ICT training boosts Judiciary

Kyuso Senior magistrate court was started in 2010 at Kyuso market in the far north of  Kitui County and the staffs deployed immediately to bring services closer to the people.

During orientation Mr. Francis Mulinge visited DC’S Compound to familiarize with other government offices he saw community knowledge (Maarifa) Centre within, he was curious to find out what happens in the Maarifa Centre.

On visiting the Centre, Mr. Mulinge was happy to hear about the free services offered. However of interest to him was news about a free computer training opportunity which he enrolled immediately.

Francis Mulinge works at Kyuso Law Courts as an accounts clerk. His office was supplied with a computer but could not use it. “I had a computer in my office but couldn’t use it. I was wondering who could take me through basic computer operation.” he confessed. 

After going through the ICT training for 1 and half months, Mr. Mulinge begun to use the computer in his office. “Nowadays my work is online I sent daily reports online. There is very little paper work in this office.

Mr. Mulinge attributes the efficient in his work to ALIN through one of its centre – Kyuso Maarifa Centre

Donkey business

 In most of the ASAL area receives low and erratic rainfall as low as (300-500mm) and hence acute water shortage.

People and livestock rely on water on wells and rock catchment usually constructed 2-10 kilometers  and people are forced to use donkey to ferry water.
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In a place like Kyuso (kitui county-Kenya), if one asks you to choose between rearing beef animals and keeping donkeys, please take the donkeys. For the few days I have been in Kyuso, I have seen the importance of donkeys. My analysis is as follows:

Rearing beef cattle

Expenses:_ hay @ at kshs 150 per week,

                  :_ water @ kshs 20 per 20 litres per day,

                  :_ veterinary services kshs 800 per year,

                  :_ labour kshs 30 per day.

Revenue:_ sell it at kshs 50,000 at the end of the year.

Profits= 50,000 less ( expenses )

             = 50,000 _ (7800+7300+10950+800)

            = kshs 23150

Keeping donkey

Expenses are far minimal because it will only require veterinary services which amounts to kshs 1000 per annum. 

Income/revenue

A donkey carries 100 liters of water which costs kshs 100 and can take a minimum of 5 trips a day.

Assume it only works for five days a week.

Profits = revenue less expenses

             =(500*5*12) _ 1000

             =130,000 – 1000

             =kshs 129,000

The assumption is for one bull and a donkey. 

Recommendations

Love your job even if it looks disgusting,

Be proud of what you do,

Let your goals lead you and,

Be happy and enjoy what you do.

Deductions

In whatever you undertake look at the benefits.

Money is the determining factor in any small, medium, huge, clean or dirty job but don,t steal.

Maarifa Centres Offer Access to e-Government Services

Jacob Muinde Musyoka is a divisional agricultural extension officer- Tseikuru district. He learnt about kyuso Maarifa when he was working with the ministry of agriculture – Kyuso. Mr. Muinde is one of the beneficiaries of the Maarifa centre. First he started by taking the free ICT training offered by the Maarifa centre. Secondly, when he was transferred to Tseikuru District he realized that there was less Cyber cafe due to weak Internet connectivity in the area.

In late 2011, the government of Kenya introduced Government human resource information system (GHRIS) Portal whose aim is to address all its Human Resource (HR) needs , where the civil servants could updates their profile, download payslips, check leave day balance among other government services. Users of GHRIS are Government MDAs, Employees, and the Public who will benefit from a centralized readily accessible, efficient and transparent system. According to Mr. Muinde they are charged a processing fee of Kshs 800 per payslip in Tseikuru and due to demand of the document civil servants have no option.

Mr. Muinde has been visiting the Maarifa centre every month to access his and his wife payslip. He says that he has been able to secure banks loans easily because the banks will require the last three (3) payslip. “The Maarifa centre has enabled me save a large sum of money” said Mr. Muinde. I don’t incur a lot of cost coming to the Maarifa since I just need to fuel the government motorbike with less than Ksh 300. Secondly my wife stays in Kyuso so I don’t incur accommodation cost.

Due large number of civil servants willing to be helped the Field officer is encouraging them to join ICT training at the centre. Secondly, since this will be a continuous process the Field officer is in a process of coming up with HOW TO manual on the same.

Website: https://www.ghris.go.ke/

HOW TO MAKE A FIRELESS COOKER

HOW TO MAKE A FIRELESS COOKER:.

Photo courtesy of Household Energy Network

Requirements:

News papers,

A basket with its cover,

A black cloth ( cotton ),

A black thread,

A sewing needle and

A polythene paper.

Procedures:

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Lay the polythene paper in the basket ,

Use the needle to ensure that it remains on the walls of the basket,

Lay the newspapers to  one inch thick,

Ensure they remain on the walls by sewing,

Cover the newspaper with the polythene paper,

Lay the cloth and sew it to ensure it takes the shape of the basket.

