Mesha

Public advised to invest in water infrastructure

By Odhiambo David | odhisdavid59@gmail.com

The public has been advised to invest in water resource management and infrastructure in order to help find solutions to its persistent crisis in Kenya.

Speaking during a Twitter Space engagement yesterday Enock ole Kiminta, Kenya National Water Resource Users Association (KenaWRUA) CEO noted that the people’s involvement in addressing water challenges will help the country to realise its development goals as stated in Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event,Can investments in water infrastructure answer Kenya’s perennial water crisis? was largely attended by water journalists in Kenya and was hosted by WWF Kenya.

According to Vision 2030, a long-term development blueprint for Kenya that aims to transform the country into a globally competitive and prosperous nation, water resource management is a crucial aspect of sustainable development and the overall well-being of the population.

Kiminta, an expert in water resources management,said the country needed enhanced water infrastructure to achieve goals related to improved water storage, distribution, and management systems, which would enable efficient and sustainable utilization of water resources.

“To accomplish these goals, it is essential to invest in the development and improvement of water infrastructure, including dams, reservoirs, pipelines, and water treatment facilities,” he added.

By ensuring adequate infrastructure, Kenya can enhance water storage capacities, improve the distribution of water resources, and implement efficient management systems.

According to Dr William Ojwang, WWF-Kenya’s Freshwater Thematic Lead, the country will not realise its Vision 2030 ‘ if we don’t take into consideration the need to secure our key water sources and catchment areas.’

Dr Ojwang’ further noted that the role of water to humanity and development is too critical to be overlooked. This is why we need urgent collective action in water resource management.

WWF-Kenya has announced that in an effort to create awareness on water security and catchment protection across the country, they will run a three-day national campaign from 6th-8th this month (June).

The campaign dubbed the Journey of Water Campaign,now in its second year,will be held in Ewaso Nyiro North Basin which straddles Meru, Laikipia, Isiolo and Samburu Counties to shed light on detrimental practices impacting water resources and catchment areas.

In memoriam: Farewell to a regenerative ag rockstar

Mike Wilson

Dave Brandt was a big man with an even bigger heart.

He also had big hands, often used to gently scoop up spades full of dirt to show visitors his farm’s worm-friendly, crumbly soil structure.

Brandt had turned decades of experimenting in no-till and cover crops into what can only be described as the ultimate in high organic matter soil beds on his Ohio farm. The 76-year-old, who tragically died in a car crash last week, was the king of conservation, a regenerative ag rockstar long before that trendy buzzword began to surface years ago.

“It’s like cottage cheese”: Ohio no-till pioneer Dave Brandt shows what happens in cover crop residue, resulting in rich, worm-friendly soil leading to high yields at reduced input costs.

If you want to understand more clearly what it takes to build organic matter and soil health, just watch the video above, made at Brandt’s farm some eight years ago.

Brandt was legendary for his innovative testing with cover crop seed mixes, intercropping and no-till. He used nature, not chemicals or synthetic fertilizers, to nurture high yields. When I visited him in 2015, he was working on ways to prove that his methods were more than just conservation. In fact, farmers who adopted his techniques could shave input costs.

“The problem today is we have been told you need to apply this and buy that to make a yield,” he told me. “But if we start treating the soil right, we may not need all those extra things to make maximum economic returns. We’re trying to prove that with the right no-till system, what we have in the soil is all we need to maintain production.”

A quiet guru

Unassuming and forthright, Brandt never asked for publicity. Yet, people flocked by the truckloads to see his fields and hear him speak in simple, clear language about the virtues of a three-pillar system: no-till planting; cover crops for nutrients, weed suppression and conservation; and crop rotation. His working crop farm in the gently rolling fields of central Ohio served as a massive test plot.

I thought I was seeing things when we stopped at a field of corn intercropped with soybeans.

“These soybeans will give 100 lb. of nitrogen back to the corn crop,” he explained. “After the cost of seed and planting, this will lower the cost of N to that crop by half.” Back then, that was conservatively $60 per acre savings on fertilizer costs. The savings would be dramatically higher with today’s high input cost landscape.

These intercropping trials began over a decade ago as a local FFA project. In plots with no nitrogen applied – just soybeans intercropped – the corn yielded 182 bushels per acre. In a nearby field where 140 units of N was applied but without the intercropped beans, the field yielded only 125 bpa.

“That’s when my eyes really opened up on this idea,” he said. “Over the growing season we’ve seen the corn roots grow right into the soy root nodule where the nitrogen is.”

Weed suppressing cover crops

On another plot, Brandt was looking at non-genetically modified corn with zero seed treatment compared to GM seed with and without treatments, which, at the time of our visit, cost $45 to $60 per acre.

“We’re trying to see if biotech traits are worth it in specific soil conditions like no-till with weed-suppressing cover crops,” he said. “Guys with conventionally-tilled fields probably do need them because those soils have no micro-organisms to speak of.

“With these plots we’re trying to see if no-till, cover crops and rotation will do enough in terms of insect and weed control.” If successful it would mean shaving another $50 to $100 off crop budget costs. Again, this was in 2015 – consider how much more you would save based on today’s crop costs.

