Red Cross to revive the Tot Kolowa peace project

Iten Friday June 23, 2023

KNA by Alice Wanjiru/Valentine Jeptum

The Kenya Red Cross society will revive the 1,000 acre Tot-Kolowa irrigation project which stalled 10 years ago due to conflicts among communities in the Kerio Valley.

Speaking after signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Kenya Red Cross and Elgeyo Marakwet County, the secretary general designate Ahmed Idris said the Tot-Kolowa project will be among the first projects to be undertaken under the MOU.

He said while the MOU is open, the initial phase will take 5 years but added that each project will fall under a certain thematic area which will specify what will be done and how long it will take.

“For example our starting project which will be the revival of the Tot-Kolowa irrigation project will have a separate agreement which will specify how long it will take for us to deliver,” he said.

The secretary general said among the thematic areas that they will focus on under the MOU was disaster and risk management, improvement of livelihoods, access to water and sanitation and reduction of disease burden.

The governor Wisley Rotich who signed the MOU on behalf of the county government said the projects to be undertaken will help in transforming lives and response to disasters in the county saying a steering committee from the two institutions will sit to craft the projects to be undertaken.

He hailed the revival of the Tot-Kolowa project saying it will go a long way in enhancing peace between the Pokot and Marakwet communities in addition to improving the economy of the area.

The Sh245 million project which is situated along the Elgeyo Marakwet-Baringo boundary was established in 2013 and collapsed due to persistent conflicts in the area. By the time it collapsed, the Kenya Red Cross had spent Sh160 million in the laying of pipes which have been vandalized over the years.

The project was aimed at addressing issues of food security and peace by bringing together the Pokot and Marakwet with each community getting 500 acres each on both sides of the boundary.

Courtesy ; K. N. A