Two hundred and ninety-seven households who had been earmarked to benefit from the Kenya Livestock Insurance Program (KLIP) in Kibish Sub-county have begun receiving their cheques worth total of Sh. 1,688,148 million.
Kenya Livestock Insurance Program (KLIP) is a National Government’s initiative in collaboration with County Governments.
The program’s objective is to protect livestock against the risks associated with drought effects, through satellite-based index insurance.
Under the program, which started in 2016, each beneficiary will get Sh. 5,684. The total payout for Turkana County through the livestock insurance program from 2016-2019 was Sh. 112,981,528.95 million and benefited 2,502 people across the County.
County Executive (CEC) for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Philip Ebei Aemun, presided over the cheque distribution exercise, yesterday, at Napak village in Kibish Ward.
The targeted beneficiaries who are drawn from Turkana East, Kibish and Turkana South Sub-counties are slated to receive Sh. 5, 565, 85 million in total. A number of beneficiaries from Kapedo and other areas received their cheques last week.
Aemun said more funds had been budgeted in the next Financial Year to cater for pastoralist based livelihoods that forms 60 percent of residents of Turkana County, who are traditionally nomads.
To improve market access and trade for livestock keepers and other market players, Aemun said the Government had settled for Kaikor Sale yard because of its central location, adding that the establishment of drug store in Lokamarinyang, through a Public-Private partnership would help in livestock diseases control.
To broaden the program and accommodate more people, he said, will involve development of a County Livestock and Insurance Bill, that’s centered on disaster risk management.
On issues of some beneficiaries missing the money due to loss of registered telecom lines and other network challenges, a new biometric system exercise will be undertaken, to capture data and update records for the second phase of the insurance program.
Acting Director for Livestock Production, Bobby Ekadon, outlined proposed programs on strengthening Livestock productivity and revealed that the biometric rollout will also address the gap brought about by the death of identified beneficiaries.
The County Executive who is also the Acting CECM for Roads and infrastructure earlier own inspected the ongoing routine maintenance of Napak-Kibish road that’s meant to improve transport and movement along that corridor.
Others who spoke included County Desk Officer for Livestock Insurance, Ernest Anzenze, as well as staff from Kibish, led by Sub-county Administrator, Zachariah Etukon.
By Peter Gitonga
