POPE'S MESSAGE ON ENVIRONMENT SHOULD BE EMBRACED

By Maritim Evans

Pope Francis not only brought the word of God to Kenya, but also a strong message on environmental conservation. He dedicated his precious time to talk about environment at United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) headquarters and the need to embrace and encouarge the commitment of international agencies and civil society organisations that draw public attention to environmental issues.

Kenyans should at least pick something from the Pontiff’s message. Our continued destruction of our forests should come to an end. Mau Forest for instance, has been in the headline for a while now but our politicians continue to use it for political gains.

As Pope said, every step we take whether large or small, individual or collective we should at all cost be resposible in matters environment.

Pope preached dialogue with responsible cooperation among the political authorities, the scientific community, the business world and civil society. The cooperation among these bodies cannot be overlooked as it can bring positive change as we try to conserve our natural surrounding.

This much-needed change of course cannot take place without a substantial commitment to education and training. Nothing will happen unless political and technical solutions are accompanied by a process of education which proposes new ways of living as the Pontiff said.

The government should also seriously play its role without fear or favour as it is the custodian of our environment and natural resources.

We need to ensure that our institutions are truly effective and sustainable, as future generations will still need to live in a good environment we are trying to conserve today.

Pope’s message is timely as it comes at a time when the world leaders are in Paris for 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The conference objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world.

The conference is an extension of Kyoto Protocol singned in 1997. The Protocol commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, based on the premise that global warming exists and man-made carbon emissions have caused it.

His message on envoironment in Kenya is also important as the world prepares for Habitat-III Conference to be held in Quito, Ecuador, in october 2016.

POLITICIANS SHOULD STOP POLITICISING MAU COMPLEX ISSUE

By Maritim Evans

It is high time politicians should stop politicising the Mau Forest issue and do something worth for us to conserve the forest which is a lifeline for many people across Kenya and beyond. 

Kenya is privileged to have such a big water tower in East Africa and her efforts to conserve it cannot be gainsaid.

The immense value of the forest cannot be underestimated. The ecological services that the Mau Complex provides are estimated to have an annual market value of USD 1.3 billion, supporting Kenya’s most important economic sectors including energy, tourism, and agriculture.

Besides that the forest acts as a natural source of water for many urban centers in Kenya, forming the upper catchment of 12 rivers and feeding five major lakes, including Lake Victoria, the source of the River Nile.

This means that conserving the forest will not only benefit Kenyans, but also Egyptians who mainly depend on water from the Nile for irrigation.

Mau Forest Complex 

Alarming statistics that the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) released in 2011 almost sparked a furious row between Kenya and Egypt.

UNEP revealed that almost a quarter of Mau has been encroached for settlements, illegal resource extraction such as logging and charcoal production, and the change in land use from forest to large-scale tea plantations and smallholder agriculture including change in ownership from public to private. This has taken a toll on the rivers and lakes that depend on the forest catchment area.

In 2008, the inauguration of the Sondu-Miriu hydro power plant was postponed due to low water levels that are said to be resulting from the destruction of the forest.

Despite the huge resources that the country draws from the forest, the Ogiek community has cultural and spiritual attachment to the forest.

Eviction of Mau illegal settlers began in 2005, but the approach used could not work.  The government should not have evicted tens of thousands people while it had no place to settle them.

While it is important to conserve the forest, the illegal inhabitants should be properly settled after eviction.

Even as the eviction and conservation of the forest continue, awareness campaigns should be carried out to teach people the importance of conserving the forest. Resettlement also should not be used as a bait by politicians to win votes.

WHY HELB FINDS IT HARD TO FUND STUDENTS ON TIME

By Maritim Evans

Perhaps students demanding for Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) funds would have waited a little longer to give time the board to realign its budget as it prepares to fund more students this year.

Enrolment in universities has been increasing over the past three years and the board has been under pressure to fund the increasing number of students who are admitted to public universities.

Despite that, loan defaulters have not been able to pay the loan in time prompting the board to seek alternative source of money to fund other students who are studying in various universities across the country.

It is not business as usual this year in the board since it used a lot of money from donors including the World Bank last year. The board had stayed for few months before it funded first applicants last year. Some of the students who applied for the funds then had to wait until almost mid this year in order to get the loan from the board.

University students preparing to demonstrate. PHOTO/COURTESY 

Statistics available on the Helb website show that more than 110,000 students applied for the loans at the end of last year, up from the 2013 figure of 65,000, while government capitation has been rising relatively slowly.

