“We have revived
failed irrigation projects and offered subsidized supply of seeds, fertilizer
and tractors to prosper agriculture, replaced bushes and weeds with crops.” - Governor Ali
Roba
It seemed
a far dream when Mandera two years ago set out to blend its high temperatures, sun-scorched
soils, seasonal rivers and spotty rain into tonnes of juice.
Well, it is bearing
fruits. Thanks to a Sh1 billion investment in agricultural development, Mandera
County’s dreams of being the foremost fruit producer
in Kenya are well on
course.
It is no longer a
story. It is reality. Flying over the farms on the banks of River Daua attests to
this. Lush green, heavy pawpaw, ripe guava and giant banana trees sway to the
desert wind as if to acknowledge the surprised looks peering from above.
According to the
County’s executive member for agriculture and irrigation, Mr Mohamed Omar
Absiye, as of February 2015, the County Government had distributed seedlings of
desert-hardy fruit varieties to farmers reinvigorated by irrigation. Mr Absiye
says these include 4,800 grafted mango seedlings, 3,600 tissue culture banana seedlings,
1,200 pawpaw seedlings, 1,200 grafted oranges seedlings, 1,200 lemon seedlings and 1,200
quava seedlings.
The County is already
exporting watermelons to Nairobi. An orchard is mature in the County’s demonstration
farm near Mandera town and a re-energised extension services to farmers across
the six sub counties, combined with provision of seedlings is seeing through a fruit
revolution in the 25,798 square kilometer
county of more than a million residents.
The sweet Mandera story
is not just in fruits. Its agricultural diversity is seeing the development of
value crops including simsim, sunflower, tomatoes, kales, onions, millet, sorghum,
nerica rice, cassava, cowpeas and local vegetables.
That the two year
progress is magical shows as Governor Ali Roba’s face lightens as he adjust his
seat to tell the farming story. “When we settled down to start the County Government
in 2013, all farms along the river had been abandoned and taken over by weeds.
Through provision of subsidy fertilizer, seeds and irrigation, the farmers are
back and motivated,” he says.
The Governor’s vision
is to nature a market oriented agricultural production in Mandera, a dream that
has the county leadership develop a plan that will see establishment of infrastructure
and investment to spur value addition right within the county.
Recognising that
Mandera has been marginalized for half a century in addition to challenges such
as insecurity and distance from ports, the County has a strategy that will see it
absorb initial risk for agro-investors through
a invest-run-divest
approach.
Initial studies show
that it has a potential market of 3.5 million to 4.5 million people living across
three regional boundaries in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Infrastructural
investment, including an international airport, is already ongoing to tap this market
potential. An aspect of this, the fruit-processing factory, will come on stream
by February 2016. “In 10 years’ time Mandera will be fully food sufficient. The
timeframe would have been shorter if we had more resources,” Mr Roba asserts. Mr
Absiye says of the Sh950 million they have invested in the sector over the two
years, they have made sure more than 50 per cent – Ksh 515 million – goes into
development expenditure rather than recurrent.
Achievements
•
Fruit processing factory feasibility study and design completed.
•
Rehabilitatation of 8 stalled markets and construction of 6 new ones.
•
Commission and construction of Elwak
SME park.
•
Construction of a Five Star hotel.
•
Construction of broadcasting house.
•
Internet service provision.
•
Mandera County Trade.
•
Development Fund Act enacted.
•
Mobile telephony network expansion
•
ICT Policy enacted.
•
Revived 22 cooperatives
•
Registered 8 and 60 awaiting certificates.
•
Capacity building for 40 cooperative leaders.
•
Tailor-made entrepreneurship training
•
One stop business license unit.
Progress Report: 2 years of
Devolution
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