The Kajiado county, in partnership with the national government and the World Bank, will insure livestock for 30,000 farmers.
Governor Joseph Lenku announced on Tuesday that the programme is at an advanced stage and the identification of the beneficiaries will start on Monday next week.
The announcement comes one day after the governor had a consultation meeting with a high-level delegation of the World Bank led by Regional Vice President, Victoria Kwakwa, and Country Director, Keith Hansen on Monday.
During the Monday meeting in Kajiado, the governor with his delegation discussed the forthcoming round of funding for various projects in agriculture and livestock development to facilitate modulated pastoralism, access to health, water and sanitation as well as infrastructure in our urban cities to create livable towns.
“We look forward to the new partnerships and I hail the World Bank for being a dependable ally in our mission for a transformed and sustainable Kajiado,” Lenku said on Monday.
On Tuesday the governor said the national government and the county have clustered the region into 8 zones from where the joint teams will carry out the identification process.
These clusters are; Ilodokiolani, Kaputiei, Keek-Onyokie, Kuku, Matapato, Merrrueshi, Olgulului,and Olkeriai
“This is one of our greatest steps towards cushioning farmers from the total loss of their animals,” Lenku told the Star.
He urged the officers they are sending to the ground to strictly observe equity, justice and fairness and give priority to the most vulnerable farmers and those who lost the largest number of livestock in the ongoing drought.
Lenku made the remarks after he met the county drought coordination committee, which he co-chairs with the county commissioner, Felix Watikila.
“We have reviewed our progress in our joint drought mitigation measures and consulted on the next course of action, aware that the drought continues to bite and we keep losing livestock in huge numbers,” said Lenku.
He said more people are yet to get a reprieve from hunger and people continue to suffer for lack of food.
Earlier in the day, while talking to the Star on phone from Mombasa, Senator Kanar Seki said the situation on the ground in Kajiado is more serious than what people think adding that the next news the country will hear is the death of people from the strains of hunger and related diseases.
“People are suffering in urban and rural areas and the state should come in and help our people,” added Seki.
