Narok County Government has allocated Sh.100 million to help ease water challenge facing the residents of the vast Narok East ahead of expected drought, Narok Governor, Samuel Tunai has said.
This is in addition to a newly acquired drilling machine which will be used to drill water in the area.
Speaking at the Christian Outreach Ministries (C.O.M) meeting at Eor Ekule Primary School grounds in Narok East Sunday, Tunai said local leaders will be involved in the process in order to ensure equal distribution of the water resources to be constructed.
Water has been a major challenge in the semi-arid Constituency leading to human-wildlife conflicts over water sources and forcing the residents to move long distances in search of water for their livestock and domestic use.
This has made it difficult for enumerators’ in the on-going National Housing and population Census exercise to find people in their manyattas as some have moved with their livestock but the officials have been given firm instructions to track the people so that they can be captured in 2019`s census.
According to statistics from the ministry of water, about 19 million Kenyans do not have access to clean water. A further 27 million do not have access to proper sanitation. The situation is not different for Narok which is a semi-arid county.
Ole Tunai has also called on the government to allow more time to be allocated during the on-going census so that the officials can reach every resident in the vast county and capture pastoralists who have moved to the neighbouring Tanzania in search of pasture.
He said the county which measures18,000 square kilometers is vast and more time is needed to ensure everyone is counted.
Tunai also called on locals to desist from giving false information associated with negative cultural beliefs, saying it will hinder better future planning aimed at bringing development to them.
Narok has 81 Information Communications Technology (ICT) supervisors, 800 content supervisors and 2,700 enumerators employed for the exercise which is expected to end on the night of 31st August this year.
Also present during the prayer meeting were, area MP Ken Aramat, area Member of the County Assembly (MCA), Moses Samante, County officials, top C.O.M clergy and congregants from Kenya and Tanzania and famous Entinyikwa Enkata choir from Tanzania.
By Mabel Keya-Shikuku
