Turkana County government will exploit the potential of groundwater resources to boost food production and meet water demand in Turkana, Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai has said.
He said that his Administration will explore Public-Private Partnerships to invest in desalination plants across the county
"The salinity of water in Turkana remains a challenge. We have to come together to invest in technology to help us utilise our water resources. We want to produce food and feed our people properly even when there is no rain and that is practical," he said
“This is part of efforts by the administration to enhance crop and pasture production that will change the fortunes of residents of Turkana following years of drought which has led to an increase in reliance on food relief.”
He spoke in Kakuma, at the close of the three-day Saline Agriculture Conference organised by UK and Dutch-based experts in partnership with FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP).
The conference was organised to initiate a dialogue on the risks, challenges and opportunities of saline agriculture.
He disclosed that he held engagements with experts on desalination during his visit to Dubai in February to find solutions to the high salinity of water resources in the county.
"We are soon going to implement few plans, acquire innovative technology and even tap water from Rivers Kerio and Turkwel; and utilise the water from Lake Turkana so that we can have sufficient water for domestic and livestock use,” he said.
Lomorukai lauded FAO and WFP for complimenting county development programmes and insisted on investments focused on results.
He said the objective of all programmes initiated by the County Government or development partners should be to make an impact on communities and change livelihoods.
He assured the private investors of the County Government’s commitment towards the success of their plans and announced plans to operationalize soon-to-be established Kakuma-Kalobeyei Municipality.