TEACHER TO MANY: People flocked by the truckloads to see Brandt’s fields and hear him speak in simple, clear language about the virtues of a three-pillar system: no-till planting, cover crops for nutrients, weed suppression and conservation; and crop rotation. Credit: Mike Wilson

Organic matter on steroids

Then I got to see what might best be described as the showpiece of the place: a field that had been no tilled since 1970 when Brandt first started tinkering with the practice. The soil was dark, with a certain ‘give’ under the shoe; a bit spongy, yet well drained. Nearby was a recently purchased field that had been conventionally planted for years.

The two fields were stunningly different from each other.

“My field has 7% organic matter,” he explained. “The field we just purchased here has less than 1%– it’s been farmed to death. Our goal is to get that figure up to 7% in the next seven years.”

Now, any farmer who paid attention in agronomy class can tell you there’s a bit of magic that happens to soils that make even the three or four percent OM level. Lots of nutrients get unlocked and fertilizer bills go down, while yields grow.

But… 7%?

Brandt would never brag about such an achievement, but he would certainly want others to see just what they could do to improve their farm’s soil health. He told me everything he had learned about farming came from these home-grown field trials he would set up each year.

“The average farmer might see what I’m doing and say, you don’t have scientific data,” he said. “If it works, who cares? I make a lot of mistakes, but this is how I learn. There’s nothing I won’t try.”

In fact, Brandt turned one of his ‘mistakes’ into another test plot. He ran out of weed spray on a small patch of land where he had been killing cover crops. So he just decided to see if the corn crop could outgrow the living cover blend. When I visited in late May of that year, the corn seedlings were healthier than the corn plants in the nearby area where the cover had been killed off.

“Who knows, maybe corn needs competition,” Brandt said with a smile.

Cover crop master

Brandt used to be famous in the cover crop world for his fondness for tillage radishes. He had been quoted many times on the marvels of this plant builds soil tilth and opens up pores to improve drainage.

FULL OF LIFE: Brandt liked to plant tillage radishes in cover crops. Those radishes would break down and provide food for earthworms, which in turn built up the water infiltration capacity in the soil. Credit: Mike Wilson

At the time of our visit Brandt was selling no fewer than 127 varieties of cover crop seed. His warehouse could blend just about anything for anybody, depending on what you were trying to accomplish. One 12-variety blend had tall, medium and short plants, which offered a variety of root depth to suppress weeds and create pores in the soil. In the spring of 2015, he had planted corn into that blend and the soils tested 175 lb. of N per acre, so no nitrogen was needed on that field that year.

Brandt believed a three-crop rotation that includes corn, soy and wheat was the best way to build soil OM. Adding wheat is a hard sell at times since it’s not the revenue generator corn and soy are. However, you need to take the long view, he would insist.

“This wheat is going to probably make 90 bu. per acre,” he explained, gesturing to a nearby field. “Then after we harvest, we will put on a long season cover blend which will produce lots of N and bring P and K back to the surface. That will save me in the neighborhood of $200 per acre in reduced fertilizer costs when I plant corn in that field next spring.

“If you have a three-year rotational crop you can enhance corn and soybean yields; that is university proven,” he added. “Now we’re going to a three-crop rotation plus cover crops, which gives us higher OM, loosens soil, increases water infiltration and lowers nutrient costs the next two years. That makes it all more profitable, and no one can argue with that.”

Here’s something else no one can argue with: Dave Brandt will be sorely missed.

https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-life/in-memoriam-farewell-to-a-regenerative-ag-rockstar

Don’t remove excise duty on local plastics

Amina WakoI Nation Media Group

Kenya has made commendable strides in the fight against plastic pollution, becoming a regional leader in implementing effective measures to address this environmental crisis. But it stands at a critical juncture with a proposed bill threatening to undermine the progress.

A proposal in the Finance Bill, 2023 to remove excise duty from locally manufactured plastics is a cause for concern. While the intention may be to boost local production and create employment, the potential consequences cannot be overlooked.

Plastic pollution is an ever-growing menace that poses severe threats to human health and the environment. It contaminates water bodies, kills marine life and leaches harmful chemicals into the ecosystem. In urban places like Nairobi, it is to blame for the perennial blockage of drainage systems and the foul smell one catches from roadside trenches on major highways and in the estates.

What’s more, the burden of plastic waste falls disproportionately on marginalise communities, exacerbating social and economic inequalities. The proposal will intensify the negative consequences.

Besides, it sends a dangerous message, effectively incentivising and normalising the production of more plastic. With soaring plastic consumption, the ill-conceived bill will exacerbate a dire situation. Increased plastic production means more plastic waste, leading to higher pollution levels and intensified strain on overburdened waste infrastructure.

Progressive policies

Kenya’s success in tackling plastic pollution is rooted in the implementation of progressive policies such as the ban on single-use plastic bags and the introduction of recycling initiatives.

Rather than encourage the production of more plastic, we must focus on fostering innovation and supporting the development of sustainable alternatives. This includes investing in the research and development of biodegradable materials, promoting the use of reusable products and supporting businesses that prioritise environmentally friendly practices.

By incentivising innovation and sustainable alternatives, we can create a thriving market that embraces eco-conscious solutions while reducing our reliance on harmful plastics.

