It’s a dog’s life for Voi sand harvesters despite rising demand for the commodity

Hannah Kitala’s feet are half buried in water as she frantically scoops out sand from the river bed with a shovel. She tightens the leso around her waist and sighs deeply.

With one hand akimbo, she motions to her two other colleagues, who take the cue and begin ferrying the sand to the riverside with plastic buckets.

The sun is scorching hot but the women seem unconcerned as they go about their business. This is their way of life and they have learnt to endure whatever challenges come their way.

Apart from dealing in sand harvesting, Kitala and her colleagues also undertakes environmental activities.

“We have established a tree nursery in our village, part of whose seedlings we intend to plant by the river banks” says Kitala.

She says the recent move by the government to slap a blanket ban on sand harvesting is not a good idea as this is a source of livelihood for hundreds of youths in the area as well as providing a vital material for the construction industry.

“We are aware of the grave danger that uncontrolled sand harvesting can have on this important water source but we have taken the initiative to protect the river banks since our activities are limited to just enough sand that we can sell while the rest remains to hold the river bed in place” she says.

Kitala says the locals need to be empowered to sustainably exploit sand as a resource and at the same time conserve the environment .

“The price of the commodity should be raised to enable the genuine sand dealers get enough money to meet their immediate needs. We deserve to benefit from our labour but not the unscrupulous middlemen,” she says.

Another sand harvester John Mginda laments that they get very little from the sand that they scoop from the river despite toiling day and night to earn a living from the trade.

“While a tonne of sand costs over Sh3,000 in Mombasa here we are paid a paltry Sh120” complained the sand dealer, adding that the lion’s share of the proceeds go into the pockets of middlemen while the local sand harvesters languish in poverty.

He said the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has failed to come up with a clear policy on sustainable sand harvesting procedures, thereby giving unscrupulous middlemen the leeway to fleece the sand harvesters.

“The government has been too eager to ban sand harvesting instead of assisting sand harvesters make a living from the resource while at the same time conserve the environment” the youth said.

In fact on many occasions NEMA has been accused of burying its head in the sand as this vital water source is laid to waste through unsustainable sand har- vesting, block making by the river banks and stone harvesting

On the other hand a raft of sand harvesting guidelines crafted by NEMA some years ago seem to have largely come a cropper.

These guidelines stipulated, among other conditions, that there should be special sand harvesting locations where the exact amount of the commodity harvested should be documented.

Upon completion of sand harvesting , the right tree species had to be planted in the gullies left behind.

The guidelines further demanded that the lorries accessing the sand harvesting sites use designated routes to and from the sites. These had to be about 50 meters away from the river banks.

At the same time sand transporters were to give priority of hiring of sand loaders to persons living in the vicinity of the sand harvesting sites who should be of good conduct and certified by the local administration and the NEMA.

Regulations

According to these regulations, the proceeds from sand cess or revenue collected through harvesting of the commodity should be invested in local community projects.

Previous efforts to rehabilitate the Voi river both by the then Voi Municipal Council and other NGOs have been short-lived with no lasting solution in sight towards the full rehabilitation of this invaluable water source.

A couple of years ago the Water Resources Management Authority(WRMA) had come up with a proposal to rehabilitate the Voi river all the way to Aruba Dam in Tsavo East National Park at a tune of Sh500m.

This was to include the erection of sand dams at various points along the river in order to hold back sand and reduce erosion. However the project never took off.