Category Archives: Conservation

State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012

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From: Yona Maro

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012 reveals that the sector produced a record 128 million tonnes of fish for human food – an average of 18.4 kg per person – providing more than 4.3 billion people with about 15 percent of their animal protein intake. Fisheries and aquaculture are also a source of income for 55 million people.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i2727e/i2727e.pdf

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Pata nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com
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Kenya: Protecting Uhuru Playground as a Green Park

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from: odhiambo okecth

Lillian,

If you and the Green Belt Movement were assaulted protecting the grabbing of the only Play Ground in Uhuru Estate today, then, we must as a people mobilize the residents of Nairobi to turn out in large numbers to help protect this said Play Ground.

On behalf of The Clean Kenya Campaign, I want to strongly condemn the grabbing of this Play Ground in Uhuru Estate.

We will liaise with you at The Green Belt Movement and help organize the residents of Uhuru Estate and all well wishers into a massive show of might. We must reclaim this Play Ground for the good of our Children and posterity.

And the spirits of Prof Wangari Maathai and Hon John N Michuki, will be with us all through.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,
The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC
Tel; 0724 365 557

Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

The Clean Kenya Campaign- Website; www.kcdnkenya.org

– – – – – – – – – – –

— On Tue, 7/3/12, Lilian Muchungi wrote:

From: Lilian Muchungi
Subject: Re: The Month of July Projections- TCKC
To: “odhiambo okecth”

Date: Tuesday, July 3, 2012, 3:17 AM

Okecth, cleaning up is very important. But we cannot allow some councillors to take all the green parks in the cities. There is no city without green park. Today, GBM staffs and the members of Uhuru Estate we beaten up by a group of youth hired by somebody as they tried to protect the only play ground at uhuru Estate and we no we have protected this park from early 90s, when the late prof. maatahi was arrive. Where are we heading to? The councillors must be told that the dark days are way gone. We cannot allow this to happen? Thanks Ltm

On Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 12:07 PM, odhiambo okecth wrote:

Friends,

The Month of June 2012 was enterprising, busy and it gave us the best grounding for The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC.

We had lots of Board Room meetings with Strategic Partners and we are moving well with the Consultations that we had initiated.

In Partnership with the National Environment Management Authority, the City Council of Nairobi, the Provincial Administration and other Partners, we hosted a very successful World Environment Day Clean-up Campaign along both Jogoo and Landhies Roads on the 5th June 2012 to mark the World Environment Day.

This was attended by the Provincial Director of Environment Nairobi, Senior Managers from the City Council of Nairobi and the Provincial Administration. The climax of the day was an Exhibition on Green Energy at the Star of Hope Primary School in Industrial Area that was graced by the PC Nairobi Mr. Njoroge Ndirangu.

Again on the 23rd June 2012, to mark the 3rd Saturday of the Month, the Zetech Group of Colleges led about 300 students from their 5 Town Compasses in the months Clean-up Campaign that targeted Haile Sellassie Avenue, Moi Avenue, Harambee Avenue, Tom Mboya Street and parts of River Road in a process that was so successful. The City Council of Nairobi were at hand with working tools and their ever hard working staffers as usual.

In between these engagements, we had several planning sessions with the City Council of Nairobi, the National Environment Management Authority, the Public Service Transformation Department and several other partners to enable us host a Consultative Forum on Waste Management in Nairobi at Charter Hall on the 11th of July 2012.

This will be a Forum with a difference. We want to come out with actionable resolutions that will help us initiate a Pilot Process on Separation of Waste at Source in Nairobi from 1st August and in Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri from 1st September 2012.

The Forum will be addressed by the 5 Town Clerks in the Presence of our Guests. We will let you know who our Guests of Honours for this Forum will be. If you have some added value to the process, you are invited to attend and share in your thinking.

As we start the Month of July, and knowing the kind of challenges we have ahead of us, we want to pray that we remain equal to the task as we share with Kenyans the need to enjoin all our efforts in making Kenya Clean.

We want to sincerely thank the following Friends of TCKC who in their various ways made our Campaigns possible for the Month of June;

Mr. Phillip Oduor
Mr. Stephen Ireri
Mr. Sam Olendo
Dr Abraham Korir
Mr. Rashid Juma
Mr. Oduor Ong’wen
Mr. Joseph Kohogo
Mr. Daniel Masetu
Ms Irene Wasike
Mr. Richard Mogoko
Ms Dorcus Alooh
Ms Brigitte Frey- A Better World
We are really appreciative of the support you gave to The Clean Kenya Campaign.

We also want to sincerely thank the Director of Environment at the City Council of Nairobi for engaging some new gear towards the issue of Environment Management in Nairobi. We are confident the residents of Nairobi will be seeing some results soon enough.

In the same vain, we want to sincerely appreciate our Team Members for all the efforts we have put in as a Team under the chairmanship of Mr. Elijah Agevi. To all our Team Members, especially Mr. Otieno Sungu, Ms Kate Njiiri and Mr. Arthur Achola and to the rest, you made the Month of June be very easy.

We also want to appreciate our Team of Researchers for work well done. Your resolve and dedication will see us achieve a Clean Kenya sooner than later. And lastly, we want to sincerely thank the many Kenyans who have joined us in the trenches for the actual Clean-ups; those who have written to us and shared their thinking; those who have called and guided our thinking, and those who have engaged us positively in the Blogs. You have all been a resource. You made June a joint success for all of us.

Let us roll our sleeves and face the Month of July with hope and determination. We will surely achieve a Clean Kenya before 2013 as our appreciation to our turning 50 as a Nation.

We have started the Citizen Interventions and Action Club at TCKC- The CIA Club at TCKC, and it is open to all Friends who feel they want to be part of this Process. The Club will be managed by our Programmes Manager Mr. Otieno Sungu- 0729 294 743 and our Finance and Administration Manager Ms Kate Njiiri- 0720 540 456.

Please feel free to call them and they will share with you our Rules and Regulations.

The Clean Kenya Campaign is a local solution to a local problem.

Peace and blessings,

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,
The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC
Tel; 0724 365 557
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
The Clean Kenya Campaign- Website; www.kcdnkenya.org

Greenpeace : State of Rio+20 Negotiations

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From: Leila Abdul
Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Executive Director said:

“The future we want has gotten a little further away today. Rio+20 has turned into an epic failure. It has failed on equity, failed on ecology and failed on economy.”

“We were promised the ‘future we want’ but are now being present with a ‘common vision’ of a polluter’s charter that will cook the planet, empty the oceans and wreck the rain forests.“

“This is not a foundation on which to grow economies or pull people out of poverty, it’s the last will and testament of a destructive twentieth century development model.”

“The only sensible thing left on the table until today was the launch of an Oceans Rescue Plan for the High Seas. This too has now been killed by the US, Canada, Russia and Venezuela who want to mine the seas for private profit with impunity and exploit the resources that belong to all humanity.”

“World leaders will begin to descend on Rio today and we have to ask why? We were promised a green economy, the Future we Want, but all we can look forward to is three more days of Greenwash.”

“From the G20 to Rio+20 this is not a good week for people and the planet. While billions are being spent bailing out banks and billions more on subsidising the fossil fuel industry, its clear whose agenda our leaders are following, that of business as usual of polluting corporations.”

Background Briefing on Final Rio+20 Text

Oceans

The one sensible outcome that was still on the table in Rio has now also been compromised in to extinction. The new compromise paragraph on high seas fails to recognise the urgency of the oceans crisis, delaying any decision for possible action to be taken until 2014. Even then there is no guarantee that the outcome would be to negotiate a new agreement capable of turning the tide on the Wild West exploitation of the High Seas.

