By TITUS TOO

The North Rift Region is well connected by main highways linking it to potential markets, but farmers still experience heavy losses due to impassable rural roads.

The region, whose headquarters is in Eldoret, is the leading producer of cereals including maize, wheat as well as dairy and horticultural produce.

But following the introduction of seasonal road maintenance technology that uses locally available resources, farmers can look forward to better days.

A Japanese Non Profit Organisation, the Community Road Empowerment (CORE) is already in Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia and Marakwet districts using the new technology with the rural communities.

A simple technique used by CORE has already seen over nine feeder roads in Uasin Gishu improved in the last one year.

The new Japanese technology dubbed ‘DO-NOU’ uses simple gunny bags stuffed with soil to repair sections of impassible rural access roads.

"We buy the gunny bags from Raiply Company in Eldoret, fill them with soil and incorporate the government introduced ‘Kazi kwa vijana’ to repair the roads," says Kiyoshi Kita, CORE Kenya chairman.

Funded by Japanese Toyota Foundation, the NPO has trained 449 residents on the new technology over the last two years.

"Those trained from the rural community have formed an association that sensitises more members on the new technology," adds Kita.

Four Self Help Groups (SHG) in the expanded Uasin Gishu County have so far benefited and seen their roads maintained using DO-NOU (Japanese term of stuffing soil in gunny bags).

The SHGs include Epeso and Kaptabee horticultural group in Eldoret West, Jasho CORE in Wareng and Kokwaluk Youth Group in Eldoret East district.

In the new technology, impassable section of rural access roads are identified and excavated to fit the intended number of gunny bags.

Each bag is then filled with 20kgs of soil, sand, gravel or murram and open ends sealed before laying them in rows within the excavated section.

It is then compacted before applying a five-centimetre thick layer of murram on top and then compacted. The end result gives a murram road that will last five to ten years without maintenance.

"Kazi kwa vijana initiative has assisted in providing labour for groups who have registered their SHG in maintaining their roads," said Kita.

He says the NPO seeks to empower rural communities to enable them tap full potential from agriculture.

He said CORE Japan chairman Professor Makoto Kimura recently toured the country through the Kiyoto official visit and proposed more funding for an association formed by those trained on the new technology.

The trained personnel have formed the Uasin Gishu Rural Development Association, which has assisted in enlightening rural communities on application of DO-NOU technology.

"The organisation was registered last year and CORE can now bid for Government tenders for rural road maintenance using the new technology," said Kita.

He said the NPO had received approvals from the Kenya Rural Roads Authority for maintenance of feeder roads.

"There are opportunities that have not been utilised in this agricultural region. We can now partner with local farmers through Technical Corporation," said Kita.

He said CORE had similar programmes in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cameroon and Papua Guinea.

Kita says the interest of the NPO is to work with the public and private sector for the self-sustainability of rural communities by opening up access roads.

Farmers in parts of Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Keiyo/Marakwet Counties have expressed concern over crop wastages due to impassible roads.

Marakwet is a leading producer of mangoes, potatoes and bananas among others, while Nandi produces dairy produce but the perishable products cannot reach the market due to impassible roads.

Engineer Laban Shachile, the Uasin Gishu Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KRRA) Regional Manager says Uasin Gishu Rural Development Association has been registered to participate in maintenance of roads.

Shachile added that the authority was working on modalities that can see the Association incorporated in the development of rural roads in the region.

"We will support initiatives to improve rural access roads by working with CORE through the Kazi kwa vijana initiative," said Shachile.

He, however, appealed to the Japanese International Cooperation Agency to increase funding to CORE to enable it expand its operations in improving rural roads.