Msambweni Nomad

Groups progress report-December-2010

2011-01-04T02:47:00.000-08:00

Introduction:
The groups’ response in the month of December-2010 was overwhelmingly positive, given that we had a slow start at Likoni in the month of November-2010.
Having explained the process, procedure and the delivery strategy to all the groups I met, it occurred to some groups that some old practices, mentality change and a paradigm shift altogether has to take place in order to embrace this new, yet familiar work regime & rhythms to forge a head together.

Likoni:
With the cooperation of the Likoni OVC care Counselors we managed to set out a timeframe for each locality and are now following through to ensure that the meetings do indeed take place at the appointed time.
However we managed to visit and hold meetings with 6 groups as follows:
• Tunusuru shg - Mrima area
• Tushauriane shg-Bomani area
• Kibuyuni shg - Kibuyuni area
• Ufunuo shg -Timbwani area
• Maamuzi shg –Msufini area
• Umoja shg -Bububu area
We had to split the Timbwani group into two groups from the original no. of 58 members, thus to form Ufunuo shg and a group yet to be formed at Mtaa wa mbuzi.
All the groups that were not met have been given the meetings deadline in the New Year 2011.
As at 18th December only Umoja self help group has started savings contributions for about Ksh 160.00.

Ukunda:
A copy of the sample constitution was issued to all the groups for members to discuss and hopefully adopt.
The following groups were visited:
• Maendeleo shg-Shamu
• Baraka shg-shamu
• Subira shg- mbuani (postponed at the last hour due to unavoidable circumstances).
• Mpaji ni Mungu shg-Mwanjamba
• Madhumini shg-Bongwe
• Tuhurumie shg- Mwamanga
• Vumilia shg- Maweni
• Kovu shg- Kilolapwa
• Uchungu wa mwana shg- Mkakwani
The total amount of monies contributed and collected by self help groups in Ukunda as at 18th December was Ksh 25400.00.
We indeed wanted to open an account for Uchungu wa mwana shg with Equity Bank on Monday 6.12.2010 as they had accumulated savings totaling Ksh 10,900.00 (being held by the treasurer) but it turned out that some members who were NOT Amurt caregivers opted to open an account in a different Bank.
An urgent meeting was called in order to separate the caregivers and non-caregivers within the group and we hope to register the caregivers separately.
A request is also under consideration by the members to merge the two groups in Shamu (maendeleo shg and Baraka shg).

Malindi:
All the groups formed have had steady improvements in savings, merry-go-round, registration fees and share contribution. our efforts to invite the Shella and Kisumu ndogo caregivers for a meeting this year has proved futile as the caregivers DO NOT turn up for the meetings at the appointed time.
Despite their reluctance, we will pursue them again in the year 2011 and hopefully prevail upon them to join.
A draft constitution was issued to Maisha boras shg, Ushindi shg and Chanukeni shg for their perusal, amendment and hopefully adoption.
The total amount of monies contributed and collected by self help groups in Malindi as at 18th December was Ksh 13050.00.

Conclusion:
In January 2011 we hope to register all the groups that are ready in Ukunda & Malindi with the ministry of youth, Culture & social services and hopefully open Equity savings bank accounts, to enable the groups deposit the already contributed monies and undertake other operations as required.

Coast diary

2011-01-04T02:04:00.000-08:00

It has been a great year 2010 for my groups in Mombasa,as we are within the time frame to deliver the needed results as per the project guidelines.
It is for this reason that in 2011, i will be constantly be updating the progress of the groups in Likoni,Ukunda and Malindi under the Coast diary column.This way,i believe, we will be able to reflect,rectify our mistakes,learn from the mistakes and proceed to the designated Goal.I hope it will be a learning moment for all of us in the field.

AMURT-Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team working with the community

2010-11-05T04:08:00.000-07:00

Ananda Marga Mission is a socio-economic and spiritual organization registered in India in 1955 by Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. In Kenya it was registered under society act in 1975 called “Ananda Marga Mission in Kenya”.
It’s socio-economic, humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and a development wing is called Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT) which was registered under NGOs act in 1993 in Kenya.