The text now panders to the destructive position of the US, Canada, and Venezuela.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Over the last year and a half governments managed to agree that it may be a good idea to introduce SDGs that are universally but not legally binding.

That is all they agree on. They have not even been able to make progress on agreeing themes for the Goals here in Rio.All they have produced an inadequate and complicated process for further discussions.

Money/Means of Implementation

There is no money just a vague promise for a process that will assess the broken promises by developed countries to provide financial support the poorest.

This is business as usual. Governments fall short of taking action on “innovative finance”. If they had been serious they would committed to a Financial Transaction Tax.

International Framework for Sustainable Development

The text fails to create the institutions needed to finally deliver sustainable development. Governments have failed to turn the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) into a fully-fledged Agency, despite strong support from the EU and Africa. There is a political endorsement for some additional money and power for UNEP, but the environment fails to be get the global voice it needs.

There is a commitment to eventually replace the toothless Commission for Sustainable Development. But, instead of creating a new body on Sustainable Development in Rio,a process is being launched which is likely to result in yet another talking shop.

Green Economy

The green economy section is devoid of meaning. It outlines only very broad principles. Countries are free to define for themselves what is green and what is not, and are free to simply do nothing. Even the capacity development mechanism for a green economy proposed by the EU has been eliminated.

The Agenda 21 agreement of 20 years ago had more ingredients of a green economy than this one. In terms of pollution pricing, measuring what matters (instead of GDP) and respecting the Earth’s carrying capacity, we have gone backwards

There is no green economy here, only Greenwash.

Forests

The forest text is an overwhelming embarrassment. There is simply nothing there.

Energy

There are no new targets for renewable energy and in the ‘Year of Sustainable Energy for All’ this summit delivers nothing for the 1,4 billion people without access to energy, whose needs could and must be met by renewable energy.

Fossil Fuel Subsidies

There is no commitment to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies in this text. Governments fought hard over a text that for people and planet is simply meaningless.

This is one of the most clear examples of where governments are listening to the polluters and not the people.
ENDS

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Greenpeace-comment-on-state-of-Rio20-negotiations-text-for-adoption/

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Kenya: Rio+20- The issues 20 years ago

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From: odhiambo okecth

In his article appearing in the Daily Nation of today- the 21st Day of June 2012, Prof Jeffrey D Sachs gives a scathing analysis of the paralysis on decision making and action as the embodiments of conferencing.

He quotes the authoritative Scientific Nature Magazine as having summed up the implementation of the 1st Rio Conferencing on the 3 Treaties by giving the following grades;

Climate Change- F meaning, Fail
Biological Diversity- F meaning Fail
Combating Desertification- F meaning Fail.
Kenyans join in a Clean-up Campaign during the World Environment Day celebrations on 5th June 2012

Now, this is real damning, and yet, 20 years down the line, having achieved Zero with the first Rio Conference, travelers and journeymen are once again gathered at Rio to talk about what they talked about 20 years ago.

In his words, Prof Sachs says- Rio has failed to give humanity the language to discuss our own survival. And I absolutely agree with him.

You will all remember that Prof Sachs was the architect of the failed Structural Adjustment Programmes that were then touted as the panacea to our survival in the Third World. The SAPs brought with it poverty of unmitigated proportion to a people who had food in abundance before. We compromised our going to the gardens and tilling our lands for sustainable food outputs just because somebody came along with some experiments in the form of SAPs. And our Government forsook the people and embraced such an experiment.

Before the SAPs were introduced, going to school was a big relief to parents. School fee was only Kshs 20.00 per Term and this was paid at the Chiefs Camp. Once you paid this, you were assured of Text Books in Class and you would be given Exercise Books for Free.

But when SAPs were introduced, journeymen stepped in. Our Education Carriculum was defecated upon and the end result in the mass confusion we still have upto now. Pupils even at Class One are being instructed with books that one might be mistaken are for Graduate Class. I shudder with shame when I take my small Class 2 daughter to school. She has a huge School Bag full of books, yet, when I was in Class Two, I only used to have a Slate.

SAPs messed our Health Institutions and everyone in Kenya is paying dearly for this failed experiment. We used to have Doctors and medicine in our Hospitals before and medication was fairly free. But with the advent of SAPs, we introduced cost sharing and with cost sharing, Doctors started also sharing the little the Government provided with their Private Clinics. The end result is the mess we have found ourselves saddled in.

In all, when Prof Jeffrey D Sachs acknowledges that something is a failure, we must all sit upright and listen, for the man himself has been the epitome of failure for the Third World. he is a Professor of Economics, and I want to believe that SAPs must have been his dissertation. Whoever supervised this works for him enjoins him in condemning the same humanity to unmitigated suffering.

This is why even as I agree with his conclusions, I find in him a paradox of a human being. He concludes thus; Just as the Millenium Development Goals opened our eyes to extreme poverty and promoted unprecedented global action to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the SDGs- meaning Structural Development Goals- can open the eyes of todays youth to climate change, biodiversity loss and the disaster of desertification.

We have known Countries such as Israel who are not so conference savvy, yet, they have managed to make use of their deserts to full agricultural potentials.

No one will Clean Kenya for us. It must be our responsibility.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC
Tel; 0724 365 557,
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

The Clean Kenya Campaign; Website-www.kcdnkenya.org

Kenya & World: Rio+20

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from: odhiambo okecth
Friends,

Friends of nature, or rather, people who talk about nature and environment are meeting at Rio De Janeiro in an environm
ental conference that has been dubbed Rio+20.

20 years ago, the World met at Rio and looked at several issues that inform the management of our environment. Several issues were discussed, as they will do from tomorrow, and sadly, 20 years down the line, we have nothing to be proud of since then.

Instead, the World had continued to suffer environmental issues.

The status of the World has degenerated. Global warming has increased. The Ozone Layer is being depleted. The Forest Cover is going down across the world. And man has become the biggest threat to our eco-system. Instead of solving our problems, we have come up with this like Carbon Trading and Green Economy.

Instead of addressing our environmental issues, we have opted for the softer options; coining words and phrases that are vacuous.

Our Towns are getting messier and dirtier and our waters are getting more polluted. The air we breath is becoming thin and congested, yet, we are always in conferences discussing these issues.

Our Towns are getting more dustier and yet, these are things we can effectively mitigate without resorting to words and phrases that are only at best left at those conferences.

Just recently, the World converged in Durban in South Africa, still, they were talking about the same same things. Ask anybody what Durban achieved and you will be shocked; nothing. Words and only words.

I am tempted to ask; for how long will we be talking and conferencing? This is a tough question, because, we have many professionals whose forte is to talk and give more talk. They never implement. We get mountains and mountains of lectures on Nature and Environment, and it stops at that.

Take the example of having a Clean Neighbourhood; Do we really need lectures and conferences on having our Towns Clean? We only need to implement. What if we took the moneys earmarked for these kind of conferences and decided to strengthen our implementation agencies?

We will be able to buy many tracks to cart away our garbage. The cost of such conferencing will strengthen our Councils across Kenya and we will employ more personnel to police our Environmental By-laws. We will buy more Skip Loaders, more tractors, more working implements for the enforcing teams, and the teams will be motivated.

But instead, we have chosen the more easier roots; conferencing.

40 years ago, the United Nations Environment Programme was born as a Programme of the UN. This means, it could not get secure programme and sustained funding to address the Environmental concerns of the World. For 40 years, there have been talks about moving the Unep from Nairobi, about upgrading the Unep, about strengthening her status and about all conceivable issues you may imagine.

For 40 years, the world and her leaders have just been talking.

