Bill Gates helps in accessing free ICT training

By Bob Aston

Ngarua Maarifa Centre is proud of its achievements since FREE Computer Training was introduced at the Maarifa Centre. The training was conducted through the aid of The Bill & Melinda gates foundation. The center still continues to offer Free Computer Training to the residents of Laikipia County. Here are some few testimonies from some of the trainees who benefited from the progra.

Name: Rahab Njaramba

Occupation: Teacher-91 Municipality Primary School

Contacts: 0728879796

Age: 35 Years

ICT training in progress in Ngarua Maarifa Centre

Rahab got a job with the IEBC as a Deputy Constituency Returning Officer for Laikipia West Constituency during the General Election. One of the Requirements for the post was for one to be Computer Literate. Having been Trained at the then Maarifa Business Solutions she was able to prove that she is Computer Literate and was subsequently hired.Rahab is also a Teacher at Municipality Primary School in Nyahururu.She uses the knowledge she gained from the Training to perform routine tasks like lesson plan development, information Presentation, Writing Memos, Writing both official and Formal letters, as well as searching for information through the internet. She has also started using Microsoft Word to write schemes of service. She said that she was initially planning to take Computer classes in one of the local colleges but when she heard about the Centre she decided to inquire about the training. She was impressed with the reception and thus she decided to join. She used Microsoft Excel to calculate pupil’s marks and to present their performance using a chart during first term.

Name: Kanyi Joseph

Occupation: Computer Teacher-Lariak Primary School

Contacts: 0735889386

Age: 23 Years

Kanyi cleared Training at the Maarifa Centre then started working as a Community Knowledge Facilitator (CKF) at the Maarifa Centre. He was always hardworking and volunteered to serve the community diligently.

“The Maarifa Centre provided me the opportunity to learn a lot and also gave me the necessary skills and experience which I am currently applying in my new work place. I am glad that I worked as a CKF at the Maarifa Centre.” Says Kanyi

Early April of this year he saw an advertisement for the post of Computer Teacher at Lariak Primary School and promptly applied for the post. He was not deterred by the high number of applicants and was confident that he would be selected. After a vigorous interview process which culminated in a practical computer exam he was finally picked as the best candidate. He has been charged with coming up with a Computer curriculum for the school as well handling computer classes.”The computer training that I received at the Maarifa Centre really helped me. I can now transfer the knowledge and skills that I gained to my students.”He said

Name: Trizah Kamau

Occupation: Administrative Secretary-Glafa Agency

Contacts: 0731415378

Age: 22 Years

Trizah works in an Agency where they initially did everything manually. After she completed Computer Training her boss decided to buy a computer in order for her to use for administrative purposes. She is now applying her Computer knowledge when drafting agreements for the Clients, writing official letters, letting contracts and notices for vacations. She has also started using Microsoft Excel for calculating tenant’s payments and preparing statements for the landlord.

Name: Ebenezer Matere

Occupation: Cyber Attendant-Viona Agencies

Contacts: 0788725988

Age: 20 years

Ebenezer applied for Cyber Attendant post at Viona Agencies after clearing training. He did not have a Computer Certificate at the time but after convincing the interviewer that he is computer literate and even asking for a practical test which he was given, he emerged the best among those who were interviewed and was subsequently employed as a Cyber Attendant.

Ebenezer is currently utilizing his computer knowledge in helping their cyber clients. He uses the Microsoft Word knowledge which he gained to draft curriculum vitae, letters, memos, typing research articles and documents. He uses the internet knowledge to assist clients open new E-mail addresses, helping clients fill online HELB forms, filling KRA online services and performing other internet services.

“Without the computer training I would not have managed to get this job. I am glad that Arid Lands Information Network decided to conduct training in Nyahururu town and that I was among the first beneficiaries,” says Ebenezer.

Name: Mary Wang'ondu

Occupation: Cyber Attendant-Frama Printers

Contacts: 0718380880

Age: 20 years

Mary got a job as a Cyber Attendant at Frama Printers before even completing Computer Training. She applied for the Job while still undergoing training. She was invited for an Interview and passed. Her new employer allowed her to continue with the training then reporting to work immediately after class.

She is currently utilizing the skills she acquired from the training to assist the cyber customers. She uses the Microsoft Word knowledge which she gained to draft curriculum vitae, letters, memos, typing research articles and documents. She uses the internet knowledge to assist clients open new E-mail addresses, helping clients fill online HELB forms, filling KRA online services, opening and updating GHRIS accounts for government employees and performing other internet services.

