Leaders vow to set Baringo on path to development

Baringo county leaders led by Baringo County Governor Benjamin Cheboi, join hands as a sign of unity to end the rampant insecurity in the county during the Baringo County leader’s peace meeting resolution held in Emmining, Mogotio constituency. [PHOTO: KIPSANG JOSEPH/STANDARD]

Baringo- Baringo is a county full of contrasting beauty and resources. There are hot springs, beautiful pink flamingoes, lush green vegetation and dry shrub lands stretching for miles.

If you visit some parts of the county, there are cattle tracks that pass for roads and deserted villages where people have fled from marauding cattle thieves. These and a devastating drought that has swept through parts of the expansive county, are hindrances to development.

However, with the establishment of a county government, the county leaders have vowed to awaken this giant and cut a path to a bright future.

A key challenge for Governor Benjamin Cheboi is improving agriculture. Most parts of the county comprise Arid and Semi-Arid Lands with huge population depending on pastoralism for livelihood. According to the county government figures, 80 per cent of the population are at risk of hunger and 19 per cent sleep daily without a meal. Recently, four people died in East pokot due to hunger-related illness. “We are planning to revamp sectors such as Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries for food sufficiency which will create over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs to the locals,” says the governor.

He adds: “The county government is rehabilitating irrigation schemes in Marigat, Mogotio and new ones being established in East Pokot to ensure that in five years’ time, Baringo will be food secure.”

The governor has applauded the African Development Bank for allocating Sh750 million to Barwessa Irrigation scheme in Baringo North to boost food production.

Water crisis

The county government’s target he says, is to irrigate over 50,000 acres up from 5,000 through modern farming techniques to curb food insecurity.

More than 70,000 residents living in semi-arid areas in the county are projected to benefit from Sh1billion boreholes from a Japanese organisation in a bid to solve perennial water crisis.

The Japanese International Company Agency (JICA) working with Ministry of Water and Irrigation and Rift Valley Water Service Board (RVWSB) has offered to drill 100 boreholes in the areas affected by water shortages such as Baringo North, Marigat and Baringo Central.

Despite hunger, the county is still facing challenges such as floods in areas around Lake Baringo which have displaced residents and landslides in parts of Baringo Central which the county government says has set aside Disaster Fund to cater for such calamities.

The county is home of Lake Baringo and Bogoria, which attract many tourists for hot springs and migratory flamingoes. But this has remained unexploited mainly due to poor roads and rampant cattle rustling.

Leaders say projects aimed at improving roads, fighting illiteracy and improving the lives of people will ultimately solve the myriad problems that for years have staggered development.

The problems have hampered key revenue industries such as agriculture, tourism, mining and the livestock in the county that has more than 3 million cows and goats in semi-arid areas alone.

Construction work on the main road connecting Kabarnet and Eldama Ravine which is Kasoiyo-Tenges-Saos-Society road which was allocated Sh820million is yet to commence a year after the ministry of roads awarded the tender. Governor Cheboi says he is pushing for the works to start. A Chinese road construction company; Guangxi (GHBC) has begun work that had stalled for two years. It will do 28 kilometres  from Tenges to Kasoiyo at a cost of Sh481 million. Other roads in areas such as East Poko and Marigat that act as passage routes for tourists are yet to be opened.

“They will be done before the end of my tenure if funds will be released on time,” says Cheboi.

However, the government has set aside over Sh100million to buy road maintenance equipment and recently, a Sh23 million bulldozer was bought to open up feeder roads.

For over 30 years, Baringo County has been battling cattle rustling aggravated by killings, house-torching and displacements among the pastoral communities.

Taming cattle rustlers

Insecurity has been rampant in parts of Baringo North and Marigat sub counties with bandits raiding at will. In Baringo north and Marigat, cattle rustling have turned bloody.

In Marigat, which is largely inhabited by members of the minority Ilchamus community, since 2005, 55 people have been killed, 41 injured, 12,933 displaced from their homes and 17,987 livestock including 12,696 goats,5,242 cows and 49 donkeys have been allegedly stolen by rustlers from neighbouring East Pokot sub-county.

Despite spirited efforts by the government to beef up security in the area and numerous peace meetings being held, the insecurity has continued to escalate. In Baringo North, for instance, 36 people have been killed,40 injured,38,402 displaced over years.

Over 28,000 goats,9,658 cattle,4,140sheep,93 donkeys and 10 camels which are the only source of livelihood to the pastoralist community have been stolen by suspected Pokot cattle raiders. This is a key challenge for local leaders because the attacks have at times taken a political twist.

Cheboi and his Deputy Mathew Tuitoek say the county will recruit community policing officers adding that the county will also be paying allowances to the Kenya Police Reservists (KPR) to boost their morale.

“The security docket is in the national government but as a county, we will motivate the KPR and come up with community policing officers to investigate and relay information to the county, then to national government,” says Cheboi.

County Assembly Speaker William Kamket hailed devolution for bringing services close to the people and challenged the governor to come up with Anti-Cattle Rustling Police team with fully-fledged vehicles to deal specifically on rustling incidences.