Hope and water in Kenya

Oasis of hope

By Arik Karani, communications intern, AMREF HQ

It is mid-day at Basil market in Kajiado District, in Kenyas Rift Valley Province. Several Masaai men adorned in colourful red and black checked traditional clothing stand in the scotching sun, waiting to sell their cattle at the Ilbisil slaughter house. Most of them have been here for hours. Many look tired and thirsty, their animals weak and thin. The pastoralists are desperate to sell their malnourished herds before they succumb to the current drought.

As a dust storm settles, some of them can be heard discussing in low tones about the unfair cattle prices that most slaughter-houses are offering. Members of this pastoralist community do not grow food, instead relying entirely on their animals for their livelihoods.

But the price of cattle has plummeted to an all-time low due to the drought. One man wonders how he will be able to feed his family with the little he gets after the sale. A cow that was worth Ksh20,000 (£159) is currently selling for as little as Kshs500 (£2.88-£3.40).

At one corner outside the slaughter house, women sit patiently, quietly, waiting for the men to finish their sales and give them money to buy food for the evening meal.

Mzee Ayirwa Ole Sadamaki is one of those waiting to sell his animals. His family waits close by - three wives and nine children. Mzee Sadamaki has brought 39 head of cattle to sell so that he can buy food for his family.

As the sun reaches its hottest, the abattoir officials announce that they will not buy any more animals today, because they are too thin. But Sadamaki is lucky; his cows are accepted for sale.

The other men who are not so lucky will have to take their cattle back home. The weak ones will be left behind to die.

As Sadamaki stashes the money into his pocket, he sighs with relief; at least his family will have money to buy food for a few more weeks. He is also glad that water is no longer a worry for him, thanks to the Enkaroni borehole constructed with the help of AMREF not too far away from his home. As he looks at his family, he is glad that his wives and children will not have to trek many kilometres in the scorching heat in search of water.

The current drought, largely brought on by poor rainfall in the last few years, has seen the loss of large numbers of livestock and the livelihoods of thousands of pastoralists in Kenyas arid and semi-arid areas. Today, the Enkaroni borehole in Kajiado serves over 4,000 people and around 6,000 cattle every day, acting as an oasis of hope for the people living in the area.

As the drought persists, increasing numbers of people and their animals have become dependent on the Enkaroni borehole, with many coming for water from as far away as Ilbisil and Enkaroni townships, about 30km apart.

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And then there was water

By Christine Misiko, communications intern, AMREF HQ

Jackson Ntipapa, 32, leans on his walking stick and scans the dry sandy horizon, then turns his gaze back to his herd of cows. A small column of dust whirls around him, but he doesnt move. There has been no rain for over three years now, and an acute drought has hit his home area of Gulului in Kajiado, in Kenyas Rift Valley Province.

Most of the people from his village and neighbouring villages have moved away in search of pasture for their animals. But Jackson is staying. As the other men in his family moved away with their animals in search of pasture and water, Jackson was chosen to remain behind with a few animals and to keep them going until the next rainy season. Also left behind were children, women and the aged.

Animals are our livelihood; they come first, says Jackson. If there is not enough pasture for us all, then some of us have to move, he adds. He explains that the Maasai community would not sit back and watch their animals die due to lack of pasture; they would move with their animals even if they knew the animals might die on the way in search of it.

Sixty per cent of the animals in the areas that AMREF works in Namanga and Kajiado Districts have died since the drought began, forcing the pastoralist community to sell their animals at throw-away prices, sometimes as little as Ksh500 (£2.80) per cow or Ksh100 (80p) for a goat. The usual rate for a cow is between Ksh15, 000 (£112) and Ksh20,000 (£155), while a goat sells for Ksh1,000 (£7.30). Those who are well off buy grass and animal feeds for the few animals they have remaining.

I had 150 cows before they started dying, but now I only have 100 left. Without enough pasture to feed his cows, Jackson has had to sell some of his animals so that he can supplement the supplies of relief food he receives from the government. We are given four kilos of maize per household. It is not enough and does not last more than a day, he says.

Jacksons extended family has 50 members, yet relief food is only given to two people per family. Besides, we have to walk 5km to get the relief food, starting our journey as early as 4am, he adds. Traditionally the Maasai community does not practice farming, and even when they do, the crops are often destroyed by wild animals.

Jackson smiles and says: But thanks to AMREF, at least we have water. We used to walk 7km to River Rombo in search of water and pasture for our animals. Sometimes the animals died on the way and we too got so tired and at times fell ill.

The Gulului borehole was constructed by the Kajiado County Council, but was neglected for several years. In 1997, AMREF, with the participation of the community, rehabilitated the borehole to provide safe and adequate water for domestic and livestock use. The borehole serves about 1,000 people. The communitys involvement ensures that the project will continue to run even after AMREF withdraws its support.

To date, AMREF has initiated 37 water and sanitation projects in Kajiado District, always with the involvement of the community. Besides teaching the villagers how to maintain the boreholes, AMREF also explains how they can avoid waterborne diseases and the importance of personal hygiene.
Jacksons eyes light up as he looks around and explains the benefits of the project to his community.

Before the borehole was constructed in my village, we suffered from waterborne diseases such as typhoid and diarrhoea because of the dirty water we were using from River Rombo. Now members of my family rarely have such problems because the water is clean.

The water in River Rombo is highly contaminated with pesticides due to irrigation upstream. And it is further contaminated by people bathing and animals drinking.

* African Medical and Research Foundation