Name: Joyce Wanjiru

Occupation: Sales Person/Computer Operator-Smartek Bookshop

Contacts: 0706397863

Age: 19 years

Joyce used to work as a Sales Person at Smartek Bookshop. Once she cleared computer training her employer added a computer in the bookshop and she was given more responsibilities with better renumeration.She is now both a sales person and also a computer operator.

She is currently utilizing the skills she acquired from the training to offer various computer services. She uses the Microsoft Word knowledge which she gained to draft curriculum vitae, letters, memos, typing notices, typing research articles and documents.

Name: Francis Ngugi

Occupation: Volunteer-International Bible Students Association (I.B.S.A)

Contacts: 0729978506

Age: 25 Years

Francis doing online research

Francis started working as volunteer at I.B.S.A upon completing computer training. He has an account with I.B.S.A where he regularly performs various functions for I.B.S.A like data entry and drafting Letters. He normally performs the data entry using Microsoft Excel.

“The Training that I received at the Maarifa Centre enabled me to be computer literate and subsequently provided me the opportunity to work as a volunteer for I.B.S.A” says Francis, “I am glad that ALIN provided the opportunity for us to attend Free Computer Training,” concludes Francis.

Name: Charles Kiamah

Occupation: Cyber Assistant-SkyClick Cyber

Contacts: 0717116254

Age: 19 Years

Charles is currently working as a Cyber Assistant at Skyclick in Wangige-Kiambu County. He is currently utilizing his computer knowledge in helping their cyber clients. He uses the Microsoft Word knowledge which he gained to draft curriculum vitae, letters, memos, typing research articles and documents. He uses the internet knowledge to assist Clients open new E-mail addresses, helping clients fill online HELB forms, filling KRA online services and performing other internet services.

“God bless ALIN.The training enabled me to get a job, I am glad that I decided to join the training.” Says Charles.

Name: Daniel Mwangi

Occupation: Student Nairobi Aviation

Contacts: 0710966350

Age: 22 Years

The Computer Training at the Maarifa Centre made Daniel to decide to Specialize in an ICT Course. He is currently pursuing a Diploma course in ICT at Nairobi Aviation College.”I would like to be an ICT expert with Technical skills in Computer Field like Computer Analyst” Says Daniel.”I thank ALIN for the Free ICT Training and for enabling the Youths gain Computer Knowledge.”

Name: Maryann Mwarangu

Occupation: Administrative Secretary-Click Agencies

Contacts: 0715522825

Age: 21 Years

Maryann applied for the post of Administrative Secretary at Click Agencies after clearing training. One of the requirements for the advertised post was for one to be computer literate.”I knew that I met all the qualifications for the post so I decided to apply. I was invited to attend the interview. We underwent a vigorous interview process which concluded with a practical computer assignment. I emerged the best overall and was subsequently employed. I thank ALIN for the opportunity which they gave us.” Says Maryann

Maryann regularly uses Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Internet and E-mail at her work place. She normally draft and type, word process, format, edit, revise, and process a variety of documents and forms including reports, correspondence, memoranda, agenda items and reports, agreements, and ordinances. She mostly draft process mail including receiving, sorting, time-stamping, logging, and distributing incoming and outgoing correspondence and packages.

Woman raped and killed in Sipili

Dennis Kipkirui

A middle aged woman was found raped and killed in Sipili market Friday morning. The woman famously known as 'Sigida' was known to be a reveler in one of the pubs in the centre. When Laikipia Rural Voices (LRV) scribe visited the scene of crime, he was greeted with horror written on people’s faces that came to witness the morning terror that had woken up the sleepy centre.

Curious crowd looking at the dead woman

It is reported that the woman left the pub at around 10 p.m. Her husband, only identified as John said that she was with her in the drinking spree and thought that she had left to their house. He was however shocked to realize in the morning that she was dead. It is not clear in whose company she was with when she left the bar.

The bar which is located near Ngarua Maarifa Centre is known for endless brewing of illicit brew called chang’aa and busaa.LRV had highlighted about this drinking den on 26^th June last year, coincidentally a week to exactly a year.

Members of the public who milled around the place turned heat on owners of the plots in the centre with overgrown bushes. Sipili Location, Chief Mr. Njuguna and police officer in charge of Sipili patrol base Corporal Omwenga directed owners to clear all bushes in unconstructed plots. Evidently, these plots are used to transact sexual escapades by revelers. 

It is suspected that the woman was lured into one of the bushes and over powered. She was found naked and surprisingly, a condom packet was stuffed in her mouth. It stunned the onlookers on the motive of the killer. “Even after raping and killing her, did they have to stuff the condom in her mouth?” paused one onlooker, “this is terribly inhuman".

The body was later collected and taken to Nyahururu District Hospital mortuary.

