By Tebby Otieno
tebbyotieno62@gmail.com

WE WANT ZERO SLUMS IN NAIROBI

“When there are cholera outbreaks in the country, it does not affect people in Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru or Riverside; instead it is experienced in slums. Most people die because of cholera”, remarked the Nairobi county women representative, Esther Passaris during the commemoration of the International women day, celebrated at the DCC grounds in Kawangware, Nairobi.

Passaris is advocating for zero slums in Nairobi saying that women go through a lot of challenges within slums. Among the challenges Passaris said women within slums go through include high risks during fire accidents due to the difficulties in exiting the buildings during rescue times and constant eruptions of cholera outbreaks due to poor sanitations
“We cannot allow cholera to be in Kenya at this moment. We must have water that is connected in houses, better houses with proper lighting and safety for our women`s children even when they are out at work”, said Passaris.
The Nairobi county women rep further urged young women to plan for their families. She advised them to start their businesses and be able to stand on their own before they get children. This, she said, will help reduce cases of women being abused in marriages.
“Women, let`s start by being firm, there are women enterprise funds. Let youths go get youth funds too, so that they can also be men with value so that we can also agree to wed them. When we press for progress, we need to outline the steps we`ve taken. If we take two steps forward, then ten steps backwards, that is because we don`t have many women in parliament”, she stressed.

Passaris also urged her constituents to pay loans back. She said borrowing Uwezo, Youth and women enterprise allocated funds and failing to pay the loans back, denies other people who also need the funds for their businesses. She urged women to form groups and start business
“My office is in Komarock, but we will walk in every corner looking for women. Form groups and start proper businesses. I want to start up one factory in Nairobi that will be manufacturing sanitary towels. The factory will be for us women”, Passaris said

This is as a fifty four year old woman in Riruta who attended the celebrations complains of challenges for women in the business venture. She does bead work, but only makes items after she has gotten orders from customers. She says, she spends about five hours to get beads for her work. Susan Njoki Wainaina says her main challenge is finding market for her bead work. “I leave my house at 11 am going to Kamukunji, buy beads then come back to my house by around 1 pm. Most people don`t know what I do and so if I make items before I get orders. The items stay in my house for long. My only joy is when I get customers”, laments Njoki.

Nairobi county women representative also condemned the high tax rate on women in small scale trade in slums
“If a woman is earning ten or fifteen thousand shillings from her trade, it is ridiculous to try and take even two hundred shillings from her. We need to empower the woman because she has got so many overheads. Houses in Nairobi are expensive. Let`s tax the rich and support the poor” Passaris said
Esther Passaris further stressed the need to teach women in small scale trade different business techniques
“Rather than all of them doing the same business where one woman here selling tomatoes another one here selling tomatoes …can we do something like have a global market where every woman brings her vegetable and then it`s one store so everyone gets maximum benefits” She stressed

Nairobi women representative argued that most women are not making the amount of money that they need to sustain their families since most of them can barely eat, pay their rents yet they are still taxed.

WE NEED MORE GIRLS IN SPORTS REPORTING
By Tebby Otieno

tebbyotieno62@gmail.com

Tebby Otieno, Radio Presenter, Mtaani Radio 99.9 FM. With the existence of community radio stations, within different sub counties in Kenya, radio listeners are now brought closer to their favorite radio presenters.Considering the fact that most radio presenters working in community radio stations, stay within the sub counties the radio stations they work for are located, the presenters are in better positions to understand their audiences` lifestyles since they easily interact one-on-one.
During the celebrations of World Radio Day, 2018, Kenya Community Media Network, KCOMNET brought together twenty three community radio stations’ representatives.It is during this session where, Deputy Director Freedom of Expression and Media Development Information and Communication Programme, Anthony Ngare, from Kenya National Commission for UNESCO, KNATCOM challenged media institutions to consider female sports reporters and also increase airtime for female in sports. According to UNESCO, only 4% of female journalists associate themselves with sports commentary.
`The fact that there are male dominated sports with male participants, that kinds of drives away the lady reporters. But still we have some big lady sports journalists in this country. The beauty with sports is analysis and if your analysis is spot on, and well researched, it doesn’t matter whether you are male or female` Says Ngare

According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural Organization, UNESCO`s world radio day, 2018 report: Women represent just 7% of sports people seen, heard or read about in the media. The report also shows that only 4% of sports stories focus primarily on women.

A FEMALE SPORTS COMMENTATOR`S VOICE, CAPTIVATES HER AUDIENCE

According to Lydia Gachungi, Regional Communication Expert, Safety of journalists and Media Development Communication Sector from UNESCO, there is need to sensitize and empower women, through radio to have them join sports programmes. She says women voices are more captivating compared to men

"For sure, the voice of a woman who is commentating on sports is captivating more than a man, because we`re so used to men, and for a woman they come with different views. A woman will even talk more and give more platform and even uplifting the role of women when it comes to sports. Besides that, if a woman is a commentator, she will go out even to look for those women that are playing sports and she can talk about them. She will resonate better even with the listeners, this will in fact, increase the radio listenership, audience and the local women`s sports content within the radio stations" Says Gachungi


Kelvin Nyangweso, Mtaani radio station manager says, the existence of the radio station, within Dagoretti has transformed lives of youths in various sporting clubs

Mtaani radio, 99.9 FM, is a community radio, based in Dagoretti serving the cosmopolitans and the larger Dagoretti sub county; we try to give platforms to various activities and especially in sports. We came up with programmes that promote sports, especially football which we try to give priority to uplift the talent within this region. We have also customized particular programs that promote activities in terms of peace. Every Friday, we have a sports show where we invite coaches to our studios. We also have sports news that is presented by both male and female presenters at the station ` Explains Nyangweso.

Kenya Community Media Network, KCOMNET is a network of 23 community radio stations within 18 counties in Kenya. KCOMNET`S coordinator, Njuki Githethwa says through the network they keep the stations in producing contents in relation to the marginalized. "Our work is essentially to keep on insisting, that the content of programming within community radio should be focused on those sectors of societies, which are marginalized and women, historically have been marginalized. Particularly this year, as affirmative action, in community radios being the heartbeat of the community, if they don’t broadcast centrally issues of women and profile them based on reports about their marginalization in terms of sports and reorganization, then we shall not be doing any service to our communities. So that is our call for the radios" Elaborates Githethwa

Radio has the power to break conflict and differences among communities. World radio day is marked on 13th February, annually. 2018`s theme focuses on `radio and sports for economical development and peace`