Repeat the process to ensure the cover is well made.

Keep it in a cool and dry place ready to use.

How it works:

Lets take an example preparing rice.

Prepare your food until it boils,

Transfer it into your fireless cooker and cover it tight.

Wait for the prescribed time.

Then open the cooker and your food is ready for consumption.

Reasons / advantages:

High costs of charcoal,

High costs of gas,

High costs of kerosene,

To reduce exploitation of forests,

To control climate change and,

To reduce domestic violence.

ANOTHER CASH CROP NOWADAYS

ANOTHER CASH CROP NOWADAYS: did you know that you can make good money only in your small piece of land with little water possible? check how you can grow arrow roots in areas with little water
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THE OUTLOOK FOR THE MARCH - APRIL - MAY (MAM) FORECAST

Weather forecasts and historical climatic data form part of the core information required by most farmers when making strategic and operational decisions. Historical data can be used to determine climatic trends which could assist in determining which crops and/or varieties to plant in an area.

Kenya meteorological department has released the below seasonal forecast. 

 

HERE IS THE OUTLOOK FOR THE MARCH - APRIL - MAY (MAM) 2013 “LONG-RAINS”

KYUSO MAARIFA CENTRE OUTREACH

The video is a combination of images of Kyuso Maarifa centre staff on the field with farmers during the outreach services. Outreach is an activity of providing services who would have not accessed it. Kyuso Maarifa which one of the ALIN centre whose  mandate is to enable access, create knowledge and empower community hence improving the livelihood of the arid lands communities in East Africa. http://kyusomaarifa.blogspot.com/ , ALIN Website

KYUSO RESIDENTS BENEFITS FROM FREE DONKEY DEWORMING

Donkey is a hardy animal that provide a lifeline to families, carrying anything from water, building materials and firewood to maize, Sorghum.

Donkey is one of the animal that is most neglected by many despite the role it plays in day to day life. Most Donkey owners do not give their donkeys the proper attention and care as it is expected.

One of the ways this animal is neglected is by working for long hours, starving and most of the owners do not give it medical attentions. It’s due to this realization that the Kyuso District livestock development office led by Mr. Chege Ndung’u organized a 1 day sensitization/training and free deworming day to the donkey owners of Kyuso, Kitui county of Kenya.

  The event was held at Kyuso Stadium where over 1000 donkeys were dewormed. The farmers were trained on how to take care of the animal. This included harnessing, dewoming, and the ministry livestock under sustainable land management project funded by UNDP had invited the Donkey Sanctuary staff who took the front in farmers training.

The event was dumped “Punda ni pesa” a Swahili translation of donkey is money that was meant as linking the donkey owners to financial services. The event was attended by Banks staffs that encouraged the farmers to open bank accounts.

Speaking to the farmer and donkey owners in kyuso the district commissioner Mr. Peter Maina encouraged farmers to form group of donkey owners for business where he promised them a tender whenever the government has construction projects in the district.

It was clear that donkey have helped the resident of Kyuso since most of them have educated their children upto secondary level from fetching and selling water fellied by donkeys from Rock catmints, earth dams, shallow wells and sand dam.

Kyuso would like to urge the donkey owners to take care of this animal for its equal to other domestic animals. Secondly, we would like to urge people who would like to learn on how to take care of the animal to visit Kyuso Maarifa centre or visit http://kyusomaarifa.blogspot.com/

On Farm training - The way to go

Farming is best learnt by doing it. Traditionally farming was an art that was passed from one generation to another. Farming training could start at child early age where the student farmer could learn from elderly people so that when he/she grow old she can take the next step of establishing his/her own farming enterprises for substance farming or barter trade.

According to the farmers this on farm training method enabled the student farmers to familiarize with farming techniques as he/she grows. The Farmers from Kyuso District of Kitui county of Kenya can remember when the Farmers Field School existed. These schools were dubbed School without walls and they say that even the farm yield was high as compared to today’s.

The FFS training could takes into account the trainee’s needs, difficulties and plans. It could not last long and knowledge is quickly gained. The farmers had opportunity of seeing how things are done since the training took place in field

According to elderly farmers this has changed drastically, since the introduction of field/agricultural extension officer it has become hard for the farmers to conceptualize the extension officer’ training due to the techniques used. They added that these officer goes to school learn broad agriculture and numerous technique. They bring all this techniques to them and expect them to understand.

One of the issue that arise is that this learned extension officer are young and therefore don’t talk in a language that they can understand. These officers come with flip charts, pens, cameras which sometime divert the farmers’ attention to training.

The farmers feel that they would rather have a on farm training once a month than numerous under roof/shade. Kyuso Maarifa centre which is one of the ALIN centre disseminate the information to the community in a format suitable to the group. We use on farm training, video and Farmer-Farmer extension approach. The photo above show Kyuso Maarifa Centre trying to understand the causes of Kale drying even after watering with Kakoongo Dam Group.