WEST POKOT — More than 4,000 households in remote Kerelwa, Batei Ward, Kipkomo Sub-county are set to benefit from a government empowerment programme targeting food security, environmental conservation, and improved livelihoods in one of Kenya’s most drought-prone areas.
The Kerelwa Community Empowerment Event, held at Koporoch Girls High School, brought together national and county officials, development partners, and residents to launch interventions focused on climate resilience and agriculture. Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi represented Chief of Staff Felix Koskei at the event. Also in attendance were Sports PS Elijah Mwangi, Public Works PS Joel Arumonyang, and West Pokot County Commissioner David Saruni.
Speaking at the event on Saturday, PS Mugambi emphasized that the government is aggressively pushing climate-smart agriculture in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) as a long-term solution to recurring food insecurity. He noted that the government has subsidized fertilizer to make farming affordable while urging farmers to embrace fruit farming, adding that the President has already secured international markets for avocados in China and Japan.
To support the transition, PS Mugambi announced the distribution of 100,000 avocado seedlings to over 4,000 households and 30 schools in the area. Experts from the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) will train local farmers on fruit tree management. The broader distribution effort included coffee and fruit seedlings, farm inputs, and water tanks, while local schools received sports equipment.
The initiative directly aligns with the national goal to plant 15 billion trees by 2030. PS Mugambi noted that West Pokot has so far planted about 5 million trees against its annual target of 14.9 million. Beyond environmental conservation, the Forestry PS also commissioned new classrooms and a dormitory at Koporoch Girls High School, constructed through the Ward Development Fund.
Local administration underscored environmental protection, with West Pokot County Commissioner David Saruni warning residents against environmental degradation. Saruni stressed that tree planting is both an environmental and economic investment, warning that authorities will not tolerate illegal charcoal burning and offenders will face the full force of the law.
Beyond agriculture and infrastructure, Saruni announced a one-month mobile ID registration drive targeting remote areas, urging local youth to register for national IDs, the Social Health Authority (SHA), and voter rolls. Overall, the multi-faceted initiative ties into the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), aimed at raising household incomes, boosting community infrastructure, and building long-term climate resilience in Kerelwa.