I want to believe, that as these people converge at Rio in what they are calling Rio+20, solutions will come forth and action will follow.

It will be our wish at The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC for Unep to be made a Specialized UN Agency to deal conclusively with matters Environment. A strengthened, upgraded and emboldened Unep will be secure, will have a strong membership that will secure her funding and will work for a sustainable environmental policies across the world.

Her membership at the Security Council of the UN General Assembly will strong and she will have a voice.

Our Leaders often travel the World and I want them to look at us in the eye and tell us if those Towns they visit are as dirty as our Towns. Do those other Towns have mounds of garbage everywhere as our Towns do? Do those Towns have no Water as our Towns do, yet, water is a key necessity to nature.

Do those Towns have pot-holed roads like we do here?

Let Rio+20 be the last of these talking shops. The world is experiencing environmental problems of unmitigated proportions yet, we who have solutions to these issues are only engaged in talking.

Let Rio+20 be the beginning of a structured engagement to re-foresting the world.

Let Rio+20 be the beginning of a pragmatic approach to solving the issue of Solid Waste Management across our Towns.

Let Rio+20 be the beginning of a strengthened Unep, a Unep with the financial ability and power to engage.

Let Rio+20 be the last of these talking shops where people who know the same things gather to share what they all know.

No one will Clean Kenya for us. It must be our responsibility.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC
Tel; 0724 365 557,
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

The Clean Kenya Campaign; Website-www.kcdnkenya.org

Kenya: Spare us this rot in the City

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from: odhiambo okecth

Friends,

After following the flowing tributes at the Funeral Service for the late Hon Joshua Orwa Ojode, I come to town and headed for the Railway Restaurant yesterday afternoon.

I crossed the Haile Sellassie Avenue just around Church House and as I was walking down to the Restaurant, walking on the side of the Park adjacent to the Railway Headquarters, I was simply shocked.

The park is well covered in the Co-operate colours of the Co-operative Bank and as you see the Co-operative Bank Signages, you also see masses of human waste- my……in the middle of Nairobi!

I was shocked.

How can we have people relieving themselves by the park, in the middle of Nairobi, just by the Sign Posts of Co-operative Bank?

Again, there is a beautiful park along Aga Khan Walk, just next to Kencom- the headquarters of the Kenya Commercial Bank in Nairobi, some people have formed the habit of relieving themselves here. The place is always very smelly every morning and you wonder, who is this who is relieving himself in Town? And where are the enforcement agencies?

For a man or a woman to relieve himself or herself, you must undress. How come no one has been arrested doing his or her thing in Town?

The good thing I did not have my Camera with me. I will take a walk to the same place tomorrow at 10am, and if I get the human wastes still in the many places I saw, I will take photos and share with the whole world.

Someone is sleeping on his job somewhere. These people who help themselves in the middle of Town must be arrested and canned- they should not be taken to any court. They should be canned and canned thoroughly.

At The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC, we are working with our Friends and Partners to ensure that Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri become models of Clean Towns in Africa and in the World. As we struggle with this process, we need all to intervene and play their part.

Waste Management is a behaviour that is ingrained in our psyche and we only need to make a deliberate decision, and all will fall in place.

Last week on the 12th June 2012, we hosted a Consultative Meeting between The Clean Kenya Campaign, the City Council of Nairobi, the National Environment Management Authority and the Public Service Transformation Department that aims at piloting Separation of Waste at Source in Nairobi from 1st August 2012. We will be working with a select sample group to see how best this can be done.

Again, we have been in touch with the Town Clerks at Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri and we are working with them together with our Partners on how best to make our Towns clean. And in September 2012, we will be rolling out a Massive Cleanliness and Awareness Campaigns to streamline us to our new thinking.

This is a process that will create massive opportunities for the people of Kenya and if we succeed in making these Towns Models across Africa, we will be a better society and Kenyans will bestride the world like the proverbial colossus.

We cannot definitely achieve this when our own people are still relieving themselves in open parks in the middle of the Capital City of Kenya.

Lastly, we will be hosting a Massive Clean-up and Awareness Campaign across all the 74 Wards of Nairobi on the 21st July 2012 which will be attended by all the Nairobi Members of Parliament, all the Civic Leaders in Nairobi, 74 CEOs from the Corporate World and many Friends of Environment.

Our appeal is real simple; Please make your immediate neighbourhood Clean.

No one will Clean Kenya for us. It must be our responsibility.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC
Tel; 0724 365 557,
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

The Clean Kenya Campaign; Website-www.kcdnkenya.org

Kenya: Researcher expresses fears about the dwindling stocks of fish in Lake Victoria following industrial pollution and hyacinth weeds

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo in Kisumu City.

FISH stocks in Lake Victoria have reduced so much to a near depletion, according to the latest research finding.

Dr Juma Jembe a researcher working with the Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute has disclosed that statistics of fish stocks in the Nyanza Gulf areas of Lake Victoria is causing a lot of anxiety and worries to scientists.

“The Gulf a stretch of about 60 kilometers, and there is hardly any fish,” said Dr. Jembe, adding that the availability of the economically and commercially important Nile Perch was as low as 1,2 kg per hectare.

The worst affected places are fish landing sites in Kisumu,Siaya and Homa-Bay with some areas in Kisumu region hardly having any fish left in the water. aerial Satellite pictures show the Gulf stretch having a thick green layer.

However, many sections of Tanzania and Uganda have blue clean water. A team of journalist from the Nairobi daily, THE STANDARD, visited Dunga Beach which is located in the outskirt of the Kisumu City, a fish landing beach which has close to 500 fishermen, most of who were reported to be forlom, with their catches being at the lowest in the history of their fishing activity.

Dr Jembe was later quoted by the STANDARD as having attributed the worsening pollution of the lake, especially in the Nyanza Gulf {formerly Kavirondo Gulf} has made it not conducive for fish. Poor farming methods in the water catchment areas has also resulted in nitrates and phosphates in the water.

“The fish move towards areas such as Mbita, where the water is less polluted. This has forced those in the affected to catch even immature fish,” said the scientist.

He went on, ”There is a lot of domestic and industrial effluence in the lake from Kisumu and Homa-Bay.Effluence from sugarcane factories provides nutrients for the obnoxious water hyacinth.

“The weed takes up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide which does not support the existence of fish,’ the researcher said.

Hyacinth has been a major impediment to the survival of fish,” Dr Jember said, adding that “the wind often blows towards many areas of the Nyanza Gulf and thus moves the weeds such as Migori to the Gulf.”

The researcher, however, was silent over the recent alarming claims that some unscrupulous are killing millions of fish through the use of chemicals for easy catches.

Fears persist in all the three countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda which shared the Lake Victoria waters that marketing fish, especially for exports into developed countries markets such to the EU nations, Middle East, Japan, Israel and the United States would experience difficulties after the word spreads to those countries about the chemical fishing.

Chemicals kills immature fish, destroys the fish breeding grounds, and could prove to be health hazards to the consumers.

Fishing industry and fish trades supports close to 10 million people who lives around the shorelines of the world second largest sweet water mass

Ends

Global Environment Outlook 5

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From: Yona Maro

As a significant contribution to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the fifth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-5) builds on previous reports, continuing to provide analyses of the state, trends and outlook for, and responses to, environmental change, including extreme events from storm, flood and drought, to the Fukushima disaster in 2011.

