I quote here from a paper I wrote for a debate in Partner News a journal of MS Kenya and it leads me to the questions, what influences the way we think, act and respond to challenges in life? How has research, education and our hopes contributed to the way we do things? Does religion, culture, language, education and the arts have any part to play in determining our development or underdevelopment? What and who defines our destiny, identity and course of change? It is such reflections that inspired the formation of Ujamaa Center in 2001. Since then much water has passed under the bridge. What have we learnt? It is these lessons that we wish to share in this visitor program mooted by Allavida for a new member of the team but which we wish to institutionalize for the world to learn about the Coast of Kenya and our efforts in spirituality, social and community capital and alternative systems.

After going through eight locations, interacting and sharing with community members in more than sixty three villages we saw a number of issues that run across the divide, this thus created a need for building masses around issues. The locations visited included the following; Takaungu-Mavueni, Bamba, Kambe, Roka, Mariakani, Sokoke, Mtwapa and Kilifi town ship. In these areas the number of meetings held produced a lot of interesting material in relation to the natural resources. The most demanding issues revolve around the historical problem of land at the coast of Kenya as this is the mother of all predicaments. The communities reckon that 20% of the population do own about 80% of the total natural resources, a situation which has had very grave consequences and a position that they wish to see changed. We give it a lot of weight although the problem is being given more national attention. The facts are that no two cases can be the same no matter the circumstances involved. However it is good to note that in all these meetings the number of women attending was quite large, may be because of their touch with reality on the ground and constant engagement with the daily rural chores. The youth and middle aged men are countable and this explains the socio- economic set-up of our communities where men are required to go out there and provide for the families. The percentages are as follows; Men (35%), women (65%) and the youth (10%) of the total attendance on average. It should be noted that town set ups are a bit difficult to mobilize people although they are the most affected by serious environmental problems. So far the areas of Mtwapa and Kilifi Township have not been well penetrated. In almost all the meetings the issues of lack of information or the aspects of little or no access to it featured widely. Although in the wider areas of Kambe and especially Mwiri (24/08/04) and Jeuri (27/09/04) the problem was more gaping and quite conspicuous. The problems related to bad governance also affected the whole region of the locations visited as most of the leaders have used this opportunity of ignorance to spearhead their selfish agenda of being the ‘Anointed one’ all the time everyday. There are areas however which have undergone measurable changes ever since the accountability gospel was passed to them. After being empowered the villagers have engineered far reaching reforms in various institutions that run their day to day lives and in this regard Mkongo village (24/08/04) serves as a shining example. The issues to do with education sector are an example of a square peg being put in a round hole. First the communities seems like they do not understand their own role as parents who take children to school, secondly they feel no moral obligation of asking/ questioning the school’s operations as the issue of free primary education looks like a favour from the government since ‘they do not pay for this service’. Yet after learning that this service has been paid for by them through other taxation mechanisms the communities have begun demanding for accountability and transparency from these institutions. This problem is found within the whole District. Hunger at the coast is not any thing to talk about; it is shameful, dehumanizing, degrading and quite enslaving. This is a major catastrophe in the district of Kilifi, out of it our people have developed bad tendencies of waiting for the saviour known as the Kenya government. The people have become slaves as they cannot hide away the hunger in them a sign that the poverty levels are dwindling further meaning that the living standards have actually degenerated. For particular is the areas of Bamba and Takaungu where a meeting can be dissolved because a mango has fallen from a tree nearby and the community members have rushed to pick it. While people are dying of hunger other conditions have been conceived by the government as remedial measures to fighting this vice called poverty. Creation of job opportunities in some areas has caused untold damage to both lives and property. Environmental degradation has shortened people lives, spoiled the survival of their crops, allowed the development of unknown diseases associated with breathing problems and it even has killed some life sustaining streams and dams. This extends from the Mariakani areas all the way to Kambe. Insecurity is a pain in the whole country, people are being murdered everyday and carjacking has even extended to the villages. The standard team has in this regard initiated community policing process to try and arrest the situation. The communities have come up with very interesting suggestions as a way forward in this endeavour.