Vision:
To see a liberated, happy blending, resourceful society framed with fraternity, love and mutual respect.

Mission:
To help improve the quality of life for the poor and disadvantaged people of the world, and to assist the victims of natural and man-made disasters.

Background:
Through the support of USAID, AMURT undertook an HIV/AIDS program in Kenya called ‘KENYA INTEGRATED HIV/AIDS PROGRAM’ now in the 3rd Year of implementation.

Project Goal:
To prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and to provide sustainable services to those infected and affected by HIV.

Objectives, Targets and Approaches:
• To strengthen the capacities of partner organizations to implement the program on the ground that includes:
• To enable 3,000 OVC lead productive lives as accepted members of society, by strengthening local organizations and neighborhood committees to create sustainable support structures to oversee their development.
• To provide 1,000 PLWHAs with home based care and access to required services; and providing counseling and preventive education to their care givers and friends.
• To carry out mass education in abstinence and fidelity campaigns on 1,000,000 people, including 100,000 out-of-school youth, through public events, interactive drama and church congregations.
• To provide 1500 youth affected or infected by HIV with hope by offering peer education skills, vocational training and youth clubs.

The Key Program Activities Were:
OVC
• Identify OVCs for care within the community
• Train community resource mobilizers
• Mobilize OVC advisory council
• Help disseminate the OVC policy guidelines to the community
• Identify and train CBOs
• Strengthen existing OVC centers through our partners
• Provide vocational training for out of school OVCs
• Create a linkage through the community for adopting the OVCs
• Offer psychosocial support

Prevention and Awareness:
• Community sensitization and mobilization through peer educators prevention with positives and community leaders
• Dissemination of IEC materials on HIV/AIDS prevention information
• Strengthen community support groups for PLWHAs
HBC
• Identify and facilitate HBC activities in liaison with other stakeholders in the province
• Provide HBC logistics.
• Follow up and linkages of PLWHAs with existing health facilities and services.

Problem articulation:
The major challenges faced by the OVC and PLWHAs program after the 2nd
Year of implementation were that:
• The Care givers in all the centers had over expectation on the services that were to be provided i.e. they expected a food basket to be handed out every month, homes to be rebuilt, support for secondary schools and settlement of hospital bills. As a result some caregivers have opted to exit the program and join other organizations.
• Transport of OVCs to the Saturday Fun day program has been a major concern.
• The care counselors felt that the incentives they receive are inadequate. This has caused a huge drop out of care counselors.
• Sanitary towels supply remains a big problem for OVC girls above 12 years in all locations. We are looking forward to find a lasting solution to this by getting / approaching NGO’s providing this service in the province, Coast to assist in the coming year
• Lack of sufficient incentives for the volunteer OVC care counselors has been a persistent draw back. This has led to counselors dropping out of the program in Province.
• Vast distances exist in some centers (like Mbita) between the care providers and the PLWHAs. This has hampered service delivery especially during rainy season, given the lack of sufficient transport facilities.
• Low motivation of HBC providers. - The program has not had enough resources to adequately motivate its HBC providers, due to a tight budget. As a result, some of the providers have not provided services as expected as they have to take some time off to seek income elsewhere.
• District health facilities – Due to the geographical terrain in Nyanza, health facilities are not easily accessible to the people. Referred clients take long to reach referral sites and at most times become very expensive to the patients in need.
• Lack of enough resources by the program to cater for all needy PLWHAs in all the three centers. The program has had to lock out some needy PLWHAS due to constrained resources that can only care for 1000 PLWHAs. Some members of the community tend to feel left out.
• Shortages of ARV’s and drugs for O.I treatment in local public health facilities has left some patients in Suba and Rachuonyo going without this life saving medicines for days.
• Food insecurity has continued to be a problem in many PLWHAs households. This has been due to rampant poverty and famine in the region. Some patients ignore taking drugs on empty stomach.
To bridge this huge gap therefore certain intervention measures must be put in place by AMURT in mitigating and helping to provide lasting solutions. Further, as a phase out strategy the IGA component was envisioned and added to the program with an aim of economically empowering the beneficiaries by offering grants to start or expand sustainable business ventures. To this end, it was imperative to conduct a baseline study that would reveal critical social economic indicators of the beneficiaries` households prior to the start of the project.
The baseline study is still in progress.