It also adds new dimensions through its assessment of progress towards meeting internationally agreed goals, such as the development of programmes for mitigating the effects of extreme water-related events, and identifying gaps in their achievement (Chapters 2–6), on analysing promising response options that have emerged in the regions (Chapters 9–15), and presenting potential responses for the international community (Chapters 16–17).

http://www.unep.org/geo/pdfs/geo5/GEO5_report_full_en.pdf

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Pata nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com
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EAC member states jointly sharing waters of lake Victoria are blamed for not policing bad fishing practices including the use of chemicals for killing fish in breeding grounds

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

MEMBER states of the East African Community {EAC} would soon find it difficult to export their fish to the European Union nations unless they put in place joint effort to stamp out chemical fishing in Lake Victoria.

Kenya,Tanzania and Uganda shared the waters of Lake Victoria, However reports appearing in local press indicated there is alarming increase in cases where some unscrupulous fishermen are using chemicals fishing to boost their catches and other unconventional fishing methods, the use of unauthorized fishing gears such as the banned fish nets etc.

Countries that share Lake Victoria are also reported to be unwilling to invest money in joint campaign that would reduce overfishing and protect fish species threatened with extinction in lake despite the contribution these activities make to the economies of these countries.

Overfishing has led to the reduction of fish stocks in Uganda’s big natural water bodies, which contribute over 75 per cent of the total fish catch, thus threatening the country’s second biggest commodity export after coffee.

Fish prices have been on increase, but increment has not been reflected in earnings due to the reduction in the fish catch, which experts blame on dwindling stocks.

Information from Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization {LVFO} shows that Uganda,Tanzania and Kenya promised to contribute USD 600,000 each for the “Save he Nil Perch Fund”, but so far none has given a single penny.

The Nile Perch has, over the years, seen a reduction in it stocks and the money was meant to improve the stocks of this important fish in East Africa. The money was meant to increase to finance the capacity building of partner state institutions, research and combating of illegal fishing activities.

The highly prized Nile Perch is a key fish export for three countries and part of the money was meant to finance capacity building of partner state institutions, research and combating of illegal fishing nets.

The Executive Secretary of the LVFO Mr Dick Nyeko was quoted as having said that the institutions also suffers because states lack the willingness to pay their quotas to his organization. for example, he said, the financial year which is ending within a month time, but so far Uganda hasn’t paid its quota. Two months to the end of the financial year, official at the LVFO sat the organization is limping because it lacks money.

Uganda has paid 19 per cent of its USD 300,000 quota while Kenya gave only USD 200,000 which is 46 per cent of its quota, Tanzania has so far paid USD 247,136, which Is 15 per cent of its quota.

LVFO top official adds that without the threat of expulsion for failure to meet EAC obligations, ministries of agriculture in partner states receive the money and divert it to other remitting it to LVFO, Institutions fighting illegal fishing and for improvement of water quality are also grossly underfunded.

Uganda mostly depend on from EAC projects to safeguard Lake Victoria, with increasing agriculture agriculture in Kalangala Island, there is increased silting due to land recreation and fertilizers from a palm oil project running into Lake Sewage, processing industries and runoff from the surrounding towns is also threatening the lake.

Ends

Reflections on The World Environment Day

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From: odhiambo okecth

Friends,

Tomorrow, the World will be celebrating The World Environment Day whose theme this time around is; Green Economy- does it include you? In Nairobi, we will be joining hands to clean Jogoo and Landhies Roads before heading for an Exhibition and Tree Planting at The Star of Hope Primary School in Viwandani in Industrial Area.

In celebrating this day, we at The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC are focused on a Clean Kenya. A Clean Kenya comes in many ways, and we believe that we must start from the physical.

We have been mobilizing Kenyans to help in making our immediate neighbourhoods clean with tremendous success- www.kcdnkenya.org. This was a well thought out process that we are implementing in phases. The first phase was to include as many people in the actual act of cleaning.

The next phase will involve separation of waste at source as a serious economic activity for our people. As we celebrate this day, we want to call Kenyans to action and to account for our time.

A call to action includes your being responsible for the waste that you generate. Take a walk across our markets and you will not want to eat any market produce. Our markets are dirty- right from the Wakulima Market in Nairobi, Kongowea Market in Mombasa, Kibuye Market in Kisumu to all the markets across Kenya.

We are asking; what is it that we are getting so wrong? Why must we have such dirty markets yet, in our midst, we have men and women well trained to handle such issues for us? We must address this problem in two fronts. The people must know the worth of waste and to this extent, we must handle our waste in the best way possible.

Again, the Public Officers must do their work. We need you in the trenches with the people offering practical suggestions on how waste can be converted to wealth. We need no theories about waste management.

Then we have leaders whom we elect to public office every 5 years. I laugh when I hear aspirants talking about tackling the waste menace in Nairobi- that they will make electric power out of our waste! These are mere rhetorics meant to wood wink us. We need practical actions started in small measure. Actions that we can look at and say, yes, this guy means business.

We need to set up waste recycling plants across Kenya. This is the only way we will manage our waste and at the same time create jobs and wealth. We cannot manage our waste from mere wishful thinking aimed at attracting votes.

Waste has been big business for a few in Kenya. The more we live in filth and squalor the better for this class. And as we celebrate The World Environment Day, can we make a resolve as a people that we will manage our own waste; That we will work closely with the various Councils and NEMA across Kenya to find a lasting solution to waste and waste management.

Can we make a resolve that we will all join in making Kenya Clean, and that we will start with managing waste right from our household?

It is with this in mind that we are inviting all Friends of Kenya and Friends of the Environment, to join us tomorrow at 7.00am as we join hands to clean Jogoo and Landhies Roads.
And to this end, I want to salute the various Councils in Kenya who have made Clean-ups a concept worth working with.

I want to salute NEMA Nairobi for standing tall and working with us in The Clean Kenya Campaign.

I want to salute the various offices in Government who have worked with us in The Clean Kenya Campaign.

And I want to salute the People of Kenya for your resolve. You have made The Clean Kenya Campaign the success story in Kenya. We only need to make it stronger.

Waste is wealth and we must live it.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,
The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC
Tel; 0724 365 557,
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

The Clean Kenya Campaign; Website-www.kcdnkenya.org

Why We Need Laws to Protect What’s Left of Our Forests

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From: Yona Maro
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Karibu Jukwaa la www.mwanabidii.com
Pata nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com

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By Tom Picken
International efforts to protect forests and the people that live in them have failed so badly that just 20 per cent of forest remains untouched by commercial activity. It is really, really crucial that we find a global system that looks after what remains of the world’s lungs.

The question of how best to do this lies at the heart of a recent public debate between Global Witness and WWF over the credibility of the latter’s flagship timber sustainability scheme, the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN).

Last July, a Global Witness investigation raised important concerns that the GFTN was not delivering on its promise to protect people and the environment, because of a combination of weak membership standards, lax monitoring of members and poor transparency. Some of the worst examples showed a UK timber merchant dealing in illegal timber, a Malaysia logging company clearing orang-utan habitat inside WWF’s own “Heart of Borneo” project, and a Swiss-German timber trader whose Congolese subsidiary had links to human rights abuses – all carried out while members of the WWF scheme. WWF initially denied these claims but has now largely accepted them.

These were damning findings which got a lot of attention, and WWF hastened an independent review which has just been made public. It accepts Global Witness claims, acknowledges room for improvement on some of the worst excesses and promises to do a better job of monitoring companies on its books.

These are all positive and welcome steps, which will make a difference in the particular instances cited. But they don’t address – and WWF has consistently brushed over – the fundamental question we are posing, about whether the approach they are endorsing will actually do the job of saving forests.

Our main criticism is not that WWF has got too close to companies and failed to hold them to account, although that is true. It is that even if these companieswere playing by the scheme’s rules, the system it endorses is fundamentally wrong.

The logic WWF works on is that responsible logging will keep some form of forest standing. But a weighty body of evidence now shows this approach actually makes deforestation in these and surrounding areas more likely over time.