We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the perils of plastic pollution, nor can we allow short-term economic gains to jeopardize our long-term sustainability. We must hold steadfast to our commitment to a greener future and reject the bill.

Instead, let us champion legislation that encourages responsible production, consumption and waste management. By doing so, we will safeguard our environment, protect marginalised communities and pave the way for a cleaner healthier Kenya.

Ms Wako is a health and science reporter with the ‘Daily Nation’. ambuthia@ke.nationmedia.com.

https://nation.africa/kenya/blogs-opinion/blogs/don-t-remove-excise-duty-on-local-plastics-4252656

Media tipped on means to end plastic pollution

By Christine Ochogo I christawine@gmail.com

The government has been asked to work with the media to help craft messages on how to end the menace of plastic pollution in Kenya, through a comprehensive approach.

According to the experts who addressed a media workshop last Thursday in Nairobi, slaying the plastic problem can only be achieved if the full life cycle of plastics is addressed.

Speaking at the workshop organised by the Media for Environment Science Health and Agriculture (MESHA), Mr Griffins Ochieng’, Chief Executive Officer at the Centre for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD) said that there was need for greater public participation and engagement by members of the public in the plastics treaty negotiations, noting that the media is key in helping the masses to understand the full impact of plastics pollution.

He added that discussions need to focus more on the health aspects they cause.

Ochieng’ added that media in Kenya needs to follow the actions of a working group formed last week to end the problem which aligns with the intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

The one day meeting aimed at informing the media on the goal to end plastic pollution in Kenya, with a focus on the comprehensive approach that address the full life cycle of plastic.

The training which was attended by 20 journalists, who are members of MESHA, came ahead of the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-2) being held in Paris, France as from May 29 to June 2, 2023 as the world gears up to welcome the World Environment Day on June 5.

In his remarks during the opening plenary of the INC-2, Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, said plastic pollution is a global problem and it can alter habitats and natural processes directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.

“Huge amounts of plastic have accumulated in the environment. Some plastics will continue to fail the circularity test over the next 20 years. A coordinated effort to stop pollution at source, while investing in waste management, clean-up and consumption patterns, can help address this toxic trail,” said Andersen.

In March 2022, the 5th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a resolution to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. The resolution called for the instrument to be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic.

The resolution established an Intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop the legally binding instrument with the aim to complete negotiations by end of 2024.

“You have a 2024 deadline to deliver a meaningful deal. Each year of delay means an open tap and more plastic pollution. We will not recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis: we need a systemic transformation to achieve the transition to a circular economy,” added Andersen.

Kenya to host global meeting of agricultural journalists

By Christine Ochogo I christawine@gmail.com

Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) will host the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (ifaj) Congress in 2025.

While making the announcement to members of the giant Kenyan science journalist’s association, the Board Chairman, Bozo Jenje said the decision to host the conference in Nairobi was a move in the right direction and that it would allow the country to showcase its milestones in agricultural development.

The showpiece, he added, will also give the world a glimpse of how Kenyans tell the African science story.

“Perhaps this is the peak of MESHA’s recognition for the excellent trailblazing it has undertaken in bringing science journalists together not just in Kenya but in Africa as well,” added John Riaga, the treasurer.

The annual fete will take place in Africa only for the second time after South Africa hosted in 2017. Initially, Kenya was to host in 2026 but the decision to bring it to Nairobi a year earlier was made after Israel dropped its bid to host in 2025. The congress brings together journalists from all over the world.

MESHA Secretary, Aghan Daniel termed the decision “a huge responsibility” that had been bestowed upon MESHA. “This is a very big honour, big statement of trust that the world has about our ability and I am confident that we will hold a memorable conference bringing together agriculture journalists from all over the world,” he said in a statement to members of Africa’s most active science journalists’ association.

Other MESHA members also welcomed the decision and vowed to get down to start preparations for hosting.

“We have a strong team of agriculture writers who will be meeting in the next few days to begin the preliminary discussions,” said Aghan.

Hellen Nasha Lelegwe pose in her farm Lching'ei village.She has turned to kitchen garden to dodge climate change

Samburu women turn to kitchen gardens to dodge changing weather patterns

By Clifford Akumu

Across the open plains of Lching’ei Village in Samburu County, a herd of goats roam the scape, nibbling at tiny twigs of stout acacia shrubs scattered across the expanse.

Further afield, manyattas – dome-shaped temporary pastoralists shelters made of mud and sticks – dot the village like overgrown ant-hills.

Not far away, Hellen Nasha Lelegwe’s one-acre farm rolls by with rows of leafy sukuma-wiki and amaranth intercropped among maize, with napier grass seated on the edges of the farm.

The veggies, says Mrs Lelegwe, have been an important source of food and nutrition for her family and fellow villagers, particularly during the searing drought that tore the region’s food security apart.

She grows a variety of vegetables, ranging from sukuma-wiki, cabbages, onions, tomatoes, saget, African nightshade (managu), green pepper to sweet potatoes.

In most villages in the larger Suguta Mar Mar ward in Samburu Central where Lelegwe lives, the aftermath of failed rains is evident; pastoralists possessing a handful of livestock, and men have migrated as far as Isiolo and Laikipia in search of pasture and water for their livestock, leaving women to head households.

