How farming is taming banditry in volatile Kerio Valley

One of the coffee seedlings nursery belonging to Sambirir Farmers’ Cooperative Society in Marakwet East. Uneasy calm is slowly returning to the region, thanks to peace efforts rolled out in the area by the government and other partners. [Wycliff Kipsang, Standard]

For many years, Kerio Valley in the North Rift region has been known for rampant cases of insecurity, which have led to the loss of many lives.

However, calm is slowly returning to the region, thanks to peace efforts rolled out in the area by the government and other partners.

A spot-check by The Standard revealed that locals have gone back to their farms thanks to an initiative by the Elgeyo Marakwet County government to distribute water pumps for residents to engage in irrigation to boost food security and their economic livelihoods.

The devolved unit is also in the process of distributing high-value crops including coffee and beans in Endo, Sambirir, Kaben and Arror areas which have in the past been battlefields.

According to the County Executive in charge of Agriculture Edwin Kibor, the county government is committed to ensuring that peace is sustained in the area by empowering locals to engage in alternative income-generating activities.

“We are very happy that peace is returning to the area, which has for many years been known for bloody conflicts. We want to take advantage of this by empowering our people to engage in alternative income-generating activities,” said Kibor while distributing the water pumps and generators at Sambirir area.

He said the national government has played its part by restoring peace, adding that as the county government, they will play their part by supporting residents to be self-reliant.

“We are committed to ensuring that the economic livelihoods of our people improve and alleviate poverty levels. This region has a lot of potential in food production if our people engage in irrigation,” said Kibor.

The initiative is already beginning to bear fruit with the youth, who were in the past engaged in banditry now busy in the farms.

The farmers have been organized into groups of between 12 and 15, with each having 12 acres of land with the support from the county government.

One of the successful groups is Sambirir Farmers’ Cooperative Society, which has ventured into coffee farming with the farmers already planting 28,000 trees since its inception in August last year.

Elgeyo Marakwet County Executive incharge of Agriculture Edwin Kibor during the distribution of coffee seedlings to farmers in Sambirir in Marakwet East. [Wycliff Kipsang, Standard]

According to the cooperative’s Manager Nahashon Biwott, the initiative is already changing lives with the members already reaping the dividends.

“We are anticipating that in the next three years our members and the community at large will have completely immersed themselves into coffee farming and poverty will be a thing of the past in this region,” said Biwott.

The group earned Sh700,000 from the venture early this year, with a kilogram of coffee going at Sh700 a kilogram. The highest paid farmer went home with more than Sh80,000.

Indeed, many farmers in the area are now abandoning the traditional planting of maize for the lucrative coffee farming.

Biwott said the cooperative has already set up a coffee seedling nursery and is anticipating generating more than 100,000 seedlings, which will be distributed to its members and the community.

Apart from coffee farming, the cooperative society has also diversified into the livestock value chain, where they have already formed Sambirir Dairy Farmers and Sambirir crop cooperative to boost their economic livelihoods.

“Initially, most of our members were old people, but it is encouraging to see that our youth are also following suit and have joined us in farming. You will never find our young people engaging in illicit activities like banditry but are busy in the farms,” said Biwott.

“Coffee farming pays a lot. I encourage our people to venture into it, and they will not regret their decision. We want to be the leading producer of coffee in the North Rift as this region’s climate is very favourable for the crop,” added Biwott, who has already planted more than 1,000 coffee trees.

The farmers urged the county government to assist them procure a milk cooler to support Sambirir dairy farmers as dairy farming is another venture which has a lot of potential in Kerio Valley.

Sambirir ward Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Paul Suter said Kerio Valley has a lot of potential in farming, which if fully exploited, could transform the economic livelihoods of the residents.

Elgeyo Marakwet County has been empowering farmers by distributing high-value crop seedlings in a bid to boost agribusiness, enhance food security and improve livelihoods.

This initiative includes a focus on crops like coffee, pyrethrum, avocados and sorghum, with partnerships established to ensure market access for the produce.

According to Governor Wisley Rotich, the devolved unit is promoting sustainable farming practices, including the use of climate-smart agriculture techniques and providing training to farmers on modern farming methods.

“By providing alternative livelihoods through agriculture, we hope to lure our people away from engaging in outdated practices like cattle rustling,” Rotich said.