In Kenya's Mui Basin, the population mainly depends on subsistence farming. There are few other income-generating opportunities and drought causes poverty and unemployment. Many young people move away to find jobs elsewhere.
A plan for a coal mine in the area was presented in 2010, but to this day no mining has taken place. Locals do not know where they stand and therefore do not embark on any major new projects in their area. Residents fear that they will not be allowed to stay on their land. Women in particular often do not have proper title deeds, so they fear not being compensated if big companies want to use their land for mining. They receive little information about possible compensation, forced displacement and job opportunities if mining goes ahead. Matelski: "This is why many NGOs were present to mobilise people against the opening of the mine."
Field research
Matelski conducted field research in this community, looking at the experiences of residents, local leaders and NGOs from other regions or countries. "Each NGO has its own network, which sometimes creates friction within the community," Matelski explains. Her research highlights the diversity of voices and interests within communities. "Local leaders are often not political representatives but, for example, teachers," Matelski explains. "They are scouted by an NGO or put forward by the community. They often get a daily allowance, but there is little thought about ways they can spread the message further within the community."
Online toolkit
As part of the project, an online toolkit is developed for NGOs and organisations to explore ways to do their work with support from and legitimacy within the local population. "With summaries of scientific articles, profiles of intermediaries and checklists." This includes science comics created by RIVA Illustrations. They translate scientific research into comics, animations and illustrations to reach a wider audience. The comics depict the events in the Mui Basin from three perspectives: that of the community, the local leader within that community, and the NGO. Matelski: "This way, I can also show the community what was researched with their input. They recognise the stories, see their voices reflected in the research and use it for local lobbying activities."
In addition, Matelski makes several recommendations to NGOs. Firstly, to cooperate among themselves and be aware of each other's work, so as not to cause confusion within the community. Second, they should be aware that different opinions can and do exist within a community. Third, NGOs should not only focus on the community leader but should also help spread the information, including to residents living in remote areas. And finally, to look beyond just potential mining in the region, but also help the community with other sources of income and talent development.
This research was conducted with funding from NWO WOTRO and in collaboration with ActionAid.