The women, abandoned by their husbands, are at the core of family life and the economy of the villages. They have a key role in food production, animal husbandry and raising children.

With nearest water sources running dry, food production has slowed and livelihoods have worsened. What now worries the community most is the ripple effect on their nutritional status.

“Dry seasons are now progressively getting worse. This time, our livestock have perished and left us with nothing,” Lelegwe narrates while weeding her plot. Her family lost 17 cattle and over 100 goats to the drought.

Unfortunately, in Lching’ei, it’s not only the changing weather patterns or conflict with wild animals that the locals are wary of. Armed bandits too have been a cause of pain, injuries and loss of livelihoods as they forcefully break into cattle sheds and drive away with droves of livestock. Every few miles of our journey to meet the farmer was met with pockets of the National Police Reservists patrolling the area to provide security.

Although the government has continued to upscale the security operation against banditry, pastoralist communities are still losing the remaining livestock to bandits. Lching’ei village borders Amaiya and Nasur villages.

However, Lching’ei residents have since found ways of adapting. Every evening, together with their children and livestock, they flock to the Logorate shopping centre one by one ready to spend the night.

“We neither sleep in our houses nor do our animals in the compound. We only come during the day to cook and tend to the crops,” says Mrs Lelegwe, adding that the police provide security at the Logorate centre.

“We are safer at the shopping centre.”

Pirauni Lebarleiya is an agro-pastoralists who used to help his wife water their vegetable garden planted on gunny bags before drought set in and pushed him and the cattle to as far as Isiolo County in search of pasture and water.

“I used to go for water in the dam with my motorcycle to water our vegetables. When drought set in, I took all my sheep and goats to Kilimon area. And later moved with 25 cattle to Ngarantare (Nanyuki-Isiolo border) and later proceeded to Sieku in Isiolo in search of water and pasture. I only came back with three cows,” says Lebarleiya, gazing at his empty Kraal. He lost the rest of the cows to the drought. Lebarleiya reckons that his farming activities have reduced following prolonged drought. Currently, he is preparing a comeback with new vegetable seedlings to transplant in new gunny bags. He used to grow cabbage, sukuma wiki, managu, onions, among others.

Classified as an Arid and Semi-Arid area, Samburu is a water scarce county, and the situation has been getting worse due to the frequent and prolonged bouts of intense drought.

According to the March 2023 Drought Early Warning Bulletin produced by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), Samburu County was in the alarm drought phase.

The report further indicates that the majority of villagers accessed water from boreholes and wells. Boreholes and wells were relied on by 40 and 30 per cent of the households, respectively.

Mrs Lelegwe is part of a 30-member Sipat Women Group (formerly Beans Growers Women Group) who have sought out new farming methods to respond and adapt to the changing weather patterns and save their village.

She is practising climate-smart agriculture to diversify her source of livelihood, from solely depending on livestock keeping to other income generating activities like agro-pastoralism.

Until the women group received training on kitchen garden, multi-cropping, seedbed establishment among many other climate smart farming techniques, Mrs Lelegwe and other members of the group engaged in businesses and traditional small-scale farming.

But income from their farming was low and produce did not yield enough profits to sustain the activity.

In 2022, Caritas Maralal engaged an agronomist to train the women group on climate-smart agriculture under the WWF-Kenya’s Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) funding programme to strengthen indigenous communities’ response and adaptation to climate change.

The VCA project aims to raise the voices and capacity of underrepresented or marginalised groups to enable them take on a central role as creators, facilitators and advocates of innovative and inclusive climate solutions. The mission is to create awareness of how climate change affects vulnerable/marginalised groups such as pastoralists, women, children and people with disability and efforts to alleviate these effects.

“I partitioned the farm as per the lessons from our training and I must admit, the harvest has been plenty and lasted longer than the previous harvests. I’m able to sell to my neighbours and other business people in Longeiwan and Suguta markets and restaurants in Maralal town,” says Mrs Lelegwe.

The aim of the livelihoods diversification programme across the pastoralists region was to rehabilitate farmland in an environmentally sustainable way, and ensure households have a supply of fresh vegetables for food security and nutrition, says Coleta Nyaenya, the programmes manager at Caritas Maralal.

“Women farmers who planted indigenous vegetables recorded improved intake and growth from their children as compared to when they only fed them on porridge (locally known as Kitegen),” Nyaenya says.

“Now the women have become entirely independent. They are now able to sustain their households during drought periods even when their husbands migrate in search of water and pasture for the livestock.”

But in Samburu, as is the case in many parts of ASAL regions, women and children are disproportionately affected by the drought, which has increased their vulnerability to food security, ill health, violence and drastically reduced their access to nutritious food.

According to the ‘2022 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’ report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Agrifood Economics Division, the number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021.

In Kenya, more than 37 million people representing over 80 per cent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, which has particularly negative nutritional consequences for women and children.

According to a recently released report by Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), at least 970,000 children below five years and 142,000 pregnant women and lactating mothers are suffering from acute malnutrition.

Nationally, one out of five children below five years are stunted, meaning they are short for their age, with a majority living in rural areas, according to the 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS).