The damage done by incentivising loggers to go deeper into primary forest is hard to overstate. That’s why we say operations have to be restricted to areas already subjected to logging, and kept sustainable.

To make this happen, the solutions need to be legally binding, and tackle the perverse incentives to continue logging in new forest frontiers. This is where Global Witness is operating – in tropical forested countries with fragile governments, widespread corruption and rampant illegal logging – working with local civil society to tighten the processes and laws governing forests and monitor the implementation of those laws.

Given the global nature of the industry, we need solutions at this level too, and we have seen some progress. New legislation in Europe banning the import of illegal timber is a welcome complement to tough US laws. But other major markets need to also follow suit including Japan, India and China. And as these laws get implemented, they too need strengthening to not just reject blatant illegal timber, but also make genuine sustainability a condition of entry. This would help purge timber from industrial operations in intact forests from our supply chains.

There are also easier wins in the offing. Take for example the recent legislation in the United States which prohibits any US tax dollars supporting industrial logging in primary tropical forests. Similar legislation in other major countries would send a strong signal to timber markets and other schemes that such operations are no longer acceptable.

The big engine driving deforestation is ultimately consumption. Demand for food, fuel and fibre needs to be contained and made more equitable. Policy makers must face up to this.

But our aim in investigating GFTN was to show that the model at the supply end is broken – the status quo is destroying our forests at breakneck speed, and weak voluntary schemes rubberstamp it. So we need to go back to basics and come up with credible alternatives, armed with legal sanctions, before it’s too late. WWF is one of the most iconic names in environmentalism – it must play a key part in driving forward any solution. We hope they and others will engage with us to seek real long term solutions.

Kenya: The use of chemical fishing is soon whipping out all fish stocks inside Lake Victoria unless it is stamped out

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

The entire fish stocks in Lake Victoria could be wiped out within the next few years unless the Kenyan government moves much faster and with speed to stamp out the use of chemicals in fishing by unscrupulous fishermen engaged in the use of unconventional and unauthorized fishing methods.

The Fisheries Ministry stands blamed for having abandoned the lake. The fisheries scouts who are usual deployed to oversee the orderly fishing in the lake by stopping those using unauthorized methods of fishing in the lake appeared to have abandoned the lake.

There are alarming increases in cases whereby unscrupulous fishermen engaged in illegal fishing activities with impunity.

Chemicals are used in fishing and not only reported to be killing fish in their thousands, but also destroying fish breeding grounds as well as killing fish fingerlings in the lake as well as endangering the lives of the consumers, something which is likely to put into jeopardy the marketing of Kenya’s fish into the overseas markets.

The environmentalists and conservationist have abandoned their duties and responsibilities of protecting Lake Victoria from environmental degradation pollution, overfishing and the increase use of unauthorized fishing methods by racketeers and profiteers

Lake Victoria is shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. All the three countries are known to be earning millions of dollars in foreign currency through the export of fish to the overseas markets, and the East African Community and donor agencies have poured millions of dollars in support of fishing programmes, research and environmental preservation..

Members of the fishing communities who are living along he shorelines of the lake have alleged that each time they arrest those using chemicals, the offender and the culprits are readily getting released by the authorities after bribing their away out of police and fisheries scouts custody.

A shocking incident recently occurred last month in Rarieda district where those enraged as fishermen lynched a man who was caught red-handed during the dead hours of the night to be using chemicals in the lake. The incident has resulted in dozens of people being arraigned in court facing prosecution on murder charges.

Those who were rounded up after the lynching incident have already appeared before a Kisumu court as murder suspects.

The fishermen in Rarieda told this writer that sometime last year, a senior officials from Fisheries department held a public Baraza near Luanda Kotieno beach. The officer was asked by those in attendance to state what they should done with those caught using chemicals, but the officer under pressure responded by telling the Baraza that they should in turn poison such uncouth fisherman and lynch them.

This is exactly what the move justice did near Luanda Kotieno last month. A fisherman who was caught red-handed using chemicals while fishing near the center was chased in the night by a mob of people who beat him to death.

They meted move justice to the illegal fisherman. This was in desperation after several incidences of cases of people caught using chemicals and handed either to the police or the Fisheries department officials quickly gained their freedom after bribing their way to freedom. Fishing regulations are being flouted all over.

As for now eight people are in custody waiting to be tried for murder. The suspects are mostly youths who work at the busy Luanda Kotieno beach as Matatu toughts or petty traders. They had responded to distress call by those who found someone using chemicals in the lake at night and catching hundreds of dead fish.

The suspects were later rounded from villages in Naya Kogweno sub-Location Uyoma West Location, Rarieda district, Siaya County.

The culprit who is now deceased took to his heels with vigilante youths in hot pursuit, and when they caught up with him they beat up him senselessly killing him instantly.

Incidents of chemical fishing have been reported in Busia, Bondo, Mbita, Rachuonyo and Seme area in Kisumu West district.

Lake Victoria fish is being exported to the European Union counties in Europe, Middle East, Japan, Israel and to a lesser extent to the United States, particularly the fillets from the economical and highly prized Nile Perch and Tilapia. The fish stock or both species have been depleted to near zero.

Ends

Kenya: Green Economy; does it include you?

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From: odhiambo okecth

Friends,

This is the theme of The World Environment Day this year. And we at The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC are happy to be associated with this day.

As we celebrate The World Environment Day on the 5th June 2012, we want to invite Kenyans to action. In partnership with the City Council of Nairobi, the Provincial Administration Nairobi, the Provincial Environment Officer Nairobi- Nema, the Kenya Police Force Nairobi, the Traffic Department of the Police Force Nairobi, the Media, and many more Friends of TCKC, we will celebrate this day in style.

We all know how Jogoo Road and Landhies Roads are, and we also know that we have been depositing our garbage by these two Roads for some while. In line with our Constitution, we are mobilizing the participation of as many as 30,000 Nairobians to join us on the 5th June at 7.00am to help clean these two roads, remove the piled up garbage, and put a firm stop to this dumping.

Waste is wealth and many of us know this.

The Clean Kenya Campaign

We are in discussions which are going to turn the process of waste management into something very exciting for Kenyans. Besides being a source of employment and economic gains, waste management is the next big thing for this country.

As soon as we are through with this day, and in partnership with the City Council of Nairobi, the Provincial Environment Office, Kepsa and other players, we are going to engage with all waste collectors in Nairobi to help streamline the business of waste in Nairobi and by extension, across Kenya. We are going to start a pilot process on waste management that will involve some select estates, the hospitality industry and our markets.

We have men and women in Public Service who are well trained in the various aspects of waste management and conversion, and we also have corporates who convert waste into productive materials, gas, energy and biomass. We want to engage all those whose inputs will make us start fighting for our personal waste.

At The Clean Kenya Campaign, we want Kenyans to start being mean with their waste produce because, it is going to give them some good money. We will be inviting Kenyans to separate their waste at source as we move the process to the next level.

This is a process that cannot be left to the Government alone. We must all come in and be part of this Transformative Process that is going to turn Kenya around.

One thing is, we have never talked about what we cannot deliver, and now that we have re-loaded and energized The Clean Kenya Campaign, we are happy that we are equal to the task ahead.

We are happy with the support and partnership from the City Council of Nairobi, the other Councils across Kenya, and the Central Government in this Journey of Hope across Kenya. We are more happy with the many Kenyans who have always joined with us in The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaigns across Kenya.

We have one assurance for all of you; the time is now and we are equal to the task.

