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<A Special Report By Leo Odera Omolo

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After almost a decade of efforts to rid Lake Victoria of water hyacinth, a report by the Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute now says the noxious weed offers enough production of handcrafts, furniture and households accessories.

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The report based on a study conducted in the Nyanza Gulf shows that the weed covers about 1,400 hectares of the water mass on the Kenyan side of the Lake.

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The weed has hampered the activities of fishermen using small home made canoes, motorized boats and the navigation of ships become a nightmare in some areas. It has blocked the access to many fish landing beaches and made life difficult for fishermen fish and trade more difficult in recent years.

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canoes motorized boats and the navigation of ships become a nightmare in some areas. It has blocked the access to many fish landing beaches and made life difficult for fishermen turning trade more difficult in recent years.

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Among the items proposed to be made from hyacinth fiber are lamp shades, picnic baskets, place mats, napkin holder and floor mats as well as waste bins, file folders, stack trays pen holders and desk organizers

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Others are livestock feeds, fish food, fuel paper and building materials.

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The institute also says the hyacinth can be put to agricultural uses such as making of mulch, fertilizer and weed control

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The report notes that conventional methods of controlling the water hyacinth and other intrusive aquatic plants are expensive for development countries. �This is to be able to convert the biomass of water hyacinth to useful purposes instead of accepting the costs of its destruction is importance for the economy of developing countries� the report concluded.

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In suggesting Industrial use of the weed, however the report� also proposes that surveys should be conducted to identify potential markets such as stationery shops outlets, exhibitions and road side outlets among others.

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Marketing challenges have in the past hampered attempts to harness the noxious weed. A number of self help groups around Lake Victoria have produced handcrafts and house hold accessories before but the enterprises could not be sustained.

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The report says it will be necessary to train the local community on the production of the different items and also how to sustain production.

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Another consideration is the establishment of production units near the Lake shore which should feature factories complete with show rooms.

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The report also points out that availability and harvesting of the weed depends on seasons and wind direction. The scientists say that the mats of the water hyacinth are blown to various beaches in the gulf in different seasons creating two kinds of hyacinth population, the stationery one in sheltered bays and the mobile one that are blown around by the wind.

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These would require development of different strategies for harvesting, �for the mobile mats , the weed would be harvested manually using sickles and transported using canoes to the shore, while the stationery mats can be harvested from land ,� says the report.

�The harvesters will nevertheless face danger from the crocodiles, snakes, and hippos that live in the Lake. They will need special body gear and gloves for protection against water borne diseases such as bilharzias� and liver flukes organisms. Big Industrial harvesters will require excavators capable of harvesting up to one hectare per day.

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The reports further says that harvesting of the weed for Industrial use will help reduce the amount of rotting weed that suck oxygen from the water starving aquatic life of dissolved oxygen.

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Moreover the researcher argue, harvesting of the weed will contribute to the water purification process because once it is uprooted it takes away with it absorbed pollutants

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The study was commissioned by the woman in fisheries project and the scientist visited eight bays in the Nyanza gulf to determine the distribution, quality, quantity, and reliability of the water hyacinth as a resource for Industrial production.

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Using the global positioning system, they estimated that Asembo, Nyakach and Osodo bays had the largest mass of the weed for utilization, Kisumu and Mirunda bays had the least.

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Other areas covered by the study was Homa-bay, Kendu-bay and Lambwe valley..

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END

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com ��

�Hargeisa (Somalia) � Hassan* and Mohamed* were fishermen in Bossaso, in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, but turned to piracy out of desperation and lack of alternative livelihoods.

However, in August 2008, coastguards from the self-declared republic of Somaliland arrested them after they strayed into the region’s waters. In September, they were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for their role in the piracy that has intensified off Somalia’s waters in recent years.

Hassan and several others jailed on piracy charges spoke to IRIN between August and December from two prisons in Somaliland.

Hassan said: “I participated in two missions which we planned in Bossaso; the first in February [2008]. As part of a group of eight, we went to Ras Azayr area in Puntland in search of some foreign vessels. We did not find anything. We thought that since there were no foreign vessels operating in Puntland waters, we could go to Somaliland.

“I met up with a group of five men in Berbera and we agreed to operate in Somaliland waters. Unfortunately, Somaliland coastal guards captured us before we could do anything. I was later charged with organising piracy activities in Somaliland. I agreed to engage in piracy because we wanted to get back at the illegal foreign vessels that were fishing in our waters, denying us a livelihood. We targeted foreign cargo vessels for that reason.”

Explaining how a pirate network works, Mohamed, who was sentenced in December, said: “I was captured in [Somaliland's] His District alongside four other men captured by coastguards on 13 December. I was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

“I, as do most pirates, consider myself as having been performing the duties of a coastguard. We usually work in groups of seven to 10 people. Often, our missions are financed by individuals and businessmen who collect half of the ransoms paid. Many people who opt to become pirates do so because authorities such as those in Puntland contribute to the degrading of the sea’s environment by licensing foreign ships which use illegal fishing methods.�

Omar*, another of the jailed pirates, added: “Piracy has become booming business in Puntland territories; we receive the fuel and logistics from local business people. For example, when a kidnapped vessel pays ransom, 50 percent of it is taken by the people who invested their money; the pirates only get 50 percent.”

