Community based Organization
Preserving Lake Kenyatta
VISION: To enable the residents of Ziwani, Lake Amu and Lakeside make sufficient earnings from their economic activities in their farms, earn a decent living, eliminate any form of financial embarrassment by sustainably meeting their financial obligations and have respectable and honorable lives.
MISSION: To eradicate endemic poverty in Ziwani, Lake Amu and Lakeside areas, occasioned by wild animals, by providing an enabling environment for the residents to initiate economically viable and sustainable income generating activities while conserving the environment of Lake Kenyatta and its environs for the benefit of all humanity, and posterity.
Chairman of Zilala Residents Initiative C.B.O Mr Masera Lewela greeting His Excellency Issa Timmamy, Governor of Lamu County, and behind him, his Deputy Mr Munyua, on the occasion of Public Participation on the Conservation of Lake Kenyatta, its environs and riparian sources and inlets
Who we are
ZILALA Residents Initiative is a Community Based Organization registered under the Department of Social Development. The C.B.O was formed by residents of Ziwani, Lake Amu and Lakeside areas of Mpeketoni Sub-County all of whom border Lake Kenyatta. The residents of Ziwani, Lake Amu and Lakeside are directly affected by whatever happens to Lake Kenyatta and its environs.
We the residents of the three mentioned areas came together to form this C.B.O with a view to finding lasting solutions to our common problems and challenges affecting us in our day-to-day lives, as we strive to eke a living from our farms.
Causes of Poverty For ZILALA Residents
For decades, since the establishment of the Lake Kenyatta Settlement Scheme, ZILALA Residents have not been able to engage in economically viable farming activities, leading to endemic and alarming poverty levels. This is in spite of the fact that ZILALA areas have some of the most fertile soils in Lake Kenyatta Settlement Scheme.
The main reason for this unfortunate situation is the animal/human conflict, whereby the residents cannot do much to earn from their farming activities, because the crops they plant are perennially destroyed by marauding Elephants, Buffalos, Zebras, Hippos, Baboons and Monkeys. Domestic animals are also killed by wild animals.
Elephants destroy maize crops, green grams, water melon, paw paws, pumpkins and other crops.
Baboons are a big menace to both our crops and livestock. They invade our farms in their hundreds, destroying Maize crops, Tomatoes, Watermelon, Pumpkins, Bananas, Oranges, Paw paws, Mangoes, just to mention a few. They also kill chicken and goats kids. In most cases, they destroy everything they come across, leaving nothing behind.
If and when a homestead is left unattended, the baboons also break into houses, eating any food they may find.
Monkeys in their hundreds, unearth any seeds planted, uproot germinating maize, break and chew stems of young maize crops. They also destroy Mangoes, Guavas and other fruits.
Hippos destroy Maize crops, Watermelon and Pumpkins.
Buffalos destroy Maize crops , Green grams, Watermelon, and other crops.
Zebras destroy Maize crops , Cow peas and other crops.
Lions kill Cows, Goats, Sheep and Dogs.
Hyenas kill Cows, Goats, Sheep and any other domestic animals like Dogs.
These animals cross over from Kipini Conservancy to the farms in the three ZILALA areas. The Management of the Kipini Conservancy take no concern nor responsibility for the losses occasion by the wild animals in the farms of the residents of Ziwani, Lake Amu and Lakeside.
Also a large family of Baboons reside in the forest adjacent to the K.W.S camp near the shores of Lake Kenyatta. Monkeys have large families all over many areas.
The losses residents of ZILALA suffer from the destruction of their farm crops and the killing of their domestic animals by wild animals from the Kipini Conservancy are never compensated. In any case, the main thing residents want is not for the wild animals to be allowed to cause them losses, but that the wild animals be kept in their natural habitat within the Conservancy.
Doing so will enable them to get maximum commercial benefits from their crop farming and livestock keeping.
Our Vision
To enable the residents of Ziwani, Lake Amu and Lakeside make sufficient earnings from their economic activities in their farms, earn a decent living, eliminate any form of financial embarrassment by sustainably meeting their financial obligations and have respectable and honorable lives.
Our Mission
To eradicate endemic poverty in Ziwani, Lake Amu and Lakeside areas, occasioned by wild animals, by providing an enabling environment for the residents to initiate economically viable and sustainable income generating activities while conserving the environment of Lake Kenyatta and its environs for the benefit of all humanity, and posterity.
Proposed Solutions
Wild Animals
Domestic
Tree Nursery
Landscaping
Lake Viewing
Bee Keeping
Pumpkin Drying
Aloe Vera
Tomato
Guinea Fowl
We Have KickStarted!
Lamu County Deputy Governor His Excellency Munyua (crouching center) launching the Zilala Residents Initiative C.B.O Tree Nursery Project on plot 366 Ziwani area, Mpeketoni