Kepha Nyanumba, consultant nutritionist at Crystal Health Consultants Limited, says kitchen garden farming promotes food and nutrition security.

“It ensures people have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and preferences,” says Nyanumba.

“It plays a key role in fighting the nutritional deficiencies associated with food scarcity.”

This oasis on the border with Amaiya village has had a fair share of challenges in the quest to grow and consume indigenous vegetables. Until Mrs Lelegwe started irrigating her plot of land using pipes, she used to fetch water from Logorate dam, 500 metres away, to water her crops.

“I started farming in 2019 on half an acre. I planted green pepper, onions, sukuma wiki and tomatoes,” she says.

She would later expand to one acre. “I later bought pipes for irrigation through the help of World Vision. I also bought a generator at Sh35,000 after selling maize from my farm that I used to drain water from the dam and irrigate the field.”

Several kilometers away in Lorrok village, Porro ward, Miriam Lekarabi, 32, has tasted the fruits of climate-smart agriculture.

She says, “Last year I planted sukuma-wiki which I sold at Porro market at Ksh50 (US$0.37) a bunch. I also harvested two full sacks of potatoes, which I sold at Ksh3,500-4,500 ($26-33),” says Lekarabi who belongs to Mayian Village Savings and Loans Group.

Lekarabi and Lelegwe’s practice of climate-smart farming has led to improved living conditions and they are now beginning to put back power in women’s hands and halt the climate migration.

“We now have money in the family, even when the livestock dies due to drought, we live better. Our children too are able to go to school and are feeding on nutritious food,” says Mrs Lelegwe, who has since become a model farmer in her village.

“We now have financial independence and a choice. If we all change our ways as a community and get bumper harvests from our farms, we will get rid of climate-change-induced hunger and malnutrition.”

This story was produced with support from WWF-K VCA project and MESHA

Study: Immunisation programs unaffected by COVID-19

By Asha Bekidusa I abekidusa@gmail.com

MOMBASA, May 18, 2023 – Immunisation programs in Kenya’s Kilifi county did not suffer adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new research has revealed.

The study called Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccine coverage in Kilifi, Kenya: a retrospective cohort study found out that despite many countries experiencing disruptions in out-patient visits and routine immunisation services during the early days of COVID-19, immunisation of children within the Kilifi County was not affected by the pandemic.

It also revealed that immunisation visits for the third dose of the Pentavalent vaccine and Measles containing vaccine were maintained during the first year and increased during the second year of the pandemic.

According to Dr Ruth Lucinde, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, who led the study, issuance of guidelines for continuity of essential services and exemption of healthcare workers and individuals seeking care from movement restrictions may have contributed to this scenario.

Additionally, supplying counties with extra vaccines and immunisation supplies and postponing routine weighing services for children but advising mothers to return for all their vaccination visits also contributed towards this positive report.

While making a presentation, COVID-19 Vaccination Integration into Routine Immunisation noted that currently there is still uptake as health workers implement door to door vaccination. He also said that partners have formed the County Technical Working Group which is multisector for planning and coordination; and to assess readiness.

“We know that COVID-19 is no longer an emergency, but this does not mean it is over,” he cautioned the journalists attending the 80^th Science Media café by Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) yesterday.

Dr. Oyaro added that when COVID-19 measures were relaxed in the country there was a decline of uptake of vaccine in most counties including the Coastal region. Therefore, clear messaging and interpretation of public notice is important in managing responses to public health measures.

Naming myths and misconceptions as challenges affecting the uptake of vaccine, he advised journalists to report on the positives on how the infection prevention and control measures like wearing a mask and regular hand washing benefitted other health aspects like prevention/reduction of other respiratory and diarrheal diseases.

Anne Mweu from National Nurses Association of Kenya acknowledged the challenges that came with COVID-19 but noted that nurses are now better prepared to handle a pandemic than ever before as the shock and anxiety that at first accompanied the pandemic has been overcome by regular sensitization by the government.

Availability of resources such as personal protective equipment to protect the nurses and such resources were challenges however she noted that these are now available in the hospitals to offer protection to health workers countrywide.

Race to save Narok South’s remaining wetlands and tame climate risks

By Clifford Akumu

On the fringe of Naroosura village, several kilometres South of Narok, Patrick Tolo walks in his black sandals made from old tires and a traditional herding stick in his hand on smooth rocks that seem to form a pattern.

Behind him are pastoralists crisscrossing the patched land with their livestock in search of pasture, the goats occasionally munching young fresh acacia leaves. Women can also be seen with jerrycans full of water on their backs and others rolling on the ground.

Mr Tolo is on his way to Enkong’u Enkare water spring (locally known as the eye of water) – a critical fresh water source that sustains the lives and livelihoods of thousands of residents.

Tolo, 51, recalls how the community has been dealing with human-wildlife conflict at the water spring due to prolonged drought. The water level has drastically reduced.

“Many have fallen victims to the wild animals, especially elephants roaming the area in search of food and water. The elephants cleared my sugarcane and banana plantation. I no longer grow them. I have decided to grow fast maturing crops like tomatoes and vegetables,” says Mr Tolo, as he inspects the pipes that he uses to irrigate an adjacent land.

