Don't sell land to cartels, Governor Okoth Obado warns

The county government has warned residents against selling their land to cartels that have invaded the region.

Governor Okoth Obado instead advised locals to make plans under the guidance of his departmental heads to maximise usage of their land in various ventures, saying this would yield them sustainable income.

"Land cartels have invaded the region and are taking advantage of poor and uninformed locals by buying their huge parcels of land at insignificant prices," he said.

Speaking during the commissioning of a Sh3 million water project in Ndhiwa in Nyatike sub-county, Obado said the county government has allocated funds for various projects that could be of good help if established on the available lands.

He added his government is keen on ensuring that proper productive projects, such as modern farming and irrigation schemes, are established in semi arid sub-counties in efforts to boost food production and improve residents' economic prosperity.

He further said such semi arid areas like Nyatike will also be provided with clean and safe water. He cited Ndiwa water point that is expected to serve more than 10,000 residents in a radius of 20km.

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Ward Representative Boaz Okoth said Ndiwa Spring is a significant water catchment area and invited potential investors to initiate water processing plants in the area to create job opportunities for the youth and income for local traders

"Nyatike isa  semi-arid region and as such, it is our task as a county government to provide clean water to residents for both domestic and agricultural use," said Okoth.

According to the Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development (2011), water and waterborne diseases have remained a big problem in Nyatike over a long period of time.

The governor, who also toured development projects in Nyatike sub-county, hinted that his government has allocated enough funds to ensure water taps and tanks are distributed in market places, schools and shopping centres to enhance water supply.

Already, the national and county governments are in the process of establishing an irrigation scheme at a cost of more than Sh4 billion in Nyatike. The project has reached an advanced phase where locals have started using the scheme waters for vegetables and fruit farming.

Obado and the El Nino intervention team also toured flood hotspots such as Luanda Konyango, Angugo, Kabuto and Nyora where they assured residents that adequate measures had been put in place to mitigate the effects of flooding.