Award for priest at home in the slums

Many people stepping into any of the sprawling slums in Nairobi are happy to leave the shanties — never to return.

But as a young man aged 18, John Webootsa visited the Korogocho slum as a seminarian, stayed for six months, and promised to return.

After 12 years, Mr Webootsa went back to the slum wearing the hat of a priest, itching to change the lives of the people he left behind.

The dirty environment and the poverty didn’t sway him, and he chose to stay.

Since then, he has educated girls and young mothers about their rights, and helped keep youth away from violent crime, prostitution and drugs. And he has fought against illicit brew.

Father John Webootsa’s home and office is located right at the centre of the slum.

For running the welfare campaigns in the slum’s Grogan and Gitadhuru, Fr Webootsa’s efforts have attracted international recognition.

Fr Webootsa, now 37, was on Tuesday awarded the first Franco-German human rights award for his extensive service to slum residents by the French and German governments.

“I went to Korogocho for the first time in 1993 as a missionary seminarian and I was so appalled by the violence, insecurity, poverty and disillusionment as it was my first time in a slum,” he said after receiving the award.

“I vowed to dedicate my life to improve their lives.”

His first resolve was to try and rehabilitate the Dandora dumpsite as well as reach out to the scavengers of the dumpsite by giving them micro-loans to set-up small businesses such as, groceries and hair salons.

Health hazard

“I have been advocating for the relocation of the dumpsite because it’s a health hazard as well as a security threat,” he said.

“We look for those who go to the dumpsite and train them on business then give them small grants so they can have better ways of making an income,” he said, adding, the dumpsite was also becoming a dumping ground for people killed by criminals and police in extrajudicial killing.

Last year, Fr Webootsa mobilised the community to protest at the dumping of murder victims and later brought the incident to the limelight through the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

“I have also been attacked and robbed five times over my advocacy to have the dumpsite moved to end all the bad things happening around it, including the sale of arms, drugs and illegal liquor,” he said.

He added: “We have quite a number of armed youth, and I am also looking for viable ways to address this including training to help them generate money legally,” the priest said.

According to the German ambassador Ms Margit Hellwig-Boette, Fr Webootsa was awarded for his efforts and focus on educating the girls and young mothers, keeping youth away from violent crime, prostitution and drugs and fighting the brew of illicit alcohol.

“Fr Webootsa gives people alternatives of generating revenue with legal activities to work one’s way out of poverty,” the German ambassador said.

The French and German governments decided to reward an outstanding Kenyan or NGO for efforts defend human rights in Kenya.

Fr Webootsa will travel to France and Germany for one week, and will tour Berlin, Karlsruhe, Strasbourg and Paris in order to visit institutions operating in the field of human rights.

The priest is expected to visit the Constitutional Courts, The European Court for Human Rights and the German Institute for Human Rights, among others.

In addition, the achievements of the winner and his life history will be featured in a joint exhibition of the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Française in Nairobi.

Through the “Kutoka Network” Fr Webootsa has been instrumental in having Kituo cha Sheria manage a team of 60 voluntary paralegal workers in the Korogocho slum.

“These volunteer workers help people with legal matters to access justice and let them know their rights especially due to the fact that they have very little monetary resources to otherwise do so,” Fr Webootsa said.

The Kutoka Network is made up of 26 parishes, faith-based organisations and other NGOs.