For Sayianka Nkiminis, memories of an encounter with a male buffalo that was destroying his maize are painful. The animal nearly killed him. “The animal charged at me. The only thing I can remember is being airborne, having been lifted by the animal’s horns, before a fall with a thud. One of the horns got lodged between my legs and it nearly mutilated my genitals,” he recalls.

nearby villagers save his life. He lay in a coma at the Narok County Referral Hospital for three days.

“I’m lucky to have made it alive,” Nkiminis says.

-diverse ecosystems on the planet and can only be compared to rainforest and coral reefs. They reduce the likelihood of flooding by soaking up excess water from swollen rivers. They filter pollutants from groundwater before it enters aquifers, and are one of the most effective natural carbon storage systems on the planet.

According to the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel, wetlands store 35 per cent of the world’s land-based carbon, despite covering just 9 per cent of its surface.

Enkong’u Enkare water catchment has two springs. The cold one diverts to Ntuka Sub-location, supporting four schools and domestic use, while the warm one flows down and becomes the Naroosura river.

Olchoro Ngussur and Olmaisuri Entiapiri wetlands are in Narok South.

WWF programmes Coordinator for Mau-Mara-Loita region Kevin Gichangi says wetlands destruction increases vulnerability to extreme climate change effects, including flooding and drought.

“Enkong’u Enkare is a perennial spring that serves the community and supplies vital habitat and “biological supermarkets” for wildlife,” he says.

few kilometres away, the Embukitaa Hills, the breeding site for elephants, protrude.

r Gichangi says many aquatic species are endangered when wetlands are degraded. “Apart from aquatic species that depend directly on the wetland, it is also a source of water for rivers that sustain wildlife downstream. This spring lies in the Mara Ecosystem that is well known for wildlife,” he says, warning that the rate at which wetlands are being degraded will be detrimental to the country.

90 per cent of the wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s.We are losing wetlands three times faster than we are losing forests” adds Mr Gichangi.

According to the January 2023 National Drought Early Warning bulletin produced by the National Drought Management Authority, Narok County is in the alert drought phase.

The bulletin reveals that the drought situation is critical in 22 of the 23 ASAL counties due to the late onset and poor performance of the much-anticipated October to December 2022 short rains, coupled with previous consecutive failed rainfall seasons.

Preserved by the Ministry of Irrigation in 1982 to provide water for domestic use, Enkong’u Enkare spring remains a critical wetland supporting more than 15,000 people with its more than 29 million cubic metres, as per the records from the Ministry of Water.

Encroachment by humans and wildlife almost risked the water source becoming just another afterthought in a story about restoration. Two years ago the spring was also threatened by siltation and other pollutants flowing into the water pan built to collect the spring’s water. Erratic weather patterns, a perennial drought and sporadic flooding saw the mini dam’s bed filled with harmful waste and silt.

“It was full of silt, which used to fill the whole dam. The dam had also been invaded by water hyacinth,” says Mr Tolo, who grows vegetables, maize and beans nearby.

The WWF Kenya began a rehabilitation project on the dam, removing the silt that had clogged it. It also built several canals to supply directly from the spring to several farms and projects, including Naroosura and Oloiboroing’oni irrigation schemes under the water resource users association.

It also repaired the cattle trough and the communal water points, planting indigenous trees and repairing the fence to keep off wild animals. The farmers grows mainly fast-maturing horticulture crops such as tomatoes, cabbages, onions, beans and maize.

“Were it not for this water, people wouldn’t have lived here because the place is so dry. It had a lot of trees and that is why it is called Naroosura (the green forest),” says James ole Tago, the Naroosura Water Resource Users Association secretary, that ensures the natural resource is protected.

And because of these multi-water uses, the spring needs more protection than any other wetland,” he says.

The WRUA was created to train the community on sustainable farming and come up with water use schedules to avoid water-related conflicts locally.

During dry season, when the water volumes at the spring reduce, Naroosura WRUA advises farmers to farm on small portions of the land to enhance uniform allocation of water in each plot.

water my crops twice in a week, according to the schedule by the Naroosura WRUA. The farmers group has also drawn a timetable on members that are tasked to oversee the process,” says Tolo.

“We are now able to pump water to irrigate crops. I harvest between eight and 10 bags of maize,” he says.

The irrigation project targeted integrated water resource management through sustainable farming practices. It trained the farmers on how to avoid water pollution by not emptying chemicals and farm waste in the river system to keep river Naroosura clean for downstream users not to get water-borne diseases.

“We also trained the farmers on integrated pest management and how to do organic farming,” explains Mr Tago.

told the government to second an expert to the catchment to determine the extent of the water table to avoid further destruction. “We need an expert who understands the extent of the water table so that we can protect it,” says Bishop Simon Shimpai, the Naroosura WRUA chairman.

