Khaemba seeks to revamp maize growing
What you need to know:
- “Most farmers in Trans Nzoia are poor because millers buy their maize cheaply and later make a killing after producing flour. We want to get rid of these middlemen who are exploiting farmers,” he said.
- Mr Khaemba said lack of title deeds was the main reason behind the numerous land cases and disputes.
Governor Patrick Khaemba plans to boost agricultural production to tackle the rate of poverty that stands at 58 per cent.
The governor also wants to solve the problem of landlessness in the cosmopolitan region.
During his first year in office, Mr Khaemba prioritised a study to establish the cause of the declining maize production in the past decade, despite Trans Nzoia being the country’s grain basket.
SOIL ACIDITY
“We found out that farmers’ yields are dropping as a result of soil acidity following prolonged use of the DAP fertiliser,” he told the Nation.
The county has distributed 100,000 bags of subsidised calcium-rich fertiliser to farmers to neutralise the acidity.
The county is also in talks with a private investor to help set up a milling plant to add value to farmers’ produce.
“Most farmers in Trans Nzoia are poor because millers buy their maize cheaply and later make a killing after producing flour. We want to get rid of these middlemen who are exploiting farmers,” he said.
The county government is out to ensure that locals get title deeds after establishing that most of the landowners lack the documents.
LAND DISPUTES
Mr Khaemba is working with the National Government to ease the issuance of deeds in a bid to reduce land disputes.
“We had to act fast, as some of the cases date back to the colonial era,” the governor said.
Mr Khaemba said lack of title deeds was the main reason behind the numerous land cases and disputes.
He said some people had acquired large portions of land through irregular means. “Some unsuspecting residents have fallen prey to gangs, which duped them with promises of securing title deeds, yet they are not even aware of the procedure to follow when processing the documents,” said the county chief.
Mr Khaemba said his administration was also exploring the option of clearing some forests for expansion, after the county government realised that most of the land that had been set aside for settlement had been grabbed.
“As we battle to reclaim stolen land, we want the national government to allow us to clear forests near the towns to create space for growth,” Mr Khaemba said.
The governor said that should the National Government reject the request, the region’s development plan would be in jeopardy.
“There is a lot of illegal logging in forests around the towns, especially Kitale. We prefer to use this land and plant trees elsewhere, where they will be safe,” he said.
