Irungu calls for diversified farming activities among Laikipia residents

Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu has advised residents to diversify their farming activities saying relying on maize will never lift them from poverty.

He further urged them to discard the traditional cattle and start keeping high milk yielding ones for profit.
“Relying on maize farming and keeping of ‘mutikai’ cows that give you only two litres of milk daily is a sure way of remaining poor,” the Governor told a public meeting at Karaba trading centre in Laikipia West constituency on Monday.

Residents’ spokesperson Peter Kamau said they had tried to grow beans, soya and avocados but the crops became an attraction to elephants.

The meeting that was also attended by Senator John Kinyua and Marmanet MCA Simon Kanyutu had been called to address an end the perennial wildlife-human conflict due to the area’s proximity to the 7,088 hectare Lariak Forest that is home to hundreds of elephants and other wild animals.

The governor promised to ensure that groundbreaking for the construction of the electric fence is done before the end of the year.

“When I push the national government to erect the fence, I expect you to start growing other crops to uplift your economic standards”, Irungu said and promised to avail seeds for soya and beans to those who interested in growing them.

The governor agreed to buy solar batteries to increase voltage to the existing live wire fence done by the community as they wait for the construction of the electric fence. He also agreed to employ local youths to maintain the existing community fence and continue doing so when the electric one is done.

John Mulachake called for deployment of national police reservists (NPR) in the Karaba area saying with the coming of rains, pasture will improve resulting in healthy livestock that become attractive to thieves.
MCA Kanyutu said neighbouring locations have NPRs and wondered why Karaba was overlooked. He enumerated the various feeder roads he wants the County government to upgrade when rains subside.

The governor threw the NPR ball to the Senator who promised to talk to Interior CS Kithure Kindiki so that locals can be hired and deployed in the area.

On national politics, the Governor and the Senator called for President William Ruto to be given time to fix the economy.

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