Forestry and Climate Change CS Soipan Tuya says awareness creation on the impact of wetland restoration among community members is vital. “We hope the local communities can take measures to improve government adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Wetland restoration is one such activity,” the CS said during this year’s World Wetlands Day at Enkong’u Enkare, whose theme was “Wetlands Restoration”.

urrently, Narok County has 14.01 percent forest cover and 20 percent tree cover. It still has 300,000ha available for restoration over the next 10 years to meet the 30 percent tree cover as set out by the President.

oipan said her government will establish a “green army” within Nark County to help increase these numbers and sustain the 15 billion trees agenda until maturity.

arok Governor Patrick ole Ntutu has reiterated that his government will identify and restore the natural springs in Narok to mitigate effects of drought. While climate change poses a serious threat to the existing wetlands, our grazing and animals husbandry nature continue to pose an even bigger challenge to our conversation efforts,” said Mr Ntutu.

Overstocking in the conservancies and outside the Masai Mara Natural Reserve has disrupted the flow of the Mara River and shortened the cycle of high and low peak in the flow of the river from 90 to just 16 days during the rainy season,” he added.

tutu urged the national government to put stringent measures to tame encroachment of riparian lands to conserve and preserve the environment.

Increase climate research funding to address key issues, Africa told

By Godfrey Ombogo

African governments have been urged to increase funding and support for research on key emerging climate change issues now more than ever.

As the curtains fell on the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) 2023 this week, delegates and their governments were reminded that researches on issues such as climate-health nexus, carbon removal and green cities across Africa can no longer be pushed to the periphery.

Faustin Munyazikwiye, Deputy Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), said climate research funding needs the political goodwill of the top leadership of African countries so that they align the research to the specific challenges they want to tackle.

“We can think globally but act locally and find home-grown solutions. We need to establish our own funds from our domestic sources before we seek international help,” he said.

Modi Mwatsama, Head of Capacity and Field Development at Wellcome Trust, said African governments need to do a lot of mobilization for investment in research that is evidence based and relevant to Africa.

“We must encourage our governments to have climate strategies and increase their budgets for research. They also need to work with other stakeholders to make sure the researches can help the people they are meant for,” said Ms Mwatsama.

According to a study published in the journal, Climate and Development, more than 75 per cent of funds earmarked for Africa-related climate research go to institutes in the US and Europe.

The study says there is already a deep funding deficit in Africa, with less than five per cent of the funds allocated for climate research globally focusing on African countries, even though the 10 nations considered most vulnerable to climate change impacts in 2020 were all in Africa.

“Of the $620 million that financed Africa-related climate research between 1990 and 2020, research institutions based in Europe and the United States received most of the funding ($480 million), while those based in Africa got less than 15% ($89.15 million),” says the study.

Ms Modi says this skewed financing of Africa-related research can only be solved by Africans themselves developing a more active approach to research funding and building a strong financial base for research.

Dr Cecilia Njenga, Director, Intergovernmental Support and Collective Progress Division at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), said more research needs to be targeted at net zero carbon emissions, climate-health loop and renewable energy.

“Even as we mainstream the health agenda in the climate arena, we need to build a constituency that is able to articulate cross-cutting issues such as indoor health, clean water, agriculture and nutrition,” said Dr Njenga.

Kenya held its first national workshop on carbon removal on February 27 and 28, 2023 in Nairobi, where the government said it was ready to take the lead on carbon removal as the next biggest solution to the climate change crisis.

Ali Mohamed, the Special Secretary for Climate Change at the Executive Office of the President, said Kenya had been pushing the carbon removal agenda since 2018 because the government was convinced that this is the new direction the world needs to take.

“We are willing and ready to carry out all the feasibility studies and tests needed before we roll out the carbon removal process to ensure all the risks are removed,” said Mr Mohamed.

As the plenary at AHAIC 2023 discussed ‘Climate Action in Africa: A Healthier Planet for Healthier Populations’, the panelists were reminded of the importance of carbon removal as the best way to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

A delegate from South Africa said more research needs to be targeted towards carbon removal because “Africa has a lot of promise for carbon capture”.

“Even as we push our governments to put more money in research on climate action, let us encourage them to lay more focus on carbon removal as we aim for a greener and less polluted continent,” said the delegate.

According to an article provided by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and published by Relief Web, African countries have contributed a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, but they face disproportionate risks from climate change. Despite this fact, less than four per cent of global funding for climate change research in the past 30 years has been spent on African topics.

The article says further that in addition to being the main sources of research funding, institutions based in Europe and North America receive 78 per cent of the funding for climate research on Africa, while African institutions received only 14.5 per cent.

Dr Adelheid Onyango, the Director of Universal Health Coverage/Healthier Populations Cluster at the WHO Africa Office, agrees with this finding, saying that the Global South continues to be pushed to the periphery when it comes to climate change research funding.

“We need to build upon the science by building our political savviness. Who are our negotiators?” posed Dr Onyango.

“The researchers must take on board the health, social and psychological impacts of what they are studying. They also need to include community voices and capture their lived experiences.”

Modi urged researchers to make their studies accessible to those meant to use it by the way they write them and by granting access to journals where these studies are published.

“Research needs to be designed with people going to use it in mind so that they can understand it. The users usually include policymakers, implementers and communities targeted in the research,” she said.

