Chiefs pursue Turkana herders in Uganda for Huduma Namba
A Turkana family at the Kenya-Uganda border on March 19, 2019. Kenya has dispatched chiefs from Turkana to Uganda to woe more than 40,000 pastoralists from the county who crossed over to return and register for Huduma Namba. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The pastoralists cross over to Uganda during the dry spell in Kenya and come back when the rains fall.
- Huduma Namba registration in Turkana has faced a myriad of problems ranging from poor network connectivity and insecurity.
- The registration comes at a time when over 800,000 people in Turkana are battling biting hunger.
Kenya has dispatched chiefs from Turkana to Uganda to woe more than 40,000 pastoralists from the county who crossed over in search of pasture and water to register for the Huduma Namba in the National Integrated Management System (Niims).
County Commissioner Boniface Wambua said that the team was sent to beseech the pastoralists to cross over and register.
Mr Wambua said a majority of them in far-flung areas, just like those in Uganda, do not have identification cards or birth certificate which are required for the Huduma Namba registration.
DRY SPELL
Normally, the pastoralists cross over to Uganda during the dry spell in Kenya and come back when the rains fall. The Ugandan side rarely experiences serious droughts.
"I urge those in Uganda and who don't have any public documentation to turn up as they will be known to be in Kenya and later be registered as citizens through their chiefs who know them.
“I ask everyone in Turkana to embrace the exercise so that the government knows of their existence. This is a vital requirement for planning," the county commissioner said.
He urged Turkana leaders to support the exercise which he said is also important for them to be aware of the total population in their areas.
CHALLENGES
The Huduma Namba registration in Turkana has faced a myriad of problems ranging from poor network connectivity and insecurity.
The registration comes at a time when over 800,000 people in Turkana are battling biting hunger as a result of prolonged drought.
Recently, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok called for the extension of the registration to six months so that both levels of government can focus more on the biting drought.
Mr Nanok said that thousands of Turkana residents and in most arid and semi-arid counties are facing a severe drought and few will take the registration seriously.
"Turkana people are currently not concerned about Niims. If we insist on rolling it out then there will be less than five percent of the population being registered," the county boss said.
