WORLD WOMEN DAY: ITS TIME TO ENTRENCH WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT POSITIONS

For ages, women have been subjected to back seat when leadership and development issues are being discussed. African culture and traditions have disadvantaged women who have been left to perform demanding yet perceived insignificant chores at household levels. Traditionally women were embedded to cook, take care of children, collect firewood and remain submissive and indecisive to their know-all male counterparts. Similarly, men were believed to be God chosen leaders who were bestowed with sole mandate to make decision regarding property ownership, chiefdom and kingdom selection, property acquaintance and disposal and marital decisions such as number of children to be born, number of wives and wife inheritance matters

 

The perception has created man-made vulnerability to women and girls. Some chores continually subject women to otherwise dangerous yet mandatory environments, while collecting firewood, fetching water, attending livestock women have drowned, attacked by wild animals and militia groups causing emotional and bodily harm. Women have been subjected to lesser economic gainful enterprises in patriarchal societies who perceives women contributions as insignificant.

 

The trend seems to change in unprecedented rate as whole world. Women have taken influential and seat in cornerstone on many development and leadership positions. World Super power United States of America has woman vice president Her Excellence Kamala Harris. While Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher held Britain prime minister position in different times. For sixteen years, Angela Markel led Germany.

 

 Africa is not left behind as Ellen Sirleaf Johnson held the helm of Liberia, a leadership which has saw sanity and rule of law back to the country wounded by civil war. Catherine Samba Panza led Central Africa Republic between 2014 and 2016 while Rose Francine Rangombe led Gabon between June and October 2009. Samia Suluhu Hassan took over from Late H.E Dr Magufuli in Tanzania while Sahle Work Zedwe is the current president for Ethiopia.

 

In Kenya women have made remarkable strides from dark past to limelight both in private sector, public leadership and political position. The appointment of Nyiva Mwendwa to cabinet position in 1995 took male chauvinists by surprise but was the beginning of women presence in leadership positions which is now entrenched in the 2010 constitution. Performance of women in leadership position has proofed that they are equal participant with men.

 

In community development front, women have provided the most needed workforce either freely and below market rates. Family farming which feeds over 70% of world population according to World Rural Forum statistics 2013 is most dependent of women labor who toil to ensure their crops are planted in time, weeded and manure applied and taken care from pest and diseases and harvested. In most patriarchal African societies’ men make the decisions while women implement such decisions, a culture which continues to draw back gains made in gender equality. In pastoral communities, women are left to small livestock while men own large livestock, which bring incomes in terms of labor and sells when they are sold. Decisions to own some property and even income by women remain highly influenced by men and thus low homegrown development initiatives in rural communities

 

In recent past women have clustered themselves in self run and regulated micro finance initiatives which have offered much needed and deserving source of income in rural areas. These initiatives have seen women be able to afford household items such as cooking wear, school uniform for their children and school fees, access to better health and more regular and nutritious meals to their families. Through loans and financials savings from their groups’ (chamas’) women are able to start business and earn income and decent lives.

 

Women play important roles in all aspects of development, due to their closeness to nature, while proving for the families, women have very sound mindset in environmental conservation which has seen many women take lead in rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems.   For any community, be it in developed countries, developing, war torn regions, rural or urban to realize sustainable development, women need to be placed in their right positions as the current trend has proven that they can do what men have done and even in better. Previous closed opportunities for women need to be availed to them so that they can optimize their contribution in nation building.

 

Adoption of fuel briquettes is solution for deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions

 

Climate Change is a phenomenon which has captured attention of the entire world. Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi and Conference of Parties (CoP 28) held late last year in Dubai is clear indicator of significance of the Climate Change discussion. Fuel provision remains primary and most elusive Climate Change driver whose contribution to greenhouse gases has been on increase. Sustainable Development Goal 7 focuses on access to clean and affordable energy, however fossil fuels still remain the dominant energy source globally.

Majority of Africa households especially in rural settings depend on firewood for cooking and heating due to its affordability, accessibility and versatility in meeting household fuel needs. Firewood usage remains unsustainable because it leads to deforestation and land degradation and emits both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide both of which are high impact greenhouse gases once released to the atmosphere. The quality of life for both the rural and urban population in Kenya, like others in the developing world, is difficult by high cost of fuel wood and oil based products (paraffin and gas) used in cooking. For this majority the problem of obtaining fuel wood should come as a secondary priority to obtaining food

With increase in wood dependent population in Africa and declining forest resource, charcoal briquettes can offer low cost, sustainable and accessible energy source. Made from compacting biomass residue such as sawdust, charcoal dust, other wood remnants or agricultural residues, charcoal briquettes remain low hanging fruit in sustainable energy options.

