Kenyan patriots at work

I have several reasons to be optimistic about the future of Kenya. One of the main reasons for this optimism is that I am aware that the country is full of patriots, good women and men, intelligent people with integrity who are all working, in their own way in their own fields, to build the country and empower the people of the country. On Saturday the 1st of September I attended two very different functions that illustrated this for me. One function was organised by a group outside the establishment the second function by a group right at the heart of the establishment. Both groups are full of patriots who are concerned for Kenya and the well being for Kenyans.

The 1st of September was the day Kibaki was due to have a presidential campaign fund raising lunch with 1000 people who would each pay KSH 1,000,000.00 (EUR 10,450.00) for the privilege of eating with the president. In response to this civil society under the banner of the Kenya Human Rights Network (K-HURINET) decided to hold a counter event at Jeevanjee Gardens in heart of Nairobi’s CBD to remind the president that most of his fellow citizens would have to work for decades to earn KSH 1,000,000 and can hardly afford to spend KSH 100.00 for lunch amongst other things.

The format of the public meeting at Jeevanjee Gardens was empowering. Instead of having one or two people dominate the gathering it was all very inclusive and equal. In the days before the meeting members of K-HURINET had gone around to various civil society groups to ask them what issues they wanted to highlight on the day. They then printed posters with each of those messages.

At Jeevanjee everyone picked up the poster that represented their position, we all then stood in a circle and people spoke in turn highlighting what they felt was important.

As the representative from the Kenya Human Rights Commission said civil society was not there to speak for people but to give people the opportunity to speak for themselves.

Many more full size pictures are on my Flickr page.

After Jeevanjee I walked across town to the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, a building at the heart of the establishment. In the days of the Moi dictatorship it held the headquarters of KANU, then the ruling party, today it hosts several government institutions such as the Office of the Government Spokesman. On this Saturday it was the venue of Amaranth Awareness Forum organized by the Poverty Eradication Commission.

Amaranth is a fantastic crop full of nutritional and medicinal goodness. It also enhances soil fertility and the stock can be used as livestock feed. Equally as important, it is economically viable.

Amaranth takes three/four months from planting to harvest. That means in one year you can get three harvests. From one harvest from one acre you can earn KSH 25,000.00 – KSH 30,000.00. This means in one year you can earn KSH 75,000.00 in profit from one acre of Amaranth. Compare this with maize and sugarcane. Maize takes 8 months from planting to harvest. From one acre most farmers will earn KSH 25,000.00 which after they have paid their costs comes down to KSH 15,000.00 from each acre per harvest. In one year you will have made KSH 15,000.00 from your acre.

Sugarcane takes 24 months from planting to harvest (theoretically it is meant to take 18 months but in reality it usually takes 24 months.) After those 24 months you will make KSH 90,000.00 if you are lucky. KSH 45,000.00 per year. Once you reduce your costs it comes down to KSH 30,000.00 per acre per year for sugarcane.*

From this it is clear to see why the Poverty Eradication Commission is pushing Amaranth. However, Amaranth is a delicate crop so measures have to be employed to ensure a successful harvest. The commission invited expert farmers to share their experiences and tips with other farmers who were considering planting amaranth or those whose crops had performed poorly. PEC also invited commercial partners to illustrate to farmers that there is a market available for their crop if they did choose to grow Amaranth. PEC was providing an opportunity for people to transform their lives.

Two groups, K-HURINET and PEC. One outside the establishment, the other working under the Ministry of Planning. Both have their critics, both have their supporters. Both working to build the country. Encouraging both groups have embarked on tours across Kenya spreading their knowledge.

There are good people in our country doing fantastic things.

(*These are average figures, yes there are some people who earn a lot more, but they are many more who earn a lot less from their maize and sugarcane.)