Farmer acquires tractor using online services

By Dennis Kipkirui

Farming in Muhotetu is an activity the residents have only known since they settled in the area over four decades ago. Muhotetu division in Laikipia County has been known for its successful dairy farming. Residents also have one characteristic: they originally came from one area, Tetu and Muhoya in Nyeri County, hence the name Muhotetu. It is therefore worth noting that activity in this part of the county is fluid because of the shared past among the residents.

Njeru ignites his brand new tractor

Francis Njeru 63 is one of the residents of Muhotetu. His late father was among the people who bought land in this place after the white settlers left. His migration to Muhotetu is not however something he had planned for more so after retiring as a teacher having served for thirty three years. Njeru had built a retirement home in his Nyeri backyard and being at the helm of leadership in coffee co-operative society, he knew that he was bound to be a busy man after-all.

However, this was not to be the case. “The then coffee-politics turned to be nasty and even threatened my life. I had to run away. I was only lucky to have known Laikipia and served as my hide out. I locked myself in for three months after which I made up my mind not to go back to Nyeri,” said Mr. Njeru nostalgically.

After settling in his father’s farm, he had to begin things all over again despite completing plans for his retirement. He used the few resources he had saved to build a homestead and till the land. Unlike most residents of Muhotetu, Njeru did not give much attention to dairy farming. He instead ventured into horticulture and other forms of crop production. His farming activities expanded to the extent that he bought another farm.

It was after successful farming that Njeru thought of acquiring a farm machinery to ease his activities. He set on the pace of owning a tractor. He was initially for the idea that he visits Massey Ferguson dealers in Nakuru. However this could not materialize after being advised that he could buy it cheaper from the manufacturer in Japan.

His journey to the port of Karachi in Japan to the port of Mombasa Kenya could only start and end in Ng’arua Maarifa Centre. He came to the centre and through assistance from one of the officers identified and engaged in a transaction with the dealer. Njeru was sent an on-line invoice and after making on-line bank payments, visited the centre to have the payment slip scanned and sent to the manufacturer. He continued to engage the manufacturer using on-line services until he was told to go to the port of Mombasa to pick his tractor. 

Njeru left for Mombasa and cleared his tractor at the port and brought it to his farm.  When Maarifa centre team visited him, he was full of gratitude. “I’m happy for the work you people are doing here. You saved me up to half a million shillings through on-line transactions. If I had purchased it here in Kenya I would have been treated to a raw deal,” said Njeru aboard his new tractor, Massey Ferguson 260. He even managed to have the Maarifa Centre team dropped on the Sipili-Muhotetu road using it to have a feel of their assistance.

The happy farmer thanked ALIN for the support it has extended to the community.

Growing Green peas in dry lands

By Lilian Wangui

Farming peas in dry lands can be a tall order to farmers who are not mechanized. The experience in Laikipia County however beats the norm that this legume can only be done under strict horticultural measures. Marketing can also stand in the way of such produce given that no prospective buyer can imagine that parched lands such as Laikipia can serve as a good source of his supplies.

Thuku in his pea farm

Bernard Thuku is a perfect epitome of farmers who are making good use of sokopepe service that is being offered by Ng’arua maarifa centre under ALIN. This is an SMS based internet platform that connect farmers to the market. Thuku lives in Wangwaci village in Sipili Division. He owns a 2 ¼ acre farm near Wangwaci dam. He has managed to plant maize in half of the portion while the other half is occupied by green peas. At the far end is a forest of eucalyptus trees.

When Maarifa centre officers visited his farm, Thuku was more than pleased to have them assess whether his produce was ready for sale. Actually, the core reason of visiting his farm was to see the state of the peas and to inform him of a potential buyer who was willing to buy his fresh peas at 50/= per kilo. The pea farmer had fallowed his farm for three years, a process of ploughing the farm and leaving it bare without planting.

The kind of peas he has planted are known as ‘gillano’. It’s different from the typical peas that is the ‘kagwaci’ and kigondoro’ grown by other farmers within Sipili. By the look of it, ‘Gillano’ flourished better than others and therefore Thuku is willing to plant them again but this time under drip irrigation since he is near Wangwaci dam. “I have already bought a pump, plans of buying a tank are still underway and I am planning to divide my farm into portions so as to plant tomatoes, peas and other kind of crops which I am yet to think of,” said Mr. Thuku.

He has used a lot of fertilizers ranging from boosters, start-up, to flowering but he is very optimistic that he will get a bumper harvest this season. He projects to reap five bags at the lower end and he would really appreciate if the potential buyer eyeing his peas would buy them in their dried state because he believes it will fetch some good cash that will leave him smiling through out.