To this extent, it is my pleasure to invite you all to join with us on the 5th June 2012 across the entire stretch of Jogoo and Landhies Roads at 7.00am for this Massive Clean-up ever seen anywhere in the World. We are negotiating with our Friends in the Media to have some live transmissions of this historic event; 30,000 people joining hands for a worthy course!

We are inviting the Green Army from the legendary Gor Mahia- Kogalo Fans, where are you?

We are inviting the indomitable Leopards- Ingwe- Mko wapi?

We are inviting the Sofa Paka Team. Where are you? The Brewers? I do not know how you call yourselves!

We are inviting all our Political Parties- PNU, ODM, Wiper, UDF, TNA, URP, KANU, Narc, Nark Kenya- where are you guys with all your Women and Youth Leagues?

And we are inviting all our Political Leaders. It is time we made Kenya Clean!

Kenya is Marwa and making her Clean is our Responsibility!

Given the large numbers that we will be hosting on this day, we want to invite each and every volunteer who will join us to come with either a spade or a rake. The Council will not be in a position to give all of us working tools.

This is our Country. This is Kenya. And we must join in making her Clean. Ama?

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,
The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC,
Tel; 0724 365 557,
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

The Clean Kenya Campaign; www.kcdnkenya.org
An Initiative of the KCDN Kenya

Kenya: Interview at Radio Umoja 101.5FM

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From: odhiambo okecth

Friends,

We will be interviewed at Radio Umoja 101.5FM tomorrow morning- Tuesday the 22nd May 2012 from 7.15am about The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC.

All Friends of TCKC are invited to tune in and participate with us during the Interview.

This comes shortly after Kiss 100 FM called me for a Telephone Interview on Friday the 18th May 2012 at 8.30am for an interview whose impact was felt far and wide.

At The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC, besides engaging Kenyans with The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign every 3rd Saturday of the Month, we will also be engaging Kenyans with Results Oriented Activism based on Service Delivery.

We will engage positively with Public Servants who remain faithful to their oath of Office. But we will demand outright ouster of Public Servants who are lethargic and none performing.

The Game of Musical Chairs must stop, and The CIA Club at TCKC will ensure this is done.

Tune in and let us join hands for The Clean Kenya Campaign.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,
The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC
Tel; 0724 365 557
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

East Africa: Experts predicts that the polluting industrial waste and water hyacinth weeds are killing Lake Victoria

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

THE discharge of raw waste by manufacturing industries into Lake Victoria will soon kill it, experts have warned.

The Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute’s {Kemri} scientists said the quality of the Lake’s water has deteriorated because of pollution, which has caused the extinction of many species of indigenous of aqua inhabitants.

At the same time Marine transport in Lake Victoria has been hampered and paralyzed yet again due to re-emergence of the dreadful water hyacinth weeds,

The concerns comes barely a year after the Lake Victoria riparian states receive over USD 3.2 million {Kshs 266 million} for the cleaning up of the Lake under the second phase of the lake Victoria Environmental Management Program.

The project aims to reducing waste disposal from the lake by over 40 per cent. Kemri scientists have reported that there is little intervention on the control to the Lake, adding that it is a matter of time before it loses resilience to pollution.

A survey carried out in many hitherto popular fish landing beaches along the entire shorelines on the Kenya side of the Lake Victoria established that large vessels were now not able to dock safely at the various piers due to a thick carpet formed by the weed on the surface of the water.

Similarly, the boats were also unable to dock at the shoreline with most fishermen now shying from waterways for transport of goods.

Fishing is of course the mainstay of the economy of the communities living around the lake, employing a large number of youths and school leavers as well as those involve in fish trade.

The dreaded weeds has blocked the navigation not only of ships and steamers, but also the small home made fishing canoes and boats with outboard engines, which are in common use by the fishermen and fish traders.

Kemri’s Director William Ojwang’ was recent quoted as saying that the Lake is currently in a pathetic state and cannot support both Human ad aqua life with most of fish species under the threat of extinction as a result of pollution.

The popular fishing landing places like Dunga in the outskirt of Kisumu City, Karabondi and Kendu-Bay in Rachuoyo South,Kochia, Homa-Bay, Usawo, Malela, Luanda, Mbita, Utajo, Wanyama, Luanda ka-Olunga,Sihenga, Sindo, Nyamanga, Nyandiwa and other paces are blocked by water hyacinth.

The dreadful water hyacinth appeared to have covered the entire length of the shorelines on the Kenyan side of the Lake Victoria covering several administrative districts of Nyatike, Suba South, Suba North, Homa-Bay, Rachuonyo North, Nyakach, Nyando, Kisumu, Seme, Rarieda, Bondo Siaya and Busia.

Ferry operators led by Edward Odero have been wondering as to why the state had failed to contain the weed despite sufficient funds being set aside to manage it.

“We have repeated appealed to the government to find a quick way to eradicate the dangerous weed or else it will, scare away potential investors in the marine industry,” he added.

In the last one year, investment in Lake Victoria has witnessed tremendous growth with several local and foreign investors introduce big ships to accelerate shipment of large consignment.

Most traders prefer water transport, which is relatively much cheaper for delivery of goods with Tanzania and Uganda being the largest users of ships to transfer goods from Kisumu Port to Port Bell {Luzira} in Uganda and the Port of Mwanza and in the northwestern Tanzania.

Traders interviewed claimed it was taking more than three hours for the ships to dock. While ordinarily they are not supposed to take more than 30 minutes, now time has to be spared to clear the surface for the vessels to navigate their way to the shoreline. Kisumu Pier is virtually covered by hyacinth weeds.

On the other hand, fisheries experts say the numbers of fish stock have drastically reduced and very soon, the lake will just be a field of excursion without any benefit to those in the riparian as pollution forces its benefit out.” What we are calling tilapia is not the original tilapia species we know.

The original tilapia species is no longer found in the lake but in private ponds as a result of pollution fro the industries.

“We have suffered a great deal. We have had no camp here for more than day to allow the ship to dock and load our consignments. It is really frustrating, said one local trade Juma Ali in Kisumu.

The Kemri director urged authorities in the region to improve sanitation to contain diseases that afflict the more than 3.5 million people round Lake Victoria.”The lake is being choked by raw waste from the industry and unfortunately the local authorities around the lake have done little to reverse this trend. The lake is soon giving up and studies suggest that very few fish species are left under the water as some have been forced to extinction due to lack of fresh water,”said Ojwang’.

Ends

EAST AFRICA: A STUDY REPORT HAS REVEALED THAT NEARLY ALL FISH SPECIES IN LAKE VICTORIA MAY BE EXTINCT IN THE NEXT 30 YEARS UNLESS POLLUTION AND OVERFISHING IS PUT ON CHECK.

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

POOR management of the resources coupled with over-fishing, industrial pollution and the of Lake Victoria and its resources.

And now the residents of the region and the communities living along the shorelines of the lake as well as scientists and researchers have raised red flag over the reported rapid depletion of fish stock.

The fisheries ministry officials, especially the fish scouts and officials charged with the responsibilities of ensuring the orderly fishing stand to be blamed for not implementing the government policy to he letter.

Corruption is also cited when it comes to the issues involving fishermen’s using an unauthorized fishing net that kills immature fish.

The scientists and researchers have so far predicted that unless all these malpractices stopped, the lake could be depleted of all fish species in 30 years time, if the environmental degradation was not adequately addressed.

A damning study report recently released by the Lake Victoria Management Programme has revealed that production of the stock of the economically prized Nile Perch went down by 750,000 tones from 2005 to only 232,000tones in 2008.At the same time tilapia number dropped from 27,061 tones to 24,811tone during the same period of time.

