State donates feeds to herders camping in Mt Kenya region
Pastoralists offload animal pellets from a pick-up truck in Naromoru for distribution to about 15,000 animals in Kieni. More than 20,000 animals have migrated to Laikipia in search of greener pastures. PHOTO | IRENE MUGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The herders have been grazing their animals along the Nyeri-Nanyuki road reserve.
- They have also set up semi-permanent houses in peoples’ farms in Solio Ranch.
Pastoralists who moved to Mt Kenya region for greener pastures have benefitted from a Sh4 million animal feed supplements donated by the national government over the weekend.
According to the National Drought and Management Authority (NDMA) county coordinator Kariuki Kiragu, the pastoralists will receive 100,000 kilos of pellets which should sustain the animals for two weeks.
He said they would acquire more pellets for the animals in a month and also procure recovery seeds for farmers to plant as the rains begin to fall.
The animal feeds will go to approximately 15,000 livestock in Kieni Constituency for both the animals belonging to the herders and the residents.
“The county cannot sustain the current stressful situation because there is high dependency on the little resources available,” he said.
So far, 500 animals have died due to drought and carcasses could be seen lying by the roadside.
HARSH WEATHER
A few other animals have died as a result of a bacterial pneumonic disease as they are exposed to harsh weather conditions especially at night.
The herders have been grazing their animals along the Nyeri-Nanyuki road reserve.
They have also set up semi-permanent houses in peoples’ farms in Solio Ranch.
More than 20,000 cattle have flocked the county from Laikipia, Samburu and Pokot counties, according to statistics from NDMA.
Mr Kiragu added that they are planning to vaccinate the animals against contagious diseases that the immigrant animals could have brought to the county.
Most of the animals are heavily infested with blue ticks.
The Kenya Veterinary Association disease control programme coordinator Mwangi Gichomo called for inter-county government collaboration to mitigate the effects of the drought.
“Each county that has pastoralists migrating to other counties needs to contribute financially for efficiency and mitigation of diseases,” he said.
