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    28Sep, 2022
    What’s Your Role In CIPD?

    That road, social hall, street light or ECDE we have been wanting will only come if it’s put in plan and budgeted for in the coming County Integrated Development Plan. This week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday focused on the County integrated Development Plan with participants from Mukuru Kwa  Reuben and Viwandani. What is CIDP, how is it developed and the different sectors that are there. It was shocking that in 15 people only 1 has an idea of what CIDP is or entails.CIPD is a plan prepared by all counties to guide development over a five-year period.

    The formulation of CIDP is the first major task of a new county administration and it aims to coordinate the work of both levels of the government in a clear plan to improve the quality of life for all the people. The plan contains information on investments, projects, maps, statistics, development initiatives and a resource mobilization framework. The County Governments Act, 2012 (CGA), 104 obligates a county to develop an integrated plan, designate planning units at all county administrative levels and promote public participation and engagement by non-state actors in the planning process.

    The CIDP also helps in the formulation of the County Annual Development Plan (ADP) which is an annual component of the 5-year CIDP and it highlights the short term priorities for the county.  It outlines the priority projects/programs for the county for the year.

    Through the discussion, we were able to cross check the Nairobi County CIDP 2018-2022 for both Mukuru Kwa Reuben and Viwandani together with Nairobi County Annual Development 2022-2021. We noted the plans indicated in the CIDP were diverse but didn’t touch on many sectors and others had repetitions. Some of the proposed projects include:

    Mukuru Kwa Reuben

    • Rehabilitation of Katope road link to Police Post Simba Cool
    • Construction of link Rd from police to Lunga Lunga road, Kangana to Railway, and Riverside roads from bridge to Diamond
    • Construction of bridge link Kingstone
    • Lunga Lunga to DiamondSome of the priorities indicated to in the CIDP
    • Establishment of ECD centres
    • Creation of job employment through strategies such a training youth on entrepreneurship and building their capacity to access devolved funds among others
    • Construction of a health centre
    • Provision of waste collection and designation garbage storage points and regular collection of garbage.
    • Construction of bridges connecting Kware, Kwa Reuben to Lunga Lunga Road

    Viwandani

    • Old dysfunctional drainage system
    •  Upgrade existing health clinic to a 24- hour health centre
    • Overhauling of the entire drainage system within the ward
    • Re-carpeting of all feeder roads within the ward
    • Establishment of a rescue centre for survivors of GBV in Viwandani ward
    • Construction of a social hall in Viwandani Ward
    • Implementing of a programme to nurture sports talents while providing facilities, materials and equipment
    • Construction of a footbridge across Ngong River to facilitate access to Embakasi

    In Mukuru Kwa Reuben, there were 64 participants in attendance in the initial forum held on 30th August 2017 and 43 in attendance during the dissemination forum on 5th December 2017 while in Viwandani there were 54 participants in attendance in the initial forum held on 30th August 2017 and 95 in attendance during the dissemination forum on 5th December 2017. Comparing with other wards, this clearly shows that our communities were not well represented.

    Public participation has been a way of having our views and priorities taken to account but it has also been a challenge getting to these forums. Participants pointed out that public participation notice should be clear and transparent in order to accommodate the majority of the residents. In the last couple of years, notices were shared late or the venues were changed on the actual day.

    From 2018-2022 CIDP evaluation, it clearly shows that the majority of the projects were not done or were not completed. This coming CIDP will give us a good platform for proposing either new projects or asking for completion of the already stuck projects. However, we must note the projects will only be prioritized and put in the plan if we attend the public participation forums. In this coming CIDP, we must be part and parcel of the formulation and we must make sure that our priorities as a community are noted and put in the plan. See you on Tuesday!

    21Sep, 2022
    Who Owns The Relationship?
    Participants pouring coffee during the session. Photo: Julius Rasat

    Between two people, who owns the relationship? When getting to a relationship, what do you expect to gain from it? 

    During this week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday discussion, it was clear that we all have different views on who owns a relationship. Some of the insights on who owns the relationship were whoever cares less is the owner of the relationship, whoever loves much is the owner of the relationship, a man is the head and should be the owner, a woman is the owner of the relationship since she accepted to be in a relationship, both are owners of it while others felt the levels of the relationship will determine the owner of the relationship.

    We are still groomed in a patriarchal system and that’s why you will get someone saying that the man is the owner of the relationship. Both the two parties are bringing something to the table regardless of who approached who. Participant said

     a relationship, some of the interests pointed out during the discussion include comfort, commitment, financial support, peace of mind, ownership, unlimited sex, confidant or someone who can listen and give advice to the other. Some of these interests vary from one person to another and the majority are not even aware of the interests they want. From the discussion, sex stood out as one of the common interest that drives young people to be in relationships. 

    With all the interests, there’s always someone who has more say than the others. Some of the interests raised during the discussion were 

    • Financial Status: In this era, whoever has more money has more say in that relationship. Money has been a contributor to the survival of many relationships. 
    • Appearance: So many relationships are surviving because of how they look. Whoever is more beautiful or handsome has more in the relationship because they know they can move out of the relationship and get someone else easily. 
    • Family background: This also plays a key role in some relationships. The family that has more money has more say in a relationship. It doesn’t matter the sex of the person as long as the family has more money. 
    • Source of hope: When you are a source of hope, you tend the family to have more say. For partners that help their partners overcome drunkenness or depression, they have more say since they believe without them the other would still be depressed or drunk..
    • Sympathy: Sympathy stood out as another way of people staying in a relationship. In example the other partner is incapacitated or their heart is fragile. So out of sympathy, the other partner will have to stay in a relationship out of the fear of what would happen if they leave. 
    • Societal Pressure: Some felt that people stay in a relationship because of societal pressure. Society has made us believe marriage is a must or at least have a boyfriend or girlfriend. There was an example from 1 tribe where after a man gets his house, the mother always checks to see if a girl comes out. With no girl visiting the boy’s house, the mother is always worried about her son. 

    There were mixed reactions on how important sex is in a relationship. Majority feeling that there’s no relationship without sex and sex is the backbone of any relationship.

    When getting into a relationship, you should make sure you have the same interests as your partner and have the same energy. So many relationships hit the rock  because of choosing the wrong person or having someone with different interests as you. The purpose of this discussion was for us to share why we decide to be in a relationship and how we can learn from each other and understand that relationships are for two people only. See you Tuesday!