Invading lands: Laikipia tightens rules for herders
Several herders fleeing drought in their home counties had already been turned away for lack of documentation. The post Invading lands: Laikipia tightens rules for herders appeared first on KBC Digital .
Herders from neighboring counties are now required to provide letters from their respective chiefs, detailing their destination and the host, when driving livestock into Laikipia. This new rule, enforced by Assistant County Commissioner Onesmus Kamau in Kirima Sub-County, aims to prevent conflicts with local communities and avoid the unauthorized displacement of livestock onto private farms.
The requirement comes as herders fleeing drought in their home counties have been turned away for arriving without the necessary documentation.
The Laikipia Ranching Primary and Junior School, recently upgraded by Mukutan Conservancy, is seeking additional infrastructure improvements to enhance the learning environment. Mukutan Conservancy Director Sveva Gallmann, whose family has a long association with the school, emphasized the importance of peace for meaningful development and vowed continued support for the institution. She urged communities to maintain peace and use existing leadership structures to resolve challenges.
The headteacher, Peter Ndiritu, appreciated the conservancy's contributions but requested an electric fence to protect the school from elephants and a modern kitchen to ensure safe and hygienic meal preparation under the government feeding program. Laikipia Ranching Primary and Junior School, initially located within Laikipia Nature Conservancy land, has basic mabati and timber structures, and Ndiritu believes that improved infrastructure would significantly enhance the learning environment.
Ol Moran Location Chief Francis Njuguna urged Pokot community members to acquire land to establish permanent roots and benefit from facilities like schools. Dickson Kaelo, Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, highlighted that Mukutan is one of over 240 conservancies in Kenya, working with communities to support development initiatives.
He stressed the importance of peace and environmental conservation for sustaining such projects and urged residents to protect Laikipia's reputation as a peaceful conservation and tourism destination. The event, attended by government officials, conservationists, community leaders, parents, and pupils, emphasized the need for peaceful coexistence, environmental conservation, and stronger collaboration between communities, government, and conservancies to promote education and development in the region.
Written by urgent.news from KBC's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
