Story by: Dennis Macharia; KYCTV.

Originally posted at kyctvke.wordpress.com

In the recent years, the country has experienced considerable changes in weather patterns due to the change in climate. This is due to the activities man has implicated on the natural environment which have influenced the eco-system.

The emission of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon has altered the ozone layer in a negative way by preventing the excess heat to leave the earth thus, causing global warming evident through the existing environmental changes such as increase in sea levels due to the melting glacier as well as the harsh climatic seasons.

Various approaches have been initiated to address the effects created by climate change, and ultimately, steps to reduce carbon emissions will emerge to have a positive impact on the environment.  As part of the efforts to address some of these emerging effects of climate change particularly within the urban context, Muungano Wa Wanavijiiji is implementing its Voices for Just Climate Action Program in various informal settlements. The Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) program is a lobby and advocacy program implemented by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Netherlands, SouthSouthNorth (SSN), Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), Slum Dwellers International (SDI) and Hivos. SDI-Kenya’s main focus area throughout the program’s implementation period will be the urban vulnerable communities with an aim of creating momentum on climate action at the grassroot level through rallying community voices to advocate for ‘Just Climate Action’.

In order to create a basis for community engagement within the program, Muungano leverages on its techniques of information gathering to obtain a baseline against which progress can be assessed. As part of consolidating this information, Muungano organized and rolled out data collection which included profiling of groups in the informal settlements. The exercise focused on gathering information on groups to understand their activities within the community especially those that are geared towards addressing climate change, as well as their partnerships and the support they receive within their groups.

Profiling is pegged on primarily capturing a rich set of community data. This approach serves as a starting point helping to create visibility through provision of information that would aid in steering engagements within a program.  Through profiling of the existing groups within the community, information obtained would aid in identifying, understanding and analyzing the measures and initiatives individuals within a group set up are undertaking, specifically those that targeted towards addressing climate change and promoting mitigation. The exercise would also aid in identifying the existing existing gaps which can be further supported through the program.

The data collection was conducted by community co-researchers from Mathare who had a full understanding of their community. Before the survey, all the participants were taken through a comprehensive training, to create an opportunity for all to understand the data collection tool. The coresearchers were additionally taken through mapping, where they would use the provided community maps to identify a groups’ specific locality within the community.  

A coresearcher collects data within the community.

On the map, the group’s meeting point was coded with letter [M] and their coverage which is also the area where their activities extend to was coded with letter [G]. This study mandatorily aimed at identifying groups whose activities are fashioned towards overseeing the restoration of the ecosystem through their activities which mostly were;

• Garbage collection,

• Recycling activities,

• Waste management control,

• Farming and reforestation.

Coresearchers map out the groups within the community.

During the study, the coresearchers identified individuals who had come up with a method of making briquettes to replace charcoal as a way to curb deforestation. The locals have opted to use briquettes as they are cheaper compared to charcoal and they tend to burn for a longer time.

Pig farming is also a skill that is widely celebrated as it is cheap to maintain and requires less labor. The main sources of food for these animals are the leftovers from food kiosks and restaurants. The food is selected precisely for the pigs and the remaining wastes are either dumped into the river or dumpsite awaiting collection. This has reduced waste dumping in the fields. However, the method of dumping waste to the river has affected the ecosystem greatly as water that habited the marines is no longer suitable for the marine life. The KAZI KWA VIJANA project that foresaw the cleaning of the river and its banks was long halted by the government and so the river lies with filth that has stagnated.

The water kiosks have foreseen residents receive clean water for drinking in Mathare. Tanks have been donated to various groups to curb the water shortage. Many public toilets and bathrooms are manned by these groups and locals can access these amenities at an affordable price which is either paid daily or weekly. Unfortunately, few of these toilets have a proper sewer system. Others have systems that collapsed long ago and the only option was to direct the sewer system to the river. Other locals that cannot access the amenities have opted to use plastic bags which are later dumped into the same river. Cleaning the river is a challenge that only the government can undertake through proper planning. Many house structures have been built in close proximity to the river, and lack proper drainage.

The GREEN BELT MOVEMENT is an initiative that was started by the late honorable Wangari Maathai who also won the noble peace price as a champion for the reforestation and protection of the natural forest. Her works have not only been witnessed in Mathare, but by the country as a whole. Many groups have followed the same footprints in enabling the cultivation of trees in areas where many had been cut down. In Mathare, the Greenbelt youth have participated widely though challenges have cropped up in regards to the accessing more land to cultivate more trees within the community. Most of the land has been occupied by individuals. Among some of the areas where trees have notably been planted include Mathare Ward hospital where there is a vast land with a suitable environment where trees have grown.

In Dandora, lies the heart of all the waste that is generated within Nairobi. The area is diverse and full of opportunities in the recycling sector. Many companies and private sector that deal with recycling get a huge percent of their products from Dandora dumping site. Many families depend on this vast waste and transform it into an income generating strategy. From this particular duping site, lots of youth have curved out their living as they believe ‘no waste is wasted’. This brought about the invention of a mobile application called the (TAKA BANK)-an app that awards individuals with redeemable points any time they collect branded waste like soda bottles and takes them to the concerned recycling companies. For instance, when an individual collects the coca cola bottles in large amounts and takes them to the loading zone of Coke company, they are awarded points in their app which can be redeemed for cash. This has helped in combating pollution by encouraging recycling thereby reducing large amounts of waste through a controled method.