Do county Governments have proper policies for nurturing talents?

By Daniel Mwendo

Lule's art I (Photo:Daniel Mwendo/MCV)

We have different types of talents which God has given to each of us. To nurture these talents, combined efforts by leaders and professionals is required. Unfortunately in Kenya, talent discovery and nurturing has been taking the back seat and most of the youths with talents end up being wasted.

During games seasons, there are those pupils who go up to national levels and there is no follow up of these pupils to take them to respective talent academies so that they can be nurtured.

Since the government has devolved its functions to the county level, it is important that the counties set up talent academies and equip them properly so that we can have well trained youths who can compete at international levels. Take a good example of our fellow Kenyan athletics and the way they have excelled in this sport. Another good example is our footballers who have done well despite having done it through the hard way without any proper nurturing especially through academies.

Lule's art II (Photo:Daniel Mwendo/MCV)

For instance,Lule Ibrahim is a talented artist from Mutomo Township who has been doing wall hanging and masking arts and makes very good portraits. However, Lule’s biggest problem is finding market for his art. This more than ever stresses the need for good leadership which identifies talent at the grass root level as well as linking talented youth with the right market.

According to Lule, there are so many youths who are frustrated by life yet they have talents which they can use to earn their daily bread. He suggests that counties need to establish talent academies and start trade fairs for artist to showcase what they have made.

Gross indiscipline poses a burden to the parents

By Daniel Mwendo

After a three time’s unsuccessful attempts to burn down their dormitory using petrol, St. Patrick’s mixed secondary school in Mutomo District closed their school prematurely without even finishing their second term examinations.

When the Board of governors met, they decided that all the students must be accompanied by their parents during third term’s opening day.

Student's shopping gets a thorough frisking before

being allowed into the school (Photo:Daniel Mwendo

/MCV)

Frisking of the students bags was done at the gate to ensure that no student went in with unauthorized items in the school compound. Boys who had trimmed their trousers to a pipe- like shape were out rightly sent away to come with proper trousers. Girls who had shortened and altered school uniform skirts were not spared either. Proper shopping was also considered.

The born of contention was entertainment. The students wanted entertainment every Saturday and Sunday during night time and not during day time

Proper grilling was done to get further details pertaining to the ring leaders. Those students who failed to give any information were turned away with their parents. Stern measures will be taken to those students who will be implicated.

The students together with their parents had to sign a Memorandum of Understanding where they agreed that entertainments will only be done on specific Saturdays and Sundays and only during day time. Those found to have sneaked will buy a six hundred and 10 Metre bundle of barbed wire. There will be no coming with phones to school and those found to have stolen will pay two times the cost of what they had stolen among others.

The final stage was a meeting with the principal Mr. Mbuvi and the senior teacher Mr. Matheka. The principal advised the students to take education seriously as that was  the only  they assist in breaking the vicious cycle of poverty which was affecting most the families in the poverty stricken county.

The parents who were available were shocked when the senior teacher Mr. matheka displayed the various items recovered from the students during the frisking exercise. The items included condoms, a phonographic DVD, and snuff.

Parents also advised their fellow parents to ensure discipline is taken seriously and they were cautioned that technological developments was one thing which was affecting children and they should be wary of it. Parents involvement in economic activities also is one serious thing to be taken into consideration because they are left alone and at the disposal of computers were they can engage in phonographic activities.

A ray of hope for people living with disabilities

By Daniel Mwendo

People with different types of disabilities converged at Mutomo Chief’s camp today for registration by the National council for people with disabilities (NCPWD).The registration exercise was done both at Mutomo and Ikutha districts.

People living with disabilities during the registration process

(Photo:Daniel Mwendo/MVC)

The National Council for people with disabilities is a Government parastatal enacted in the year 2004.Its main objectives is registration of new members so that they can be issued with identity cards which they can use to get assistance from the government.The identity cards contains all the relevant details of the beneficiary.

After the registration, the people with disabilities are send to different gazetted hospitals where they are assessed as to whether the level of their disability hinters them from engaging in any substantial economic activities. That is when they are now allowed to fill in the forms for assistance.

“There are different programmes available,” Says Rosabel Githinji, NCPWD’s Lower Eastern regional officer. MS. Githinji adds that these programmes include; education, infrastructure, tax exemption among others.

The potential beneficiaries said that this is the first time that the exercise has been done on a big scale and indicated that they would be very happy if they get assistance as this will empower them and prove that disability is not inability.