EAC Common Market Protocol: Pastoralists Paradise

2010-07-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

For decades the livelihoods of pastoralists has been threatened with resource conflicts, environmental degradation and restricted cross border policies.
The common market would promote security along the borders of the affected countries and enhance food security thus accelerating development.

The nomads will enjoy better freedoms of movement across the borders and the protocol will enhance reconciliatory initiatives among warring communities.
The EAC Common Market Protocol would mitigate the risks associated with their frequent migration due to perennial climatic change and in search of resources for the Livestock thus reclaiming their former ‘lost paradise’ at least on paper thanks to land fragmentation mechanisms that have since taken place.

On the other hand the Governments of the EAC should consider funding economic initiatives in pastoral areas, in order to create jobs for the youths who have recently been disarmed and have exchanged their guns for peace.

Cattle rustling: A curse among the nomads

2010-06-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

Cattle rustling are a curse that has dominance and practiced among the Nomadic tribes of East & Central Africa for ages now. The problem was exacerbated by the unstable neighboring countries constantly at war with each other or internal conflicts, thus leading to infiltration of illegal arms across the porous borders of the countries.

On various occasions the government of Kenya has attempted to disarm its own nomads but every time they re-arm once again. Joint disarmament of the nomads by Kenya & Uganda governments may bear fruits this time around.

Due to the disarmament recently undertaken by the Kenya government among the nomadic tribes of northern Kenya, majority of the youth who previously brandished the AK47 rifle as an ultimate guardian and sole source of earning their livelihoods, through hunting and cattle rustling among their fellow neighbors are now engaging in idol activities and frequent inter-village traditional dances and competitions.

Obviously this will distract them for a while but not long lasting and will also create a further catastrophic problem socially in the form of unprotected sex indulgence among the youth, leading to HIV & AIDS, thus threatening to wipe out the entire young generation if not checked though capacity building measures.

These young people need to be pre-occupied with income generating activities to help them permanently shift their focus and transition from the notorious cattle rustlers to good abiding citizens, channeling their bursting energies into productive activities in Nation building ventures though the Kazi Kwa Vijana-(KKV) programme in their respective locations.

Through KKV programme the young morans who have traded their guns with peace will instead engage in tree planting and other productive initiatives in their respective localities.

Morans want peace with their neighbours but MPs let them down.

2010-05-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Morans from Samburu East and Laisamis demanded to negotiate a permanent truce with Somali and Boran fighters at a separate meeting where “we would meet face to face with the men we fight and not elders residing in towns."

Nomads knowledge, triangulation & survival

2009-11-05T03:02:00.000-08:00

Elang’ta-wuas boasts of a unique East African community spirit.

Deep in the sinuses of Kajiado, this tiny trading centre seats as if at the bottom of a soup bowl, surrounded by hills on all sides.

It is here that I met a young Masaai gentleman who has covered over 1,000 kilometres on foot in both Kenya and Tanzania, in search for pasture for his cattle, says James Shikwati

Biliqo Bulesa Community Wildlife Conservancy.

2009-08-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

Nairobi — Pastoralist communities in northern Kenyan are set to benefit from a multi-million-shilling tourism project after the local authority finally supported the establishment of community conservancies.

For many months now, clan rivalry in Merti Division of Isiolo District had delayed the funding of Biliqo Bulesa Community Wildlife Conservancy.

Debate: Microcredit – Is microfinance helping to reduce poverty?

2009-08-14T00:24:00.000-07:00

No, says Aneel Karnani of Michigan’s Ross Business School
Yes, says Filipe Santos of international business school Insead

Round one
Microcredit does not work

Microfinance – The Next Horace Greeley Moment

2009-08-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

“What’s the difference between a for-profit and a non-profit?” I ask my class at UC Berkeley every year. The first answer is almost always “Non-profits are well-intended, for-profits are not.”

False, says Sean Foote

Beyond the Romance of Microfinance

2009-07-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

In the course of starting a business based in Africa, I was referred to a former Silicon Valley CFO who had made enough money and now devoted his life to helping the world's poor says Magatte Wade, with Michael Strong...

