rainy season calls
into question how terribly slums
and slum dwellers will be affected.
Ondieki has advised that
those living near water or in
lower grounds should move
to avoid the predicted floods.
Ondieki has also said that
residents living in slums, including Mathare, Kibera and
Huruma would be temporarily
moved to 200 public schools that
have been identified to be safe.
However, Wachira, like many
other slum residents, is worried about
his ability to follow Ondiekisadvise.
Wachira said, Now that ElNio is coming, where should we
go to? How will we manage to
start living in a new place? Theres
too many people living in Kibera, we cant fit just anywhere.
Many of the slum residents
that were displaced due to this years
rainy season are still homeless.

Ghetto Mirror | 8

Sports

ISSUE 22
OCTOBER 2015

SHOFCO FC downs
two Eastlands teams
to be crownd champs

SHOFCO FC tops County

SHOFCO FC advances
to the Nairobi Provincial
League
By Adan Ibrahim.

wo late goals from Ambrose Ayoyi and Kevin Okoth were enough
to ensure that SHOFCO Football
Club emerged as the champions
of the Nairobi County League.
SHOFCO FC won by 2-1
against Baba Dogo United FC in
the finals of Nairobi Countys minileague that was played at Camp
Toyoyo grounds in Ofafa Jericho.
The mini-league comprised of
four teams; Korogocho Youth FC,
Sports Connect FC, SHOFCO FC
and Baba Dogo United FC that had
all come out on top in their respective zones A, B, C and D. SHOFCO had topped zone B, that ensured the played in the mini-league.
Before qualifying for the final against Baba Dogo, SHOFCO FC had to fight hard as they
played against Korogocho Youth
FC. Coming from a goal down
to beat Korogocho Youth 3 - 1.

Ghetto
Mirror

Korogocho FC scored froma dead ball just outside the

goal area but SHOFCO FC put
a spirited fight to win the match.
SHOFCO managed to toequalize five minutes before half-time
having gone down in the 20th minute.
Kevin Katitu punished Korogocho Youth FC defense for not
clearing a loose ball in their goal area.
The ball came from a corner
that was floated in the are aby the
SHOFCOs skipper Felix Uholo but the Korogocho Youth FC
could not stand the pressure SHOFCO FC had put on them so far.
The second half started with
high speed as SHOFCO FC managed to cause some trouble for the
Korogocho Youth team. By the
60th minute, they had taken the
lead after Ambrose Ayoyi collected a loose ball and sent it behind
Korogocho Youths goalkeeper.
Despite these advancements
by SHOFCO FC, Korogocho Youth
did not give up easily as the team
started looking for an equalizer.

Nevertheless, every attempt they

put in was cut by the steady SHOFCO backline, most notably by Jeirus
Indeche, the centre half commonly
known as Jay denied the Korogocho
Youth FCs stikers scoring chances
with the distances he kept in clearing
the loose balls in their goal mouth.
He provided a man of the
match performance and almost got
a goal to his name when he led
a counter attack in the 75th minute that was luckily and carefully
dealt with by the Korogocho Youth
goalkeeper that was sent out of the
field for a corner by the goalkeeper.
In the dying minutes of the
game, Ambrose Ayoyi proved why
SHOFCO relied on him as the
teams lead striker when he netted a
brace ensuring there were no doubts
of the game ending in a draw. His
goal meant SHOFCO were leading by two goals hence having
booked a date with Baba Dogo
United FC, who had earlier beat
Sports Connect FC 2-1 during the
opening match of the semi-finals.

In the final match, Baba Dogo

United were the first to score after
their striker capitalized on a defensive
mistake by SHOFCO FC defenders.
Having denied SHOFCO all
scoring opportunities during the
first half, Baba Dogo United unlike Korogocho Youth, were able to
carry their lead to the second half.
The team remained disciplined in and outside their goal
mouth, making no mistakes that
could be punished by SHOFCO.
However, things changed later in the second half as SHOFCO
pressed on till they got a break on
the 70th minute when Ayoyi netted
the equalizer with the help of his attacking counterpart Vincent Ouma.
Ouma, who had been brought
in as a substitute in the second half,
grabbed the ball from the midfield
and made a run towards Baba Dogos
goal when he spotted the unmarked
Ayoyi who netted the equalizer putting SHOFCO back in the game.
The game then saw both
teams create and waste op-

Photo | Justine Ondiere

portunities to take the lead.
Kevin Okoth was the one
to finally bring the cup and glory to SHOFCO FCs technical
bench and faithfullsin the 86th
minute when he collected a pass
and scored against Baba Dogo.
With a final score of 2-1,
SHOFCO FC lifted the county
trophy in their first try and entered the Provincial League in
style, beating the best of the best
from other zones in the county.
This has added to the good run
they had had so far, having won 14
matches and drawing two as well as
losing only two matches to finish at
the top of Nairobi County League
Zone B with a massive 44 points.
Meanwhile, the four teams
that played in the mini-league had
already qualified for the Nairobi Provincial League which is the
countrys fourth tier league level. These four teams are hoping to
better their results so as to make it
to the third tier league level the division one in their next campaign.

The Ghetto Mirror is a monthly publication published and distributed for free by Shining Hope for Communities as part of its
programs aimed at empowering the youth through developing their media skills and also to bring attention to the issues affecting the residents of the informal settlements. All the work that goes into production of this newspaper is done by youths from the
slums. Correspondence should be addressed to ghettomirror@shininghopeforcommunities.org. You can also visit our facebook
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