Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has urged residents of Baringo living in arid and semi areas to embrace intensive irrigation farming for the region to become food secure.
The cabinet secretary noted that the vast county has a great potential of feeding other counties if residents stop relying on rain fed agriculture and instead advised the county administration to put a huge chunk of land under irrigation to avoid depending on relief rations.
He said that the national government under the Ministry of Irrigation was working with National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) to ensure that more land is set aside for irrigation use.
“We would like to see more irrigation in this county because the region has the capability of producing more food that can feed residents and other areas facing food deficits,” Wamalwa said.
The Devolution CS was speaking on Friday at Mukutani Ward in Baringo South Sub County where he had gone to witness the reopening of Arabal Day Secondary, Nasukuro, Kapindasum and Mukutani Primary schools which closed down three years ago due to insecurity.
Mr. Wamalwa called upon local leaders from three warring communities of Pokot, Illchamus and Tugen to champion peaceful coexistence for meaningful socio-economic development to be recorded in the county.
At the same time the cabinet secretary commended parents from the four schools for allowing their children to resume learning in their former institutions this year.
“I am very happy to note that over 100 and 175 pupils have so far reported back to Nosukro and Mukutani Primary Schools respectively,” said the CS.
He asked parents and education stakeholders to ensure that all children immediately resume classes and engage in their studies because it is their constitutional right just like any other child in the country.
Area governor Stanley Kiptis called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the Senate to sit down and address the boundary dispute in Mukutani which is currently being contested between Tiaty and Baringo South Sub Counties.
Governor Kiptis said that young children and elderly women from Ilchamus community should be quickly assisted to rebuild their lives disrupted during 2016 skirmishes which led to massive displacement and said those displaced be helped construct new houses.
During the exercise attended by County Commissioner Henry Wafula, Devolution Principal Secretary Charles Sunkuli, Baringo South member of parliament Charles Kamuren and his Tiaty Counterpart William Kamket, 4,000 iron sheets and relief food was distributed to the over 1,000 displaced households.
By Benson Kelio and Joshua Kibet
