State to flush out illegal herders from Laikipia farms
The government has warned herders invading private farms in Laikipia county that stern action will be taken against them.
Laikipia County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri said authorities were on the lookout for armed invaders mostly from neighbouring counties who have invaded people’s farms and conservancies with their livestock and were grazing in the areas forcibly.
Speaking in Nanyuki town yesterday after flagging off a 20-tonne consignment of relief food for distribution within the county, he noted that the herders had already invaded Il Ngw’esi Community Conservancy and parts of Mukogodo forest.
“Our officers are on the ground in the affected areas and a thorough operation to flush them out will be carried out soon,” Kanyiri warned.
Food assistance
He added that pastoralists wishing to graze their livestock on private farms and conservancies should adhere to the grazing guidelines by the owners where they are charged a certain amount of money per animal to graze.
“We shall not let herders graze their animals on people’s farms, the government has a responsibility to protect private property,” the CC said.
The County Commissioner further said that over 15,000 residents were in need of food assistance and that the relief food would be distributed to all the six sub-counties in the area.
“Each sub-county will receive 360 bags of beans and 200 bags of rice that will be distributed to the most deserving cases and overseen by our administrators,” he said.
Kanyiri said that the government was buying livestock for slaughter in order to feed starving residents under the livestock offtake programme overseen by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).