Paying tribute to midwives around the world

Liapeng Raliengoane: raliengoaneliapeng@yahoo.com

LESOTHO, Leribe – As the world commemorates the International Midwifery Day today, several interviews with midwives, village health workers and nursing mothers in the remotest areas of Leribe revealed that the midwives are instrumental in reducing maternal mortality and improving the overall health of mothers and new-borns in Lesotho.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), quality midwifery reduces maternal, new-born mortality and still birth rates by over 80% and reduces pre-term labour and birth by 24%.

International Midwifery Day is celebrated on 5^th May every year to raise awareness of the role of midwives and to meet the growing needs of more midwives around the world. This year’s theme is “Together again: from evidence to reality.”

The Maternal Death Review Report (2015), has shown that the highest number of maternal deaths occurred in Maseru at Queen ‘Mamohato Hospital where 102 women lost their lives as a result of complications of delivery or inadequate care during pregnancy. Additional figures came from Leribe and Berea with 25 and 19 lives lost respectively.

Currently working at St. Dennis Health Centre, Nurse Midwife Tlaleng Motaba indicated that she studied towards midwifery because she loved it since childhood. She started working as a midwife in 2019.

Midwife Motaba revealed that in the beginning she was scared of delivering babies but as time went on, she got used to it.

The most challenging incident she came across while assisting a mother to deliver was when one day she came across twins, the mother did not go for ultrasound scan beforehand.

“This situation scared both me and the delivering mother as she was not anticipating twins, but all went well, there were no complications both babies and their mother lived,” she said.

She also expressed a wish for midwives to be afforded an opportunity for refresher courses often. Her words of encouragement to other midwives is that they should love their job and also groom expecting and delivering mothers to do the right thing.

From Khabo Health Centre, Nurse Midwife Lahlewe Kao said growing up, she aspired to become a nurse and her dream came true. She started working at the facility in 2022 and has delivered about 15 to 20 babies and they were all alive.

Midwife Kao expressed that seeing both the mother and baby healthy post-delivery, is satisfactory to her and brings a lot of joy in her heart. That one challenge facing them is the shortage of staff.

She said the most challenging instant in her life was when one midnight she was helping a mother to deliver and came across a complication thus had to refer her to the hospital but none of the emergency ambulances were available.

In the end she got help from a villager’s personal car and the mother was taken to the hospital and was delivered. She said this was the most frustrating event she went through as she was worried about both the mother and the baby when her efforts to get a car proved futile.

To her fellow colleagues this International Midwifery Day, midwife Kao encourages them to work tirelessly in seeing that both the delivering mothers and their babies are safe in their hands.

Although midwifery is a career perceived by society to be for women, Lesotho has beaten this odd, as there are male midwives.

A Nurse Midwife working at Matlameng Health Centre Thabo Makhakhe made known that he became a midwife because he had never seen a male midwife and he wanted to be a trailblazer in that field. He started working as a midwife in 2019 and has delivered many healthy babies. His message to fellow colleagues today, is that they should always be positive.

Another Nurse Midwife from Matlameng Health Centre Teboho Makhebesela started working as a midwife in 2021. He said he became a midwife because he wanted to become “something big” in life as in his family there were no graduates at all he wanted to defeat the odds.

He explained that he has so far delivered about 20 babies. That he has realized that festive season, is the busiest season whereby many babies are delivered.

His words of encouragement to the fellow midwives is that midwifery is a closed book, that they should update their knowledge often, they should read a lot and also meet with other midwives to discuss the challenges they come across.

To other males who want to become midwives but succumb to societal beliefs, he encouraged them to pursue midwifery and never mind what people are saying. That they should be aware that every now and then, there is a baby born thus they will have job and a well-paying one for that matter.

A Nursing Mother from Thaba Phatšoa Ha Toboleloa ‘Mampho Raleting related that she got good health services from when she was pregnant, while giving birth and post-delivery. She marvelled at the support the midwives provided and continue to provide in her journey of motherhood.

A Village Heath Worker from Ha Toboleloa ‘Makelello Pitsi expressed joy over the work and services provided by the midwives. She said their dedication goes beyond their scope of work.

“Sometimes when delivering mothers have no clothes, or no money to go to Motebang hospital when they are referred there, the midwives provide them from their own pockets. I have seen it happen many times, they are the real-life savers in every sense of the word,” Pitsi revealed.

These interviews were conducted during a field trip supported by the United Nations Population Fund Lesotho (UNFPA) for journalists to conduct interviews in hard to reach clinics so as to write informed stories that highlight the role of midwives in saving the lives of mothers and babies and focusing on the critical role of midwives in reducing maternal and child mortality in the country.

A statement by UNFPA highlights that the midwives and people with midwifery skills are the main caregivers for women and their new-borns during pregnancy, labour, childbirth and in the post-delivery period, therefore, UNFPA stands in solidarity with midwives worldwide and expresses gratitude to them for the life-saving work they do. UNFPA’s theme for this day is “Actioning Evidence: Leading the Way to Enhance Quality Midwifery Care Globally.”

In over 125 countries, UNFPA advances midwifery by strengthening quality education, regulations and workforce policies, and building strong national associations of midwives.

In Lesotho, UNFPA supports the government through the Ministry of Health in advancing the midwifery curriculum and strengthening midwifery services as a strategy of reducing maternal deaths. It also supports training of midwives, emergency obstetric and neonatal care.