Monday, April 16, 2007

A BIRD'S EYE AT NAMBALE CONSTITUENCY


BACKGROUND: Busia District Profile

Busia District is one of the districts comprised in Western Province, Kenya. Butere Mumias District borders it to the east, Bungoma District to the north east, Teso District to the north, Siaya District to the south east, Bondo District to the south and the Republic of Uganda to the west. The District of over 600,000 people covers an area of 1,261.3 square kilometers, 137 square kilometers of which is under permanent water surface - Lake Victoria. The mean annual rainfall for the district is 1500mm with most parts of the district receiving between 1,270mm and 1,790mm. During the long rains, crops such as maize, sorghum, sweet potatoes, soya beans, cowpeas, green grams and beans are grown in most parts of the district. Though not highly practiced, the land can grow quick maturing crops such as kales, simsim and sunflower, as well as, long-term crops such as sugarcane, robusta coffee, cassava, avocados, oranges, and bananas. The district is further subdivided into 5 administrative divisions namely, Butula, Nambale, Matayos, Funyula and Budalangi.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Nambale constituency in Busia district is one of the underdeveloped areas and according to World Food Program report for 2005, the area has higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS and 36% of its citizen lives in “hardcore poverty”, a condition where food needs cannot be met even when a family’s expenditure is entirely on food. The level of “absolute poverty” (i.e. in ability to meet basic food and non-food needs) is estimated at 54%. Generally schools within the area have very little infrastructure for learning. On community level, inadequate information, inaccessible tools and skills to fight poverty as well as generational cycles of poverty have for so long suppressed individual’s innovativeness, creativity and entrepreneurship potential. The community has determined farmers with no access to crucial farming technology and entrepreneurs with inadequate information on their trade. The sum of all these challenges is forcing young people, the active work-force, to migrate to the cities disrupting the community’s civic commitment and scuttling hopes for community development.

KEY PERSONS

Hon. Amos Wako – Attorney General, Republic of Kenya
Hon. Chris Okemo – MP, Nambale Constituency
Mr. Philip J.W. Masinde – Former MP, Nambale Constituency
Mr. Sakwa Bunyasi – Retired employee of World Bank & 2007 Parliamentary Aspirant (Nambale Constituency)
Mrs.Lydiah A.Achode- Registrar High Court of Kenya
Retired Rev. Canon Ngota – A.C.K Church, Busende Parish
Engineer Dan Barasa – Ministry of Water Resource and Development.
Mr. Nyongesa Wandera – University of Nairobi (Student), Coordinator (Students for Rural Community Development), Moderator (Bukhayo Youth Action)
(Please feel free to give us more names of prominent personalities from Nambale Constituency)
PROJECT RECOMENDATIONS

Regeneration of the Nambale Cotton Ginnery
Revival of Matayo’s Youth Polytechnic
Development of Busende Secondary School
Setting up of a Tertiary Learning Institution in the District
Development of the Nambale Sugar Factory
The establishment of the Nambale University

(Thanks to Henry Victor Okumu for the research and compilation of this information)

9 comments:

peter mudy said...

The people of nambale have been cheated for so long by politician and it is time they wake up and make use of the opportunities available to improve their livelihood ,say the tarmac road,electricity which is un utilised,they should abandon sugar cane farming and adapt sustainable agriculture which suits their pieces of land as well as the sand soils,they should make use of two rainfall seasons to grow short season crops.sugar cane has just escalated poverty and hiv infection both have become inheritance fmoving from genaration to generation.With free education many have not gone to school instead you meet young boys loitering on the road as early as 8am.Thanks for your comments but do more research on what the prominent figures mentioned have done for our people their is still lots of nepotism,witchraft, ignorance,which only education can wipe out.

peter mudy said...

kindly correct the spelling which have noticed after posting
Thanks

Unknown said...

I think its high time Nambale Constituency gets divided. Your list of Key persons leaves alot to be desired Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Arthur said...

Some of the key persons in Nambale constituency include Mr.Eric Masiga Bagwe builders of uganda and southern Sudan.
If Nambale constituency has to develop then we should rise above politics of Baguri, Bakhone, Bachimo, bakhabi etc. Let us adopt politics of policies. Respect the old guys but take charge as the youth of Nambale.

Napoleon said...

The people of Nambale need to empress ideals of a leader before casting ballot papers. we must get out of clanism cocoons because development mind has no agenda for clan politics.

Napoleon Namdy Nyongesa is a prominent Public Health Officer with distinguished career in comminity health sciences and HIV/AIDS. Currently Coordinating HIV/AIDS programmes in Amagoro Constituency.

Napoleon said...

The people of Nambale need to empress ideals of a leader before casting ballot papers. we must get out of clanism cocoons because development mind has no agenda for clan politics.

Napoleon Namdy Nyongesa is a prominent Public Health Officer with distinguished career in comminity health sciences and HIV/AIDS. Currently Coordinating HIV/AIDS programmes in Amagoro Constituency.

Zabde-Ezra Ayienga said...

With the help of Dr. Joseph Muleka of Nairobi University, BBCF has launched "Mundika Library" (MDL),a books reading program to serve 30,000 pupils in the area. This program was first introduced in Nambale, opposite Nambale Primary school. No single local person in Nambale showed any form of interest or ownership. We moved to Mundika. Canon Awori and Spurin are other people who attempted to add value to Nambale area and failed. Nambale residents need to wake up.
Zabde-Ezra Ayienga,
www.bbcfinternational.org

Zabde-Ezra Ayienga said...

I share the joy which Godfrey Odongo has for election to the county representative in Nambale. The new Mheshimiwa and myself received strokes of the cane as classmates in Nambale primary school. I remember he and I working out an imformation recalling strategy in class six (what would be considered "cramming" today). But we memorized large amounts of information and as a result, performed quite well overall!
Congratulations brother!
ZABDE-Ezra Ayienga
"30 000 Village Kids Reading"
Toronto Canada

Zabde-Ezra Ayienga said...

I share the joy which Godfrey Odongo has for election to the county representative in Nambale. The new Mheshimiwa and myself received strokes of the cane as classmates in Nambale primary school. I remember he and I working out an imformation recalling strategy in class six (what would be considered "cramming" today). But we memorized large amounts of information and as a result, performed quite well overall!
Congratulations brother!
ZABDE-Ezra Ayienga
"30 000 Village Kids Reading"
Toronto Canada