Sh31m airstrip set to uplift growth of tourism in region

Story by MICHAEL NJUGUNA
Publication Date: 3/27/2008

Light clouds scudded across the sky as Kenya Wildlife Service chief pilot Anthony Kiroken guided his 14-seater plane to a perfect landing at Lake Nakuru National Park’s new tarmac airstrip at exactly 9.50am.


The newly built 1.2 kilometre airstrip at the Lake Nakuru National Park which is expected to boost tourism in the Central and Southern Rift Valley. The airstrip cost Sh31 million and is 28 metres wide. Photo/ JOSEPH KIHERI

Among pilot Kiroken’s passengers were the KWS chief executive officer Julius Kipng’etich and several senior officials of the organisation.

On the ground to receive them were the KWS regional assistant director, Mrs Anne Kahihia, mayor David Gikaria and several councillors, the manager of Barclays Bank, Nakuru branch, Mr Daniel Muya, representatives of the hotel industry and civil aviation, among others.

There were also representatives of the provincial administration, manufacturing companies and the Kenya Army, Lanet.

Engineers and other officials of Adequate Machinery Construction Company which built the 1.2-kilometre long airstrip, at a cost of Sh31 million, were also at hand for the handing over ceremony.

The commissioning of the new Class ‘B’ airstrip was aptly described during speeches made later by leaders as a umbilical cord that will marshal the economic recovery in central Rift Valley and beyond.

Lake Nakuru National Park and other tourist destinations in the area were beset by the post-election violence, which saw the number of tourists drop by about 88 per cent in February.

But Mr Kipng’etich extolled the benefit of all the stakeholders pooling their producer resources to enable the country overcome the past misfortunes, get back on the track and focus on Vision 2030.

Mr Kipng’etich said that KWS was in the process of repositioning Kenya as a premium tourist destination by upgrading infrastructure in all the parks.

Protected parks

He said the new all-weather airstrip, the best in central and southern Rift Valley, would turn the area into an investment hub and open up the picturesque sceneries and rustic resorts that spread all the way from Hell’s Gate in Naivasha, Lake Bogoria, Menengai Crater and the Maasai Mara.

Tourists will now be able to fly to Nakuru from Mombasa, the Maasai Mara and most of the other protected parks in the country, where the KWS is upgrading airstrips. Among the parks, where the KWS is to upgrade airstrips is Ruma in Suba, Mt Elgon, Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Meru National Park and Mweiga.

The KWS is also to provide an aircraft to each of its eight regions and allocate more sites for new lodges in the protected parks.

Lake Nakuru National Park has two lodges – the Lake Nakuru Lodge and Sarova Lion Hill. Tariffs will also be reviewed to ensure that the country reaps maximum benefit from its rich wildlife. He cited the case of Rwanda where tourists pay $500 to watch gorillas for an hour.

In Kenya, Mr Kipng’etich said, tourists pay only $40 to watch the big five and other animals and birds for 24 hours.

He said that while the KWS was determined to make Kenya one of the best tourist destinations, the other stakeholders, including local authorities such as Nakuru municipality, must wake up from complacency and play their part in the burgeoning national and international tourism arena.

Economic driver

Mr Kipng’etich said that sectors such as agriculture had reached a plateau and tourism had taken over as the key economic driver.
‘‘You must see each planeload of tourists landing here as a source of employment and market for agricultural produce. The hotels will need eggs, vegetables and other foodstuff. This airstrip is a national resource and you must make the best out of it,’’ Mr Kipng’etich told his listeners, who included farmers from the neighbouring Naishi farms.

Mr Kipng’etich said the new airstrip would play a key role in increasing visits to Lake Nakuru National Park and consequently raise revenue for KWS, lodges in the park and hotels in Nakuru Town.

He said the aviation industry would be an increasingly important means of transport for tourists, especially in areas where the road network was poor.

An engineer told the Nation that the 1.2km long, 18m wide airstrip was suitable for domestic use, ‘‘but even a jumbo can land here in case of an emergency’’.

Naishi section of the park, where the airstrip was built, has the offices of the Rhino Sanctuary protection base managed by KWS. It was here that the first rhinos from Solio Ranch in Laikipia were held in an enclosure and fed for several days before being released into the wild.

Another 10 white rhinos from South Africa were received at the same place in 1994, leading to the growth of the current breeding herd estimated at over 100 animals.
The new airstrip will certainly be a boon to tourist facilities that have not attracted large numbers of visitors.

