Child Labor and Water at Lake Naivasha

Delivering Water on the Naivasha Road

We are staying at Lake Naivasha, a large freshwater lake in the Rift Valley about 100km from Nairobi.  There is a huge industry here in flowers for export to Europe.  Huge flower greenhouses mark the flower farms in the area.  These farms use water from Lake Naivasha for irrigation.  There is also a large tourism industry, with several VERY expensive lodges.

Despite the proximity to a large freshwater lake, domestic water is an big issue here.  While running along the lake road, both Carey and I noticed large numbers of people filling jerricans with water.  People load the cans on bikes or donkeys to deliver to homes.

Last night I was reading the September 2010 edition of Naivasha News and I came across an article “Concern as Child Labor Hits Alarming Levels in Naivasha.” The article talked about the number of children 10 years old or younger working delivering water to houses.  A 20 liter delivered jerrican costs about 7 shillings, or about 10 cents.  A child can earn up to 400 shillings in a good day.  The article told the story of David Kimani, who dropped out of school in third grade when his mother lost her job.  Because David’s father is not around, David is the eldest male and therefore feels it is his responsibility to support the family for rent and food.  The water shortage in the area makes water delivery a lucrative business.

District Children officer Peter Kabuagi says that many children displaced in the post-election violence of 2008 have not returned to school.  They are working wherever they can.   Kabuagi says that there has been a sharp increase in the children who are involved in child labor.

Kabuagi also blames the flower farms for paying inadequate wages which do not allow men to provide for their families.  The number of people working in the farms struck me this morning.  I ran at 6AM and was surprised by the “rush hour” I found myself in.  Hundreds of flower farm workers were walking, bicycling, or being bussed to work.  By 7AM the streets were deserted again.

The child labor problem in Naivasha illustrates the complicated interplay of several causal factors: poverty, water shortage, post-election violence, and inadequate compensation for commodities for the first world.  This is another example where the people who are the worst affected are the poorest and youngest.