The National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on Monday, December 9, 2024, opened a leadership forum in Wajir where at least 600 delegates are expected to attend.

In his opening speech, Wetang’ula lauded the organizers, led by the Chairperson of the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group, Mandera North MP Bashir Sheikh, and the Patron, Saku MP Dido Raso, for creating a platform for dialogue and collaboration.

The Pastoralist Leadership Forum 2024 brings together more than 15 pastoralist counties in the country, governors, senators, members of parliament and MCAs alongside other key policy shapers and businesspeople in the region.

“This summit provides an opportunity for us to address the challenges facing pastoralist communities. We must prioritize livestock production, improve breed quality, and strengthen marketing strategies to make the pastoralist economy more robust and sustainable,” Wetangula said.

Wetang’ula equally persuaded the delegates to use their numbers in Parliament to advocate for better policies, enact supportive legislation, and ensure adequate funding for the sector.

“If you visit Wajir today, even a doubting Thomas will see that devolution works,” Wetang’ula added, noting that the region and Kenya should begin producing its fair share of consumables.

“We consume what we don’t produce, and we produce what we don’t consume,” he remarked.

Wetang’ula also observed during the opening ceremony for the fourth pastoralists leadership summit that the regional leaders should address the incidents of insecurity for stability.

“If we can resolve issues of insecurity, many of our challenges will be significantly reduced,” Wetang’ula remarked.

Leaders weigh in

The host governor of Wajir Ahmed Abdulahi who also serves as the current chair of the Council of Governors observed that devolution had greatly impacted the pastoralist counties and that the meeting was to identify gaps and offer solutions for emerging challenges.

Mandera North MP Bashir Sheikh also committed to the objectives of the summit, stating that the coming together would offer collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

“This platform is a chance for structured dialogue, collaboration, and actionable solutions that will transform our communities,” Sheikh noted.

Kajiado Woman rep Leah Sankaire challenged policymakers to champion a comprehensive approach in the manner in which the state supports livestock production, noting that the framework in tea and coffee production should be replicated in the livestock industry.

“It is about time that we, as pastoralists, come together and ask the hard questions. We need the government to be involved in cattle rearing from birth to marketing, just like it is done with coffee and tea,” Sankaire observed.