Charcoal briquettes offer employment opportunities thus closing the unemployment gap witnessed in third world countries. There is very huge potential for cooking and heating fuel market which remains unmet or met using unclean and polluting energy options, any viable clean energy will be great welcome in the market.

Briquettes offer waste management opportunities in circular bio economy approach. Waste which would otherwise create pollution and call for collection and disposal costs is in return converted in to sustainable bioresources for the benefit of households and the environment. Circular economy creates a continuum which appreciates all value chain actors in the ecosystem in easy to manage context, and does not require extensive legislation

According to the World Bank, 1200 grams of wood are burned per person per day in the typical cooking situation in third world countries using the three stone stove. This is equivalent to using 400 kilogram of wood each year to satisfy the energy needs of one person. In contrast, a typical person consumes only 140 kilograms’ worth of fuel briquettes made of agricultural and commercial residues, in one year. Therefore, using fuel briquettes dramatically reduces the strain on forest resources.

 

Briquettes can be used in almost every application where firewood and charcoal is traditionally used, even in a typical three-stone stove. They are most applicable in areas where access to firewood is limited, such as the arid lands or in densely populated areas. In these areas, fuel briquettes can compete favorably with traditional solid fuel (firewood, charcoal, and cow dung). In Kenya the price difference is already in favor of fuel briquettes

 

Conclusion

Beyond reasonable doubt, Earth’s climate is warming and climate change will have widespread impact on African society and their interaction with natural environment. However, there is great need to increase awareness on the value of briquettes as an alternative fuel in East Africa as a means of reducing local dependence on fuel wood and as a tool for teaching the community about forest conservation.

Andrew Muendo Nyamu

Young African Leaders Initiative alumni (cohort 24)

Nature Positive project coordinator

National Church Council of Kenya (NCCK)

Email: nyamu1895@gmail.com

 

RIVER SAND SHOULD BE SEEN AS WATER SOURCE BUT NOT MINERAL

  River sand remain key component in construction industry and water availability. In the last few decades, the world has experienced significant demand for river sand because of increasing living standards, rapid population growth, and the expansion of the construction sector. The growth of sand harvesting activities is associated with adverse environmental impacts, including reduced water quality, the widening of river beds, and reduced water quantity. Achieving equilibrium between river sand harvesting and water availability has remained elusive leading to decline in water availability due to quick cash associated with river sand harvesting

The 6^th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6) is geared towards ensuring that everyone has access to safe and affordable drinking water. For its full realization, all water sources ought to be preserved to ensure their water provision is not compromised. Although hardly considered, river sand remains critical water source for households in rural arid and semi-arid areas and its continued exploration has jeopardized their livelihoods.

National Sand Harvesting Guidelines 2007, provides legal framework for conservation and utilization of sand resource, albeit it does not explicitly define whether sand is mineral or water reservoir. Makueni County Sand Conservation and Utilization Act 2015, in principle put much emphasis on conservation of river sand while creating sand utilization framework for local domestic use within Makueni County, its implementation challenges notwithstanding, the Act has led to restoration of many rivers and brought much needed sanity within sand value chain in Makueni County.

Kenya is a water scarce country with per capita water availability of 600M³ which is below global threshold of 1000M³. Coupled with climate change, the situation is likely to worsen in future. Rivers provide bulk of water for domestic and agricultural uses among rural households and their water availability is dependent on river sand availability. River sand harvesting has led to degradation of river beds which are custodians of surface water within river channels, this practice in return has resulted to drying up of rivers and water structures within river channels.

Sand dams have been widely used to restore river equilibrium and their water holding capacities through acting as barrier to sand flow downstream. Due to their relatively low cost construction and technical requirements, communities have taken up the initiative to erect as many sand dams as possible within their river channels. These initiatives have led to restoration of degraded riparian ecosystems and reclamation of adjacent arable lands.

Utilization of river sand remains threat to water availability despite its role in construction industry, this calls for regulation its regulation to ensure sustainable harvesting. To achieve this, stakeholder engagements remain primary including local communities, sand dealers, sand loaders and County and National government enforcement and compliance teams.

To realize harmony and unity from all involved river sand harvesting stakeholders, benefit sharing among involved riparian communities ought to be factored. Riparian communities through Water Resource User Associations and other local formations are the custodians of rivers and unsustainable sand harvesting directly impacts on their livelihoods and wellbeing. Laws regulating river sand harvesting should ensure trickle down of revenue to the communities through conservation projects, water projects and environment restoration projects

Water is life, and thus all water sources need to be conserved to ensure their ability to provide the much needed resources remains optimal. Sand rivers remain one of key water sources and hence their protection is paramount, for this to be achieved, sand river should be understood as water tank and not mineral