For decades, the restive parts of Kerio Valley have borne the brunt of deadly bandit attacks which have destabilised the region ultimately slowing down economic activities.
A report titled "Mending the Rift," by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), shows that systemic failure by successive governments to address the rampant marginalization retarded socio-economic development in parts of the volatile but scenic and productive area.
However, there have been sustained campaigns by the government and non-state agencies across the banditry-ravaged Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo and Samburu counties for locals to change from conventional livestock keeping to horticulture farming.
Yet, the sensitization has been hampered by lack of water to adequately sustain crop farming because the region is largely arid, a situation exacerbated by the effects of climate change.
At Noontoto village in Samburu County, there is an increasing shift from traditional livestock keeping to horticulture after the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) constructed a 40, 000m cubic dam that supplies water to more than 3, 000 households as well as 50,000 livestock and wildlife.
Already farms are mushrooming in the neighboring villages with former herders taking up irrigation farming to grow tomatoes, kale, cabbages, capsicum, potatoes and traditional vegetables for subsistence and commercial purposes.
Kimia Lolmeweti is among pioneer crop farmers in the village who has turned his one acre plot adjacent to the dam into a lush horticulture farm.
"Ordinarily as a community, we have never ventured into crop framing because we are used to pastoralism because our climatic conditions favor livestock keeping. But after KVDA constructed the dam, we embraced crop farming and it is proving to be a fruitful venture," he said.
"The area is good for crop farming but lack of water discouraged many farmers from the venture and opted for livestock despite the erratic weather patterns that has resulted in numerous deaths. With the dam now full with water, over 20 farms have now sprouted around it," he added.
Lolmeweti has already sold the first harvest of the produce to traders in Maralal town and the neighbouring Kisima trading centres.
Anne Naomi, the secretary for the dam water users, said the region has experienced improved nutrition as a result of available food from the farms.
"Initially getting enough food was a big challenge but now the farms produce variety of food crops in turn satisfying the locals' nutritional needs. The dam has indeed changed our fortunes as a pastoralist community," she said.
In the neighbouring Turkana county in Namalacha village, the situation is also changing after KVDA sunk a borehole which has seen families start kitchen gardens.
Faith Ekwuam, 20, says they are forced to spend the night on the road in search of water because majority of boreholes have dried up.
"Usually we rely on holes dug in dry river beds commonly known as laggas, but due to the prolonged drought fetching water from them is risky because the sand might cave in leading to a disaster. We now rely on boreholes that are solar-powered but accessing them is a challenge," she said.
"Malnutrition is common in the county because of lack of proper food in many households as well as poor sanitation-related diseases because of lack of access to clean water. We are happy to note that since the borehole was dug, women now have kitchen gardens that give us plenty of vegetables," Ekwuam added.
Several kilometres away at Napuu aquifer there is a thriving 150 acre farm thanks to four boreholes drilled by KVDA that irrigate the crops through a centre pivot technology.
Paulina Abon'g, the farm's chairlady said the project initiated in 2016 has served to change the locals' mindset from traditional pastoralists to agro-pastoralists.
"Locals fortunes here are changing thanks to the KVDA project. The project acts as a community crop demonstration plot where farmers are taught crop husbandry and locals get an opportunity to plant various crops," Abon'g said.
"The locals' mindset is now changing and it is encouraging to see them practice crop farming. To some extent the hunger pangs that characterize the region have been mitigated in some way and if such projects could be replicated across the county we would be food sufficient," she added.
KVDA Managing Director Sammy Naporos said they have pumped Sh550 million in the projects to enhance water availability in the region since their focus is to transform the area from relief reliance to food secure and better livelihoods.
"Offering an alternative livelihood provision is our key focus and over 50, 000 households will access water. The big stock in this case cattle and sheep and even camels have been the major contributor to cattle rustling and banditry. We need a paradigm shift from the over reliance on livestock keeping and discourage insecurity," he told The Standard in an interview.
Naporos noted that they are constructing 24 boreholes, six water pans and three small dams across the region where some have already been completed and are already in use.
"We intend to alleviate water scarcity to effectively fight food insecurity and also offer the locals an alternative to the big stock and minimize resource based conflict," he said.
"What we have done is a drop in the ocean, the aim of the projects which are complete and now supplying water to the population are aimed at building resilience to the communities against climate change," he added.
The KVDA boss said the locals have been trained on crop farming and they now plant a variety of vegetables which offer sustainable food and income thus improving on their nutrition.
He explained that they have rolled out sustainable conservation efforts which involve the supplying of mango, avocado and tree seedlings to farmers for environmental conservation and income generation through the sale of the fruits.
KVDA Chairman Mark Chesergon said they have also enhanced environmental conservation, along the Kerio Valley basin that has been highly degraded and they have nurtured over 2 million fruit seedlings to be distributed to farmers to grow.
"In this way we are going to achieve the presidential directive of 10 per cent forest cover and more other activities have been lined up to generate income to the local residents," he said.
