State to launch Sh215m payout to pastoralists
State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu addressing journalists at Sagana State Lodge on March 5, 2017. PHOTO | PSCU
What you need to know:
- In Turkana, 2,503 pastoralists registered under the program were paid last month.
- He said water trucking in the 23 affected counties has been enhanced.
President Uhuru Kenyatta will this week launch cash payout to support pastoralists to purchase fodder and animal feed for their stock until the drought comes to an end.
Vulnerable pastoralists in Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Tana River, Turkana and Wajir counties will benefit from the Sh215 million payout.
The payments under the Kenya Livestock Insurance Programme will target 12,604 registered pastoralist households in the seven counties.
In Turkana, 2,503 pastoralists registered under the program were paid last month.
State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu made the announcement in a press briefing at Sagana State Lodge on Sunday.
He also said the government will enhance the measures to mitigate the drought affecting 23 counties.
He said water trucking in the 23 affected counties has been enhanced and the Government has rehabilitated boreholes experiencing pressure due to long hours of pumping water.
“As I had mentioned last week, in terms of provision of food, the administration has doubled up food rations to feed 3 million people, up from an initial figure of 1.3 million Kenyans. We are doing this through special programmes,” said Mr Esipisu.
SECURITY
Mr Esipisu also said there has been a tremendous improvement in the security of Baringo and Marakwet after the government launched security operations in the region.
“To respond to the skirmishes, the number of officers in the area have been increased. In Marakwet, there are four new camps that have been opened. On the other hand in Baringo, we have substantially increased the number of officers,” he said.
Mr Esipisu said there have been no incidents in Laikipia besides the one where a lodge was torched by herders reportedly in retaliation for tough police action.
The government’s efforts to mitigate the drought have found support from Kenyans as well from foreign nations.
Last week, the United Arab Emirates donated 150 tones of foodstuff worth Sh20 million.
More donors are committing themselves to make donations either through the Kenya Red Cross Society or directly to the government.
