The Elgeyo Marakwet County Executive Committee (CEC) Member in charge of Agriculture, Edwin Kibor, has revealed that the County Government is engaging the National Government in discussions aimed at fencing the Rimoi Game Reserve.
This initiative is part of a broader strategy to address the persistent problem of elephants straying from the reserve and invading nearby farms, which has led to the destruction of crops and loss of livelihoods for local farmers.
The CEC said the high population of elephants at the game reserve was a threat to farming in the area; hence, the urgency of erecting a fence to keep the elephants within is crucial.
Speaking during an agricultural field day on dryland agriculture at Kermuk Farm in Chegilet Location in the Kerio Valley, the farmers said they spent sleepless nights as they guard their crops against invasion from elephants.
“One can sleep rich and wake up a pauper after an elephant invasion as they destroy the whole crop. We are forced to sleep in the shamba with torches to scare the elephants away that’s why we are calling on the government to fence the game reserve,” said Joshua Kiptoo, a farmer from the Kerio Valley.
The CEC hailed the farmers for their efforts in farming in the arid area, saying his Department would continue holding agricultural field days in all its 20 wards to sensitise farmers on new agricultural techniques to ensure that farmers make money under the county’s wealth creation policy.
Keiyo North Deputy County Commissioner (DCC), Julius Maiyo, called on the youth to view agriculture as any other job, saying most youth say they don’t have a job when they are engaging in agriculture.
“Agriculture is like any other job because, at the end of the day, what one wants is money to meet their daily needs,” he said.
He said Kerio Valley is very rich agriculturally and could feed not only the County, but also the whole country.
The Director of the Cheptebo AIC Agricultural Development Centre, Joseph Kimeli, said for the last four years since the centre started championing dryland agriculture in the Kerio Valley, the area had experienced great changes.
He said farmers in the area have food, and their health has improved, while they have started earning handsomely from agriculture, citing the growth of drought-resilient crops such as green grams, which take only two and a half months to mature.
“We have a group of farmers who have harvested 20 bags of green grams and with each bag selling at Sh12,000, the farmers will earn Sh240,000. Imagine that kind of money in 75 days,” he paused.
Mr. Tasisio Odongo from the State Department of Agriculture, who represented the Principal Secretary (PS), called on farmers to replicate what they learnt on field days in their farms, saying agriculture is like a button which, if pressed, solves all problems.
“With agriculture, a farmer is able to provide food for the family, remain healthy, get money to meet the basic needs and also it’s the solution to issues of insecurity in areas like the Kerio Valley,” he said.
Dry farming is an agricultural practice that relies on natural rainfall. It is often used in areas with limited water resources and involves minimal use of fertilisers and pesticides.
It uses techniques like mulching, terracing and contour farming to help retain soil moisture and prevent soil erosion.
By Alice Wanjiru
