Turkana County Executive for Agriculture, Pastoral Economy and Fisheries Aemun Philip has presided over distribution of the second phase of goats and sheep restocking programme, targeting victims of banditry attacks in Kaputir Ward, Turkana South Sub County.
The programme was designed by the Livestock Production directorate to be undertaken in three phases targeting 2, 000 beneficiaries from different villages in Kaputir.
The first phase was done in the month of May this year, where 500 goats and sheep were distributed to targeted beneficiaries in Nakwamoru and Lomerimudang.
The second phase was undertaken Monday benefiting 120 households in Kaputir centre, Kapelbok and Nawoyaregae villages.
The restocking exercise objective is to support pastoral and agro-pastoralist households, adversely affected by recurrent resource conflict raids along the Turkana South-West Pokot border, reinstate their livelihoods sources and enable bounce back to normalcy after a disastrous event that led to loss of lives and property.
The third phase which is projected to be done by end of next month, will cover Lorogon, Juluk, Lodwar/Nakuse and Kaputir junction villages.
The county executive expressed government’s commitment to rebuild resilience of affected households through funding socio-economic drivers on their sources of livelihoods that are spread across crop and livestock farming.
On rising livestock diseases that herders had raised concern, Aemun said a team of veterinary officers would be sent to the riverine area for vaccination and carry out research to establish causes of the emerging diseases that farmers said had increased in the recent weeks.
Others present included the County Chief Officer for Livestock Production Abdulahi Yusuf, Livestock Production Director Bobby Ekadon as well as Deputy Directors Ernest Anzenze (Livestock Marketing) and John Eipa (Range Management).
Area MCA Shadrack Lodong’a called for patience from those who had not yet received their share, yet had been enlisted as beneficiaries, even as he challenged the contractor to fast-track delivery of the remaining number.
By Peter Gitonga