Such facilities include the Lord Egerton Castle in Njoro, the Hyrax pre-historic site on the western side of the town and the 90 square kilometres Menengai Crater to the north.

Tourist to the Nakuru sites will also be able to visit the famous Thomson’s Falls in Nyahururu Town, which is about 60km from the Rift Valley provincial capital. Mountain climbers can enjoy a thrilling time at Hell’s Gate National Park. This is one of the few protected parks in the country where visitors are allowed to walk along nature trails or use bicycles.

Several species

While at Hell’s Gate, tourists will have the opportunity of visiting the Joy Adamson’s Centre and later take a boat ride on Lake Naivasha.
The almost hidden crater lake, which has also been attracting small numbers of tourists, is likely to record higher numbers of visitors.

Currently, visitors travelling between Nairobi and Nakuru by road have the opportunity to enjoy the scenic Rift Valley and the various species of birds at Lake Elmentaita.

Ornithologists have recorded as many as 40,000 flamingoes at Lake Elmentaita, which also has a pelican breeding island near part of the lake bordering Lord Delamere’s Soysambu ranch.

Residents of Maji Tamu have also been trying to establish a conservancy around Lake Solai, tucked away below the hills, about 30km from Nakuru Town.
Lake Solai has several hundred species of birds, including the Egyptian geese, weaver birds and the African Jacana.

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=39&newsid=119872

Exceptional gathering at Shoe4Africa Peace Run

Never at a Kenyan race has there been such a galaxy of International stars from past, present & future.

It was a day of joyous celebration on Saturday in Iten, Kenya at the Shoe4Africa Peace run. Over 560 school girls came out to run a 4km peace run powered by Leppin.

The story of the day was the amazing turnout of Kenya’s international stars who, led by Douglas Wakiihuri and Luke Kibet, World champions in the marathon, walked through Iten town on an athlete’s parade of peace with all the children singing and dancing behind, walking behind shouting Amani Kenya (Peace in Kenya) Shoe4Africa Run for Peace.

All were dressed in yellow T-shirts. There was hugging, crying and dancing not only from the children, but also from the athletes, many of which had not seen each other in decades.

Priscah Jepteling was the winner of the girls’ race, flagged off by Nyandika Maiyoro and Wilson Kiprugut, the first Kenyan to run in the Olympics and the first Kenyan to win an Olympic medal.

Chris Cheboiboch & Timothy Cherigat, a Boston runner-up and a Boston winner, were rabbits to lead the girls on pace. Holding the finishers tape were the flag bearers Wakiihuri, a Kikuyu, and Kibet from the Kalenjin.

As the runners passed the finish line, all the stars handed a pair of running shoes to all of the runners, exercise books and pencils too.

At the awards ceremony Amos Biwott, the man who won the first steeplechase Olympic Gold handed out a new windows vista laptop computer to Kiptingo Primary school, money for books went to the second prize school, awarded by Moses Kiptanui, and Moses Tanui gave out a similar prize for Kamariny Primary.

Another legend of the sport, Olympic steeplechase champion Matthew Birir was on hand to give out the sports watches to the top three individual finishers.

All the international athletes introduced themselves, the crowds sang, and the day ended on a fitting note as Douglas Wakiihuri was embraced by the crowds as he came up and taught the school children a song he had written in the local Kalenjin tongue.

The area MP Mr. Cheptwony, and the acting District Commissioner, were also in attendance.

Toby Tanser for the IAAF

Athletes in attendance:

