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from ouko joachim omolo
BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
MOMBASA-KENYA
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2011
TAKE-1
Catholic priests in Mombasa archdiocese have called on bishops to use media as the tool for evangelization. The priests who recommended the call as one of the way forward during the just concluded workshop on land and water security in Mtwapa Mombasa facilitated by People for Peace in Africa, Frs Ken Thesing and Joseph Healey of the Maryknoll Society said the catholic bishops should learn from their fellow protestants, evangelical and Muslims who use the media as the tool for evangelization.
The priests said either bishop in charge of communication or any delegated bishop should use TVs, Radios and print media to tell people of Kenya and the world of issues touching the country, especially on famine, forthcoming elections, and Lenten campaigns. The priests wondered why the bishops have never issued a statement on famine and increased numbers of refugees and IDPs in the country.
The workshop which was officially opened by Mombasa Archbishop Boniface Lele on Wednesday brought the priests representing all six deaneries. Bishop Lele wished these workshops could be extended to other dioceses since land and water has been a major issue affecting Kenyans, especially the voiceless in the society. He thanked the Maryknoll society in Kenya for a good work they have done and still do in Kenya.
The archdiocese of Mombasa covers four countries, namely, Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Taita Taveta. One of the challenges facing the diocese is the resettlement of squatters. There is also the issue of ten-mile coastal strip covering 1128 parcels of land in over 80,000 hectares in Kwale, Mombasa, and Kilifi, this is not to mention Malindi, Tana River and Lamu districts.
There is also the problem of the absentee landlords. It is estimated that absentee landlords own over 77,753.02 hectares of land. They include:
Mombasa District: 301 hectares;
Malindi District: 234.17 hectares;
Kwale District: 75,982.4 hectares;
Kilifi District: 1235.85 hectares;
Tana River District: unspecified;
Lamu District: unspecified;
Comprehensive data is still being compiled to verify the true status of ownership of private parcels of land by absentee landlords.
Just like other parts of Kenya, the land grabbing in Mombasa remains one of the major issues. Investigation reveals that the Mombasa Municipal Council is being used by powerful individuals and businessmen to reposes properties and land belonging to investors situated at prime or poshy locations within Mombasa region.
The Minister for Lands James Orengo has said Coastal Land issues must be resolved once and for all. Orengo who recently made a three-day tour of Mombasa, Kwale, Malindi and Garsen said this when he met Coastal Lands Staff in Mombasa and Kwale.
The Minister said that the Land Sector was under deep public scrutiny and focus, and that the officers must be diligent in land transactions. The Minister said the New Constitution propagated for a shift in Land Administration and that stakeholders were already calling for the urgent establishment of the National Land Commission.
“The Importance of Physical Planning and its impact in the future of the Coastal region cannot be over-emphasized with regard to Land Management and Administration”, the Minister was quoted by press as telling the officers at a meeting at the Mombasa District Lands Office.
The Minister said the Department of Physical Planning must henceforth interrogate plans to determine if they were in conflict with approved developments. “The flagrant use of the Land Titles Act has encouraged Survey activities to be carried out without planning, leading to the current untenable development in parts of Mombasa”. “Any Title that is proved to be fraudulently acquired will be revoked”, he emphasized.
Orengo appealed to the Provincial Administration to desist from evicting the squatters from the land pending determination of the land ownership. “Any evictions must be done in a humane manner and proper consultations must be done before evictions”, the Minsiter said at the Bangladesh Slums recently.
Mombasa boarders Kilifi District to the North, Kwale District to the South and West and the Indian Ocean to the East. It is divided into four administrative divisions namely Changamwe, Island Likoni and Kisauni. High population densities are found in Island division and along major highways such as Mombasa – Lungalunga in Likoni division, Mombasa – Nairobi in Changamwe Division and Mombasa – Malindi in Kisauni division. The outskirts of the district are sparsely populated. Division wise, Kisauni lead in population followed by Changamwe, Island and Likoni in that order. The population was projected to increase to 920,313 in 2008 from 665,018 in 1999.
The unemployment population stood at 189,246 during the 1999 population census and is continuing to increase by day as the population continues to increase with people moving from upcountry to look for employment.
Like the other districts in the province, poverty has not spared the district either, it contributes 1.45 percent of the national poverty with 217,402 people (about 38.32 percent) living in absolute poverty and a depency ratio of 100:55- the number is expected to increase rapidly as the pace of urbanization accelerates and population increases.
The immediate causes of poverty in the district include:
• Landlessness
• High and increasing costs of living
• Inaccessibility to credit facilities
• Lack of technical entrepreneurial skills
• Unemployment i.e. low incomes among others.
Unlike Protestants, evangelicals and Muslims, Catholic Church has not been very aggressive on evangelization through media. Currently the church has as it main national FM Radio station-Wuamini but this is limited only to people around Nairobi and its neighbours.
Apart from Radio Amani 88.3FM, a leading Swahili Radio Station in Nakuru catholic diocese, Radio Akicha, a Catholic Radio Station that aims at bringing “light” in all dimensions of life in Turkana-99.5fm, Radio Maria-a Catholic Diocese of Murang’a, other diocese are still slow in beginning radio stations.
Letters to the editor
ABSURD FOR THE COMMISSION OF EDUCATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TO OBJECT THE PROCESS OF ELEVATING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TO NATIONAL SCHOOLS
The Catholic Church in Kenya has always been in the forefront opposing the government for changes that are very necessary for progress in the country. The other day we saw the church opposing the new constitution then later the appointment of Dr Willy Mutunga and Nancy Baraza as head of TJC and assistant respectively.
Few weeks ago after the ministry of education proposing to elevate 89 provincial schools to national level, the church is again against this process. What is the matter with the KEC? The writer is a catholic but he thinks there are moments when we just have to close our ears and ignore the church sentiments. This is a church with pastors who are educated to the highest level such that they should appreciate the endeavor the government is making to elevate some schools to national level.
Bishop Crowly, the chair of the commission of education, argued that elevating schools will deny poor students chances in such schools. Strictly speaking his argument does not hold water. In any case how many schools are provincial? And how many are national? The obvious is that provincial schools are more than national schools. Therefore, the wisdom of the government I suppose is to compete with the large number of students who are qualifying for national schools but are unable to be admitted due to congestion as a result of their small number.
This is a very sensible reason that any critical mind can ‘foresee’. So the KEC have no authority to dimisfy such a noble of the government. Secondly, the KEC is not absolute in whatever stand they will be making. Moreover this is not a moral issue that they can claim, according to their teaching that the church cannot err. Well, I appreciate the concern of the KEC but they should go slowly on some matters and think deeply about them before coming to a conclusion. Therefore I urge them to have a retreat and revise their stand on this critical issue.
Concerned Catholic-Nairobi-Kenya
People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya
Tel +254-7350-14559/+254-722-623-578
E-mail- ppa@africaonline.co.ke
omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Website: www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org