County set to plant bamboo

Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos (pictured) has said bamboo will be planted along the landslide-prone escarpment.

Mr Tolgos said his administration was in talks with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the Kenya Water Towers Agency (KWTA) to convert the hanging valley in Marakwet East, which has been hit by landslides since the 1950s, into a water tower.

This comes following plans to relocate people living in the escarpment recently rocked by landslides that claimed the lives of at least 18 people.

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Tolgos urged the National Government to work closely with the county in the exercise that will offer a long lasting solution to perennial land and mudslides in the region.

“We are in talks with the National Government for the residents to be resettled and the escarpments converted into a water tower. We want the National Government to work closely with us to make the hanging valley a water tower,” he said.

Tolgos added: “We want the Ministry of Environment to bring all stakeholders including State agencies under the ministry and the county government to seek a lasting solution to perennial landslides in the county.”

Increase funding

He further urged locals in sections of the hanging valley to adopt commercial bamboo growing. The county boss faulted KFS for stopping the bamboo demonstration site in Kaptagat without consulting the county government.

“We will not allow KFS to stop the demo site. We are meeting the service to resolve the issue,” he said.

He called on the National Government to increase funding to KWTA to boost conservation of water towers across the country.

KWTA Director General Julius Tanui said they are in talks with KFS over the Kaptagat Forest bamboo project. The project was stopped after a contractor allegedly cut down trees in the forest to fence the bamboo demo site.

“Kenya Forest Research Institute and the National Environment Trust Fund is involved in the bamboo project. Some teething problems emerged but they will be resolved,” he said.