West Pokot launches sand harvesting policy for Kipkomo

West Pokot county has launched a sand harvesting policy to regulate the activity in Kipkomo subcounty.

The policy aims to promote community involvement in protecting and conserving the environment and ensuring ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources.

Speaking during the launch, Kipkomo deputy county commissioner Teresia Muguro said unregulated sand harvesting businesses have been costing West Pokot county in terms of lost revenue, environmental damage, and the exploitation of vulnerable men, youth, and underage children.

Muguro disclosed that the region has experienced the effects of environmental impacts including conflicts, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, sedimentation of seasonal rivers, pollution, lowering of the water table, turbidity of water, drying up of tributaries, erosion of river banks, and diversion of waterways, among other challenges.

"Sand harvesting cartels have been taking advantage to harvest and sell sand with no benefit to the local community," she said.

"The environmental impacts prompted government representatives, businesses, scientists, landowners, and local users of natural resources to come-up with a policy that regulates and provides guidelines for sand harvesting within Kipkomo subcounty," Muguro said.

She said the Kipkomo Community's Sustainable Sand Harvesting Policy seeks to improve provisions for socio-economic benefits to the county and country at large.

Muguro further said the sand harvesting policy is geared towards the facilitation of transparent and accountable management of the county's and country’s natural resources in accordance with the law and within international best practices.

The DCC said the environment in Chepareria is degraded because cartels have been exploiting sand resources for free with little focus on community development.

"There was no proper regulation on how the sand could be harvested, while the community benefited," she explained.

She said illegal sand harvesting will not be allowed again once the policy is enacted into law by the county assembly.

DCC urged MCAs to enact the policy into law for it to ensure the sand trade benefits the people of West Pokot.

However, she urged the local community to diversify their resources and livelihoods, to avoid over-dependence on sand harvesting as a way to reduce poverty.

She warned against illegal sand harvesting, noting that the government and National Environment Management Authority, officials should control the activities in the area in order to protect the environment in coordination with other government officials and stakeholders in the environment.

Muguro explained that the policy was subjected to public participation, and relevant stakeholders in Kipkomo subcounty were involved during its drafting.

She pointed out that the Kipkomo Sustainable Sand Harvesting Policy was ratified during a public meeting, where it was launched.

Muguro thanked the drafters of the policy for including a committee comprised of one representative from each catchment soil and water conservation group, chiefs from various locations, the ward administrator, and the University of Eldoret, among other stakeholders, for finding a need to come-up with a policy, that will guide the harvesting and usage of sand within and outside the county.

West Pokot Environment executive Lucky Litole said the sand harvesting policy was drafted with a clear outline on how the community will benefit from the sand harvesting activities as well as the government.

The county has been experiencing land degradation caused by unsustainable sand harvesting and sand mining activities, and with regulations in place, soil conservation and land degradation measures will be enhanced.

Litole reiterated that during the rainy season, the running water washes the top soil, making the area crisscrossed with large gullies and creating bad terrain.

"Land degradation has affected agricultural activities in the region; the loss of soil nutrients and soil erosion effects have led to a reduction in crop yields," she reiterated.

Those who have been purchasing sand in the region have been paying the community as little as Sh500 instead of Sh50,000, considering the tons of sand they collect.

She said the county government will enact the policy into law because the policy is good and will help curb the exploitation of vulnerable men, youth, and women by illegal sand dealers.

University of Eldoret lecturer Ruth Njoroge, a researcher who was among the team that supported and drafted the policy, said the region had undesired social and environmental impacts such as conflicts, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, sedimentation of seasonal rivers, pollution, lowering of the water table, turbidity of water, drying up of tributaries, erosion of river banks, and diversion of waterways, among other changes due to the effects of sand harvesting.

"The Chepareria area has been degraded because of sand harvesting activities that were not regulated," she said.

She said the policy regulates how the local community can do their sand harvesting activities, as a source of income while protecting the environment.

Njoroge reiterated that the land degradation experienced in the region has led to a reduction in crop yields and that there is a need to assist the farmers in reclaiming the fertility of their land.

The West Pokot director of Nema Cliff Barkatch said that policy is good for the region in terms of conservation of water and soil.

He said the policy promotes the establishment and management of tree nurseries.

Barkatch also noted that the policy outlines how the sand revenue will be shared with and benefit the local community.

"The policy outline states that sand harvesting time should be during the daytime," he said.

He reiterated that the policy brings more responsible and sustainable sand harvesting as a means of income to the local community and the county government.

The policy outlines that 30 per cent of the revenue collected will be for environmental conservation, 40 per cent for community development projects, and 15 per cent will be geared towards social support.