In turn, the business people also give a certain percentage of the ransom to the influential people in the host area of operations, Omar said. However, he was quick to point out that pirates did not attack any ship coming to Bossaso.

“No one will attack any ship toward Bossaso because the local people who support the pirates will not agree to the hosting of those kidnapped in their area, so the ships coming to Bossaso are safe from piracy.”

The pirates consider the ransom they get to be retribution for the ships that fish illegally off Somali waters.

“The ransom they pay is somehow a punishment for their illegal activity in the Somali water, especially in the era without government,” one of the pirates said.

*Not their real names

source.www.irinnews.org

Nairobi (Kenya) – Kenyans have criticised the planned trip by State officials to attend a party for the inauguration of Barack Obama as US president.

They are angry that the delegation is spending taxpayers� money on the unofficial party at a time when millions are staring starvation in the face.

Former assistant minister Kalembe Ndile says the officials should not misuse taxpayers� money to travel to the US, yet they will watch the ceremony on television sets from their hotel rooms. Mr Ndile caused a stir at the Foreign Affairs ministry yesterday after he forcefully donated a 21-inch television for the top officials to use to follow proceedings at Mr Obama�s inauguration next Tuesday.

However, his gesture was not received well as his �donation� was rejected. The former Kibwezi MP was also not allowed into the building with the gift. None of the ministry officials was willing to take the TV set, with the minister, his assistant and PS not available to receive it.

A ministry official, identified as a Mr Waithiru who came out to speak to Mr Ndile said he had not booked an appointment to �make the donation.�

But this did not stop Mr Ndile from proceeding with his mission. He left the television set, which he claimed to be from his sitting room, at the building�s door.

�Why should we fund a delegation when it has been made clear that only our ambassador in the US is invited?� the former MP asked.

The American embassy in Kenya last week said that only chiefs of diplomatic missions in Washington DC and their spouses will represent their countries at the function.

US envoy Michael Ranneberger said this was in keeping with past practice in the country. Kenya will be represented by its representative Ambassador Peter Ogego.

Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang�ula later said that he would lead a non-official Kenyan delegation to Washington. But the team of ministers and MPs will only attend a grand celebration party on the eve of the inauguration and not the main event.

Among those in the delegation are ministers Najib Balala, Anyang� Nyong�o, Hellen Sambili and Deputy House Speaker Farah Maalim.
It is not yet clear how much the Government will spend on the trip for flights, hotel bookings and the delegation�s upkeep.

source.The Nation (Kenya) – January 15, 2009.

Kenya Airports Authority managing director George Muhoho. Photo/FILE�

<Report By Leo Odera Omolo

Dakar (Senegal) – Health experts in Sierra Leone say the country�s bottom-ranking for child mortality in the UN Children�s Fund�s annual State of the World�s Children report masks progress the country has made in mother and child health in recent years.

Of every 1,000 children born in Sierra Leone each year, 262 will die before age five, and 2,100 women die out of every 100,000 live births, according to UNICEF. But health experts say despite the alarming statistics, child mortality rates are improving.

In 2000 282 under-fives were dying per 1,000 births, but the latest figures, from 2007, show this dropped to 262, Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF representative in Sierra Leone, told IRIN. And yet-to-be validated figures from a 2008 UNICEF survey indicate they may have dropped further to 200.

�These are not dramatic changes but they show investment is starting to pay off,� Cappelaere said. �We have positive examples of things happening on the ground. We need to have hope for Sierra Leone. It is guaranteed we can [eventually] see a dramatic reduction in child and maternal mortality.�

Change will be incremental says Joanna Reid, Senior West Africa Health Adviser with the UK Department for International Development (DFID). �With Sierra Leone starting so low [in terms of indicators] there is lots to be sorted out before we see more dramatic impact in terms of child mortality indicators.�

Medical officials estimate that 80 percent of women in Sierra Leone give birth at home without ever consulting a healthcare provider or midwife. And as of March 2008 there were only six obstetricians serving the five-million-strong population, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

UNICEF�s Cappelaere said President Ernest Bai Koroma and his government are firmly committed to improving healthcare. �The President has recognised that investment in health, and within that child survival, is vital to the country�s future growth,� Cappelaere said.

The President launched a �strategic plan� to reduce maternal and child mortality in early 2008 and is mapping out how to achieve the objectives in the next five to 10 years, according to DFID�s Reid.

Sierra Leone’s infant mortality rates are dropping, though slowly. �Health will be our top priority in 2009,� Dr. Samuel Kargbo, director of reproductive and child health at the Health Ministry, told IRIN. �The situation has already improved.� �Since the reproductive and healthcare strategy was launched the government has created a new body to coordinate all reproductive health activities, and has carried out mass awareness-raising of its action plan in each health district.�

DFID has been working closely with the government to get its strategy off the ground and will invest US$72.8 million in Sierra Leone�s health sector over the next 10 years. But as with other fragile states emerging from conflict, Sierra Leone�s basic services infrastructure is severely limited and in some areas must be built from scratch.

