The National Government in conjunction with the County Government of Trans Nzoia has put up a plan to avail mobile seed driers in all the five constituencies of the county to aid farmers in drying their cereals early enough before the El-Nino rains sets off in the country.
Water and Irrigation Services Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has revealed that the National Government is coming in handy to assist the County Government to ensure that farmers do not incur losses from the heavy El-Nino rains that have been forecasted to start any time this month.
Wamalwa said that the County Government has got only two mobile driers that cannot meet the high demands of farmers in the entire county and so the National Government is moving in to ensure that three other driers are availed so that each constituency gets one to help the farmers dry their maize amid weather challenges.
“We are requesting that farmers harvest their maize from their farms as early as now before the El-Nino rains sets off. We are told that the rains shall be on its peak by November15th and that is why we as the National Government, have moved in to assist the County Government get enough driers to assist farmers harvest and dry their cereals on time without straining,” he said.
Wamalwa said that Trans Nzoia County is the granary of Kenya and that is why the government cannot take any chances in availing the necessary equipment such as driers to ensure that the farmers’ maize is not destroyed by the rains.
He further noted that the government shall also have to go an extra mile to hire more driers including those that are privately owned as a matter of urgency to ensure that all farmers are well taken care of.
The CS further revealed that the government had also set aside enough funds to buy maize from the farmers in the country and his Ministry was working closely with the Agriculture Ministry to have maize that is lying in the National Cereals and Produce Board – NCPB offloaded to other parts of the country that do not have maize to create space for the buying of new maize from the farmers in different parts of the county.
Earlier in his speech Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula had also urged the Jubilee government to move with speed to release funds to purchase maize from farmers before the El-Nino rains hit the ground.
To increase supply of water in the County
On the supply of clean water in the area, Wamalwa said that the government has plans to increase the supply from the Kabolet Water Source and Mt Elgon to ensure that residents do not face any water shortages.
Wamalwa who was speaking at the funeral of Mama Mercia Muliro the widow of the late Masinde Muliro in Sibanga village of Cherangany constituency said that the water being tapped from the sources is below 50 per cent of its capacity and that is the reason of planning for expansion of the supply.
“We have a plan to increase the water supply from Kabolet source because what we are using now is less than 50 per cent of its capacity. We plan to ensure that right from the source, the people get enough water because we cannot produce water to be used by people elsewhere yet the locals are short of the commodity,” he added.
Wamalwa further revealed that more waters from Mt. Elgon from rivers Mubere and Sosio by use of gravity shall be supplied to Endebes, Saboti and parts of Kwanza constituency including Kolongolo to ensure that the entire county has sufficient supply of water.