Monique's day at the altar

2009-07-05T02:30:00.000-07:00

Agostino tied the knot with Monique.

The wedding celebrations took place at a quiet residence, overlooking the Nairobi National park and near Maasai lodge.

It was a typical mix of the cultures as Europe meets Africa.
The African traditional attires adorned the scene accompanied by traditional dances to usher in the newly weds.

The cure for Cattle Rustlers

2009-06-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Radio frequency identification (RFID) to keep track of cattle in Kenya, according to a Microsoft blog post.Could this be the cure for cattle rustling?It doesn’t have a great name – the Livestock Identification Tracking System..

Nomads: They know no boundaries when it comes to pasture

2009-06-09T02:46:00.000-07:00

Monduli's district pastoralists informed their District Commissioner Jowika Kasunga at the Monduli and Longido paternalists network (MVIWAMO) annual general meeting opening session last week that the Kenyan pastoralists invasion now needed government intervention.
They said they had local cross border cooperation with their Kenyan counterparts but now their "guests" are proving more aggressive and going somewhat too far http://allafrica.com/stories/200906010552.html

Dilemas of the ATEKER nation

2009-06-09T02:01:00.000-07:00

The Ateker nation is an Itung’a-speaking group, bound by ethno-linguistic ties and practising nomadic pastoralism as the main livelihood activity.
The Ateker inhabit the borderland area straddling four countries – Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

They occupy the peripheral semi-arid and arid borders of their respective nation-states and are arguably the most marginalised peoples there.
Many modern-day states have to deal with the plight of nomadic pastoralist communities.
It has taken Kenya at least 45 years to date and it has still not come up with a policy on nomadism or pastoralism http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/63002

Gibe III dam project on Ethiopia’s Omo River

2009-05-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

It is feared that if the project proceeds, there would be a radical reduction of inflow of water into Lake Turkana, since the Omo River provides 90 per cent of the total input of the lake. Two rivers, the Turkwell and Kerio, contribute much of the remaining 10 per cent http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/602390/-/5km1kwz/-/

Bar & Bakery: NGO made in Heaven

2009-05-26T23:26:00.000-07:00

My ‘contract' is in quotes. The manner in which some of these organizations will contract help is quite dubious. For you to run such an organization you need serious smarts, a gift I find several Kenyans have been born with.I seem to have crashed against a few in my time http://www.kenyaimagine.com/50-Review/Review/Bar-Bakery-NGO-made-in-Heaven.html

Community and me: Loita

2009-05-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

Loita Safari Trekks has finally succumbed and joined the internet fraternity....www.loitasafaritrekks.blogspot.com Welcome aboard...

Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)meeting in NY

2009-05-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)meeting in New York will do Pastoralists a great favor by stating boldly and rightly so that...“The government has ignored the livestock sector and when we try to tell them they don’t want to listen to us. Like now a lot of livestock has died because of the drought,” said Mr Ole Ondugo.

Journey through Shompole conservancy.

2009-04-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

The conservancy is in Magadi division and can be accessed either through Loika gate at the southern end of Lake Magadi, or via the Olkiramatian conservancy, branching off at Daraja center, next to river Ewaso Nyiro .
Shompole lodge is at the end of Ngurumani escarpment and about 5 km from Lake Natron on the Kenya/Tanzania border.
The descent from the lodge is rather steep and gives way to plain grasslands, the play ground of the big five interspersed with bush land and level with the airstrip that is at times submerged during the rainy seasons.
We were greeted by zebras, but the sight that was most welcoming and adorable was the giraffe, towering above the rest in the Shompole group ranch.
The road through the conservancy is typical of all the parks in Kenya, dusty on dry weather and unbearably muddy on rainy conditions.
The lodge is a joint venture between an investor and the local community.

wedding and a Maaasai dance

2009-04-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

Oloibortoto, a remote and sleepy maasai village in Ngurumani, yesterday erupted in song and dance during the wedding ceremony at mzee Olentetu's manyatta.
it was all system go as the young and old joined together in their colorful regalia's for the occasion.
The traditional dances did not disappoint either.

