Kitui Integrated Rural Development Programme
Republic of Kenya

April 2001 - March 2002

　

The borehole struck water at the site near Maliku Market in Maliku Location. Many people came to fetch water when we were still doing test pumping after the completion of drilling at the depth of 130m .

Itoleka and Maliku Locations
1. Most villagers of Kitui District live in houses made of straw and sun-dried bricks. Each family has a group of huts, and each hut has its own purpose such as a kitchen or a bed room.
2. In most csaes, there are 5 to 7 children per family.
3. Women are cultivating a maize field using cows. In Kitui District, many men are away working in a big town such as Nairobi and Mombasa. When the husband is away working, it is the wifeﾕs role to work in a farm.
4. A river called Muilini River (a branch of Tiva River) that runs between Itoleka and Maliku Locations. In the rainy season, the river becomes full of muddy water after a heavy rain although the water dries up completely in the dry seaton.
5. The same river in the dry season. The fact that the water dries up completely shows that there is soil erosion and much run-off of rain water.
6. Children are fetching water from the same river, using calabash as a container. Villagers spend several hours to come to the river from each village.
Leadership/Facilitators Training Courses
7. Leadership and Facilitators Training Courses were held in 12 villages of Itoleka Location in the Fourth Quarter, after completion in 18 villages of Maliku Location in the Third Quarter. Mr. Robert Osundwa, one of the facilitators, is giving a lecture outside.
8. 5 days were spent per village for Leadership and Facilitators Training Course. In the training, participants learnt topics such as time management, participation, meeting preparations, leadership role, report presentation, proposal writing and effective communication. The lecture in the photo is about group behaviours.
9. The participants were very serious listening to the lecturers and many of them were taking notes.
Basic Health and Sanitation Training
10. Most of the participants who attended Basic Health and Sanitation Programme were women. Trainings were done in 9 villages and more than 300 villagers participated in the trainings in the first year.
11. A health expert, Mr. Jacob Onyango, is giving a demonstration on how to apply the medicine to a baby.
12. Ms. Shizuyo Sato and Mr. Wayne Ellsworth of ICA Japan visited project sites and monitored project activities in March 2002. They visited Health and Sanitation Training before going to see planted trees in Kalimani Village of Maliku Location.
13. Participants of the training are giving a demonstration to show how a child is delivered traditionally in Kitui.
14. In the project areas, child delivery is done locally in a traditional way due to lack of midwives. It is necessary for them to learn how to do birth attendance in a correct way.
15. Certificates were distributed to those who attended the trainings fully for two weeks. On the left are Ms. Nzilani Mutua, a Facilitator, and Ms. Kae Nishiumi, a Project Coordinator from ICA Japan.
Income Generating Training I Course
16. ICA staff did interviews with many groups who were active in Kitui in order to select a total of 20 groups for Income Generating Training I Courses. The training courses were held so that the groups will acquire knowledge and skills to carry out income generating activities.
17. Ms. Rodah Makanda, one of the facilitators, is giving a lecture on how to choose a project in the Income Generating Training. In Kitui District, many people are engaged in income generating activities through goat keeping, chicken raising and bee hive keeping. However, because of lack of business knowledge and skills, such activities are not necessarily making people to earn income.
18. In one of the seminars, the participants learned how to do book keeping for group activities.
19. Although some of the participants did not read or write, many of them were taking notes in the lectures.
Monitoring on Agroforestry Training

20. In the Third Quarter, 6,480 seedlings were planted by 540 farmers in 18 villages of Maliku Location. Agriculture staff visited villages and did monitoring on the trees that were planted in the Third Quarter. In the photo is shown Melia volkensii (Mukau) that has grown as big as 100 cm in 11 weeks since the tree was planted in Kyambusya Village in Maliku Location.
21. The tree (Senna Siamea) has grown as big as 80cm in 11 weeks since the tree was planted in Kyambusya Village in the Third Quarter.
22. Mr. Hashimoto is checking the tree which was planted in the Third Quarter.
23. The agriculture staff visited villagers and did interviews on issues such as farm management, family members and problems in management of the trees. The interview shown in the photo was done by Mr. Benjamin Muli and Ms. Kae Nishiumi in Masoka Village of Maliku Location.
Organic Agriculture Training
24. The land lacks organic matter because of severe soil erosion and run-off of topsoil in Kithongoeni Village. It is important to try to increase organic matter in the soil.
25. Remarkable gully caused by soil erosion is seen in Kithongoeni Village. Erosion of top soil and run-off of water due to heavy rains during the rainy season are serious problems where there is little habitat of trees.
26. Ms. Clare Momanyi, one of the agriculture staff, is giving a seminar on the general concepts of compost making. She is explaning how to make compost for organic agriculture using a guideline on compost making.
27. A demonstration was given on compost making in Muthongwe Village. A method and materials suitable for this area were improved and taught to the villagers.
28. The participants of the trainig are learning how to do compost making. Cow dung, husks of beans and stems of maize were used as materials, since leaves and stems of crops are used for animal feed. These materials are put into eight to ten layers and are mixed after 4 weeks. The compost will be ready after another 4 weeks after the materials are mixed again.
29. Mr. Benjamin Muli is giving a demonstration on how to do contour line survey, using a water pipe level, in order to dig contour line trenches.
30. Villagers are practicing how to do coutour line survey. Mr. Noboru Hashimoto, an agriculture expert, is explaining how to use the water pipe level.
31. The water pipe level was made locally with a bucket and plastic hose pipes. The levels were distributed to 12 villages of Itoleka Location, who participated in the agriculture trainings in this Quarter. It is very easy and accurate to do the coutour line survey with the water pipe level.
32. Lack of agriculture tools is one of the problems in the project area. In this Quarter, shovels and mattocks were distributed to 360 villagers of 12 villages in Itoleka Location.
Boreholes related activities
33. Mr. Kurisu of JICA Kenya Office came to the site where a borehole would be dug in Itoleka Location. He did interviews with Mr. Watuku, a hydrogeologist of Water District Office.
34. It was necessary for the villagers to widen the pathway so that a big machine would have an access to the site where a borehole would be dug. There were so many villagers from 11 villages working at the site on this day.
35. Machines to dig boreholes. It was decided that one borehole would be dug in the center of Itoleka and Maliku Locations respectively this year.
36. Water started coming out at the depth of about 90m underground at the site near Maliku Market. We drilled up to the depth of 134m in consideration of the expected yield that would be enough when being distributed to the community.
37. We drilled up to the depth of 130m at the site near Itoleka Market.
38. So many villagers came to the borehole site in Itoleka to fetch water with donkeys when we were still doing test pumping.
39. After completing drilling two boreholes, Ms. Nishiumi, a Project Coordinator, is checking how and where water tanks and water kiosks will be constructed at the site in Itoleka.
40. A water tank is being constructed at Itoleka site. The size of water tanks is 10 m3 at both sites.
41. A building which will be used for a kiosk, where community members will be buying water. This will enable the community to save money for the maintenance of the borehole.
42. Since there is no electricity in the project area, a generator will be used for the pump of the boreholes. This pumphouse shown in the photo will be a storage for the generator.