Out of the 110,000 first-time applicants, only around half, 65,000, qualified for loans, but not all would get the money.

In the last financial year that ended in July Helb had sought US$170 million from the government as capitation, but received only US$28.3 million, a decrease of 15% of the request.

Further statistics show that the loans agency has targeted raising the student financing budget four-fold from the current US$63.5 million to US$224.7 million in 2018.

Only 10 in 100 loan defaulters have been able to pay back the money to the board. This makes it hard for the board to finance the incoming students thus making it look for another source of money.

University education in Kenya, a 2009 World Bank report showed, is among the most expensive in the region. With over 50% of Kenyan households considered poor, most parents and guardians require supplementary funding to keep their children in class.

In conclusion, the government should allocate more funds to the board so that it can fund ever-increasing number of students joining universities every year in time.

HOW POLITICIANS ENSURE THERE IS A POLITICAL TOPIC EVERY SEASON

By Maritim Evans
In political world, there must be a topic of discussion from the day elections end until the time elections will be held again.

Politicians know how to play cards well even in a scenario where there is no political talk they make sure they have one.

In Kenya, this is common and opposition leaders are good in doing this. They make sure that everything that government does is criticised.  Let me substantiate this by bringing in a myriad of political talks that were obviously generated by the opposition just from no where and become the talk of the day for months. Let me reflect on political talks that have taken place for the past 15 months.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga went to the United States for two months in May last year, a period considered by some people as his political interlude. He came back while he was reloaded and demanded various things from the Jubilee one being dialogue to address a ‘key’ issues among them security and disbandment of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

The government did not give in to opposition’s demands and that led to the political talk that took some months, referendum titled Okoa Kenya. It gained momentum when governors also launched their referendum beat dubbed Pesa Mashinani. This also went silent after sometimes.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga (centre) and Cord Co-principals when they launched a referendum move dubbed 'Okoa Kenya'. PHOTO/COURTESY

Also in December last year, the government announced that 500 acres of illegally acquired land in Lamu County be revoked and land be given back to the locals. That rekindled a hot debate with opposition questioning the motive behind the revocation of the said land titles.

Security has been a standby topic of discussion incase another issue fails to emerge. What has been capturing opposition’s attention is the manner in which the government is failing to tell possible terror threat through its intelligent.

Land grabbing is another big political issue that has been discussed for quite a while now with opposition accusing Deputy President William Ruto for being a ‘key player in land grabbing’ in the country.

The recent sugar deal between Kenya and Uganda has not just been a political talk, but an opportunity seized by the opposition leader Raila Odinga to attack the DP William Ruto.

NAIROBIANS HAVING HARD TIME OBSERVING BEAUTIFICATION RULES

By Maritim Evans

Nairobians thought they were not supposed to step on grass just because United States President Barack Obama was expected in town.

Nairobians did not know that Nairobi County Government under the leadership of Governor Evans Kidero had decided to embellish the city and revive its previous name, the City in the Sun.

About ten days before the United States President landed in the country, Nairobi County Government embarked on a serious beautification process that saw every space on the main highways filled with overnight-flower-beds.

The beautification captured the attention of international media houses with Ugandan leading newspapers, The New Vision and Daily Monitor, reporting that Nairobi was running against time to embellish the city before the world most powerful man landed in the city. 

The county government has not relented in making sure that the city is clean perhaps to shield the debate that went viral just before the arrival of Obama that the city was being beautified just because he was coming to Kenya.

Yesterday, 71 people were arrested by county Askaris because they were found stepping on the grass or crossing restricted flower gardens on major highways in Nairobi.

This man was caught stepping on grass planted along Uhuru Highway, Nairobi.

The arrest of the people rekindled a heated debate on social media with many supporting the move by the county government to arrest the law-breakers and some questioning the logic behind arrest of several individuals just because they stepped on grass.

It may not be business as usual at the city as long as the grass is still intact.

In the past, no one was allowed to sit on benches meant to safeguard flowers from being stepped on.  That ended after sometimes after the county government took charge of the city cleanness. That was Nairobi of five years ago.

There was a time Nairobi was ranked the cleanest city in Africa. That name really portrayed Nairobi well, but after sometimes the city became one of the dirtiest cities in the world. Even places near parliament buildings and office of the president were just equal to some places at the outskirts of the city.