To do so would require the government to increase funding for the health sector from the current 9 percent of the overall budget to 15 percent, according to Kargbo. �The health budget is a problem, but serious considerations to increase the budget are underway.�

But more money is not a panacea, health experts said. Sierra Leone does not have enough people or systems in place to absorb and invest all the money allocated to healthcare, UNICEF�s Cappelaere explained. In 2008 the government spent just half its health sector budget, partly because of not having basic financial systems in place, he said.

�Systems, infrastructure, the human resources are not always available to do what needs to be done. You may have lots of money but if you have no capacity to deliver it then you have a problem,” Cappelaere pointed out. Weak capacity to channel large investments is typical of post-conflict states, donors say.

To reduce infant and maternal mortality, some of the government�s priorities should be to tackle the shortage of skilled health workers, install better medical equipment and medical supplies, set staff incentives and create better patient referral systems, according to Kargbo.

In addition to quality obstetric care and improved water and sanitation, Cappelaere calls for a minimum set of healthcare services for each child � including immunisations, micro-nutrients such as Vitamin A, distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and public sanitation messages, which when combined, could dramatically reduce infant mortality.

Long-term results also require behavior change, including reducing early child marriage, encouraging mothers to exclusively breast-feed their babies for six months and reducing open defecation, according to UNICEF. �This kind of behavior can take a few generations to change,� Cappelaere said. �Expectations for immediate results may be too high. [Instead], modest, sustainable goals are needed� if it is done too fast it could be counterproductive.�

source.www.irinnews.org

�Lusaka (Zambia) – Zambia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) received more than 2,000 corruption complaints from the public for 2008, the ACC yearly report states.

“The commission investigated a number of cases last year. Arrests were effected and cases brought before the courts of law where sufficient evidence was established,” ACC acting director Rosewin Wandi told IPS. “Between 60 and 70 percent of reported complaints were against government officials, while about 20 percent were against officials in the private sector.”

But critics are calling for a more effective and autonomous body to lead the fight against corruption. The ACC was established in 1980 as an independent body to promote transparency and minimise corruption, yet Zambia was ranked the 17th most corrupt country in the world on the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2007.

Anti-corruption campaigners say a weak legal system is failing to curb financial misconduct by top government officials. Transparency International’s Zambian chapter president, Reuben Lifuka observes that long delays and drawn-out prosecutions of high profile cases prove very expensive.

“The delays have made a number of people question the efficacy of the whole fight against corruption,” Lifuka says. He has advised Zambian president Rupiah Banda not to hesitate to dismiss government officials found to be corrupt or engaged in any unscrupulous activities. TI Zambia has also called for the urgent domestication of the UN convention against corruption by enacting legislation.

“Government, together with other stakeholders involved in the fight against corruption, should conduct an evaluation of the performance of the fight against corruption and a commitment should be made to strengthen what is working well and do away with what is not working well,” Lifuka said.

Lifuka challenged president Banda to run a clean government by establishing audit committees in each ministry and government agencies.

Norway is an important source of donor aid to Zambia and its government is very concerned with the negative impact corruption has on the Zambia’s development. The Norwegian ambassador, Gunnar Boe, says it is important to secure increased autonomy for the Anti-Corruption Commission and Office of the Audition General as it is not yet fully independent as per the lime convention.

“We need to decentralise the anti-corruption commission operations by splitting it into many regional offices.” Boe said “Public investment in ACC and the Office of the Auditor General has a high rate of return through reducing mismanagement of public funds and as much improving public service delivery and reducing poverty.”

President Banda has publicly pledged his administration’s total support to fighting corruption. “Government has put in place laws and systems to strengthen institutions and prevent corruption, abuse of office and other irregularities in public institution. What I expect therefore is total adherence to these laws and systems,” President Banda said in the statement responding Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2007.

A new project of the UK’s Overseas Development Institute may help to achieve these aspirations. Zambia is one of six countries targeted in the first year of a new project, “Strengthening Citizen Demand for Good Governance Through Evidence-Based Approaches.”

The programme will support a range of initiatives to strengthen the responsiveness, accountability and capability of governments. The Anti-Corruption Commission is among several dozen government bodies, non-governmental organisations, faith groups and media organisations participating in a consultative meeting to launch the project in Zambia on Jan. 15.

Among its aims, the ODI programme intends to approach governance as a relationship between the governors and the governed, facilitating accountability and effective citizen participation.

*The Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Britain’s leading independent think-tank on development and humanitarian issues, is driving the implementation of the “Strengthening Citizen Demand for Good Governance Through Evidence Based Approaches” in partnership with the Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa and CIVICUS.

source.Inter Press Service (IPS)- January 16, 2009.