“The fish industry sub-sector o the national economy which earns Kshs 7 billion annually in foreign exchange is now said to be set to record reduced revenue as a result,” says the report.

At the same time a researcher from a Swedish University has said that the number of fish species in Lake Victoria had dropped significantly from more than 400 at the turn of the twentieth century to only 192 a the turn of 21st century.

“The situation is alarming because over-fishing environmental degradation and pollution is still at the peak. Due to many industries up stream discharging pollutant material to the lake..

The scarcity of fish and acute supplies has I the recent past sent the prices of the commodity skyrocketing.

Ends

EAST AFRICA: GLOBAL SHORTAGE OF FISH COULD LEAD TO THE BOOSTING OF EXPORTS OF THE LAKE VICTORIA’S ECONOMICALLY PRIZED NILE PERCH.

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Write Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

A shortage of Pangasius fish in international market markets following flooding in Vietnam is expected to boost Nile Perch exports from Lake Victoria.

Nile Perch sales in Asian and Western European markets have in past few years gradually reduced as more price sensitive consumers opted for Pangasius, a cheaper alternative source of white meat.

Analysis with the Food and Agriculture Organization {FAO} SAID Nile Perch exports from Lake Victoria could rise sharply this ear following shortages of the rival species after massive floods in the main producing Vietnam contaminated ponds.

“Drop in demand doe Pangasius and the increase in the value of marketing of certified Nile Perch in the EU {European Union}, could give extra boost to the fishery products coming from Lake Victoria,” says the agencies I the market update report for the month of April, 2012.

The food in the third quarter of lat year saw nearly 70 per cent of all pangasius fish processing plants in Vietnam Mekong delta shut down due to contaminated fish ponds mainly in Dong Thup and An Ging provinces.

The effects of the damages on the Pangasius market are expected to spill over into much of this year, reviving the Lake Victoria Nile Perch industry whose fortunes have been rising with adoption of certification programme .

Kenya and other East African countries mainly rely on Lake Victoria to support Nile Perch industries even though the business has in the recent years come under pressure from dwindling supplies and weak prices in the international market.

FAO report says, Lake Victoria Nile Perch exports to the EU had began stabilizing due to improved quality standards. In this period, Tanzania was by far the biggest supplier for European countries with 12,300 tones, following by Uganda and Kenya,” the agency said.

Statistics showed that n the first quarter of lat year, the EU remained the main market for Nile Perch with 8,200 tones of fillets coming from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

In 2010, Kenya exported 3,600 tones of Nile Perch fillets to EU markets, while Tanzania sold 16,300 tones and Uganda 11,800 tones.

Apart from competing from Pangasius, the Lake Victoria Nile Perch industry has also suffered an image problem over poor fishing methods that deprived the lake of its potential resources.

Data by the Fisheries Department showed that the Nile Perch stock in Lake Victoria decline from 1.9 million tones to 1.2 million between 1999 and 2001 before dropping drastically to 544,000 tones in 2005.The stocks were estimated at 37o tones in 2008.

As part of efforts to stall dip in Lake Victoria catch, governments have formed beach management units to oversee sustainable exploitation of the fish resources.

Ends

Kenya: Happy Easter + Pst Birai

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From: odhiambo okecth

Friends,

It is that time of the Year when we contrite ourselves in memory of how Jesus the Holy Christ was crucified for our sins. He came to save us from our way ward ways but some of us accused Him of many ills, ills He never committed, arrested Him and had Him Crucified.

I must hence start by wishing all Holy Men, Friends of KCDN and People of Good Will a Happy Easter.

In the recent past, I have been the subject of useless debate from some journeymen. They have made all the noise they can and having realized that they were heading nowhere with their noise and slander on my person, they decided to direct their attack and slander on a Man of God; A Friend of KCDN- Pastor Absalom Birai.

Like Jesus Christ, Pst Birai has ended carrying my Cross for me, just because he dared to stand by me openly at a time I was under these virulent attacks. I am happy we had many Friends of KCDN standing by me and I did post the kind of support we received during those baseless and useless attacks on my person. One Muslim Councilor in Mombasa even called me and asked me never to respond to the attacks on my person because, in his words- huyu mutu ni kama ni wazimu.

Kenyans and Friends of KCDN, the Government Ministries, Departments and the Corporates that we are working with never faltered with their support for KCDN and for Oto in particular.

Some people raised funds in the US and elsewhere and instructed one known mad man to be their rapid dog on me. Their chosen man was so rudderless, so un-professional and so insane. He went into the KCDN Website to dig into things that all could easily access and called it investigative journalism. And his 4 Partners lauded him as the best gift that has ever happened to them since manner fell on the Israelites. I never responded to them for I do not share in their shared madness.

They were so blinded by their hate for Oto to an extent that they forgot that they were walking all naked in the streets. Their worst bit was when they decided to fight with a man of God, simply because that man of God was a Friend of KCDN. That was their lowest point.

As we celebrate Easter Season, and as I appreciate Pst Birai in his faith and commitment to the service of Christ, I want to urge all of us to re-dedicate our lives to the service of Kenyans. We are all One big Family under God. We need to love each other and we need to be there for each other.

We were One such Big Family under God until one Mohamed Warsama appeared with his satanic verses. Ashindwe. I want to urge this confused old man to leave Pst Birai out of his useless wars with me. Let hin continue attacking me. But let him leave Pst Birai out of this.

Happy Easter to all Men and Women of Good Will.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek’- President Barack Obama of the USA.

A Peaceful, Clean, Green and Litter Less Kenya at 50 is possible and achievable.

Odhiambo T Oketch
CEO KCDN Kenya,
National Coordinator- The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign
Tel; 0724 365 557
Blog; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch

Odhiambo T Oketch is the immediate former Chairman to the City Council of Nairobi Stakeholders Evaluation Team on Performance Contracting and Rapid Results Management. He is also Chair to the Nyamonye Catholic Church Development Fund. He was also the Co-Chair and Coordinator of The Great Nairobi Walk against Corruption that was held in Nairobi on the 22nd October 2010 in partnership with KACC and he is the National Co-ordinator of The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign in Kenya.

Kenya: Oto’s Speech during The World Clean-up Day

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from odhiambo okecth

Friends,

The Enclosed was my speech today at Umoja during The World Clean-up Day.

Peace and blessings

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek’- President Barack Obama of the USA.

A Clean, Green and Litter Less Kenya at 50 is possible and achievable.

Odhiambo T Oketch
CEO KCDN Kenya,
National Coordinator- The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign
Tel; 0724 365 557
Blog; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch

Odhiambo T Oketch is the immediate former Chairman to the City Council of Nairobi Stakeholders Evaluation Team on Performance Contracting and Rapid Results Management. He is also Chair to the Nyamonye Catholic Church Development Fund. He was also the Co-Chair and Coordinator of The Great Nairobi Walk against Corruption that was held in Nairobi on the 22nd October 2010 in partnership with KACC and he is the National Co-ordinator of The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign in Kenya.
…….Moving From Talking to Tasking…….
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Otos Speech during The World Clean up Day.doc
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Wood Avenue past Yaya Centre P.O. Box 47890 – 00100 Nairobi Tel: +254 (0)724 365 557, +254 (0)735 529 126

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24th March 2012

Umoja Estate- Moi Drive; The World Clean-up Day.

The Permanent Secretary Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Local Government, Prof Karega Mutahi.

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development, Arch Philip Sika.

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development, Dr. James Nyikal.

The Lord Mayor of Kampala Capital City Authority- Mr. Erias Lukwago.

His Excellency the Ambassador of Uganda to Kenya His Excellency BP Emmanuel Hatega.

