• Elgeyo Marakwet is badly affected by cattle rustling and Governor Rotich has the answer: trade meat cattle for cow and goat dairy farming.
• Governor wants change in lifestyles so residents don't relay on pastoralism but take try modern dairy farming as away to end banditry.
Image: BY MATHEWS NDANYI
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wesley Rotich has unveiled his strategy to end cattle rustling: replace meat cattle with dairy cow and goat and goat farming.
Bandits drive off herds of cattle that take off at a run.
But dairy cattle, especially good breeds with a full udder, can't run. Same with good breeds of goats.
And no rustler wants one milk cow or goat, they are in business with meat cartels. Returns on cow and goat milk are high.
So every family will be provided with one milk cow or one goat, feed, and durable seeds, water, tents, pipes and farming equipment, fertiliser — the works for farming climate-tolerant vegetables.
Elgeyo Marakwet is one of the counties worst-affected by banditry over the years. Rotich says his legacy will be to have ensured the people of Kerio Valley enjoyed peace and development.
Governor Rotich is promoting lifestyle changes so residents do not rely on pastoralism but also adopt other means to earn a living as one effective way to end banditry.
“We have buried so many people including innocent children and women but now it’s time to change and embrace peace and development,”Rotich said.
In his plans, Rotich has identified modern agriculture and livestock production as a way to empower communities so that they do not rely on traditional livestock keeping, which invites bandits in.
"Banditry in Kerio Valley is purely-livestock related. If we diversify from cattle keeping, we will bring to end the conflicts in this region,” Rotich said.
The governor said he will be opening a peace and reconciliation office at Tot in Kerio Valley where he plans to engage residents and encourage them to venture into other sources of livelihoods, such as dairy farming so they can move away from cattle.
“I have engaged several organisations to support the programmes that will help arrest the insecurity situation in Kerio Valley as well as alleviate rising poverty," Rotich said.
The governor said that through his Kilimo Biashara programme (commercial farming), his administration will look into ensuring that farmers keep dairy cows and goats whose returns are high.
"I am looking at a situation where every family will have either a dairy cow or goat,” he said.
Rotich said the initiative would not only improve household earnings and nutrition but also end banditry.
“There is no cattle rustler who will come and steal one cow. These high breed cows cannot even walk for long distances like the traditional meat cattle which bandits drive away very fast." Rotich said.
Governor Rotich explained plans at Tot where he received dairy cows, goats, tents and irrigation equipment donated by Finn Church Aid to empower youth, women and other special interest groups.
The governor said insecurity in the region had not only led to deaths and displacement of population but also disrupted government services.
He said most contractors had abandoned works in the area and tendering of projects had not attracted strong bids for fear of banditry.
He enumerated listed some of the projects suspended due to insecurit. He said the projects including the Kapkamak/Kabonon irrigation scheme would be revived to address food insecurity in Kerio Valley.
“We have invested a lot of money in several projects along the Kerio but unfortunately there's no value for money because they are not being utilised,"Rotich said.
Finn Church Aid Country Director Jonah Kemei said the charity organisation donated the dairy cows, goats, tents and irrigation equipment to empower 10 youth and women's groups in the area.
"This will help mitigate food insecurity and bring to end over reliance on livestock keeping which often triggers violence," he said.
The governor said he is already in talks with the new Internal Security Cabinet secretary to have national police reservists reintroduced in the region adding that the bandit attacks were the work of organised criminals.
"It’s no longer a matter of cattle rustling but crime. Recently we lost our agricultural officer who has no cattle in the area. He was killed as he was doing his job.
"A school bus was also shot by bandits where several lives were lost. It is no longer about cattle rustling because there were no cattle on the school bus,” Rotich said.
Residents led by Stanley Kuro welcomed the strategy by the county boss to fight banditry.
(Edited by V.Graham)