Daniel Komen World Champion 1997
Matthew Birir Olympic Steeplechase Champion 1992
Moses Tanui World Champion 10,000 & Half Marathon
Moses Kiptanui Three time world champion steeplechase Olympic silver
Kimutai Kosgei Amsterdam Marathon champion, Boston runners up
Timothy Cherigat Boston Marathon Champion 2004
Luke Kibet World Marathon Champion 2007
Lornah Kiplagat World champion cross country, double world champion road
Chris Cheboiboch Fastest ever runner up at the New York Marathon
William Koila former world best junior 1500m record
John Yuda World half and world cross country silver medallist
Mike Boit Olympic Bronze 1972, Commonwealth Games Gold 1982
Paul Koech World Half Marathon Champion 1999
Ben Maiyo Second place Boston Marathon
Janeth “Eldoret Express” Jepkosgei World 800m champion 2007
Ezekiel Kemboi Olympic Steeplechase Champion 2004
Japheth Kimutai Commonwealth Games Champion 800m 1998
Douglas Wakiihuri World Marathon Champion 1987, Olympic Silver 1988
Nyandika Maiyoro First Ever Kenyan to run in the Olympics
Wilson Kiprugut First Olympic medalist for Kenya bronze 1964 800 (and 1968 Silver)
John Litei Commonwealth Games bronze 2006 800m
Fred Kiprop, 2:06 Amsterdam Marathon
Katui Kipkemboi, Asian Games Silver 5000
Duncan Cheruiyot ParaOlmpics two gold 22004
Sylvia Kibet African Games & African Championships bronze medallist
James Kosgei Road Racer of the year four times
Luke Kipkosgei Internationalist
Rebbie Koech Internationalist
Peter Tanui Internationalist
Christopher Koskei World Champion 1999 Steeplechase
Paul Cherop Internationalist 1970’s
Sammy Maritim Internationalist 10,000 1970’s
Ben Kogo Olympic Games Silver 1968
Fatwell Kimaiyo Kenyan record holder 110m hurdles
Rose Tata First Kenyan lady to run in the World Championships
Kefah Kerero 2:13 marathon
Jonah Birir 5th Olympic 1500
David Kiptoo 1:43 800m Internationalist
Yobes Ondieki World record 10,000 1993
Hosea Rotich Fastest ever marathon on Kenyan soil
Joyce Chepchumba Olympic Bronze Marathon 2000
Amos Biwott Olympic Gold Steeplechase 1968

[http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=44080.html]

The struggle for education: Selina's story


Women often walk long distances, up to six miles in each direction, in search of water in the arid Pokot environment. Photo: Stephen Speakman/CWS
March 23, 2007


By Stephen Speakman, CWS Eastern Africa


Selina is a twenty-year-old woman living in West Pokot, Kenya. She also is one of three females in her community who completed high school this year. For Selina, graduating from high school is a major accomplishment. Not only has she successfully completed her academic work, but her journey has included overcoming a cultural attitude in West Pokot that does not value education for women.

When Selina was in upper primary school (equivalent to middle school in the U.S. system), her father wanted to marry her to an older man. Many men in the West Pokot community think of their daughters as a source of income for their household. When a man comes to the home intending to marry the girl, he will bring the father thirty or forty cows in exchange.

Despite her father’s intentions to give her away in marriage, Selina was resolute in her desire to receive an education. She, along with two other girls, decided that they did not want to be like other girls in their community who were married at an early age and who were not valued by the society. Instead, the girls committed themselves to completing high school.

"We told ourselves," says Selina, "'If we stay in the same condition as our mothers, what can we do for this community? It is better for us to finish Form 4 [the final year of high school] and help our community – help the community to be seen as one of people looking forward.'"

When asked how she managed to convince her father not to give her away in marriage, Selina recounts how she told her father that, no matter what he did to her, she would not marry.

"I told my father that there is time for everything. If you want those cows [that the man is offering for a dowry], I can bring you more than the number you want from this person [after I receive my education]. I told him that this person [whom he intends me to marry] will limit my life. If he is not educated, what benefit is there for me to be married to him?"

Realizing Selina's determination to receive an education, her father relented and sold a cow to allow Selina to attend at least her first year of high school.
Even after this first victory, Selina's journey to graduation was not easy. For many people living in Kenya, the prospect of receiving an education beyond Standard 8 (8th grade) is grim due to the cost of school fees. Although the government made reforms in 2002 that initiated free primary education for all Kenyans, secondary school fees remain an expense that many Kenyans, especially those people living in rural areas such as West Pokot, cannot easily afford.

Despite this difficulty, and despite her father's limited support, Selina would not be deterred. "Other girls, they hear what their parents say—that their home doesn’t have enough cows to allow their children to be educated," Selina notes. "But we [in our group] didn't see that as a problem that would hinder us from reaching Form 4. We said, 'If this is the problem that will hinder us from being educated, we can look for other ways to assist in our education.'"

For Selina, that assistance came through the financial support of other members of the community. To help Selina meet her school fees, her church conducted a fundraiser to create a base of financial support. She also received a government grant designed to assist capable students in needy communities. Selina is grateful for the way in which people in the community responded to her desire to receive an education. "For me who has received education, I have not been limited," she said. "The community gave to me; now I will give back."

If her test results are good, Selina plans to attend college so that she can do just that—give back to her community. She did not hesitate when asked her dreams for the future—she wants to become either a teacher or a nurse. Whatever she becomes, she intends to return to her community to show them the power of education to improve their lives.

