GOVERNOR MARSABIT COUNTY INTERVIEW-THE STAR My people still cry for water Monday, October 28, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY WENDY MAINA CRISIS: Lack of water in Marsabit County has affected the locals for years and scared away potential investors CRISIS: Lack of water in Marsabit County has affected the locals for years and scared away potential investors Amb Ukur Yatani Ka nacho Tell us briefly about your journey from a diplomat to Governor? In 2007 I vied for MP and I unfortunately lost to my opponent. Allow me to say I never expected that to happen. I had invested so much in terms of growth and development of Marsabit County. I helped the county in terms of educating the less privileged and water projects just to mention one of the many things I did. So when I lost the seat I was frustrated and disappointed too. It came as a shocker. But I convinced myself that it was not the end of me. I pushed forward and vowed that I would have to represent my people again. I had an obligation to my people, the people of Marsabit County. In March I was a contender for the gubernatorial seat. I put my best foot forward. I did not want to lose the opportunity. This time I got it. That’s quite encouraging. You have been in office for seven months now, what the development state in Marsabit? Well, first I have to say I have always been on top of things as far as Marsabit County is concerned. I have begun the construction of the road that goes through Marsabit to Moyale. The road is done up to Turbi at the moment. The rest of the portion is under construction. My county government is also as committed to make sure the project sails smoothly. I have also been following up on the Badasa Dam Project, which stalled last year and trying to make amends. This has been a major concern in the county. It was a project that was meant to curb all water problems for the county. This has been a real heartbreak for the residents of Marsabit. I hope that the government steps in for the good of the people. The project was allocated Sh2.4 billion by the government in 2009. What made it stall? This was purely embezzlement of funds and corruption. My understanding is that the contractors and National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation have decided to settle the matter out of court. It has been that way for a long time now with no evidence of progress whatsoever. This is a shuttered dream for the people considering that the water issue in Marsabit is at a catastrophic stage at this point. With these kind of water problems the county cannot develop and grow, especially in the tourism industry. It has been a main concern for hoteliers and also investors. Roads are also major concern in Marsabit, especially during the rainy season. What do you have to say about this? Well, like I have mentioned, the roads are under construction. The county council is working hard to ensure the quick completion of the roads. With the completion of roads this will be a perfect opportunity to woo investors to come and start businesses in our area. The road is half done. How well does Marsabit thrive in terms of agriculture? The county has an area of approximately 70,961.2 square kilometres but crop farming in the county does not thrive well because of erratic climatic conditions. There are however some regions around Mt Marsabit and Moyale where crop farming does well during rainy season. The population working in agriculture is about two per cent. Main cash crops grown in the county include vegetables and fruits whereas food crops include maize, wheat, green grams, cowpeas beans and millet. Potential cash crops include mangoes, yellow passion, pineapples, pawpaw, citrus, avocado and bananas for fruits. Others are sisal, coffee, macadamia, cotton, sorghum, cowpeas, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, cassava, pumpkins, and eggplants. You have mentioned tourism and investment in your county. What plans do you have for this? Well, I have an interest for investors to come and pitch their businesses in Marsabit, especially the hoteliers. With good and well-maintained hotels in Marsabit, our tourism will move a notch higher. The county has a lot of potential in tourism and is a virgin area for tourism. Marsabit is also considered the cradle of mankind. With the solar eclipse coming up, and the best place worldwide to view it being in Marsabit County, we are fortunate. This is a major tourist attraction and it will attract huge crowds. It lastly, in 1973, attracted over 15,000 people from all over the world. Our target this year is higher than that number. I urge all Kenyans out there to come and share this historic moment with the rest of Marsabit. I believe that Marsabit will grow like any other city in this country especially with the tourism attraction areas that surround the county. I do not doubt it. What are the other investment opportunities apart from hotels? Investors have a great opportunity given the immense potential of fish productivity in Lake Turkana. There is no fish processing firm in Marsabit County. At Lake Turkana, in Marsabit County, there is a great opportunity for sport fishing industry which can complement the tourism sector. Investors can invest in the area of transport of the raw materials and finished products. Livestock input supplies and equipment has not been exploited and has potential for expansion. Livestock feed supply or manufacture and distribution is another area with huge referral. I am willing to give land to the interested investors, on condition they put up businesses that will benefit the county. Marsabit is a rich county, no doubt about that; resources are in plenty. Some are exploited and some unexploited. What kind of resources do you refer to? Indeed, Marsabit is a wealthy county. We have the highest amount of iron deposit countrywide, which is still unexploited. We also have oil in Maikona. The oil exploration stalled for some time during the election period but plans have been put in place to ensure that the project continues. This will also provide employment for the youth. Nationally, livestock sector contributes substantially to Kenya’s gross domestic product and employs 50 per cent of agriculture labour force. About 60 per cent of the livestock population is found in the arid and semi-arid lands, which constitute about 80 per cent of the country. It is estimated that 10 million Kenya’s living in the arid and semi-arid areas derive their livelihoods from livestock rearing. In Marsabit, livestock production plays a major role in the lives of the people. It is the major income earner, major source of livelihoods and used for other cultural activities. Livestock production is practised in two main systems, pastoral and agro-pastoral. These systems in their present state are inefficient and the inhabitants do not reap maximum benefits. So what needs to be done? In order to address the inherent challenges in the current systems, a deliberate effort needs to be undertaken in the area of legal and registration, production, transportation, processing and preservation and value addition at all levels. These challenges require cooperation and partnership of all players in the sector- county government, private sector, civil society, producers, NGOs and other stakeholders. What do you say about insecurity in your county? May I say that the people of my county are not at war. The main problem is at Moyale. In this case, the main problem is the inter-tribal clashes. This is mainly caused by livestock, under-employment, shared resources and pasture. Few incidents of inter-tribal clashes have been reported here, especially between the Borana and the Gabra, but my I believe my county council is on top of things ensuring that this is contained. Do you think politics played any role in these clashes? Yes. I do in fact a huge role for that matter. Due to political interests, some communities are put up against others. Politicians will incite the youth to engage in senseless wars. They have not made it easier to curb the problem. They should be out there trying to preach peace but to the contrary they are not. I urge the residents to know that politics is a one-term affair. After that we go back to life as usual. They should refrain from acts of violence. All the communities should learn how live with one another. Security anchors the county to stability.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:37:07 +0000
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