Kenya ranked E. Africa’s most unstable economy

2009-03-29T02:30:00.000-07:00

Written by Washington Gikunju

An instability index map of Africa.
March 26, 2009: Kenya is Eastern Africa’s most vulnerable country to political and social upheaval that is expected to arise from a long drawn-out global recession, a new report on the possible impact of the economic meltdown on global security indicates.

London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) says the level of risk in East Africa’s biggest economy has been heightened by rapid population growth, high levels of inequality, and widespread poverty that is expected to deepen with the global downturn.

“A stalled constitutional review process, rampant corruption in government and a general breakdown in the rule of law has deepened Kenya’s exposure to social and political tension putting at risk the stability of the coalition government,” the EIU report says.

Kenya’s business leaders endorsed the report as a realistic reflection of the danger that the country faces in wake of incessant political bickering that has dominated the national agenda in the last one year as economic welfare declined.

“Last year’s post poll chaos sent a clear signal that the level of political risk in Kenya is higher than has been indicated. We finally realised that it is possible to descend into the chaos that have over the years dogged neighbouring states with disastrous economic results,” says Dr X N Iraki, a strategic management lecturer at the University of Nairobi.

Official statistics show that in the past 14 months, economic conditions have worsened for an estimated 17.5 million Kenyans or 46 per cent of the population, raising the country’s risk profile.

Civil unrest
Civil unrest that followed the disputed December 2007 presidential vote put Kenya on the world map and a recurrence of the violence is seen as the greatest threat to the country’s stability.

“Formation of a grand coalition government stemmed the crisis, but to prevent a repeat (or worse) requires settlement of long-term grievances, including land disputes, establishment of a new constitutional dispensation and an end to the culture of impunity,” says the EIU.

More than a thousand people were killed and 350,000 displaced in ethnic and political violence that followed the disputed presidential poll.

Ms Violet Barasa, a policy analyst with Africa Policy Institute, says Kenya’s problems are compounded by the fact that formation of the coalition government “merely saved lives, but lacked concrete plans on how to tackle the economic challenges.”

Other factors such as a raging famine — which has exposed an estimated 10 million to starvation — and the unfolding global economic crisis have pushed Kenya closer to the brink of political and social upheaval.

Most vulnerable
“Even before the onset of the global economic crisis, our economy was not at its best. The 2002-2007 growth did not trickle down to the masses adding to the embers to the smouldering fires in land and inequality,” said Dr Iraki.

“So far the grand coalition government has not taken any concrete measures to tackle the looming global economic hardships,” he said.

EIU has ranked Zimbabwe as the most vulnerable to political upheaval with an index score of 8.8.

The index measures vulnerability on a scale of zero (no vulnerability) to 10 (highest vulnerability).

Kenya, with a political instability index of 7.5, is ranked the 19th most vulnerable country, way ahead of neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania who are ranked 63 and 88 respectively.

South Africa, with an instability index of seven, is the 38th most vulnerable State while Nigeria is in the 43rd position.

The ranking is based on 15 key indicators based on what the report refers to as “underlying” and “economic distress” indices.

Somalia and Western Sahara, two African countries that have no functional governments are considered failed states and are not rated in the survey.

Nairobi CBD
The publication of the Economist’s findings comes only two weeks after Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta described the swelling number of unemployed youth as a time bomb waiting to explode.

Early this month, the government launched a Sh15 billion emergency programme aimed at creating about 300,000 jobs for the youth to tackle rising national security concerns.

The Political Instability Index developed by EIU is based on 15 social, political and economic indicators.

Of the 15, 12 represent “underlying vulnerability” pointers, which rank countries according to the level of inequality in their populations, strength of the state and governance, levels of social provision, history of labour unrest, ethnic fragmentation, regime type, public trust in political institutions, neighbourhood effects and history of unrest.

The other three “economic distress” indicators measure the level of development, growth in GDP per head and unemployment.

Low risk
Of the 165 countries surveyed, 27 (including Kenya) are considered to be in the “very high risk” category, 68 are in the “high risk” group while 53 have “moderate” risk of instability.