"We always told people in the community that, if God wills, you will see what we can bring to you as educated people," she says. "If I qualify as a teacher, I will come to this place and teach. I will talk about the problems that I passed to get this education, and I will tell girls the benefit of education. If I become a nurse, I will combat malaria. I will tell my people how to prevent it. Most of the people here don't know, but me, a girl who is from this place, will come and teach them, tell them in my own language."

Selina has a younger sister who is in Standard 6 (6th grade). Selina says that she is ready to fight for her sister’s education. "I told my sister, 'If our father told you anything that would lead you to forget about your education, listen to me instead.'" And what is her message?

"Education is very important. Without education, there is no life."
In West Pokot, Kenya, CWS partner Yang'at has completed phase one of a project designed to provide assistance to the women and children, like Selina, who often are marginalized. Since women and children spend much of their time during the day fetching water in the arid Pokot environment, Yang'at's project is designed to use the vital issue of water access as an entry point for still further development.
Through the construction of sand dams, Yang'at has reduced the amount of time and the amount of effort women and children must use in fetching water for their households. With the "extra time" during the day, children are able to attend school and women, with skills training from Yang'at, are able to begin smallscale income generating activities.

Yang'at also is actively involved in challenging the local perceptions that hinder women's development. Through sensitization meetings and workshops, Yang’at highlights how traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and early marriage hinder a girl's ability to reach her full potential.

For more information about Yang'at and the work they are carrying out in West Pokot, please read "Kenya: Pokot women challenge local perceptions"

http://churchworldservice.org/news/archives/2007/03/653.html

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net

Kenya: Pokot women challenge local perceptions

By Stephen Speakman, CWS Eastern Africa

The word Yang'at means "to care" in the local language of the Pokot. For the women and men working with the Yang'at Girl Child Potential Sensitization Group, in Kenya, this mission "to care" is a deeply personal passion.


In 1999, four Pokot women founded Yang'at as an organization dedicated to improve access to education for girls in their home area of West Pokot. All four women had completed their university education, and they understood the importance of education in their lives. Yet, they also understood that in West Pokot most women are not afforded the opportunity to attend school due to a cultural attitude that does not value female education.

In traditional Pokot culture, young girls around the age of twelve are married off to older men after having gone through a female circumcision rite that enters them into "adulthood." Because of this practice of early marriage, and because the cultural attitude that does not value education for women, these girls are unable to continue their schooling. Instead, they are forced to drop out of school to begin their work serving the household. This situation has resulted in high levels of illiteracy among women and a complete lack of access to means of improving their economic status.

Seeing the state of women in West Pokot and knowing the power of education to have a positive impact on a person's life, CWS partner Yang'at decided that something needed to be done within these communities to effect a change. "We started this organization to care about the girl child and women, because they are the most marginalized ones in the district," says Deborah Katina, Yang'at coordinator.


During the dry season, women dig into the sand to fetch the water that the subsurface dam has stored. Photo: Stephen Speakman/CWS

Katina describes the role of women in West Pokot as being like that of donkeys—doing the heavy manual labor such as fetching water from long distances, upwards of ten kilometers in one direction. "Women walk long distances, so they don’t have time for other economic activities," she says. One Pokot woman, Rael Lokoryese, tells of leaving her home at three o'clock in the morning to fetch water. She would leave at three, she says, because the water point was far away. It would take her five hours to walk the twenty kilometers (around twelve miles) necessary to bring water back to her home, and she needed to return to the house with water by eight o'clock so that she could begin to fix porridge for her family's breakfast.

In addition to shouldering the burden of physical labor, women and girls are marginalized in other ways such as by the cultural attitude of men which sees girls only as a source of wealth for the family.

"When a girl is around twelve years old," says Katina, "she goes through female genital mutilation, after which she will be married off immediately. The father will get a dowry after he marries out the girl at twelve years old. He can get thirty or forty cows, so he looks at the girl as a source of wealth."

Water projects have been one way that Yang'at has looked to change these detrimental mindsets and behaviors that lead to women being marginalized within Pokot communities. With funding from Church World Service, Yang'at constructed six sub-surface dams (sand dams) in various locations in West Pokot in 2005 and 2006.

When these dams fill with sand during the flow of water during the rainy season, the sand holds water that otherwise would simply run off or evaporate due to the scorching Pokot sun. With these dams in place, women are able to come to the river bed, scoop into the sand, and find water rather than walking for hours in search of the life-sustaining resource.