All Protocal Observed.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all today to Umoja Estate in celebrating The World Clean-up Day with us. KCDN has been in the front line in mobilizing Kenyans into action and we are happy that this day has been made a resounding success due to our commitment and focus.

We launched the Clean-up Campaigns in 2009 when we invited the City Council of Nairobi to join with us in cleaning the Komarock Canal. The response was massive and thereafter, we wrote to the Town Clerk requesting if we could do this every Month across the whole of Nairobi.

This request was granted and on the 18th September 2010, His then Worship the Mayor Cllr Geoffrey Majiwa, in the company of several City Fathers and Chief Officers, officially launched the Nairobi City Monthly Clean-up Campaign. From then on, this campaign has been mounted every 3rd Saturday of the Month in Nairobi.

Having seen the success and the willingness of Kenyans to join in this process, and having seen how littered our Towns across the Country were, we decided to Launch The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign to spear head this campaign across all Kenya.

We invited the support of the Provincial Administration at the Office of the President, the Greening Kenya Initiative at the Office of the Prime Minister, the participation of various Local Government Authorities across Kenya as our first Friends, and many Friends of KCDN.

We then invited the Rt Hon Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga to graciously launch this Campaign in Mombasa and on the 20th February 2011, this became a reality when the Rt Hon Prime Minister delegated this invitation to Hon Amazon Kingi- the Minister for Fisheries Development to stand in for him.

From that time on, The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign has grown in stature. We have invited more willing partners to join with us and we have launched the Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisii, Kisumu, Kakamega, Nyeri and Naivasha.

We are happy that our efforts have been supported by the following groups whom we have the confidence of calling Friends of KCDN;

? Provincial Administration- Office of the President

? Public Service Transformation Department- Office of the Prime Minister

? Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Local Goovernment

? Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources

? Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development

? Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development

? Akiba Uhaki Foundation

? A Better World

? Mugumo Communications Ltd

? Kenya Private Sector Alliance

? And a host of Friends of KCDN listed under Partners in our website- http://www.kcdnkenya.org

Mobilizing and sensitizing Kenyans for this Campaign has not been easy. A few people who do not know think that we are really well funded. But our Friends who know, know how difficult it has been for us to mobilize for the success of this Campaign. We have been knocking constantly on several doors with some modest success.

It is hence our intention today to officially invite for the support, both logistics and financial, to The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign. We have proved that it can be done, and with your support, we can work as a team in this Journey of Hope across Kenya.

During our Consultative Forums across Kenya, we are addressing 3 Thematic Areas which we know has the potential of turning Kenya around namely;

? Environmental Management- where we are inviting Kenyans to keep their neighbourhoods clean

? Peace Building- where we are inviting Kenyans to appreciate that we are One Family under God, and

? Good Governance- where we are inviting Kenyans to become active participants in the affairs of our beloved Country.

We have made a few observations in the course of this Campaign;

? To achieve a Clean, Green and Litter Less Kenya, we need to make it official, just like we have it in other Countries, that Kenyans should join in this voluntary process every 3rd Saturday of the Month across the whole Country for 2 hours.

? We must maintain Order

? We must have Discipline

? We must enforce the rule of Law and the Council By-Laws

In so doing, we will surely achieve a Clean, Green and Litter Less Kenya.

We would then gladly recommend the following;

? That the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Local Government, being the Ministry that controls our Local Authorities, should embrace the concept of The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign and become the Patron to the event

? That the Government allocates resources and office space for this Campaign

? That the Local Authorities should make budgetary allocations for this Campaign every Month

? And the Corporates and other Players be enjoined in this Campaign in the spirit of Private Public Partnership.

It is now my pleasure to declare you the 1st General of the trenches- installation Ceremony to follow- with the Following words-

The Hon John Njoroge Michuki left us, but the Spirit of Michuki lives on. With this Spade, go yee forth and be the New Michuki in our Midst. Welcome to the Big Shoes.

Lastly, I want to sincerely thank you all for making this day a success. More so, I want to thank a lady by the name Hellen Wanjoya- who called me and asked me if we could do something for Umoja. She was very helpful in our mobilization process and we at KCDN would really want to appreciate her.

Thank you and God Bless us all.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek’- President Barack Obama of the USA.

A Clean, Green and Litter Less Kenya at 50 is possible and achievable.

Odhiambo T Oketch
CEO KCDN Kenya,
National Coordinator- The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign
Tel; 0724 365 557
Blog; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch

Odhiambo T Oketch is the immediate former Chairman to the City Council of Nairobi Stakeholders Evaluation Team on Performance Contracting and Rapid Results Management. He is also Chair to the Nyamonye Catholic Church Development Fund. He was also the Co-Chair and Coordinator of The Great Nairobi Walk against Corruption that was held in Nairobi on the 22nd October 2010 in partnership with KACC and he is the National Co-ordinator of The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign in Kenya.

…….Moving From Talking to Tasking……..

Kenya: Final arrangements for the World Clean-up Day

1 Reply

From: odhiambo okecth

Friends,

We hosted the final Consultative Forum where the final arrangements for the World Clean-up Day were made.

In attendance with us were the Divisional Environmental Officer Mr. Joseph Nyaga from the City Council of Nairobi, Ms Beatrice Munyao- the Ward Manager Umoja 2, Ms Jane Rose Muthoni- Assistant Chief Umoja, Ms Pamela Odima- KNRC Women Leader Umoja, Mr. Tom Ongoma- Market Master Umoja Market, Mr. Alvin Juma- KMTC Nairobi and a large number of participating organizations.

[view image]
The Organizing Team after todays meeting at Umoja- 22nd March 2012

Participants will meet as from 6.30am at the Umoja 1 Council offices, next to the Catholic Church and the Clean-up Campaign will be flagged off at 7.00am by Prof Karega Mutahi- the Permanent Secretary Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Local Government in the presence of all our Guests.

We will assign the participating Teams the various routes and we hope to converge at Busara Primary School immediately we finish, for closing remarks and an official speech from the PS.

The KCDN Team and Women Leaders; Ms Pamela Odima is on the far left, Ms Hellen Wanjoya- in red, Ms Florence Kanyua in the middle and Ms Sylvia Ntambato

We are inviting all the participating Teams to come with their lists of members for ease of registration and giving out of working tools. We are also inviting all those who can come with their tools to do so.

As I am writing this, we are still seeking out support for the following items;
4 Tents
500 Chairs
PA System
2,000 bottles of water.

We are not being provided with these and so, any well wisher may step in and be of support.

Lastly, if you want to be of any financial support to The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign across Kenya, you can discuss the same with the undersigned and we will post the same online as we have been doing all the times.

The KCDN Team- Hellen Wanjoya- A Friend of KCDN, Oto, Florence Kanyua, Peter Mbol and Sylvia Nyambato.

We are looking forward to meeting for the first time with many bloggers who have been engaging with us on the Clean-up Campaign on Saturday.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek’- President Barack Obama of the USA.

A Clean, Green and Litter Less Kenya at 50 is possible and achievable.

Odhiambo T Oketch
CEO KCDN Kenya,
National Coordinator- The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign
Tel; 0724 365 557
Blog; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch

Odhiambo T Oketch is the immediate former Chairman to the City Council of Nairobi Stakeholders Evaluation Team on Performance Contracting and Rapid Results Management. He is also Chair to the Nyamonye Catholic Church Development Fund. He was also the Co-Chair and Coordinator of The Great Nairobi Walk against Corruption that was held in Nairobi on the 22nd October 2010 in partnership with KACC and he is the National Co-ordinator of The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign in Kenya.
…….Moving From Talking to Tasking……..