The Northern Rangeland Trust efforts lauded for promoting security, education, job creation in west Pokot County

Kapenguria Wednesday June 21, 2023

KNA By Anthony Melly / Maurice Osore

The Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT) organization has contributed to the improvement of people’s lives, the promotion of peace, the advancement of education, the attraction of tourists, and the protection of the natural environment in the region.

NRT is a non-profit umbrella organization that provides 43 community conservancies across northern and coastal Kenya with financial support, technical assistance, governance advice and training, and security.

The organization was founded as a shared resource to assist in establishing and growing community conservancies, which are best suited to improve the lives of people, foster peace, and preserve the natural environment.

In semi-arid parts of West Pokot County, NRT has Masol and Pellow conservancies, which are helping the community become more resilient to drought and other climate change effects.

NRT umbrella projects have benefited the lives of residents in Wei Wei, Lomut, Masol, Sekerr, Endugh, and Kasei wards, and neighbouring wards like Alale, Kiwawa, Sook, Suam, and Riwo are indirect beneficiaries of the conservancies.

West Pokot County Commissioner (CC) Apollo Okello has affirmed that NRT has taken proactive steps to promote peace, advance education, attract tourists to the region, and protect the natural environment in the county.

The county commissioner made the remarks while addressing a gathering of security stakeholders held at a hotel in Makutano town in Kapenguria constituency.

CC Apollo Okello noted that the NRT peace program, which is centered on an indigenous-led strategy coupled with efforts from police and NRT officials, has been successful in restoring peace in conflict areas not only in West Pokot County but also in other parts of the nation.

According to the county commissioner, The Northern Rangeland Trust has been successful in educating the community to become job creators through business coaching, mentorship, and training through the Ushanga and Ujuzi Manyattani programs.

CC Okello urges West Pokot residents to support what NRT is doing in the region by supporting the projects being implemented in North Pokot and Central Pokot sub counties because it will help them improve sustainable enterprise and livelihoods for their benefit either directly or indirectly through the conservancy measures.

West Pokot County Police Commander Peter Kattam said the region has had challenges in issues of security, and several youths have stopped schooling and joined bad-behaving groups, but with the collaboration of NRT security officials, they have been able to reach several youths and rehabilitate them, and many have gone back to school.

"NRT has good plans for helping our schools, hospitals, and even water supply in the community; through that, youths have gotten employed and avoided cattle rustling acts," the county police commander said.

Kattam requested elders, churches, the community, and other security stakeholders, including NRT, to join hands and find ways in which insecurity issues can be eliminated in the county and help attract development for the region.

He urged the political leaders to contribute to supporting the NRT programs in the conservancies, for they have benefitted the community's livelihoods.

He noted that the Masol and Pellow conservancies in the region have helped attract tourists to the region, and with better management and good will from the county leadership, the conservancies will attract more tourists and help the county collect more revenue for development.

"I want to request our youths to take care of our forests so that the animals that we have can stay long enough for the coming generation to also see them; animals like elephants, buffalos, giraffes, hyenas, cheetahs, and others that need to be conserved for future and tourist attractions," Mr. Kattam appealed.

The Northern Rangeland Trust Regional Director, Ms. Rebecca Chebet, disclosed the organization has been in West Pokot since 2015, helping community conservancies at Masol and Pellow conservancies.

Ms. Chebet said the security meeting they held will help them come up with measures that will enhance their peace in and along the boundaries of West Pokot County.

She disclosed that they have a plan to add other conservancies in the region, but first they will sensitize the community on the importance of the conservancy in creating jobs, promoting education and security.

Ms. Chebet noted that they will be supporting education programs in the Turkwel location, which will also benefit the residents of Endugh and Kasei wards.

"We have plans to work with the community of Turkwel area and also involve residents in Endugh and Kasei wards; we will work with them to ensure the school-going children can get help with school fees."she said.

Ms. Chebet pointed out that NRT has a program to empower those who are not in school with technical skills through the training program dubbed "Ujuzi Manyattani."

She explained that through the Ujuzi Manayattani program, they have been training youths who finished the training they got while at home, like tailoring and electrical, so that the young ones can have a way of earning.

‘‘through Ujuzi Manyattani programme we have been targeting to train pastoral communities with least access to formal education and we have managed to train them in courses ranging from catering, tailoring, motorbike repair, electrical engineering, carpentry, mobile phone repair, masonry among other skills,’’ Ms. Chebet pointed out.

She revealed that at Masol conservancy, they have been working with the community to identify the neediest students for them to be awarded bursaries for their school fees to enable them be in school.

Ms Chebet noted that they have been focusing on the issues of food security in every conservancy they have been and in Masol for example they have a grass project that is almost to be harvested, at Lomut ward through collaboration with CEFA for the benefit of cattle farmers.

‘‘we have a honey processing unit too at Lomut, so the community is able to do honey business. At Weiwei, we gave out mangoes and as at now they have improved varieties of mangoes and in five years’ time they will be harvesting mangoes via this project,’’ she further said.

She went on: “At Sekker ward we have an irrigation scheme that is helping the community for food”.

‘‘At least in every ward in Pokot Central and North Pokot there is something the community is benefiting from NRT,’’ she said.

She disclosed that in the year 2021, they vaccinated goats against diseases at Endugh ward and also constructed roads to ease accessibility in those areas.

She said NRT has good plans for the community urging them to join hands in the fight against the effects of climate change and also in the eradication of insecurity issues in the county.

The peace gathering meeting was attended by the county security team, sub-county security team, and peace actors, including the Northern Rangeland Trusts Organization, the European Committee for Training and Agriculture (CEFA), and the Social Ministry Research Network (SOMIRENEC), among other security stakeholders.

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