In times of severe water shortage, a pipe at the bottom of the dam bed can be opened, allowing community members access to the water stored in the bottom of the dam. As community ownership is a critical issue for all CWS projects, the local people contributed labor and stones for the projects. With project completion, the management of the dams has been turned over to local people who Yang'at trained to handle the project maintenance.

With water close to communities, women and girls who once spent large portions of their day in search of water have time to invest in other ventures such as businesses or attending school. To help women capitalize on this opportunity, Yang'at trains women in small scale income generating activities such as beekeeping and bead-making. The money that the women make is one way to demonstrate to the communities that a woman’s worth is not only in dowry payments or as manual labor. According to Katina, when community members see Pokot women bringing improvements to their communities, they see that girls are important and can do something productive in their society.

When communities see that the project has eased the burden of fetching water and has improved household income, they become more willing to listen to Yang'at's message that women have a valuable role to play in the community. Through sensitization meetings, Yang’at works to encourage communities to change these longstanding cultural mindsets. Yang'at's work shows that Pokot woman can become educated and use their knowledge to benefit the entire community.

The Yang'at staff members, volunteering their time and energy to the people of West Pokot, are living examples of what Pokot women can accomplish when given the opportunity to succeed.

"The members of Yang'at, all of us are from this area—from Pokot," comments Katina. "All of us have gotten our education, and when we are doing this work, we are acting as role models. We are working so that communities can see that women can produce something for their community."

For a more detailed look into the challenges facing one Pokot girl to receive an education, please read "The struggle for education: Selina's story."

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net jdragin@gis.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

[http://www.churchworldservices.org/news/archives/2007/03/652.html]

STATE 'SANCTIONED' KENYAN CLASHES


Some 1,500 people died in unrest after disputed poll results
The BBC has learnt of allegations of state-sanctioned violence in Kenya during the turmoil that followed last December's disputed presidential poll.

Sources allege that meetings were hosted at the official residence of the president between the banned Mungiki militia and senior government figures.
The aim was to hire them as a defence force in the Rift Valley to protect the president's Kikuyu community.

The government denied the allegations, calling them "preposterous".
"No such meetings took place at State House or any government office," the government said in a statement posted on its website.

Such "unfounded lies" are "injurious to the president, government and the people of Kenya", the statement said.


The allegations come as parliament is due to open on Thursday preparing the way for a new coalition government.

Although parliament's focus will be on healing ethnic divisions and creating a coalition government - allegations of state involvement with a banned Kikuyu militia, known as Mungiki, will not go ignored, the BBC's Karen Allen in Nairobi says.
She says there is growing suspicion that some of the violence that led to 1,500 people being killed and hundreds of thousands displaced was orchestrated by both sides of the political divide.

Gangs with machetes

The BBC source, who is a member of the Kikuyu tribe and who is now in hiding after receiving death threats, alleged: "Three members of the gang met at State House... and after the elections and the violence the militias were called again and they were given a duty to defend the Kikuyu in Rift Valley and we know they were there in numbers."

Non-Kikuyu homes in Naivasha were ransacked and set alight
On the weekend of 25 January, the Rift Valley towns of Nakuru and then Naivasha were the focus of the some of the worst post-election violence.

Eyewitnesses spoke of non-Kikuyu homes being marked, then gangs with machetes - who they claim were Mungiki - attacked people who were from other ethnic groups.
Sources inside the Mungiki have told the BBC that it was a renegade branch of the outfit that was responsible for violence, not them.

A policeman who was on duty at the time, who has spoken to the BBC on condition of anonymity, has also pointed to clear signs of state complicity.

He alleges that in the hours before the violence in Nakuru, police officers had orders not to stop a convoy of minibus taxis, called "matatus", packed with men when they arrived at police checkpoints.

"When we were there... I saw about 12 of them [matatus] packed with men," he said.
"There were no females... I could see they were armed.

"We were ordered not to stop the vehicles to allow them to go."
The current and previous minister for internal security have both been invited to respond to the allegations. So far they have declined to do so.

The allegations come at a time of growing concern that there was pre-planned violence on both sides of the political fence, in the aftermath of Kenya's disputed election result.

The International Crisis Group has already raised such concerns and Human Rights Watch is expected to publish its report making similar claims shortly.
There are plans to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the coming weeks to examine claims of election violence.

The allegations are likely to be among the themes investigated by a commission created to address the issue of post-election skirmishes.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7279149.stm