Kitui Integrated Food Security and Improved water Management project Goes On:
The Kitui Integrated Food Security and Improved water Management project or the Nuu Food Resource Bank (FRB) project was launched on 24th October , 2007 at Nuu in eastern parts of the Diocese of Kitui, in presence of area’s representation of Government’s Provincial Administration, personnel from the government’s ministry of Agriculture, diocesan office of development programmes, the CRS agriculture Unit manager Dr. Johnson Irungu; Agnes Kithikii from the Global Solidarity and Partnerships (CRS-Kenya), area’s Parish Priest, Fr. Emmanuel Ngui and members of local community.
This is an initiative resulting from the Global Solidarity partnership between the Catholic Diocese of Kitui and the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, through the Food resource Bank (FRB) programme, with facilitation of Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
The project is to go on for five years.
TARGETING: Out of the seven sub locations in Nuu; five sub locations of Kyangati; Malawa; Mwambiu; Mwangeni and Nyaani have been identified as the project sites.
Single earth dam will be constructed in one sub location each year for the next five years.
The criteria for identifying these Sub locations depended on the community needs.
For instance, it was found out (Jointly with the Government’s provincial Administration; The local community; the Diocese and the CRS- Kenya Personnel) that Kyangati sub location, with its 17 villages was the hardest hit area, with the households being far away from the nearest water points.
Hence in the first year, the first earth dam project has been scheduled at this sub location. Likewise in year two, the second earth dam will be in Malawa sub location, then Mwambiu (third year), Mwangeni (fourth year) and lastly Nyaani (Fifth year).
Out of its 17 villages, six of Kyangati’s villages, with a population of 2,054 were identified as the most needful, and therefore, the site is in Kwa Kokwe, Yongoni village, one of the six villages.
WORK PLAN: So far launching and targeting of the project has been done. The Earth dam survey at Kyangati was carried out in a joint venture between the diocese and the government (Mwingi District).
BENEFICIARIES: This project is using manual labor from the local community in what is termed as cash for work programme. In this case, individuals from selected house holds do certain agreed amount of work, and are paid an agreed amount.
In this case, the laborers from the local community are digging (and scooping) an average of 1.3m³ of soil at the site, and then are paid Kenya shillings (Kshs.) 100.00 (equivalent of $ 1.45 (Dollars)) a day. With this money, these members of local community are expected to buy food and cater for other basic needs of their families.
There are 250 individuals from 250 house holds (with directly dependable population of 2,054 persons) in Kyangati working in this project site currently. Of the entire number, 60 per cent (150 laborers) are women while the remaining 40% are men.
The selection of these beneficiary households was also an agreed factor between the diocese, provincial administration and the local community, with facilitation of CRS, and it depended on the needs of the household. The selected households are what was termed as the most pressed ones economically.
These persons work three days a week: Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
Currently the clearing of the site is almost complete, and the digging has started.
CHALLENGES: Though the project was meant to take off late last year, it was affected by the December rains, which made the local murram roads impassable, and thus transport to the site became and impediment. Also during this time, the members of the local community were engaged in their small farms and thus it became difficult to kick start the project. This caused its delay up to January this year.
Also this delay was affected by late signing of the letter of agreement between the diocese and CRS.
Also, the project is facing a mounting challenge of lack of proper digging and scooping equipment, as the programme is not providing any. Members of the local community are being forced to use their own.
THE FUTURE: It is part of this project to also initiate agro-activities around the project site in a bid to improve food security, and capacity-build the local community. These are to be initiated immediately after the current phase of work in the work plan is over, before the end of this year.
