As peace prevails in West Pokot, the county wants the sound of guns silenced for good by the productivity of agriculture and animal husbandry.
It is testing soils to determine the fertilisers needed, setting up irrigation schemes, educating farmers on modern methods of farming and
vaccinating livestock in arid areas.
“We have enough peace and we want to help youths who have been involved in cattle rustling to engage in meaningful activities like agriculture,” Governor John
Lonyangapuo
said.
Since Independence, residents have been depending on relief food, but devolution has given them the resources to become food-secure.
The county is arid and semi arid, calling for measures to help it produce more food for local consumption
and export.
“Our farms have high acidic levels, and this has hampered us from harvesting enough food,” Lonyangapuo
said.
He said most farmers have been using subsidised fertilisers from the government without knowing which is best for the region.
The governor said he had brought officials from Mea Limited to help in testing soil from all 20 wards and recommend the best fertiliser.
“After soil testing, the company will produce fertilisers that are suitable to our region, which we shall use in the next planting season,” he said.
The county boss asked farmers not to buy fertilisers from retailers before receiving the recommendations, since they have tasked the company to label their fertiliser according to regions.
“This is going to increase food production,” he said.
EYES ON IRRIGATION
The governor said the county is blessed with many rivers that can supply water for irrigation in arid regions. These include
rivers Suam, Muruny and Turkwel.
The county is currently
setting up a Sh300 million irrigation project in Kaminia
with the help of
the African Development Bank.
The project will take a year to be completed.
More than 10,000 farmers are expected to benefit from the 800-acre project in Pokot South subcounty once it launches next year.
Lonyangapuo said his leadership supports the project 100 per cent since it will tackle unemployment.
Kaminia Irrigation Scheme chairman
Joseph Loria
said they will use it to fight poverty through agribusiness farming.
“We are planning to plant maize, peas, bananas, mangoes and vegetables. We have been depending on relief food but we welcome the irrigation project because we will also plant grass for our livestock,” Loria said.
He said although it is a community project, they have handed it over to the county government so they can also benefit from the irrigation pipes that will be set up.
VACCINATION PLAN
About animal husbandry, Lonyangapuo said the main problem hindering the sector is diseases, and so they are vaccinating animals.
The county recently began a massive vaccination programme against the contagious bovine pleura pneumonia.
Lonyagapuo called for frequent vaccinations since most animals migrate to neighbouring counties and Uganda in search of pasture.
“When our animals migrate and come back during the rainy season, farmers incur huge losses if they are not vaccinated,” he said.
The county boss said they want to explore internal and international markets since most counties that rear animals have been hit by drought.
“We are lucky this season we have not been hit by drought, and we want to maximise this season by selling and reaping huge profits,” he said.
The governor said vaccination is expensive. He asked well-wishers and the central government to chip in and help save farmers from incurring losses.
County director of veterinary services Dr James Merisia said 80 per cent of the animals from the county that had migrated to Uganda in search of pastures and water had returned.
Merisia said the vaccination was in response to reports of the pneumonia in the neigbouring county.
“Most animas have returned since we have enough pasture because of the recent short rains. We need to vaccinate the animals against the disease since it is not curable,” he said.
“Animals should be vaccinated against the disease every year since its immunity is six months.”
The doctor said signs and symptoms of the disease include high fever, weakness, difficulty in breathing.
He said in 2013, the Kenyan and Ugandan governments signed an agreement for joint vaccinations to help prevent spread of disease.
The agreement has helped control diseases along the border.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE PROJECT
Kacheliba MP Mark Lomunokol said continuous vaccination will help farmers access international markets.
Lomunkol urged famers to take their livestock for vaccination when called upon so they can eradicate diseases from the region.
“Our main market for our livestock is parts of Western and Nairobi. We want to eradicate diseases from this county so
we can sell disease-free animals,” he said.
Livestock executive Geofrey Lipale said the county is going to come up with a bill that will ensure all farmers take their livestock for vaccination.
Lipale said the bill will ensure those who don’t take their animals are fined heavily.
“We want in 10 years to have declared this county a disease-free region, and we can only achieve that when we enact laws that will help in achieving our goals,” he said.
Lonyangapuo said he will ensure the
Nasukuta slaughterhouse being set up by the national government
is completed.
“We don’t want to sell our animals to brokers. We want the government to complete the slaughterhouse so we can sell our animals directly to the processing plant,” he said.
The governor has also assured farmers he will work with the national government to ensure major roads are improved so farmers can deliver their produce to the market on time.
“We shall not be able to reap from the various projects if we don’t have ready markets and our roads are not in good condition,” he said.
Lonyangapuo
also called on investors to come on board since the county is peaceful.
Nominated MCA Elijah Kishausheu said he is working on various bills that will ensure the county is food-secure.
Kishausheu said officers in charge of relief food have been oppressing residents by selling food meant for the vulnerable.
“Most residents depend on relief food. We shall not accept to see their rights oppressed by a few individuals who sell their food. We need to come up with laws that will enable us to produce more to feed our population,” he said.