Only 17, almost all highly developed states, are rated as low risk.

According to the survey, Norway faces the lowest risk of political and social upheavals with an instability index of 1.2 followed by Denmark (2.2), Canada (2.8), Sweden (3.2) and Finland (3.2).

It is believed that a worsening of the world economic crisis will shrink demand for goods and services in the developed world, leading to job losses worldwide and deepening poverty for the most vulnerable.

This projection has seen warnings of dire social unrest come with increasing frequency.

Mr Dennis Blair, America’s new intelligence chief, says political turmoil from the global recession has replaced terrorism as the country’s biggest security threat.

He declared in a testimony before the US Senate last month that the primary near-term security concern of the US is the global economic crisis and its geopolitical implications.

“The longer it takes for the recovery to begin, the greater the likelihood of serious damage to US strategic interests,” he said.

Record highs
The world already had a taste of what may follow prolonged economic recession early last year when a number of countries erupted into turmoil as food prices rose to record highs rendering millions unable to feed themselves.

Food riots were reported in Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, and only abated when international oil prices eased forcing down food prices.

Signs of agitation also emerged in Kenya late last year, after the price of maize meal shot to over Sh120 per two kilogram packet.

So far, two governments (Iceland and Latvia) have fallen as a result of the global economic crisis.

Dr Iraki says Kenya should take advantage of the current crisis to institute far-reaching political and economic reforms. “Without reforms, the fundamentals that led to the events of 2008 will remain and the possibility of future implosions too,” he said.

Relief food at last

2009-03-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

On 22.3.09 Ngurumani received their most important guest the Hon. Prof George Saitoti, who happens to be their member of parliament.
The main reason for the visit?....distribution of government food relief, that unfortunately did not include bales of hay for the emaciated livestock herds.
The very day in Ngurumani was celebrated in pomp and color, deigned with the colorful Maasai Women robes of 'RED' every where, and of course accompanied with the kiondos,mifukos and bags of all shapes and sizes to collect the precious commodity, food relief, that composed of maize, beans, the now famous 5kg maize flour bags and some cooking oil.
Although Ngurumani is blessed with two flowing rivers(Entasopia and Oloibortoto rivers),only a few farmers have taken the initiative to engage in farming activities,mostly done through gravity irrigation.

Pastoralists conserve wildlife habitats to protect rare species

2009-03-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

Olkiramatian should take heed lest they are left behind in the trend:
This article appeared in the Business Daily Africa.

March 2, 2009: The drive to boost earnings from tourism has seen a rise in the number of wildlife conservancies in the country as ranch owners and pastoralist communities strive to take advantage of free roaming wildlife on their land.

The new trend has seen the creation of five new wildlife conservancies in the last one year alone while more are in the pipeline.

While the numbers may appear small, they point towards new areas that entrepreneurs seek to make money and utilise land hit by constant droughts. The new conservancies are Keiwa, Suswa and Mailwa in the South Rift region and Enoonkishu and Naboisho in the greater Masai Mara area.

Their creation now brings to nine the total number of conservancies created in the last four years.

The rapid increase of the conservancies has mainly been driven by growth in the tourism industry in Kenya in the last five years and the need to mitigate changing land use in wildlife dispersal areas.

Tourist arrivals have increased, with 1.8 million visitors coming into the country in 2007 up from 866,000 in 2003. About three million are expected to visit the country by 2012, according to projections by the Kenya Tourism Board.

This has given rise to the conservancy boom as ranch owners and communities move to take advantage of the growth.

Conservancies are areas explicitly set aside for professional management of wildlife in a way that helps maintain their habitat and increases their numbers and species. Most conservancies are located in areas rich with free roaming wildlife which forms 60 per cent of the total wildlife population in the country.

Kenyan indigenous groups file complaint with AfDB on Ethiopian dam

2009-03-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

2 March 2009-(credit to BIC)

Requestors argue that the Gibe III Dam is set to deplete Lake Turkana with dramatic impacts on downstream communities in Kenya, and in the absence of public consultation.