Since he is planning to invest in drip irrigation, the Maarifa Centre library will be resourceful for him. Its book shelves are full of drip irrigation extension material.This will be of great help to him and to many others planning to do drip irrigation.

KAPAP transforms farming in Nyandarua

By Dennis Kipkirui

Kenya Agricultural Productivity and Agribusiness Project (KAPAP) is a Kenya Government initiative funded by the World Bank. The Project Development Initiative (PDO) is to increase agricultural productivity and incomes of smallholder farmers from agricultural and agribusiness activities in the project area. The project activities will contribute to these objectives by transforming and improving the performance of agricultural technology systems, empowering men and women stakeholders and promoting the development of agribusiness in the project area.

Farmer in her snow-peas farm in Gathanji

The project is implemented through line ministries such as Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock Development, Fisheries Development and Co-operatives Development and Marketing. Kenya Agricultural Research Institute is also an implementing agency.

Farmers will access services through producer groups which are vehicles for farmer empowerment. Therefore, services will be offered through specific value chains in project areas.

In Nyandarua Region, KAPAP has twenty four project locations in the county. These locations are divided into four zones namely: Nyandarua (North, West, Central and south), Mirangine, Kipipiri, and Kinangop. Nyandarua has an area of 3245.2 KM square with a population of 596,268 people. 60% of its land is arable making it ideal for agricultural production. Economically, the area has a growth rate of 2.4%.

According to Nyandarua Region Co-ordinator Mrs. Agatha Thuo, KAPAP has four value chains in the area. These are Dairy Production, Horticulture (snow peas and potato), Apiculture (bee keeping) and Meats (indigenous poultry). 

Because the project is labour intensive to implement and the region has only three officers (Co-ordinator, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and Accountant), it has engaged consortia (service providers) for each specific value chain. Agroconsult deals with Poultry value chain together with peas while Aberdare Services deals with Apiculture (bee keeping). On the other hand, Jetspan Limited deals with Dairy production and Alfa Kilimo deals with potatoes.

The service providers are expected to address challenges that exist in a value chain. These challenges are identified by farmers and also researched by KAPAP. Interestingly, a service provider signs a contract with farmers with a specific wealth target which should enable farmers realize in a specific period. The service provided will only be given full payment if it meets the target.  

To monitor progress, KAPAP uses Management Information System (MIS) software to track the amount of wealth created. For example in the year 2011/2012, wealth created from peas was four million shillings and potato raised the same amount also. Dairy raised 1.8 million while beekeeping mounted sixteen million.

Farmers have been organized such that each location has leadership which will ultimately form County Value Chain Executive. The executive signs contract with service providers and KAPAP acts as a witness. KAPAP also conducts frequent monitoring and evaluation to ascertain progress on behalf of the farmers.

KAPAP activities in Nyadarua cover only 50% of the county. However, the county has a great agricultural potential. Research indicates that it can produce 40 tons of produce per week. Value chains are spread in the county based on its potential and grouping of farmers to undertake a given value chain.

Ngano area in Gathanji Division has successfully undertaken Dairy Production. The consortium has managed to help farmers produce quantities of milk and keep quality dairy animals. The projected wealth created in this sector is Ksh.128, 100 per cow per year. Dairy animals kept are mainly Friesian and Arshyire types.

Farmer in Geta area processing honey

Horticulture is mainly practiced in the lower region of Nyandarua. This is where snow peas and potatoes do well. Mirangine is one of the areas that has managed to produce snow peas for foreign markets. It mainly supplies to Finlays and Everest companies. Potatoes are also cultivated here. KAPAP through the service provider (Alpha-Kilimo) has involved Potato Research Centre to ensure that farmers produce large amount of quality potatoes in the area and improve their livelihoods.

Poultry value chain is practiced nearly in the entire county. Ngano which practice dairy has given poultry specific emphasis. They keep indigenous birds called sasso which are improved through Kenbrow from KARI. An improved chicken weighs up to 8 kg.

Apiculture is mainly found in Kipipiri areas. Geta Division has successfully ran the project. It keeps bees and harvest honey. They also process and pack their own products. Geta Honey is a well known brand that emanates from the area. Families have managed to put food on their tables and send their children to school courtesy of bee keeping. KAPAP recognizes that it was imperative for them to introduce this value chain in line with Natural Resource Management (NRM) policy. This will enable communities surrounding forests to conserve them while realizing the benefits.

Generally, KAPAP has successfully run these value chains in Nyandarua region. This is attributed to grouping of farmers with common interest and finding the right service provider to implement a given value chain.  The service provider is also expected to find market for the produce to limit chances of exploitation and intervene whenever farmers face challenges in the stage of production. KAPAP appreciates that a farmer will always produce as long as there is market.