Sugar production commences in Laikipia County

By Gakaho Njambi

Production of stevia has began in  Laikipia County. The leaves of the drought resistant shrub are dried, baled and exported to Malaysia for processing into low calorie sugar. According to the PureCircle Company area production Manager Mr Njoroge Miruri, the company targets to establish 500 Hectares (Ha) of the crop in Laikipia County during the 2014/2015 financial year. Although only 2 Ha of the crop has been established, there are about 270 beds established by the local farmers and 108 of these beds are ready for transplanting into about 6 Ha.

Encouraging farmers to adopt the new crop, Mr. Miruri noted that the crop is environmentally friendly since it does not require pesticide.

He added that the company provides extensive technical support to farmers and would buy all of the dried leaves since it is far below its production targets in Kenya.

Harvesting of the crop begins at six months and subsequently at two months interval over a period of four years and has higher annual returns compared to most crops.

Stakeholders join hands to ensure proper disposal of waste

By Njambi Gakaho

The Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF) is supporting Water Resource Management Authority, National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and Nyahururu Water Users Association in putting up billboards in common dumping areas of Nyahururu to warn residents that they risk being prosecuted if found dumping in undesignated dumping sites.

The main aim of this initiative is to ensure that garbage dumping in residential areas of Nyahururu decreases.

Nyahururu area has continued to receive heavy rainfall in the past few weeks. The heavy rainfall has led to flooding in some areas and a lot of run-off. The flowing water carries so much garbage, some of which end up in the rivers particularly Gathaara river.

Most of the garbage is basically plastic bags which have become synonymous with Kenyan waste. Since the debate on banning low gauge plastic bags always create a negative reaction, the key question is, how will Kenyans free their environment from plastic waste?

Most of the plastic bags are issued for free to customers in supermarkets, shops and other consumer outlets. Some environmentalists are currently of the opinion that putting a price on plastic bags could encourage shoppers to recycle them.

While some residential areas like Co-site estate have many open dump sites, the erected billboard in the area is expected to ensure that the residents will dump cautiously and in the long run the residential areas are bound to improve into better and clean environment.

It is clear that there is need for a plastic bag management policy. This would help in ensuring that plastic bag waste is minimized in the environment.  Meanwhile, residents of Nyahururu town should continuously be sensitized against dumping of garbage as improper garbage disposal can lead to health and environmental problems.

“Go forth…” Laikipia County citizen journalism training ends

By Godfrey Ndonye

After three days of intensive training, the Laikipia County citizen journalism course ended on 24^th July, 2014, right on schedule.  It was held at Olympia Hotel in Nyahururu town. Almost to a participant, there was a nagging feeling of inadequacy for the task the ‘graduands’ were being charged with by the trainers.

Trainees were drawn from organizations implementing natural resources management (NRM) and sustainable land management (SLM) activities in Laikipia County. It was delivered by Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) with financial support from UNDP under their Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP).

The trainees wanted much deeper coverage and more practical sessions. Some topics like information gathering techniques; interviewing; writing, editing and reviewing articles; media laws and ethics were relatively easy to learn. It was not so with photography, however. Online journalism, or blogging, presented an even greater challenge. Mr. Bob Aston, ALIN’s citizen journalism trainer, had to go over the theory and practical session again and  again.

The Deputy Director of ALIN, Mr. Anthony Mugo assured the participants that the training they had received would do for the envisaged task. He remarked that it may not be easy to learn in three days, in their circumstances, what is learnt in years at tertiary institutions. In any case, he went on, ALIN and the participants had developed a joint work plan that will require that they communicate every week. This will present opportunities for participants to seek solutions to any problems they may have, both from the trainers and also their fellow trainees.

By the time the closing prayers were called, the participants had already begun to feel like they might actually be ready. The trainers’ words, auras and demeanour seemed to seek to adapt President Obama’s clarion call to his fellow American citizens: Yes You Can. And, indeed, the group left not only with the basic knowledge of citizen journalism but, more important, the confidence that “they can”.

This training could not have come at a more opportune moment. The nascent County Government cannot have room for any wastage of resources and opportunities resulting from duplication of development efforts.  Oftentimes, different agents may fund similar projects in the same communities even if at different times. This underscores the import of the initiative taken by ALIN to the County Government.

Information sharing on development projects, the type and stages of completion, in any corner of the county, will prevent duplication of projects and keep all partners and stakeholders focused ahead. ALIN has graciously committed themselves to assisting the county achieve this goal.

The County Government of Laikipia was represented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NRM) in the person of Godfrey Ndonye. The Department with therefore be running this blog with ongoing technical support by ALIN.

Kindly keep visiting this blog for more updates and let others know about it.

County First Lady walks to reassure scared elephant

By Godfrey Ndonye

Laikipia County First Lady Mrs. Grace Wakahora Irungu on 1^st July, 2014 flagged off a walk organized to save elephants in the county from further decimation. She first planted a tree to commemorate the occasion. This was followed by a brief speech after which she flagged off the walk from the Governor’s office in Nanyuki town before joining the participants. The walk followed in the wake of poachers wantonly killing elephants and rhinos in the county in the previous few months.

In her speech before she waved the flag, the First Lady lauded the organizers of the walk, singling out Mr. Jimmy Nyamu who has been involved in similar activities in the whole country. She said the value of wildlife goes beyond the perceived monetary value; that it is our heritage and must be conserved for posterity. She assured the county residents that Governor Irungu’s administration will do all in its power to save the endangered wildlife species in the county.

The Governor has recently re-organized his government so that one of the “Ministries” will now deal exclusively with Water, Environment and Natural Resources. This is not to mention the fact that his training is in Natural Resources Management and he is the current Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee in the Council of Governors.

These goings-on in the highest office of the county lend credence to her Excellency’s assurances. It should also soothe the anxiety of the elephants and the rhinos about their safety.

Laikipia County UNDP GEF SGP grantees to learn citizen journalism

 By Godfrey Ndonye

The Laikipia County UNDP GEF SGP grantees will have their capacity to gather, organize and dissipate information on commercially oriented agriculture, livestock production and natural resources management greatly enhanced. This is after Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN), with the assistance of UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Small Grants Programme (SGP) organized a three-day training starting from 22^nd July to 24^th July on Citizen Journalism in the Olympia Hotel in Nyahururu, Laikipia West sub-county. The first day of the training was very interesting. After the usual housekeeping rituals during such occasions, Mr. Athony Mugo ran the class through what ALIN is all about and how they relate with their material and moral supporters.

A veteran journalist himself, Mr. Mugo skillfully steered his class of fourteen ‘students’ through the different tools ALIN uses to gather, synthesize and dissipate information, among them FARMIS, And SOKO+ as  well as a proud creation of the group members’ own newsletter, the Laikipia Maliasili.

Mr. Bob, a young journalist already with a journalistic achievement award under his belt, relieved the first facilitator and ably guided the attentive students through the definition of journalism, its rationale and the challenges attendant to it. Mind mapping exercises were followed by instructions on how to organize ones ideas, the difference between news writing and creative writing and, finally, the all-important topic of information gathering techniques.

Mr. Bob capped the day with giving the class pleasantly challenging exercises to be completed and emailed to him before the start of the following day.  If the first day was anything to go by, the training was going to be an attention grabbing activity that would change the attitude and lives of many.