On February 4, Friends of Lake Turkana, a Kenyan organization representing indigenous groups in northwestern Kenya whose livelihoods are linked to Lake Turkana, filed a formal request with the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Compliance Review & Mediation Unit (CRMU) - the AfDB's internal accountability mechanism - to investigate and intervene in the Bank’s plans to finance the Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectric project in Ethiopia.

Gilgel Gibe III (known as “Gibe”) is part of a continuing series of projects on the Omo River and its tributaries in southwestern Ethiopia. Construction on the third portion of the project began in 2006, but the request for funding to the AfDB was only made recently. The project has become problematic for public funders because the Ethiopian government did not follow standard procedures in awarding the main contract to an Italian firm, Salini, without any bidding procedure. The World Bank has declined to offer financing because of this flaw, as has the Italian government. The European Investment Bank also seems to be leaning against any funding, on the same grounds. The AfDB’s procurement guidelines likewise prohibit it from funding the main contract, but the loan currently under consideration uses a loophole – financing through a sub-contract – to evade the rules.

With so many potential public funders turning away from the project, and with private financiers like J.P. Morgan Chase withdrawing support because of the financial crisis, the AfDB’s contribution becomes more important – even vital - if the project is to be completed.

Unfortunately, judgments about whether procurement rules have been violated do not fall within the CRMU’s mandate. The request filed by FoLT instead focuses on the impact of the project on Lake Turkana. The Omo River supplies roughly 80 percent of the water in the lake, which is the world’s largest permanent desert lake. The contemplated impact of the dam could reduce the lake’s depth, it is estimated, by between 7 and 10 meters. Such an impact would have serious repercussions on the chemical balance of the lake, which is highly alkaline, and therefore on the biodiversity supported by the lake. Lake Turkana hosts the world’s largest group of Nile crocodiles – over 20,000 – as well as many other species of fish, bird, hippopotamus, etc.

A serious impact on the lake would also have a serious impact on the riverine forest and the lands around the lake used for flood-recession agriculture. Most of the peoples living in the area are pastoralists who supplement their diet with seasonal cultivation; a damaged lake would seriously compromise their food security and way of life.

The Ethiopian government approved its Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) on the project in July 2008, nearly two years after construction began, in a blatant violation of Ethiopian law. The ESIA barely acknowledges any impact on Lake Turkana, and provides unrealistically rosy scenarios to claim that the project will actually improve conditions at the lake, such as by “reducing evaporation” – indeed, if there is less water, there is less evaporation. Little effort has been made to consult with affected peoples, and no effort whatsoever has been made on the Kenyan side of the border.

Northwestern Kenya is one of the most arid and resource-deprived parts of Kenya, and conflict among its various people has been chronic. The impact of the Gibe Dam on Lake Turkana would very likely lead to increased violent conflict.

Although Ethiopia is chronically short of power, most of the power produced by this project would, ironically, be sold to Kenya. That power would be very unlikely, however, to benefit the peoples of northwestern Kenya, but instead go to the metropolitan areas such as Nairobi, further south. The arrangements between the Kenyan and Ethiopian governments have not been transparent, and there is now jostling in Parliament and the Kenyan coalition government to ascertain what has been agreed to and whether the interests of the people around Lake Turkana have been taken into account.

Friends of Lake Turkana is careful to acknowledge that while they are fighting for the interests of the people on the Kenyan side of the border, there are hundreds of thousands in Ethiopia who stand to suffer even more disruptive impacts. The Omo River Valley is populated by a very diverse assortment of indigenous groups, also prone to conflict over scarce resources. Consultations with them have been minimal. But the Ethiopian government’s record of repression, and new laws it has recently passed to further limit the activities of civil society groups, have effectively discouraged groups in Ethiopia from organizing explicit opposition. Nonetheless, expatriate Ethiopian groups, together with NGOs with an interest in the region, plan to file a request to supplement FoLT’s in the coming weeks that will outline in more detail the potential problems in Ethiopia.

The AfDB board was originally scheduled to discuss the project on February 25, but that date was delayed shortly after FoLT’s request was filed. There is now no indication when the project will be formally considered, but efforts are being made within the Bank, both through the CRMU and through other contacts, to slow down the process and make sure that adequate consultations and studies are done before any decision is made.